Photo Collage

I used Shape Collage to create a photo collage of the pictures I took for our class's photography challenge. This was very easy to use! You simply upload the photos you want to use and choose a shape you want the photos in. This could be a cool way to get to know your students by having them choose pictures that describe them.

Exploding Box

 We made an "exploding box" in class the other day. We needed four 12 x 12 pieces of card stock for this project. We traced the templates, cut them out, and glued them together. Making the cover was the trickiest part, and if I did this project again I would do a better job. Remember the Polaroid pictures I posted earlier? Well the little ones can be cut out and glued inside the box! Another use of this box could be to put a gift inside and give it as a present. The recipient could then use the box it came in as well! I plan to make more of these with more decorate paper.

NETS Standards

NETS standards are the standards that teachers and students need to have in order for them to teach and learn effectively in this world of technology that we live in.

Teachers need to be able to do the following: facilitate and inspire student learning, design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments, model digital age work and learning, promote and learn digital citizenship and responsibility, and engage in professional growth and leadership.
NETS Standards for Teachers 

Students should have the following skills: creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts.

NETS Standards for Students

I will work on the teaching skills and make sure we practice the student skills, too, so that my students can work well with technology.

QR Game

A really neat iPad app that we used in class is a QR code scanner. You take a picture of a code, like the one above, and it will bring you to a website, show you a word, or something of that nature. We were to create an educational game out of QR codes. I used QR Code Generator to make my QR codes. I made 10 of them, and each one links you to a Google image of an animal. I printed them out and glued them on poker chips, and made a corresponding worksheet on PowerPoint which I attached as well. There are many possibilities for what this can be used for, and I would love to do something like this in my classroom!

Paperless educator

I did some research on being a paperless educator, and while I think it is possible, I don't think students will get as much out of class this way. I looked at Steve Katz's Prezi The Paperless Classroom to learn more about it. To submit assignments, teachers have their students use either Google Docs or e-mail. Some reasons he gives for going paperless are improved learning environment, improved organization, more efficient, and it will save the earth. There are a couple issues I have with this. First of all, computers are not always the most reliable thing in the world. If every assignment your students to is online, what will happen if their computer crashes or they get a virus and lose everything? Students might not have everything backed up on something else if this were to happen. Also, I don't want to see us getting completely away from physically writing.

Snagit Video

We downloaded Snagit for class, which is a free program that allows you to record videos on the computer and post them to YouTube. We did a multimedia project where we had to teach the class about a website, so my group taught the class about Fakebook. We also recorded ourselves using it and posted it to our class's YouTube channel. Snagit was very easy to use, but you have to make sure to talk close to the microphone, otherwise your voice gets muffled.

Apple in education

Today I explored Apple's educational website. It talked about the use of iPads, Macs, iPods, iPhones, and iTunes U in the classroom. I have an iPod touch, so I looked into how that can be used for educational purposes. I found that there are over 20,000 education apps for iPod touches and iPhones. These apps include reference materials, interactive lessons, and games that can make learning the material fun. Then I decided to look further into what iTunes U is because I had never heard of it. When using iPads, it allows you to create your own courses. It's a free app that students will love because everything they will need for the course is right at their fingertips.

iPads in the classroom

I was surprised to hear that iPads have become the next big thing in classrooms around the U.S. There are so many different uses for iPads, and I'm hoping our class will get them when we renew our contracts next year so that I can learn more about them. There is an unimaginable number of apps that you can by for any and all school subjects. From math, to reading, to anatomy, all the bases are covered. iPads in Schools has a bunch of apps listed for elementary, middle school, and high school. This is a great resource if you're looking to find some great apps, and they are categorized by school subject.

iPad Rules Poster

A couple weeks during the semester we were able to use iPads in the classroom. We were then assigned to make a poster of iPad rules that could potentially be used in our future classrooms if we have iPads. I used Photoshop (again) to create my poster.

Favorite teacher websites/blogs

One of my favorite blogs is The Cutest Blog on the Block. This blog has lots of backgrounds, banners, and other accessories available for use --- in fact, this is where I got my current blog background.

In my Introduction to Education class we explored Mrs. McDavid's 3rd Grade Website. This is a great example of some of the things I could put on my own class website. It has information for students, parents, and teachers, so it's a great way for parents to stay connected with what's going on in the classroom.

Poster created from Poster My Wall

 I explored several different poster-making websites. One of my favorites was Poster My Wall. It was very simple to use! I chose a background from a wide assortment available from the website, and I added one of my favorite teaching quotes. This is a great, affordable way to collect posters for the classroom!

MP3 Audio Book

In class we downloaded Audacity and used it to record ourselves reading a story. I read "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone" by Iza Trapani and burned the audio recording onto a CD. This is a great idea for students who may have difficulty reading because they can listen to the recording to get some practice. To find this book on amazon click on the picture below for the link.

