SL Tour Galaxy

For Quest 5 in SL I thought it was cool to explore the galaxy. I did the Space & Galaxy tour. 
It started with the Astronomy Gallery which looked so real & gives you that feel of actually being in space. I took this shot that I really liked:



There was a planetarium which had a lot of different things to  explore and seeing the planets so close up with every detail was intriguing. My favorite destination of the tour was the SL Planetarium Dome. It was really nice in there seeing the planets up close. It felt like when I went to the space station in St. Louis and we went in the dome and could see the stars and different aspects of the galaxy. I stay in that destination the longest & it didn't hurt that some other people were just relaxing in there as well enjoying the view. Here's a pic I took:


In two of the destinations there were little night club type areas with dance floors & bar area that I thought was a neat idea to add some variety to the tour. Overall I really liked it, it took longer for the full destinations to upload all of the items, but I expected that since it had a lot of info to upload. I was very surprised at the detail even the NASA information center, it provided background info regarding space related history & milestones.

 Overall I really enjoyed it and liked being able to travel to all of the connected locations and look at the information about different planets and overall space related info in general. I enjoyed this tour to say the least!!!

SL QUEST 4

I just did a basic clothes change into a jacket and jeans, this part was a little bit more slower and "glitchy" & the clothes did come up, but took a while.

SL QUEST 3

Now that I see how cool SL really is & can actually enjoy my explorations on my Mac,

I like the functionality of it & really like how real it looks, the pic below is in the LionHeart's Railroad Tunnel that I happened to stumble upon. It sounded like a real railroad track and everything. I like how vivid and vibrant the colors/pictures are. It keeps you interested in moving forward. In the first part I liked the Ol Wise Owl, for some reason I couldn't pick the ball up though.

Thought the train coming my way was cool, glad I wasn't on the  track.

One thing I did notice on this quest was I accidently hit some of the F buttons at the top of the keyboard and noticed it had my avatar make different sounds & say different words. For example: F5 said, "WOW" & F6 said "Get Loss...kinda cool!!

Second Life QUEST 2

                                                             BEFORE

Functionality was still the same, but I liked going to and exploring different objects/items. I had an issue with the camera it kept giving me an error that that I didn't have enough money to put the pictures in my inventory so not sure where I went wrong there, but the only other options for the picture was to send it to my email or save it. I am able to navigate a little better and adjust the different views to move around and see things better.

Understanding the different camera views and ways to moved helped me a lot. but I did have an issue with the game freezing or taking forever for me to make one simple move while on my windows laptop.

AFTER!!!!!

***Tonight  though  (12/7) when using my Mac, I found that after installing the updated version of Second Life it works TONS better on an Imac yaaaayy!! I can walk fast, spin fast, fly fast...EVERYTHING is tons faster without all of the glitching so SUPER excited about second life now. And low & behold......       


                  A PICTURE: TADAAAAA!!

Just me flying around Dr. Z's area.....

I'm a Gamer....so I thought!!!!

The new game I tried was L.A Noire, now recently I've been on The Sims mode and really enjoy playing that series of game. I tried L.A Noire which is where you are a detective from 1940's and you have to try and solve different crimes. The game is very indepth and detailed and you have to piece together the right pieces of the puzzle to get ANYWHERE in the game. It was so interesting because you even have to discover which witness is telling you the truth or not based on the answers they provide, one wrong guess prevents you from moving forward properly in the game. So it was definitely interesting and difficult, but made me use  my brain.

I liked getting the hands on knowledge of what a detective job entailed at that time. I don't feel like I was in the flow of the game at all!!!! There were chasing scenes and fighting scenes where I had to apprehend suspects and I had no coordination to be able to do that effectively. I also found it hard to select which witness responses were believable given the clues discovered at the crime scene.

This game was fun, but definitely stressed me out because there were times when an object was right in front of me and it took me FOREVER to figure out where it was. So it definitely was a test of visual and mental awareness. It made me think about what ways gaming can be incorporated into technology, you have to find a game that can benefit all individuals, so maybe having a variety of games and letting students test out which one sparks their interests and seems like something they can do is better. I enjoyed my gaming, but think I picked too hard of a game 8)


Truly,
dpledge

The World is Flat...Well We're Getting There!!!!

