Instructional Graph

           Using the Pixlr was an interesting experience from the start.  I thought it was a confusing program at first because I have never used an editing program before.  It definitely took me awhile to get started on the basic editing features.  I wish I knew more about how to use the different tools better because there was a lot that Pixlr offered, I just did not know how to utilize those tools.  I think I could use these types of applications in the future with teaching to show the main ideas for a story or to preview a lesson about a word ending. 

            All internet content is automatically copyrighted unless otherwise specified.  Fair Use allows teachers to use restricted amounts of copyrighted content for educational purposes.  Creative Commons is a set of licensing options which allows individuals to specify how you may use their work in ways that range in restriction.  A question that I have about all this stuff is how do you know what websites or pictures are not copyrighted and are for anyone to use?

Podcast/Google Plus

            The use of podcasts in my future profession as a teacher could be used for read alouds to the class, classroom songs, motivational sayings, and maybe even morning messages. I think there a lot of ways that podcasts can be used in an early childhood setting. I think it just has to be monitored as to how often I would want to use that type of technology and what the activity is that I would use a podcast for. I think the children in the class would enjoy hearing the teachers voice for certain activities and I also think if a teacher knew he or she was going to be absent for a long period of time they could record their voice reading stories or something then the substitute teacher could use those with the class or as a guide.
           
            As for Google+, it was first time using this application and from looking at it I think that it has a lot to offer from all the different things that come with it.I think it also is a little overwhelming with all that it offers because I am not exactly sure how to navigate it all, but I am sure once I am on it more often I will get the hang of it.I am not sure if I would use Google+ personally in an elementary school classroom because it seems a little advanced, especially since the school that I am currently at some of the families do not have a computer at home.

Twitter Examples in Early Childhood Education

            I think there are a ton of benefits for the use of Twitter in Early Childhood Education because there are ways to express how you feel about something in your classroom and others could feel the same, so that is a great way to come up with different ideas on how to improve things.  Also, I think the parent-teacher Twitter accounts are really interesting because it incorporates a different way of relaying information, just like the daily updates of an elementary school classroom Twitter page.  I do think Twitter is more for the adults of the classroom setting because children in elementary school should not be on Twitter because it is a very mature way of discussing things online. 

In the future I think Twitter might be a great place to find resources for different issues or topics you have questions about, especially for first year teachers.  I would personally use Twitter for more of that, rather than using Twitter to involve the entire classroom because some families might find that difficult or do not have access to a computer.  Twitter is a great way to meet other educators in the same field and to be able to talk about things happening in the classroom that you are not sure of or if you are looking for new ways to teacher different lessons.  I think Twitter has a lot to offer for teacher references, and that is something new that I learned through this entire experience.

Maths Jam
Link: https://twitter.com/MathsJam   http://mathsjam.com/
Summary: Math enthusiasts sharing puzzles, games, problems, or anything interesting.
Rationale: The use of this twitter discusses different ways to incorporate math into classrooms with new and exciting activities.  This is a great way to get more ideas about how to teach math lessons in the classroom.

Early Childhood Education
Link: https://twitter.com/ChildhoodEdu   http://www.earlychildhoodeducation.biz
Summary: Education jobs, salaries and degrees, and Early Childhood Educations degrees online.
Rationale: This Twitter is a great resource for Early Childhood educators because it gives many tips and ideas to teachers in this field.  Many of the tweets that I saw described every day situations that I think a lot of teacher’s experience, so it is a great way to get many people on Twitter discussing these things together. 

Primary Technology  
Link: https://twitter.com/PrimaryT   http://primaryt.co.uk
Summary: Educational ICT services
Rationale: This Twitter brings so many different ways to incorporate technology in the Early Childhood field for teaching.  I also loved how this Twitter is from the UK, and it is really interesting to see the many way they incorporate technology into the classroom and their ideas are ones that would apply to elementary schools in the US.

Room 302
Link: https://twitter.com/room302
Summary: Elementary school classroom Twitter.
Rationale: This particular Twitter showcases an actual elementary school classroom teacher tweeting about what the class does on a daily basis.  Having this type of communication is great especially with all the technology that is used on a day to day basis.  I like how this would replace an email, and anyone who is interested in seeing what is going on in this classroom can see just that.  Also, the classroom photos bring the students into the Twitter world because they get to see all the hard work they have been doing in the classroom.   

Parent-Teacher Chats
Link: http://efacetoday.blogspot.com.es/  https://twitter.com/Joe_Mazza
Summary: Electronic family and community engagement. 
Rationale: This parent-teacher chat is a great way to get the parents of the student engaged on a weekly basis.  Having this chat encourages parents to express what they think or if they have any ideas that might be beneficial for their student, and also other parents could comment on if they feel the same way.  This way the teacher can get feedback from multiple parents.

