SS3 Integration

Well I think I finally accomplished the Integration Assignment. I'm unsure about the layout of my web page. For some reason I couldn't get the side bar to fix the lay out of the text. This was definately a lot of work and took me quite a few hours, but I think it's a neat idea to get the students more involved in Microsoft Excel. It allows them to get hands-on practice and try to figure out things on their own using an Instruction Sheet. Using the side bar I made a Table of Contents to link all of the required material. For instance, lesson plan, student spreadsheet, instruction sheet, and a spreadsheet reference. I hope this is what was expected. If anyone would like to take a look and see if I'm missing anything feel free to do so. Thanks and I hope you enjoy! Lesson: What Color Are Your Skittles?

SS2 Gradebook

This assignment took a lot of hard work and determination. For some reason I'm having a lot of problems figuring out the functions and applying them to the grade book. However, I think I finally figured out everything, except I’m not sure about the letter grades. I used the substitute formula rather than the IF formula, because I couldn't get it to work. I hope that this is what you’re looking for. I thought I knew how to use Excel, but these past two assignments have really made me doubt that opinion. Here is a link to Spreadsheet 2.

SS1 Gradebook

This was definitely harder than I thought it was going to be. I have worked with Excel before, but I hadn't done a grade book and worked with curving grades. I hope that it's right. After receiving help from my discussion posting, I think I calculated the curve and final grades correctly. I added a bar graph on a separate sheet that included the students names along with their original and adjusted averages. Once I got everything sorted out I think this would be a great way to track grades. I would definitely use this in the future if there aren't school wide grade book programs that we have to use. Here is a link to my Spreadsheet 1.

Intel Ranking Tool

After figuring out how to complete this assignment I found it to be quite interesting. I never knew that this existed and there are so many ways that I could use this within my classroom. Casie Linger was my partner and I'm very glad that she was. By talking on the phone and coordinating our ideas we were able to come up with a lesson on weather. I think that we really worked well together and came up with a nice lesson on how to interpret weather and compare student findings with other sources (Internet, TV, newspapers). This project definitely took two minds to figure out Google Sites and the ranking tool. Take a look at our lesson Weather and the Seasons along with our Visual Ranking Tool and let us know what you think.

Trying to Work Through It

Well, I've been trying to work through all of the assignments and get them completed. They are starting to become harder and more difficult to understand. I hope that I will do as well on this module has I have been doing. It makes me nervous to think about what will be coming up next, but I will work hard to correctly complete everything. I definitely have been learning new things that I can do within my classroom, which is very helpful in integrating technology!

Photoshop Express

This was also a lot of fun! I decided to do four photos, so I could play around with the different features. There were so many different options to edit the photos that it was hard for me to pick only one. This would be great to enhance a photo album and make it more interesting to view. I love how you can make it into a slideshow using different layout forms. I decided to make mine do a circular pattern and slide into place. I was going to pick an audio style, but I didn't like the way they sounded. Photoshop is definately something I could use again, whether it be personal reasons or in my classroom. I hope you enjoy my album.

Photo Album

This was a lot of fun to create! I didn't realize how easy it's to create an online photo album to share with friends and family. I decided to import my pictures onto Picasa 3 and then upload them into the Picasa Web Album. I was able to pick a title for my album, add captions, reorder my prints, and choose a cover picture. I love how there are so many free programs that can be downloaded on the computer for easy access and use. Here is a sneak peek of "My Life." I hope you enjoy!

Online Graph 2

I found this to be quite interesting, if I did it correctly. I found the number of students enrolled and the percentage in an IEP program. After computing the two I recorded some interesting facts. WV has the lowest amount of students on an IEP, but we are second to lowest in per capita income. Although, we have the lowest amount of student enrollment, which I’m sure factors into play.

In order to show my results, I graphed the states from lowest to highest per capita income. The order is as follows, Mississippi, WV, Arkansas, Utah, and Kentucky. However, my graph fluctuates. It seems to me that the poorest state doesn’t always mean that they have the most students on IEPs. Kentucky, for example, has the highest per capita income, but has the greatest number of students on an IEP. I found this to be quite interesting because I always assumed that the poorer the state the more students would be participating in an IEP program. My results indicate that the majority of states with a higher per capita income have more students on an IEP.

