Untitled from Rachel Ewing on Vimeo.
Enjoy!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Video Teaching Mini-Lesson
I debated about what I should do for my mini-lesson, because as of now I don't really have students of my own that I could teach. So, I choose my trusty friend Nora as my student. Trusty Friend Nora really likes cookies, so I figured I might as well teach her and the digital world how to quickly and easily make super legit cookies. Using Vimeo was so easy. All I did was had my friend take a video of me with my iphone, and I uploaded that to Vimeo which was really easy initially but I keep getting the message "This video will start converting in a moment. You can leave this page and we will email you when this video is ready for watching." I have yet to receive and email, or successfully access it, but here is a link to it and hopefully outsiders are able to watch it. I'm not really sure? I cant get an embed link, so I'm hoping that once it does finish "converting," I'll be able to embed it here.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Analyzing Student Data in Spreadsheets
During my undergraduate, I successful avoiding doing many computer-based projects in school because of my degree. This includes many of the microsoft products, including Excel. I never took accounting or business, and never really had to deal with spreadsheets in my history and humanities classes. So, when Barry introduced the "Spreadsheets" assignment to us, I was less than thrilled. I feel like because I have avoided excel for so many years, that I am embarrassingly behind other people my age. So, I watched the tutorial videos that Barry posted for us several times, which gave me a boost of comprehension and comfort that allowed me to get through the task without too much stress.
Google's spreadsheet application is super user-friendly. I don't know if it's just because I have nothing to compare it to, or we just got a huge advantage because Barry posted the videos, but it was really easy to compute the data and correlate it with charts. Using charts in a classroom seems like such a foreign concept to me because I have never been comfortable doing anything like that, or even know where to start, but I felt good about this assignment. It was really easy to analyze the data and quickly and efficiently change that data into visual graphs. I want to be a history teacher, and a lot of history is raw data. I think it would be beneficial to organize this raw data into charts and graphs, which would allow students to have a visual to supplement the information.
So embedding the document in this blog has been a little bit harder for me to do than the video explains. In the video, in has the nice "share" button that drops down into all the embedding options; mine just is a share button, and the only options is to either make it public or private, I don't have the same setup as in the video. So here's a link to the spreadsheet document:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjZCoZTBHKrEdGVrOS1uRVBIcWx3NjY5U1c5cDFqdWc
From the graphs it's clear to see that though the students started out a little rocky, all of them improved over time. Some made quick progression and sustained that, like Thurgood, while others improved but then had some trouble with other tests, such as Walter and Renee. I used both a line and a bar graph, because though the line graph allows you to easily compare the test scores with one another, it doesn't display the individual student's performance as well as I would like, so the bar graph allows me to analyze that more clearly. As a teacher, this is a great tool to map out student grades, see which tests or concepts students aren't understanding as well as others, and on an individual basis allow you to track how a student is doing over time. Once I get more comfortable with the software I legitimately think I would use this in the classroom.
Google's spreadsheet application is super user-friendly. I don't know if it's just because I have nothing to compare it to, or we just got a huge advantage because Barry posted the videos, but it was really easy to compute the data and correlate it with charts. Using charts in a classroom seems like such a foreign concept to me because I have never been comfortable doing anything like that, or even know where to start, but I felt good about this assignment. It was really easy to analyze the data and quickly and efficiently change that data into visual graphs. I want to be a history teacher, and a lot of history is raw data. I think it would be beneficial to organize this raw data into charts and graphs, which would allow students to have a visual to supplement the information.
So embedding the document in this blog has been a little bit harder for me to do than the video explains. In the video, in has the nice "share" button that drops down into all the embedding options; mine just is a share button, and the only options is to either make it public or private, I don't have the same setup as in the video. So here's a link to the spreadsheet document:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AjZCoZTBHKrEdGVrOS1uRVBIcWx3NjY5U1c5cDFqdWc
From the graphs it's clear to see that though the students started out a little rocky, all of them improved over time. Some made quick progression and sustained that, like Thurgood, while others improved but then had some trouble with other tests, such as Walter and Renee. I used both a line and a bar graph, because though the line graph allows you to easily compare the test scores with one another, it doesn't display the individual student's performance as well as I would like, so the bar graph allows me to analyze that more clearly. As a teacher, this is a great tool to map out student grades, see which tests or concepts students aren't understanding as well as others, and on an individual basis allow you to track how a student is doing over time. Once I get more comfortable with the software I legitimately think I would use this in the classroom.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Multi-media Project: VoiceThread
I chose to explore VoiceThread this week, which is a neat tool that allows you to easily put audio to pictures. It's a great way to create a picture slide-show, and insert descriptions to go along with it. Since it's a Web 2.0 tool, everything can be accessed online. If you go to Voicethread.com and create a username and password, then simply go to to "Create" and get started. You can upload pictures from your computer, online, or you can take pictures from your own webcam. In addition to pictures, you can upload videos or presentations and simply click the "comment" button and add audio.
