Hazen Happenings

Week 6 Reflection

2008-09-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

1. How would you describe this course to a colleague?
This is an online course that introduces you to various online tools, encourages you to play around with them, and helps you implement them in your classroom. Along the way, you get to see other teachers use the same tools. This helps answer questions and get ideas for your own classroom.

2. What was the best part of the course and why?
The best part was that it was completely online. I was able to work when and where I wanted to.

3. What will you take away from this course to use in your classroom?
Because of this course, I have started a classroom blog. I wish I would have thought of doing that years ago. I used to teach kindergarten, and I know it would have been a GREAT way to communicate with parents. I have always used classroom webpages, but a blog is much easier to keep updated.

4. What is one thing you would change about this course for the next group?
I think the only thing that I would change would be a face-to-face meeting at both the beginning and the end. It would be nice to see everyone that is in the class at the beginning before getting started. We could start the first lesson together to make sure that everyone understood the expectations and how to begin. Then we could do the rest on our own before having one last meeting at the end.

5. Would you recommend this course to anyone else? Why or why not?
I would definitely recommend this course. I learned so many new things that are available to use in the classroom. I don't think I would have spent the time learning about these things on my own (or even how to find them!), so it was nice to have the guidance. I look forward to Web 2.0 Course 2!

The Next Step

2008-09-18T09:27:00.004-05:00

For my last assignment, I decided to create a classroom blog. I'm using Wordpress, so I'm having to relearn how to add things to it and customize it. For now, I'm making sure to post each day so the parents have a summary of our day and the homework assignments. My goal is to add videos of various math concepts as they are taught in class so the parents and students will have something to look back on. I think it would be great if I could get videos of the students teaching a concept put on there as well.

http://ridgeviewms.org/hazen/

Week 5 Reflection

2008-09-17T21:47:00.003-05:00

1. What did you learn?
I learned how to use Photobucket to make adding pictures to my blog SO MUCH EASIER!! I also learned how to make a playlist.

2. How will you use what you have learned?
I think the most useful thing from this lesson for my classroom is embedded videos from YouTube and TeacherTube. I found so many math lessons already created and online. I know that some of my parents will appreciate being able to see a lesson that is similar to what we did in class so they can help their students work at home. I'm not sure that I would use a photo sharing site or playlist on a classroom blog, but I will definitely utilize those things for my personal blog!

3. How did you feel about this tool?
I enjoyed learning about these tools.

4. What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I really want to remember the vast number of video resources available online. I also want to remember how to put them on my blog for parents to access.

5. How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
As I said above, the embedded videos are going to be very useful for showing parents (and reminding students) of what we did in class. I plan on adding this type of video to my classroom blog when I can find one that fits the current curriculum.

6. Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Absolutely!

7. Would you use a shared media like playlist.com?
I don't know that I would use a playlist on a classroom blog. Although I enjoy hearing the music, my parents might not want to hear it every time they open the blog.

8. What questions do you still have about this tool?
Is there a way to search for music by theme/type when creating playlists?

The Sieve of Eratosthenes

2008-09-17T21:30:00.002-05:00

We are beginning our unit on Factors and Multiples. Today's lesson was on the Sieve of Eratosthenes. We did the activity with our students in class. This video is a GREAT example to share with parents to show them what we did in class. It's also great for absent students. I am excited about the possibility of finding more math concept videos online!

Houston Children's Museum

2008-08-19T20:41:00.003-05:00

Houston Children's Museum

2008-08-19T20:38:00.003-05:00

Shared Media

2008-08-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

Shared media is putting various forms of media (pictures, video, etc) on the Internet where it is accessible to many people for many things. Creative Commons allows people to use the media for their own purpose. Fair use allows teachers to use various forms of media in an educational way that might otherwise be inaccessible due to copyright laws.

Just a little delay...

2008-07-29T21:00:00.001-05:00

Just letting everyone know that I'm a bit behind (I need to finish last week's assignment and complete this week's assignment). My son was sick for a week. Now we are finishing up a stay in New Jersey visiting relatives. I thought I would have time to get some work done here, but no such luck. We'll be back in Texas tomorrow, so I will get my last two assignments completed in the next few days...

Mighty to Save (Hillsong)

2008-07-22T21:46:00.003-05:00

We sang this song a few weeks ago in church, and it has definitely become one of my favorites!

