Excel 1 Basic Skills Score Comparisons

For this assignment, I went to the NCES site and looked at the state comparisons section in order to see how my state of WV did in regard to 4th grade reading scores compared to the other states and District of Columbia.  Unfortunately, it would seem that in 2011 our scores were less than stellar when compared to our neighboring states and the national average.  As a teacher in WV, I have already seen these results, but it still really leaves a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I see them.  At any rate, here is where we fall. West Virginia ranked #41 out of 51 in this category (2011 4th grade Reading Scores.)  We had 41 states above us and 9 states including the District of Columbia trailed us.

Once the above data was gathered, I transferred it into Excel and using the Data Analysis Tool Pack add in, was able to calculate descriptive statistics for the selected data ranges.  For the totals range(rounded to the nearest thousandth), the average scale score was 220.408 and the standard deviation was 6.752.  West Virginia's actual score was 214.386.  I then created a scatter plot graph to give a visual representation of where we fall in the mix.

As this shows, WV still has a long way to go to catch up reading achievement on a statewide level.  I appreciated this assignment, because I was able to take numerical information in a list form and create a visual representation of it, which I personally find easier to digest.  Like "they" say, "A picture is worth a thousand words."  And, for many learners, a picture really does convey the overall message much more quickly and memorably.  We still need access to the mundane data, however, in order to get into details and back it all up.

The NETS standards used in this assignment are:

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.	demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
b.	collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
c.	communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.
d.	model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

    Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources. Teachers:
    a.   participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

Google Earth Map Assignment 4

For this assignment, I used the map that I had already created with the Civil War battles of West Virginia, but went a step further with it.  Here, I changed my map to the KML option in Google Maps so that I could transfer it into Google Earth.  Presto!  Now my map looks like a satellite image as opposed to a road map.




Maybe its just my computer, but I really didn't notice a difference between the detail in the KML on Google Maps and Google Earth.  Also, when I looked up my house in Google Earth, the image was really old.  We're talking five years old.  I also noticed the resolution was very low when you tried to tighten up the view.  I searched around, but didn't find a way to change resolution.  Is there such an animal?  If there is, and you are reading this post, please tell me how to change it or update the date of images in a comment below. :) It would be very much appreciated.

Once again, the NETS demonstrated by this exercise are definitely 1. Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity.  This would be especially helpful when looking at geological features.  The detail of seeing mountains, plateaus, water depth, sand bars, etc. is really interesting.  I actually used this to look over the East Coast of the US to see where the slope of the coast and water depth are lower.  I like a wide beach with a gentle slope into the ocean.  I hate big drops!
This would also be a fun and creative way to either review or assess material taught, thereby citing NETS #2, and, of course, anytime students can see NETS 3, Model digital age work and learning being used by the teacher and better yet, they get to use it, there is going to be a positive response.  Students like using digital technology and they will pay closer attention and hopefully retain more because of the added attention and satisfaction of actually enjoying the assignment.

Map Virtual Field Trip to Civil War Battle Fields in WV. Map 3

In this assignment, I created a map to go with a lesson on The Civil War.  More specifically, the location of several battles within the state of West Virginia.  My map ended up containing eleven identified battle sights. The sites are color coded and include a legend with the name of the battle and the date (month and year) that the battle took place.

This is a great thing to know how to do, and I can see where many teachers could use this, especially in the Social Studies classroom.  I'm not really sure how I would tie it into Office 2010 or Desktop Publishing, but I definitely will be showing my students how to do this toward the end of the year.  I think this would be great for them to use for projects, reports, etc.I'm sure that my students would probably be a little faster with the application than I was too.  Although, I thought this was really cool, it also took me forever to complete it.  Each time I would try to add a marker, the program kept wanting to put in advertisements along with the place that I wanted to mark.  I'm sure as I continue to use this, I will work out the kinks and figure out what I could do to avoid that. :)

The NETS demonstrated by this exercise are definitely 1. Facilitate and Inspire student learning and creativity.  It never ceases to amaze me how students excel when given new tools to work with.  I could see dividing them into groups and letting them brainstorm ways they could use this application and then turning them loose to create it!
This would also be a fun and creative way to either review or assess material taught, thereby citing NETS #2, and, of course, anytime students can see NETS 3, Model digital age work and learning being used by the teacher and better yet, they get to use it, there is going to be a positive response.  Students like using digital technology and they will pay closer attention and hopefully retain more because of the added attention and satisfaction of actually enjoying the assignment.

Batch Geo- Mapping Made Easy! Part 1 and 2

I loved this assignment.  It was short, simple and oh so cool!  I have often wondered how they got those little balloons on maps to mark, "you are here," and now I know!

