FV_Option_1

This is my final video for ETC.  In the video I discuss one of the major things that needs changed in my education system.

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For some reason when I try to embed my video, the code is all that shows up.  The video won't upload to the blog either.  Here is a link to my viddler page where the video is posted. http://www.viddler.com/explore/jcoffelt/videos/13/

PE6_Flash

I created an animation in Flash that was basically a bunch of shapes moving around the screen; kind of like a screensaver.  I used the shape tweens function to create much of the animation.  I used 4 different layers and added many different key frames into the timeline.  I was also able to move the key frames to different positions in the timeline.

I have tried uploading the animation to blogger several times but keep getting an error message.  I am guessing that the problem is that the animation is too small, but I'm not sure if this is the issue or not.  I tried to make the animation longer but still got the error message.

I have really enjoyed working with Flash.  I definitely need more practice time with the program, but I think I have the very basics down.

PE5_Flash

Photo from www.sxc.hu/

Ok...the shape tweens tool was a little confusing at first.  I had to watch the videos on lynda.com a couple of times.  I have learned that the shape tweens tool allows you to create the beginning and end image of a shape then let Flash automatically add animation in between the beginning and end.  It looks pretty cool and saves a lot of time trying to animate all of that.  I can see the shape tweens tool being very useful in creating animations.
I can see that creating animation with Flash is definitely going to take some time and lots of practice!  There is a lot of vocabulary and different aspects of the program to learn.  I again attempted to create an animation using the new tool, but it was very unsuccessful.  I ended up getting frustrated and having to quit the program for the night.  Hopefully it will go better tomorrow!

PE4_Flash

I have continued to watch more of the Flash videos on lynda.  I am learning about the different layers and the timeline.  It has been a little frustrating figuring it all out, but I think it is slowly coming along.  When trying to work with the layers and the timeline, I have found that I end up having to delete half of what I've created because I didn't put something in a different layer.  Creating animations has taken me much longer than I hoped it would and most of my attempts don't turn out!
I have also learned that I can import images into Flash and use external images.  This is a good thing because my drawing skills with the pencil/paint brush are not very good!
The next videos I am planning on watching are about graphic symbols and shape tweens.
Flash is a very in-depth program that is definitely taking a lot of learning time and practice.  I am glad that I decided to learn more about this program now.  Hopefully practicing with Flash now will help me be less frustrated when we use it later in the program.

Photo from www.sxc.hu/.

W4_Reading

Peterson, K., & Davis, B. (2008). A novice teacher improves student engagement through goal setting and literacy work stations. Ohio Journal of English Language Arts, 48(1), 17-23. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
     This article discussed how students, much like adults, will avoid activities that are boring or not liked and be engaged in activities that are fun and entertaining.  By having students set learning goals, they become more motivated and involved in their learning.  Other studies showed that students who set learning goals had more ownership for their learning, used time more effectively, and mastered more concepts.  Results of this study showed that students worked harder towards goals they set for themselves rather than goals that were set for them by a teacher.  


Palmer, S., & Wehmeyer, M. (2003). Promoting self-determination in early elementary school: Teaching self-regulated problem-solving and goal-setting skills. Remedial and Special Education, 24(2), 115-26. Retrieved from ERIC database.

     This article showed ways to teach students to become problems solvers, set learning goals, and to evaluate the progress towards those goals.  This study discussed 3 stages that helped students to solve a problem and set a learning goal based on the problem.  Results of the study showed that students as young as 5 or 6 could uses the stages to set appropriate learning goals.

Madden, L. (1997). Motivating students to learn better through own goal-setting. Education, 117(3), 411. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

     In this article, the basics of a goal are defined.  The properties of a goal are specificity, difficulty level, and proximity.  Basically, a goal needs to be more specific than to do good on a test.  This study showed that goals helped to motivate students.  Rewards for reaching goals was also found to be an important part of goal setting.  

Hannafin, M. (1981). Effects of teacher and student goal setting and evaluations on mathematics achievement and student attitudes. Journal of Educational Research, 74(5), Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

     The difference between student set goals and teacher set goals were observed and discussed in this article.  The attitudes of students who set their own learning goals were found to be better than the attitudes of students who had goals set for them by teachers.  Students who set their own goals were also more committed to those goals.  Students who set their own goals achieved more of those goals than students who had goals set for them.  

PE3_Flash

I watched the videos on lynda.com about the draw tool and the paint tool in order to create images/shapes.  There are tools that are similar to the paint program I used when I was a kid: fill can, paint, pencil, straight line maker, oval maker, rectangle maker, etc.  One of the neat things about Flash is that it has a deco tool.  This tool has preset images that you can select and draw.  You can choose from flowers, trees, buildings, fire, and many more!  With this tool all you have to do is click to start the image and release the mouse to end the image.  It was pretty fun to play around with!  Below is an image I created using the deco tool (building option), oval maker, and fill can.  Pretty basic, but I'm learning a lot!
I plan to watch more lynda.com videos about creating animation and other aspects of Flash.  I am looking forward to trying it out!

