The photo on the left is original. To edit the picture on the right I clicked on auto-fix which made the picture bright and colorful.

To edit the picture I cropped the picture. Then I used the colors feature under basic edits to make this photo brighter and chose drop shadow frame to make it look like a post card.

The picture on the left is the original photo. I chose this one, because the picture is dark. I wanted to learn to make it lighter.

This is a changed picture using basics edits. First I clicked on auto-fix which made my picture brighter. With the crop feature I removed the man on the left side of the photo. I added the stickers of children, and framed

The Standard I Chose

I looked through the Common Core of Teaching to identify the standard I want to focus on. It highlights the discipline-based professional teaching standards. From those standards I chose to focus on numeracy at an elementary level. To create meaningful experiences I implement technology into the instructions. The following activities can be used in lessons:

 PowerPoint to teach basic addition or subtraction http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointlessonplans/ig/PowerPoint-Math-Lessons/Addition-Using-PowerPoint.htm

YouTube links with multiplication songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uktAPerDias&feature=BFa&list=PL0BCA317C05D40A58&lf=results_main

Web sites to practice math in a fun way at school and at home engaging parents as well

http://www.firstinmath.com/

Integrating technology in lessons helps children with different learning styles. Both visual and auditory learners benefit from learning math with technology. Children at risk can get important experiences and support through activities using technology.

Innovative Educator Blog by Lisa Neilsen

The Innovative Educator blog by Lisa Warlick is the most interesting for me. As an elementary school teacher, I found out about various ideas and lessons on how and what kind of technology to implement in primary grades. I learned that Mimio Board can be used to make math lessons interactive and enables children understand this subject better. A SmartPen is another technological device that both teachers and children can benefit from. Students can record the lesson and later go back into their notes and hear what was said in class. The pens allow the students to have a visual as well as audio record which they can then use to write. This is a great tool especially for slow learners to eliminate frustration and bring excitement into writing.  Lisa Warlick shares with another idea on how to make and publish books for free. With Flickr program students can make digital books that can be published online or printed for the classroom. This blog is a good source of ideas and lesson plans in terms of technology.

Teddy Bears Go Blogging

 “Teddy Bears Go Blogging” is such an interesting and informational article about using blogs as a writing tool not only by adults and college students, but in primary grades as well. Blogging has various advantages to promote learning in children. It makes writing not only interesting but also promotes awareness and understanding about other cultures. How much children can learn by exchanging a teddy bear with classes, taking him home for sleepovers, traveling, and sharing with their families, and then commenting on their blogs. Bloggers are easy in use. Pictures can be easily attached to postings, audio feature allows students with difficulty in keyboarding to leave a recorded message. Blogging is a great way to motivate students because blogging projects published on the Web give children a sense of ownership. Then parents and relatives can read and leave comments. How exciting is that!! Finally and most importantly it is save for young students. I believe that blogging improves teaching and makes learning effective and motivating.

Response to USA Today article on MP3 Usage

The article “Companies mine growth of MP3 homework” implies a new and interesting way to educate students. I think it is a great idea to study foreign languages using audio books except just reading a book and doing exercises because it is less frustrating and more convenient to learn. The article gives examples of two students Zollos and Whetstone who wear headphones and learn Spanish while doing laundry or shopping for grocery.  I wish my school had audio versions of books, so I could listen to dialogues in a foreign language whenever it was convenient for me.

Another idea I found interesting in the article is that audio textbooks are available at colleges. At Stanford University and University of Wisconsin-Madison professors post lectures that students can receive them for free. Some schools assign listening assignments rather than reading. Students can save so much time listening to audio book while doing their house chores or driving the cars or listening to a professor’s lecture at home. It is changing how people are educated.

I also believe that children with emergent literacy benefit a lot from audio materials. It is known that read aloud activities promote literacy in young children. However, teachers should not solely rely on audio books when children can already read. In my opinion, educational materials in MP3 form are good sources to encourage reading in children later in their lives, but not the main ones. Audio books should not replace regular books. I hope that Taylor is right by saying, “…  new gadgets are unlikely to replace the book as we know it. More people are buying books than ever before”.

My Learning Style

First of all it was my first time to take learning style quizzes. But I always knew I am a visual learner. It is never enough for me just to listen to a lecture because I get distracted easily. I stay focused and remember better with visual aids. I liked “What’s your style” quiz because after taking it I got good tips for visual learners. I found “Learning Style Quiz” helpful for me as a teacher.  Children come with different learning capacities. Information in this test can help me to identify children’s strengths and understand their learning styles. I can create and modify lesson plans according to children’s capacities and intelligence. 

What Do I Want To Learn In This Class

First of all it was my first time to take learning style quizzes. But I always knew I am a visual learner. It is never enough for me just to listen to a lecture because I get distracted easily. I stay focused and remember better with visual aids. I liked “What’s your style” quiz because after taking it I got good tips for visual learners. I found “Learning Style Quiz” helpful for me as a teacher. Children come with different learning capacities. Information in this test can help me to identify children’s strengths and understand their learning styles. I can create and modify lesson plans according to children’s capacities and intelligence.