Linking Up

Today I will present my thoughts on my blog experience to my classmates.  And I thought, what better way to reflect upon the experience than while blogging?  So for today's post, I'm going to think about what I have gained from this experience.  I then plan to attempt a link to a YouTube video that will explain my blog's title of Jess Said That.

Overall, I am glad that I chose to create my own blog.  I have found it interesting and sometimes fun learning how to link photos and how to play with the colors, fonts, and design of the blog.  I have always enjoyed writing, and as I said in my first post, I have kept a journal for most of my life.  I was surprised to discover that blogging is so similar to keeping a private journal.  At least, this one was.  I have such a very few followers, that I never really got the dialogue aspect of the blog experience.  I am going to "announce" (how exciting) my blog on Facebook, and then I might get a few more comments.  But overall, I felt like I was simply writing to myself. 

I can envision several uses for blogs in my classroom.  One assignment in particular that I used--writing diary entries for Romeo and Juliet--could be changed to Romeo and Juliet blogs.  And keeping a class blog could be helpful for parents and students to find information about the class.  I just do not think that I will make my personal thoughts about my life so public.  I still have my bedside journal for that!

Now, to explain my blog's name.  I borrowed the idea from my children's beloved crossing-guard, Mr. Penny, who also happens to be Auburn University's Number 1 Fan.  He supports the football team and our entire community with his positive attitude and famous smile.  He has signs made up with phrases such as "War Eagle!" and "Win! Win! Win!"--and the signs are always signed off with the phrase, "Mr. Penny Said That!"  I asked Mr. Penny if I could include some photos and videos of him in my blog, and he said, smiling, "Of course!"

Here is one of my favorite photos of Mr. Penny at a game from the War Eagle Reader:

There are numerous videos of Mr. Penny from which to choose on YouTube.  I'm linking to one where Mr. Penny was at the National Championship in January:

It's remarkably easy to link to YouTube!  Wow, I would not have believed it five months ago.

I'm signing off now.  War Eagle!

Jess Said That!

A Book by Any Other Name

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

--Cicero (attributed)

I have been surrounded by books my entire life.  My parents are both educators and avid readers, and although we had little money during the early days of graduate school and babies, we always had books in our home.  The library was a vital part of my childhood and adolescence.  In fact, my first real job other than babysitting was working in the children's room of our local library.  I worked in the library in college as a work study student, and later when I was married with my own family, I took all of my babies to Toddler Time, Story Time, and later, to book clubs at our local library.  In short, I adore books.  So many of my memories center around books and the experiences of reading them.

I had a rather strange teacher for my senior year of high school English.  She was a talented teacher; however, she had some personal issues going on during the year, and she was often nasty and rude to our class.  None of us liked her much, and I often wondered why I'd heard such glowing reviews about her from her previous students.  But one day, late in the year, we were in the library as a class doing research for our final term papers. I wandered through the stacks, touching the spines of old friends and glancing at possible new ones (basically, avoiding the assigned research on Keats) when I found a brand new book.  I opened it and breathed in deeply, "Ummm," I said aloud to myself, "I love the smell of a new book." Suddenly, my teacher appeared as if out of thin air beside me, beaming, and she said, "I know exactly what you mean!"  And for a moment, I could see why she had been a good teacher in the past.  

This week in my technology class we worked with the IPads.  We also discussed books--are they becoming obsolete?  One woman in class said she knows of a private school, Cushing Academy, in Massachusetts whose library has completely gone digital.  No paper books, no paper journals or magazines.  All online. The students all read the digital books on Kindles.  You can read more at http://www.psfk.com/2009/09/the-modern-school-library-no-books.html


