Tool # 11 Final Post: Reflections

Take a look to the following video and let's think about it!


I really enjoyed studying about these tools. In my classroom, I would like to add iPods, and flip camara to record lessons. The students enjoy the most; that way they can be more engaged.
I would like to mention that all these tools I have studied are going to be very helpful to share lessons and strategies with my team teachers. Lots of resources will be available to enrich our lessons.

As a bilingual teacher, I think that this school year our classrooms are going to be thru big transformation process, although I enjoyed work with technology, I know there's a lot I still need to learn. Working with "11Tools" I learned some more stuff to apply in my room. My students have learned how to create a power point presentation, but now it is coming the time to give them more opportunities to be exposed to all these technology stuff. That way they will be increasing the vocabulary and figuring out different processes to achieve different goals when creating an assigment. I can't wait to see their faces!

Tool #11 Practicing Good Digital Citizenship

It is very important that our students know how to use all those exciting devices as part of their communication and learning process. However, it seems even more important that they have to have responsible use of these devices to achieve a positive learning environment. Of course we have as a teacher think it is our responsability to model for our students everything we do everytime. In this case, we teachers have to be sure they understand the way our technology devices are supposed to be treated.

I want my students to understand that:

1. Eventhough they have different kinds of materials in every workstation, all our technology devices most be treated with lots of care. Our school district and school have bought resources to support our learning process, so we have to be responsible to use them.

2. We have to set rules to use technology in the classroom: taking turns, the way the students must interact while working in different centers, respecting each other, being polite on the way they speak to the others, etc. Also when they visiting websites, everybody have to be respectufl with their comments.

3. I want my students to be independent while working with technology devices. They can help each other and ask for teacher's assistance.

Tool #10 Exploring Mobil Technology And Apps

I feel so excited with using iPad. I think it is a great tool as a classroom resource. I had the chance to use an iPad and I liked it very much.
I have 3 kids that every day enjoy using technology. One of my biggest concern is about the time that they spend using these kinds of devices. I believe that as a teacher I have to be aware of the use of those devices in my classroom has to be scheduled.
I have been using the iPod when listening to music at home and in my car, and some times watching videos.
Last school year I used the iPod in my classroom. I presented a video to my students and they enjoyed it a lot. I think those kinds of devices are powerful resources to use in our classrooms.
This school year, I am planning to start using iPads in my classroom. It is going to be an exciting educational tool for literacy and math. Students could use it on an appropriate way and in an independent level with supervision.

Tool #9 Jing and Skype

My relatives and I have been using Skype to get in contact. Since most of my friends and family are far from here, Skype is a great tool to get in communication with people that are far at a lower cost (other countries). We can use our video camera to talk alive. My family and I enjoy using it because we can talk and see our relatives and also, they can see my kiddos how they grow up so fast.
It is a great idea for the students to communicate with other students that are not just in the same City, but different State and even Country.
Adding Jing to it, makes it very complete because you are not just talking alive, but you can also capture something that you might be working on your computer and you need the other person to see while discussing it over voice. Once again you don't have to rely on e-mails going back and forth. You can let the other person know what you are talking about right there. Teachers can help students over the internet and can also communicate with other teachers to work in a project among themselves.

Tool #8 Video Resources

I like very much working with these kinds of resources and use them a lot in my classroom. Since we as teachers know that every student has his/her own learning style, I feel that with these kinds of videos they can get more opportunities to learn using their senses.
Tornadoes and hurricanes are more likely to happend in Texas, this information can be very useful to my students while curriculum instruction is being covered.

Tool #7 Creating Digital Stories

Oops!!...Once I started working on this tool, I was really excited.
First of all I spent so many time deciding what to work on, then I was trying to download the program that I think I was supposed to use to accomplish this tool, but not succeed yet....Now I feel a little frustrated since I haven't found the way to start the iMovie (two days and not succeed)... So I will move on to tool # 8 while I will be expecting for some advices or suggestions!!! PLEASE any volunteers?

Thank God, I did it! Once I understood the process to create a video digitally, now I think it is easier for me to implement this great tool to my lessons. For sure, I will be taking advantage of this tool having a work station with information my students have to master in second grade.

Tool #6 Wikis

I used to use Wikipedia site very often, so I spent a lot of time navigating in this tool. Iit was awesome!

I found a web site that I am planning to use as a support for my Language Arts (English) Instruction that now is a link on my "favorites".

This Wiki program is going to be a great asset to our team building and planning. We can find a wealth of knowledge through this program that can benefit our students. I can see that all this information is open to be viewed in order for our students and our staff to share and learn.

Tool #5 Tagging and Social Bookmarking

While visiting this tool, I registered to del.icio.us thru my personal yahoo.com account. I am so impressed! This tagging and bookmarking system is going to be a big BOOM! in the educational process. I will be able to find different websites that I bookmarked. Then, having tags, it's going to be easier for me to have access to them. On the other hand I can share with my co-workers those websites to improve our teaching.
Only typing the words I need my students to develop a skill, it will help me to decide which website will help the best! For sure, I will continue using this amazing tool!
Apples4theteacher.com and vocabulary.com are two pages I will introduce to my students in order to help them develop different educational skills, especially to help them to improve English skills.
I LOVE ITTTT!!!!

Tool #4 Using Cool Google Tools to Share Information

I liked this tool very much! Although I have been using google to research a lot, I found this Google Docs very attractive! I think this tool will be helping me in saving paper, memory space in my computer, and the most important think is that I will be able to record important information about my student's progress and also I will be able to help my students improve their different skills.

In addittion to this, I will be in comunication with my team throught technology is occurring.

Google reader is another very good tool! I could find so many websites where I found some resources to apply in my teaching. A Math Game site is one of them. My students will love it. Since my students need a lot of practice on Math this web site is going to be very useful to help them to improve their skills.

I will be applying different websites from the subscriptions I registered.

Tool #3 Image Generators And Mashups

I found this tool very useful, because using Image Chef and Dumpr was a good experience to explore what I can do with my students in order to establish routines at the begining of the year while they have fun uploading pictures, writing and reding.
Just one think that I like to mention is that I created one of the image from the web site Image Chef that has movement and when I added it to my blog the scratch paper on the image didn't open.
There was a message in there. It's supposed to have written: Write in your journal: "What I learned today". However I can tell there is a lot of stuff I need to learn about this new age of technology. So, let's see what Tool #4 has for learning.

Tool #2 Building Community & Comments

I believe that being able to communicate and exchange experiences with other educators enables teachers to create a more successful and positive classroom environment.
Communicating with others using technology is a great way to close distance gaps that may exist. The impact that technology has nowadays on everyday life is tremendous and both educators and students must stay up to date and use it in every possible way to enrich communication which is so necessary between educator and student(s).
An important aspect of this new 21st century learning process is that we are not alone in it. For many people it implies learning new skills, new technology, but we all have a common goal: helping our students become successful.

Tool #1 Creating My Blog

I have found this tool very interesting. I was able to fly my mind which I found very funny. I was enjoying choosing diferent features from the bar tool. I know that our students are going to enjoy too doing their own blogs. I believe that as a teacher we have to improved every day the way that we teach.