This would be a fantastic tool in the classroom because it can spice up a slide show or presentation, and it would be a great tool for students to collaborate and work on projects. It would allow students to utilize both pictures and audio, which is a nice change from just verbal presentations. I also think it would be a good tool for material for kids who missed a day in class, they could just watch the presentation and here the lecture to go along with it. Very cool.
Clearly I didn't embed this right, I still need some work... Here's the link to it too though
http://voicethread.com/share/2353753/
This would be a fantastic tool in the classroom because it can spice up a slide show or presentation, and it would be a great tool for students to collaborate and work on projects. It would allow students to utilize both pictures and audio, which is a nice change from just verbal presentations. I also think it would be a good tool for material for kids who missed a day in class, they could just watch the presentation and here the lecture to go along with it. Very cool.
Clearly I didn't embed this right, I still need some work... Here's the link to it too though
http://voicethread.com/share/2353753/
Friday, October 7, 2011
My Favorite Web 2.0 Tools Part 2!
I was assigned to do some exploring on Teamviewer, which is a Web 2.0 program and effectively lets you control somebody else's computer from your own. The program is extremely easy to download and navigate. If you go to teamviewer.com and "run" the full program, you can quickly access the program for no fee and it is a quick download and that's it. I think if you use it more than fifteen minutes you have to pay though. I hijacked my moms laptop and experimented with this program for awhile, and I can definitely see how it could be useful in a lot of situations. When you run the program, it will give you a user ID and password. If you want to hook up with another computer, they have to download the program and enter the original computer's ID and the password given, after that the computers are all linked up. The original computer now has access and mobility to the new computer linked up. I don't know if I am comprehensibly explaining this, but here is a video that helped me understand it all: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7383719242843704178
This tool I think is very useful in any job that requires trouble-shooting with computers. It is so easy to link the computers up with one another, and it allows the "helper" to navigate and fix the problems quickly for the "helpee" (I'm making up words now). I have definitely been in a situation before where I am trying to describe what is going wrong with my computer, and when advice is given over the phone I can't really understand what it is that I need to do. With this program, a third party (if given permission) can navigate my computer, and I can even see what they are doing. There are some hesitations about the privacy of this program and potential risks of it, and this article not only describes Teamviewer but also the cautions to take: http://www.remoteaccess.org/teamviewer-review/
I'm not sure yet how to effectively use this tool in the classroom. I partially feel like developing technology is almost overshadowing this program. In a school setting I think a teacher could use this to access powerpoints or other data that is stored on their home computers, but with all the programs we have been looking at lately, I think there are other ways to do that without linking computers together (ie google docs, google presentations, etc). I spent some time looking through pictures from one computer on the other and I thought that it was nice not having to transfer files, but again I don't know how that could be utilized in the classroom. Regardless of that, I think this tool would be soooo useful in other professions where it really is necessary to be able to see see and navigate someone else's computer.
This tool I think is very useful in any job that requires trouble-shooting with computers. It is so easy to link the computers up with one another, and it allows the "helper" to navigate and fix the problems quickly for the "helpee" (I'm making up words now). I have definitely been in a situation before where I am trying to describe what is going wrong with my computer, and when advice is given over the phone I can't really understand what it is that I need to do. With this program, a third party (if given permission) can navigate my computer, and I can even see what they are doing. There are some hesitations about the privacy of this program and potential risks of it, and this article not only describes Teamviewer but also the cautions to take: http://www.remoteaccess.org/teamviewer-review/
I'm not sure yet how to effectively use this tool in the classroom. I partially feel like developing technology is almost overshadowing this program. In a school setting I think a teacher could use this to access powerpoints or other data that is stored on their home computers, but with all the programs we have been looking at lately, I think there are other ways to do that without linking computers together (ie google docs, google presentations, etc). I spent some time looking through pictures from one computer on the other and I thought that it was nice not having to transfer files, but again I don't know how that could be utilized in the classroom. Regardless of that, I think this tool would be soooo useful in other professions where it really is necessary to be able to see see and navigate someone else's computer.
