Friday, December 30, 2011

All About Me Survey

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Journal 5: Nets I

Boehmer, Curtis. (2011). Brain teaching with video games. Learning and Leading, 38(5), 28-30. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-february-march-2011.aspx


This article is about Brain Ware Safari.  It is a program that is used to help children develop their mental processing skills through attention skills, visualization, sequential processing, patterns, relationships, and other mental processes.  One study shows that it has an average of four years of cognitive growth in just three months.  The program uses videogames as a way to keep its subjects engaged.  Who would have thought, the use of videogames as tools for learning.  Studies have shown that using videogames to help children learn is actually beneficial.  It helps them think at a higher level, it improves their cognitive skills, and provides mental processing skills. 
Question 1: Will I use this in my classroom?
Absolutely.  I’ve never been one to bash on technology.  I’m always up for trying new things that could better my classroom.  Now I wouldn’t want to be one of those parents that uses game consoles to babysit, and I certainly would not want to be a teacher who solely used these as a way to get out of teaching but using it to help me, why not?
Question 2: What would be some flaws with this program?
Students may become so engaged in this program that when it comes time for face to face lessons, they may not find it as interesting, and only want to play the games.  This could be an obstacle but if managed correctly, face time will be just as beneficial.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Journal 4: NETS I-V

Schaffhauser, D. (2010, December 1). It's time to trust teachers with the internet:: a conversation with Meg Ormiston. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/12/01/Its-Time-To-Trust-Teachers-with-the-Internet-A-Conversation-with-Meg-Ormiston.aspx?sc_lang=en&Page=1

In this article, Meg Ormiston addresses the most common fears that parents and teachers have when it comes to the internet, and their children.  There are many things a child can run into online that we as adults want to shield them from.  However, the internet also has so many things that can be beneficial in the classroom.  Ormiston advocates the importance of learning to use the internet in a safe and responsible manner.  She feels as though schools waste so much time on restricting access to “inappropriate sites” that could actually be used to help the educational success of the students.  She understands that certain sites must be blocked, like those that contain pornography, but, limiting any and all social networks may hurt more than help the problem.  With all of the budget cuts schools are faced with, teachers are forced to come up with new ways to teach their children with half of the resources.  Sites like YouTube, which are free and extremely easy to navigate, have many videos that could serve as a teaching tool and yet it is blocked on many campuses. 
Question 1: By unblocking these websites, how can a teacher be sure that students won’t take advantage of it?
With today’s advancements in technology, there is no guarantee that the students are not already on these restricted websites with their cellphones under the desks.  As long as you let them know that you are putting your trust in them and that you expect they respect their privileges, they should be okay.  Throw in a contract for them to sign and you’re golden.
Question 2: How could I promote the use of technology in the classroom as a new teacher?
It’s always hard to be taken seriously when you’re the new kid on the block anywhere, especially when you’re a first year student.   That is why I took this class.  There are so many wonderful tools we use, it will be easy to convince those in charge when I show them even a small percentage of what we did in class.  I might even get them to sign up for Twitter.

 

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Journal 3: 100 Things That Make Me Happy


1.    Long walks on the beach
2.    Random food fights
3.    Being spontaneous
4.    Accidentally stumbling upon nude beaches (Thank God for Dark sunglasses!)
5.    Family
6.    Friends
7.    My pets
8.    The funny things children say
9.    Surfing
10.  Snowboarding
11.  Shopping
12.  Traveling
13.  Laughing
14.  Watching movies
15.  Flying
16.  My iPhone
17.  My laptop
18.  Massages
19.  Cruises
20.  Christmas
21.  The number 21
22.  Being 21
23.  My birthday
24.  Clubbing
25.  Weddings
26.  My humor
27.  My laugh
28.  Buckle (the store)
29.  Leggings
30.  High heels
31.  The fact that I can barely hold a serious conversation for an extended amount of time
32.  The beach
33.  Tanning
34.  New clothes
35.  My car
36.  My house
37.  Not having homework
38.  Water
39.  Music
40.  Water skiing
41.  Winter
42.  Summer
43.  Fall
44.  Spring
45.  Chuck Norris
46.  Old movies
47.  My bed
48.  My closet
49.  Fruit smoothies in the morning
50.  Breakfast in bed
51.  Cooking
52.  Not having to wash the dishes after cooking
53.  Serving while going to school
54.  Beer
55.  Wine
56.  Handles
57.  Bon fires
58.  Parties for no reason
59.  Men in Speedos
60.  Shopping
61.  Swimming
62.  Late night ice-cream runs
63.  Water fights
64.  Snow fights
65.  Food fights
66.  Monster energy drinks
67.  Boots
68.  Casinos
69.  Las Vegas
70.  New York
71.  Paris
72.  Rings
73.  Bracelets
74.  Necklaces
75.  Jokes
76.  Nail polish
77.  Chick flicks
78.  Pizza
79.  Pasta
80.  Chinese food
81.  Bonfires
82.  Taking pictures
83.  Traveling to exotic places
84.  ISTE
85.  Task Stream
86.  Blogger.com
87.  Facebook
88.  Twitter
89.  Black and White parties
90.  Perfume
91.  Name tags
92.  Stop signs
93.  Red Lights
94.  Taking risks
95.  Laughing
96.  Smiling
97.  Ed Hardy hats
98.  Making snow angels
99.  Dancing in the rain
100.Dancing in the snow

Monday, May 2, 2011

Journal 2: NETS II - IV

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock!. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/Leading_and_Learning_Docs/June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx

Miller, S.M. (2010). Enhance your twitter experience. Leading and Learning With Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/Leading_and_Learning_Docs/June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx




