Internet Safety Reflection

1. I read "Sanctify Yourselves" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

2. I watched the following videos:
*Netsmartz - 2 videos - "Tracking Teresa" and "Angela's Experience"
*iKeepSafe Faux Paws - BYU Animation video
*Frontline PBS Documentary - 2 videos - "A Revolution in Classrooms and Social Life" and "A Child Predator Fear"
*WebWiseKids - "Katie's Story"
and I registered for iSAFE as an educator.

3. I had several important "take-aways" from the readings and videos. Some of these were spiritual and helped me to see the issue of internet safety in the eternal scheme of things while others brought me down-to-earth to the temporal "nitty-gritty" of internet safety. I was reminded that Satan, in his efforts to bring us down, understandably shoots to attack the very heart of the Plan of Happiness - the family, and that he is often very tricky in doing so, using media to make morality appear out-dated and out of touch with reality. I was strengthened in my understanding that the Lord needs us to remain morally clean because He has a great work for us to do and a great destiny for us to become. As a future parent and teacher, I learned that it is important to teach the dangers of the internet and a desire to remain pure through presiding, providing, protecting, and nurturing. I also learned that it is important to not only protect from the bad but also to show kids the good that can come from using the internet safely. I was surprised to discover how easily internet predators can discover personal information about a person even when the person is trying to be careful, but I also discovered tools for dealing with the dangers of the internet such as teaching kids to tell parents when they encounter pornography, even accidentally, in order to establish a firm base of open communication. I believe it is important for parents and teachers to establish boundaries and to teach their children about the dangers, but that it is impossible for adults to micro-manage every media aspect of a child's life and that children need to be instilled with a personal desire to protect themselves.

4. I decided to talk to my mom about internet safety, since she still has my five-year-old little sister and sixteen-year-old little brother at home. When I asked her what she already knew about the topic she mentioned that she had heard about webcams being used for pornography and internet predators pretending to be children in order to lure kids in. My mom's reaction to what I told her about internet safety was to be interested in resources she could use to teach my little sister to be safe online. I told her about iSAFE's programs and she asked that I send her the link to that website. She thought that if it was possible for a child to get certified in internet safety, this could be very empowering for them. What surprised me about her reaction was that when I told her about how easy it can be for online predators to track down personal information about an individual she brought up the scary thought that people such as secretaries in schools or doctors' offices could to the same thing. I sent my mom links to http://ilearn.isafe.org/ , http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexFL.htm , and http://www.ikeepsafe.org/iksc_kids/ .
I think what she will do with this is check it out, talk to Mary about internet safety, and perhaps introduce her to some of these resources.

Week 14 PLE

I completed the first 3 items on the PLE assignment.

TPACK Project - Planning

Here are the links to my lesson plans:

Science lesson plan

Language Arts lesson plan

Mathematics lesson plan

Week 11 PLE

I watched the following two movies:

Bookends of War

Inside Kapunahala

The main thing I noticed about the children's feelings and reactions in using technology in the classroom was that they seemed very involved and active in the process - more than in a lot of other types of assignments, they seemed to be proud of their work and to really take ownership of it. I think part of the reason for this is that they see it as worthwhile and part of the "real world." Using technology also keeps them interested and gives them multiple modes to learn through (visual, auditory, dynamic, etc.) They seem excited about what they are doing and more knowledgeable and confident in their content knowledge than the average student. Even the young kids are excited to play their unique part in the technological project! It's fun and creative and it belongs to them. And while they are enjoying themselves, they are also learning to collaborate and to help one another!

Week 10

The most important thing I learned from the videos this week is that technology can have tons of benefits when used in a classroom with even very young students. This is especially true when it is used for legitimate purposes that apply to real life. Technology can be used to enrich content learning AND to teach students how to find answers to questions they encounter in real life. It also seems to fit really well with the important concepts of integration and inquiry learning. Technology can also be a very exciting tool for students to use and for parents to see the results of their children's work with. Furthermore, using technology in the classroom naturally leads to lessons on other important topics such as copyright laws, is especially helpful for those who don't have computers at home, and helps to prepare all students for life in this modern technological world!