W3_Reading

Cunningham, J., Krull, C., Land, N., & Russell, S. (2000, May 1). Motivating students to be self-reflective learners through goal-setting and self-evaluation. Retrieved from ERIC database.
    This was an action research project conducted with elementary school students.  Goal setting was one of the techniques used to try to improve self-efficacy in students.  Results of the project showed improvements in the areas of persistence, problem solving, motivation, and accuracy.


Adams, N., & And, O. (1996, May 1). Improving student engagement in learning activities. Retrieved from ERIC database.
     This article discussed ways to actively involve elementary school students in their learning.  Goal setting was one of the aspects used to try to improve student self-image and responsibility for their learning.  The results of this project included increased student engagement, more appropriate goals being set, and better self reflection of both teacher and student.


Bogolin, L., Harris, L., & Norris, L. (2003, May 1). Improving student writing through the use of goal setting. Retrieved from ERIC database.

     The research in this article showed that students don't know how to set appropriate goals for their learning.  Teachers should model and teach how to set appropriate goals.  The article discussed that student setting their own learning goals would be more motivated to take responsibility and ownership of their learning.  Students tracked their own progress and were able to see the improvements they were making.

Thurman, R., & Wolfe, K. (1999, January 1). Improving academic achievement of underachieving students in a heterogeneous classroom. Retrieved from ERIC database.

     This article discussed several interventions for academic underachievement.  One of these interventions was student goal setting.  Results of the study showed students were more actively engaged and took more responsibility for their learning.  Most students also showed an improvement in their grades.

PE2_Flash

I have watched several of the videos for Flash and have had some time to play around with the program.  The tutorial videos on lynda.com are very helpful and thorough.  Flash seems like a very interesting and useful tool for creating animation/movies.  The thing that I have found the hardest is keeping all the vocabulary straight as well as remembering all the of the shortcut keys.
So far all I have created are just basic shapes on the screen.  I have learned to use the paint bucket tool, the paint brush and pencil, as well as the deco tool.  The deco tool has images like towers, flowers, fire, and trees already created so all you have to do is click and drag to make the size of the image you want.  I found the deco tool neat to play with.  I have also learned the different between object drawing and merge drawing as well as the different types of things that can be done with each.  The next videos I am going to watch are how to create my first animation.  I am looking forward to learning how to do this and trying it out!

BP12_OMM_Dance Mat Typing

BP11_Comment to Amanda McGhee

Amanda wrote a post about Animoto.  Please follow the link to my comment on Amanda McGhee's blog.

BP10_Comment to Susan Calland

Sue wrote a post about Virtual Field Trip.  Please follow the link to my comment on Susan Calland's blog.

PE1_Flash

I decided to look into Flash for this week.  I chose Flash for a couple of reasons: 1. I didn't really know what it was or what I would use it for, 2. I had heard that Flash could take some time to get used to, and 3. I've been curious about the program ever since I downloaded everything onto my computer!
The first thing I did was go to lynda.com and watch some videos about Flash.  The first video I watched described what the program was used for.  There were many videos available about what Flash can be used for and how to create different types of media using Flash.  I plan to watch many more videos and play around with the program.

Screenshot from lynda.com video.

BP9_Dance Mat Typing

Dance Mat Typing is an interactive and fun way to teach students the proper way to type.  This Web 2.0 tool starts by introducing terms, such as home row keys, and showing students the proper way to place your hands on the keyboard.  As each letter is introduced, students are told which finger to use as it is being demonstrated on the screen.

Students then get to practice what they have learned.  Students practice several letters/words with what they just learned.  This Web 2.0 tool has several levels and stages that students can choose from.

Each level has a different character to introduce and teach the letters.  These characters are fun to watch and speak in funny accents that students would really enjoy.  There are fun animations, music, and encouraging comments to keep students motivated.
I know one of my struggles being an elementary school teacher is trying to teach students the proper way to type.  Most of the time students like to "hunt and peck" to find the letter they want.  Dance Mat Typing would be great to use in the computer lab as a whole class activity.  Students would be able to work at their own pace and students who needed to repeat lessons would be able to do so.  Students could continuously repeat the entire program to keep practicing their typing skills.

To make the activity more difficult, the keyboard shown on the screen will disappear but give you the option to have it back.  This really makes students concentrate on what they are doing!
Since this tool teaches the proper fingers to use, it could also be used as an introduction for a lesson for a teacher.  Dance Mat Typing could also be used as the independent practice of a lesson or as a review of what students have already learned.  This is a great tool that can be used as the entire lesson or for any specific part.