Please take a look and tell me what you think. My math skills aren’t always the greatest, which can be scary since I’m a teacher.

Organizing Work using Graphic Tools

This assignment was hard for me to understand. I know how to use the drawing tools in Power Point, but I wasn't sure how to organize my work. I'm hoping that what I created is correct. I decided to make a web where all of the items projected out from my home computer. I labeled and added web addresses and links to each item. I couldn't get Google Documents and my FTP site to open with my links, so I added assignment links that I have previously completed. I decided to add Photostory as another item since that was a major project that we completed. I saved it as a PPS file and it's 38KB. I tried every other file type and this was the only one that allowed me to click on the links. However, I also added an image of my graphic directly onto my blog that is a jpg file type and is 57KB.

I feel that this would be a good tool to use within my classroom to help students understand main idea and supporting details to a story. They could make a web of their own on PPT or we could make one together using our classroom projector. A Venn Diagram could also be made using the graphic tools in PPT. Here is my link. I hope this is right!

 

Online Graph 1

Making this chart was very easy and exciting to complete! I never knew Kid’s Zone existed and I will definitely use it again. This would be a great site for my students to use when they begin making their own graphs!

After making my bar graph, using Kid's Zone, I saved it as a picture using JPG file type. Then I embedded it directly onto my blog. I decided to change my mind about the web page format. I figured this was just as easy to view.

It was interesting to compare our math averages to the national averages. Since I'm a fourth grade teacher it's interesting to see how much we are behind the national average. This definitely provides me better insight into the future for my students.
Even though we are behind the national average it isn't that much of a gap. In 2007, we were only three points behind the national average, which I don't feel is of grave concern. Yes, we do need to work toward reaching and exceeding the national average, but I know that we are doing our best! I feel that if we continue to work toward meeting that goal then we will succeed. West Virginia has a lot of wonderful teachers that strive in helping their students meet their educational goals and will continue to improve math scores. As you look at this bar graph, you will see how we aren’t following far behind.

Image Formats

Here is the image formats assignments. Here are my links to my narrative and spreadsheet.

Narrative
Spreadsheet

Graphic 2 Screen Grab

To obtain my picture I searched the Internet for beaches in Mexico. I wanted to search this specific item because that is where my husband and I went on our honeymoon. As a result, I found this breathtaking photo. I then pressed the Print Screen button and pasted onto Microsoft Paint. Once on Paint I copied and cut the photo and placed it onto a new window, so I could get rid of the web page part. Then I added text by using the text box option. I saved it as a bmp.jpg file and clicked the add image button in my post. My photo is 641 x 479 pixels and the size is 60.3 KB. I never knew what the print screen button did and I think that it's so amazing that you can do things like this.

I could incorporate this tool into my classroom by combining different pictures on the subject that we are studying. For example, if we were studying about "The First Thanksgiving" I or the students could look up different pictures and facts on the Internet and place them onto Microsoft Paint. Then, we could combine them into a slide show on our projector making a presentation. This would be great for whole group discussion and interactive learning!

Graphics from Scratch

This was a fun and easy assignment. I used Microsoft Paint since it was already available on my computer and easy to access. I'm not very artistic, so it isn't the best drawing in the world. Since it could only be five lines I used the curve line for my eyes, the pencil for my nose and mouth, and the airbrush for my hair. I incorporated brown paint into my eyes and hair since that is my original color. After I was finished I saved it as 24-bit Bitmap. Here is a link to my self-portrait and I will also upload it directly to my blog for your viewing pleasure.

Reading

I'm feeling a little since of frustration. I had a lot of difficulty on this assignment, so I'm not sure if I answered the questions correctly. For some reason I didn't fully understand the article and had a hard time interpreting the research being conducted. I hope that I have made some since to my interpretations, but I wouldn't doubt if I'm completing off. Regardless here is a link to my narrative.

