There are so many web 2.0 tools available I wanted to learn about a new web 2.0 tool that I have not used before. There were two great sites that listed web tools for elementary school classrooms. One was Langwitches blog and the other was Edutopia.
I am working closely with the 4th and 5th grade classes at my school so I decided that creating a timeline would fit into their curriculum. I tried a few different time line sites before I found TimeRime.com. It is a great site that is easy to use and allows you to add pictures, videos and text into each event in the timeline. This is a great tool for a classroom. You can invite other students to collaborate with you to create the timeline.
Here is an example of a timeline that was created about Babe Ruth.
You can add hyperlinks to the website that you found your information at, add picture and videos.
It is easy to get started. First you need to create an account with an email address and a password. You can create multiple timelines on one account. Click create new timeline- give it a title and description and you are ready to start adding events. There is a tab called items- add information about your new event and
press save, it is automatically adds to your timeline above.In the text area below students could add additional information about each event.
A class could also create one collective timeline of an event they are studying.Each child could be assigned an event to research and incorporate the details in the extended text box.When the timeline is complete students will be able to see how the events in history unrolled and effected events that happened after.
TimeRime also provides a TimeRime Educational site that allows for a secure environment, no advertising (thats where I found a problem with some of the other sites), admin rights for teachers, a subdomain and a PDF print function. Check it out at: Education.TimeRime.com
Keyboarding- everyone has their own ideas and thoughts on how and where students should learn keyboarding. As we progress into the digital world, students are going to need to have basic computer skills to survive school (high school and college) as well as in the real world. These basic skills include keyboarding. So questions to consider:
1.) At what age should students be introduced to keyboarding?
2.) Who should be responsible for teaching keyboarding?
3.) When is there time in the school day to teach anything else?
4.) How should keyboarding be taught and assessed?
Question 1:
The average age for keyboarding instruction seems to begin in 3rd and 4th grade.I can still remember having keyboarding in 3rd grade our teacher was Mr. Markus (and the computers would say “Don’t mark us”) We also did finger exercises to stretch our fingers and get them used to moving up and down.I do not remember having specific keyboarding besides that year, until I was a freshman in high school where I took a 10-week course.I think for the most part I have learned to keyboard while typing papers and other assignments.
Shelbyville Central School District set a sequence and scope for keyboarding.
Over all they say that students should master all proper keyboarding techniques by 6th-8th grade.In K-2 they should be aware and introduced to all proper keyboarding techniques.By 3-5th grade student should master correct posture while typing.In 9th grade students should use the correct reaches to type keys, type rhythmically and keeping eyes on the copy instead of on the keys.
A = Aware, I = Introduce, R = Reinforce, M = Master
Question 2:
Prior the teacher responsible for teaching keyboarding was the business teacher, especially in the high school but now as keyboarding is being introduced younger it is falling on the responsibility of the classroom teachers.The elementary teachers already have full plates with assessments and paperwork to complete- this is something else that they will need to be trained in to implement it correctly.Keyboarding is also something that has to be monitored closely.Leigh Zeitz from the University of Northern Iowa states “bad keyboarding habits may reemerge during such unsupervised activities.”This also applies to keyboarding at home.I will not help the student if they are practicing incorrect keyboarding skills as home.So who should be teaching keyboarding in school?
Question 3:
Going along with the teachers not having room on their plates for anything more, the students schedules are packed moving from one special to another and minutes in the general classroom are barely being meet.So when can keyboarding be squeezed in?
Question 4:
Leigh Zeitz article A New Look @ Researched-Based Keyboarding Instruction discusses three stages of keyboarding.“These three stages include: Cognitive Phase (Key Introduction), Associative Stimulus Phase (Kinesthetic Memory Traces), and Autonomous Muscle Response Phase (Automaticity).”Students must begin by consciously moving their fingers to the correct keys.Type to Learn 4, a keyboarding software program, teaches students quick-blends and quick-words that are used often in the English language.Students will begin to feel comfortable with the blends and not have to focus on where those keys are.The next phase is to develop the memory of key placement, while the final phase in the automaticity of the rhythmic typing.
But should keyboarding be assessed like any other subject?Should it be on the report card?Otherwise if the student it not internally motivated to participate in keyboarding what motivation will they have?
The questions I raised at the beginning still have no true answer.Keyboarding is an important skill in today’s world but how does that translate into our schools and curriculums.
The advancement of technology just since the turn of the century has completely changed the value of the Internet for everyone. Young preschoolers to the oldest generation of grandparents are learning to use the Internet to find information and stay connected with friends and family. While the digital natives are creating and expressing who they want to be through various interactive websites. The Internet allows uses to find anything they could possibly want/need to know using a quick search engine like Google. A common phrase today when someone asks a question is- "Google it". I google everything from where we should go out to eat, what special events are happening, directions to get somewhere, the hours a store is open and those where all in the last 24 hours. So of course when I started thinking about this blog I thought why not Google it. So I typed 'resources for education' in the search box of Google and this is what came up- Not exactly what I thought would come up but I could refine my search words to find millions of lesson plans, ideas, classroom management tips, resources of ready to copy worksheets. Especially when teachers are searching for specific topics and grade level they are able to narrow the search and find exactly what they are looking for. The Internet has become a very valuable tool for teachers because they can share their ideas and experiences but also explore how other teachers are teaching. Besides for using the Internet as a classroom resource teacher can also find many websites that with help students understand concepts and enhance the lesson. Students can than access the websites on their own to review or expand their knowledge on the new concept. This allows students to take control of their own learning and process the information on their time.
Overall I think that the Internet has completely changed education. Education does not happen behind the four walls that make up one classroom. The Internet has made it possible for students to contently learn and interact with classmates. Just look at our graduate classes. We have taken many courses that we have never met the other students but have completed group projects and interacted with them through the new technology ready available. The Internet continues to make the world a smaller place and encourages people to build networks.