Week 4 Reflection

2008-07-15T21:58:00.002-05:00

1. What did you learn?
I learned how to navigate around a wiki and add/edit information. This is my first experience with wikis.

2. How will you use what you have learned?
I'm really not sure yet. I will have to keep thinking about this.

3. How did you feel about this tool?
I like wikis. I really like the flexibility you have with them. They can be used for so much!

4. What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget the tool itself. I have never used wikis, so I need to remember that they are available as a resource. As I'm planning next year, I plan to look for opportunities to use wikis with my students.

5. How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
I'm not exactly sure yet.

6. Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Absolutely!

7. What questions do you still have about this tool?
Is there a spellcheck function?

Wikis

2008-07-15T20:54:00.002-05:00

A wiki is a website that allows all members to collaborate on a certain idea or topic. It allows members to edit and add information.

8th Grade Math Tips
This wiki helps kids work through tough TAKS problems. I think it's a great idea that I can definitely use in the classroom. I will never have enough time in class to go over every single problem that the kids are struggling with. This is a way that I can help them understand problems and give them strategies. They will be able to leave feedback this way as well.

Web2ThatWorks
This wiki gives various ideas for technology in the classroom. It has a great chart that correlates with Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works. I think that this will be a good tool to come back to when I'm looking to incorporate various aspects of technology in my classroom next year.

TeachWiki
This wiki is all about using technology in the classroom as well. It is the tech wiki for my campus, so I will certainly be referring to it frequently next year as I strive to make my classroom technology-rich!

Uggghhhhh

2008-07-07T10:12:00.003-05:00

I cannot figure out how to add this video as a podcast, so I'm just going to post it here as a video until I can figure it out.

Week 3 Reflection

2008-07-01T21:21:00.003-05:00

I cannot wait to use podcasts in my classroom. As a math teacher, I know that many of my parents struggle to help their children with homework because they don't understand the concept themselves or they are unfamiliar with the way it is being taught. Difficult concepts can be podcasted online with examples so that parents will be able to understand how a skill is being taught in class. Students can also podcast in class as a way to assess various skills.

Good podcasts have a clear purpose. The audio is at a good volume level and easy to understand.

Podcasting was difficult for me because I am a perfectionist. I wanted it to be "just perfect". With a 9-month-old at home and company on the way, I didn't have the time this week for it to be "just perfect". I also wanted to use video (I plan to use this in my class to show various skills), so I created a slideshow of my son. I added music and audio, another daring task. Although it isn't close to being perfect, I learned a lot about adding audio, video, and music. I learned how much time podcasting can take. I learned that it is definitely an exciting tool, and I'm excited to get to use it in my math class next year!

Podcast

2008-07-01T21:14:00.002-05:00

Podcasts are audio and/or video files that you can listen to on your computer, mp3 player, ipod, etc. Instead of just playing them through a specific internet site, podcasts can be subscribed to. If a certain podcast is subscribed to, updates can be downloaded to your computer or mp3 player to be listened to at a later time. Podcasts can be about anything and everything. As they become more popular, more and more podcasts topics will be available online.

Week 2 Reflection

2008-06-24T21:36:00.002-05:00

1. What did you learn?
I learned how to use RSS feeds. This is a GREAT tool! I wish I had known about it sooner!!

2. How will you use what you have learned?
I will use it to keep up with all of the blogs that I enjoy reading. It makes it easier to see everything in one place instead of visiting every blog page to see if there is an update.

3. How did you feel about this tool?
I loved it. It seems easy enough to use.

4. What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget how to manually enter RSS feeds. This can be time consuming, but it only has to be done once!

5. How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
I can use this tool to keep up with new posts on educational blogs that I read. Students can also use it if they are required to visit various blogs from teachers.

6. Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Absolutely!

7. What questions do you still have about this tool?
This is a new tool for me, so I'm sure that I'll have questions as I use it more. The question regarding titles of various RSS feeds was answered in the forum. Thanks Angie!

RSS Readers

2008-06-24T20:11:00.007-05:00

Wow - if only I had known about this tool earlier. It makes checking blogs SO MUCH EASIER!!!

1. What RSS reader did you choose and why?
I chose Pageflakes for my RSS reader. I looked at both Pageflakes and Netvibes because I really liked the visual aspects of each page. I wish I could give you a good reason why I chose Pageflakes over Netvibes, but I can't. I chose Pageflakes because I liked the way it displayed the weather. I know . . . it sounds strange . . . but I am a weather fanatic. If I wasn't a teacher, I would definitely be a meteorologist. A few years ago, I went to a museum in Seattle that had a weather exhibit. They had a camera setup where you could actually do the weather. It was my favorite exhibit!

