Reflection of Final Project

It's my intention that this final project be useful to our 5th grade team. Therefore I decided to design a field trip preparation video and a work packet for an upcoming field trip to a mangrove in Bang Phu, Thailand. It is my hope that the preview and work packet will help better prepare the teachers and students for a day of learning away from campus. The field trip will take place in January and compliments our FOSS science unit pertaining to Environments. We will be starting this unit in early November, and since our grade level only piloted part of this unit last year, there are many new things that we will learn and emphasize this year. Thus this final project is still in its early stages and will develop as we teach the unit. An outline of this project (including the essential questions and enduring understandings) can be found in UBD format on the project page for Course #3. So far preparation for this project has included: going to the actual site with another Grade 5 teacher, meeting with the guides that will help facilitate the activities, discussing our Environments unit and which activities will compliment the students learning, deciding on which hands-on activities such as a ph water quality test, soil sifting, and wildlife observations. Unfortunately the location of the mangrove is over an hour away and thus we will not have enough time to participate in actual tree planting. The video will be updated with samples of students' work and reflections from their science investigations. By including student work samples in the video, all of the students will feel a deeper personal connection and see the real life applications of the science concepts being taught throughout the unit. In this project I have thus far incorporated I-movie, screen capture, and google maps and images.

Screencasts

The two screencast applications that I have used are Jing and Smarttools. I find both of them relatively easy to use. However, I would like the Smarttools program better if recorded the mouse position when it records so that others can see it during playback. I can see how using these screencast applications can really be beneficial to a MS or HS teacher that teaches the same class/level more than once. These programs would allow him/her to record their first delivery of instruction and then simply play it back for the next class(es) or for students that were absent and need the instruction. Screencasts can also be used as computer tutorials to help explain how to use program features and/or answer questions that you anticipate will come up frequently. With the onset of the H1N1 virus it is possible that some schools may need to close down for a few days. Teachers could communicate with their students via the internet and embed screen casts of their instruction. Thus it can be used for distance learning. Play the YouTube video to learn more about how Jing and how its features may help you.

Web Based Video

The explosion of web based video can be viewed as a blessing or a curse. For me it depends on two things: download speed, and quality of the content. I have been cursed with slow download speeds and/or unreliable server connections. On many occasions after waiting for what seems like eternity, I finally get to view a video that is basically worthless or does not compliment the content/concepts that are being taught in class. It is at these moments that I find Web based video a time drain rather than a resource. Of course their are many gems out there if you seek hard enough. Google has quite a few good videos that download very quickly. YouTube allows anyone to make comments about the videos. Unfortunately these comments often contain inappropriate language. Therefore it is not a good location for young students to search for videos or for a teacher to use it as a resource off the cuff. Of course it is possible to use YouTube videos but it will require previewing and converting/saving it which can also be time consuming. I have already seen the bank of educational videos increase over the past two years and I know that the bank of videos will increasingly be easier to search and download. Of course it will always remain important for the teacher to preview all videos and make sure that it truly is rel event to course work.

Digial Storytelling

Digital Storytelling is a great way for students to showcase their work while fostering organizational and creative skills. Our group which consisted of Mary Bellone, Chrissy Hellyer, Robin Bulsza, and Mike Jessee decided to do a digital story on "How to Pick a Just Right Book" from the ES Learning Hub. It was good for us to go through the process that the students must also go through when designing a digital story. Fortunately our team did not have any "teamwork" issues. We sat down together and brainstormed ideas of what we could do with our limited time, and resources. After deciding upon our theme, we started to design a storyboard to help organize our ideas. We then started the production by using the flip cameras to take video. Upon viewing the video, we decided that it would be more effective for us to use still pictures and voice overs to communicate our them in a movie. We then used I-movie to organize and edit the clips. we also added introduction and ending slides as well as a public domain music track for background music. We found that using still images is the most efficient method for beginners when making a digital story. Later in the year when my students make their digital stories, I will stick it to the KIS (Keep It Simple) method so that they can focus on effective communication rather than getting caught or distracted with too much unfamiliar technology. Once they have proven themselves capable of using the simple skills, they will be free to try to explore and try different methods for visual story telling.

Presentation Refinements

When making Powerpoint and/or Smartboard presentations it is important to always keep your audience in mind, and try to avoid killing them with "death by power point". This weeks required readings helped remind me that I needed to make some modifications to my Back to School Night Powerpoint presentation. For the most part this presentation was o.k., and I had already made a few simple changes prior the presentation in August. However, there was one very long and content rich slide that focused on the curriculum. I liked the fact that the bullet points allowed for me to elaborate on each point rather than simply read descriptors to the parents. However, the slide required me to click on the mouse or Smartboard for each bullet point to appear. It would then fly in a quite distractingly manner. In addition, I felt like I was tethered to either the keyboard or Smartboard (I also plan to use a remote control next time). I have since made changes the that huge and distracting slide. It is now broken up into several slides that each contain a simple picture or graphic which compliments the content. I believe this new format will also help parents with English barriers better understand the content. Each year I speak to my students about how visuals can with compliment or distract an audience. We have already had a conversation in class since some students had been adding distracting images and animations to their blog posts.

Using Pictures in the Classroom

This wonderful photo taken by Jeffery Pippen clearly shows a Black Mangrove.
Image attribution: http://www.duke.edu/~jspippen/plants/avicennia-germinans081129-2446z.jpg


We all have different learning styles. Some of us are primarily auditory learners, while others may be more kinesthetic and/or visual learners. As educators it is our job to reach all students. The saying "Ä picture is worth a thousand words" holds true in the class room. Pictures (or other visual representations) can help students make more meaningful and clear connections with the content. Creative Commons is a good source for locating images that can be used to help enrich instruction. I have chosen the following image to use in the class room. It is a picture of a trees living in a Black Mangrove. A black mangrove is different than a red mangrove because the roots grow up and stick out of the soil like straws, rather that acting as stilts for the plant as they do in red mangroves. Although I personally find pictures red mangroves more visually interesting, the pictures I have chosen will be used as an aide to help describe what the 5th grade students will see on their field trip to a black mangove in Bang Phu later in the school year. I believe that this "preview" will help the students focus on making quality connections observations while they are on the actual field trip.

Teaching and Technology

Taking these technology courses has made me more cognisant of how I currently use technology in the classroom and how I might implement more technology into my instruction. For years now I have encouraged and guided students on how to use technology to enhance their learning and presentation skills. This year I have made a greater effort to incorporate Blogs into our curriculum. Each student now has their own Blog and they are currently using it to showcase some of their work. So far the students have primarily used the Blogs to display some of the narrative writing papers. The Blog allows them to access a greater audience and receive feedback from the parents, relatives, friends and the general public. The students enjoy being able to "publish" their work and they appreciate the feedback the have been receiving. The students will also being making podcasts of their stories which be linked or embedded into their blogs. By making the podcasts he students will be working on their oral communication skills as well as learning new applications such as Garage Band. The students will also be using the Blogs to post book reflections and book reviews. I have also been using technology to a greater degree by emailing my parents the class newsletters rather than printing them and sending them home in the Friday Folder. I find this method to also be more environmentally friendly.