Enchanted Forest (2nd try)

Power Point Presentation Thoughts

I like this idea for teaching to the classroom.  However,  I am not sure I would use it as an assignment.  I would have to do a few test drives with it to see if the elementary grades could actually use this sufficiently without to much one on one help.  Maybe I could teach how to use Power Point to the entire class and then assign them projects one at a time so I can help them one at a time if need be.  I love the animation tool on Power Point because it adds to much life to the presentation.  Once I knew what direction I wanted to go with this is was easy to complete.  I had to go back a lot though because I kept missing steps.

Shoot- I just realized that a couple of my "steps" are out of order because of this....there goes my grade....hehe.

Comment About Voice Thread (ENchanted Forest)

This is a cool way to tell a story.  It sort of works on speaking skills, telling a story in order, and knowing how to stay on topic.  The program is easy to use, but I think that some grade levels would need to have an adult near buy to help them.  It could be an independent thing if you get them started, download the pictures and let them rearrange them and tell the story.

I enjoyed this project and hope to use it again for a more in depth sort of presentation.

Story Book-Panraven

Hi all.  This was a great project.  I have actually used this program before, but I had more fun this time.  Maybe it is because I had something a little more interesting to use for my story.  I don't know that I would use this in an elementary class room, but maybe in a high school.  Maybe we could use it for a class presentation where we worked on it together or something.  Although this isn't the best program out there for story telling, I believe that using the internet for this sort of sharing is amazing.  It could be very possible to share stories with classrooms in India, Africa, or Australia.  Learning about other countries, as well as specific classroom, would make this tool very useful.

Flickr Slidr Blog post

Here is my slide show.  It was great and easy.  You could use it to have kids know what the correct order of photos should be, they could use it to show a step by step process of something such as cooking top romen.  We cold even use it to take pictures of a play and show the play in a freeze frame picture slide.  There are so many great and wonderful things on the internet that teachers can use in their classroom.  This is one of those things that makes learning interesting and the student would probably put their heart and soul into this project.  


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

This was fun.  Also, I like when it was due because it gave me a great subject for the poster.  I could use this in a classroom in many ways.  I could have the class advertise a class play, a product we are selling, or show some things we have been doing.  It could be used for the children to introduce a story that they are going to write, or that they have read.  This project makes assessment fun and easy for the children as well as makes the technologically savvy.  

Life, right now

Life right now is so much that I could scream.  I am so far behind in school work, house work, and loving my children that I feel as though I have failed.  This post will sound as though I am complaining, and maybe I am, but I would like to call it venting for the sake of my health for now.

Since my daughter's father passed I have been in a state of depression that I cannot get out of.  I cannot keep my mind on school work or the kids.  The kids need me, especially the foster boys, of whom we have gained custody of for the rest of their childhood.  They need me because they have been neglected by their parents, my daughters need me so they don't feel shoved out of the picture, Hailey needs me because her daddy died, and my school work needs my attention.  

I, as a student, have always been proud of my work.  I was a mother of only two and still maintained a GPA of 3.8 or higher.  I was recognized by the University of Fairbanks and I got asked to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars as well as the Golden Award "something" because of my accomplishments.  Now, I feel as if I am going to lose is all because of a few setbacks.  I was proud of myself and now I don't know.  

All I can do is try and do what is humanly possible within me.  All I can do is ask God for strength to make it through today and hope that tomorrow is better.

Thanks for reading.  Sorry it was depressing, but I admit I feel better now that I got that off my chest.

Jessica

My video attempt....

This was fun.  I had half the mind to make a play with my kids but I cannot find the charger for the camera so maybe next time.  Until then, enjoy.

Creating videos is an awesome way to show what a child knows while making it fun and interesting for them.  

Software Review

Title: Kidport

Grade: 3rd

Subject Area: Math

Platform: Both mac and pc it looks like

Purpose:  The purpose of this site seems to be to give kids a place to go to practice their math skills, telling them if their answers are correct or incorrect, as well as giving them some lessons to work on.  It is awesome!