The first article is about the social network, Twitter.  For so long, I refused to get Facebook, I was fine with Myspace.  A few years later and I simply cannot get enough of it.  Not long ago, I refused to get a Twitter, and then who would have known, my very own professor would assign us to create one.  I never understood the fascination behind it.  However, after reviewing this article, my reluctance to the world of Twitter is at an all-time low.  This article breaks Twitter down into segments that make it much easier to understand.  At first, I thought of Twitter as a way for those with “Bieber fever” to know exactly what he’s doing at every second of every day.  Now, my ignorance towards this social network has diminished, and I realize that Twitter could actually be beneficial in my classroom.  Through one’s own Personal Learning Network, they can expand their knowledge beyond the classroom, and into the wonderful world of tweets. 
Question 1: Will I ever be able to use Twitter in my classroom of Kindergarteners?
To be completely honest, while I feel as though Kindergarteners are cognitively at the level of being able to use the internet, there wouldn’t be much for my students to do with the Twitter website.  The furthest I could go is having them post daily activities they did.  However, if I were to teach higher grade levels, I do feel as though this could be beneficial.
Question 2: Could using Twitter in the classroom have its flaws?
Absolutely.  Anytime you give children a keyboard, a mouse, and the freedom to write, there are risks.  But you cannot be breathing over their necks at every waking moment.  With freedom comes great responsibility and as long as your students have that understanding, very few “problems” will persist.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Inspiration

By using Inspiration, I created a flow chart connecting the projects I have completed in this course to the NETS-T they satisfy. (NETS-T 3)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Journal 1: Nets I-V

Light, D. (2011). Do web 2.0 right. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/Leading_and_Learning_Docs/February-2011-Do-Web-20-Right.sflb.ashx

This article discusses the different ways an educator can use technology to engage their students.  Tools like blogs and wikis are great tools to use in the classroom.  David Light, the author of this article spent much of his time traveling all around the country with his colleagues to interview teachers about their experiences with using these tools in their classrooms, successfully, and sometimes, unsuccessfully.  Blogs seemed to be a very useful way for teachers and students to connect on a whole new level.  Many teachers used blogs to create discussion forums that enabled facilitated conversations amongst their students, the parents, and themselves.  So many treat technology as a plague and will do everything in their power to keep it out of the classroom, but many studies have shown cognitive improvement in students when they use technology in the classroom.  Just because students find it fun and interesting, it does not mean that technology is a negative thing to have.  Light highlighted three different elements that he claims are essential for success; daily practice, audience, and appropriate behavior.  If you have these three, academic success through technology is possible. 

Question 1: I plan on becoming a Kindergarten teacher.  How would I incorporate this into my lesson plan with such a young crowd?
With the technology boom of the 21st century, it is rarer to run into a child over the age of 5 without some type of webpage.  By working with the students, and their parents, incorporating blogs and wiki in classroom activities is possible.  It may be a bit challenging, but as long as I have everyone on the same page, working towards a common goal, it will happen.  Parents could log onto the blog to see our class schedule, scanned assignments that their children have completed, and they will be able to view their progress throughout the year.  

Question 2:
There is no doubt that children can be nasty online, especially when given the freedom to blog.  How can I prevent this type of behavior in my classroom?
Certain blogs and discussion boards give the teacher the ability to hide, or show students what their classmates have posted.  I could prevent them from seeing each other’s posts until I view and am able to determine that they are appropriate for the rest of the class to see.

 

Monday, February 14, 2011

School 2.0 Reflection


NETS-S 1
For the most part, teachers turn their cheeks at technology with disgust and instead of embracing and incorporating technology into the classroom and using it as an educational tool they are missing out on so many wonderful opportunities.  As an educator, I would love to learn new and innovative ways of using technology as a teaching tool.  Something as simple as a search engine can cut a student’s research time in half.  Instead of diving nose first into one hundred different textbooks in the library, searching one phrase on an educational research database will get them thousands of results with one click of a button.  It’s true that teachers need to be open and willing to play around with technology.  One thing that looks really interesting and it something I’d like to learn more about it the DJ Software,.  It can be used to teach different mathematical concepts like fractions, ratios, and percentages.  Times have changed, and embracing this can make it so much more fun for the students in the classroom and will role over into their lives many years after they graduate.  My favorite quote from this was, “Think like a teacher, teach like a thinker”.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Brianna Galapir Introduction Letter

     Hello all!  I am Brianna Galapir.  I was born and raised in Coronado, California.  where I attended a private school until we moved to Jacksonville, Florida until I was in 3rd grade. We than moved back to Sunny San Diego until I finished 6th grade. Just before starting my first year in middle school, my parents purchased another home in Murrieta, California.  Not only was seventh grade my first year in the public school system, but it was also my first year in a middle school.  I was nervous at first but found my way very shortly.  After graduating from Thompson Middle School, I attended Murrieta Valley High School.  In 2008, I graduated from MVHS and enrolled at CSUSM.  I am majoring in Liberal Studies, with a minor in Psychology.  I am now a Junior, and loving every second of my college years.
     My experiences with technology are nowhere near the professional level.  However, up until 7th grade, most of my classwork was done on MAC computers in the classroom.  I've always had a love for computers, and I am great at trouble shooting, but you can never know too much about technology so, what better than to take a class on it?
     From the time I declared my major as Liberal Studies, the importance of the CSUSM/COE mission statement has been ingrained into me.  If I had to pick at any part of the mission statement, I would have to choose "Lifelong learning".  You have a very limited amount of time with each student and making a positive impact on their lives, and helping them with things not only in the classroom, but creating tools for the realworld is absolutely essential to their lifelong learning.