Wiki Page

Our class has a Wiki page where we have posted our favorite teaching blogs to help one another out as we become teachers.  Here is my post:

http://k12instructionaltechnology.wikispaces.com/SSBlogs

Internet Safety

This assignment has been so eye-opening to me!  I needed to watch an internet show and read articles online about internet safety and then teach someone about what I learned.  Well, I learned so much, I taught 4 people!  This information is so relevant to us today, especially to all of us who hope to be parents soon.

The video I watched was a PBS special called “Growing Up Online” and was a shocking video about the effects of youth being immersed in an online world, including pornographic pictures of self and cyber-bullying.

The article I read was David A. Bednar’s article “Things as they really are”.  I loved how he could connect the ancient scriptures to our lives today in council for us to separate from the screen and step back into the real world.  Here is the link:

http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,538-1-4830-1,00.html

I really did learn so much, and things also to add to my arsenal when I am a parent.  First, I want to have the computer in a public place: the living room, kitchen, hallway, where ever, so my kids won’t think they are alone and can look at anything.  Second, have an open communication with my children so I know what is going on in their lives.  I hope that if they were being cyberbullied that they would feel comfortable telling me about it.  Third, be a good example!  If I spend my whole day on the internet, who is to say they can’t?

The information I learned is really invaluable.  The generation coming up right now is the first generation to truly “grow up online”.  I have great fears about my future kids on the internet, but now have some ideas on how to combat that.

So, the moral of the story is, come back to the real world.  God gave us bodies to live our lives.  Satan tries to undermine the importance of our physical bodies, and achieves that when our most important experiences these days are occurring online. Be Internet Safe!

I chatted with several of my friends and my mom about internet safety.  I liked to get their insights and stories.  My mom talked about how she has read in the paper about a girl who committed suicide from cyber bullying just recently.  She was the one who gave me the ideas above to keep my kids safe.  I always felt like my mom and I had open communication when I was growing up.  I remember once when I had an online Pen Pal, and this “Pen Pal” from South America or somewhere had offered to sell me a bunch of Star Wars toys at a low price so I could resell them in the states.  He probably wanted my address and my parent’s credit card number.  I didn’t think it was a big deal, I even thought it sounded like a good idea!  So I excitedly told my parents, and of course they started monitoring my e-mails and restricting my internet privileges.  But I just wonder what would have happened if I was secretive and didn’t tell my parents about that encounter — and number of terrible things!

So, I was grateful to have that conversation with my mom and to hear her input mixed with my insights from my studies.

Copyright Assignment

For this assignment, I had to choose 2 YouTube videos and critique their use of copyright.  Here is the first one:

\”Uglies\” Trailer

I found this video when I was actually searching for a movie trailer for “Uglies” and actually thought this was real!  But in fact, there is no movie coming out right now, it is just in consideration.

Anyways, this video did a poor job at following copyright laws because they did not site any of their sources.  They cannot be covered under fair use, because it is not being used in the classroom, it was posted online, which removes that option.  They even used the “Sumit Entertainment”, and acted as if that was their work!  So, this is an example of poor citations.

Let’s see another one:

Thread Banger

My brother led me to this YouTube “podcast” because he appreciated how they cite their sources.  Throughout the podcast, they say where their ideas came from, and had credits at the end so you can read where they got their ideas.  What a quality product!

I learned a lot about Copyright during this assignment that I didn’t know.  One thing that will for sure stick with me, is the information on fair use.  One of the things that is not included in fair use is showing movies in school as a reward.  Who knew!  I always loved movies as a reward and probably planned on using that in the future.  But now I know better and know that I have to get permission from the company before I do so.  Thanks assignment!

My BEST Work

Professor West asked us to post on our blog what we thought was our very best work.  I really feel that my IIC competition entry was my best work, even if it did not win.  Brother West actually gave me great news when he mentioned that he had talked to the judges about me and Alicia’s entry, and they said it was a really good project and was very close to being chosen in the finals.  However, because other people also did such good work, it didn’t make the cut.  But I was just glad to hear that!  So here is the link again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKHinRBjYjY

And, I just noticed that it currently has 101 views!  That alone is a great accomplishment to me!  Horray!

