Digital Photography and iMath

David - it's so true that mathematics is the subject that gets the short end of the stick when it comes to innovative lesson plans. I have to admit, I fall into that trap almost daily. Since I wasn't a very mathematically-minded student as a child, I find it difficult to come up with lesson plans that are fun and creative, and present different approaches to learning. Aside from using math manipulatives (which I do often as the students are more engaged), I definitely lack in the innovation aspect of math teaching.

This website looks great, and I especially like lesson plan idea about the math vocab photobook. Although this is a MAC site, it is also a lesson task that can easily be adapted to a program such as Microsoft Movie Maker.

I thought the lesson plan looked so good, and the site itself looks promising, that I joined! I hope the fact that I don't have a Mac doesn't have an effect on the amount of resources I can access! I look forward to using this website, thanks for the sharing the wealth!

In Response to KISS

This is a message that responds to David's posting on beginning with the end in mind...starting with an expectation and working your way backward from there.

It's so true, David. We sometimes really do need to learn how to crawl before we begin to run. Although it's sometimes difficult to do, I was first encouraged to put the 'start with the expectation first' concept into practice during my BEd year at Brock. However, sometimes it is difficult to work that way - but rewarding nonetheless.

One question though, I heard you refer that concept to KISS - what does that stand for?

Podcasting & Special Education

In response to Vanessa's find on Podcasting and Autism...

That looks like a great find, Vanessa. I found something similar about Learning Disabilities. I think it's really important that parents and other people in the field have different resources and outlets to consult when trying to learn more about what the child is going through. There are definitely more sites and podcasts needed about things like PDD and Learning Disabilities - the things that really matter when it comes to Special Education.

Learning Disabilities and Podcasts...

http://www.ldpodcast.com/

While researching podcasting and special education, I came across this website that offers podcasts on Learning Disabilities.

To quote the website:

The LD Podcast is a free weekly podcast/internet radio show about learning and learning disabilities. Our focus is on parenting children who are struggling in school, but you'll find many of the topics we discuss applicable to any child. You'll hear a lot about how to emphasize your child's strengths, while helping them find ways to minimize their deficits. Every child learns, but not all children learn the same way or at the same pace as others.
Topics include:

Dyslexia
ADHD
Central Auditory Processing Disorder
Asperger's and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Strategies to help your child succeed in school
Special Education
Therapy and therapists
Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities
Understanding How Your Child Learns Best and How You Can Help

This seems like a great website directed at parents or educators who would like to learn more about different disabilities that they may have to work with on a daily basis. So, I thought it was interesting because we have all been so busy researching the effects of podcasting on education directed at students - but what about the parents and educators who need to learn more? This just proves that podcasts are a great way to educate and inform people about topics that really matter.

Why So Strict??

Is anyone else frustrated by the amount of websites they are NOT allowed on by their board? I look forward to getting some course work done while on breaks at school and I get very frustrated when I realize that I am allowed on to absolutely no sites!! I'm completely blocked. No blogging, no podcasts...very frustrating!! I want to see what everyone else is seeing! Okay okay...I'll just have to wait until home time:)

Powerpoint or Podcasts?

This post is in response to a message by Christine - talking about the benefits of using Powerpoint as a stepping stone for creating podcasts.

Christine - I completely agree. Using Powerpoint as a stepping stone for creating Podcasts is a great idea. Everyone is always saying how teaching your students Powerpoint is useless because of all the new and exciting technologies out there such as podcasts, so why not Powerpoint useFUL instead? In my class the kids have a Powerpoint presentation assignment where they have to make up a children's story in at least 5 slides plus a title page. Most of them think that this is the end of the assignment. But wouldn't the students be surprised to find out that they are only half way there - that there is another component to the assignment; translating that Powerpoint presentation into a podcast?! That's a wonderful idea! And believe me, I am definitely one of those teachers who need to use a software "rough copy" first, before diving head-first into podcasting. It's nice to know that there is a stepping stone on which to base our knowledge of podcasts...great!

Podcasting & Student Achievement

http://www.etech.ohio.gov/programs/action/research/newark_english.jsp

While researching podcasting, I was trying to find things that people haven't come across yet. I have been seeing a lot of podcasting with subjects like science, but I haven't seen a lot with the arts. The arts are my passion - so I would like to learn more about how to use digital storytelling and podcasting in the arts classroom. Well, when searching for the 'arts' I came across podcasting and Language Arts. Also something that interests me!

This article discusses a study conducted to see if using podcasting in the English Language Arts classroom would improve student achievement. Although the conclusion of the study could not find a definitive correlation between podcasting and student achievement, the majority of participants reported that the audio podcast improved their skill development. I find it interesting that people would conduct studies to see how podcasting can directly and positively affect student achievement in children and I look forward to further researching this area!