W2_Reading

Latham, G and Locke, E. "New directions in goal-setting theory." (2006) Retrieved October 8, 2010, from: http://home.ubalt.edu/tmitch/642/Articles%20syllabus/Locke%20et%20al%20New%20dir%20goal%20setting%2006.pdf
In this article, Locke and Latham discuss how to choose a goal and how to set appropriate personal goals.  Although a goal may be appropriate for me, it might not be appropriate for someone else due to the feelings and challenges the goal creates.  The article also discussed how goals affected people in a job setting.  Progress and change only occurred when a goal was seen as difficult to achieve.  Macro-level goals, goals and the subconscious, and group goals were also discussed.  The diagram below demonstrated the relationship between traits, such as passion, to the goal that was set.

White Dove books. "Inspiration: 7 habits of highly effective people."(n.d.) Retrieved October 8, 2010, from: http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/7-habits/7-habits.htm
This article described each of the 7 habits that Stephen Covey talked about in his book.  The first habit: be proactive, refers to thinking of the long-term and being positive.  The second habit: begin with the end in mind, a person must set goals in order to make progress towards the 'end'.  Without setting a goal, there will be no way to measure your progress towards the 'end'.  The article continued on to discuss the remaining 5 habits.

O'Grady, M. "3 life lessons I learned from Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, & Jack Canfield." (n.d.) Retrieved October 8, 2010, from: http://www.sales-psychology.com/support-files/3lessons.pdf
The lessons discussed in this article were taking responsibility for your life in order to change it, setting goals to achieve what you want in life, and becoming self motivated.  Each lesson provided a portion of the theories/beliefs of each Covey, Robbins, and Canfield.  One of the items discussed in the article was Covey's time management matrix, which helped people to achieve their goals by helping them to prioritize.

"Goal setting." (n.d.) Retrieved October 5, 2010, from: http://www.ndt-ed.org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Goal_Setting.htm

This article discussed the benefits of setting goals in the classroom.  Goals were found to be more successful when students helped to create them as well as when they were posted in the classroom.  Goals helped students to know what the expectations are and gave students something to work towards.  Classroom goals should be based on objectives and provide the steps to take in order to meet the goal.  Teachers can also set their own goals for the classroom, which will allow the teacher to think about what the most important concepts are.

BP8_OMM_Story Jumper

BP7_Comment to Kelly Baker

Kelly Baker wrote about the Web 2.0 tool WiZiQ.  Follow this link to my comment on Kelly Baker's blog.

Picture of screenshot from: http://www.wiziq.com/

BP6_Comment to Susan Calland

Sue wrote about the Web 2.0 tool Teacher Tube.  Follow this link to my comment on Susan Calland's blog.

Picture is a screenshot from: http://www.teachertube.com/ 

BP5_Story Jumper

Story Jumper is an awesome Web 2.0 tool!  With this tool, you and your students can write and create their own stories.  You can also read stories that others have created and posted on the site.

Once you create a free account, you can begin creating your story.  There are story templates that you can choose from to help students start their story.  Anything that is already on a template (pictures or words) can be changed to whatever the student likes.  This Web 2.0 tool also keeps a collection of the stories you have created so that you can revisit them.  Stories that are created can be published for a reasonable price.  Students and teachers can also browse and read stories that have been created by others.  Finally, the site has a help tab.  Under this tab, students will find step-by-step directions on how to create a story and a book.  

What a great tool for the classroom!  This would be a great way for students to create stories as a class, in a small group, or individually.  Students will feel the excitement of creating a story of their own.  Students would also be able to share the story with their classmates and family.  Families would have to option to purchase a published copy of their student's book if they wanted.  Teachers could also purchase stories that the class wrote together.  I can see this being a great way to get students excited about writing and publishing stories/books!  This Web 2.0 tool could be used during a whole group writing lesson to discuss parts of a story or as a tool for individual writing time.  Students would be engaged with the fun pictures and scenes they can create in their books.

Last year my school subscribed to a company that did something very similar, but it was all on paper.  Students received a packet full of blank pages where they had to write their story in pen and draw pictures in markers.  From a teacher's stand-point, this was a great teaching tool for students to get excited about writing.  On the other hand it was also a major headache.  Students would smear the marker on their pictures and make mistakes with their pens and constantly need white-out.  When submitting the packet, the teacher had to make sure that all the pages were in the correct order and that there were no mistakes because they would be published as they were.  Story Jumper is the perfect alternative to this!  Everything is done on the computer; no white-out and not marker smearing!  Story Jumper makes it easy for students to be creative and helps them get excited about writing.

Screenshots taken from: http://www.storyjumper.com/

BP4_Game Classroom

Game Classroom is a Web 2.0 tool that allows K-6 students to play games while they learn.  The teacher or student can select the appropriate grade level as well as a subject area.