My Favorite Web 2.0 Tools
Component 1
Web 2.0 is the next generation of using the internet. In the past, most websites and web programs are designed by one party to be used by the consumer. Web 2.0 programs are interactive systems that do not require a host from a specific server, but can be accessed from any device from around the world as long as there is internet access. These programs allow different consumers to interact throughout the creative process, and the data is all backed at up at a satellite locations, but always available on the web. This concept is also called Cloud Computing, which my understanding comes from the fact that these services and information is all done through the internet and not a tangible, set location.
On the Wikipedia website, the concept is described in-depth, and there is also an interesting section on how these technologies are used in the classroom. Blogging and Google Docs and two popular Web 2.0 programs, and in the classroom are very important for encouraging collaboration and creativity using a medium that students are familiar and comfortable with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
This video reiterates how Web 2.0 is beneficial in the classroom an a change towards technology is the way to go for the 21st Century learner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmbyBxdaSwc
"Web 2.0 is unique because as more and more people use it the better the experience becomes" -Mike Uleau (from the video)
Component 2 coming soon...
Web 2.0 is the next generation of using the internet. In the past, most websites and web programs are designed by one party to be used by the consumer. Web 2.0 programs are interactive systems that do not require a host from a specific server, but can be accessed from any device from around the world as long as there is internet access. These programs allow different consumers to interact throughout the creative process, and the data is all backed at up at a satellite locations, but always available on the web. This concept is also called Cloud Computing, which my understanding comes from the fact that these services and information is all done through the internet and not a tangible, set location.
On the Wikipedia website, the concept is described in-depth, and there is also an interesting section on how these technologies are used in the classroom. Blogging and Google Docs and two popular Web 2.0 programs, and in the classroom are very important for encouraging collaboration and creativity using a medium that students are familiar and comfortable with.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
This video reiterates how Web 2.0 is beneficial in the classroom an a change towards technology is the way to go for the 21st Century learner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmbyBxdaSwc
"Web 2.0 is unique because as more and more people use it the better the experience becomes" -Mike Uleau (from the video)
Component 2 coming soon...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Google Docs Group Project
My lovely group and I were assigned to explore Google Presentations this week, and the program exceeded my expectations. The program is much like Power Point, but it uses the same principle as many other Google programs and can be accessed from any computer or device that is hooked up to the internet. As with Google Docs, multiple people can be working on the project at the same time from satellite locations, but can see the changes immediately.
I briefly said this in our Google Presentation document, but I have always been resistant to Power Point and so I have very little experience with slide show presentations. I have never had it installed in my computer, so the little interaction I had was at school when it was required. It wasn't a particularly difficult program, but I just never got comfortable enough with it for it to be a resource I willingly sought after. Google Presentation, however, I felt almost immediately comfortable with (this may be due to the fact that I'm just in general becoming more comfortable with these types of programs, but it seems very user friendly). I like that there are templates that you can choose from, which allows me to get started faster and start constructing the slides.
I know with our Aspire program, most of us students have crazy irregular schedules, some living in different cities juggling jobs, kids, etc. This program allows us all to chip away at the Presentation when it works for us, but it still has the collaborative feel as if we were doing it together. The software is very user-friendly and makes it simple to incorporate media from the internet into the presentation. Since I am still pretty foreign to these types of presentations, I'm sure I don't know the half of the capabilities that this program offers, but I'm confident that as I use it more I will really be able to take advantage of all it has to offer.
In the classroom I think this will be so beneficial because it makes doing collaborative projects so much easier. Also (and this may be a minor thing, but to me it's big), I love that there are no compatibility issues. I don't know how many times I have been sitting in both high school and college classes, watching a teacher struggle to get their Power Point loaded and functioning on their computer. Often a chunk of the class was wasted and the teacher eventually gave up and turned to lecturing. It seems to me that Google has made that process so much easier by using their database to store everything. As someone who is not particular savvy when it comes to technology, that is music to my ears... Yay Google!
https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/present/edit?id=0AaIbbjCDpu2jZHF3c25tN18wZjNjNWQ5aGc&hl=en_US
I briefly said this in our Google Presentation document, but I have always been resistant to Power Point and so I have very little experience with slide show presentations. I have never had it installed in my computer, so the little interaction I had was at school when it was required. It wasn't a particularly difficult program, but I just never got comfortable enough with it for it to be a resource I willingly sought after. Google Presentation, however, I felt almost immediately comfortable with (this may be due to the fact that I'm just in general becoming more comfortable with these types of programs, but it seems very user friendly). I like that there are templates that you can choose from, which allows me to get started faster and start constructing the slides.
