Internet Safety Assignment: Doing

I spoke with my mom, who has teenagers, about the internet safety information we have learned about in class. Specifically, I focused on the importance of only communicating via chatrooms and instant messaging with people we know. I gave her the link to the PBS videos that warned against communicating with strangers. My mom (who is wonderful!) was already very familiar with these dangers, and she and my dad have always made it a rule that we cannot communicate via the internet with people who we do not know. Additionally, they placed our computer in a high-traffic area of our home, which makes us more aware of our internet choices and the associated consequences. But, although I did not tell my mom anything new regarding internet safety, it was a good experience to discuss with her the things that she and my dad have done right! She and I both agree that internet safety is VERY, VERY important.

2 Best Project Ideas

As I wrote in a previous post, I really enjoyed viewing my group members' practicum technology projects. They were great! I also got some excellent ideas from viewing my peers' projects in class. One idea is to, when possible, use technology often in lessons. Several of my peers had access to Smart Boards in their classrooms, and I can see the value in using these on an everyday basis. A second idea is to get the students involved as much as possible -- have them read along with a PhotoStory presentation, have them use the Smart Board to answer questions, etc. It is SO important that students see us using technology, and that they also have opportunities to use it themselves!

Observations About Project Presentations

I really enjoyed watching my group members' project presentations -- they were great! One thing that I learned from the presentations is that there was a wide variety of technological resources available among schools, and that the availability of resources definitely impacts how much we use technology. But no matter what we use, technological resources can be excellent lesson enhancers. I had a great experience integrating technology into my lesson, and it appears that everyone else did, too!

My Technology SlideShare

Lindsays Technolgy Pp

View more presentations from ldpriday.

Internet Safety Assignment: Media Article

1. What article did you choose to read for your fourth article?

I read Elder H. Burke Peterson's article "Leave It Alone," found in the January 1995 New Era (originally given in a General Conference address in October 1993).

2. What were the most important things you learned from the readings?

Elder Peterson taught that it is up to us to select appropriate media to view and listen to. Although we have been counseled for many years to not view R-rated movies, Elder Peterson here counsels us to not view any movie or television show that promotes behaviors or ideas contrary to Gospel teachings. This also applies to the music we listen to. We need to abstain from viewing or listening to unwholesome material, regardless of its ratings, and even if in doing so we stand alone. As we wisely choose uplifting media to view and listen to, we will be entitled to personal inspiration, which will make us happier and more successful people.

3. How will what you have read influence your actions as a parent and/or teacher of children
and youth?

I found Elder Peterson's statement that, "...on our television and theater screens is portrayed more and more often a lifestyle that might even rival the excesses of those who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah" to be incredibly powerful --especially considering the fact that he spoke thisto audiences more than 15 years ago! Elder Peterson's message inspires me even more to protect my future students and children from the evils of the media. I recognize and enjoy the many wholesome uses of the media, and I look forward to being in a position of authority as a teacher and parent where I can influence children to make wise choices about media use. I will teach them to choose to watch wholesome movies and listen to uplifting music, and to abstain from watching/listening to material that is inappropriate in any way -- no matter the rating. Additionally, I will model correct behavior for the children as I only endorse and view appropriate media.

4. How can you use what you have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on
family and friends?

Although I am proud of my friends' and family's media choices, I will be an influence for good as I only view and listen to appropriate media. I will turn off or walk away from inappropriate media.

Technology Enhanced Lesson: Endangered Species

I decided to use create a Power Point presentation to enhance my shared reading lesson about endangered species. After reading the text aloud to the second grade students as they followed along and guiding them to discover each animal's endangerment through various activites, I used my Power Point to assess the students' understanding. I had found pictures of each animal studied on the Internet, and each slide contained the animal's name, picture, and cause for endangerment. I programmed the Power Point so that only the animals' names and pictures were originally shown. For each slide/animal, the students recorded the animal's name and one cause for endangerment, based on their understanding of the lesson's content. They recorded their answers on the corresponding worksheet I had created; the worksheet contained blanks for the students to record the animal and cause for endangerment for all eight animals. After the students had finished recording the cause for endangerment for each animal, I displayed the correct answer.

I was very satisfied with this lesson! I feel that it was an excellent assessment of the focus of the lesson, and the students did a great job on the assessment. Additionally, the students were engaged throughout. This was a great experience!

Technology-enhanced Lesson

I am very excited to incorporate technological activities in my future lessons. An idea for one of my upcoming lessons involves Google Earth. My class will be learning about various continents, and I think that it would be exciting for the students to get a view of the places they will be studying, using Google Earth. This will make the continents -- their geographical features, landmarks, etc. -- more relatable for the students.

I know that this technology will help students better understand the continents of the world.

Classroom Technological Inventory

I am happy to report that the elementary school I am working in really values technology! My teacher has a computer that has access to the Internet, Microsoft Office, and various educational programs that the students take turns using during centers. Additionally, the school values technology so much that they have a computer lab -- complete with about sixty PC computers -- that each class uses at least weekly for specials classes. Although it is not digital technology, my teacher also uses the overhead projector for many lessons, especially math.

