Self Intro - Voki

This has honestly been an interesting and fun activity for me to complete. I have heard peers and coworkers talk about the site Voki, but I have never used it before. Therefore, I have been looking forward to seeing what this website is all about.  After creating an account, I got started by customizing my own avatar.  I selected a character, customized the character, added text, and chose a background. However, when I went to publish my avatar, it told me it could only be used in a Voki classroom.  Oops.  So I started over and finally finished my avatar.  I tried to choose a character that looked a little like myself, but only had the option of a mermaid after realizing I couldn't choose the ones with a graduation cap. I laughed a lot in this creation process. Take a look at my embedded self introduction below or by clicking here for the link!  You can also take a look at my Google Document I uploaded.

Voki could be easily incorporated into my classroom this year.  I honestly am throwing around the idea of using this feature as a first day of school introduction activity.  I think the kids would love it!  Creating an avatar would also be beneficial for students while working on their writing.  You can catch mistakes easier when someone else reads your work aloud.  Maybe I should learn more about creating a Voki Classroom.  The resources and lesson plans would be great to use!

This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 3: Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.  This standard states the importance of communicating relevant info and ideas using a variety of digital media.  Teachers can use Voki as a digital teaching tool to introduce knowledge in a technological manner.  As a teacher, you could model using Voki to create an avatar and then use it with the students to further enhance their creativity and design skills.  

Word Clouds

This assignment was right up my alley because I love making word clouds with Wordle!  What is Wordle?  “Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.”  

First, I created a word cloud of the ISTE NETS T standards from 2000 by copying the standards and pasting them into the text box of Wordle. Then I created a word cloud from the ISTE NETS T standards from 2008. After making edits to the font, color, and layout, I used Jing to capture images of the clouds. After comparing the two word clouds I could visually see that the focus has changed within the 2000 standards to the 2008 standards. In 2000, the standards had a strong emphasis on technology. However, the significance in 2008 was then evolved to learning. Check them out below!

ISTE NETS T standards from 2000

ISTE NETS T standards from 2008

I also created a word cloud activity in my teaching field.  I wanted to create a meaningful word cloud that students would benefit from.  There are many students who aren't aware of specific holidays; they just see them as getting a day off from school. Before Martin Luther King, Jr. day, I would share his "I Have a Dream" speech word cloud with the students to help them understand what the day is about. Click here or look below.

This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  This standard is about designing, developing, and evaluating assessments and digital age tools.  This activity allows teachers to incorporate this technology tool into their teaching.  I could use word clouds on a daily basis for my visual learners in my classroom.  The students could also create word clouds to display assignments in a colorful design which will motivate student creativity.

Google Sites

We are finally doing something in this class that I am familiar with!  During my undergraduate experience at Fairmont State University, I was required to use Google Sites to create an electronic portfolio.  Last school year, I also helped my Principal create a website for the school.  Overall, I have found Google Sites to be user friendly. Of course I always run into a few glitches with most programs, but it has never been anything that I couldn't figure out.  

This upcoming school year, I finally have a full time teaching position at Volga Elementary School.  I am looking forward to this responsibility and think this assignment was perfect!  I chose to create a classroom website to help me interact with parents and students through technology.  I first began by choosing a teacher template and selecting a site template that was exactly what I wanted for this task - Simple and Easy Teacher Site.  I added some home page content, as well as a section about me, contact info, my teaching philosophy, my resume, and rubric to the sidebar. I also kept the sidebar items that were already included in hopes to fill them in when I get the information.  They included curriculum, newsletter, homework & event calendar, and resources & favorite links.  

Check out my work in progress teacher site!

This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  This standard is about designing, developing, and evaluating authentic learning experiences by incorporating digital age tools.  By using Google Sites, teachers can create a technology rich environment for the students, parents, and staff.  As a teacher, I can easily communicate important information through the use of this teacher created site.

Excel 2

Today's Excel assignment is a continuation of the first Excel Assignment. I once again used the state comparisons data from the NCES website to determine the research question - Does student’s gender impact 4th grade reading performance? In other words, I compared fourth grade females to fourth grade males reading test scores from 2011. Our hypothesis is that there is a difference between male and female scores. Therefore, our null hypothesis is there is not a significant difference between male and female reading test scores.

To figure this question out, I learned about a new Excel feature. A T-Test compares two sets of data to determine if the data is statistically significant or different from one another by comparing the mean and variance of the data. The T-Test allows the user to determine if the significance of both sets of information exceeds 5%. If the p value is greater than .05 then we will accept the null hypothesis. However, if the p value is less than .05 then we will reject the null hypothesis. To use the T-Test, I went back to the data analysis tool pack and selected the T-Test option. After choosing the data to be compared, Excel found the results!  

Since the p values (2.51 & 5.03) are greater than .05, we will accept the null hypothesis. This means “although there is a difference in the two groups, that difference is likely related to measurement error, or chance, and gender does not impact 4th grade reading performance.”

A research topic that I would like to construct within my 5th grade classroom could deal with basic math facts. Research question - Does student's gender impact the basic recall of multiplication facts? Hypothesis - Fifth grade females are better at multiplication facts than males. Null Hypothesis - There is not a significant difference between male and female basic recall of multiplication facts. Independent Variable - Gender (male vs. female). Dependent Variable - Multiplication fact averages of 5th grade students in my classroom. After performing a t-Test, I could determine if my hypothesis or null hypothesis is correct.  

