Annotated Playlist-Civil War

Introduction Video

Well here it is! I am not a fan of public speaking and if I am being frank I hate it! HAHA I know there are many more people who feel the same as me! I always feel like my face looks funny or I am stuttering or I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about. This was a bit easier because I could just talk about me, but still awkward that is for sure!

Making A Presentation Look Extra Better with Color and Animation

Many students can sometimes find school fairly boring and they get distracted easier and lose focus on what is actually happening in class and what the teacher is actually trying to teach. One way teachers can help improve student attention to the class period is making sure their lessons and how they present them draws the students attention by making sure they are bright and interactive. I recently revised a power point presentation that I made earlier in the semester after listening to a couple lessons on colors and how they work together and animations. The color theory gave great information on how to match colors with the right pair on the color wheel. After listening to that lesson I went through my presentation and matched up certain colors that I did not have matched up with their right pair to their friend on the color wheel, for example yellow should be paired with purple. The multimedia video went over how to create your presentation with animations to keep the students attention but not to go overboard with the animations so that they are overwhelmed with what is happening on the screen. After watching that video I went back through my presentation and added simple yet interactive transitions from slide to slide.

Reflections of Assistive Technologies

        Technology is a crazy, scary and awesome thing. It is scary on what some devices can do now and what people are saying technology will be able to do in the future. We went from Johannes Gutenberg's movable type with the printing press in the time of the Italian Renaissance to computers speaking for people by that person simply looking at a picture and a camera seeing what that persons eyes are looking at. Technology helps in so many ways in the education fields, but the biggest impact it probably has is for those students who have disabilities. Students who have learning disabilities, to student who are non verbal or who have down-syndrome, are physically handicapped or are mentally handicapped can use various amounts of different technologies to help them succeed in school and education and help them participate in ways that they might not be able to if they didn't have the use of some the technological devices that are out today.
          Students who have cerebral palsy have had some sort of damage to a part of their brain which had led them to have problems with muscle coordination and body movement. Their condition can cause muscle tightness and spasms and can also lead to problems with speech. Not having the power to speak can make school and education very difficult for student with cerebral palsy. That is why the invention of the dynavox has been so important for the students who are don't have the power to speak. People with cerebral palsy often have a difficult time communicating simple personal needs, let alone participate in a classroom discussion or simply answer the teachers question.The dynavox uses a path finder which allows the student to simply look at a picture on a screen and the computer speaks for him or her. It can also be used to write emails, communicate with other students and teachers and answer assignments. If the staff, school and district find it necessary for student to succeed it will be put on their IEP then go through the insurance process then that school or district will get the funding to provide it for the student so that they can succeed in school.
          Students who are visually impaired or blind could find it very difficult to succeed in school. Unless they go to a "special" school for their impairment, everything in most school is very visual. Even in schools for the blind or deaf, all the sign, posters or boards are bright and colorful, but have braille so that those who are visually impaired can read what the sign says. One awesome piece of technology that those who are visually impaired may use is the Mount Batten. It resembles an old school type writer. The student would press different keys that are numbered and the device would say out loud what the student typed, producing a paper with braille. Many of these machines are provided by the district for as long as the student needs it. Another device that students who are visually impaired might find helpful in school are tablets or smart boards. The keys and icons on these devices are typically larger and easier to see for those who are visually impaired.
        There are many limitations to students in school and education who have physical disabilities. Their disability may leave them with limited or no use of their limbs, so writing an answer to a question on a test, or typing a research paper could be difficult or unattainable all together. Some may be able to use laptops to participate in school and class discussions. Some students with physical disabilities like to participate in an array of school activities and don't want to be limited by their handicap. Like playing a musical instrument. Adaptations can be made to many musical instruments so that students who may not have full movement or use of their limbs can play things like the piano or a horn. A simple joystick that controls and triggers the valves of a horn can help a student who may have partial use of a limb.
       It is with devices and technology like this that help students participate and succeed in school, who may not be able to otherwise.

