Butterfly Web Page

For my Educational Mulitmedia Website, I chose the topic Butterflies. In the spring quarter we study butterflies for science in my Kindergarten class. Click the link below to view my website! Happy Viewing!

Butterfly Web Page

Shape Hunt

For my video, I chose to have the students go on a shape hunt around our classroom. After studying the four basic shapes, I would have them find those shapes in common objects around the room. We would then video tape the students with the shapes that they found and put all of the clips together for our movie. This is the sample that I would show the students.  I would then post the video on my classroom blog for other students and parents to view.
I used iMovie. I found it to be VERY user friendly. I did find it odd that once I put the clips into the video, it cut a frame around the edge so it made the shot smaller. It was sort of frustrating. 

Classroom Blog

Here is a link to the blog that I started for my classroom. I originally was going to post photos and newsletters but quickly realized that not all of my families have a computer so I opted with just the photo slideshows. I used animoto for these. I hope the parents appreciate it...I really enjoyed doing it! I told them that I will try to make it a habit to post once a week or after a special holiday or activity so they can see the photos.

Miss Smith's Fairview Blog

Screencast

Here is my first attempt to a Screencast. I used Jing. It was VERY simple to use. For my Kindergarteners I thought it would be appropriate to show them how to use starfall.com.  This is a website we use frequently in school. I could post this on my classroom blog so parents can see how to use the website. At this use age, I do not think that students could manipulate the mouse to create a screencast on their own. I could work with them to make a screencast one on one.

Starfall Screencast #1

Starfall Screencast #2

....once you get started, you want to keep making more! :o) If you listen closely to the #2 you can hear my dog sniffing around--oh well, what are you gonna do?!?!?

Podcast

For my Podcast I used Aviary. It was fairly simple to use and understand. It was difficult to get the hang of it. I tried using Audacity and Garageband. I needed something that was easy to share (embed) and this was it! The Podcast that I made was for letters and letter sounds. As a class, my Kindergarteners could use this application to record the sounds of their letters to share with their parents. I was thinking we could do this and then put it on my classroom blog so when the parents go to help their children with letter sounds, they can refer to this podcast as a reference and hear their children making the letter sounds.

Alphabet.egg on Aviary.

Evidence of Networking Participation

Below are links to some of the evidence of my networking participation throughout the semester.

Jim's Blog

Jen's Blog

Sarah's Blog

Chad's Blog

* I commented on the Blackboard class discussion board. Jane Keaton had asked if anyone had ideas for art and I repsonded.

K12 Wiki

For the K12 Wiki I posted my Apple Webquest that I made along with the online worksheet that the students would need to print off to perform the Webquest.

K12Wiki

Personal Learning Network

I created a PLN to organize how I share, store  and learn information. I used bubbl.us to create this PLN. It was very user friendly and simple to use. I liked that you didn't have to have an account to use it.

So Delicious

My Delicious Bookmarking Page

Community Helper Virtual Tour

This is my virtual tour. Obviously, as I have stated before, I teach Kindergarten so to have my students do this would require my one on one attention. So what I did was a Virtual Tour of Community Helpers around our town (Fairview Park).  At each stop I put the link to that place so they can see it. I hope this works :/

Community Helpers Virtual Tour

Apple WebQuest

The link below is my link for my Webquest. This WebQuest is a part of my Apple Unit. It is to teach children the parts of an apple. I also made an online quiz for them to take for the evaluation. Kindergarteners could not make their own Webquest unless helped one on one. So at their age, the purpose of the Webquest would be to familiarize them with the concept of a Webquest and getting them familiar with navigating on the computer.

Apple WebQuest

Apple Week Slideshow

This is my slideshow. I used animoto. I think the pictures may be moving too quickly, let me know what you think. I wanted to use all my apple photos but it wouldn't let me if I made it go slower. I would use this slideshow at Open House or Meet the Teacher Night to give parents and family members a glimpse into our everyday life. Students could take pictures using a digital camera of nature during a nature walk and then we could make a classroom slideshow of what we saw and they can use the slideshow to share with the other students in the class what they found.


Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

iPod touch

okay, I am going to be honest. I had no idea there were education apps for your iPod! So after class, I went home and played around with it and found a really cool app. It was 99cents but what are you gonna do?!?! So what it is, is an app where you put in all your students names and it put them on a "popsicle stick" and you can randomly pull names for centers, jobs, etc. using it. The app is called Teachers Pick. Sooooo fun. It is so much better than cluttering my desk with cups with sticks in them for grouping! Thought you would like to know!

Screencast dilemma

What should I do for a screencast for Kindergarteners? I could figure out how I could use it but 5 year olds using it? This is frustrating! :/

Primary Kindergarten Photo Album

Here are a few photos from my Primary Kindergarten class. I used Picasa to put my photos on the web. Picasa was very user friendly and quick to use. As I stated in my Photoslide show I would use this to hold all of the photos students took of nature while on our nature walk.  Together, we would then choose which pictures that we should make into our slideshow and then share with the class and other Kindergarten classrooms.

Primary Kindergarten Album

Online Quiz

Shapes Quiz

For my online quiz, I put together a quiz to track students ability to identify names of shapes. This is for Kindergarteners, so I only made the quiz three questions long so it does not overwhelm them. I used Proprofs.com ENJOY! I also made an Online Quiz in my Apple Webquest for evaluation.  With my Kindergarteners, it is more appropriate to have them taking the quiz rather than making an online quiz. They don't even understand what an quiz is let alone make one. They have a difficult time knowing what an actual question is, know how to ask questions. They think that commenting or sharing a story from their lives is asking a question ;) so cute!

Google Doc Integration #2

For my second Google Doc Integration, I have made a Parent Contact Form for my parents to fill out at the beginning of the year. This way, I won't have to have index cards with information on them, I can go paperless and have it all on the web :) Below is my Parent Contact Form.

Parent Contact Form

Miss Smith's PM Kindergarten 2009-2010

Google Docs Integration #1

In my Primary Kindergarten classroom, we study the colors of the rainbow. I would assign each student a color of the rainbow. I have five students in my classroom. We will do the first slide together so they can get an idea of what we will be doing. During centers, I will call 2 students to the computers and I would work with the students to type and add pictures to their slides. Because these students are so young, getting them used to using a computer (both the mouse and the keyboard) is the main goal of these activities. We will then share the slide with another classroom through Google Docs and the other classroom will share their projects with our classroom.

Web 2.0 Research

Tuxpaint.org

I experiemented with Tuxpaint.org.  It is difficult applying technology to my classroom because I teach Kindergarten.  When I use technology the students need my assistance all of the time. I found that Tuxpaint was very child friendly and simple for them to use. I could have my students type their Everyday Words, draw the basic shapes or draw things that are a specific color. When the students are done with the pages I would print the pages and put them into a Take Home Book in which they would take turns taking the book home and sharing with their families.