Web 2.0

Concept Map of Five 

Senses with bubble.us

The Five Senses with Glogster:  http://bullardshan.edu.glogster.com/edit/the-five-senses/

Big Huge Lab
http://bighugelabs.com/jigsaw.php

http://bighugelabs.com/cube.php

Animoto video of The Five Senses: http://animoto.com/play/NaAvSwG0JTbfjwft3QO5ow

My opinion on Web 2.0 Resources
1.) Bubble.us:  I really enjoyed working with bubble.us.  I am a visual learner myself, so I try to incorporate thinking maps into many of my lessons.  I enjoyed producing my own thinking map with an online resource.

2.)  Glogster: I enjoyed working with Glogster.  I feel that this site will be very useful with many lessons.  I did find the site a little difficult to navigate. However, with time I am sure it will become like second nature.

3.)Animoto:  I really like the Animoto site.  I found it to be very easy to nagivate.  I can see myself using this site often as a neat way to introduce a topic.  I look forward to seeing what I can do with Animoto with a full membership.

4.)  Free Choice: I tried to use the tikatok.com site, but a code is required.  Instead, I used bighugelabs.com.  This site was also easy to use and was appealing to the eye. I think this site would be a great tool to use in order to catch students' attention. For older students (high school students, perhaps), I think it would be appropriate to have them use this site to create a project.

Blog 2: Should students play games in school?

Should students play games in school?

This is an interesting question that I struggle with myself as an educator and as a parent.  I believe the authors of our book, Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching say it best when they advise the reader to “balance the motivation that instructional games bring to learning” (page 97).  I believe that it is important to reach out to the students and attempt to spark interest by making learning engaging and fun.  I also feel that the computer is a great tool to use as an incentive for students to complete work, work together, and for behavior management.

At the same time, I also struggle with the notion of students requiring constant “entertainment.” Everywhere you look, kids are interacting with a monitor of some sort: playing on a TV, game console, hand-held game, computer, or playing on a phone.  I have even recently purchased a Kindle for my ten year old son.  I do feel that children have lost the art of appreciating an actual book or the art of entertaining themselves with hands-on activities and the use of manipulatives in the classroom (and the ability to hold an extended conversation or enjoy scenery on a lengthy car ride rather than “be entertained” by a hand-held device). 

That said, there is a very important place for technology both inside and outside the classroom.  As I learned in my Educational Planning class, we need to prepare our students for their future, a future which will undoubtedly involve staying up to date with current technology.  Therefore, as educators it is our job to teach children, even those as young as pre-kindergarten, how to use computers, help them enjoy computers, and to teach children that there is always more to learn about computers. 

Introduction

Week 1:
My name is Shannon Bullard.  I am a wife to Scott, who is the Dean of Academics at Judson College.  We have four children; Judson (10), Desmond (7), Campbell (6), and Walker (4).  I have taught kindergarten in both North Carolina and Texas .  I have also taught 1 year as a second grade resource teacher.  In 2008 I left public education to focus my time on raising my children.  For the past 3 years I have been directing Christ Episcopal Preschool in Tuscaloosa, AL.  I hope to return to the classroom next year when my youngest enters kindergarten.  I had decided to work on my masters so I can get caught up on current teaching strategies.  In my spare time (which is few and far between), I enjoy watching my children play soccer and I enjoy watching my daughter participate with her gymnastics team.