Podcasts

I have never really used Podcasts until last week's class and I had a lot of fun with that.  It is something that I could definitely use in my classroom.  I could have students talk about science or math concepts.  They could use it as a way to explain information learned or how to solve math problems.  Using it as a series or episodes would work with science concepts.  Recently students learned about the Water Cycle, Earth Patterns and Cycles, and are now learning about the food chain.  They could make a connection between all of them using the Podcasts.  Students could make a Podcasts about each type of cycle and how it relates to the episode before it.  I definitely need to become more familiar with this program before I could implement it into my class.

Wikis

Prior to this class I have not had much experience with Wikis and definitely have never used them in the classroom.  As we are experiencing with Wikis in our class, my wheels have been spinning about how I could incorporate them into my instruction.  One way I could use it is to set it up as a dictionary like we have done.  It can be incorporated into science lessons as I am introducing and we are discussing a new unit.  Students could read about the concept and break the information down into important parts.  They could read through it and work as a group to fill in the section they are responsible for.  This would be  great way for the students to develop their own study guide and they will have access to it anytime.  Information can be saved and edited anytime throughout the unit.  I am looking forward to it and excited about implementing this strategy with my third graders:)

Blogs

Prior to taking this course I had not thought about using blogs in the classroom.  As my students were participating in a museum with the other third grade class at my school for my unit one FACT model plan an idea came to me.  The science teacher that I work with were talking and felt like it was crazy in my small room with all of those children discussing their exhibits.  I thought maybe for our next project (habitats) we could have the exhibits set up in both rooms and students walk through on their own.  So now this leaves us with... what would be a cool way for the students to make comments or ask questions about the projects?  And I thought a blog would be a great idea.  We could have a blog for each group and allow the students to take turns to comment about the projects and ask questions.  This of course would involve the students checking their blogs and responding to questions.  This would be a great way to incorporate writing across the curriculum.  I am excited about doing this!

Where to start....

Welcome to my blog!  My blog is set set up for me to reflect on my experiences with concepts learned from the ITS program and how they can be, have been, or will be applied to my teaching.  Throughout my experience as an ITSer I have learned many things and am continuing to learn about myself as a professional, student learning, planning/designing lessons, thinking, and much more.  My experience has been an overwhelming, yet satisfying one.  

Currently I am finishing up a unit that involves many principles, processes, ideas, and tools that have been learned thus far.  It has been a great learning experience for the students and me.  Changes will be made for next year, and I am looking forward to implementing the next one as well.   

Stayed tuned for more about the ITS program and my learning experiences.