I have trouble imagining this.  However, I think our world is moving in that direction.  I frankly have no more space for books in my home.  I've given away bags and bags of baby and children's books, and every year I try to cull some out of my personal library.  The idea of carrying all of my "friends" with me in a single, small package such as a Kindle is appealing.  My husband loves his, and it's been very convenient for him.  Last summer when we traveled to Great Britain, I had one suitcase almost entirely devoted to books:  tour books, map books, and literary works I wanted to review or read before I visited the authors' museums.  Carting 15 books across Great Britain rapidly grew old.  A single Kindle would have been glorious.  So I embrace the idea of digital books, but I still fondly treasure my paper books.  Every book I own has my name, the date I read it, and the place I was when I read it written (scribbled) on the inside cover or first page.  I love to look back through my books and remember reading this one on Cape Cod, this one at home during a cold winter, this one In Austin.  Can I do that with a digital book?  Ah, me.

I do so love the smell of a new book.

The Online Classroom

Last week's class was held online with groups of five to six students.  One students acted as the moderator, and we all discussed some questions presented to us via a PowerPoint presentation.  Overall, I enjoyed the experience.  I did not have to leave my house and my family, find parking, and walk to the class.  Instead, I bribed my kids to keep quiet by allowing them to watch a Barbie movie upstairs, and I turned on my laptop.  Voila!  Instant classroom!

It was my first experience with an online classroom, and it took me a little while to get the hang of raising my virtual hand (by clicking on the hand icon) and not talking at the same time as someone else.  However, once we worked out the kinks, I think it went well.  We had a thoughtful discussion about the Facebook articles we'd read that week. 

However, despite the convenience and the comfort of the experience, I still prefer a "regular" classroom.  I enjoy seeing my classmates when we are discussing topics.  I wonder how different it would have felt if we'd always met in the "clouds" and never in an actual room.  Part of our ease with speaking with one another is due to the fact that we've been meeting and discussing topics for four months now.  But then again, perhaps some of that "ease" would have occurred had we met online all semester--I don't know.

I do know that I miss the real interaction between my classmates, teacher, and myself.  That is one of my favorite things about teaching--interacting with the students.  Seeing their faces really get something that I've been attempting to explain for days (months?)--catching someone's eye and knowing that they see the same humor in a situation that I do--reading from their faces that they've had enough of the stress of school, homework, or grades.  And the students read me, as well.  I remember one day while teaching being in a great mood.  My two first period classes and I had loud, fun classes reading poetry and writing and sharing our own.  However, in between my 2nd and 3rd period classes, I received an email from my dad telling me that they'd had to put our family dog, Ginger to sleep due to her old age.  It made me sad.  When my 3rd period kids came bounding into my classroom expecting an upbeat class (they'd talked to friends from my previous classes), they immediately knew that I was in a different mood.  They asked me about it, and we talked.  That led to their stories of favorite pets, and the poetry from that class had a much sweeter, more poignant feel to them.  If we'd been meeting online, they would not have been so quick to sense my change in mood.

I look forward to seeing my classmates in our "real" classroom tomorrow!

And here is a photo of my not-as-sweet-as-Ginger-but-quite-a-character-who-keeps-me-laughing dog, Texas:

All She Could Say Was Wow

Wow #1:  Second blog post in one day!  Woo hoo! 

Wow #2:  My first grader asked me today if she could use the computer.  After snack and homework, I told her she could play on the computer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes she begged for more time.  When I investigated, I discovered that she had been working on a PowerPoint presentation about teachers.  Just because.  I didn't even realize that she knew how to manage the software, but evidently she does.  She added clipart, photographs, and played with fonts and background colors.  It's just amazing to me.  We do affectionately call her "Techno Monkey," but I was still surprised by the presentation.  Here it is:

Noooooo.  Not working.

Wow #3: Uploading a PowerPoint presentation into my blog is not as easy as adding a photo or video.  Based on my google search, I first have to upload it to a file sharing site, or upload it to a conversion site.  Hmmm. I might have to get the kids to bed first.

Okay, now I've gone onto Blogger help, and I am going to try to do this.  And I also went to Husband Help--my personal IT guy. 

