Looking Back

I remember when I first registered for my technology in education class, thinking that we would read about how education have changed over the years, create simple lesson plans using very basic technology such as word, or powerpoint.  My first day of class, I was a bit overwhelmed, excited, ready to learn something new and exciting.  Looking back to my first homework which was to create a new post on corkboard and start blogging, I was proud of myself for learning about such cool and new tools.  Now 10 weeks later, I'm ready more than ever, ready to teach the youtube generation, ready to be more advanced teacher, and also to show off to my students all the cool stuff that I've learned in my class, and we can grow further together. If I think about all the new information that I've learned in my class,I feel that I can write a book about each and every tool, the different uses of the tool, the benefits, and how they can be implemented in the classroom for better teaching environment. I did enjoy breaking down different topics and presenting the information to the class, I've learned so much about using prezi without having prior knowledge of the tool. I was proud to share my personal digital storytelling with my family and friends.  Since my family in Egypt, I will be creating more exciting digital story but this time it will be in Arabic so they can understand it and enjoy the story just as much as I did. Looking back at all the different tools that I have learned about, I do not think there is one tool that I won't be using in my class.  My perspective of technology has changed so much, because I believe that the students are ready for technology, or to be correct, they have been ready for us to implement technology in our classroom, so that we are on the same page as they are. I'm ready and proud of the work that I've done in this class, I can not wait to experience more tools and use my resources to accomplish my goals faster. I'll be sure to use twitter when I'm ready to create effective lesson plans, or simply to check on the education world that I'm part of.  I'll be ready to use everything that Google has to offer for free to make my classroom preparation more easy and efficient. I really want to thank my professor Nicole for providing me with such great very helpful tools, and opening my eyes to the technology world that we all are surrounded by and I plan to use everything that I've learned in this course and more to impress my colleagues and my future principle.

Concep Map: Bubble.us

Concept map or bubbl.us is a tool that allows you to organize concept maps in folders.  I used this tool as my last tool for my Tech Tac Toe, because I was interested to see how I can organize information that I have stored in my notebook and also my memory.  I created a concept map about my family tree, well not the entire family tree, just my immediate family.  I have listed my parents, their sex, and their date of birth, and under them I connected my sisters and I and our date of births as well. I was able to attach my kids and my nieces and nephew under the right parents and included their date of birth.

This tool was easy to use and learn, I was able to create something without watching any video on how to create the map, and I was provided with little notes that helped me create a better looking map.  I absolutely think this tool can help students in their learning, especially for the visual learners, they can connect between the character and their relationships, they can use it to break down a story or a topic adding few words that characterize or summarizes their understanding of each character or theme.  I can see myself using this tool in my classroom, because I find it very easy to break big topic or complex topic into small easy pieces that connects back to the main idea or theme that we are talking about.

https://bubbl.us/?h=1304c9/23efe2/12sIv1ILEHBOA

Glogster

Glogster is an interactive poster site, in which you can add music, videos, pictures, links to websites, and create new way to present yourself.  I used glogster as my second Tech Tac Toe Tools, because I thought I would be very cool to see different templates and present my life in a poster like format.  when using this tool I found some easy task and some hard tasks, I was able to add music, pictures, and texts to my glogster, but I found it very hard to frustrating to add text, it did not have many options for text, and therfore I did not think this tool was something that I liked.  I can see this tool being used with students, but I can also see their frustration if they are not able to be creative with their glogster.  I believe that teachers can use this tool with different topics, as in presenting about the different states, each student can have one state in which they create a glogster about and present that to the class.  The students would have to be familiar with how to upload pictures, audio, and video from their computer or from the internet.  I think that it will be a cool tool to show to the students in my classroom, and I would try to have a group project using this tool, so that students are not frustrated with something if they can not achieve the goal. I created a glogster that is all about me.. in which I used my personal pictures, I added some of my favorite songs, my hobbies, and also my favorite quotes. I was having a hard time uploading some of my pictures, because they had to be saved in a certain format, I wish there was a tutorial about how to use this tool, because I believe that more students would find this tool interesting if they can at least create a glogster about their life and present that to their peers.  I found that saving my glogster was easy and helpful, because I can share it with my family members and my friends in Egypt.