The games mainly focus on the subjects of math or language arts including topics such as fractions, multiplication, spelling, grammar, and much more!  There is a featured math and language arts game.  Each of these games tells you the grade level and topic of the game.  Game Classroom also has a place where students can go for homework help.  

I would definitely use this Web 2.0 in my classroom!  The site is easy to navigate and is engaging for students.  I played several of the games on this site.  The games that I played allowed students who missed a question to attempt it again, which is good for student confidence and motivation.  Students could play the games to practice a new skill they just learned or to review a skill previously learned.  This tool could be used for students who complete their work early or for students who need extra practice on a skill.  Several games had setting where you could choose a difficulty level, which would allow the same games to be used for all learners.  In the past several years, my students have always loved playing games on the SMARTboard.  I would have students beg me to put up a Sudoku puzzle or "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" when we had indoor recess.  I can see students being just as excited and enthusiastic about the games on Game Classroom.

I encourage you to try this Web 2.0 tool in your classroom!  This tool is designed for K-6 students and teachers.

Screenshots taken from: http://www.gameclassroom.com/home

W1_Reading

These are the first 4 articles I have found for my AR project.  For my project, I am focusing on students charting/recording their grades (by objective) and setting goals for themselves based on the results of their charts.  I hope that this will help to improve test scores and student motivation, which are both subtopics that I will most likely be researching as well.

"Locke's goal setting theory." (1995).  Retrieved October 2, 2010 from: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm
     This article discussed the link between motivation and goal setting.  Goals that were specific and difficult were better motivators and had better results than goals that were vague.  The article continued by giving 5 principles of goal setting: "clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, task complexity."
Although this article focused on goals in the workplace, these same principles and concepts can be applied to the classroom.

"Affirmations for radical success." (2007). Retrieved October 2, 2010 from: http://www.affirmations-for-radical-success.com/goal-setting-theory.html
     This article discussed a type of goal: the SMART goal.  SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound.  Like the previous article, this site discussed that the more specific and challenging a goal is, the more likely it is to motivate a person.  This article also stated that goals are made to help people be successful, therefore they should be something that are reasonable and attainable.

Johnson, P. "Goal setting theory." (n.d.).  Retrieved October 2, 2010, from: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/goal-setting-theory.html
     The history of how goal setting theory started is discussed in this article.  Dr. Locke's research and his results were briefly discussed.  This article describes the principles of goal setting as "ingredients...and the right combination of certain factors."  Reference to being used by coaches and managers was mention in the article, however these same "factors" and "ingredient" can be used in the classroom to create goals and motivate students.

"Valuable benefits of setting goals." (2005). Retrieved October 2, 2010, from: http://e-articles.info/e/a/title/Valuable-Benefits-of-Setting-Goals;-How-To-Set-SMART-Goals/
     In this article, it listed the top 10 reasons people tend not to make goals as well as the benefits and reasons that people should set goals.  Some of the benefits of setting goals were: setting goals provided a benchmark for success, built self-esteem, and motivation.  This article also showed you how to set a SMART goal.

BP3_Diigo Group

This is the screen shot of my Action Research Group in Diigo.  I am looking forward to using this as a collaboration tool for my AR project.

BP2_iGoogle Screen Shots

These are the current screenshots for my iGoogle page.  I know that I will be constantly adding to these tabs as well as creating new ones as the year progresses.  I never realized how easy it was to create my own PLE and I am looking forward to using it!


Home Screenshot

FSO Screenshot

AR/CBL Screenshot

ETC Screenshot

BP1_Google Reader

Arvind Balaraman (photographer). nd. School Kid, retreived September 30, 2010 from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Children_g112-School_Kid_p16459.html.



www.Edutopia.org
I chose this site to follow because it provides a lot of useful information such as blogs, videos, and strategies.  This site allows you to keep up-to-date on educational topics and blog with other educators about issues or ideas that you might have.

www.Teachertube.com
Teacher Tube is much like You Tube, but it is not typically blocked by school firewalls as You Tube is.  Teacher Tube has great video lessons in many different subject areas.  You can search for a broad subject or a specific aspect of a subject.  You can also post video lessons yourself.  Although you have to sign up to use the site, it is FREE!

www.TED.com
TED is another great site.  I know that we have all watched TED videos for class before, but this site is a great way to be involved and knowledgeable about issues in the educational world.  The videos can also be very inspirational.

www.WeeklyReader.com
Weekly Reader is a great resource for students and teachers.  This site corresponds with the Weekly Reader students receive.  This site does require a subscription, but is well worth the lessons and additional information that is provided on the site.  The students love the Weekly Reader and the activities that go along with it.

www.brainpop.com/educators/home
Brain Pop is a site that one of my group members introduced me to.  It is packed full of engaging activities and student centered lessons in all subject areas.  There are movies, comics, and quizzes that students really enjoy interacting with.  The site also has blogs and resources for teachers.