Adaptive Technology in Education

There have been three main laws the have assisted for equal opportunities for those with disabilities. The American Disabilities Act, Individuals with Disability Act Laws and the Assistive Technology Act have set out different laws and accommodations to help students with disabilities in school and education and to help all people with disabilities in everyday life. From working in a middle school in the special education department I have seen first hand how some of these programs and technologies have helped students succeed in school. The ADA is a federal law protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities in employment, state and local government, public accommodations and telecommunication services. The IDA and ATA protect students with disabilities in education. Grants are given to state agencies to help fund the programs to help these students succeed in life. People with mobility impairments, health impairments, learning disabilities, speech and hearing impairments and those who are blind or have visual impairments, are given different ways to succeed in education by using different forms of technology. Some of these forms of technology are screen enlargers, braille displays, text to speech programs or speech to text programs and enlarged keyboards. I have worked with students with some of these items and it changes their whole personality when they are able to participate. I hope that in my future classroom I will be able to work with these items to help student succeed and cant wait to see what else will come out in the years to come to help students with disabilities succeed in education.

Educational Apps

Technology in education is ever evolving and apps on cell phones, tablets and computers have become huge components in today's education system. They can be very helpful and useful in many cases. I am big proponent of keeping education old school. I believe in that because test scores throughout the nation have severely dropped since I was in my grade school years. I think kids these days have their noses in their phones or tablets enough as it is, do they really need to have their nose stuck on a computer screen all day while they are at school too??? The middle school that I have worked at the past three years has tablets and computers, but so many kids were caught on apps playing games instead of the assignment at hand, or on a website that had nothing to do with his or her research paper that they were on the computer to write in the first place. So the jury is still out for me on whether school should go full tech! However, I have used a few educational apps and really enjoy them and the kids that I have worked with these past few years have enjoyed them as well. Working with special education kids it was nice that many of the apps were easily accessible for my students. Some of my lowest students who had trouble reading could use the app because there was an option for it to be audible, or the buttons were very large or bright in color. The apps should have a healthy balance of interactive features like animations and noises. Especially depending on grade level. You may need to have more animations for the lower grade levels or even higher grade level special need students to keep their attention. There should most definitely be a purpose and goal in the app or game they are playing. Make sure that it communicates the subject matter and gives results or feedback. Many apps could be used as reviews or assessments, to put what they learned in the classroom with the teacher to practice or how they can use what they have learned in real life.
 evaluating apps/slide share

Netiquette

Netiquette cartoon

My classroom

Being a teacher has always been a dream of mine. Growing up with some awesome teachers with awesome classrooms always made me think and dream of what my classroom would look like when I became a teacher and had my very own classroom. I picture the desks in a circle shape so that i can walk around the middle and lecture and be a little closer to all my students instead of just paying attention to the ones sitting in the back of the classroom because you know the ones sitting at the front are doing good. I love pink so probably would be lots of pink and other bright colors. I imagine a world map that takes up one whole wall. I want to have a very interactive classroom, lots of "get up out of your seat" activities, class discussions and debates. Keep the kids moving and having fun and they will completely forget that they are actually learning!

augmented reality

Technology is surely developing quicker then we know how to learn how to use the stuff that is already out. With out a doubt a lot of it being brought into the schools and being used in education every day. One invention that was recently brought to my attention was an augmented visual reality tool developed by the company Zeco. It uses virtual reality through using the camera on a smart phone, tablet or computer. The one example I saw you could put your self in a vehicle that wasn't really there! How cool is that? It is definitely something I could see myself using in my history classroom. How awesome would it be if you could put my students inside the ancient pyramids of Egypt, or the Coliseum in Rome or even in the middle of the battle of Gettysburg. Instead of just looking at a one dimensional picture of the outside or maybe a wall on the inside they would walk around it like they were actually there. They could open doors, or move things around. They could see artifacts, tombs, coffins and many other things. Not many people get to travel all over the world to all the awesome historical places this world has to offer,  but this device could let kids experience things they might not ever be able to. Each student could pick the one place they have always wanted to visit and don't ever think they will be able to make it there and experience it! They can turn it into a project on what they saw, what confirmed what they had already been taught and what new stuff they learned about their special place. It is definitely a technology I hope to experience soon with my students.

