Friday, May 28, 2010
Virtual Molecular Lab
Check out this Virtual Molecular Biology Lab! It's an open source program, which means it's FREE!!!
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtbiolab/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/virtbiolab/
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Day 2 of training
I cannot believe how much information I learned today! Pretty sure I'm not going to remember it all so I've got a lot of homework to do! I think the best thing I've learned (from an ISM perspective) is Moodle. I was prepared to dislike Moodle - based on my experiences with Blackboard - but it is going to be an awesome way to supervise Interns virtually. Having a central location for assignments, surveys, etc. is going to be very useful and Interns won't be able to claim ignorance or not receiving an email.
From an intern's perspective, I am in love with Google Earth and the new tools we learned today. The History feature and the lit trips broaden the use of the program to more than just science and math. I can even see using the program in a music class to show students where composers were born.
I have gained so much information in the training so far and can't wait to find out what we'll go over on Friday. Right now, I think my strengths are in blogs (even though this is my first) and recording with flip cams (but not the software yet). However, I think that with practice, I will be good at moodle and flipshare (not a huge fan of movie maker, but that's because the program always freezes on my pc). My weaknesses/areas of improvement are social networking and podcasting (just the itunes part).
I'm definitely not ready to train on most of these tools yet, but I've got a little time to familiarize myself with them. I am much more comfortable with the training overall, though. I think that I have shown great teamwork skills and professionalism. However, I can always improve in the area of leadership.
I think our trainers are doing a great job and I hope that the other participants are enjoying the training as much as I am.
From an intern's perspective, I am in love with Google Earth and the new tools we learned today. The History feature and the lit trips broaden the use of the program to more than just science and math. I can even see using the program in a music class to show students where composers were born.
I have gained so much information in the training so far and can't wait to find out what we'll go over on Friday. Right now, I think my strengths are in blogs (even though this is my first) and recording with flip cams (but not the software yet). However, I think that with practice, I will be good at moodle and flipshare (not a huge fan of movie maker, but that's because the program always freezes on my pc). My weaknesses/areas of improvement are social networking and podcasting (just the itunes part).
I'm definitely not ready to train on most of these tools yet, but I've got a little time to familiarize myself with them. I am much more comfortable with the training overall, though. I think that I have shown great teamwork skills and professionalism. However, I can always improve in the area of leadership.
I think our trainers are doing a great job and I hope that the other participants are enjoying the training as much as I am.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Day 1 of training: a reflection
I think the training was very informative today! As someone who has never gone through the technical training, I am very excited to finally have "official" answers to all of my questions.
I think the easiest tool we went over today is the blog, and I think it can be used in numerous ways.
Facebook and Twitter are definitely areas of weakness for me (only for now!). I think I'll have to play around with both of these tools before I feel comfortable training on them.
Overall, I have learned a great deal today. My favorite was integrating music into a podcast.
Thanks to Liana, Ginny, and Jason for a great first day of training!!!
I think the easiest tool we went over today is the blog, and I think it can be used in numerous ways.
Facebook and Twitter are definitely areas of weakness for me (only for now!). I think I'll have to play around with both of these tools before I feel comfortable training on them.
Overall, I have learned a great deal today. My favorite was integrating music into a podcast.
Thanks to Liana, Ginny, and Jason for a great first day of training!!!
Reflections on Observations and Visits
I feel that Interns need to have a good balance of observations and visits. By observing the technology available, the current lesson, and teaching style of each teacher, I will be able to begin creating a baseline for the teacher. After observing the teacher, I will sit down with them and discuss their goals and objectives for the year. We will talk about projects, upcoming lessons, etc.
If I skip the step of observing a classroom, I will miss out on important information. I won't be able to witness the teacher's proficiency with technology or her interactions with her students (is she more hands-on or more of a lecturer). However, if I only rely on observations, I won't have any idea of what she wants to achieve. And, if she is very techy, I will probably insult her by showing her the basics or assuming she knows more than she does.
These are two very important tools in the Interns' arsenal because without them, the teachers' needs will not be satisfied.
If I skip the step of observing a classroom, I will miss out on important information. I won't be able to witness the teacher's proficiency with technology or her interactions with her students (is she more hands-on or more of a lecturer). However, if I only rely on observations, I won't have any idea of what she wants to achieve. And, if she is very techy, I will probably insult her by showing her the basics or assuming she knows more than she does.
These are two very important tools in the Interns' arsenal because without them, the teachers' needs will not be satisfied.
My Vision as an Intern
I think that I will be working with the teachers to find ways to integrate technology into the classroom environment. I will be looking at lesson plans, observing classroom culture, and equipment availability to determine what types of technology and projects will best suit each individual teacher. I hope that the Interns share ideas and projects with each other.
My Goals:
My Goals:
- I hope to impact student engagement and learning
- I want to find awesome tools and resources for the teachers
- I want teachers to embrace the 21st Century and use technology all day, everyday!
- I want to find out if working in education is a potential career choice for me
- I want to have FUN!!!!
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