Intro Preso Experience

Last week we did our introduction presentations with a partner. My partner dropped the class after the first day so I had to present someone that wasn't there. It was quite depressing. But I thought I did a good job on my half. I wish I would have made the PowerPoint about myself but that's okay.

My partner and I decided to use PowerPoint on the first day because that was the only medium he knew how to use. I really enjoyed seeing people use Prezi because it got me really interested and now I want to use it for future presentations I may have.

I think if I had added more pictures of myself and partner it would of looked a little nicer and more fun. I also wish I would of spoken up during the presentation and scanned the room. I sat in front of the computer to do my presentation so one half of the room couldn't hear what I was saying.

Overall I think I did a great job at presenting. I would make a few changes to my PowerPoint and probably use a different form of media if I were to share this information with someone else. I would also add more pictures and speak up while presenting. I would also choose a partner that was still in the class. :)

Libraries in Second Life

Libraries in Second Life Since I want to be a librarian, I wanted to find really interesting libraries with facts about new information or educational tools. I found a lot of libraries that did not have information cards or ways for students to find new information. the list I have complied is a great resource for teachers wanting to find books or new information on the web. 1. Ivory Tower Library of Primitives This library had great information on math concept. It had great notecards with a lot of information. Most of the information includes prisims and building new shapes. This resource will help students learn new math concepts or help them understand math in the real world. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Natoma/170/173/26 2. Cybrary City II Public Library This public library has one hundred great books and famous authors. Students can come here and find interesting and famous books. When they click on the book, they are taken to a website where they can download the book for free. This is great for teachers who are on a budget and cannot order print books. It's also interesting for the students since most live on the internet now a days. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cybrary%20City%20II/88/161/22 3. Within Ten Years This site in Second life has a library with free informationon a wide varitey of subjects. The island includes many sites to see and information of professionals. Students can learn about a variety of things. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Within%20Ten%20Years/176/194/23 4. International Schools Island This is mostly just a building with a list of most of the libraries in Second Life. I find this really helpful when wanting to travel and find information around the world. Students can pick a library and research what they have to offer. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/International%20Schools/105/55/35 5. American Library Association This is the main source of information of anything dealing with libraries. It is the Library Association and it is widespread across America. All the librarians have to get their masters with a school accredited by the ALA. Students can come here and find great information about books and the library. They also have a site of banned books. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ALA%20Island/128/110/28 6. Special Libraries Association This island also a database of libraries of special interest. Some of the libraries include archices land, pet bereavement center, library studies, and wine library. Students can use this to find information about special areas. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cybrary%20City%20II/28/94/23 7. Tisch Library and Wright Center Climate Change Education Center This is a great resource for science teachers to use in the classroom. Most of the information includes weather and climate. Students can come and learn about clouds or weather in their area. This is a great interactive land for students and teachers. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eduisland%203/212/194/23 8. Rockcliffe Library This is another great science library for teachers in that field. There are notecareds with information on science, medicine, and law. Students can click on the notcards and find information on a variety of subject areas. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Rockcliffe%20Library/119/116/639 9. Anteater Island The libraries in this site are all from the University of California-Irvine. This island has great resources from UC Irvine Libraries. There are many libraries to choose from and students can pick from a selection of topics. They can reserch topics life science and law. Great resource for teacher and also college students who may be interested in UCI. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Anteater%20Island/88/176/24 10. Eduislands Information and Services Center This island is a group of island for educational needs. There are island with information on technology, libraries, schools, and churches. Students can learn about different real life places in the world and find facts to use in papers. Teachers can also find great sources online from this site. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Eduisland%203/118/37/23

Libraries Across America. Are they needed?

While I was reading Cool Cat Teachers blog I came across a blog that talked about libraries and how the internet is becoming our new library system. I think that is true that the internet is the new place to find information but libraries are still opened around the United States. The internet has a lot of offer and can help with researching information. But this is not helpful to people who don't have internet at home. I read an article called Stupid Question of the Day: Do we still need libraries? that the blogger added at the end of her blog and really enjoyed it. It caught my interest because I want to work in a library someday and it makes me sad that people think libraries are not needed anymore. The internet is very useful in finding information but people who don't have internet at home need a place to go and people to ask that know a lot about different resources they can use. Librarians can tell you more about finding resources and new information than a computer could. They know the ins and outs of new technology and can be helpful in your research.

picture from http://jennings-jones.com/Library_Internet.jpg

New Technology for the Classroom: The Clicker

The clicker is a new technology advancement for students to use in the classroom. The clicker is used by students to give feedback to the teacher and lets the teacher know if students understand what they are being taught. It is also used to answer questions that the teacher asks during the lecture. I think this would be a great device for a lot of students. Some of the younger ones might not understand it but I think it could be used for junior high through college. I would love to see something like this at our college.

Clicker

BookServer

BookServer is a virtual library where you can download, borrow, or buy digital books from all across the web. It has not yet come out and is still being worked on and improved but they hope to have it out soon. BookServer will be better than Amazon’s Kindle Store where they only sell digital books in one format, which makes it hard for a lot of people that do not have this formatting. BookServer will be able to have formats that can be downloaded to laptops, PCs, game consoles, and smartphones. I think this will be a great improvement in many ways.

BookServer Website

Technology of the Future

I think we watched this video or a video like this in class but I was just so amazed by it that I wanted to write a blog about it. It just blows my mind the different facts they throw at you about populations, technology, jobs, and social networking. The most amazing fact for me is that they are training students now for jobs for technology to solve problems, all of which don't exist yet. I also thought the fact that if Myspace were a country it would be the 5th largest in the world. It just goes to show that technology and the internet are becoming increasingly popular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q75KhAeqJg

First Blog

This is my first blog! I'm in class at UNI and we had to make a blog. It's awesome! I found a great article on how to incorporate technology in the classroom. Marilyn Western wrote about different activities that students could do online or on the computer. She said that blogs were a great way for students to write stories, talk about current events, or have class discussions. She also said that students could use digital cameras to take pictures and make a collage or make a video. These were all great ideas that could be used in the classroom.

Technology used in Classroom