http://www.glogster.com/ggthebest20/jacklengirgis/g-6l5p9rhj0mb71qtr5vug4a0

Tech Tac Toe Tools

The first tool that I used for my tech tac toe is Wordle.  This tool is designed for  generating word clouds from text that you type or copy and paste into the wordle document. I found this tool to be one of the easiest tools and it's also cool, wordle has few taps that help you decide what you want to do with your document. It has a gallery that is done by other people where anyone can view and get an idea of what the wordle will look like once it is done.  I found this tool to be easy to use, because I pasted in my word document that I have created about my personal life, I was really interested to see which words were emphasized the most.  With this tool you can change the font, color, display, and also you can always randomize for different view.  I believe that the only hard part about this tool is that you can not save it or access the document, you are provided with a link to delete the document if you wish, but I would like to see some changes to the tool to make it more effective and usable by more people.  I believe that teachers can use this tool in the classroom and with different classes too, this tool can be used with teaching any subject, teachers can present a topic or a theme, the students will have to brainstorm and come up with one word or more that is associated with the specific topic that is discussed in class.  The teacher can also use this tool to get feedback from the students about their opinion regarding any issue, without revealing their name and embarassing them in front of the whole class. I would definitely use this tool in my classroom, because I believe that there are so many shy students who do not like to speak in front of everyone, by using this tool anyone can express their thoughts, opinion, and their beliefs without feeling shy or embarassed.
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5983326/Jackie

 

Personal Learning Network

In my technology in education class I learned so much about the different ways to connect with others, whether through facebook, Linked, or twitter.  I have been following few educational resources as well as other entetaining resources.  One of the great resources that I was able to find on my twitter page is one from Richard Byrne which is about Ten Terrific Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Tools.
The tools are:

•   Popplet: allows you to create a wall of multimedia sticky notes that you can share with others.
• Text 2 Mind Map:  offers a great way to turn your typed outlines into mind maps.
• Realtime Board: provides a blank grid on which you can type, draw, and post pictures. You can connect elements on your boards through a simple linking tool.
• Inkflow: is an iPad app for visual thinkers who like to sketch to process what they're hearing, seeing, and learning. Inkflow can be used to sketch mind maps, draw pictures, write free hand, and just about anything else you might do with a pencil and paper. You can organize your Inkflow pages into books.
• ibrainstorm: is a free brainstorming application for the iPad and the iPhone. The app allows you to record brainstorming sessions using a combination of free hand drawings and sticky notes.
• SyncSpace:  to create drawings and documents on your tablet. You can create using free-hand drawing tools, using typing tools, or a combination of the two tool sets.
• Creaza Education:  is a great suite of tools that includes a video editor, an audio editor, a cartoon creator, and an excellent mind map builder.
• Pinball:  is a suite of fun tools from the BBC for organizing ideas and generating new ideas. In Pinball you will find tools for creating mindmaps, outlines, and simple slideshows. Pinball also has tools to help you brainstorm and generate new ideas. Each one of the six Pinball tools provides options for including text and images in your mindmaps, outlines, and slideshows.
• Connected Mind:  is a free mind mapping tool that you can find in the Google Chrome web store. Using Connected Mind you can create free-form mind maps or use a template. Connected Minds allows you to create mind maps in any configuration that you like.
• Spider Scribe:  is an online mind map creation service. Spider Scribe can be used individually or be used collaboratively.users can add images, maps, calendars, text notes, and uploaded text files to their mind maps. Users can connect the elements on their mind maps or let them each stand on their own. You can embed your interactive SpiderScribe mind map into your blog or website.

