Website and Video

I decided to do a video on Isaac Newton, to view my video please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST9DOfg6iHU The hardest thing I had was getting help on my video.


For my website I did it on Plate Tectonics. To view my website please go to http://homepages.bw.edu/~mbonfigl09/Platetectonics.htm

Networking Participation

Throughout this semester we have been doing a lot of different networking. I have been using all of my e-mail accounts a lot more then I use to, I use to go months without checking them but now I'm doing it almost everyday. I have also been blogging a lot more which I know feel is a good idea, I am not as concerned about other people reading what I have written. I think blogging is more for my benefit then for others. I have also been using instant messaging a lot more than I use to and it was nice to find out about skype. One of my favorite instant messaging is meebo; which is an online instant messaging, so I don't have to download anything in order to get all my instant message accounts in one place (yahoo, AIM, myspace, and msn).

Personal Learning Network

I created my personal learning network today, throughout this semester we having been learning about the different ways we can use technology inside the classroom. It was nice to be able to concentrate on something that we could actually use. When I first started this class I thought we would be learning about the different programs on the computer, which I already know how to use them. When it comes to technology I thought I was very handy and knew how to utilize everything like word and PowerPoint but this class went beyond that. I was happy to learn more about the internet and different programs that we can use to enhance our teaching and help our students learn more. I have created a web using bubbl.us, which I found to be very useful myself and hope my future students will also find it helpful as well. The only thing I did not like about bubbl.us was the fact that it was done for a day which is why it is important to have a back up plan.

WikiSpace

Today I worked on working on my K-12 Wiki Lesson, I found it was very easy to use, I like the idea I am able to go to one website to find a new lesson plan I might want to use. If you would like to view my wikispace please go to http://typesofplatetectonics.wikispaces.com/MargaretBonfiglio In my wikispace I added a few different website I thought would be good to help students understand plate tectonics along with a few assessments.

Podcast reflection

I have been trying to do my podcast for the last couple of days and every time I think I have it I find out I can't post it or you can't hear my voice on the web page, which I am really unsure why that is, I think the idea behind having a voice thread is really good, but it takes time to get use to using it. The other problem I had was using the mouse as a pen this is one of the times where it would be nice to have a sketchpad or a touch screen lap top. If I was using this in my math classroom it would be a good excuse to get a touchscreen laptop that way it would make drawing on the screen easier. I also did not like that eventually what you write on the screen disappears because then you can't go back to use it as a refrance, I especially like the idea of using something like this for math so many kids have a hard time understanding math and the textbooks don't help by being able to hear the explanation along with seeing what needs to be done during a problem. If you would like to view my voiceThread please go to http://voicethread.com/share/564079/

Screen cast using geometry sketchpad

I worked on making a screen cast, to do my screen cast I used a program called jing i found it very easy to use and to create a screen cast. When I did my screen cast I decided to do it on a program I got when was taking a Geometry class at Wright State University called Geometry Sketchpad because that is a program would help a lot of my students understand geometry better. In my screen cast I made an Isosceles triangle by moving around the cursor you can see what will happen if one leg of the triangle increases. A program like this will give students a hands on activity to help students answer questions they might have about geometry figures. If you would like to view my screen cast please click here

Virtual Tour

I decided to do my virtual tour about my trip to Hawaii when I went there to visit my brother over Christmas. Hawaii was such an amazing place to spend the holiday and so beautiful and filled with so much cultural I wanted to find a way I could share with my students what I did over my Christmas vacation. I chose three places I went, the three places I went to was the Pearl Harbor memorial, Hawaii plantation village, and of course I had to go see the dole plantation. Please feel free to view my tour

Webquest

I have been working on my webquest on and off for a while, I decided to go go zunal to do my webquest. I think the webquest I did was easy to do, I was surprised at how easy it was to complete the webquest because almost everything was done for me. The webquest seemed liked a lesson plan for the students to view online. I decided to do my webquest on volcanoes, which I have assigned a research and making a volcano model. If you would like to view my webquest please go to, http://zunal.com/webquest.php?user=32239

Web 2.0

I was surprised at the different types of tools students could use online to help enhance their learning. I spend sometime looking at the different types of sites one can go to experience all of these tools, I finally landed on the site http://classtools.net/education-games-php/venn_intro/, I was amazed at being able to do a Venn diagram online. One of my biggest problems when I was in school was starting an essay especially when I had to compare and contrast two different topics. Yes I know a lot of people would say whats wrong with doing a Venn diagram on paper but by doing it online the student is able to keep everything a little more organized and can print their diagram out from the web. Not only are you able to make Venn Diagram online but you can also use other diagrams as well, just like a fish bone diagram. This website will help me become a more productive teacher and will help my students out a lot when it comes to organizing their thoughts. This website allows you to create free educational games, activities. Go to http://classtools.net/ if you would like to view the website.

Science Quiz

I have experienced creating a quiz using Quibblo, I was surprised at how easy it was to use. I went to different web site to see the difference between them and I found it was a lot easier to use Quibblo then some of the other sites. The only problem I found was the questions could only be so long and you could only have multiple questions unlike QuizStar where I was able to create different types of questions unfortually I was unable to figure out the link to get to my quiz. If you would like to see the quiz I made please click here.

Making my first video online

My first experience using picasa was when my nephew was born, my brother lived out in Washington DC, he wanted my entire family to be able to view pictures so he opened an account. Today I make my first movie on Animoto, I was surprised at how easy Animoto was to use. All I had to do was upload all my pictures onto picasa then upload all of the pictures from my picasa account onto my animoto account. The hardest part I found was trying to determine what pictures I wanted to use since my video could only be 30 second long. I have used and created my own movies using movie maker but movie maker is more difficult to use and you have to put in all the transition, which takes some time to learn. Please feel free to view my my pictures on picasa along with my video I made on Animoto. I think this is a great way for students to get to know their teachers at the beggining of the year along with colleagues.

Creating a document using word in google doc

Today I created a word document using Google doc. I created a WS for my students to help them prepare for a science test, by using it on Google doc all my students are able to access it even if a students is absent from my class. Students will also be able to print documents before class rather then have to wait for me to pass it out. If you would like to view my WS please click here. I was surprised at how much I am able to do using Google doc unfortunately I originally tried to create a review game using PowerPoint but I was unable to format it the way I wanted it to.

My experiance using Google Docs

Today was the first day I have experienced using Google Docs, I was pleasantly surprised how much I am able to do online. I created a math survey which will help me get to know my students better before class begins. I know for a lot of students math is their worse subject by asking these questions I will be able to tell the best way I can help these students do better in my class. If you would like to view my survey I have attached it http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cmhOQ2xhTjZYWkJLaWJjbTJMeTZhOFE6MA..