The students use Microsoft Office to type their poems and stories, and they use specialized programs to assess their spelling and language arts progress. Addtionally, there are computer programs set up to aid ELL students. I am very grateful that the students are getting such ideal experiences using technology!

Google Earth Virtual Tour: The Transcontinental Railroad

Here is the link to my Google Earth tour.

Virtual Tour Using TPACK Principles

For my virtual tour assignment, I am relying on TPACK principles to fit the pedagogy to the content I will be teaching and the technology to the content and pedagogy.



Content: 4th Grade Social Studies

• Standard 1: Students will understand the relationship between the physical geography in Utah and human life.


• Objective 3: Analyze how human actions modify the physical environment.


• a. Describe how and why humans have changed the physical environment of Utah to meet their needs (e.g. reservoirs, irrigation, climate, transportation systems and cities).

Pedagogy: I am helping my students to learn material about the Transcontinental Railroad visually by providing them with materials that allow them to see firsthand the geographic features that permeate the path and stops of the Transcontinental Railroad. I am also allowing them to feel as if they are part of the journey through journal entries in which students write from the point of view of travelers and spectators. These elements help the students feel as if they are really part of the entire experience. This way, the students learn more and better appreciate the struggles and experiences associated with the Transcontinental Railroad.



Technology: I will be using Google Earth for this lesson. Google Earth is the perfect enhancement of my lesson about the Transcontinental Railroad. It allows the students to view the locations used for the Railroad firsthand, thus helping them to understand the physical environment and the distance between stops through visual means. Additionally, Google Earth allows my students to learn the material in a fun, creative way!

Google Earth Virtual Tour Plan

Location	Activity	Google Earth Content
1. Omaha, Nebraska	Give each student a copy of a map from 1860. Have them draw railroad tracks following the path of the Transcontinental Railroad on their maps. Using colored pencils, have the students outline the territories and color in the desert, mountains, rivers, and other geographic features.	Have a link in which students can read a Wikipedia article about an overview of the Transcontinental Railroad. Then, have them measure the length of the Platte River.
2. Promontory, Utah	Using pictures and other visual aids, discuss the logistics of the train -- its appearance, what made it run (steam), the materials required to build it, the groups of people who built it, etc. Discuss how the train made it possible to ship materials quicker and easier, and how it made travel much safer for passengers.	Have the students measure the length of the distance from Omaha, Nebraska to Promontory, Utah.
3. Sacramento, California	Discuss how it took only 6 days to arrive at one's destination on the train from beginning to end, as opposed to the 6 months it took in a covered wagon. Have the students write a journal entry from the point of view of a person riding the Transcontinental Railroad for the first time. In the entry, have them describe which provisions they would take with them, in particular outlining how their supplies were adapted this time for a much shorter trip.	Have the students measure the length of distance between Promontory, Utah and Sacramento, California.
4. Washington, D.C.	Discuss the activities that occurred in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad ("The Star-Spangled Banner" playing, bells ringing, cannons going off, etc.). Have the students write a journal entry from the point of view of a spectator at such an exciting event, describing their emotions.	Have the students measure the distance of length that it would take someone in Omaha, Nebraska to travel to the celebration in Washington, D.C.
Details of image overlay / path / polygon:	Connect the three stops of the Transcontinental Railroad with the celebratory site in Washington, D.C. Teach about the enhancement of this form of travel.

PhotoStory Video

Storyboard

For our first grade lesson, we are using Shel Silverstein's humorous poem "Messy Room." We intend to incorporate TPACK principles into this lesson plan as follows:

Content: We are using first grade Health Standard 1, Objective 1, that emphasizes the importance of using responsible health and safety practices. Specifically, "Messy Room" will teach students to take responsibility for keeping their rooms -- and our classroom, as an extension -- clean and safe for everyone. As an added bonus, students will be able to learn from an excellent poem -- thus making this lesson a literary delight!

Pedagogy: Students will have a strong connection with this lesson, as it is a fun, exciting, and unique way to learn; it will be particularly beneficial to visual and auditory learners. It is a good fit with the content because students learn most effectively when they are personally invested in the topic studied, and thus it is incredibly important that we help motivate the students to take responsibility for their personal and classroom environment. This lesson will encourage students to follow principles of health as we help foster student connection to the topic.

Technology: This lesson uses PhotoStory, a computer program that allows us to digitally display our poem and the corresponding photos we took on our digital camera. The students will watch our video of the poem, and then they will have the chance to create their own group videos. PhotoStory is a good fit with the content and pedagogy studied. The technology deeply enhances the content we will teach, as the images presented help convey to the students the negative effects that occur when people do not show responsibility for their personal environment. This technology also enhances the pedagogy, as it provides us with the wonderful opportunity to present the lesson in a unique way that increases student interest and investment.

Here is our storyboard:

TPACK Principles Enhance Lesson Plans

We really enjoyed incorporating TPACK elements into our lesson!

Our lesson followed the guidelines of the Sixth Grade Science Standard 1:Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis, Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth, a.: Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month. We discussed the various phases of the moon that occur throughout a month's time, exhibited in our observations.