And it worked!  Sort of.  I now can see her PowerPoint presentation in my blog post.  However, I had to convert it first to an older version of PP, and when I did, most of her clipart flipped upside down.  I think it adds to its visual impact.

Kindergarten Supply List: Crayons, Glue, IPad

My husband came across an AP article online yesterday on Yahoo!news called "IPads take a place next to crayons in kindergarten" by Clarke Canfield.  Evidently 300 kindergartners in Maine will receive IPads next year to help them learn.  Some people are excited about this new technology in the classroom, and some people are not. 


The people for the initiative cite the IPad's ease of use, availability of apps, and the ability to engage children as reasons for giving IPads in the schools.  Those against it, like Dr. Larry Cuban, point out that there's no research that indicates that children that young will benefit from using computers.  However, most people who express dismay over the initiative tend to be more worried about the cost of the devices--especially in a time of such economic uncertainty.


I have to take a middle-line stance on the issue.  I have seen how easy the IPad is to use, and I feel that some reading, phonetics, and reading apps exist that will engage kindergartners and encourage learning.  However, I also believe that money needs to be spent to make sure that teachers know how to use the devices in the classrooms, and that they continue to be supported throughout the school year as issues will inevitably arise about the technology.  And as a teacher who is looking for a job in this crazy economy, I also firmly believe that the hiring of strong, effective teachers should always be a district's first priority--rather than being the first to have a cool gadget in x amount of classrooms.  Perhaps this district in Maine referenced in the article has done that, and now they are focusing on technology.  I don't know.


I do know that having had three kindergartners in my house with different learning styles, they would have all enjoyed "playing" with the IPads in their kindergarten classrooms.  However, they would not wanted to have missed all of the real-life designs they did of rain forests, airplanes, ships, and zoo animals that kept them engaged and excited about learning.  They continue to impress me with the knowledge they gained from that year even today.  Making a paper mache coral reef made an impression on my daughter that I do not think would have been the same had she simply created a "virtual" reef on an IPad.

Oh, Facebook

Our reading for tonight's class contains an article from Time written by Lev Grossman titled "Mark Zuckerberg"--the creator of Facebook.  I found the article engaging and thought-provoking, and I look forward to discussing it with my classmates tonight.

The article exposed many of my mixed emotions about Facebook.  I am a Facebook user, but it took me a long time to feel comfortable about sharing pictures of my life online.  I'm still not completely comfortable with the idea.  When I was growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was inundated with scary stories about people abducting children.  We were firmly told to never have our names printed on ourselves so that strangers would know our names.  Now that I have my own children, those scary stories of my youth create an even greater fear in my heart.  Yet, the style of children's clothing, at least in my area of the country, is such that embroidering a child's name or at least initials is considered a must.  Especially for babies through early elementary age.  And everyone I know who has a Facebook account posts pictures of their children and families.  So I'm torn.  I want to share my adventures with my kids with my friends, but how many of my Facebook friends are true friends?

I have given up Facebook for lent, and I do miss it.  I miss knowing things about my friends' lives.  However, I don't crave it.  I can exist without it.  I've thought that had I posted a link to this blog on my Facebook account, I might have gotten more readers.  Perhaps I'll have time to try that after Easter and see if I get more followers than myself, my husband, and my best friend!

One sentence from the article struck me:  "Facebook is supposed to build empathy, but since 2000, Americans have scored higher and higher on psychological tests designed to detect narcissism, and psychologist have suggested a link to social networking" (paragraph 67).  I do think that the term "social networking" can be an oxymoron when it applies to Facebook.  I may find out things about my friends' lives through the site, but I'm not socializing with them.  I more peering into their lives--voyeuristic.  I tend to view FB posts as mini-blogs of "oh, I'm so fabulous, look at my life."  Now, I say all this, and I work to make cute, funny posts on FB.  So I'm just as guilty.

