Native Americans of the Great Plains Smart Notebook Lesson

     Smart Notebook is a very valuable tool, with a wealth of information and activities for students of all ages. I plan to use this website to help me plan and tweak my future lesson plans. I have used sites that are more user-friendly, but this site is very navigable and manageable with a little practice. Even the most technologically-challenged user should be able to successfully use this website.

     I found a lesson plain about the Indians of the Great Plains. I really like the way the lesson is set up, including the overall flow of events and activities. My lesson covers the Lakota Sioux of the Great Plains as does the lesson on the website. The information is accurate and shown in a sensible way.

     The lesson is also very interactive to help stimulate and engage the students. However, I would like to see a word bank provided on the fill-in-the-blanks slides. The lesson connects well with the learning outcomes I have cited in my own lesson plan. The students can easily navigate the lesson and learn valuable information about the Plains Indians, including daily life and responsibilities. This site is a welcome addition to my teaching toolbox.

 

 

Videos in the Classroom

     Isn't the world of technological advancements a wonderful thing? Teachers now have so many wonderful tools right at our fingertips. Many of these tools provide wonderful audio/visual cues to aid in helping our students receive an authentic experience while learning about new and unfamiliar subject areas. Of course some of this technology is better suited for the classroom. Other forms or websites may cause problems to arise.

     One such advancement in technology has been the creation of video websites. Through these websites, we can search videos, audio, user backgrounds, and even make our own videos. These tools are an invaluable part of lesson plans today. Three such websites are Youtube, Google Videos, and Teacher Tube. All three of these websites operate in fairly similar ways. However, there are some important differences to consider before using them.

     Youtube and google videos are more widely used by the general public. Therefore, just about anything and everything can be downloaded to these sites. Don't get me wrong. These sites contain wonderful videos and a wealth of valuable information. We just have to be extremely careful when using these sites, to keep from allowing our students to view inappropriate material.

     Teacher Tube, on the other hand, is a site made for teachers. It contains a wealth of valuable information, without the worries of accidentally exposing our students to inappropriate material. I definitely value Teacher Tube and plan to use it many times in my classroom. I have a unit in mind that covers Native American culture and Westward Expansion. I plan to show videos such as the Battle of Little Bighorn and many others dealing with the subject. Check out Teacher Tube. I think you will agree with me. It is a great tool.

Voicethread

     Have you ever been told of a new piece of technology and automatically think, "oh boy,this is going to be complicated?" Well, if you have, you are not alone. I am the world's worst about being skeptical of new software or technologies. However, after using Voicethread, I am no longer worried about using this valuable tool.

     The initial account set up was a smooth and seamless transaction. I  was able to navigate the website with ease. From watching the tutorials to actually posting a thread, the whole experience was smooth, easy, and actually fun. The website is very user-friendly and will prove to be very helpful in a classroom setting.

     I can think of numerous ways I can use this technology in my classroom. One specific example comes to mind. If I ever need to have some planned time away from school, I can create several voicethreads to go along with powerpoints. These voicethreads and powerpoints can be utilized by the substitute teacher, making my students feel I am in the classroom with them.

     As I said earlier, I did not encounter any problems using this technology. I do not foresee any dangers or repercussions from using such a tool. I would definitely recommend voicethread to anyone
involved in a teaching-type environment.

Web 2.0 vs. Web 1.0

Today's internet options allow diverse groups of individuals to research
information, create content for others to consume, or interact socially,
whether for work or pleasure. This ease of aquiring or sending information
comes with many benefits as well as challenges. In this blog, I will be discussing
the various nuances of web 1.0 websites and web 2.0 websites.

When the names web 1.0 and web 2.0 are first encountered, we tend to wonder
what these names actually mean. If you have used the internet for any amount of time, you have
used both types of sites, without even realizing. Web 1.0 sites are the basic information-gathering types of sites. In other words, they offer information on certain subjects, but do not allow the user to make changes to the website. There is usually no log in required to visit a web 1.0 site and anyone can access these sites.