Twitter Chat Experience

           Prior to this Twitter experience with synchronous chats I have never done something like this before.  I have always just stuck with the regular tweeting because I honestly have never heard of synchronous chats through Twitter.  When I first found out that there were Twitter chats that were based on education and new teachers I was shocked because I never knew that existed and that so many others that were on Twitter participated in these chats.

           My overall opinion on my chat experience was that it was definitely overwhelming and challenging to get the hang of.  I found it a lot to take in at once and some of the subjects being discussed, I felt, were over my head in some areas because I am not a teacher yet.  I think once I become a more experienced teacher I will find these particular Twitter chats more useful.  On the other hand though, I did find a few comments to questions that were being asked helpful and quite informational.  I definitely think I will participate in these chats in the future because I think it is a great way to get new ideas for the classroom and I also think it is a great way to bounce ideas off of one another.  I know that one of the chats I was interested in and attempted to participate in was directed to new teachers, so I think once I graduate I will look at that chat to see what others that are in my similar situation have to say so I can relate and not feel like the only one thinking certain things. 

Google Docs Experience

            This week was my first time using Google forms and spreadsheet for an assignment.  In the past I have used Google docs but that was about it.  I was a little nervous at first to see how I was going to make a survey then collect all the data from that.  To my surprise the entire process of Google was super easy and fool proof, which definitely worked into my advantage. 

From the data that was collected from my survey I noticed that there was not really a trend, but I did notice that the participants who answered yes to having technology in the classroom when they attended elementary school also said they like to see technology in moderation in elementary classrooms now.  I even noticed that participants who answered no to having technology in the classroom at the elementary schools they attended would like to see technology used in the elementary school classrooms today.  The end result that I got from the data was that regardless on if there was technology used in the classroom when the participant attended, they would like to see technology used in classrooms today, but more so in moderation.  What I just described was the data I used in my graph as well, so the graph is just a visual representation of my previous description.

I can see myself using Google forms in the future for many different things, like collecting data in a classroom with an older group of students by using a survey, then using that survey to display a graph.  If the students in my classroom did not know much about graphs I could incorporate a lesson around that.  I think that Google forms has a lot to offer and the plus side of it all is that is really easy to use and it is not a long process at all (which teachers love).   

 

• Link to my survey:
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEFFME9TN3IxTndrd0lRV0ZVRzJtMUE6MQ#gid=0
   

The Twitter World

           The Twitter world is sort of new to me, my roommate last year made one for me in the winter.  Since then I have started using it a little more than I initially thought I would be.  I personally love this social networking platform because so many people use it, such as celebrities, authors, peers, family, etc… I think Twitter is a great way to communicate with other people and I think it is a great way to spread a message to a large number of people. 

Since I am studying to be an elementary school teacher I am not completely sure if Twitter would be an appropriate use of technology to use with the students or faculty or parents that I would be around daily.  I feel like Twitter is more for teenagers and anyone older than that to use because a lot of the people who use it either tweet from a smartphone or computer.  I do like the idea of using Twitter in a professional setting if my major was geared towards something else that included more people using it to communicate.  My only concern with Twitter is that if any employers were to look me up through Twitter (or any social media) it could affect my chances of getting a job.  As of right now my Twitter is private so I hopefully will not run into any problems of that kind.

My Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is that I believe that every student has the ability to learn at their highest potential and it is my job as the teacher to find ways to help the students get there. 

   1. This philosophy I think comes from me always wanting to help others and to make sure that I can do whatever I can to make sure no one fails.  I have always found myself to be personable to the people around me, not to just my friends and family, but to my teachers and peers in school.  I grew up being the oldest of four and I think that has a lot to do with the way I think about teaching because I felt this responsibility all the time of being this role model and I want that to reflect into my teaching.  This is a teaching philosophy written for an elementary school environment.

2.      I think when students learn they become more confident in the classroom.  Learning something new is always exciting and I think children who are confident in saying an answer or going back home and telling the people they live with what they had just learned only helps them learn more.  Assumptions that I make about learning is that every student in the classroom is interested or understands the information fully, when sometimes they do not.  My experience is that I have witnessed everyone that I went to school with since elementary school has made it to college, and all of them had a different way of learning.

3.      I think my role as a future teacher is to be a mentor in the learning process for students.  The students in a classroom look up to the teacher and it the job of the teacher to model the correct behaviors, show different ways of learning, and to be that role model for them.  I think the roles of the students in this case are to be a follower and a leader.  If they are both of those then their peers can see that that is the appropriate way to learn or to do things.  To establish these roles they have to be modeled from day one because otherwise the students will not know what is expected of them every day.

4.      Goals that I have for my students is to number one always try your best because that will overlap with other goals like wanting them to be polite to their peers, always be encouraging and then the end goal they will succeed.

5.      Technology can have a huge impact on the way students learn in the classroom because it opens up a different way to see things to them.  I love the idea of a smartboard because it gives students that hands on experience instead of just reading information out of a textbook.  The role of technology I think should be determined by the teacher in the classroom because the teacher is the one who knows what works well for the students and the teacher can decide when technology is appropriate.