Receive tweets from space!

After being exposed to Twitter in my technology course, I have brought Twitter into my classroom for good reason.  A couple weeks ago, one of our American astronauts went into space via the Russian Soyuz Rocket.  Headed to the International Space Station, our American astronaut, Dan Burbank, will Tweet while in space.  His last tweet was on November 28, a picture he took showing the Soyuz rocket blasting back to Earth with astronauts in it.  Not only do I find this Twitter following interesting, but my eighth graders are loving this!  Integrating technology in science has taken yet one more step of awesomeness into the classroom.

Brian

My Experience as a Graduate Student

Alas, graduation is only weeks away.  I have had a great learning experience at the University of Central Florida for my graduate program.  I will soon receive my Masters Degree in the MAT Biology, 6-12 Program.  Every class that I have had truly has shown me how to strive to become a better, stronger teacher.  From the general requirements to the electives I have chosen, I feel I am now a well-rounded teacher.

As for my technological class I am finishing up (EME 5050), I feel I can consider myself a "tech-savvy" teacher amongst the general population.  From establishing a wiki, to creating a blog, to producing my first-ever Prezi, students will benefit from this inclusion of technology into the classroom.  Thank you fellow classmates.  Thank you Kelvin, for all your help and assistance when needed.  Thank you UCF.

Brian

Check out my Curriculum Project!
https://glasbybr.wikispaces.com/Project+Overview

Scoring Rubric for My Latest Classroom Project

Check out my rubric I have created for my classroom, posted online via iRubric.  Enjoy!

My Rubric


-Brian

Project Example: Project Earth 2012

For the Upcoming Earth Day in April of 2012, my eighth grade honors science students will be given an opportunity to construct a digital story on a current issue in our planet.  They are to inform the public on this issue and how to protect our planet.  Enjoy previewing my Prezi example, and please let me know any spelling errors or other feedback.  Thanks!

Saving the Cotton Top Tamarin!


-Brian

My Digital Story Adventure!

In my current graduate school class involving technology in the classroom, I am in the beginning stages of creating project ideas and guidelines for my students to produce a digital story.

Teaching 8th grade physical science honors students, there are many exciting concepts I could choose for this project.  Later this year, we will explore the topic of energy.  To promote a green planet, we will discuss the importance of using a variety sources of energy to run our planet.  This topic is great for my students to focus on, since it directly affects them and is easy to get their hands on.

Various technological tools that my students could have access to would include computers, cell phones, along with programs such as PowerPoint and iMovie.  My favorite software I will promote is Photo Story.  In this user-friendly program, students insert pictures along with text, adding their own or pre-made music to the presentation.

Now that I have my very own classroom webpage, I can post valuable links to good resources associated with this topic for students and parents to enjoy.  One site I like is earth911.com, where you can search for local recyclable centers.  Another general site that I enjoy for all topics of science is ted.com.

I will let you know how the planning of this project goes...   Wish me luck!

Brian

Digital Story Presentation Tips

Digital storytelling presentation

View more presentations from glasbybr

Week 7, New Computer; My Dream at Life and Work!

I have technological issues.  Why is it that I have to wait 10 minutes for my computer in my classroom to load for the day?  Why can’t I close my laptop at home without it falling apart?  These are just a few of the many issues I am currently facing while balancing teaching, a gifted endorsement class, and a grad school class.  With plenty of online coursework between the three things, is it vital to use an efficient computer that gets the job done in a fast time-frame.  At school, I am stuck with a computer from the early 2000s with Microsoft 2003 and barely any memory.  Connected to a SMART board, it consistently becomes disoriented and locks up.  At home, my computer constantly shuts down and is becoming slower and slower, even though it’s only 3 years old.

The point of this blog is to discuss how fast technology outdates itself.  My current goals are to purchase a new computer at home and await a promised newer computer from our administration at school.  These devices are only so many years old, yet incapable of performing tasks that I need to complete at a high-efficiency rate.

So, after reading the special feature in chapter 4, I am still undecided on what computer to choose for my next personal laptop.  Apple?  Windows PC?  What model/type of Apple should I get?

Week 4: Protecting Your Computer: Anti-Virus Software

This week's readings and postings have enlightened me to protect my personal computer.  I have a very old laptop with a virus software expiring soon!  After my readings for this class last night, I felt guilty and invested on a brand new anti-virus software for my computer.  Because I use a USB drive, transporting it back and forth for work, I felt this was the safest move.  Even though it is additional money, this protection will save me much time and effort in repairing my infected computer.

As for temporary devices, our school district has officially banned all students from bringing flash drives to school.  This is a precautionary act, yet continues to stifle student technological uses at school.  Now students can only save or send documents via email.  It is amazing how school districts like mine are evolving the wrong way!

Week 3 Learning Journal Entry (Internet Use)

This week I have focused on blogging.  To be honest, I did not understand what a blog was when I enrolled for this class.  Today, I have just created an educational blog for my classroom to use, linking students and parents digitally to online discussions and websites that are useful in our classroom. 

I am one of them!
(Source: London Underground; Tube Posted by Annie Mole Thursday, January 12, 2006
Shared with Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniemole/85515856/)

My goal, as a third-year young teacher, is to integrate and infuse technology into the required science curriculum.  Today's "digital generation" needs to be surrounded by the latest technological tools in the classroom.  Reality is that they are exposed to these outside of the classroom (gaming devices, internet, iPhones).  My goal this school year is to show students that they can use these same tools in their classes as well, guiding them to learn science as a more interactive and global subject.

To access my new blog, visit the link I have posted at the end of this learning journal entry.  Enjoy, and please provide feedback as this is only my second blog I have ever created!  (Can you sense the excitement?!)

My Classroom Blog

Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?

What an intriguing question!  In our EME 5050 graduate class, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to discuss the topic of extreme technological advancements in our world today.  After watching Fisch and McLeod's video, Did You Know, many points were made to show how far technological advancements have come in our world, yet certain schools and states are so far behind, caught in an extreme technological gap.  This is not only true in the state of Iowa, but nation-wide in the classrooms of America.

The school that I currently teach at is an older school (opened in 1998) with the original technology still used today.  Slowly, we are experiencing a technology turn-around.  By this school year, every classroom will have a SMART board and a document camera to use.  In the near future, we will replace the old computers with flat screens, creating more labs for students to use.  It is vital for schools to stay up to date in our ever-changing world.

Another current issue in our world is whether or not teachers implement the technology that they may have in their classroom.  As a newer teacher, I try to infuse as much technology in my classroom to accommodate my students the most.  Technology-rich lessons are a must to keep students hooked into learning in today's world.  If teachers are going to stay up to date on technology with their students, they may need to jump out of their comfort zone, performing tasks that are not as convenient as older teaching methods.

Due to the constant technological advancements in our world today, our classrooms are much different than just 15 years ago.  We currently live in a society where students need to be edutained, not educated, due to a stress on technology.  Hopefully all educators will do what's best for their students, not what is most convenient for them.