Difference between teacher & student

In my forty hour practicum this semester I was able to assume the teacher role. I have been a student for sixteen years, so it was great to have my first experience in the opposing role in the classroom. As a teacher, it is important to be a good role model for your students, because students look up to their teachers like I have in the past with mine. Another difference is teachers need to have eyes in the back of their to keep an eye on everything in the classroom. It's a completely different perspective being in the classroom as a teacher. There is one main similarity between the two, though. Both teachers and students learn from each other everyday.

Copyright

As a future teacher it is very important that I am aware of all the copyright laws. I read two articles to learn more about copyright. First I looked at "15 Copyright Rules Every Student Should Know." One thing I found interesting is that copyright lasts throughout the author's life and an additional 70 years after. Thanks to this law, classic novels can be distributed freely in the classroom. It's also important to know that there's a fine line between sampling and stealing. Video and music can be used to a certain extent - three minutes of video and thirty second song clips can be used in student presentations.

Next I looked at, "Copyright for Teachers and School Librarians," and I read some of the rules about watching videos and listening to music in class. A student can bring a movie to school to watch during lunch or free time as long as it's only that child that is watching it. It is against copyright laws to show a movie to the whole class. Teachers aren't even supposed to listen to a CD in their classroom. In both of these cases, money could be made off of the people who don't have the movie or CD, which is why this rule exists. In many of my classes, elementary through college, these copyrights have been broken.

15 Copyright Rules Every Student Should Know
Copyright for Teachers and School Librarians

Holiday Plans

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! What's not to love about eating a bunch of delicious food with your family? My parents are always the hosts of the Thanksgiving feast, and my siblings, their families, and my uncle and cousin were all a part of the festivities this year. It's always a good time when my family gets together, and my nieces and nephews have a blast. The menu this year consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, wild rice, lefse, and several side dishes. Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is right around the corner! It's time for the Christmas decorations and music! Bring it on!

Polaroid Pictures

I used Photoshop once again to create more pictures! (Have I mentioned how much I like Photoshop?!) This time I used templates of Polaroid pictures. The smaller ones can either be left in strips or they can be cut out into individual pictures. It's fun to experiment with different templates and pictures to see what new things can be created.

Form in PowerPoint

There are many different ways to create forms and worksheets. I made this worksheet in PowerPoint by changing a slide's size to 8.5 x 11. Forms can also be created on Word, Google Drive, or Photoshop.

VCSU's Education Program

 This was my first semester of classes at VCSU, and it went very well! This semester I was enrolled in four education classes: Introduction to Education, Educational Technology, Math for Elementary Teachers, and Educating Exceptional Students. They are all beneficial classes that I learned a lot from. As I mentioned before, I am also doing a 40 hour practicum as part of my Intro class. There are some things that I've learned in my classes this semester that were connected to my practicum. In Intro we learned about lesson planning and implementing, and in my practicum I was able to observe how my cooperating teacher planned and implemented her lessons. Also, in my classroom many different forms of technology were used such as the Smart Board and use of computers. A lot of the lessons we were going over in math were being taught in my classroom as well. Finally, there were some students in my classroom with exceptionalities such as learning disabilities, English language learners, and giftedness which I learned about in my Educating Exceptional Students class. One thing that I really need to work on to become a more effective teacher is not waiting until the last minute to get things done. I am a horrible procrastinator! Hopefully next semester I will get better at completing assignments early.

Germ Cover

 

This is a time of year where there are lots of illnesses going around. We need to make sure to wash our hands often, and remind our students to do the same. In class we were given hand sanitizer, but it looked very boring. So I created a germ cover on Photoshop, cut it out, and pasted it to the pen-shaped hand sanitizer. I now carry it with me in my backpack so I always have it in class!

Instagram Images

Using Photoshop, I created these Instagram photo strips. These alone are a cute project, but we didn't stop there...We cut each photo out individually, mod podged them to little tiles, and glued magnets on the back. This is a great gift idea!

Blurring Faces

We were introduced to Gimp, which is basically a free version of Photoshop. With Gimp we learned how to blur out faces. This could be used if you want to post a class picture on your blog, but a parent doesn't want their child's picture to be posted on the internet. To do this, you will use the ellipse select tool to select the face and then blur it with the Gaussian blur filter.

Cupcake

Using Photoshop, we edited a picture of a cupcake by learning a few simple tools. First, we got rid of the background with the magic wand tool and saved it as a PNG file so that it could be posted to other places without the rectangle behind it. Then we changed the color of the top and bottom of the cupcake and added sprinkles with the brush tool. This simple activity was good Photoshop practice.

Google Apps

Google Apps is very beneficial in the classroom. It includes a variety of useful tools such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Sites, Google Docs, and Google Video for education. Gmail has lots of storage space for emails and it allows for convenient instant messaging. With Google Calendar, students and teachers can keep track of their schedules and share them with each other. Google Talk is useful for calling or chatting online with students and/or other teachers. Google Docs allows you to share documents and work on them with others from separate computers.  Google Sites is an easy way to develop your own website. Google Video is a way for schools to use video to communicate and collaborate with each other. Clearly, Google offers some great tools, and they are all useful in the classroom.