Web 2.0 sites are a different concept all together. Web 2.0 sites commonly require the user to log in. By logging in, the user is then able to make changes to the site by adding content such as personal updates, location, pictures, videos, etc. Today's popular social media sites are examples of web 2.0 sites. Although web 2.0 sites are very convenient, they also come with a set of concerns. One of the greatest concerns is security. Many sites allow cross-site scripting which can lead consumers to contacting viruses or being hacked by other unscrupulous users.

Web 2.0 and web 1.0 sites all have advantages and disadvantages to the end user. Teachers, such as myself, can gain valuable information from web 1.0 sites and use web 2.0 sites to allow students to interact with one another as well as with students in other parts of the world. Web 2.0 sites are not as affected by flash crowds (sudden increase in user activity) as are web 1.0 sites. In other words, web 2.0 sites are less likely to get bogged down and become sluggish as are web 1.0 sites.

References

 

L. Backstrom, D. Huttenlocher, J. Kleinberg, and X. Lan. Group formation in large social networks:

membership, growth, and evolution. In
ACM SIGKDD, 2006.

S. Bhagat, G. Cormode, S. Muthukrishnan, I. Rozenbaum, and H. Xue. No blog is an island analyzing

connections across information networks. In

International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media,

2007

Perseverance



     Have you ever felt like the odds were stacked against you? Maybe you felt like you could not carry on or maybe you should just give up. Well, I am willing to bet the farmers all over the United States and the world are glad George Washington Carver did not give up on his dream of a college education. The book George Washington Carver What Do You See? by Janet and Geoff Benge, is a wonderful account of the trials and tribulations of George Washington Carver. This book is perfect to integrate in a social studies lesson because it not only recounts the life and accomplishments of a great American scientist. It gives insight into the plight of slaves and African Americans prior to desegregation.

     George Washington Carver was born into slavery. His mother was taken away by an armed gang of thieves and he was left on the side of a snowy road to die. Luckily a lady found him and brought him in. The slave owner found George and brought him and his brother into his home and raised them like they were his own. George eventually moved away to attend school. He went on to graduate from college and became one of the greatest scientists of agriculture the world has ever known. He is responsible for the peanut boom in the South. He invented over 300 uses for the peanut.

     Check this book out and add it to your social studies library. Your students will all benefit from reading this story of perseverance and success.

"You can think of almost everything as a math problem."

     Our story begins on Monday in math class. Before this day, our main character, who is never named, was just a regular kid. Then it happened! In math class, Mrs. Fibonacci made a profound and life-changing statement. She said, "You know, you can think of everything as a math problem." On Tuesday, the problems started. Our main character starts seeing everything in his life as a math problem. He can not even look in his closet without seeing his clothes as various combinations of colors and designs. At breakfast, he wonders how many quarts are in his gallon of milk, how many pints in a quart, how many feet in a yard, and even, how many yards in a neighborhood.

     This book titled, Math Curse, written by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, is a very entertaining math- based book that is sure to be a big hit with many students and teachers. By reading this book, children will not only be entertained, they will also learn important mathematical facts. Check this book out for your classroom library. It is sure to be a big hit.
                                                                                             

Wind & Water

    
     Do you remember, as a child, ever wondering where electricity came from or how it was generated? I was always fascinated with electricity and lightning, specifically. I often wondered why my toy train or my toy race cars would come to life when I turned them on. I never really understood how this phenomenon happened and I surely never considered alternative methods for producing this terribly wonderful thing.

    The book World About Us Wind & Water Power by Clint Twist is a nicely written non-fiction book about how electricity can be produced by harnessing the power of wind and water. This book has many great scientific facts and would be a great addition to a science classroom library. The book also explains how non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels will run out in the near future. The author also talks about toxic waste generated by coal burning and nuclear power plants and their potential hazards to the environment.

     The illustrations are top quality and very informative to help the students better understand the meaning of each passage in the book. Check this book out and give it a try the next time you are teaching a lesson on electricity or the environment. I think you and your students will really enjoy it.