PDS Meeting

Today was a good meeting . We are going to develop stategies for fine motor. I will do some research over the weekend

Less Than 24 hours to Go!

We have everything almost done and we are looking forward to tomorrow night (even if it is for just the reason that it will be over). We worked hard and I think we will be alright, but I sense some doubt in my partners.

To my partners, I say: SUCK IT UP! WE ARE THE WHEATLEY BEARS and we WILL represent!

I have no doubt about it.

amen?

amen.

Voice Threads

I like voice thread but embeded it is a little difficult for me. Making sure the html codes are in the box. It just seem like there are so many steps. I am almost there. yipee! Now we the finshing touches I can't wait for the Gallery walk

Wheatley Bears

My Wiki is beginning to take development. I have enjoyed our endless night together to get this project. This has truly been a rewarding experience and Joy and ronlyn are very supportive. I like the way we collaborated and got this project on its way.

Almost there!

May 29, 2009
We are almost there!! I was not able to attend the training offered today to provide assistance. I believe I am ready and know I can do this. I am presenting my project on a photo story of all of the culminating activities that occured in our school in 2009. I have had a great time and look forward to next year.

Coming Down the Home Stretch

Yesterday we stayed after school working on our presentation board and making finishing touches on our projects. We are feeling the pressure but we are also happy that we are close to the end. This, for me personally, has been a very productive experience. The voicethread was especially interesting to me because it is so interactive and you can upload pics, videos, almost anything.....and it is accessible to both the students and other teachers.

I've learned so much these past six months. A great experience.

My STEP Family

As I look back at the overall “STEP experience” for the past 6 months,one of the things I am so thankful for is that was given a “STEP family” (and Aubrey is my STEP brother????? :)). I know this may sound weird to some but being a foreigner in your country, I appreciate and value the camaraderie and friendship built with fellow STEP team members and with our facilitators, Ms. Joy and Ms. Ronlyn, who have been very patient with us.

Almost Finished!

Well, I made it through STEP training!! I learned a lot and hope to incorporate more technology in the classroom next year. One thing that has consistently struck me is the SIGNIFICANT increase in my students' attention to task especially when using ELMO and Photo Story! They really enjoy seeing things and/or themselves projected on the screen as well as hearing their voices and those of their classmates on the digital stories and on podcasting. For the population we teach (early childhood special education), any strategy that increases attention to task is a strategy that must be used.

Preparing for the Gallery Walk

Stress, stress, stress! I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who feels this way as the deadline for all STEP requirements draws nearer and preparation for the Gallery Walk is underway. I’m sure after all of these is over and done with, it will be worth all the sleepless nights, all the frustrations (i.e. when you can’t embed your voice thread J) and the time we spent making this STEP program succeed. “Children come first” – and this STEP training is actually for them since they are the primary beneficiaries of enhanced lessons, visually-stimulating classroom instructions and more importantly, as they hopefully become life-long learners with the lessons they have learned from all of these.

Working with My STEP partners

We stayed after school until 8pm trying to work on our projects, and it was a learning experience. We all had something to say that helped the rest of us. We all agree that this program was difficult to do because of the heavy workload we all have already. But, we feel that we have more tools to work with and in some ways, after the initial learning process, the technology will make our jobs easier (well actually, this is my personal opinion, but I think that my work partners would agree with me.......somewhat.....LOL).

I Did It!!

I have such a sense of accomplishment!! I created 2 Photo Stories both of which exceeded minimum requirements! I used several pictures/slides, I used several transitions between slides, and I incorporated lots of narration by both the children and myself! That's a big deal for this Technology Immigrant!!!

Work Session

I’m glad Ms. Ronlyn found a way to be with us for the last and final STEP training we will be getting for this year.

Podcasting

I think Podcasting via Voicethread was my least favorite of the 3 new technology skills we learned. I guess it's because I didn't see as much excitement and interest from my students. For the narrations, the students did not engage in any more spontaneous language than usual. Even though they liked hearing their voices when the voicethread was played back, podcasting held their interest and their attention the least.

Growing and Changing Project

The class did a project on the growth cycle of frogs. We used all the technology that I got from the STEP program. The students even had opportunities to speak about the project. They stated in the mic the stages that frogs grow from eggs to a full grown frog. They used in addition to the document camera and the digital camera, puppet props, audio sounds of frogs, and creating a story book on the growth process of frogs.

May 8, 2009
In our weekly administrator meeting today, we have decided to take pictures and videos for professional development purposes next school year. Many of the teachers are doing such wonderful things in the classroom. This would be an excellent vehicle to share the expectations!!