I've heard a good deal about the innovation of technology in regards to education and it being "flat". By seeing all of the projects and experiments going on with technology world wide, I am a believer that a flat world is the right way to go as far as education goes. It's a great way to share information about other cultures and collaborate from where you are instantly without spending mega bucks to take a visit. I would have loved to sit in my classroom and collaborate with a student from China or Africa etc. That would be the best experience ever!! I think with the way technology is evolving it's making this type of collaboration more attainable and can prove as a true learning experience. We can finally throw out the old history books and actually get a current depiction of what we need to know.  I'm all for the flat world, I hope this is something heavily incorporated when my daughter enters school because it would be a great thing to follow and be apart of as a parent. Cheers to being flat!!

Truly,
dpledge

Technology in Education????

I use technology in both a classroom and corporate form as far as education goes.  At work we have many trainings that incorporate online simulations and audio features to help enhance the training. I think my employer does a great job of finding online resources that fit directly with the concepts being learned. For instance I just went through a mobile phone training for the mobile app that was launched and there was a simulation of the iphone where we could literally go through each option of the phone to see what a customer would experience. We have the live phone image on our computer screen where we could make selections and navigate as if we had the actually had the phone in our hand. We saw all the error messages and tabs....very cool and great example of just how far technology has come!!!

Of course in class, being in an online class has no choice, but to offer a plethora of technology. That way learners can tap into their own learning and even explore other opportunities to enhance their learning. Being able to explore new mediums helps all students in the classroom instead of settling on one main method and trying to make it fit for everyone.

Truly,

dpledge



            The QUESTION: To Train or NOT to Train????!!

SO....I read an article today asking if teachers need training in online instruction????  

My thoughts............OF COURSE!!!! No person is perfect nor is anyone too smart to not benefit from extra  training and instruction. When teaching online you have to be an educator that understands your student's needs from a distance. Thinking that class should be conducted as if students were in a physical classroom is a big NO, no!! You have to take into account that student's have personal lives as well and instruction needs to be developed in a manner conducive to learning that way.  

Training can often times shed new light on any subject and get people to thinking differently about how they do things. So it's not a bad thing for teachers, if anything, it can help teacher's with re-designing and re-defining their instruction to foster  learning for learners.

Truly,
dpledge

Cell Phones in School?

WAIT!! CELLPHONES ARE USEFUL 
                                                 IN SCHOOL????????????? Hmm....



     It's no secret that cellphones have definitely been scrutinized in relation to their benefit in the classroom. I was surprised to see that there are now some tools that students can use on their phone to connect more with school.

All of these programs are text based, which is something students LOVE to do!!!

Remind101: Remind101 allows teachers to send text messages (and email) home -- to students and/or to parents -- to offer reminders and updates for class. Remind101 allows teachers to communicate with their classes without either teacher or students having to share their phone numbers.
Poll Everywhere: As the name suggests, Poll Everywhere allows teachers to use cellphones for polling in class. Students text their responses, using their cellphones to give feedback, answer questions, take quizzes.
Celly: Celly provides SMS-based group messaging. Classrooms can use the service to take quick polls and quizzes, filter messages, get news updates, take notes, and organize and hold study groups. The groups can be public or private, moderated or open.
StudyBoost: StudyBoost allows students to study via SMS-based quizzes. The questions can be self- or teacher-created, and can be multiple choice or open-ended.
  ***Courtesy of Texting in the Classroom: Not Just a Distraction By Audrey Watters

A Great Start!!

Truly,
dpledge

        Technology is a GREAT tool!!! The blogs that I am following, are good resources regarding digital technology. They discuss tech use in school, the workplace, and just facts and news articles to help enhance anyone's knowledge about technology.

Here's a cute video about children & technology use, this school was given a technology makeover based on this video:

                                                               Courtesy of YouTube

It's so interesting how younger students can maneuver technology and I'm interested to see how much they will change how instruction is directed based on their knowledge. I love to see stuff like this!!!

Truly,
dpledge

New Tech Bites

I think the Roxio software would be a great addition to any type of technology program. It allows individuals to get direct hands on experience with digital media and being able to develop DVDS, CDs, make cards, calendars, slide shows, and even edit photographs. This is a one stop shop to allow an individual to experience the world of digital creation.

 I recently bought a laptop and this program was already installed on it and although I haven't used it yet, I can certainly see myself using it to create fabulous home videos of my daughter to send to her Grandma in TX!!!

In the past I have used Imovie make and Windows Movie Maker, but I'm excited to see all that Roxio has in store!!

Truly,

dpledge

Assistive Technology Devices

Assistive Technology

Info received from http://sparckidsat.org/Tech%20Tips/techtips.html

Image courtesy of:http://www.fusd1.org/19271065183236313/site/default.asp

 Discussion Questions:

• Describe how you might use any of these resources to assist speciaI l needs of students in your class now and/or in the future. 

