Sense of Place Poster

Making this poster was a really fun project. I was challenged to look through my collection of pictures and find ones that were really indicative of where we live. In Kodiak we are surrounded by water. We smell, taste and hear it every day. That's why I chose so many pictures of the ocean and beaches.

I was intrigued by the idea of using this in the classroom. I could see how a teacher would be able to let his/her students use this as a way to communicate to communities outside their own classroom. This would be a great way for students to show a "pen pal classroom" pictures of where they live. It could also be used to document fun classroom events and make posters for parents to see what their child's classroom did each week and or month. Thanks Skip for introducing us to such a neat tool.
Melissa

Digital Video

I had a lot of fun making this video. I really don't think students would have a hard time creating a video like this. The movie maker was very easy to operate. I had a bit of difficulty timing my overlays just right but with the atomic videos and our class time I was able to manage. In fact, I was quite proud of myself for figuring it out. One of the things that this class has really impressed on me is that technology doesn't have to be intimidating. I don't think I want to learn HTML code just yet but playing around with the built in tools on my computer has proved very rewarding. I plan to make up a Christmas slide show....as soon as all my other classes are over. I hope you enjoy the video I made.

My Favorite Time of Year

We are fast approaching the end of 2008. I can't believe that this year has gone so fast. Looking back over the last ten months I am reminded of all the memories that were packed into this year. My first child turned 8 this year and became an awesome helper to me around the house, he became my right hand man when his dad is at work. My second son Caleb learned to read. I was able to watch him go from sounding out letters to reading books. There is such magic in that.
My husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage and were able to spend 10 days in Hawaii just us. We reconnected and remembered how much we love and need each other. We also fell deeper in love with our children as we reflected on how much joy they bring to our lives. We came back missing them which I thought was exactly how it should be.
In August our baby girl turned 4 and we have officially turned the corner from the road of toddlers to.....I don't even know what they call the ages between toddlers and pre-teens. Wait, I know "Hold on for dear life because the roller coaster of life is about to really take off."
As the year comes to a close I hope we all can remember the memories that we made and look forward to the opportunity to share with each other the simple, everyday events that make our lives so rich.

PowerPoint As An Instructional Tool

I just finished my assignment! Wow, Skip I can see how you would feel nervous about doing this assignment by distance. Reading some of the other students entries from the blackboard examples made me wish that I could of been in class. Even if only to see and hear the other students. I hope I wasn't the only one pulling my hair out. Thankfully, I was able to make it through and I didn't loose much hair......or sleep.
Now, as far as using PowerPoint as an instructional tool. I found that as I created each slide I needed to think about each action that needed to be accomplished by the end of the instruction. Sometimes, it was difficult to put into words where I needed my student to go on the screen. Action arrows and call outs really helped to direct attention. I can see how having a lesson saved and ready to play would really help students. In a differentiated classroom, where a student may need extra help, a lesson such as this could fill that need.
I could also see it being used as a reinforcement for a student that is ready to move beyond the basics. Some students are very technology wired (ha, ha) and would benefit from this hands-on approach.
I know that I could find myself using PowerPoint to teach lessons and to provide continuing instruction for various subjects. PowerPoint is an amazing presentation tool and can be applied to many different areas of instruction.