This activity best relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  It relates to this standard using Excel and analysis features within it allows teachers to contribute to the effectiveness, vitality, and self renewal of the teaching profession.  The research topic designed could allow me to reflect on my classroom and teaching methods.

Excel 1

Excel is a spreadsheet application developed by Microsoft Office.  This program has the basic features of all spreadsheets, plus numerous features that I am unaware of.  Hopefully, someday before my time is up I can figure all of the attributes out! Today, I installed the Data Analysis Tool Pack in Excel.  I also learned how to analyze the state comparisons data from the NCES website by using descriptive details, sorting, and number stuff.

Before I analyzed the data, it was actually hard to figure out where West Virginia stood in rank.  However, after analyzing the data I found that West Virginia, in relation to the other states, is not doing the best. We are at the low end of the totem pole for 4th grade reading in public schools.  Specifically we are ranked 43 out of the 52 jurisdictions.  Therefore, there are 43 jurisdictions above us and 9 jurisdictions below us.  The states that fall below us include Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Alaska, and capital District of Columbia.  Data showed me that there is a large difference between the scale scores of boys and girls in the state of WV.  In addition, I found that we were unfortunately below the national public average. 

Descriptive Statistics Total Scores

State Comparisons

State Comparisons Continued 

(Not included #1 Massachusetts)

Scatterplot

This activity was beneficial for me as a teacher.  It helped seeing the activities I completed in excel and especially the scatter plot chart.  I now realize how important it is to put 100% effort in my teaching.  I know that it will be difficult for one person to change these statistics, but we have to strive to start somewhere.

This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  This standard is about designing, developing, and evaluating assessments and digital age tools.  By using Microsoft Excel, teachers can analyze assessments and other information.  It would be great to insert your grade-book into Excel.  This would be beneficial because we can easily identify which students are understanding and excelling in specific subjects, as well as students who are struggling.  Also, Excel could be used as a tool to teach math skills, as well as other subjects to the students.

Rubrics

What is a rubric? A rubric is some type of template that stands as a scoring tool.  It is a way to gage a student’s performance.  A rubric lists detailed criteria for a specific assignment.  There is also a point scale that allows students to know what they need to achieve to get a certain grade. Not going to lie, I had some instructors in my undergraduate who wanted us to create our own rubrics without the aid of a website.  Do you know how difficult that task was?  Thankfully, there are websites out there like Rubistar that help teachers create quality rubrics just by signing up and clicking your mouse.  This tool is beneficial because it gives you options of topics, as well as categories.  Then you can store, print, save, edit, and analyze your saved rubrics.

For this particular assignment, I designed a rubric to go along with my Google Form on slavery.  I chose the topic of a Multimedia project dealing with the information students would have learned on slave family life.  The categories I chose were attractiveness, originality, content, organization, and presentation.  To share my rubric I downloaded it in excel format, then uploaded it to a Google Document.  Click below to check it out!

Multimedia Project: Slave Family Life Rubric

Creating rubrics from Rubistar is definitely something that I am going to implement into my classroom this fall.  I could create a rubric for any assignment or subject that needs clarification - oral projects, multimedia projects, research, writing, art, science, and many other products.  

This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 2: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.  This standard is about designing, developing, and evaluating assessments and and digital age tools.  This activity allows teachers to create a rubric to grade and analyze student work.  Teachers can share these rubrics with students, parents, and faculty.  Plus, the best part about this particular tool is that it is user friendly and allows teachers to create high quality detailed grading criteria for assignments.  

Google Earth

What better way to learn about a new tool than playing around with it!  After installing Google Earth, I searched for my home address.  However, it was not able to locate my address.  It did give me the option to get a map of the city on my address - Moatsville, WV.  From just viewing Moatsville, I still could not see my house, but I did see landmarks that I was familiar with.  Google Earth is definitely an eye opener that I live out in the country; there was lots of trees, hills, and farmland with few houses.  When zoomed out, the resolution was high.  However, when I used tools to view closer the resolution then was low.  Next, I searched for the Taj Mahal which I found plain and clear.  I used the pan and tilt features which added some excitement to this tool.  

After locating the Google Map I created for the last assignment, I selected the KML option. KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser such as Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google Maps for mobile.  It was very easy to then open the KML file for Google Map in Google Earth to compare and contrast.  When using Google Earth, the level of detail was beyond belief compared to Google Maps.  I could easily create virtual field trips for my class that are engaging and detailed right from a computer!  Both Google Maps and Google Earth would be great for students to use in their education as well.  View the differences below!

Google Map

Google Earth

For the last part of this assignment, I used Google Earth for Educators to find a lesson plan to use in my classroom.  Click Here to see the lesson plan I chose!  I decided that my students, as well as myself would benefit from a scavenger hunt of capital cities using Google Earth.

This activity relates to the ISTE NETS T standard 1: Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity.  It relates to this standard because when teachers make meaningful learning experiences through technology, it also teaches the students the concept as well as inspires the students to look further and learn more about the topics.  Students can experience a field trip in a virtual environment that is right at the tips of their fingers.  Or they can study a place far away and feel like they are actually there through the use of Google Earth.  Real world learning experiences are important for students and it is great to incorporate these experiences through technology and digital media.