Dorie Glynn’s Blog

posted by Dorie on Aug 6

Here are some Web 2.o tools that have recently been presented to me.

http://www.polleverywhere.com/

Live Audience Polling-you text message, twitter or use the web to answer the poll.

http://www.ask500people.com/

Public Opinion Polls for the day.  Make sure you monitor the page.  For younger grades, you might want to just show the map.

http://www.picnik.com/

Photo editing, online

http://blabberize.com/

Make a picture talk.

http://www.voki.com/

Get your own speaking avatar.

I think I will definitely try out voki.com this year.  Just have to make the connection.

posted by Dorie on Dec 10

The blog I have chosen to spotlight is:  http://www.edutopia.org/spiralnotebook.  The blog, Spiral Notebook, is from the edutopia website.  The first blog that caught my eye was about Project-Based Hyper Learning: Intrinsic Student Learning Experiences at Their Best. The following questions were the first lines in the blog by Ben Johnson: How do students learn? What is the best way to learn? How can technology make students learn better?  I ask myself these questions in effort to best meet the needs of my students.  My goal is to use technology as a tool to promote engaged learners and higher level thinking within the classroom.  The Spiral Notebook is a blog where it has various blogs within it.  I feel that I will be able to learn from the different perspectives available. 

I want to have students interested in learning while meeting their needs.  I am continuing to integrate technology within the curriculum to enrich my student’s learning.  One of the possibilities that I hope to learn more about is Project-Based Learning with technology.  This a core value address on edutopia, as well as technology integration and teacher development.  Since I am the technology liaison on my campus, I am expected to present staff development.  I hope to find ideas, that other teachers have found work for them.  I plan on continuing to develop the use of digital media in my classroom; including the use of video, pictures, the internet, wikispaces, and much more.  I hope that I will be able to learn from other’s experiences.

posted by Dorie on Dec 5

I really enjoyed reading Julene Reed’s article, Global Collaboration and Learning How to create a world of success without leaving your classroom.   I think that Reed really sums up why educators need to be teaching our students differently than before, “students must be prepared to compete and succeed by using creativity and ingenuity, and they must be able to work with people from all parts of the world”.  Also, the next two sentences sound like the perfect classroom addressing the needs of the 21^st century learner,  “Through global activities, standard curricula are transformed into engaging projects with real-world applications and service learning opportunities. These types of projects promote creativity, address all learners, provide success for all students, make content meaningful, provide an authentic audience, motivate students and empower students to make a difference”.  I would love for that description to be of my classroom. 

Reed has many different ideas of how to use “technology to promote global learning”:  videoconferencing, digital storytelling, instant messaging and many more.  I will definitely be sharing this article with my school and colleagues. Right now my students are studying habitats.  I think it would be very interesting for them to “meet’ students that live in another country and in a different habitat other than their own.  Students could correspond in various ways:  videoconferencing (webcam), through our class wiki, e-mail, podcasting.  The objective would be for the students to ask questions to the other class to find out about their habitat while comparing the data to their own.  They could make a digital story for their own habitat and then compile a second digital story comparing the two habitats.

posted by Dorie on Nov 26

Wikispaces is an online application that facilitates connections and sharing within and beyond the classroom.  Wikispaces allows a group to create and edit webpages together.  Students may post pictures, video, original content, and discussions.

I have created a wikispace for my classroom.  On our classroom wikispace, I have resources for parents and students (curriculum related links-games, videos, websites).  Students are able to access that information at home (if they have a computer/internet).  My students have also used the wikispace to complete a classroom discussion.  I posted a video and asked them to post their personal response.  My classroom is still learning how to use a wiki, but I know that there are classrooms out there that are creating and sharing content together.  Wikispaces is great also because you can invite other classroom/students to participate in your class discussions.  I hope that more educators will get their classrooms using wikispaces.

posted by Dorie on Nov 19

Identify and present a digital resource or tool (e.g., website, application)

that can be used to develop the creating mind.