Google Apps

Magazine Cover

As a final Photoshop project, we created a fake magazine cover. I used a photo I took of NDSU and turned it into an NDSU issue of a college magazine. This was a fun activity, and I really grew fond of Photoshop!

iSpy

I spy a paper clip, 3 girls, 6 pumpkins,and a magnifying glass.

 

In class, we created our own iSpy book by taking pictures of random objects and writing a sentence telling the reader what to find. This is an easy way to create a fun activity for students. 

Poster

Using a poster found on Pinterest as a reference, I recreated this poster on Photoshop using a template from Vistaprint. This is a good, affordable way to get posters for your classroom!

BuILd YoUr WiLd SeLf

Build your wild self is a fun activity for children. It can be utilized in a lesson about animals or a great way to let your students use their imagination. This can also be a fun activity to do during free time and a chance to use computers in the classroom.

Practicum

I am having my first field experience in a fourth grade classroom at Kennedy Elementary in South Fargo. It has been a good learning experience so far. I have learned a few different teaching techniques such as using the Smart Board, overhead, and computer. Also, during math every day my cooperating teacher has the students answer math problems on white boards which is a good form of informal assessment. Being in a teacher role is quite a bit different from being a student. However, every day teachers learn things from their students as well. I really like having the opportunity to spend time in an elementary classroom. It's different for me since I work at a day care with toddlers. So far I haven't found anything that I don't like about my field experience.

Winter fun

It is October 4th, and it is snowing! Fall is my favorite season, so it makes me mad when it gets shortened; however, I do enjoy some things about winter.  I love snow because it is so pretty, but I just don't like the cold weather and icy roads! In the winter I enjoy going skiing and ice skating. Obviously one of my favorite things about winter is CHRISTMAS! I love getting together with family and baking Christmas cookies. I always think back to when I was little my brother and I would spend hours outside in the snow building snow forts and snowmen and having snowball fights. I look forward to doing that kind of thing with my nieces and nephews this winter! Bring on the snow!

Embed a Form

About Me

My name is Kelsey Fercho, and I am currently a senior at North Dakota State University double majoring in Human Development and Family Science and Elementary Education through Valley City State University. My hometown is Casselton, North Dakota, which is twenty miles west of Fargo. I love working with children, so I have been working in child care for five and half years. I am currently an assistant toddler teacher at Early Years Learning Center in West Fargo. I will graduate in the spring of 2014, and I am hoping to find a teaching job in the Fargo area where I can teach 2nd or 3rd grade. When I am not at school or working I enjoy spending time with friends and family, watching movies, listening to music, cooking, and baking. One of my favorite things to do is cheer on the Bison football team! I joined the herd down to Texas for the championship last year, and I hope to have the opportunity again this year!

Wordle

Word clouds are a fun tool to use in the classroom! Wordles allow children to make a creative representation of themselves through words that describe them. The words they use more frequently appear the largest.

Reflection 2

    The first article I read by Marc Prensky was titled, “The iPad is Coming! (Or is it?).” In his article, Prensky discussed some of the benefits of using iPads in the classroom, as well as some potential problems with it. One problem he mentioned is how do we keep the iPads safe with students using them. iPads are very expensive, and I can imagine they are not the most sturdy device in the world. Prensky suggested solving this problem by purchasing cases for all of the iPads. Would this solve all the problems associated with students using iPads though? No, I do not believe it would. Many young students have not mastered responsibility yet at their young age, and they could easily lose it.
    The second article I read was titled, “Using Cell Phones for Exams.” Prensky believes that students should be allowed to use cell phones during class because that makes it so that students do not have to store as much information in their brain. His view is basically, why should we do the work when technology can do it for us? My opinion, though, is that yes, we should take advantage of technology, but we should not be completely reliant on it. What would happen if you were relying on your phone for a test, but for some reason there is no service available? I think if phones were allowed to be used in classrooms, students would not pay attention in class because they would be too distracted texting their friends or updating their facebook.
    By reading these two articles I could tell that Marc Prensky is very pro-technology. He believes it should be used whenever possible. I agree with this opinion to some extent; however, how much learning are we really doing if we rely solely on technology?

Marc Prensky 

Reflection 1

I believe Brad Flickinger’s “Educational Technology Bill of Rights for Students” blog made some very good points. Students can benefit a lot from the use of technology in the classroom. I think numbers 7 and 9 are the most important points on the list. It is very important for teachers to teach their students how to use 21st century technology because, as Brad mentioned, students will need to know how to use it in the future. It is also imperative that teachers teach their students about the dangers of the internet. Cyberbullying has become a big problem in this generation, and teachers need to be aware of risks as well. I do not necessarily agree with number 5 on the list. I think the use of social media in school would become more of a distraction than anything, and students would abuse this privilege.  I also disagree with the comment somebody made that “Mr. Flickinger doesn’t live in my world...” We are living in a world of technology, so this blog was very relevant. What is wrong with being proficient in technology?

Educational Technology Bill of Rights