Presentation Module Reflection

Oh my goodness!! I think this assignment took me longer than anything else I have done all semester. Even though reflecting is a good way to understand how and why you are doing something it takes a lot of hard work and thinking skills. I never thought that a reflection would be so difficult, but it was hard for me to combine all the information into one area. I definately learned a lot about how we have used the INTASC and ISTE standards, as well as, Bloom's Taxonomy and incorporated them within our learning module. I'm not sure that I answered everything correctly or to the extent for which it was asked, but some of the items I had a hard time understanding. I also hope that the tables I have created are correctly formatted. I definately dug deep down to produce this reflection and I hope that my hard work pays off. Here is my reflection for your viewing pleasure.

Tools for Teaching

Another week down and there is so much that I have learned. I'm so glad that we have been learning all of these new tools for technology. I can't wait to use them within my own classroom. I never knew how much you could use technology within a classroom until now. A lot of things I struggle with, but when I figure them out it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing new goals. Hopefully the semester will continue with success.

Jeopardy Modification

This was definitely time consuming, but I think well worth it. I focused on fourth grade English/Language Arts material. I also decided to incorporate their school colors, because school spirit is a high priority. It was hard to think of questions for each category and the corresponding topic. It also took me a while to realize that I needed to hyperlink all of my numbers to their correct slide. However, after figuring out the obstacles everything began to fall into place. I plan on using the game to reinforce my students Language Arts skills.


Here is my link:

English/Language Arts Jeopardy Review Modification

Photostory Lesson Plan

Since I had already used Photo Story for my self introduction this was fairly easy to create. I enjoyed putting my lesson plan into a story using narration. Yes, I finally got my microphone to work!! By using Photo Story, the lesson seems to become more involved and personal. I'm definately glad that I learned how to produce this product. I hope you enjoy the show!

Movie Maker

After I figured out how to save the slides as images in order to import them into Movie Maker I was on the path to success. This program was an easy and fun way to increase the effects of my Power Point Presentation. Using special effects, the slides transition smoothly and make it more exciting to read. Then, I saved and uploaded my video onto Teacher Tube. I hope you enjoy it!

Feeling a little overwhelmed

I'm starting to feel a little bit overwhelmed. I feel like a lot of work is due this week and I'm not sure if I'm doing any of it right! Besides my job, I'm taking one more class and a lot of work has been posted tonight due the beginning of next week. Ahhh! I would like to get Movie Maker completed, but I can't figure out how to get my presentation slides into the clips. I hope I figure it out soon!!

Embedded Google Presentation

Well, I'm not sure if I did this right. I feel like I'm either missing an item or should have deleted an item. I inserted the presenation link from Google Docs and embeded it into a web page. I changed the background, font, colors, title, and design. My slides transition with just a click of a button and my resource links take you directly to the correct page. Feel free to take a look and let me know if I'm missing anything or have completely done it wrong! I hope you enjoy my web page.

Google Docs Presentation

This was a success! I uploaded my Power Point Lesson Plan onto Google Presentations and edited the text to fit the screen. I also had to enable links to their correct page. After I fixed my slides I was able to present it within Google Docs. I hope you like it!

Power Point Show

This took me a little bit longer to figure out. I wasn't sure how to save it as a show, but once I figured out that you had to change the type name to Power Point Show I was on the right path. This is also a great tool to have so anyone can view your presentation. All of these items are new to me, so I'm glad that I'm learning how to use them. Here is a link to my show.

Power Point Web Page

After using Power Point's help tool I was able to save my presentation as a web page. Then once I figured out how to put it into the ftp site, the web page popped right up. I never knew that you could do something like this with Power Point. This is a great tool to have so anyone can view your presentations. Everyday is a new learning experience and I'm glad that I have the opportunity. Here is a link to my presentation web page.

