I created my 1st real Garage Band Creation.  I hope you enjoy it.

I could not upload the song without being in a movie, so I added my kids pictures as a visual.

Part 2 of Bockler_Week 4 AR Reading Assignment

Interactive Whiteboards: Funding & Professional Development
Editorial - Classroom Best Practices
Written by Matt Silverman
Monday, 10 August 2009 00:00

This article discussed the major issue with the use of Interactive Whiteboards in the classroom was obtaining the sufficient funds.  It discussed the alternative ways of completing this and why this technology has received so much media attention. This article does not provide the information pertaining to my subject.

Bockler_AR Reading Week 4

Journal of Special Education Technology

Content Area Applications       Associate Editor’s Column

Windy Schweder, University of South Carolina–Aiken Cheryl A. Wissick, University of South Carolina

Interactive Whiteboards are being used to teach all subject-area content and computer skills to the students. Since most students are big into the gaming world, the hope is that the Interactive Whiteboard and integration of Web access will tap into some of that interest. One of the key effective uses of the Smartboard is to create links to the Internet that can be navigated to by the students. It enables the student direct access to their learning. They can use their finger or the interactive pens to selects the links. Other software such as Inspiration and Creaza can be used for webbing. Flexibility is a major advantage with the Smartboard because instantaneous changes can be made during use.

Flexibility is the greatest advantage of using Interactive Whiteboards. Flexibility on changing gears on the fly and the catering to all students in the classroom. I have a movable Smartboard and like the author states, it is very frustrating for the teacher and students to have to consistently align & calibrate the board.  Mathematics is also very key in being able to model completing a problem on the board and recording the process to be replayed at another time.

Creating a Media Rich Classroom

by Elizabeth Millard

September, 2003

Integrating the technology is not the main issue in utilizing an Interactive Whiteboard in the classroom, it is changing the mind set of “computer phobic” teachers and getting them to use the technology in the classroom. As teachers are opening their minds and classrooms to new technologies, the idea of an Interactive Whiteboard is changing the style of teaching before the members of educations eyes.

Im an artist now!!!

I am feeling very talented now.  I always used a single instrument in the songs I used to create. And now I can create songs with multiple instruments!  I'm cooking now.  Magic Garage Band is very cool. I should have been using that before.  I love it.

Learning GarageBand

I chose to learn more about GarageBand as my last assignment post. Whenever I would use GarageBand, I felt like I was just pushing buttons and it was complete luck if I created something I could use.  I was able to create Podcasts in GarageBand without much difficulty, however, I don't like feeling inadequate in what I am working with.  So this perfectionist is excited about honing in on new skills in GarageBand.

I have learned the interface of the program so that I at least know what the controls are used for.  I can also create songs utilizing the software loops. Its amazing what a difference it makes knowing what all the controls do when you are creating a project.  I won't feel like such an alien when in GarageBand now! On to more GarageBand tutorials!!!

Week 3 AR Reading Assignment

BECTA’s Analysis of Interactive Whiteboard effectiveness

This was a flow chart that did not copy over correctly. The graphic boxes did not transfer. The information did.

•Integrating Technology

•Training & Support for teachers

•Engages Students

•Collaboration with other teachers

•Collaboration with other students

•Learning Enjoyment for Students/Teachers

More research can be retrieved from www.becta.org.uk/research/ictm

Use of smart Boards for Teaching

This article presented how Interactive Whiteboards supports many different learning styles in the classroom. It also discussed how effective the Interactive Whiteboards can be to present the lessons in many multimedia forms.  It is found that children retain more efficiently when they can interact with the information. Many would think that the Whiteboards would not be effective with Kindergarten students due to their lack of reading ability.  However, videos, presentations and animation can be utilized to connect the students to the learning. Since the information can be accessed repeatedly, the Interactive Whiteboard is effective in reinforcing ideas.

Preston, C. and Mowbray, L. June, 2008. Use of SMART Boards for teaching, learning and assessment in kindergarten science. Teaching Science, Volume 54, Number 2.

Teachers teaching with SMART Boards

This article was an actual post of a facilitator that journeyed with a team of Elementary Teachers on a quest to find out if an Interactive Whiteboard is an effective teaching tool.  Not all of their questions were answered in the year, however, they were determined to march on to put what they had learned into practice and to keep researching. The one thing that they did discover was that teachers need continual training and support while they learn the new technology. Many teachers are happy teaching the same material in the same manner year after year. There are many benefits to this technology in the classroom that invested time and effort will show to success.

Kuhn, B. April 10, 2010. Teachers teaching with SMART boards. Retrieved July 10, 2010 from http://www.technorati.com.

BP11_OMM_Poll Everywhere

Cell Phone Picture is courtesy of www.photos8.com.

BP8_Poll Everywhere Web 2.0 tool

Do you need the attention of your "texting" students? Tired of fighting the cell phone issue in class? Don't beat them, join them and use the cell phones to your advantage. Ask the content questions in multiple choice, Short Answer or True and False question forms and allow the students to use free texting to answer the question.  The students can also join the poll through the internet URL's.