Smart vs. Dumb

Through my 30 years of living, I have come to believe there are many different levels of smart and dumb. There is book smart people, street smart people, there are dumb people then there are REALLY dumb people. I don't know that dumb should be used to describe a child or student, before the high school age kids are still very capable of learning and obtaining information so they can be book smart and not "Dumb." Howard Gardner describes intelligence as "the ability to solve problems encountered by real life, generate new problems to solve, and make or offer something of value within a culture." That statement to me makes me think he is talking about street smarts since he is discussing things you might encounter in real life, like how to change a tire, getting along with others or how to traverse the New York City Subway system,  The valedictorian of my graduating class was very book smart, street smart....not so much. She good ramble off the number that represents Pi and fill in all the boxes of the periodic table, but didn't know any common sense and didn't know what type of gas to put in her car. I know these things because we were really good friends. So I believe that everyone has an opportunity to be smart and dumb! Bill Gates could be the world's smartest man, but if he lacks common knowledge (street smarts) doesn't that make him dumb? If the mechanic from the shop down the road can get greasy trying to figure out what happened to your engine didn't know how to build a computer software program, does that make him dumb?

Socrative assessment

Recently, in my edtech class we were assigned to create an assessment on a website called Socrative.com. We had to come up with 10 questions that could really do with anything. Mine consisted of mainly history questions since I am a history secondary education major. We then worked with a few other classmates who were in the same career path as we were to answer eachothers assessments so that we could obtain a results spreadsheet. The questions that we came up with could be answered three different ways; short answer, true or false and multiple choice, which is pretty much how most assessments are these days. I particularly like those three different types of questions because you make the students think a little harder, maybe trick them with some and make sure they are reading carefully and make some fairly easy. I would have liked to maybe make it a little more interactive. For example, putting a picture of Abraham Lincoln and having the student name who it is or inserting a video of the remake of the meeting at the Appomatox Courthouse in Virginia and see if they can determine what it is and who is there. All in all though it would a cool experience creating a test and getting other people to take it and seeing the results happen right in front of your eyes.

Throwing Away the Grade book

            Technology is quickly taking over the education system in classrooms. I am a bit older than the normal college student so you could say I am a bit "old school." When I was in grade school we didn't have much technology except for the basic computers and internet was just becoming a thing for schools when I was heading into 9th grade. 
          I found Dr. Haskell's video on "throwing away the  grade book" pretty interesting, however I am not sure that I completely agree with most of it. Like I said I am pretty old school. I believe in textbooks, sitting in a classroom, listening to a teacher give out information and I believe in grades. I work as a para-professional at a middle school and I can say first hand that technology in that school is doing nothing but hindering those students education. The students don't have textbooks so they aren't reading anything, there are only 4 laptop carts for the ENTIRE school so not every kid has their own computer to use during the day. Then to add on taking the blackboard away, could spell disaster. These kids already don't have a textbook to refer to for information, now take away the blackboard and they are literally staring at the wall.
        When I was in school homework helped me so much with backing up what I learned through out the day. You could always tell which kids didn't do their homework because they had no idea what we were talking about the next day. We could take our textbooks home and read about what we learned through out the day. I can see now in the middle school that I work at, how having no homework just does nothing but hurt these kids. I don't believe it has everything to do with the support system at home. My parents were very involved in my academics however, they never had to remind me to do my home work. I had serious goals for myself and I knew the first step in achieving my goals was to get good grades and a huge part of those grades was homework and that is how I retained the information for tests and papers. Then take away due dates???? What since of responsibility are we teaching these kids? "Oh here is what we will be learning this semester complete whenever you wish!" Talk about kids procrastinating! Like I said I am old school, I want a textbook in front of my child, not a computer. 