The first part of the assignment was to go to Batch Geo in order to input my information into a spreadsheet which would then be used to create a map detailing where our individual class members reside.  Part 2 was to go back the next day and produce the actual map with the information from the spreadsheet.

I found this application to be very user friendly and fun too.  Even my fifteen year old son said, "Pretty cool, show me how to do it." For some reason the right click copy and paste didn't work for me, as Dr. Pierce had indicated it might not.  So, I had to use the keyboard commands to copy and paste from the spreadsheet to the website window, but that was no big deal at all.

I could find a hundred and one uses for this in the classroom.  The first thing that popped into my mind was history.  I'd have students mark the actual places on a map where certain events took place and include a date and some pertinent detail in the descriptors.  They could also map out colleges that offer the program they are looking for or the colleges they are already considering.  They could map their families or ancestry.  The possibilities are numerous, and I think they will have fun researching and creating the assignment.

The NETS I see here are:
 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a.	promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.	engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.	design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b.	develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.
c.	customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources.
d.	provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.	demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
d.	model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices. Teachers:

b.	address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.
c.	promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information.

Google Forms

I put together a response form that was given to students back in November in paper and pencil form. The form titled, "Its Your Education, but How are We Doing?" can be found by clicking here.
The summary data is also included.

Students were instructed to go to my blog and click on the link to take the online version.  I thought it might be interesting to see how or if the data has changed since the beginning of November.

The NTSE standards addressed with this teaching tool are:. 
3.Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

Teachers exhibit knowledge, skills, and work processes representative of an innovative professional in a global and digital society. Teachers:

a.	demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.
b.	collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation.
c.	communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media and formats.
d.	model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning.

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a.	promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.
b.	engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources.

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers:

a.	design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
b.	develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress.

Self Grading Form

My self grading quiz was a few easy questions about Spring.  I had my son and husband take the quiz and they both answered all three questions correctly.  However, I wanted to see that I did everything correctly, so I changed their answers so they had some wrong. The spreadsheet worked great and the results were accurate.

I was actually surprised that this wasn't more time consuming.  When I first saw this assignment, I just groaned and shut the computer down thinking it would take me forever.  Of course it didn't help that I had the flu and a temperature of 102.  All that aside, however, this is an awesome tool!  I wish I would have known about this at the beginning of the year.  This will make my grading of tests so much easier. :)

This is also a great communication tool.  I could send questionnaires, etc. to parents and or students via Edline to both give and receive timely pertinent information.

My biggest challenge was to get the URL once I was out of the program.  I forgot to get it before I started my blog.  I like the fact that you can view both the quiz and the spreadsheet along with the fact that you can allow or disallow changing of responses.

One drawback I see is the fact that you must be online to use this tool.  Therefore, if you don't have a Google account, you need to get one.  Also, if your internet goes down, you cannot continue working.

The NETS most prevalently addressed in this assignment are;   5.  Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership, 5c evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning. d.  contribute to the effectiveness, vitality and self-renewal of the teaching profession and the school and community.  It is important that we as teachers not only keep up our skills but show students and the community that we are by employing tools such as Google forms in the public arena.

Prezi

While this is not the first time I've used Prezi, it is the first time I have used it this extensively.  I chose to do my presentation on writing, because our students will be taking the Online Writing Assessment the week of 3/18-3/22.  All teachers in the school have been really working to improve writing techniques and getting the students to think in an organized fashion before they begin inputting their final draft. This seemed like the perfect platform. 

I like the flexibility of "Prezi" and the professional look of it.  I also appreciate the movement from screen to screen.  It keeps kids more focused.  Its hard to compete with the technology they have literally at their fingertips.

I like Prezi a little more than PowerPoint.  I think they are both pretty easy to use on the surface, and equally difficult when you start getting into the real meat of them.  However, both platforms are equally attainable to the average person, and I like that.  One advantage Prezi has over PP is that there is no need for additional software purchase since it is on the internet.  That also means easy access from any computer anywhere.  If you forget to upload the changes you make to a PP presentation and are in a different location and would like to work on it or show someone; Oh well, you're outta luck!  With Prezi, you can do either.

I have used both Prezi and PowerPoint with my students in class.  The preferences of my students is split at about 60/40 in favor of Prezi.  They too liked the fact that you can work on it anywhere without having to worry about carrying around a jump drive.

The ISTE NETS addressed would include #3 Model Digital Age work and learning.  Using resources to support student success and innovation. Also, I would be demonstrating fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.  Also, 1c was well represented in this project; promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding, planning, thinking and creative processes.  If they can come up with pictures to tell a story or a process and then narrate it, they probably have the material well in hand.  I can see this being a great assessment tool!!