Speaking their technology language is an excellent way to get and maintain their interests. The students can create their own polls to support projects and show results in the report.  Some of these features are available through the upgrade.

Give Poll Everywhere a chance and see if your student's consider you a "cool" teacher!

BP10_Comments on Christopher's Blog

Follow this link to my comments on Christopher's Blog on Time Glider.

BP9_Comment to Mark Coppin

Follow this link to my comments on Go Animate! on Mark Coppin's Blog.

Reading Post

I reviewed the following three articles today and feel the following information will be beneficial for my Action Research Project and Literary Review.

Interactive Whiteboards: Assistive Technology for Every Classroom

Assistive technology is defined as “an item piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capacities of children with disabilities” (Turbull, 2002, p. 418). Using an Interactive Whiteboard adapts to meet the learning styles of all students. Technology provides an innovation of learning. Dr. Mary Ann Bell views the Interactive Whiteboard as a “Kid Magnet” due to the board’s features and interactivity.

Ease of teacher use and ongoing training should be a foremost consideration. The boards are installed, minimal training is provided and the learning curve is left to the Teacher and students. The user is ultimately responsible for learning how to use the technology, however, teachers should be open to new teaching methodologies to incorporate them into practice. The benefits of the Interactive Whiteboards are worth the invested time.

Basilicato, A. March/April 2005, Interactive whiteboards: Assistive technology for every classroom. Retrieved from EBSCO: Today’s School on August 8, 2010.

Learning about Interactive Whiteboards for the Classroom

An interactive whiteboard is a whiteboard that acts as an input device for a computer and digital projector. Things that are written or drawn on the board can be saved to the computer and projected as a large image with interactive capabilities. The capabilities to assist in learning are limitless.

The rest of the article listed the different makers and features that came with those individual products.

Walsh, K. November 1, 2009, Learning about interactive whiteboards for the classroom. Retieved from http://www.emergingedtech.com/2009/11/learning-about-interactive-whiteboards-for-the-classroom on August 8, 2010.

A Clean Slate: Interactive Whiteboard Makes Lessons Snazzy

Cruickshank, D. October 3, 2007. A clean slate: Interactive whiteboard makes lessons snazzy. Retrieved from EBSCO: http://www.edutopia.org/clean-slate-interactive-whiteboard-makes-lessons-snazzy on August 10, 2010

BP7_OMM_Quizlet

BP4_Quizlet Web 2.0 tool

Today I am discussing the Web 2.0 tool, Quizlet, to assist students in studying vocabulary in a Tech Savvy environment. The words and definitions can be loaded into Quizlet, a one-click lookup enables a dictionary definition or what other students have previously defined the word or word sets that have been created by other students or teachers can also be accessed through the database.

There are three learning modes and two game modes. The review learning mode goes over the flash cards for review, the study mode displays the definition and the student types the word and the test mode displays a Multiple Choice quiz version of the words.

The Scatter game puts both the word and definition on the screen mixed up. The student moves the word on top of the definition and it disappears.

The Word Invaders displays the definition moving across the screen and the student types the word before the definition moves off the screen.

Groups can be created for the students to study online together, exchange word sets and chat online through Facebook or MySpace. The students can study anywhere they have Internet access. This is a little Technology Twist on a traditional study technique. Follow the link to the Quizlet Website: http://quizlet.com/

BP5_J Drummond's Wordle Comment

Follow this link  August 24, 2010 10:01 PM  to my comment on Justin Drummond's blog.

BP6_Comment on Christine Hart's Creaza Post

Follow this link  August 14, 2010 9:02 PM  to Christine Hart's Blog.

BP_Web 2.0 Tools

I found it hard to choose which tool to feature today. I teach a variety of technology classes and found a few tools that would enhance the classes well. However, I chose Creaza for its flexibility of enhancing all of my classes in some way.  Creaza has four main tools: Cartoonist, AudioEditor, Mindomo and MovieEditor. All of which are pretty self explanatory, except for the Mindomo tool which is a mind mapping tool.  Creaza allows the user to upload image, sound and video files.  As in many of the Web 2.0 tools, the free version of Creaza has limitations that subscribing to a full version of the software would allow the user more abilities such as exporting creations.

I created a cartoon of the first day of school and how important following school and classroom rules can be.  It can be seen at the following link in full view http://www.creaza.com/my_homepage/cartoonist/11067868 or you can just view the screenshots below.

I'm sure you would have access to far more character, background and prop choices in the subscribed software as well. My classes were abandoned to the Library for two weeks at the end of the year during some school wide testing and we watched Avatar. The students were to create comic strips of their favorite scenes.  This would have been an interesting choice of software to see what they would have come up with.  Creaza has animals, robots and a forest background, so it would have been possible. It might have been rather primitive, however, it may have fostered a different kind of creativity.