I was able to see and use Popplet as part of our class discussion, I think this tool can be used in so many ways, especially with shy students in the class who prefer to write.  I find this article very helpful, because it listed the tools and gave a little of explanation about how this tool is used, and also if we click on the tool it can direct us to the site where we can fine more information about this tool. I can see myself using some of these tools in the classroom with my students, because part of getting to know and understand the students we will find that everyone learns differently, and we have to make sure that we are on the same page as they are.  I believe that there are so many great tools and resources available for teachers and student to use in their learning and in the classroom.  we have to be familiar with the new technology and tools that we can introduce to our students, because they will create a better learning environment and they will be more motivated to learn. I recommend that everyone to be familiar with at least one or two tools that they can use in the class now or in the future to promote better learning styles.
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/10/ten-terrific-mind-mapping-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freetech4teachers%2FcGEY+%28Free+Technology+for+Teachers%29

https://twitter.com/ggthebest20

CFE Conference

I attended a CFE conference on Saturday, September 29, 2012. In the conference I attended four different workshops, in which I've learned so much from each and everyone. 
The first workshop that I've attended was about ESL and how to teach children from different countries English, and make sure that they are embracing their native language as well as the new language which is English.  In this workshop I was introduced to great resources, ways to teach children whose English is not their first language or it is not the primary language that is spoken at home.  I have also learned that it is really important to be able to communicate with parents and get them involved in their children's education, as well as understand the children's language, background, culture, and tradition, because all of these factors have a great impact on how the childrens learn and develop. This workshop reminded me so much of my culture, and my background, because I was fully introduced to English when I moved to the states when I was fifteen years old, which at the time was very hard to follow a long at school, and be able to make friends, but still embrace my original language and culture.
The second workshop was about understanding the different borders between the United States and Mexico, and we have to understand how our surroundings affect our teaching and also our students. We had to read a poem and form our own poem based on the keywords that we highlighted from the poem. It was very interesting to see how everyone hightlighted something totally different, and the different poems that we all shared were very inspiring.
My third workshop we talked about the different technology that we can use in our classrooms to help us create a better interactive settings, we talked about taking pictures of the students while they are working on a project, or a group presentation. We also talked about how the students can take pictures of places they have been to and present to the class, or they can take pictures to help them present their topic to the classroom.
In my last workshop, we talked about the different cultures and background and the importance of understanding the different cultures that we associate with each and everyday.  Students can search about different holidays and cultures to present to class, students can talk about their own culture, but we have to make sure that everyone is open minded about the culture that is being discussed.  I really enjoyed this workshop, because we were presented with different cultures, and we learned so much about other cultures within the community that we live in.
My overall view of this conference was great, I've gained so much information about different techniques, tools, resources, and ideas in which I'll someday be using in my classroom to promote better understanding and being more effective teacher. 

Stages

I was introduced to stage 1 when I was in Egypt, we did not have computers at schools for a long time, but then once they started installing computers in the classroom it was only meant for teachers to show us the different microsoft applications. As far as I remember, students were not allowed to touch the computers, because they were afraid that we would ruin them or destroy them somehow. I thought that was funny because most of the students owned computers at home, and some of them knew more about surfing the internet and browsing than our teachers did, which is also due to the lack of having technology training in the schools.  I personally was introduced to the computer here in the States at my high school, I took keyboarding and typing classes, in which I was really slow at first but I've caught on and improved as I started to use it more and more.  I think stages 2 & 3 were combined in my junior high in Egypt, we had computers but we had very limited contact with technology.  In my freshman year in college, I took a computer information system class in which stage 4 &5 play a role. We had to create our own website, we were introduced to so many new application, or to me at least.  I believe that the stage I'm at right now is Appropriation, but I think that at the end of this class I'll be at stage 5 and beyond.  I think the transition between the stages is always difficult at first, but the teachers's role plays a great part in making sure that the transition is smooth and easy to grasp. I agree with the stages as they are listed, but I also think that we are missing more stages. For example, I think that professor Nicole at at stage 10, she is so great with all steps and also in making sure that we are getting there.  I think that technology has become more available to my friends in Egypt now, because we all went through the same situations in school, but now they all have facebook account, they are able to upload pictures from their mobile (which I just learned that not too long ago), and they are able to be creative in ways I haven't seen when I was in Egypt.