Audio

 

     I had never considered using a podcast for my future classroom until now. Having really thought and read about it, it is a wonderful idea and a great resource to have in your toolbelt. Even thinking back, I remember in high school, when we were reading a few different things by Shakespeare, my English teacher would have it read to the class using videos on YouTube. You also have to be careful when using audio, it might not be right for every student. I know I am not the only one, but having all of my classes online and having to watch prerecorded lectures, it is very easy to get distracted and pull up other tabs or even pull up my phone.

Images

 

Influence

    Pictures are a very powerful tool that hold a great deal of influence over a group with how they feel and think about a topic. Just showing an image without giving any background knowledge or subtext allows someone to think whatever they want. I volunteered with the program called Michigan 826, and at this organization we would have students from a local school come in on a fieldtrip, we would break them into groups and give them a painting or picture to look at and then their group would come up with a story based on the picture. I think this is a great way to have our students "read" an image. They get to use their imaginations and come up with many responses.

Thoughts

    I believe teaching with images gives our students a brilliant advantage. Using images in our lessons will help our students remember what they have learned. I, personally, have an easier time remembering what I have learned if the lesson is taught using some sort of visual. I feel that if a visual is used, it helps drill the lesson into our students memories. It is the same with having our students come up with their own visual with the lesson. They get to draw and make up something that will help them remember the lesson even more. Imagery is very powerful

   

Digital Gos

     I have made many graphic organizers over the years in school. They have many purposes and they are a great way to organize your thoughts, especially before diving into an essay. I have always created my graphic organizers by putting pen to paper, it had never even occurred to me that you can make them digitally online. It was a different concept that most definitely has it's advantages.

    Creating a graphic organizer digitally is not all that different then making one by hand.  Honestly, the biggest difference is one is digital and one if hand written. I can't even make the argument that writing one on paper is faster because you still have to dig or your journal and your pencil and with the digital one you have to dig out your computer and pull up the website that you choose to you use.

    In my class with my students, I will give them the option to either make a digital graphic organizer or a paper one. I won't force them to use one over the other. I will be using graphic organizers to brainstorm for essays and all other types of projects. Like a compare and contrast chart, cause and effect, time lines, mind maps, concept maps, etc.

    The biggest concern I have with using a digital graphic organizer over hand writing one, would be what if the computer crashes and the student has not saved what they are working on. Then all of their work is just gone. Another concern would be "do my students have access to this technology outside of school"?