Podcasting Training

We had our podcasting training. Voicethread is very interesting. It allows you to post comments on a podcast prepared by another person whose podcast has been made public.

As I was thinking about how it could be used in the classroom, I could already envision how it could help students in special education with expressive language IEP goals. It could boost their confidence and enable them to speak more clearly.

MICCA Conference

Initially, it really didn't matter to me if I attended the conference or not. I thought everything would be over my head and I don't need anything else to stress me out :) But I am soooo glad I went! It was good just to see what's out there in terms of technology and hear how it can be used in the classroom. As always, as an early childhood special educator, I have to figure out how to modify the information I'm given to apply it appropriately to the population I teach. I really enjoyed the presentation on using EXCEL. The presenter, Mr. Zuke, did an EXCELLENT job presenting EXCEL for Infrequent Users. The title alone told me this was the class for me!! I appreciated the step-by-step instruction and the PPT handout depicting these steps. I walked away from the conference with new ideas.

Podcasting

This was a wonderful training on podcasting. I can't wait to use it.

MICA Conference Experience

STEP registered us for the MICA Conference in Baltimore. Unfortunately, I could only attend the first day of the conference because of a scheduled articulation session with the teachers from other schools who will handle my present students next school year.

It was my first time to drive to Baltimore. I have been to the place once before but I still felt enchanted by the city. The sessions I went to were awesome but there’s one particular session I liked most and that was the session on powerpoint. The facilitators shared many websites that the teachers could use in the classroom.


Thank you, STEP for the MICA conference!

Photo Story with the Digital Camera

I'm really excited about using my Cafeteria Photo Story at the beginning of next school year with my new class! As a teacher of four year olds, I will have students that have moved from a half day 3 year old program to a full day 4 year old program. I will have to teach the children many routines they'll be experiencing for the first time, including eating in the school cafeteria. I think Photo Story will be a fun way to teach new routines, keeping the students interested and engaged. I look forward to sharing this Photo Story with other teachers in my school.

April 23, 2009
I am truly enjoying STEP. I have been introduced to great technology tools. My favorite is the digital camera and the photo story. Today I narrated on a photo story. Hearing my voice still sounds strange but I enjoy it more with the photo story than with the podcasting.

Using Powerpoint to post my document Camera artifacts

Working with powerpoint was not as difficult as figuring out how to upload the finished project. I had many issues trying to figure out how to make my uploaded project work, but I finally figured out the problem. When you upload the powerpoint, or any file, into wikispace, you have to SAVE and close the editing window, and all the things you uploaded will work. I tried to get my stuff to work while I was still in editing mode, and all I saw was this grey square that said 'file' that did nothing.

There is no preview in your wikispaces. You can always go back to edit mode to correct whatever mistakes you make, but you have to save it in order to see if the project is functioning as you want it to. A simple lesson I learned the hard way.

Easter Break

Hello my fellow blogger ,
Well I not going to say much today I am on Easter Break now. My fellow blogger what are you doing for Easter Break.Perhaps thinking about the STEP team project.

Digital Camera Training

Yesterday we had training with the digital camera. Fortunately for me, I have already the same camera and I knew how to use it. The nice part of the training was the photo story part. It was nice until I found out that it was not compatible with Mac computers and it had limited functions for a creative story teller such as I. But you cannot have everything, right?

Technology

I think technology is becoming more avilable to the classroom by taking this STEP program I feel comfortable using it. This has given me an opportunity beyon what the other teachers are doing. Technolgy has so many uses. In the eduation profession I feel more teachers need this opportunity to enhance learning in the classroom.

Podcasting

April 2, 2009
Podcasting!! Sounds interesting and some of the sites were interesting. However I did not like hearing myself J It was truly “weird” to me. I am going to work with this to find my comfort level.

photostory

I hope I wont get in trouble for this but I used photo for my son's bitthday party . It was so fantastic. I actually told a story now I am thinking about emailing it to the people who could not come.

Welcome Wheatley STEP Team

Welcome STEP Team to the wonderful world of blogging!!

Document Camera

March 30, 2009
We used the document camera in a staff meeting today to share various handouts and flyers. This is a great way to share information and it reduces the amount of copying we have to do.

Photo Story

Now I am able to to create slide shows using my photo stories.This is so awesome to be able to put sound tracks to my pictures. Not to mention titles and capions. I love it and my student love it also. We did the story The Three little pigs, we did it together,it was so much fun.
Create slideshows using your digital photos. With a single click, you can touch-up, crop, or rotate pictures. It's that easy!

