Photo Assignment

Cameras are a fun way to involve children. It is very hands on, and lets children be creative. I have always used cameras, but letting students use them would be really fun. Camera's can be incorporated into any subject, as we did with math. It puts math into real world concepts. I can tell that doing an assignment like this with students is a surefire way to make sure that the students understand the concepts.It would be great way to assess each student. They would work individually and come up their own definitions. It would really help them to understand angles, or any concept. It would be something they wouldn't forget.

It was also really fun to use comic life and create a comic book. I can see using this application for many other things. Comic books are a great way to discuss sequence, but having the student's create their own comic would be a blast. It is really great for the students to have their completed photo books. A great addition to the classroom library and a great way to study the concepts.

It is always beneficial to make subjects more enjoyable. Students are more likely to remember the content, as well as the experience.

Web Site Evaluations

1. What form(s) did you like/dislike? Why
   The form I found the best was Midlink's web page evaluation form. It has a rating system for each question. After adding up all areas you see if it is a valid source of information. This form was also the clearest and easiest to use. I wasn't too technical and could be used with students. I also liked the Critical Evaluation of a Web Site Elementary school level. This too could be used with students, it was pretty basic however.
2. Were there any hidden secrets about a website you discovered by using an evaluation form? It is important to check links to make sure they are in working order, as well as anything posted. It was important to remember to look for author's or contact information for each site. That way you can verify the site.
3. What is the value of using a web site evaluation process? By evaluating what is on a website you can decide if you trust the information. It helps validate your work, if citing information. It is also good to teach students that not all information found on the web is valuable, current or correct. It helps us find the right places to search.
4. Are there times you would/would not use a formal evaluation? It is always important to make sure that links work, you know who made the web site. If you are just looking for fun a formal evaluation is not necessary, but it always helps to verify information on the web.
   

Instructional Architect

Learning to use instructional architect was really great. It was a bit hard to understand at first, but once you saw how it could be used in the classroom it really made learning about it worthwhile. I enjoyed that there are many places for me to find factual information on my topic. I felt like the IA database was a bit formal and too educational for elementary education, but it offered many ideas. It is great that I can search for other teachers lessons/projects on IA. I made up a mock project http://ia.usu.edu/viewproject.php?project=ia:8249 (it's really basic and simple, just for practice) on the life cycle, as that is part of the core curriculum in second grade. I chose the first things I came across, but there was a lot of other teachers resources available for me. I didn't have to spend hours on search engines and compile it all by myself. It was wildly helpful and would be a great way to organize the classroom. It would be great to have my unit posted online for parents to see, bringing more parent involvement into my classroom. Something else that was brought up in class was the way students can access your project. It would be fun to have an online project or game that was posted in your project that the students can access. It would really create a hands on learning project. As I have spent time in my practicum I have seen how vital technology can be in the classroom. I spent a lot of time doing things on the computer that my teacher didn't know how to do. As teachers it would be nice for you to teach the good things about the computer instead of all these technology savvy children teaching you. I also feel like it is a good way to bond with your students. If you don't know what they are doing in their free time, then how can you expect to really bond with your students.