Week 7

Top Ten Tech Tools I Can't Live Without:

1. Glogster

2. Animoto

3. Twitter

4. Concept maps

5. Wikis

6. Virtual fieldtrip app

7. Webquests

8. Digital storytelling

9. Voicethread

10. Blabberize (my favorite)

Week 6

There are several good apps that could be implemented in the social studies classroom. I like the app which allows you to take your class on virtual fieldtrips. Proration has placed limitations on what teachers can do for their students. This app allows you to bring the fieldtrip to the students. The app still gives students the ability to travel to other countries and learn about different cultures. The stock market simulation game is also a good app. This app allows students to participate in a virtual stock market and it teaches them about economic principles. World book is another good mobile app. This app provides a this day in history calendar to show students when important historical events took place. It also provides other media such as photos, illustrations, music, and speeches for students to hear. Digital storytelling is a process where students can use images and audio to tell the stories of lives, events, or eras in history.

Week 5

I believe it is important to be a good digital citizen because if not, you are putting your reputation on the line. If you are trying to publish information on the web for others to use, you want that information to be creditable so people will be willing to use it and provide your information to others. The last thing you want is for people to determine that you have plagiarized or provided false information. If this happens, then people will always question information you put out there and your credibility will always be in question. You also need to be sure when using others information, that you cite their work. You do not want to take credit for someone else's work. This will not only get you into a lot of trouble but will also destroy your reputation. In order to be a good steward of digital citizenship, you must know and be willing to follow the rules. 

Week 4

Desktop publishing generators would be something I could see myself using in my classroom. I like the idea of my students being able to generate their own flyers and posters, brochures, newsletters and magazines, and books and booklets. Benefits of allowing them to publish their own work would increase their self-esteem and raise their interest in writing.  Web design software, which offers web-based lessons, gives teachers the ability to create instructional activities that students can do on the web. Webquest  is a good example of this type of software. Students' motivation is increased when they realize their work will be "on the web". Rubistar is another material generator that allows the teacher to publish rubrics for different types of activities. I have used rubistar to create rubrics for grading power point presentations as well as poster project and found it easy to implement.

http://nardok.edu.glogster.com/digital-citizenship

New assignment for Technology.  Working hard.

Bernard

Week 3

Drill and practice software provide exercises in which students work example items, usually one at the time, and receive feedback on their correctness. Example software is drills in history and geography concepts: http://tutorial.teachtci.com 

Tutorial software is an entire instructional sequence on a topic, similar to a teacher's classroom instruction. Example software would be linear tutorials which gives the same instructional sequence of explanation, practice, and feedback to all learners regardless of differences in their performance.
U.S. government tutorials: http://congressforkids.net

Simulation software is a computerized model of a real or imagined system that is designed to teach how the system works. Example software would be physical simulations which allow users to manipulate things or processes represented on the screen. Social Studies simulations: http://www.socialstudiescentral.com/?q=content/online-interactive-simulations


Instructional games software add game-like rules and/or competition to learning activities. Example software Jeopardy game-maker and library: http://www.superteachertools.com/jeopardy

Problem solving software may focus on fostering component skills in or approaches to general problem-solving ability, or provide opportunities to practice solving various kinds of content-area problems. Example software would be Memory challenge: http://www.criticalthinking.com

Week 2

It is my OPINION that Wikipedia should not be a source for students to use when doing research for any history project. A project for history requires information that is fact and that can be proven. The main problem with Wikipedia sites is that some times the information provided is not cited so there is no way to check the accuracy of the information and whether or not the author of the article plagiarized, which would lead a student to unknowingly plagiarize. Another problem I have with Wikipedia is that a lot of times it includes others opinions about a topic rather than fact. I have determined this on several different topics using creditable sites that refuted what was put on a Wikipedia article. I do not believe these sites need to be dismissed completely, but for a student writing a research paper in history, Wikipedia sites would not be the best source in which to gather facts about their topic.

Week 1

Hello, sorry so late but I guess late is better than never. My name is Bernard Karabin and I live in Dothan, Alabama. I have been married to my wonderful wife for almost twelve years now. We have three children, two girls and a boy. I have been in education for eight years now with half of those being served in the same school. I am currently teaching at Northview High School, where I teach U.S. I and U.S. II. Looking forward to taking the necessary steps to achieving my masters.

My Life These Days

In the busy, crazy life we lead I have found time to go back to school to get my masters.  This weeks assignment we had to use create a concept map, a Glog, make a video and "free choice" with technology.  So here are my thoughts on each one of these.

Concept Map - This is the second time doing a concept map.  I love doing this and think it is a great tool to use in the classroom.  My concept map

Glogster -   This is new technology for me.  I had never heard of it and it was very difficult to navigate in the beginning.  In the end, it turned out to be a pretty neat tool for the classroom.  Take a look at my creation.  http://nardok.edu.glogster.com/worldwariiglobalstruggles

Animoto - This little tool is pretty neat.  Once I figured out exactly what to do it was easy to put the slides together and create a 30 second video.  I could see this as being a good technology assignment in the classroom.  My video: World War II

Free Choice:  We had different options for this part of the assignment.  I decided to go with Blabberize.com.  This was definitely the most fun out of the four.  It was a little tricky but once I got the hang of it I really enjoyed it.  This option you picked a picture and made it talk.  I am not sure how to work it into my class assignments but think it would give learning a different outlook.  Because I chose to do World War II for my assignment, I decided to pick FDR, Hitler and Churchill.  Each one gave a small biography of their life.  Below are my three talking pictures:

Blabberize.com - viewing: Winston Churchill
Blabberize.com - viewing: Adolf Hitler
Blabberize.com - viewing: Franklin D Roosevelt

All these were fun learning experiences.  I have learned more about different technology available for educators and hope to have an opportunity to incorporate in my classes.

Until later,
Nardo

In the beginning....

Welcome to the Karabin Family Blog.  It is a crazy life but we definitely LOVE it.  Each day brings new adventures with three kids going three different directions.  We never know what each day will hold but we awake each morning strap on our seatbelts and get ready for a wild ride.  Stay tuned for more.