I know with our Aspire program, most of us students have crazy irregular schedules, some living in different cities juggling jobs, kids, etc. This program allows us all to chip away at the Presentation when it works for us, but it still has the collaborative feel as if we were doing it together. The software is very user-friendly and makes it simple to incorporate media from the internet into the presentation. Since I am still pretty foreign to these types of presentations, I'm sure I don't know the half of the capabilities that this program offers, but I'm confident that as I use it more I will really be able to take advantage of all it has to offer.
In the classroom I think this will be so beneficial because it makes doing collaborative projects so much easier. Also (and this may be a minor thing, but to me it's big), I love that there are no compatibility issues. I don't know how many times I have been sitting in both high school and college classes, watching a teacher struggle to get their Power Point loaded and functioning on their computer. Often a chunk of the class was wasted and the teacher eventually gave up and turned to lecturing. It seems to me that Google has made that process so much easier by using their database to store everything. As someone who is not particular savvy when it comes to technology, that is music to my ears... Yay Google!
https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/present/edit?id=0AaIbbjCDpu2jZHF3c25tN18wZjNjNWQ5aGc&hl=en_US
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Google Docs Group Project
I started using Google Docs earlier this year because I don't have Word on my computer and I'm too cheap to buy it. For a while I was using WordPad, which works, but that's about it. One of my friends told me about GoogleDocs and I have been so pleased with it since I began using it.
https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/document/d/1L-JLi2nRcsl9EnqT7Qb_lMxSx9pQeiN3Lc35lJMT_u4/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1
Tom Cavanaugh and I started working on this Google Docs Project in class last week, and it really has showed me the excellent collaboration abilities of this program. I had been using Google Docs but only as a word processor, but this project has convinced me it's so much more than just that. One of my favorite things was how it really did feel like you were working right along side your partner, but you could completely do it on your own time. I think this tool is really useful for group projects (obviously), but also would be great for editing purposes. Sometimes with really important documents it's nice to get a couple sets of eyes on what your writing, and Google Docs makes this super easy.
Tom and I both added to to all of the sections on and off throughout the day, which really made it seem collaborative all along the way. I plan on adding some more pictures and links, but as of now I just added one of a puppy, because let's face it, they're adorable. And also a link to an article I had read earlier today. I do want to say how cool it was to be able to drag images and texts straight over to the document, that is definitely not something I knew about.
https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/document/d/1L-JLi2nRcsl9EnqT7Qb_lMxSx9pQeiN3Lc35lJMT_u4/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1
Tom Cavanaugh and I started working on this Google Docs Project in class last week, and it really has showed me the excellent collaboration abilities of this program. I had been using Google Docs but only as a word processor, but this project has convinced me it's so much more than just that. One of my favorite things was how it really did feel like you were working right along side your partner, but you could completely do it on your own time. I think this tool is really useful for group projects (obviously), but also would be great for editing purposes. Sometimes with really important documents it's nice to get a couple sets of eyes on what your writing, and Google Docs makes this super easy.
Tom and I both added to to all of the sections on and off throughout the day, which really made it seem collaborative all along the way. I plan on adding some more pictures and links, but as of now I just added one of a puppy, because let's face it, they're adorable. And also a link to an article I had read earlier today. I do want to say how cool it was to be able to drag images and texts straight over to the document, that is definitely not something I knew about.
Post 2- Blogging in the Classroom
Alright I've had a day to mull over this whole blogging thing since I began yesterday, and I'm really starting to come around to it. Since I'm already on my second post, I've already made more progress here than in half the journals I've ever started. As I said in my previous post, I have always been intrigued by them but have just never really had anything worth writing about. BUT in the future if I get one for the classrooms I will teach, it will be the perfect setup. I will have material to write about dealing with the classroom, and I will have a built in readership because obviously I'm going to force all of my students to follow it.
I have always liked teachers that send out some type of newsletter to parents. I guess I didn't really receive them too much once I left elementary school, but I thought it was a great way to reach out to parents and coordinate what teachers are doing with what they need parents to do. To me, blogs are the perfect alternative to this because parents and students can read about what's happening in the classroom more often, and the "comment" feature allows them to give their own feedback or ask questions. I think kids should be encouraged to start blogs also because it allows them to experiment with the written word that hopefully spans more than 160 characters, and it enables them to explore subjects that they are passionate about.
A way I would like to use a blog as a future teacher would be to use it as a supplemental lecture resource. I want to teach high school history, and I would imagine that there are a lot of days where you won't be able to cover everything you wanted, or maybe not have enough time to clarify as well as you would have liked. Using a blog would allow me to make brief connections or comments that students could use as a reference. They could ask questions or even start discussions of their own (which I probably will force them to do...) Oh the possibilities are endless...