Mixing It Up

I changed my settings on my blog to allow more public access to my site, and I have had NOBODY read my blog.  Funny how this bothers me--I'm still not comfortable with writing my thoughts onto air for strangers to read.  Yet, when no strangers read my thoughts, I am annoyed.  Silly!  I've started to add some labels to my individual posts, and today I'm going to attempt to make the appearance of the blog more interesting.

I have just discovered that I can add photos within my individual blogs.  So here is a photo I took of the Gulf of Mexico for your viewing enjoyment:

I've been thinking about how to use some of the information in my classroom that I've learned about at the University.  One website in particular intrigues me:  www.mixbook.com.  It's a collaborative scrapbook website, and a colleague introduced my class to it.  She used it in her 9th and 12th grade English classes as a presentation tool for works of literature they had studied.  She said that it took much longer for the kids to explore the website than she had expected, and she thinks she'll use it next year at the beginning of the year as a way for kids to introduce themselves to the classroom.  That way, the students will become familiar with the website with an "easier" assignment, and if she wants to use it again later in the year, they will not have to "relearn" how to manipulate the features of the site. 

I think this would be an engaging introductory assignment for my English classes, as well.  I used to have my students bring in a few objects that symbolized something about themselves.  They had to present the objects to the class, explain the significance to their lives, and later they wrote a brief essay about the objects.  My oldest daughter--a 5th grader--has done a similar introductory activity since the 1st grade.  She groans each year when she discovers she has to do it again.  In fact, this year, she told me she might as well keep the objects together so she wouldn't have to hunt for them in 6th grade!  I promised her that when I began teaching again, I'd find a new way for my students to introduce themselves.  As long as my future students have computer access, I think Mixbook.com will be a fun way for them to put together a presentation.  I'd have to make my own.  Ah!  I shall do this now and try to add the link to this blog!

Jess

Going Global

It's been awhile since I've blogged--a spring break trip and family visits have taken up my time.  However, I've been thinking about this blog even when I haven't been posting.  I think I may change the settings so that I open it up to strangers.  Which scares me.  I feel so vulnerable thinking that people I do not know will read my words and comment on them.  And it makes me scared to think that no one will read my words and comment on them.  So I'm just going to try and see what happens.  Perhaps no one will have any interest in my thoughts on technology, teaching, and life in general.  It has certainly not captured the interest of many of my friends.  And my own mother still cannot find even find my blog--although she's found Jessica Simpson's several times.  (My problems with technology are evidently genetically linked).

Speaking of genetics, my father made me laugh recently.  He called my home phone, and when no one answered there, he called my cell phone.  I was at the gym and didn't realize that he'd called until thirty minutes later.  He did not leave a message.  The entire experience worried me for two reasons:  one, my father rarely calls me, and when he does, it is often with bad news.  Two, he didn't leave a message, so I feared that he didn't want to tell me bad news in a message.  I called him back and got his voicemail.  So I called Mom, and then their home, and stopped short of calling my brother.  Two hours later, my father called me and said, "Hey, Jess, I was calling because I wanted to know how to put my Blackberry on speaker phone.  But one of my collegues showed me how."  After breathing out my worry, I laughed.   I asked, "What's the matter, Dad?  Not a Digital Native?" refering to an article I had discussed with my parents about the differences in technological savvy from generation to generation.  Dad responded:  "I'm no native.  I'm not even a digital immigrant.  In fact, I'm a digital alien."  We laughed, but I have thought about his words for several days.

My father is a brilliant man, and he has always been fascinated with technology.  We had one of the first Atari's and the first (and likely the only) Betamax video player on our street growing up.  My mother gave him an IPod as a gift for his 65th birthday.  Nevertheless, he lags behind my brother and me in intuitive technological skills.  I have thought about how, no matter how many classes I take and how well I do in them, I will still be behind my students in terms of technnology.  My own children help to keep me more up to date, but I still learn far more from them than they do from me.  For example, I did not know how to add sound to a PowerPoint presentation--my 9 year old showed me. 