 All of the resources listed on the site are great tools to incorporate in any type of K-12 classroom to assist students with disabilities.  This resource with multiple tips and techniques for all age ranges.voice  I think the voice recognition and voice software items are very useful to keep students engaged in the classroom.  

• Present at least 2 new ideas/applications/opportunities that you learned about assistive technologies through your research.

               -I learned about the Taction pads for younger kids. It's attached to points on a mat to help encourage rolling or crawling.  It has a motivating auditory response that gives kids praise to let them know they're doing good and keep them motivated.

          - I also learned about the T.A.L.K which means Take Along Language Kits. These kits helps student with language development and allows physical hands on contact with different items to enhance student learning.

Locations for Attaining Assistive Technology

• Enabling Devices-Assistive Technology Products for People with Disabilites http://enablingdevices.com/catalog
• Family Guide to Assistive Technology http://www.pluk.org/AT1.html
• Assistive Technology for Children with Autism http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst10.htm

The sites above are GREAT resources for educators and families!!

Truly,

dpledge

                                                                              WIKIPEDIA

Q1. Margaret Santori, (in the Literacy 2.0 book) demonstrates Wikipedia to her students. Most school do not allow Wikipedia to be used. Would you use Wikipedia like Margaret Santori with your students?  Why?

A1. The video attached, courtesy of YouTube, gives an overview of this site. I  must say it's not something that I take information from as a source. I usually go there if it's a quick basic question. Early on I was always told not to believe anything on the site, but I also know this site has greatly evolved over the years. I think Margaret Santori does a great job with incorporating Wikipedia as a discussion tool. The factor that students can learn to agree to disagree as long as they are able to argue their position is great! I always loved debate situations and hearing the "What Ifs" from other students. It helps with  effective student collaboration.

Q2. If three dimensional reading and writing books with technology (sound, hyperlinks, videos, etc) are our present, what do you think is the future of the written word?

A2. I can't imagine how much more advance we could get with technology in relation literacy. We're already at a point where information is readily available to us in the matter of click. I hope written word sticks around, but with online blogs and the social technologies now being able to capture moments instantly I think the amount of written word resources may be limited, but it won't vanish.

Truly,
dpledge

Teacher Student Cell Phone Use???

What do you think of the idea of teachers and students using cell phone to text information to each other about the class?

  - As much as I LOVE texting, I'd have to say I don't have a good feeling about it occurring between students and teachers. I'll admit that a lot of the scandals between teachers dating students that have been all over the news is a big reason why.

       



I feel texting is a lot more personal and could potentially promote negative relationships like those stories we have heard all too often. It's something so minor that can get out hand.

I like the idea of having an email with a list serv set up for all the class and one email goes out to that course that way nobody is being contacted individually on a consistent basis. I haven't reached the point where I think texting is ok especially for younger grades consisting of minors. This could be something that works in college, but then again from my experience an email has always been best. So I say PRESS.....SEND! *On an email though, not your phone!!    

Truly,
dpledge

Gaming In Education

Whack A Mole Alphabet Game

From reading Dr. Kathy's blog I know that it is VITAL to have a game that's going to be effective if you're going to implement it into the classroom. The game I found is called Whack A Mole and it's supposed to help students with learning the alphabet. This game is clearly targeted at younger kids and I must say...........I  would NOT recommend it or use it in the classroom. Why you may ask???


FIRST- you're supposed to take the hammer and hit the letters in order. When I first played it I thought you hit the letters as they pop up based on order (to provide a challenge)....NO you apparently have to wait to each letter of the alphabet pops up in order. So you go A-Z and you pretty much wait to the next letter in line pops up even though extra letters are also popping up at the same time. I must say it got rather boring just waiting for A to pop up, then B, then C etc.

SECOND-The letters pop up too fast, but the click with the sledgehammer is too slow. So even though the right letter may pop up, if it pops up in the back corner you probably won't get to it fast enough. I know if it was hard for me, it would be extremely hard for kids.

So I'm not a fan of this game and I can't see where the concept of it would be beneficial other than students practicing the alphabet after they have completed it at the top of the screen. It would require a long time hitting at the letters before completing the alphabet and I think that would waste useful instruction time in the classroom. So it may be a resource given to parents that could be something students could do at home or perhaps if in a car if on a LONG road trip!!

Truly,
dpledge