In teaching this lesson to students, we used guided learning. We taught each concept essential to their understanding of the moon and its phases prior to performing this experiment. We oversaw the students' progress as they used Stellarium to conduct this task, answering questions and helping them to develop their thinking.

We used the computer program Stellarium in this experiment. It was a wonderful technological tool! It really made it possible for us to view and take pictures of the moon as it appeared for a month. It allowed us to accomplish our objectives; it allowed us to observe the moon and record our observations. It was a perfect fit for our lesson!

Our understanding of TPACK helped us to create a successful and exciting lesson for our students!

Tech Savvy Teacher -- Stellar Observations

Star light, star bright, first star I see to…day? That’s right – thanks to the free computer software program Stellarium, we can view the earth, moon, and space at any time and any place – including during the daylight hours and inside! This technological marvel is ideal for stargazing; but more importantly, it is perfect for use in elementary science!

To get a better idea of just how exceptionally this software can enhance the elementary classroom, we turn to Lindsay Priday and Charla Teaford, both sixth grade teachers at Provo Elementary. “We were elated with the implications of Stellarium’s use in our astronomy lessons,” says Teaford. “But we decided to collaborate to try this program for ourselves before introducing it to our students.” The teachers were thrilled to learn that Stellarium allows users to view Earth and space at any date, time, and location. Intending to test Stellarium for classroom applications, Priday and Teaford decided to conduct an experiment that employed nighttime observations. “Astronomy lessons have often been difficult in the past. The students understandably want to personally observe the moon and space, but it is just not possible to perform such experiments because of the daylight during the school hours,” explains Teaford. “We were really hopeful that our experiment could prove that Stellarium can be used to study the moon in a more exciting, observable way!”

Priday and Teaford’s experiment was to observe the phases of the moon that occurred during a one-month period and record their findings, using Stellarium. Priday and Teaford set up Stellarium so that they could observe the moon in Provo, Utah at 10 p.m. on January 1-31, 2009. They soon found that the moon was waxing, or becoming more visible to viewers on Earth due to its rotation, at the beginning of the month. It continued to wax until January 11, when there was a full moon. During the next several days, the moon underwent the process of waning, or becoming less visible to viewers on Earth, due to the earth’s rotation. The moon became smaller and smaller until there was a new moon on January 26. The moon then began waxing again. The teachers used Stellarium to take pictures of the moon’s phases for several different days of the month. (Their photos appear below.) Priday and Teaford were incredibly impressed with the way Stellarium enhanced their experiment. “Stellarium was easy to use, and the images were so clear! I really felt like I was observing the moon outdoors!” exclaims Priday.

January 1

January 5

January 11

January 13

January 26

January 31

The teachers were anxious to use this experiment as a science lesson in their classrooms. They divided their students into groups and had them conduct their astronomy experiment using Stellarium. The experiment was a complete success! “My students told me that they were so excited to be able to view the moon while it was still light outside, and to make their observations inside our warm classroom,” Priday comments. “They thoroughly enjoyed being able to view the moon from their fingertips. An additional benefit was that the students could make their observations in one sitting – not over the course of 31 days. They were able to observe the moon’s phases during the entire month of January in less than one hour.”

Indeed, Stellarium is an ideal asset for any elementary classroom. It provides both teachers and students with the opportunity to observe the earth, moon, and space for any date, time, and location. Stellarium allows them to conduct astronomy experiments inside, during the school day. Normally lengthy experiments can be performed in short periods of time. The program is free of charge. And Stellarium is just plain fun! Third-grader Rachel Borrow from Provo Elementary sums it up best: “I love to look at the moon! Stellarium is so cool – I give it five stars!”

TPACK and Science Technologies

I loved learning about TPACK -- Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge. We discussed how many people have a combination of two of the three types of knowledge (technological, pedagogical, and content), but it is so important that we as teachers have a firm understanding of all three types of knowledge. Technological knowledge allows us to teach content in an exciting and unique way. Pedagogical knowledge provides us with concrete teaching practices and allows us to better understand the way our students learn. Content knowledge is essential for teaching curriculum. Truly, we will become much more effective teachers if we use all three types of knowledge in our classrooms.

In class, I really enjoyed using the temperature probe to record and manipulate temperatures. I think that this could be an excellent tool in my future classroom. It would be helpful for students as they perform experiements, it would give them greater experience using technology for school assignments, and it would make learning more fun!

RSS and Web 2.0

I think that RSS feeds, Goodreads, and Delicious are excellent tools for teachers! They are instant resources that we as teachers can have at our fingertips. I look forward to using Goodreads to keep track of my favorite children's books and having my students view my recommendations for book suggestions. RSS feeds can be helpful in quickly informing me of news, and I can use Delicious in my classroom to use information from educational websites in my lessons. These will be great aids in my teaching!

My Technological Background

During my childhood, I enjoyed using computers in my elementary school classrooms and at computer labs. Additionally, I loved using our family computer. I took several computer classes during middle school and high school. I have enjoyed using the Internet and Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel to complete assignments during my public school and BYU years, and using e-mail to communicate and research. Although I am not extremely technologically advanced, I do appreciate technology's essential nature in our society. I am excited to gain new skills!