How do I keep up?  And do I need to keep up?  Questions to ponder.

Jess
ps I still haven't figured out how to put my own Blackberry on speaker phone!

Knowledge vs. Belief

Dictionary.com (yes, look at me--accessing my online resources from my laptop out here on my deck!  I'm feeling so technologically savvy) gives the first definition of "knowledge" as a noun meaning "acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: knowledge of many things."  The first definition of "belief" is a noun meaning "something believed; an opinion or conviction: a belief that the earth is flat.  It can also mean "confidence; faith; trust: a child's belief in his parents."  We discussed these two ideas in terms of technology use in the classroom at our last class meeting.  Our professor instructed us to reflect on what the words mean to each of us individually.  I have done so over the past several days. 

What do I know about technology in the classroom?  And what do I truly believe about its use in my classroom?

I know that technology has changed dramatically in the past twelve years.  I last taught in 1999--when I regarded an email received from a parent or student as something exciting and rare.  I communicated  with parents of my students primarily through phone calls and notes sent home.  I posted my homework information through a complicated phone system that few students and even fewer parents ever accessed (it involved codes that few people ever remembered).  The school where I taught in Texas did have a school website; however, I did not have my own "page" on the website, and I certainly would have had no idea how to update it if I had.  I considered myself to be technically advanced over most of my colleagues because I had access to a color printer on which I made many beautiful, incredibly expensive, color overheads to use in the classroom.  None of my students had cell phones, although many of them had pagers. 

Now my own children attend school in classrooms outfitted with interactive white boards, and they have "computer lab" once a week beginning in kindergarten.  My third grader showed me how to add sound to a PowerPoint presentation, and my fifth grader did some research for her Colonial America project on the Colonial Williamsburg website.  They want to know when they can get "their" cell phones (answer:  not for a long, long time), and they text their grandparents from my cell phone.  My first grader asked me yesterday if she could log me on to my Facebook account (answer:  NO!).  In summary, the classroom is a vastly different place today than it was when I taught, and children today have grown up in a different technical environment than I did.  So how does this different environment and culture affect my beliefs about technology in the classroom?

One of my basic beliefs about teaching is that children learn well when they are interested in the material.  An extension of this idea is my belief that children learn best when they lead the inquiry into a problem; when they explore literature and poetry and make connections to their own lives; and when they take ownership of their learning.

So I need to figure out how to "keep up" with the technical skills of my future students (and my own children) so that I can hold the attention of my students and lead them into student-directed learning.  One obvious way I'm doing this is by taking this technology class.  Another way is by talking with and learning from my own children--observing how they access and process information.

I believe that I can use technology to help my students learn.  And I know that this will be a continuous challenge.

Something Old, Something New

I found our assigned reading for last week's class dry and frankly, boring.  It was basically a literature review of many articles written about integrating technology into the K-12 classroom.  The title said that it offered recommendations for future research.  So, in my cynical view, this paper talked about everyone else's  research and then said we need more research.  I  did not find the authors' suggestions for improving technology integration revolutionary.  In fact, anyone who has taught in a classroom already knows most of the authors' points:  provide technological resources for teachers and classrooms and in-depth support, provide more time for collaborative planning, change how we assess our kids, provide teachers with practical, subject-specific ways to utilize technology in the classroom, lengthen class periods and lessen the numbers of kids in the classroom.  Yes.  We know this.  Now, let's do those things.  How?  How is always the question.  Evidently we need more research.  (sigh)