A digital resource? that can be used to develop the creating mind? One?  There are many!   Technology is wonderful that way!  Moviemaker is a tool that can be used to develop the creating mind.  One way to develop the creating mind is to take pictures and create a story with them!  The outcomes are almost endless.  It all depends on the creator.  Even if students use the same pictures as another student, the student is still able to personalize his thoughts, the music, the order, the transitions, etc. into his own creation.  Moviemaker can be used across the curriculum.  It is not limited to Science or Language Arts.  It can be used in all subjects.  It shows understanding and better yet, uniqueness.  It allows our students to be unique and show their creative style.

posted by Dorie on Nov 12

Here is a project that incorporates digital resources in an interdisciplinary approach.  Students will learn about the Lipan Apache tribe using the internet and other resources.  They will find at least 5 vocabulary words to define and incorporate in their story.  Students will include 5 cultural aspects about the tribe.  Students will write a historical fiction story about the Lipan Apache tribe.  They will then compile pictures and narrate their story using Photostory3.

Here are some of the 4^th Grade Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills addressed in this project.

(21)Writing/inquiry/research. The student uses writing as a tool for learning and research. The student is expected to: present information in various forms using available technology

(19) Writing/writing processes. The student selects and uses writing processes for self-initiated and assigned writing. The student is expected to:

(A) generate ideas and plans for writing by using such prewriting strategies as brainstorming, graphic organizers, notes, and logs (4-8);

(B) develop drafts by categorizing ideas, organizing them into paragraphs, and blending paragraphs within larger units of text (4-8);

(C) revise selected drafts by adding, elaborating, deleting, combining, and rearranging text (4-8);

(D) revise drafts for coherence, progression, and logical support of ideas (4-8);

(E) edit drafts for specific purposes such as to ensure standard usage, varied sentence structure, and appropriate word choice (4-8);

(F) use available technology to support aspects of creating, revising, editing, and publishing texts (4-8);

(G) refine selected pieces frequently to “publish” for general and specific audiences (4-8);

(H) proofread his/her own writing and that of others (4-8); and

(I) select and use reference materials and resources as needed for writing, revising, and editing final drafts (4-8).

(4) Listening/speaking/culture. The student listens and speaks both to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures.

Students explain how Native Americans governed themselves and identify characteristics of Spanish and Mexican colonial governments in Texas.

posted by Dorie on Nov 7

My second grade students will be studying about habitats during the 3^rd six weeks of school. The student will identify, describe, and provide examples of different habitats that meet various needs of plants and animals.

I will use the video, Habitats: Homes for Living Things, from Discovery Education.  It is a 15 minute video and contains clips and descriptions of different habitats.  I decided that I wanted to use Bloom’s Taxonomy to help guide the activity after viewing the video.  Here are my activities:

1.   The student will view the video for enjoyment.  The student will view the video and fill in a chart, listing the characteristics of each habitat. (Knowledge)

2.  As a whole group, the student will view the various clips of the video but without sound and explain how the habitat goes into its category.  (ie. pond, lake, forest, rainforest) (Comprehension)

3.  The student will pick one clip of the video, decide on a certain habitat, and then use KidPix to illustrate the habitat including placing animals that belong there.  (Application)

4.  View the clip about a forest.  Predict what would happen to a forest if there were a fire and draw a picture of it. (Synthesis)

5.  Recommend a habitat to visit when you are on vacation and make an advertisement for it using Photostory. (Evaluation)

posted by Dorie on Oct 29

[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2585397730279401735&hl=en]

Hi.  My name is Dorie  Glynn.  I am a Bilingual Second Grade Math/Science Teacher in Houston, TX.  I teach bilingual students in English, and provide Spanish support when needed.  I have 2 classes of  17 students.  I have been a bilingual teacher for 13 years and at my current school for 9 years.  I am the technology liaison at my campus.  I provide training and support to the teachers regarding technology integration.

I have just finished my first online course (Digital Storytelling).  I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot.  During this class, EDIM 508, I hope to learn more about what this means, “process for informal media production suitable for the read/write web”.  This is the second objective for the class.  I already incorporate some media in my classroom so I am interested to find out more information.