technology in education then and now

TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION THEN AND NOW

       I guess it is probably safe to say that technology has developed over the years to something quite extraordinary and very influential in education. I remember when I was in elementary school we had the little square apple computers that pretty much could only type. Looked similar to the one that was in the video, but definitely did nothing that the one in the video did. This video from the 80's that highlighted technology in education and classrooms completely for shadowed for the development for the things we now have. It started with what looks like almost a Microsoft Power Point presentation, where the teacher was pointing out on bullet points the instructions for their history project. Then it quickly turned to video conferencing with a student while they were at home with a broken leg. It was pretty cool how it showed the students after school video chatting online about the project they were working on together. I wish that would have been a thing when I was in school. When I was a student in grade school, AOL dial up internet and cell phones were just becoming a thing when I was going into my 9th grade year so we definitely did not have video chatting. Another thing the video foretasted was the invention of a computer you can talk to, that can answer your questions and shoot information right to you with simply just speaking a couple words. Sort of like today's Siri or Cortana for Apple and Windows. 

        The computer the student was using had some other interesting features like giving it commands, like we can do today. Like vocally sending a email or sending a text message to a friend or even sending a file. He also streamed videos of the war he was studying like we would do today on Youtube. All of his technology was also wireless, which we can find today in just about any technology. I think one of the major advances in technology that these videos still foreshadow for the future of technology in education is simply the slow decline of attending a classroom everyday. Soon enough all we will need to do is wake up and turn on the computer and web cam and all of the classes will be through video conferencing. Technology could put an end to social interaction with humans starting at a very young age. 

Kelly Chrisco's history for history!

All my life I have been obsessed with history, it has been my dream since childhood to share my love of history with other kids the way my teachers did with me. 
I was a Coast Guard brat, we moved around a lot when I was a kid. My dad is a huge fan of history as well. As kids we were traveling a lot, visiting new places or moving to a new town. My Dad always made sure he knew every significant historical fact about where we were or where we were going. He would fill us in about all of it on the long car rides and when we got to where we were going we went to every museum, historical trail or battlefield. When my brother, sister and I were old enough to have opinions, they decided they just weren't as into it as my Dad and I were. So, it kind of became my dad and I's "thing". We would take trips just me and him to go to battlefields or museums. Our favorite place to visit was Gettysburg, PA. We would lay on the ground and have a picnic where Union and Confederate soldiers once marched or died. We got to look at awesome artifacts and even hold some. 
The place we frequented the most was Washington DC. It was only about a hour and a half drive from Midlothian, Va, where my dad retired. The history in that town, let me tell you! The Smithsonian is filled with so many artifacts, papers and figures from the history of the United States. We even got to see the original U.S. Constitution during one of our trips! So growing up in school I would have to say that Social Studies and History were my favorite classes in school. I could keep my nose in any book that filled with history for weeks and weeks. 
I had a lot of great history teachers through out my years in grade school. The top would have to be Mr. Williams. Walking into your freshman year of high school can be very stressful and nerve racking, at least I know for me it was. My first period class was History with Mr. Williams. He looked very intimidating at first, didn't smile much and had a very stern voice. For the first few days I was pretty scared of him, then when we really got started with learning and him teaching I could see his love for what he was talking about and teaching. After our first project on The Civil War and Reconstruction he could see my passion for history too and began to have a great student/teacher relationship. I joined the history club that he sponsored and began to do a lot of research projects together. Unfortunately, he didn't teach the Sophomore class, but he asked me to be his student aide that year. At the end of that year he sent out letters to some of his favorite students and asked to meet him after school one day in his room. Most of us were pretty close and were scared that he was going to tell us he was leaving the school, so we were all pretty worried going into the meeting. It ended up being a really awesome meeting because he told us he was starting a new History elective in the district called Military History and Diplomacy, which was amazing because there had never been a history elective available for students. Of course we all signed up and I was also lucky enough to have him for my required history class as a a teacher. He is absolutely the reason why I am choosing History-Secondary Education as my major. I have my father to thank for my love of history and I have Mr. Williams to thank for my love of wanting to teach what i LOVE!