I also created a Mindomo in Creaza of the yearbook sections we include in our yearbook. It is very easy to use as well. Mindomo is something EMDT students could use as well for our mind mapping activities.  Below is a screen shot of my creation that I will show to my Yearbook staff at the first of the year.

There are graphics that can be added as well to the Mindomo. I did notice a light bulb as well as a few other basic images.  I am sure that is another feature that improves with the subscribed version. 

Saving both projects was very simple and the same as clicking on the disk image in the upper left corner of the menu bar as in many other popular software packages used everyday. I did not have the video clips to create a video at this time, however, I am sure it would be just as simple as the other two tasks I did create. I hope you can find use for Creaza in your workplace as well.

BP_Diigo Group

Diigo is absolutely outrageous in organizing, highlighting, sharing and collaborating research. I had already collected my twenty-five resources and I found myself having to upload them into Diigo for the ease of use, organization and sharing benefits.  I have more resources to upload of the twenty-five, of course, I am so excited to get started and using the highlighting and sticky note features as well.  

I did upload or bookmark eleven of the twenty-five or so into My Library. I then posted 5 of the resources into my group.  It would be helpful to copy & paste or share somehow the bookmarks loaded into "My Library" into the groups that are set up. There may be ability to do that, although, I was not able to locate it.

I have sent out invitations to classmates and my critical friends. I have only received confirmation from myself and one other person at the time of this blog.  There are a lot of my followers that are busy this weekend, so I am hoping to hear from them soon.

As it shows above, I have joined three other groups at this time. I can foresee an intrinsic value of this tool in building our Action Research Projects. I am actually excited to get back to where I left off now that I will be utilizing Diigo in my efforts. As they say, "back to the drawing board", or in my case "back to the Smart board"!

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

I have been using iGoogle as my home page since the MLR class. There are a lot of changes we are making to our iGoogle accounts. I can't see the end of the tunnel at this time, however, I know they are impressive changes that will enhance our learning experiences here at Full Sail University.

I do feel a little lost not having a lot a room for my Gmail on my homepage. I have kept it there, however, it has been pushed down to the bottom of the page to allow for the items that are needed for grading purposes.

Having the multiple pages allow the learner to utilize more of the many tools available on the web. I have added my Gmail to the other pages if I had room because I depend on it so much with my FSU teammates, AR Critical Friends and other professional resources.

I am excited to use Flickr this month. I have heard other people use it and have not had the chance to use it myself yet. As you can see from most of my backgrounds, I like colorful, technical looking images. The next one has a flow to it even though it is only two dimensional expressed through the gradient color changes.

Our school colors are green, white and black.  I thought this background, although, it rings true with the technical feel has the same colors. My next goals are to complete the Diigo assignments.  The gadget should have more to display after I complete that.

I am really excited about the Personal Learning Environments we created this week and it should be interesting to see how they work to organize our research efforts in our Action Research Projects. "Heads Up, and power on with purpose."

BP1_Google Reader

I am new to Google Reader and am excited to information explosion it has to offer. For the most part, I chose sites that centered around Technology Integration and Smartboard Technology. Technology Integration because that is my passion and future career path and Smartboard Technology due to the fact that that is my Action Research question at hand. As a result, the first site I chose was

1). Tequipment's Educator Resource Center News. The Tequipment Smartboard Academy (http://community.teqsmart.org/news.p) offers teachers a place to network with other teachers through forums, blogs, links, and downloadable Smartboard lesson plans for specific grade levels and themes.

2). Blossom Learning debuts World's First Smartboard Online Training (http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100112006478&newsLang=en) Business Wire wrote an article on the newly designed Online Smartboard Training designed by prior Teachers and Visual Presenters. This training is for the budget price of $69.99 for the districts that cannot afford the high price training, hotel and food costs that most training entails. Retrieved August 5, 2010 from http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100112006478&newsLang=en

3). Edutopia (www.edutopia.org/tech-itegration) was chosen for the vast information on Technology Integration in the classroom that crawls throughout this website.

4). Education World (www.educationworld.com/a_tech/) was also chosen for the vast Technology Integration information for the classroom. This site features articles, webites, lesson plans, educational products, professional development and reviews.

5). Scholastic (http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/) was selected for the vast Technology in Classroom Resources. This site offers teaching resources, student activities, lesson planning, classroom management, student skill builders, printables, educational resources, reviews and more.




I found more than five sites to link to. However, these are the five that related to my Action Research or Technology Integration in some significant way. I hope you are able to benefit from them as well.

Bon Voyage to my journey...

We, my fellow classmates and I, have been on this journey since May 3, 2010 and will continue until April 20, 2011. Each month we are equipped with new tools to utilize on our journey. I have to say that Blogger and the blogging concept have taken a little extra time and thought for me to put into practice. I have by no means conquered the conquest, however, I am maneuvering my way through the treasure map. I want to thank the devoted team members and classmates that have agreed to follow my blog and I hope to return the favor. Cheers to us all on our knowledge quest!