Open Source Presentation

Here is the link to my Knowmia presentation about Open Source Software

http://www.knowmia.com/watch/lesson/13233

EDTC 605 Final Reflection

Here is a link to my final presentation Prezi:

http://prezi.com/9cynsr4c2ltg/untitled-prezi/?utm_source=prezi-view&utm_medium=ending-bar&utm_content=Title-link&utm_campaign=ending-bar-tryout

Cell Phone Anxiety

Cell Phone Anxiety

My students are in 3^rd grade, and only a handful of them have cell phones. (I personally think this is too young to have a cell phone in general.) But if I taught older students who had their own cell phones I think I would consider using them in the classroom.

Even though my students are too young to have phones, many of them do have ipod touches and kindles and ipads. I think that many of the exciting opportunities that come with phones also come with these hand held devices. You can use cell phones and devices as clickers and submit survey answers or exit ticket question answers at the end of a lesson. Many devices also have internet and students could do research on their own personal device.

I think that my worst nightmare for my third graders on any handheld device would be cheating. It would be very easy for students to snap a picture of the test and text it to their buddy, or even texting answers back and forth. The easiest way to overcome this initially is for the teacher to be actively watching students and circling the room. Students are never as stealthy as they think they are. Or if we create more of a norm of devices in class, they could even be sitting out on the students’ desks. If it is sitting on their desk, the teacher knows where it is and that the students isn’t abusing it.

As far as I know our school does not have a cell phone policy. It is up to individual teachers to make sure students aren’t on their phones during class. We are also a very forward thinking and technology centered school, so I am sure if I presented that I wanted to use phones in my class for academic purposes, that would be allowed.

I think the way our society is has created the issue of cell phones in school. If it became more of the norm, I don’t think the cell phone use would be such a problem. Take for instance the drinking age in Europe. Drinking alcohol is something that many younger people do because it is part of their culture. So generally they have fewer issues with it, because it is allowed and it is the norm. If kids don’t need to feel rebellious using their phones at school, it might not be quite as exciting. I also think it will take a while to change society’s perception of phones in schools.

Handheld Curricular Integration

I have recently discovered the app iBook Author. This allows me to write my own digital textbooks and publish them to the iTunes store. This is fabulous because it allows me to incorporate videos, pictures, interactive activities, and quizzes into my textbooks. It also allows me to put in the exact content I want to teach without anything unnecessary for my students. So this tool is not meant for one lesson, but more to be incorporated throughout the unit.

I would incorporate the iBook Author with my students in our astronomy unit. We do not have textbooks for astronomy, so I usually end up creating my own worksheets. But now, I can create an iBook tailored specifically for my students. They can use their smart phones, iPod touches, and iPads to interact with the text in a very meaningful way.

I would write text at their level about each topic. I can highlight vocabulary words in the reading and attach the definitions. I would incorporate videos I found online explaining concepts. I would also include videos of songs about the different concepts. Music is a very powerful learning tool. I can put in graphics of different planets, stars and heavenly bodies. It would be very helpful to show students the difference between comets, meteors, and asteroids for example. I can then give them a quiz about the different heavenly bodies right in the iBook. I can differentiate for my students because they can work on the iPads independently.

None of this would be possible with paper textbooks and the handheld devices become absolutely necessary to show the students the interactive and engaging iBook.

Cell Phones in School Parent Letter

Hello Wonderful Staff, Parents, and Administration,

Here at Prospect Ridge Academy we are striving to create academic, social, and ethical leaders of our children. Because of this, we as teachers are always reflecting on new ways to teach our students that will better prepare them to be great leaders. I am trying something new in my class and I am very excited about all the possibilities introducing this new technology will bring.

We are going to be using the students’ personal cell phones for academic purposes at school. Cell phones are real world tools. All the learning we do in school is not supposed to stay at school. It is supposed to go out into the world with our students. As we work with cell phones in class, I hope the students will be able to apply their learning to the real world and use some of the skills we practice at school in their own lives. I also hope that they might see their cell phones as technology tools and resources; not just as a way to txt their BFFs. 

There are so many ways this kind of technology can be utilized by our students. Any phone with Internet access can be used to do research. We have some handheld devices and tablets at school, but there are never enough to go around. We can take pictures for projects on their phones, as well as take videos for presentations. Students can use phones to look up a word in the dictionary as they are reading, or check their spelling as they are writing. They can check their work in math with a calculator, or use a stopwatch to time a science experiment. Using phones at school will make it more accessible for students to text each other from home to do group work or check on homework assignments. The possibilities are endless!

I am absolutely aware of the risks to using this kind of technology in our school. The students and I will be having many in depth discussions about appropriate use of cell phones in the classroom. I will have them help create our class cell phone rules, and all students will sign them in the form of a contract, agreeing to the rules. Any infraction of the rules will result in loss of cell phone and technology privileges. I will also be contacting their parents in this situation. Whenever cell phones are being used in the classroom I will be closely monitoring the students to assure they are on task and using their technology appropriately.

Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns you may have. I will keep you updated of how we are progressing in our cell phone beta test. I appreciate all of your support!

Christie Cutshall 

Open Source Software Presentation

Here is the link to my knowmia video presentation about Open Source software.

http://www.knowmia.com/watch/lesson/13233

Lesson idea using Open Source Software:

The open source software I would like to use in my classroom is a Google Presentation on Google Apps. In groups I will have my students research on the iPads about all the planets. They will take notes in Google Drive and compile their information into one class Google Presentation. Then we will have all our planet information in one place. This activity could be modified for any grade level 3^rd grade and above, depending on the amount of research and the depth of information required for the final product.

Some of the benefits of this tool include that students can collaborate and easily compile their information. It’s really cool that students can compile a project as a whole class. A drawback is that students have access to all of their presentation, even the part that they are not assigned to (whether on purpose or accidently.)

To introduce this project in class I will model step by step what I want them to do. I will project my slide and create my project while the students are also creating theirs. I will create an example slide of what their final product should look like that they can reference while they work. I will be closely monitoring them working to make sure they are on their own slide.

Learning to use Google Apps gives the students experience working with technology. The Google Presentations also gives them choice and creativity in their slide.  

Bibliography

Fox, C. (2013, April 9). A guide to free and open source education. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from OpenSource.com website: http://opensource.com/education/13/4/guide-open-source-education

Metcalfe, R. (2004, February 1). Top tips for selecting open source software. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from OSS Watch website: http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/tips

Moodle (Ed.). (2013, March 9). About moodle. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from Moodle website: http://docs.moodle.org/24/en/About_Moodle

Open Source Initiative. (2012, September). History of the OSI. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://opensource.org/history

Sharma, A. (2008, December). Learn about open source software [Speech transcript]. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from The Open Source Initiative website: http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2814392/ asharma-osi-what-is-opensource-presentation.pdf

Vessels, T. (2007, December 24). Why should open source software be used in schools? Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://edge-op.org/grouch/schools.html

Wallen, J. (2009, July 26). Why aren't schools adopting open source? Retrieved April 17, 2013, from Tech Republic website: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/opensource/why-arent-schools-adopting-open-source/811

Time Line

Here is the link to a timeline I created about the history of education. 

The tool I used is called Time Toast. 

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-history-of-education--9