Technology and Teaching Special Ed

Teaching in itself is a Herculean task in this day and age when students’ focus and attention are more difficult to hold. This situation is more challenging for special education teachers because more often than not special ed students have attention problems, not to mention cognitive difficulties.

For me, one of the major breakthroughs in education is incorporating technology in classroom instruction. Public schools that were admitted in STEP program are very lucky because of the many opportunities that can be utilized for better-quality instruction. We are lucky as special education teachers because we would be able to deliver more interesting and effective classroom instruction with the use of the equipment given to us and the training we have received. There is simply an awesome array of possibilities that we, in special ed, can do.

The Three Little Pigs and the Document Camera

I did a lesson on the three little pigs using the document camera and it was an unqualified success. The students retained all of the story aspects and enjoyed interacting with each other and the projected pictures. This was much better than reading the story aloud and turning the book after reading to show the students. The students could immediately see what I was speaking about and follow the story projected on the screen. It was fun and interesting for both the students and for me.

Digital Camera

March 3, 2009
Today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The digital camera really came in handy. I was able to take great shots of the activity and the display in the lobby. I enjoy using the digital camera. It allows me to participate in the activities as well as engage the students. Many of the teachers have asked for some of the pictures of their students to share with the families or display in the classroom.

Cowboys!!

We had real cowboys visit the school and I used the digital camera, the document camera, and the projector to prepare the students for the event. The students were not intimidated or scared of the horses or the cowboys when we finally saw them in real life because we saw and talked about pictures of cowboys and their horses and what they do over the two previous days before the cowboys came.

Technology is a wonderful tool to introduce new and interesting subjects to students, and especially three year old developmentally delayed students.

Letting the students take pictures

I teach special needs children and can you believe only 2 stuents in my class know how to take pictures . Hey do you have any ideas to share.

Digital Camera

I'm anxious to have the Digital Camera training. Although I can push the button and take pictures with a digital camera, that's about the extent of my knowledge. I often miss the shot I want because of the slight delay between pushing the button and the image actually being captured! For the pictures I do capture, they stay on the digital camera forever because I don't know how to download them. Pitiful, I know! So I look forward to learning all about using a digital camera as well as get ideas on how to use the pictures for instructional purposes.

My first document camera experience in the classroom

I pulled out the document camera and set it up, along with the projector. It took me an hour or so to get everything working. I then experimented with it on my afternoon class (picture taking, projecting their images and PCS on the wall, etc). The students immediately became focused and we played the 'who is here' game. They see the picture of their classmates on the wall and they yell out who it is. Before I had this projector and document camera, the students attention to task during this time fell steeply after they had their turn, but with the document camera, they stayed engaged for all of their friends' turns also.

Photo Story

February 21, 2009
Yesterday I visited the other classrooms that were having their Black History celebrations. I just finished creating a photo story and it looks pretty good. I had a little difficulty trying to transition with the start and the end but after I kept trying I saw the end results.

Today I used the ELMO during story time. It was really nice not to have kids squirming about trying to see. The ELMO helps alleviate that problem. Each curriculum unit comes with at least 2 Big Books and the pages are too large to display all of its contents on ELMO at one time. It takes some practice to learn how to move items on the ELMO so they are moving the way you want on the projected image. I'll definitely have to practice!

Valentine’s Day

As a treat to my students, I prepared a lesson using ELMO. It’s a simple story-telling of a Valentine story but with the use of ELMO and the projector, the lesson became very interesting for them.

It is also awesome to see how my students further hone their expressive language skills as they try to pretend to be somebody else in front of the ELMO camera. The presence of Elmo in my classroom really made a big difference!

Our third STEP training session

Yesterday was our third STEP training session. It seems like a lot of work but also a lot of 'hands on' use of different technologies in order to engage the students in the learning process. In other words, we are going to use grown up toys to get the kids more interested in doing their work! Let the adventure begin!

February 19, 2009
Today was the first day of our black history celebration. I visited the different classrooms and snapped many pictures of the students enjoying the experiences. I realized that I must go back and review the functions of the camera. Our students are move so fast I need the kid/pet feature for the pictures.

Digital Cameras

I can't believe we got digital camers. I am so glad I sign up with the step team. I can't wait to use it. I am going to make books, do lessons. The projects are incrediable. Using the digital camera will help my students capture pictures that can tell a story.

Letters from Home

As a follow up activity to the mailman, how mail travels and Valentine's Day, each child was provided an opportunity to show his/her mail that he/she received from home by using the document camera. The children were already so excited that they received mail from their parents but then to have the opportunity to show all of their friends at the same time showed when each child went up to the document camera. It was great to see how the document camera helped in building the self-esteem of some of the children.