I interviewed a 2nd grade teacher. I was surprised to find out how many technologies she has available to her in the classroom. The classroom contains a computer (PC), a stereo, an overhead projector, a TV, a VCR, and a DVD player. Just a few days ago it also had installed a new projector that is attached to the ceiling. Soon they will be getting a camera that magnifies objects and projects them onto the wall.

The teacher I talked with said she very much looks forward to getting the camera and that she always wanted a new projector so that is exciting. She also said that if she had a bigger classroom she would wish to have a mini-computer lab for the students to play math games, type up their stories, etc.

I asked the teacher if the school she teaches at has other technologies available outside of the classroom. She told me about the 2 computer labs in the school. Each lab has about 30 computers and the second graders visit one of the labs once a week. Perhaps 3 times a year they also have the opportunity to do research online.

I also asked the teacher how often she uses the technologies in her classroom and she said she uses the TV 3-4 times a month, and the old overhead projector once a month, but will probably use the new overhead projector much more often, perhaps 3 times a week. The students also frequently listen to music on the stereo, including a character building program that has catchy songs to teach the kids to be nice and to take care of themselves. The teacher also uses the computer and the internet herself every day to help in planning lessons.


I completed parts 1 and 2 of the PLE assignment.

I watched the voicethreads of Katie, Trisha, and Heather.

Overall, I think using this science activity in a first grade classroom would be good. It is interactive and includes many different modes,so it helps students to remember what they learn and to enjoy learning it. Also, it allows students to utilize their natural curiosity and to explore.

One downside of using this activity in an elementary classroom is it could get messy! (But there are lots of things much messier than water!!! :)) Also, the kids would have to be prepared beforehand to do this activity without needing the teacher to walk them through the whole thing individually.

Voicethread - "Sink or Float"

Week 7 - Science Challenge PLANNING

(Krysta and Rebekah)

1.Describe the technology-enhanced science activity that you will be doing.
· Teacher will present a deep bowl with water, and hold up a rock and a feather.
· Students will be asked if which object they think will sink, and which object they think will float.
· Then, teacher will put each object in the bowl, one at a time, and test the student’s predictions.
· Now, students will be put in groups. Each group will have a 100 ml cylinder (filled to 75 ml of water). They will also be provided with seven items-some which float and some which sink.
· Students will make predictions for which items they think will float and which items they think will sink. The teacher will listen to the students’ predictions. Then, the teacher will ask the students to come up with a hypothesis of why they think certain items will sink, and why other items will float.
· Next, students will experiment their predictions and hypotheses by placing each object in the cylinder, one at a time. (Meanwhile, teacher will walk around and help groups, if needed).
· Students will record their findings on kidspiration, in the sink or float activity.
· Teacher and students will discuss the predictions/hypotheses, and then say what actually happened when they experimented, based on the data (measurements they have).

2.After your description include in your answers to these three TPACK questions:

i. What is the content you will be focusing on in your science activity?
Standard 3 Students will develop an understanding of their environment.
Objective 2 Investigate water and interactions with water.
b. Compare objects that float and sink in water.

ii. What is the pedagogy you will be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
Pedagogy: Observing , Predicting, describing relationships, Hypotheses, Analyzing data. This fits with the content because we are trying to compare objects that sink or float in water, and to do so we need to set up a science experiment using the pedagogy listed above. The kids will learn more like this, rather than just hearing the teacher lecture because it becomes more engaging and interactive.

iii. What is the technology you'll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
Kidsperation- it makes it easy to record data. It also has the sink and float lists side by side, making it visually easier to compare sink/float items and results.

iv. How would you describe the representation of the content produced by the technology you use in your science activity and in what way would it help students better understand the objective you are aiming to teach?
The representation is multi-modal because it is visual, dynamic, and textual.
This helps students better understand our objective because first, they can work on a hands-on activity that visually proves their predictions and observations of objects either sinking or floating in water. Then, they have further experience with the concept when they record data on kidsparation- working with technology visually, dynamically, and textually.

Ecosystem Virtual Tour

Week 6 (please also see previous post)

I took a look at Andrea's, Katie's, and Rachel's tours. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, but what I saw was cool.

I think the biggest upside for using a virtual tour in an elementary classroom is that it allows students to experience on some level what it would be like to be at locations that they cannot really go to. It's also a great way to incorporate technology into the curriculum.

