Online Graphing

Today, I took the graphs I made last class using Kid'sZone to represent the NAEP test scores and how West Virginia compares to the national average.  Then I published a couple of Google documents showing the  NAEP fourth grade math scores as well as the  NAEP eigth grade reading scores that contain a comparative bar graph and a summary.  By using Kid's Zone to make a graph of the test score data and publishing a Google document about it, the following standards have been met:

3c Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital-age media and formats ,
5c. evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning

Online graphing tools

I learned how to use an online graphing tool called Kid's Zone to make a graph depicting how the NAEP scores of West Virginia compare to the United States as a whole during the past three testing years.This matches ISTE standard numbers two and three because by making a graph to represent this information, a teacher can incorporate digital tools and resources to collaborate with their peers to figure out what needs to be done to improve the situation

Diigo

Diigo is by the far, the neatest browser add on the I have ever used.  It works great with Mozilla Firefox.  It is very useful to be able to book mark information on here and then be able to highlight items so that I can share what I feel is important with others.  I can see where Diigo is going to save me a lot of time in the future.  Diigo matches ISTE standard three by providing a quality method of collaboration and communication between teachers and students.

Wordle

 

Today I learned how to use Wordle to make a word cloud.  I chose to use lyrics from the Billy Joel song, "We didn't start the fire" because it mentions a lot of important historical figures.  I believe this would fit into the ISTE standard two.  From looking at this word cloud, students can see important historical people and events that i would want them to research.  I used jing to capture this image and post it to my blog.

Using Jing for video capture

Jing can not only be used to capture screenshots of a computer, but make screenshot videos as well.  Jing makes the video in a .swf flash video file that can be used in wedbpages and presentations.  For example, I made a video that would show a student how to properly set up paragraph spacing, font and font size, as well as the margins for writing a paper. Jing is a free resource that can be downloaded off of the internet.  We also created a diigo account today.  Diigo allows uses to highlight and put sticky notes on webpages. This classifies as a digital resource of the ISTE standard number three by providing a tool to communicate educational videos from teachers to students as well as peers.

Jing Image

Picassohead

                                                                  My Picassohead

When i was making my picassohead I didn't really have any questions about it.  I thought it was a fun activity that helped me remeber some of the skills I had previously learned.  This could go under ISTE standard one that states "promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness."

Empathy

Today I took the empathy quotient test and scored a 40 on it.  I do not think I have benefited much from taking this test other than knowing that I have an average level of empathy.  I do not feel that I have been hurt by a lack of empathy in my life because most people around me are empathetical to me as well as others.  Being empathetical when in the classroom will  help me to understand my students and colleges better in order to have a better learning environment.  Empathy plays a part in ISTE NETS standard of communication and collaboration in that students need to be empathetical when learning with others so that they will support the learning of their fellow students in the classroom and all over the world.

Results of the Keirsey Temperament Sorter

The results from the Keirsey Temperament Sorter matched my previous prognostication very accurately. I guessed myself to be a guardian and that is what the sorter told me I was.  I can use the knowledge of this personality type to have a better understanding of myself when being a leader in the workplace by using problem solving methods that not only get the job done, but also help with my efficiency of doing things in a manner which works best for me.  I can also encourage my future students and colleges to take this test so that I can see which type of temperament they are in order for everyone to work together to learn and solve problems better.

The Keirsey Temperaments

I had no experience with personality tests prior to this assignment. I had actually never ever heard of the Keirsey Temperaments before this.  After reading the descriptions of the four temperaments, I would rate myself guardian, rational, artisan, idealist.  I would say that I am primarily guardian followed by rational because when I was reading the descriptions, they seemed to fit me best.  I like to think of myself as a dependable, hard working problem solver that likes to get the job done. 

Thursday's class

In class today, we started by taking a survey from google docs.  The results from the class will be made into a spreadsheet.  Then we worked as a class in Excel to edit a spreadsheet together.  In Excel, we anyalized the data an averaged the questions.  I discovered the Windows snipping tool, which was very cool. I created my own form for people to fill out. Please click here to complete my survey.  Teachers can use the data from these surveys to detirmine what their student's needs are and change his or her teaching method to better serve the students, thus linking it to ISTE standard two.