This website is cool.  It is actually set up in a way that parents or teachers can use the website for any content are for grades K-8.  On the site it has information about how they try to use the most popular learning styles, a think-and-learn-module, a work book module, and project modules.  

I believe that for 3 grade and up it could be used independently one they children have been taught were to go or the page was bookmarked and the expectations of the students were set out clearly as well as the actions that will be taken if the students don't use the site appropriately.

The website does not require personal information nor does it need you to register.  However, there are adds, although not distracting, that the kids could click on.  That could cause a problem, but like I said, I think that this is a problem that could be limited.

The website is not a download and can be used on any computer and does not need special equipment.  

I enjoyed looking at this website and am excited to try it with my kindergartner as well as my preschool children.  

Title: Starfall

Grade: K

Subject area: Reading

Purpose:  The purpose of this site is to teach children how to read.  There are four levels to choose from:  Lets get ready to read, Learn to read, It is fun to read, and I am reading.

I saw this site to be very appropriate for kindergarten.  It can be used independently once the children get the hang of maneuvering to where they need to go or once the teacher takes them to where they are going.  

This website does not require registration nor does it need any personal info. You can use it on your own computer and doesn't have any distracting adds.  

This website was so cool.  I played it for a while and even had my daughter check it out.  We both got excited because it teaches the calendar, alphabet, and how to make words out of "an", such as C "an", F "an", M "an", etc.  Tis an extremely good resource for the classroom.

Title: FOSSweb

Grade:K

Area: Science

Purpose:  The purpose of this website is to get kids connected with different facts of science and the ways things around them work or why they happen.  It talks about weather, animals, balance, insects, plants, etc.

This website seems to be appropriate although I am not sure that it could be used independently.  You could use it on a projector and use it for the entire class at once or you could have an aid work with the kids on the computers.  

This website does not require registration or personal information.  It doesn't have distracting adds and can be used on any computer.  

This website has interesting games and fun visuals for the kids to learn about science.  It is very good for the kindergarten classroom as for any other grade level it says it supports.  

One-to-One Video..Interesting

I watched the one-to-one video.  The idea of giving each student their own laptop is awesome.  For one, they don't have to print off their assignment several times before they get it right.  It cannot really get lost because when they give it to the teacher it automatically goes into assignments.  It makes the grading easier for the teacher and minimizes the paper the teacher has to go through.  

The video didn't really show any training for the teacher to use the one-to-one method in the classroom.  Maybe this is because it hasn't been perfected so "each teacher to their own." 

When I become a teacher I will definitely want a laptop for each student.  However, I would still ask that they do some things long hand to keep them up to par on their handwriting.

Who am I, really??

Hi!

My name is Jessica R. McCormick.  I grew up in Whale Pass, Alaska until I was 14 years old and then moved to the other end of Prince of Wales island to a town named Thorne Bay.  My husband, I, and our two girls (2 and 5 years old), moved to Mill City, Oregon in September of 07.  Alaska is our home still, however!!!

I am going to school to be an elementary educator, preferably 3rd and 4th grade.  This is my 3rd year of college and I hope to be done by the time my two year old is in kindergarten.

We also have two foster boys for now.  They are one and three.  We just got them about 2 and half weeks ago so I am in training still.  I have never raised boys before so this is all new to me.  Any suggestion you can feel free to share them.

I truly enjoy reading Nick Sparks and Kim Vogel Sawyer novels.  I like to drink tea, sit on my porch swing and read until my grow tired, or my kids need me so bad they are about to tear my legs off.  

I don't watch the news, read the news paper, and don't care to talk about politics.  I live in a fantasy land where there is peace and happiness blooming on every tree.  I cannot stand suffering of any sort for anybody.  It keeps me up at night and sticks to my thoughts during the day so I stay as far away from it as possible.  Some say I am ignorant and I call it extreme sensitivity.  :)  

I am very open with my life experiences and event hough I don't have time to share them you can ask me anything you would like.