The main downsides I see are that it takes a lot of time to prepare and technology can be very frustrating for some teachers and students.

Important Note - Week 6

I've been spending a long time on this, and I simply cannot seem to be able to figure out how to upload a kmz file online. The links for that at http://ipt287f09s3.pbworks.com/Virtual-Tour-Challenge do not work and I have failed to find directions anywhere. My tour is done, but perhaps you can help me upload it in class tomorrow? Thanks.

Week 5

Social Studies, Third Grade - Standard 1, Objective 2a:

Describe the major world ecosystems (i.e. desert, plain, tropic, tundra, grassland, mountain, forest, wetland).

I chose to do this topic because I thought it would be cool for students to actual see such vastly different types of landscape. In giving them this assignment, I am assuming that we already discussed in class what an ecosystem is and some of the types that I figure they are more likely to already know/be able to easily figure out (i.e. grassland, mountain, forest, and wetland.) I tried to pick mainly ecosystems that I thought would be less familiar to them (i.e. desert, plain, tropic, and tundra.)

My representation of this content will help my students to better understand because it connects actual visual images with the ecosystem names and allows students to figure out for themselves the characteristics that are typical of each type of ecosystem.

(Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to embed my table without cutting part of it off :( I'm sorry!)

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Sahara (desert)	Watch video found here: Sahara Desert Video Based on this, what do you think makes a desert a desert? Would you want to live in a desert? Why/Why not?
2. Arctic (tundra)	There are actually two types of tundra. One is arctic tundra and the other alpine tundra. Look at the picture and describe what an arctic tundra looks like.	picture
3. Amazon, Brazil (tropic)	Watch video about rain in the rainforest. How do you think the ecosystem "rainforest" got its name? (Hint: think about both parts of the word.)	rain in rainforest video
4. Serengeti, Tanzania (plain)	Look at the pictures called "Serengeti landscape," "Serengeti - Elephants in the sunset," and "Wildebeest migration - Serengeti." What does the elevation of land in these pictures have to do with each other that is different from much of Utah's land elevation?	pictures

Week 4

Since I want to teach the younger grades, the kids probably wouldn't use photostory, although I was pleasantly surprised with how decently easy it was to figure out. I think the hardest thing for me in incorporating a digital storytelling project in an elementary classroom if I am making the video would be the sheer amount of time it takes to make one.


A couple of important notes:

-I chose to do my video using a poem about friendship, because I am an ECE major and the core standards in Utah for the younger grades talk a lot about students coming to understand their own identities within larger contexts and I see friendship as one of these contexts.

-When it came to scanning in my storyboards, I used a male friend's scanner, and due to the honor code did not go back to his bedroom, so he actually scanned it for me. I then posted it, and also asked him to explain to me the scanning process.

Week Three

TPACK stands for Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge. If I have TPACK as a teacher, I can combine my knowledge in all three of these areas to create better teaching opportunities by using technology to teach specific content in a pedagogically-sound manner. Teaching with TPACK makes it easier for students to understand and apply the knowledge being taught. The concept of TPACK helps me to understand much better how the technological skills I am learning in this class can be applied in the classroom most effectively. It kind of ties the things I learn in this class with the things I learn in my other education classes.

I'm still behind on the assignments, but I'm working to get caught up. This stuff is hard for me and takes a lot of time, but I'm going to keep pressing forward. Hopefully I'll be there soon!

Second Week's Assignment... so far

Due to a lot of craziness in my life, I am not completely finished with the second week's assignment yet. I'm sorry! I will be finishing it soon and then posting again to give more feedback on my experience with it. However, I have already learned tons from what I have done so far. It is so amazing to have the freedom of being able to create a wiki and put all of this stuff in it! I've never come close to feeling like I could create something anything like a site online that my students could access. That will be an indescribable blessing when I am a teacher. I'm also surprised by how many free resources there are online when one knows where to find them. I'm liking technology more and more! :)

My technology background/experience

I feel kind of hesitant when it comes to technology. The few skills I do have include internet, e-mail, facebook, and word processors. I've been introduced to Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel, but I'm not entirely confident with them. However, after attending this first IP&T 287 class I feel more confident than I was before that I can indeed succeed in this class! :)