 I was pleasantly surprised to find that this text produced a very engaging class discussion.  My cynicism was kept in check by other people pointing out positive things they'd learned from the article.  That helped me view the paper in a more generous light.  In addition, we brought up some things from the article that could be used in the classroom right now.  The authors suggested using student experts to help with technological difficulties in the classroom.  This has been going on since I was in high school over 20 years ago.  Why is this a new idea?  At my high school, the tech kids helped the teachers show filmstrips, slides, and movies.  When I taught 12 years ago, my AV kids came in to help me get the VCR to talk to the departmental television we wheeled from class to class.  They also brought me tape players and microphones when we used them to play music and record speeches.  So in my mind, this is an old idea--kids are always at the forefront on any technology.  This has always been true.  My teenage cousin had to teach me how to use my IPod and ITunes several years ago.  My 7-year-old daughter manages the four remote controls for her grandfather when he comes to visit.  So it stands to reason to expect that I would have some techno-savy students who could help me operate my smartboard or upload class podcasts to our class website.

Speaking of podcasts, that's our assignment for this week.  I've had fun with this--I've written a modern-script of the first book of Homer's Odyssey.  I plan for my husband and kids to read their "parts" (if the kids will stop fighting over who gets to be Athena) into my webcam, add music, and create my first podcast.  My brain has been churning with ideas of how to make this into an assignment for my future students.  Roughly speaking, I plan to assign a group of them a few books of the reading at a time to make into podcasts.  We could upload them to our class website, and then the kids could listen to them to study for the test.  Possible.  However, it does bring up one of the questions from my class discussion:  will the kids actually listen to the podcasts?  Many won't.  They'll do the assignment in order to get the grade, and then they will forget it.  But some of them might use it for further study.  Just like some of them used to use my study guides and most did not.

Thinking about old ideas being recycled into new technology reminded me of an interesting experience I had during my teacher training in Texas.  As part of our certification program, we had to "pass" a technology/media training course.  In order to do so, we were shown different types of technology such as slides, overheads, and VHS players, and we had to explain to the graduate student "grading" us how we would use such advanced technology in our future classrooms.  Then, for the culminating activity, we had to design and create a poster using dye cuts, lamination, and cutting machines.  This poster was the make or break item of our "grade."  I remember worrying so much about my poster (which, by the way, I NEVER used in my actual classroom) and working very hard on it.  The graduate student in charge had a sudden, violent dislike to both my poster and myself.  She just screamed about how it was the worst use of technology she'd ever seen, and she knew I would be a terrible teacher.  This was, of course, a fantastic ego boost for me.   There are few times in my life when I have been rendered speechless, but this was one of them.  I just stared at her.  Stunned.  I learned later, after complaining about her wild outburst to her professor, that the girl suffered from a mental condition.   Anyway, it's funny now to even consider a poster as "technology."  Our world has changed so quickly!

Now off to figure out my podcast.  It took me an hour just to work out how to download the free software from the Internet, so this should be interesting.

Jess

Does High-Tech = ADHD?

Last night's class generated great discussion about the effects of technology on our lives.  We had read the chapter "What Happens When We All Have Dog's Hearing?" from Thomas L. Friedman's book, The World is Flat:  A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century.  The chapter discusses our society's dependence on technology and how it effectively isolates us from one another.  It's an intriguing paradox:  technology allows us to communicate much more quickly with each other than ever before, yet it isolates us from communicating with people around us as we text or email.  Our world is flattening out--onto our flat screens.  That's a disturbing thought. 

One classmate asked if we thought it possible that the increase in Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses could be contributed to today's kids' daily use of electronic devices.  Another classmate reported that his father, a pharmacist for over thirty years, has seen a dramatic increase in ADHD medications for children and antidepressant drugs for adults over the past ten years.  He wondered if those increases could be linked to the fact that we're all overwhelmed with the speed of our world.  Of course, we have not conducted a scientific study of either of these possibilities.  We'd have to research to see if these observed trends in their lives are reflected in the country overall.  The increase in numbers of prescribed medications could be driven by the fact that drug companies have aggressively marketed new ADHD and antidepressant drugs to the medical community.  Or the increase could be due to the fact that so many children in the United States are the product of divorce or live in homes where both parents work.  The stresses of being a single parent or a parent who works full time and raises a family are enormous.   I suspect a close study would reveal a combination of many factors contributing to ADHD and depression.  However, I do believe that my children are exploring the world differently than I did--their classrooms contain computers and SMART boards, and they research for school projects online. 