2. What "non-classmate" blogs did you subscribe to?
http://educationwriting.blogspot.com/

http://homeschoolmath.blogspot.com/

http://mathmomblog.wordpress.com/

3. What made you choose these blogs?
I chose http://educationwriting.blogspot.com/ because it lists various opportunities for educational freelance work. Going part-time will cut my income in half. I am always on the lookout for ways I can bring in extra income from home, and this site provides various options. Many of the jobs listed are on-site jobs, but the author also lists freelance jobs that can be done from anywhere when she finds them.

I chose http://homeschoolmath.blogspot.com/ because it has so many math resources that can be found online. I am sure that this will be an amazing resource as I move into teaching 6th grade math for the first time. I also LOVE the YouTube video the author posted in May about Calculus...

I chose http://mathmomblog.wordpress.com/ because of the amount of blogging the author does regarding math education. I feel like she is reading my mind!

Week 1 Reflection

2008-06-17T09:24:00.002-05:00

1. What did you learn?
I learned how to create an avatar and put it on my blog. I have seen them used on various web pages, but I never knew how to create one.

2. How will you use what you have learned?
I'm not sure if I will specifically use avatars with my kids, but when I uploaded it to the blog, I learned about different page elements that can be added to the blog that I wasn't aware of. I think it will be neat to get some student voices, videos, and work added to the blog in this way.

3. How did you feel about this tool?
I love blogging! I started a blog when my son was born as a way to give updates and show pictures to family. Now I'm excited about using blogging as a way to communicate with parents and get student feedback.

4. What do you not want to forget about this tool?
I don't want to forget how easy it is to post! Time is valuable in the classroom, but it only takes a few minutes to post something.

5. How can this be used in the classroom or in your educational role?
I will definitely use blogging to communicate with parents and students.

6. Should you use this in the classroom or your educational role?
Absolutely!!!

7. What questions do you still have about this tool?
I feel comfortable with blogs, so I don't have any questions right now.

Wildwood's Weekly Staff News

2008-06-16T22:06:00.003-05:00

http://almostmonday.blogspot.com/

I thought this blog was a GREAT idea! It is written by a principal to her staff. It takes the place of weekly (daily???) e-mails sent out by a principal. I have spent so much time going through past e-mails trying to find a specific e-mail from my principal about something. This solves that problem! All information is readily available and easily searched for. I LOVE IT!!!

Mrs. Wagner's Class Blog

2008-06-16T21:49:00.002-05:00

http://woodlandrm3.blogspot.com/

As a past kindergarten teacher, I know how vital parent communication can be. Although kindergartners do MANY things during the school day, so much is forgotten by the time they get home.

Mrs. Wagner's blog is aimed towards her parents. The main purpose is parent communication. She does this by posting dates, information, classroom needs, upcoming units, and pictures from past activities. I wish I had thought about doing this when I taught kindergarten! I can tell from some of the writing that the children are actually dictating about their day for Mrs. Wagner to write.

What a great use of blogging!

Why???

2008-06-16T21:37:00.002-05:00

Why does this blog exist? I'm glad you asked! My primary goal for this blog is to enhance the communication I have with my students and their families. I plan to post assignments, reminders, and other information related to what happens in class each day. I also plan to include helpful hints and links to help the families of my students as they work with their children at home. Eventually, I would like to have my students respond to certain entries as a way to check their understanding of certain topics.

Introducing...

2008-06-16T21:19:00.009-05:00

Mrs. Hazen!!! My name is Kara Hazen, and I have been teaching for 6 years. This year will be my 3rd year at Ridgeview Middle School. I will be teaching 6th grade math part-time. I'm so excited about going part-time because it will allow me to spent more time at home with my son. I have been married almost 7 years. Besides my sweet little boy, my husband and I have 2 dogs - a toy fox terrier named Homer and a doberman named Armani. They are quite the pair, but they are best buddies.

I am taking a course this summer called Web 2.0. I hope to learn new ways to integrate technology into my teaching. I look forward to using the Internet in ways that I haven't used before in the classroom. I know that my students will definitely benefit from it in the fall!