As easy and user-friendly these programs have become, I think blogging really is a beneficial technology to incorporate in the classroom. I'm sure as I get more comfortable with it myself I will really learn all the capabilities this blog has to offer.
I have always liked teachers that send out some type of newsletter to parents. I guess I didn't really receive them too much once I left elementary school, but I thought it was a great way to reach out to parents and coordinate what teachers are doing with what they need parents to do. To me, blogs are the perfect alternative to this because parents and students can read about what's happening in the classroom more often, and the "comment" feature allows them to give their own feedback or ask questions. I think kids should be encouraged to start blogs also because it allows them to experiment with the written word that hopefully spans more than 160 characters, and it enables them to explore subjects that they are passionate about.
A way I would like to use a blog as a future teacher would be to use it as a supplemental lecture resource. I want to teach high school history, and I would imagine that there are a lot of days where you won't be able to cover everything you wanted, or maybe not have enough time to clarify as well as you would have liked. Using a blog would allow me to make brief connections or comments that students could use as a reference. They could ask questions or even start discussions of their own (which I probably will force them to do...) Oh the possibilities are endless...
As easy and user-friendly these programs have become, I think blogging really is a beneficial technology to incorporate in the classroom. I'm sure as I get more comfortable with it myself I will really learn all the capabilities this blog has to offer.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Post 1- Personal Bio
My name is Rachel Ewing, I'm 23 and a first time blogger. I've entertained the thought of blogging for years now because I'd like to think that what I have to say is entertaining and important, but I've never really had anything to write about. So this is a good way for me to ease into and see if it's something I could actually keep up with.
I was born and raised in Salem and have spent most of my life here, minus roughly four years when I lived and went to school in Eugene. There was a time in my life that I thought I would be miserable if I ended up here after college, but truth is I love Salem. I don't think I really want to spend all of my 20s here...But I may change my tune on that too. After about a year of debating where I wanted to go to grad school and what program would fit me best, Willamette just made the most sense and I couldn't be happier that I made the choice to stay here...For now at least...
I have wanted to be a teacher for many years, and I finally found a subject that I'm passionate about and excited to teach. Ideally I would like to teach high school history or more broadly one of the social studies. I have always brushed aside middle school because personally I think that may be the peak in children's obnoxiousness, but I've recently been thinking about it more and more. There's something appealing to me about that age group now. I feel like at that age students haven't become as hardheaded as they do in high school, but they are old enough that you can really impact their life. So I think I just need to spend more time in middle schools and high schools to find my niche.
As for myself, I love to travel when I have the money and time. I recently returned from Thailand and Cambodia, and that was an experience to say the least. I have never really traveled to a location that was so culturally different than what I was used to and it was definitely an eye-opening experience. Though I haven't even been back long, I'm already looking to the future to figure out where and when I can go next. I should probably also be researching get-rich-quick schemes to finance these travels... Other than traveling I love love love to read, I like being outdoors and hanging out with people. Also I have a really awesome dog that I am marginally obsessed with. But she's cool, so it's not weird.
Well, that about sums me up. Until next time.
I was born and raised in Salem and have spent most of my life here, minus roughly four years when I lived and went to school in Eugene. There was a time in my life that I thought I would be miserable if I ended up here after college, but truth is I love Salem. I don't think I really want to spend all of my 20s here...But I may change my tune on that too. After about a year of debating where I wanted to go to grad school and what program would fit me best, Willamette just made the most sense and I couldn't be happier that I made the choice to stay here...For now at least...
I have wanted to be a teacher for many years, and I finally found a subject that I'm passionate about and excited to teach. Ideally I would like to teach high school history or more broadly one of the social studies. I have always brushed aside middle school because personally I think that may be the peak in children's obnoxiousness, but I've recently been thinking about it more and more. There's something appealing to me about that age group now. I feel like at that age students haven't become as hardheaded as they do in high school, but they are old enough that you can really impact their life. So I think I just need to spend more time in middle schools and high schools to find my niche.
As for myself, I love to travel when I have the money and time. I recently returned from Thailand and Cambodia, and that was an experience to say the least. I have never really traveled to a location that was so culturally different than what I was used to and it was definitely an eye-opening experience. Though I haven't even been back long, I'm already looking to the future to figure out where and when I can go next. I should probably also be researching get-rich-quick schemes to finance these travels... Other than traveling I love love love to read, I like being outdoors and hanging out with people. Also I have a really awesome dog that I am marginally obsessed with. But she's cool, so it's not weird.
Well, that about sums me up. Until next time.
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