Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Inspiration

I recently discovered the Inspiration software program, which can be used to create digital diagrams, webs, and concept maps.  Using Inspiration, I developed a digital diagram that represents the life cycle of a butterfly.  I chose this topic because it is relevent and is a common science topic in elementary grade levels.  One may create a diagram, web, or concept map several different ways.  However, I found it easiest to first create an outline and then use the program to arrange the information into a diagram.  After a few adjustments, the diagram looked exactly how I wanted it to.  Being a first time user of Inspiration made it a little more challenging to learn how to operate the program.  Nonetheless, now that I have experience with Inspiration I will be much more likely to use the program in my future classrooms.  I think using Inspiration is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom for educational purposes.  Some other ways I might use Inspiration in my future classrooms is to create a concept map about a children's story, create a web during a class brainstorming session, or even create a KWL chart (Know, Want to know, and Learned).

Diagrams

I believe creating diagrams is definitely worth my time as a teacher.  Creating diagrams in class can model for children how to organize thought.  Diagrams can also enhance student learning because they provide children with a visual, and often times, children are best able to process new information when it is presented in multiple ways.  For instance, I could present a visual diagram to the children, discuss the diagram with the children, and help children to create their own diagrams to facilitate children's learning.  Because diagrams are a wonderful strategy for moving new information into long-term memory, I hope to incorporate diagrams in my future classrooms as often as possible.

Scavenger Hunt

I thought the scavenger hunt activity was wonderful.  In an article I read last week, scavenger hunts were noted as helpful to use in classrooms to support vocabulary development (in comparison to reading and copying definitions).  I am certain I will implement scavenger hunts in my future classrooms as a way to further engage children in learning.

Scavenger Hunt Screenshot

Animoto

Animoto.com allows users to upload images to create a 30 second slide show. This website is wonderful for people who are not "technologically gifted" or for those who are pressed for time. I uploaded a few images of me and my bestfriend, Joanne, to create a personalized slide show. I cannot wait to share it with her and others! I think this will be a useful tool to use in my future classroom as a way to share with families what the children are doing and learning at school.

Animoto Video

Digital Collection Reflection

This activity helped me to discover the numerous ways one can gather images to use in the classroom. Although I already knew images could be obtained by digital cameras and by scanning photographs, I was not aware of how to retrieve pictures from the internet, from the Big Box of Art program, or from screenshots. Two great websites to find images from the internet are Freedigitalphotos.net and Flickr.com. These websites offer images that are free and are not copywrited. Additionally, the Big Box of Art program offers a multitude of free images also. Finally, a screenshot is a way to save an image of the computer screen on a Mac computer by pressing the "Apple" button, the "Shift" key, and the number "4." I would be able to use screenshots in my future classrooms if I needed to explain step by step instructions for using technology.

Digital Collection