Power Point Presentation Lesson Plan

Since I have used Power Point before this was a fun and easy way to present my first grade lesson plan. I was able to incorporate the lesson's format onto a slide show, which created an interactive version of the subject. However, I did learn how to make an interactive table of contents, narrate my slides, and link items to other web pages. This would be a good tool to use if I needed to present information to the faculty. Instead of handouts everyone could see the format on a screen and provide positive criticism if any was needed. Here is a link to my Power Point Lesson Plan

Week 3

Well, I feel that I'm getting the hang of most things, but I still have a long way to go. I completed my Photo Story besides the voice narration because my mic is not working at this moment. I hoping to figure it out soon. The next step is to use Power Point to create a presentation for a lesson plan. I hope to not have to much trouble since I've used the program before, but we will see.

Photo Story Self Introduction

Using Photo Story 3 I introduced myself using pictures. It was a fun and easy way to show viewers a little bit about myself. However, I'm having trouble getting my microphone to work, so there isn't any narration right now. I'm glad that I was introduced to this program, so I can do slide shows for my classroom or other events. Here is a link to "My Story."

Working Hard

It's another week down and I feel that I'm learning a lot about the uses of technology. There are still some programs that I'm unsure about and don't feel entirely comfortable using them, but it all comes with experience. I'm beginning to work on my Photo Story and I purchased a microphone today, so hopefully I will be able to set everything up. Photo Story seems like it's going to be fun to create. Well, I think that I have done all the assignments up until the nineteenth. If anyone knows of anything else please let me know!

FTP Site

I created my FTP site and it was so easy to use. I love how I can be anywhere and open my files, so that I can get work done. I saved my resume, cover letter, and some of my fourth grade lesson plans to the FTP site. This way I can be at work and open them with ease. I have never used it before and I'm so glad that we were told about it. Here is a link to my resume on my FTP site.

Google Sites

I began my home page in Google Sites. I'm still trying to work out some of the bugs, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I watched the video on how it works before I got started, so it helped me out a little bit. I still have doubts on whether I'm doing these projects right, which is a little worrisome. However, I feel that this site can be used throughout a classroom and school environment to notify every one of upcoming events, getting to know the classroom teacher and expectations, etc. As I continue to play around with it I hope to learn everything there is to know.

Resume Assignment

Using a previous resume I uploaded it to Google Documents and revised my information, showing that I had already graduated with my reading specialist degree. It was easy to use and set up my resume format. I'm feeling more confident about using Google Documents, so hopefully that will continue. I did have trouble linking it into my blog post. Linking information is definitely the hardest thing I have done so far. I’m hoping to fix all of that, so I can easily link from one site to the next. Here is my link to view my resume. I hope you enjoy!

Cover Letter Assignment

I created my cover letter using an example from one that I had submitted to a government agency. By using that format I rewrote the letter using Google Documents. I found the program to be easy to understand and use. Here is a link to view my cover letter.

Personality Test

Before taking the personality test I perceived myself as being a caring, organized, down to earth person whom takes other people's feelings into consideration and works hard to keep positive relationships among family and friends. After completing the personality test I found the results to be somewhat true. My four-letter code was ESFJ, which means that I am most sociable of all types, nurturer of harmony, and an outstanding host or hostesses. I tend to see myself as a very caring person who loves having my family and friends around. I'm very organized and I always want things done ahead of time. These results showed my true inner self and I work hard to maintain these ideals.

To view my results go to

ESFJ - "Seller". Most sociable of all types. Nurturer of harmony. Outstanding host or hostesses. 12.3% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

Stressing!

Throughout this week I have struggled tremendously and I'm not sure if I'm doing anything right. While I have been trying to figure out the blog I have come to realize that this could be used to help my students get to know me. If we were doing a project I could list sites on my blog, so they could find information more efficiently. The calendar is also a great way to keep organized and write down important information and due dates. Once I get the hang of everything I'm sure I will like using these options.

Introduction

My name is Abby and I'm a substitute teacher. I graduated in May of 2006 with a BA in Elementary Education and am currently working on my MA in Reading. I recently got married and moved to a farm, which is a new experience. Throughout this course I would like to learn more about technology and how to incorporate it within my classroom.