This is a very difficult reflection that took great time and much pondering, because I don’t surf the web much so I don’t know that I have three resources that I didn’t find in this class. But I will try.

The first website that I found was the scholastic webpage. Under the resources tab was a treasure trove of ideas. Articles, blogs, ideas, and where to get the resources! This is an ideal site for upcoming or already teachers.

My second site was found just while googling educational resources for teachers! Free printables for teachers is where I found some amazing resources, several several worksheets and videos that could be used in the classroom. The best part about this website is that it is all free, if that isn’t a good enough reason to go to this site then I am not sure what is.

The last website I found was a resource for English teachers in particular, but that does not mean you should zone out just because I said that. This webpage can also be used for other teachers too! Project Gutenberg is one of the greats, if you aren’t a teacher it can still be something worth checking out. I have had many teachers use this site, thankfully, because it holds so many great books that are all FREE! Once again, this entire website is free. If you haven’t already clicked the link to get to this page then I am not sure what world you are living in. Jane Eyre, The adventures of Huckleberry Fin, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Art of War, War and Peace, Gulliver’s Travels, the list just keeps going. This is not just an educational resource, but also a good place to go to find a book to read.

Two of my favorite projects this semester was the challenge based learning and also the the cooperative learning project. Both of these I would consider using in my classroom because they both had the students in a fun safe environment and they required a higher level of learning (for Elementary students).

I think my favorite project  was spaghetti and marshmallows because it was fun and delicious! Also it made students really step back and build some architecture skills even when none were apparent. It was nice to work in a group and to talk about our ideas, then to reflect on our project with a video. 

I believe that my second favorite project was the cooperative learning project. It was exciting to make a longer video with my group over something that we felt could potentially make the classroom a better place. My group really focused on music and how beneficial it can be to your students. The video was fun to make because of all the singing and dancing that was involved, so I know that if you were to assign this project to your students they would excel and have just as much enjoyment

Both the reflection for the spaghetti and marshmallows as well as the video for the “music in our schools” can be found on youtube

K12 Online Conference is a FREE online technology conference.  Each presentation comes from educators across the World. These are just two of the many presentations that I found.

The first one that I had the pleasure of seeing was George Couros’ Playing in Public,  where he shares how leaders must take-risks, how they cannot shy away from their duties, and most importantly lead by example for others. Publicly demonstrating risks with learning inspires educators and youth.  One great thing is that  social media has allowed individuals like you and me to share their experiences with the community.  For instance, people have the ability to adventure about and learn how to model learning. As a future educator, I want to provide a safe learning environment for students to take risks.  I also must demonstrate risk-taking in order to expect my future students to expand their own learning.  Educators must embrace change, develop creativity, and establish fun inside and outside the classroom.

The second presentation I had the privilege of  viewing was about Kim Cofine and Chrissy Hellyer discussion. Where they spoke about the why’s, how’s, and what’s of using technology in the classroom. All can be found in their conference, Hardware is not Enough – The Teacher/Facilitator Partnership.  First, collaborating with others such as technology facilitators can help to integrate both content and tech goals into the classroom.  Thus, the collaboration improves student learning. Educators share the responsibilities, therefore, they can also learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The process is an excellent way to share and expand diverse strategies within education.  Collaboration creates a positive impact on educators as well as the students.  Education is about individuals sharing and expanding ideas to produce learning.

QR codes are fun when you have a smartphone, but using them in the classroom is a NO GO! The idea may have had good intentions, but it would be very time consuming to teach, access websites and then make a scavenger hunt, or to incorporate it into a lesson. I was sorely disappointed that this was a project that we had to do, when their are better ideas and resources out there for teachers.

I choose to do my Celebrating Kansas voices in voicethread. I don’t know that I would have my students make this particular movie, but I could see its purpose during a history lesson. I could have students pick a historical figure or place and then have students use voicethread to do present their information.

I am not quite sure how to put this on my ABOUT ME! page, so here is the link to my pictures link

Reflection:
Animoto is a cool tool, but for the classroom setting it may be time consuming. Also I don’t think that it holds the quality that iMovie does. I am not sure why we didn’t do more iMovie projects.

This is not the TED website, but is a webpage with eight videos that can be a good resource for your students.

The first video I watched was Jim Toomey: Learning from Sherman the shark. In this particular video Jim showed how he is changing the world with his drawing skills. It fist started with doodles and then grew into a actual character who visits the local newspaper frequently. But is video shows how important it is to keep drawing and to keep working on getting your ideas out into the world.

The second video I watched was Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids; and it was really directed towards the adult community (Teachers). It is vital to set your goals and expectations higher so that children can strive to reach them. Some children just have a hunger o learn and to become a better student, which is apparent with Adora.

The third video I watched was Arthur Benjamin does “Mathemagic”. When I watched this I found myself doubting my own math abilities because of the brilliance that this man obviously possess.  Squaring two digit, three digit, four digit, and finally a five digit number, all of which are done in his head.

This fourth video was put on by Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry, with their demo of SixthSense. This had to be my favorite video because of how amazing it really is. I can not believe the implications that this video could have for our mobile future, I just hope that they can make the device a bit smaller. I don’t want to give it away, but this is a must see!

I watched bits and pieces of all the rest of the videos, but none captured my attention like the first four did. Do not get me wrong, they had some interesting points, but that is for you to explore.

For this post I only went to one blog, The Cool Cat Teacher.  Up to date ideas that teachers can use, things like; how to use QR codes; cell phones in the classroom; and fifteen fantastic ways to use flipboard. An amazing website that can be quite helpful.

Here are some other blogs that are just as helpful!

Langwitches blogThe Thinking Stick

Free Technology for Teachers
I Learn Technology

History Tech
Dy Dan

Ignite, Incite, Inspire

Visit this site if you are a upcoming teacher. This is a great website with loads of information, several videos, and links that are valuable to you. Steve Hargadon is the founder of Classroom 2.0 and has done a terrific job. the link for archives and resources has so much material for your classroom, as well as audio materials.