Several of my classmates worried that today's children are less creative than they were in years past.  They think that because children today are inundated with rapid-fire images, they don't have the time or the space to "unplug" and rely solely on their own brains to create stories or games.  I've thought a great deal about this, because this is something I have worried about with my own children.  My husband and I have always limited our children's computer usage and television time at home.  If we don't, the kids will stay on the computer or watch the television forever.  They become zombies.  But when we turn the electronics off, my kids do not lack for creativity.  They write plays, stories, and songs, and they act them out (often begging me to videotape them so that they can view them later--another change in their childhoods over mine).  They develop elaborate games with their dolls and Barbies that take over the playroom floor for days (until I wonder if it would be "cleaner" for them to watch some more TV).  They build fairy houses out of sticks, pine straw, and acorns in my front yard.  They fill Frisbees and buckets with berries and flowers and play "store" and "pioneers" under the deck.  They play "wilderness" and "fairgrounds" and "rockets" and "horses" on the swing set in the backyard.  My kids are certainly not any less creative than I was at their ages.  So I don't agree that children today are less creative.  I think they just need to be guided to quiet.  When I teach, I will need to remember that my students will have to "unplug" at times in my classroom.  We'll have to shut out the noise of technology when we think about writing. 

Leaving my class last night, I walked behind two students who were talking animatedly about their classes, roommates, and boyfriends.  Their banter made me smile.  Neither of them was holding her phone to text or to update her Facebook status.  Neither of them wore earbuds or listened to IPods.  They were laughing and enjoying each other's company. 

They gave me confidence that people do still communicate the "old-fashioned" way.

My PhotoStory

A Dark and Stormy Night

Last week's class ended right as a powerful rain storm hit our city.  Trying to maneuver flooded streets and sidewalks while being pummeled by cold sheets of rain did not offer the ideal situation to reflect upon the class.  Therefore I haven't really thought to blog (I think I'm getting this lingo down!) until now. 

I had a much more successful class last week when we learned how to use PhotoStory.  I've spent many hours over the past eleven years as a stay-at-home mom photographing my children.  I began making scrapbooks as a new mom, and I invested in cutting tools, stickers, and special, acid-free papers to preserve my memories forever.   My husband, always more technologically-aware than me, asked me why I didn't just create digital books.  Initially, I scoffed at the idea of avoiding film and paper.  However, by the time my third child arrived, I had begun to see the benefits of digital preservation.  Snapfish and Kodak Gallery both made it easier and easier to create photo albums online using their cropping tools and various backgrounds.  It still takes a great deal of time to create the albums that I want; however, it takes less time than the paper version would have (and generates much less waste). 

Three or four years ago I discovered Microsoft Movie Maker software on my computer, and I tried making movies of my kids using photos, music, and video.  Although it took a great deal of time for me to learn how to manipulate the different tools of the software, it was worth the investment of my time. 

PhotoStory reminded me of Movie Maker.  In fact, I've been trying to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the two over the past several days as I've been working on my assignment for class this week:  making an educational PhotoStory.  I have determined the following:

PhotoStory is free.  This means I can access it anywhere I can access the Internet.  This, as far as I can tell, is the biggest advantage over Movie Maker. 

The biggest con for using PhotoStory is that it can only import pictures.  Therefore, I had to make my title and credits using PowerPoint, save them as jpeg files, and then import them into  PhotoStory.  Cumbersome.  In Movie Maker I could do the same thing, or I could simply use the software to make the title and credits directly. 

Another advantage I see of PhotoStory is that you can "make" your own music to play in the background of your story by choosing among a few types (romantic versus serious, for example) and instruments.  My version of Movie Maker does not offer that option.  However, this is not a pro for me, because I like to import "real" music.

