ahhhh

Oh my word these past few weeks have been so hectic! I feel like there are so many detailed projects in this class, I am having trouble fitting everything in. The projects we've made are definitely cool though. I really do love my team's website, it really incorporates our whole unit into one little space. I'm kind of nervous because tomorrow my team presents. We know what we're doing, but its one of the final grades and I am really trying to get an A. I hope we do everything up to standards. I'm also trying to edit my website so that I achieve all the elements that need to be required. I wish Lock Haven laptops had MS web expression.
Well I just wanted to post and update since I am almost done with this blog! I will let you know how the presentation/eportfolio goes!

movie

I love our movie!! I think we totally worked as a team making it between the lesson plan, student samples, script, movie editing: we all contributed so much! Plus I think the movie was really interactive so that equals very cool for students =) This was probably one of my favorite lessons so far. I would love to use movie maker in the classroom for students to create their own, or even watch mine!

Podcast

Last week I created a podcast all about my science movement integration lesson plan. Then my team and I combined our podcasts so we had one giant one. I thought this assignment was pretty easy and actually pretty fun. I really like video editing, so voice/sound editing was pretty cool too. It took me a few tries not to completely butcher my script, but I am really happy how mine turned out. Audacity is pretty easy to use and I really like how you can layer sounds.
I can see how a podcast could be used in a classroom, but I don't know if I think it's practical enough. It's great for teachers to introduce independent lessons or projects, but I think written instructions are just as efficient. I think, however, podcasts are probably really practical in special needs classrooms, especially if the child can't read/see/ etc to follow directions. I am a visual learner, so I do not think I would like to be taught or given instructions through a podcast.

excel

So this past week I made a bunch of different stuff on excel and even made a mail merger using one of my databases. I thought this work was pretty tedious, but it wasn't too bad to put together. Even though it took me forever to make the mail merger, I think that is a pretty need skill and I could totally see myself incorporating it in the classroom as a way to send grades to parents. I also think spreadsheets always come in handy, whether its for something like grades or a budget. I am not sure how else I would be able to incorporate it as a really good learning tool for students, but maybe I'll figure something out.

I've been so busy that I haven't had time to update my blog! Well this past week I worked on 2 projects: digital storytelling and my team project where I created a newsletter. Ah was it ever hectic!
First I began working on the newsletter. I did the first page and emailed it to myself at home to work at. Later that week I spent 2 hours on it and completely finished it! I was sooo excited to be done. I tried to incorporate everyones ASSURE models and lots of pictures! I also created a crossword puzzle online. I actually think a newsletter to parents is something I might want to do when I have my own classroom.
After I finished my newsletter, I moved onto my digital storytelling. I did not really like doing digital storytelling because 1. I had no idea what to say about myself 2. I hate the sound of my voice. I did not find this activity beneficial, and I do not see myself using it in a classroom as the teacher. Perhaps Id have my students use it, but I personally did not like it. I submitted it onto youtube and it took FOREVER to upload. Then my computer restarted automatically.
When I went to submit my newsletter, it hadn't saved. I was so frusterated because I only had my version with just the first page completed. It was already Friday evening, so I had to rush to re-make the rest of the newsletter. I tried to make it the same as I remembered, but I definitely think my first version was better =(

Assure lesson plan

Last week I created my ASSURE model lesson plan. How different this was to create! First of all, I had to incorporate dance and movement into a SCIENCE lesson. I have never ever thought about mixing dance and science, but after doing some research online, I saw a really neat idea on using dance to learn about different types of rocks. This was a great start for me, and I went with it! I decided to create a lesson plan geared at 3rd graders. This lesson first taught them about the three different types of rocks and then taught them about locomotive and non-locomotive movement. The students were evaluated on two different objectives: the dance they came up with to describe each type of rock and a written quiz on the types of rocks. The dance they needed to come up with needed to reflect something they learned about the rock. Maybe the rock was soft, so they needed to have soft movement. Igneous rocks are created from volcanoes, so maybe the students could "explode" and "flow" in their movement.
After coming up with ideas for science and dance, it was pretty easy to create the lesson. I looked at all 5 examples as well as the template to help guide me; I didn't want to leave anything out! I also inserted cells into my lesson plan to create a rubric, though I wish I could have thought of more things to grade on.
I will for sure want to integrate subjects that don't traditionally "mix" (such as dance and science) in my classroom. I think it makes for a much more interesting lesson that the students are probabley more likely to remember.

Publisher Projects

Here is what I have created on MS Publisher so far. I really enjoy using Publisher because I think it is easy to navigate and pretty simple over-all. I am looking forward to creating my group project on Publisher and creating more things I can use in the classroom. In this post I have included my resume, certificate I made for the 4th grade girl I tutor, my business card, and a flyer for a philanthropic event I organized for my sorority.



Resume

Certificate

Business card

Flyer

Publisher

Today was probably one of my favorite labs so far. I found working on Publisher to be really easy, and I was amazed with how many things I could create! I worked on making business cards, a resume, and an award certificate... and there was so much more I could have done! This is probably one of the most applicable web resources for the classroom because you can create any sort of document from publisher. The one thing I really liked was being able to create award certificates. I know my sorority currently uses award certificates, and we love them, so elementary students would REALLY love receiving a certificate for something they did well. I also like how there are so many templates you can choose from on publisher- and how you can edit them to make them your own.
I will be making the newsletter for my group project, so I am looking forward to exploring those templates. I didn't even know I had Publisher on my laptop, so now I am planning on creating a lot of my own things, such as calendars or banners. These could also be used in the classroom to keep track of homework assignments/tests or banners for special events.

google docs

I use google docs at my on-campus job. I work in the admissions office, and I work with student applications. We use google docs to keep track of grading scales; this way we can edit or add grading scales to the document. Today I learned how to "share" to people through google docs. This is really easy to do- you only need their email address.


