Green Engineering

Well I've started attending another summer workshop this week, it's the green engineering workshop at Texas Tech. This looks like its going to be another fun workshop. Today we played around with our GPS. We took a few readings around the campus and then went to the Canyon Lakes and took a few more. We've played around with Google Earth and its real neat to put our readings in form the GPS and then see them come up on Google Earth. I can't wait for tomorrow and see what else there is to learn. Google Earth is a really cool tool to teach with. It gives you a new perspective in how you view where you live or any other place you might choose to look at. Until tomorrow....

America the Greatest Country in the World

As we approach the 4th of July the day we celebrate our nation's independence, we all need to take time to remember the freedoms that we all enjoy. To remember those who have sacrificed their lives to ensure that freedom. Is our nation perfect? No, but is any. During the workshop I attended last week we watched a video from YouTube call "Shift Happens". In the video it shows how technology is growing by leaps and bounds. The part of the video that blew me away as a teacher is that we are preparing students for jobs or fields that don't even exist yet. I probably should run and hide, but it's a challenge that I take head on. From all of the training, that I've received so far in life. Whether it was from the Army, my dad and granddad, college have all prepared me to tackle it. As school teachers, we all have the pleasure of getting students ready to face this challenge. We've all had students that we know will one day change the world. I hope that one day they will remember the teachers who influenced them just like I do. From elementary to college, I have had teacher who have had more of an impact on me than they might know. Life is short and it's no fun sitting on the sidelines. I would rather be shaping the future of the world than sitting around complaining about how I feel left out. Here is the video I mentioned.

My video from the workshop

Ok Doug, against by better judgement I decided to put the video about the rock cycle on YouTube. I really did enjoy the workshop and everyone that I met there. Just like in the ShiftHappens video we watch our world is changing and it's hard to imagine what this world will look like in 20 years. I remember my senior year of high school in 1983 and the fact that the school had decided to offer a computer class. We had four computers that used five in discs. The iPod is something that can be used in class and not just for music. Thanks again and here is the video from YouTube.

Finished up the workshop

Well we finished up the workshop this afternoon, and I have to say that I've really enjoyed the workshop. I look forward to using all that I've learned in my class. Both Doug and Rob were excellent instructors who were patient in dealing and teaching most of us. I look forward to keeping up with the blogs of the other workshop participants.

New Challenges

Our assignment today is address challenges that we are encountering today that are different from what we encountered on the first day of the workshop. To me the challenges are finding new ways to convert some of the things that we are creating so that they can be used on our iPod, but the good thing is that if you search the Internet they are there to be found. Yesterday, I needed a way to convert a power point over to where it could be loaded on my iPod. After searching with help from one of the instructors I was able to find what was needed. I do feel more comfortable in using the technology and I'm looking forward to using it in the classroom.

Final project

Well it's Wednesday night and I'm working on my final project of the workshop. For our final project, we are to take all that we have learned and make an actual lesson that our students can use. I'm creating a lesson about the rock cycle. In class I created a power point to use in introducing the rock cycle, and now at home I am making a movie show how to use chocolate chips to make the three types of rocks. I'm almost through with it and tomorrow I will edit the movie and finish up my lesson plan. This has been a really fun workshop and I'm really exited about using it in the upcoming school year.

Lesson Ideas

I teach 5th grade science, and my job today is to come up with two teacher ideas on how to present a subject to my students using digital media. I think that one good way to do this is finding a good podcast that would present the idea to them in an interesting way.Let's say I want to teach about physical properties, I found a good podcast showing how to make butter from cream bought in a store. In the video he took a liquid and made it to a solid. The cream went from a liquid to a solid.My second idea might be making a video. After attending this workshop I think that I would really like to make a movie myself that would present the idea to them. I want to teach about rocks and I can't bring them into the class, but I could video them and then edit it into a short video and still get them to understand my point.

I also want my students to use digital media to present and idea. It could be as simple as having them find a good website showing what we are talking about. In class we are dealing with the rock cycle. So I have my students go online and find a website that they thought presented it in a way that liked. My students could also make a video of themselves performing an experiment or get their parents help them make the video together. Maybe they could find a way to show the rock cycle and how rocks change from one form to another. The video could be as simple or complicated as they wanted.

How could I use what I've learned to teach a tough subject

In today's class I've learned to use a flip video camera to make a movie and then use movie maker to make a clip that others could see. After doing this, I think that it would be a great way to make video that could explain the subject better. My students often have a hard time learning the rock cycle. I think that I could use a video camera and the Internet to make a video that might connect better with visual learners. Also with a video, I believe that it would be possible to connect with other learning styles. Along with visual learners, it would connect with those like audio. In the video, you could show different types of rocks and possibly how they change from one type of rock to another. I think another great way might be to make up a song and make a video of it. I've also learned that there are many great podcast available and it might be possible to find a podcast that could help as well. To sum it all up, I think that in using technology to reach students can really get them to learn without realizing that they are learning. Here is video from youtube.

Difficulties of using technology

When talking about the difficulties of technology my mind always goes to fact that I feel that I'm always behind in learning new technology. I feel that everyone always knows more than I do and that I'm playing catch up. I do feel that using technology is very useful in many parts of life. I like the idea of blogging because it allows others to see what is going on in my life. Here is a cool music video I like.