Innovative Instruction Analysis

Well….I didn’t win the Innovative Instruction Competition….We didn’t even make it into the finals….oh well.  So now I get to talk about one of the finalists and why I liked their entry!

Of course I chose a Social Studies entry, and I was actually pretty impressed by this groups effort.  It looks like they put a lot of time and thought into their project, so I am glad they made it to the finals.

Their design actually incorporated a lot of different technologies into one main website with a student side and a teacher side.  Some of the technologies are: Google Docs, YouTube videos, Wespiration, ArtPad, Prezi online presentation, etc.

I think this is a good idea because it is taylored for a lot of different learners with all the different ideas in one.  That way, if a student isn’t connecting with one aspect (say, using Google Docs) perhaps they would love using ArtPad.  The website is also clean looking a user-friendly so a student could easily navigate the site.  They even have a translator so the site can be in any language!  A nice added touch.

So, among all the great entries, I favor this one the most.  I would love to use this as a Social Science teacher in the near future and would like to use their designs to create similar sites to correspond with Geography curriculum.

Here is the link to view their entry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpmSUPQpK4s

Innovative Instruction Competition 2010 Entry

Whew, I have finally finished and submitted my entire Innovative Instruction Competition entry!  It took a long time, and was a lot of hard work, but here it is folks.

Ashley P and Alicia S

Ta-Da! The Finished Website

Finally!  I have figured out how to use HTML!  Thanks to my very patient teacher, Brother West, who has let me take so long and invade his office twice.  So, click here to learn some French!

http://sites.google.com/site/apprenonsensemble/v

Keep on the edge of your seats for our movie that we will be filming in the next week to pitch our website to the world.  Enjoy!

Our Grand Idea

Another class project!  This one I am actually super excited about.  The McKay School of Education here at BYU is having a technology competition where we have to take something that is difficult to teach and make it easier through technology.  Here is Alicia and my idea

Have you ever taken a language class in grade school?  Chances are you have.  And chances are you were not taught by a native speaker.  And chances are…you still have no idea how to pronounce anything correctly in that language you learned.

Our idea it to give students access to a native speaker reading them their vocab words…no, we are’t going to go hiring in France and bring over a bunch of French people to sit with your children.  Rather, we will set up a class website and upload the vocab list and use plug-in devices to record a native speaker that can be access by the click of a button.

Students today are more online and enjoy being on the computer.  This way they can be learning how to pronounce foreign words WHILE they are learning them and have it in a fun website that they will want to visit daily.

So, I am really excited about this!  Alicia served her mission to France and can get us a native speaker for the recording.  We are just trying to find a service that we can create this website the way we envision it.  Any ideas?

My First Website!

Hey Fam, Friends, and Classmates!  I actually had a rather surreal moment.  My friend Abigail said she was studying in the library on campus and saw on someone else’s screen my Infectious Indulgence Blog!  So I guess my page is getting out!

But, this blog is just a jumping point for all the technology that is available out there.  For my class, I have created a “pretend” Geography Class Website to practice for when I will have my own classroom (soon!  hopefully!)  Here is the link:

http://sites.google.com/site/misspetersongeog/

Google Sites is actually a really cool technology and making this website wasn’t very hard.  Everyone should be pumping out websites!

Now, something new I have discovered this week.  One of my blogs I follow is the Cool Cat Teacher Blog.  A recent entry talks about how facial expressions have more of an affect than we think.

“Our facial expressions influence both how people to react to us and HOW WE REACT TO OTHERS more than we know.”

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/

This is so important in teaching because we may not know how we come off to the students.  I have often been told in teaching settings that I need to SMILE more!  I am usually a smiley person, but I think the anxiety of sticking to a lesson plan or any distractions seems to roughen the features.  So, pay attention to how you come off!  SMILE!!

My find of the week

Hey everyone!  I wanted to introduce a site to you which is not on my “reader” because it isn’t a blog, but it is a great website for making class lessons in a snap!  it is called

thinkfinity.org

You simply have to type in a topic, a subject, and a grade level you would want to teach it to!  and Voila!  Lesson Plan!  My partner and I already used this site to teach a lesson to 5th graders at Scera Park Elementary School and it was awesome!  Check it out!