I really enjoyed making the story for class.  I chose the Bronte family as my subject--I traveled to Haworth Village in England this summer, and I developed a fascination with the gifted family.  I'm sure I spent way too much time on the assignment, but I just kept adding more.  I would have liked to be able to chose the rate that the transitions moved between slides, and I could not figure out a way to do that. 

I'm going to attempt to post the assignment to this blog when I finish this post. 

Jess

Jessica's Introduction

No Voice

Last night's technology class encapsulated my mixed feelings about using technology in the classroom.   We learned about the website voicethread.com.  We used it to introduce ourselves to our classmates.    The website was easy to understand, and I quickly uploaded my slide (made in our previous class) to the website and began to speak about it into the microphone.  I was having a good time--excited that I could manipulate the technology.  My brain was already considering applications to my English classroom.  During my test recording I spoke clearly into the microphone and said, "This slide shows how totally cool I am."  Then I laughed at my hilarious sense of humor.  I played back my recording, giggled, and then attempted to record my "real" description.

I could not do it. 

Despite the fact that I followed the exact same steps that I had followed while making my test recording, I could not retrieve my "real" recording.  I tried several times, becoming more and more frustrated.  I tried a new microphone.  No luck.  Meanwhile, the class moved ahead.  I felt stressed because I could not complete the next assignment (commenting on my classmate's slides) with my voice.  I had to type the comments quickly, and I barely had time to look at them.  The class ended, and I left irritated at the computer.

Walking to my car, I reflected on how the class had made me feel.  I do enjoy learning new things, and I envision several lessons where I could use voicethread in my classroom.  It would help my kids feel like they were publishing their work.  They could share their work with their parents.  I see tremendous potential for my assignments.  However, my experience with the technology reminded me how frustrating it can be when technology doesn't "work."  I remember spending too much time in front of the classroom trying to get the TV to talk to the VCR player in years past. 

I like to know "why" things work or do not work.  There was no answer for me last night, and I did not have the time to figure it out.  Perhaps I simply needed to restart the computer.  Who knows.  In any case, the experience reinforced my mixed emotions about using technology in the classroom. 

Jess

To Blog or Not to Blog

I have kept a journal or diary since I was eight years old.  I consider myself a writer and a teacher of writing.  Yet this feels so strange (and a little scary) to be writing a blog.  I do not quite understand the point or the power of the blog, and I'm hoping that by keeping one (writing one?--what's the proper verb here?), I'll discover both. 

I created this blog in response to an assignment for an education class.  My professor encouraged the class to chose a technological option we were unfamiliar with.  So here I am in very unfamiliar territory.  Writing to an audience I do not know and cannot imagine.  Strange!  My handwritten journal entries are mine--I don't worry about spelling or syntax or much less content as I know I am the only one who will read them.  This--this blog--makes me feel so much more censored and vulnerable.  However, I want to explore this.  I do not want to be one of the frumpy teachers who refuses to use technology because it's not the way "I did it."  I believe that technology can be a powerful teaching tool, and I want to explore how I can incorporate it into my own classroom.  That's why I chose to take the class I am taking, and that's why I am writing these words--sending them off into the Internet.

I have read other people's blogs--some of them written by friends.  I've found many entries humorous, and a few helpful for recipe ideas or vacation planning.  But overall I'm still mystified about the point of the blog.  It just seems like a self-centered exercise:  read about my life!  My thoughts!  My ideas and dreams!  I'm so fabulous and entertaining!  

Perhaps my feelings will change over the course of this course.  Of course, maybe they won't.  Ah, getting silly here.  Time to post my first post--post-haste.  Stop it with the word play!

Jess (do I even sign my post?  I've always signed my journal entries.  It just seems the proper ending.   I keep feeling like I'm breaking some Rules of Blogging, but really, are there such things?)