Talking About STEP To Others

My roommates are all teachers from different schools in the county. We always find ourselves talking about the best practices in our respective schools.

When I told them about how my school got into the Year 1 STEP program, they were envious at this rare opportunity to be able to use the different equipment that will enhance classroom instruction. As I was explaining to them how I have actually used the ELMO so far, I also realized that along with being a STEP member comes the responsibility of creating meaningful lessons that the other teachers in the building could also use. And this is not only the ones required by STEP for us to submit. I’m referring to other potential lessons that we could all develop which could be collated for other teachers to see how they could use it for their purpose.

Using Elmo During the Black History Month School Celebration

ELMO is cool!!!!! Our school celebrates Black History Month basically by making the children visit the different centers the teachers prepared. My students visited the following centers: Madam CJ Walker, astronaut center, and inventions.

Maximizing the historical opportunity of Barack Obama’s election as the first black President, my buddy class and I prepared a Barack Obama center. Using my Elmo, one of the major activity in our center was giving each child an opportunity to pretend to be Barack Obama. Using the Elmo, the excited “young Barack Obamas” looked at the screen projecting what the Elmo captured. It was an awesome experience watching the children do this activity. I’m very thankful for having been given the opportunity to use this technology equipment in a meaningful celebration of the Black History month.

Children reactions to document camera

I am loving the document camera! I have been using it almost every day. I love the way that I can show so many more whole group lessons. The children are still trying to get used to the fact that I am teaching from behind them but they are adjusting. The children often want to turn around and look at me and the document camera instead of looking directly at the screen. They love the document camera so much that they all want a turn to do something at the document camera.

Our Teachers

Ms joy and Ms. Ronlyn,
I want to thank you for being so patience with me during trainintg. becuase it takes a lot of patience to teach any way but adults are the worst. You had a lesson plan, you power point were large enough that we could read it. When you are learning something new many things won't stick in the my especially when you teaching teachers who want to become computer literate. After all we are digital divide.

ELMO Training

Today was the first “formal” STEP training we had, with Ms. Joy and Ms. Ronlyn. We got our first equipment – the ELMO! An ELMO produces document camera output with the use of a projector. It also allows one to capture and zoom in on images from the internet. I couldn’t wait to use this in my classroom!

January 24, 2009
I created a photo story at home today. I found this program to be very easy compared to PowerPoint. I also tried adding my own music which I found I had to really time it to get it to play with all of my photos.

Prior to using the ELMO document camera, I showed the children a thermometer. I tried to show the children how the mercury would rise and fall depending on how hot or cold the water was. I saw first hand today how frustrating it is for the children to see something in a whole group setting that is so small. When presenting the lesson again using the ELMO, the children were so excited and remained on task for a longer period of time because everyone could see the mercury rise and fall at the same time.

Digital Camera

January 22, 2009
In class today we received our digital cameras and learned all of the functions, which I have never used before on my own camera. Honestly, I never even paid attention to them. I snap and go and zoom in and out when necessary.

Sharing ELMO with team

I am so proud of myself! We had a team meeting this morning and one of the agenda items was to place a new student. The team leader usually shares the test scores and other information on this new student verbally as she reads it from the form she's been provided. I volunteered my ELMO so the team could see the information visually. It was definitely a more effective and efficient way to share this information.

Blogging, Blogging, Blogging

I've blogged but it seemed to disappear 'somewhere' on the internet. I made the mistake of setting up my blog under my personal g-mail account, and I could not seem to figure out how to put my blogs onto the blog that my STEP partners were using. So I just saved my blogs in a word document.

Confusing, to say the least, this 'blogging'.

Work Session

Today we had a worksession for our Document Camera. I was glad to have this work session because it forced me to sit down and work on my document camera portfolio. I don't know who loved the document camera more, me or the kids. The children love to see themselves on the screen, especially when they are dancing. In addition to working on my document camera portfolio, I learned about the Flaming Text website and how to upload the title pages. Just when I thought I knew a lot about technology I am quickly reminded that that there is still so much more to learn.

The Elmo

This tool for the classroom has be such a godsend . Now I can readtto my students and focus on pictures that I would like for them to comprehend. It is so much better than your overhead projector it is compact. I am going to use it with small books and when I am doing some hands on activities.

Elmo

I’m really loving the ELMO! The increase in the children’s attention was immediate! It is such a great way to read a story so that everyone can see and everyone is focused. Since the first time I used it in class, I keep it set up, ready to go. I find that many of the activities I do during Meeting time (e.g. matching pictures or objects; using picture symbols, etc) can be done on the ELMO and projected on the screen. I’m looking forward to incorporating more technology during Opening and Meeting.