Basic Excel Skills

I never thought that having a Mac would put me at a disadvantage with Excel, but I definitely found a problem tonight. In order for me to complete this assignment, I had to download a program called StatPlus to use with Excel in order to get the statistics I needed. Finally, I was able to get the numbers to cooperate and this is what I came up with.

I am still not sure that I did this completely right, but I think I did. Anyway, I have learned a new trick today. I am not sure how I would use this yet. I am not completely comfortable using Excel and all these new ideas are throwing me into confusion. It will take a while for me to sort everything out.

I am from Maryland and I looked at the data provided by my state. I would say that Maryland is doing okay overall. They seem to be at the top of the pyramid and that is always a good thing in stats. There are 47 states below Maryland and 2 above them. I would definitely say that Maryland is above average and is doing a good job.
When looking at the different NETS standards, I am still not sure where to put this. I feel the best place for it would be the Model Digital Age Work and Learning. This data could possibly allow students to track their progress if teachers keep up on it. Also, parents could see how their children are progressing over time during a conference, etc. This chart could also allow a teacher to see who has what knowledge and who needs remediation. I am still not completely sure of what best to use this for because I am still trying to understand it. I think the more I use this program and test my stats skills, I will find a better use for the program and the numbers.

Google Sites

I have worked with Google sites before and had forgotten how to use them. This was a nice refresher on how to use the sites and also shows the benefit of having something like this for your students to view. I can see how this site would be extremely handy during the summer if one taught an AP course to keep students updated on their work assignments. My website can be found here Melissa Bernal Teacher Website. On my Google site, I have linked to the important documents that I created to explain myself as a teacher. Also, I have linked to the rubric that I created a to show potential students, employers, etc how I would grade an assignment. I like how one can upload a biography to explain a bit about yourself and let people see what kind of person you are.
This activity relates to the NETS Standards in a couple different ways. First, a teacher is designing and developing digital age learning experiences. As already stated, this website would be fantastic for AP classes and keeping students up with that workload. Also, students would be able to communicate with each other quickly and by using this website, along with something like FaceTime or Skype, they would be able to communicate. Secondly, this activity shows teachers modeling digital age work and learning. Teachers are showing that they are advancing in technology and that they are willing to try the different avenues of education to help their students succeed. I think it would be great for students to connect with their teachers outside of the classroom in a learning environment. So much stress is put on not using technology to communicate with students outside of school. This website would be somewhere that students and teachers could communicate about the needs of the student and the classroom. Finally, teachers are engaging in professional growth and leadership. Teachers are showing their willingness to keep up with changing technology to show their students how to use these great sites inside and outside the classroom.

Rubrics

Rubrics are a standard way to grade a student's performance on a specific activity. Using the Rubistar website, teachers can easily make a rubric to fit any of their classroom needs. Sharing the rubrics is even easier. If you save the rubric on the website, you are given an access ID number and can type it in to find the rubric that you need. I found this site extremely easy to work with and loved the fact that I can make a rubric for any assignment that I present to my class.

 I decided to create a rubric for a project that I do with my World History I class. It is a fun way for them to review important people, but also a way to get out of the classroom for a while and into the computer lab.

The worst part about this is that I cannot figure out how to upload this document as an Excel sheet. I will keep trying to figure it out, but as of right now, I am stumped...

This rubric building site is perfect for my department at Warren County. It fits into the NETS standards and it promotes building an environment of communication and collaboration. We could all use the same rubrics for students. Students would then know what is expected of them no matter what the situation is.

Self Grading Form

Gilded Age Quiz

We have just started learning about the Gilded Age in class and I think using this form is a way for me to check on the student progress that is made. Also, I believe that students can monitor their own progress if they take these quizzes on a regular basis. The video that was linked on the assignment was helpful, but I am finding that these online forms are hard to access in my school. The computer labs are always book and it always seems like we cannot get in there, even to do a short 5 minute pre-test or post-test for a unit. I am working to get a hold of the mobile labs more often, but they hardly ever work. I wish I could use this technology more at work so my students could benefit from it.

If you click on the link above, you can test your knowledge about the Gilded Age and see how well you would do based on the Virginia SOL standards. Below, is the link to the results page.

Quiz Scoresheet

This assignment connected with many of the NETS standards. I am promoting growth within my classroom community because my students are checking their own progress and seeing how they are doing in class. Also, we are big on tracking performances right now so this is a great way for students to track what they are doing. Also, I am continuing to use technology that furthers my understanding of these programs as a teacher. I can help my students become better learners if I can share all this new found knowledge with them.

Google Forms

I think that I have come up with a good way to do a pre-test and post-test with the Google Forms. I can have my students do them before and after a unit so they can track their progress. For example, if students were to go to this page Unit 1 Pre-Test, they will be able to take the short quiz and let me know where their knowledge is about this unit. This will give me a quick way to see where they are before and after every unit.

This type of document is already used in my building. We have our computer lab schedule set up on a google doc so teachers can edit and add dates they wish to use the computer without having to leave their desk. It saves a lot of time and people are quickly able to access the document.
The results would allow me to focus more on what material my students need to concentrate on. The google programs allow me to grow as a professional and also allow me to show my students the value of using technology in the classroom.

Prezi

World War 2 Prezi

I have never used Prezi before and it was definitely a challenge for me. I had to ask some of my students to help me figure out a few things. Its a good thing they know what they are doing!
Even after watching the videos, I still had a hard time understanding how to use Prezi. I feel that powerpoint is much user friendly and easier to operate. I like that there is a different option for presentations, but I was having a hard time doing this presentation quickly. Powerpoint is easy to fly through and get the necessary information added.
I can see the advantages of doing a presentation like this. If you are covering a topic that is quicklyaddressed, I would use this format. Anything that requires more than 20 slides, I think should go into a powerpoint. It is much easier to follow and is less time consuming to produce. Also, I think that Prezi is would be great for students to get a varied form of instruction. It would probably be boring to see a power point in every class. Atleast with a different program, they could see a different way of presenting the material. Also, this could be good for their short projects they do in my class. I would want to train them on how to use Prezi first before I turned them lose on this one. I can see how someone could get distracted when using this program. There is alot to absorb.
Finally, Prezi addresses the teachers inspiring student learning and creativity. Students can be encouraged to develop a different way of seeing the material and also, they can be challenged to make their own version for projects. Second, teachers are modeling the digital age work and learning. Prezi is a new presentation software and more and more teachers should pick up on these ideas to explain matieral to students and other teachers. Finally, teachers are engaging in professional growth by trying out these new programs. Without teachers experimenting with new software, students would not be encouraged to do the same. How can we ask our students to do something that we are not willing to try as well.

Digital Movie

Causes of the Civil War YouTube Video

I made a digital movie about the unit I did last week with my US History class. It is a short over-view of the all the major topics we would be learning about within that unit. This activity shows teachers modeling digital age work and learning and also teachers design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. Finally, teachers are engaging in growth and leadership within their schools. This is a new type of technology that can be used to reach students who are home sick or out on a vacation. There are many possibilities for uploading videos to YouTube for your students.