Google docs could be really handy in a classroom for students to work on projects together. Perhaps students could use this to submit rough drafts and have other students or a teacher edit their work. It could also be useful as a forum-type situation where students can ask questions and other students or the teacher can answer them. Obviously it is great for group project- students can share research, resources and ideas through the doc. Students could organize the whole project on google docs and not have to worry about working on it in class. This would make it easier for students to work since they could work online whenever and wouldn't have to worry about meeting around other students' schedules. This would also give them all an equal sense of responsibility; they would all have the same information in front of them, so they would have no excuse not to contribute.

My Life Concept Map
By Liz Bonfanti
EDTF200-01

This concept map above is designed to show what is important to me in my life today. I have four main categories: family, favorites, college life and hobbies. Each category has numerous sub-categories: family I list my family members, favorites I list my favorite things, college life I list all the activities I keep busy with, and hobbies I list all the things I like to do in my free time. Some of those sub-categories have their own sub-categories, such as my favorite books or music.
I have only used Inspiration a few times before in high school, so this project was a great refresher on how to create a chart or diagram. I never knew you could insert sound into your chart. I also did not know there were templates for use either. This project definitely got me more aware of all the different things you can do with the inspiration program and how useful it is in the classroom.
I think Inspiration is great for schools because it organizes information well. It is beneficial for teachers to use to make flow-charts, outlines, and diagrams for student. Students can use inspiration to make their own charts about what they learn or what is going on in their lives. After reading a book, the student could make a chart showing the sequence of events or the characters of the story. They could also use this program in a science unit to show characteristics of different rocks, plants, animals, etc. In social studies, students could use this to make a timeline or graph important people or events. I would like to have the students do a life concept map like I did the first week of class. This way I could see what is important to the students and I could learn more about them while they’re learning how to use inspiration.

Reinventing Project- Based Learning E.C.

I am starting my journey as a brand new teacher. I don't have many lesson plans or classroom projects already under my belt. I have not even taught more than 3 or 4 lessons in a classroom. I certainly have not had the opportunity to incorporate project-based learning in the classroom, let alone with an emphasis on media; however, I have created a math lesson plan on money, incorporating an internet game into the procedure. I think project-based learning is very important in classrooms because students are going to be so much more interested in a subject when they see how it affects them in real life. Also, when they have something to show for all their work (more than just a test or essay), they are going to feel more accomplished. It is important to use media in project-based learning to keep up with current times. Projects aren't just paper-mache and photographs anymore; they are computer graphics, editing and research to get an even deeper understanding of the lesson. Technology will also help the students to work together, to collaborate, and to communicate their ideas with one another.
I also think it is really important for the teachers to collaborate through technology. It will definitely benefit the students and faculty if the teachers are sharing ideas and working with one another on lessons. The teachers will learn better ways to teach through technology, and the students will experience a variety of learning styles.
In high school, my Brit Lit teacher was very interested in incorporating media into our projects, and that made me enjoy them so much more! I was able to make charts, podcasts, and participate in forum discussions. I especially loved podcasts because I love editing film. I thought it was so neat how she was trying to incorporate what she knew about technology into our classroom to teach us. She reminds me of many of the teachers in this article. In my Children's Lit course in college, I was encouraged to create a blog, which I had never done before. I am glad my professor encouraged me to do this because I feel like this is something that I could incorporate into a classroom someday.
Overall I thought Reinventing Project-Based Learning really re-inforced ideas I already had about technology and projects. I think technology should not be ignored by teachers just because it may not be the way they learned how to do things. I think it is very important for teachers to keep up with technology and realize that teaching their students about technology through project-based learning is actually benefitting them because they are excited to learn about it and it gives them skills for the future.

About Me

My name is Liz Bonfanti and I am an elementary education major with a minor in special education. I would like to be a teacher because sometimes I feel like the job was created for me. I enjoy working with children, I like to be creative, I am organized, and I love coming up with new ideas and making them fun. I feel like I have an okay understanding/comfort level of technology. I can do everyday tasks on the computer: I know how to use word or excel, photo or video editors, can navigate the internet well; however, there are a lot of things I have no knowledge of: I can't really troubleshoot, I don't know how html works, I don't know how to create webpages or anything.
I have taken two online courses: Regional Geography and Intro to Sociology. I took these courses this past summer to get caught up with credits so I can graduate on time. It was definitely convenient to take these classes online because I was also working, so I could do the classwork early in the morning or late at night. I also thought the classes were easier since they were online. The only things I did not enjoy about them was 1. If there was a computer problem (such as my tests not loading for my sociology class) I had to call computer services and contact my teacher and 2. I wish I could have interacted with other people in the class more. If this course would have been offered online as well, I think I would have preferred to take it in a regular classroom setting. I would be afraid of having computer problems and the professor not being able to help me.
As for an interesting fact about myself, people usually find it interesting that I was homeschooled until 10th grade.