Project 1 -- The Movie

So . . . this is the movie that was supposed to be published about a million years ago. I finally found time to do it. It's kinda cute, I think. As far as my view of technology goes, I think it hasn't changed much, because I've always thought it was a useful tool that I needed to know more about. I WAS introduced to many cool programs I can use, and I was also given opportunity to practice a bit with them. That was good for me. I feel a lot more confident in my ability to use the programs I've learned, and also that I can learn how to use new ones. I liked the concept of Web 2.0. Because the internet has changed a lot since I was little, and there is definitely a lot more opportunity to interact and create your own things. I think that's wonderful, because it helps us to connect with each other with such convenience! The web will help me to communicate with parents and to engage students.

I made this cartoon widget. I only have one cartoon right now, but I thought this was really cool--Especially if I were to ever want to feature students' work.

Proposal for Project 3

Here is my proposal: I will use Google Earth in geography class to have students compare and contrast the cultural characteristics of physically similar regions. They will use Google Earth tour to take us to at least three places and use research to describe and analyze the regions' similarities and differences. They can collect images and stories and use these as a part of their narration. It will be a semester-long project, which they will be completing in steps every one to two weeks.
Students will be learning how to use a new (maybe, maybe not new for them) technology to demonstrate and share their knowledge. With individual research, students will be able to use terms and concepts taught in class to come to conclusions about these specific regions that they've chosen.
The end.

Google Earth

Ok, so last time I was enthralled with google maps, but google earth is SO cool. I really like the new street views that they have, which did not exist about three years ago when I last looked seriously at google earth. It is possible to mark out different geographic locations and create a narrated tour going through these places. You can add pictures and voice! This would be so excellent in a geography class. Students could actually see the places they are learning about, creating more connections in those neurons and helping them to remember the things that they learn. It's also a good tool for anyone, because it opens our world and helps us to be more aware of the people and places that exist.

You can also look at some past images of locations and get an idea of how life was before.

Google earth is a fun and helpful program, and I'm excited to plan more about how I can use it in my classroom.

Google Maps

I was surprised at all the amazing things that can be done with Google Maps! You can do so much more than find directions! You are able to look things up on the normal map, or on satellite, and they even have pictures of many of the roads, so as you are looking for directions, you can see what the intersection you need to turn at looks like. Better than that, you can use these same tools as educational instruments in the classroom. If you are talking about a specific place, you can look it up by its coordinates on google map and looks at a pretty current picture of the place. This brings geography to life! Not only do you read the map, but you can actually go there while sitting in your chair! Students can also see where things are in relation to others, and even how to get there.
In many of my classes, we are talking about the various forms of literacy--one of those forms is being able to read a map. Map-reading is very useful in life and helps us to get a better geographic bearing of the world. Google maps makes learning map literacy a fun and exciting experience. It's something that can be done in the classroom, and also something the students can take home to do their own research.

Keeping Connected

I remember when my family got the internet in our home, and I entered a chat room for the first time in my life. Before I was allowed to get on the computer, my Dad sat down with me and told me I needed to be careful, because we didn't know the people I would be talking with. I couldn't use my last name, tell them where I lived, or anything personal about me. When I agreed to his rules, I was permitted to enter into the cyberworld of communication. The internet has evolved a lot since my childhood--becoming more functional and more universally used. Unfortunately, there are those who abuse the internet. Hackers find ways into our information and use it to steal our identities, or sexual abusers seek to exploit victims in various ways. There are SO many dangers in using the internet, but at the same time, it is such an important tool, that we don't want to avoid it completely. Luckily, there are a lot more people on the light side than on the dark side of internet usage. Many protections have been developed to help us stay safe on the internet, and it is our job to be informed of the dangers and how to avoid them. Here are a few simple and important rules to get you started:

1. Restrict personal information on social networking sites. Most social networking sites have restriction options, and you can choose which groups of people can see your personal information. Predators roam these sites, anxious to find foolish victims who've left their information up. Be wise and don't let anyone but your friends see the personal stuff!

2. If you are asked to give personal information, make sure it is a trustworthy source that is doing the asking. We are asked for credit card numbers when we are purchasing online, telephone numbers, email addresses, even our social security numbers. Whenever any information like this is being asked for, we need to make sure that we are on a credible website that has proven to be trustworthy. We can look online to see if there are any warnings about the site, we can see if businesses have a regular address and telephone number where they may be contacted, and read agreement contracts carefully (yes, the ones we are all tempted to skip because they are so long and don't matter anyway).

3. Beware of tricks. Some hackers are tricky and try to send viruses to your computer or steal your personal information by imitating trustworthy websites. They will send emails or pop-ups to your computer pretending to be a friend, your internet server, your bank, etc. If you're not sure, don't open it until you are. You can call your friend, your bank, or whomever asking them if they've sent something to you if you can't find out any other way.

4. Remember, just because it has never happened to you doesn't mean it can't! Identity theft and other forms of internet abuse are very real, and it only has to happen once to be a big, and possibly life-threatening pain. Don't ignore safety advice just because you assume no one will ever do it to you. Lot's of people have thought that and then had to pay the price.

If we are careful internet users, we can enjoy all of the awesome things it has to provide us without suffering any of the pain! Remember to be wise!

This is Pavlov's dog experiment. I thought it was kind of cute,and it explains the experiment pretty well.