Post Spring Break...

Well... Spring Break was this past week and it's now back to the "real world" of school and work. I know... Fun right? This past weekend I ended up going to my boyfriends ranch to get a break and we went to Queen Wilhelmina.

It was so much fun!! Some of the adventures involved a bonfire, ridin' four wheelers, muddin', drivin' up a creek, and sight seeing. Here's some photos from our weekend:

Ryan and I:

They thought it would be cool to climb up there...

Bonfire kinda night.

Ridin' four wheelers

This was definitely an amazing weekend. I'm glad we had a chance to get out of town with some friends before it was time for the "real world" to intrude once again. Hope yall had a great spring break too! 

Web 2.0 Tools

Megan Afeld

EDU 2043: Educational Technology

April 1, 2014

Web 2.0

What is Web 2.0? Web 2.0 is a "dynamic web-based service." According to Mrs. Benton's PowerPoint, they allow "writing, communication, sharing, communities, networking, blogs, wikis, and podcasting." Majority of people, whether they realize it or not, use these sites on a day to day basis.  Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and even this blog are all examples of Web 2.0 sites. In this post, I'm investigating different Web 2.0 tools that would be a benefit to use in my future classroom.

Web Poster Wizard

Web Poster Wizard would be a great resource for any teacher. This tool allows educators to create a lesson, a worksheet, or class page and then immediately post it online. The teacher would also be able to set up classes and assign students different projects. The students would then complete their assignments with online reports or projects. In the grades I'm hoping to teach, worksheets are a great tool to be used as a helpful way to guide the students in their learning. They will also be needing to work on fine motor skills via cutting and gluing so this would be a nice way to make a lesson, worksheet, or whatnot for the students to utilize.

Kidblog

Kidblog is a great tool that gives students in Kindergarten through seniors in high school the ability to create a secure blog. It gives students a chance to create their own individual blog. Some uses of Kidblog would be: "create classroom discussions, learn digital citizenship, practice writing skills, create an e-portfolio, reflect on learning, and formatively assess their writing." Teachers are able to maintain complete control over their students blogs and user accounts. This tool would be useful for the younger children in giving them a chance to share their world, their new experiences and so-forth. I would use it as a journaling type thing. If anything new happened in their lives, blog about it or use it as a type of daily opener. For example, the students could have a prompt such as, "If I could be anything in the world, I would be a..." 

 Kizoa

Kizoa is a site where someone can create slideshows, videos, collages, and they are able to edit their photos. The site has templates available for the use of individuals and they have many effects and transitions to make them more interesting to the students. The person creating the video or collage or what not is able to share through the site or they are able to save it on the site. I could use this free tool as a way to make collages for the year or for a students' on their birthdays, to make videos to gather more of an interest for the topic and where they wouldn't have to listen to me all the time. It would give my students a greater variety and would cater to students with the different learning styles.

PageFlip-Flap

PageFlip-Flap gives teachers a chance to turn a boring PDF into a flip book. Students are able to flip the pages and learn about the material in a fun way versus the boring, plain PDF. This is a great tool to be used. The student would be able to zoom, search, browse, and print the information. This would provide students with more fun as they learn the information rather than them looking at a boring, blank PDF page with nothing but pictures. I will use this in my class when I'm wanting them to read something quietly, or review important topics.

Jeopardy Labs

Jeopardy Labs gives a Jeopardy template for different subjects. Students are able to see if they know the various information in a fun way. It's viewed more as a game so the students will be more excited and inclined to participate. I would use this tool with mathematics, spelling, and also grammar. I could give students a chance to be "caboose" or "leader" or some such coveted position when children are still in the early years of school.

Kubbu

Kubbu is a tool that allows teachers to create games, quizzes, or crossword puzzles. The results are automatically calculated and stored and can be compared and sorted. You are then able to export the results and use them in any way. I would use this to create games and crossword puzzles for my class. I would make them using their spelling words and sight words.

Quiz Revolution

Quiz Revolution has different templates in which teachers can use to create quizzes for their students. It lets you add images, videos, custom responses, timed questions, custom endings, and more. You get to start with simply picking a style: classic, advanced, or the challenger which is easiest to hardest, respectively. I would use this when creating different tests or quizzes for my classroom. 

School Tube

School Tube is videos created by students and teachers from all over. It provides different videos that can help students see things in a different way than what their teacher taught. It supplies videos on a variety of subjects such as "How to Use a Comma" and more. I would use this tool as a way to introduce the topic. I would also use this tool to give my students another way of looking at the material we will be working on learning.

Teacher Tube

Teacher Tube gives different videos intended for educational use. They provide academic videos and there are also some on difficult topics like dealing with racism in the classroom and so forth. This is a great tool to use in the classroom. If a student does not understand something, this would be a great way to show it in another way. It would also serve as a great introductory or refresher for the student.

Children's YouTube

Children's YouTube provides different YouTube videos that are enjoyable for children ages two to ten. They have been viewed by parents and teachers to provide a safe environment for the children.  I would use this for my students by letting them use the provided videos as a tool to read along with. i would also use this when they are learning their alphabet or beginning to count.

There are so many free Web 2.0 tools available. Once I become a teacher, I plan on using all of the ones that will benefit my students academically and to give them a chance to learn in a fun way.

Social Networking & It's Impact

Social Networking...

It's taken our world by a storm. Majority of people have some kind of a social networking site, if not all of them. Just a few of these sites are: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, meetme (which used to be MyYearbook), and so many more. People of all ages have these too. It's not just a teen or college age epidemic that's slowly transforming our society and the relationships people have with one another, it's affecting people of every age, in every stage of life.

These two articles talk about the effects of social media. According to the articles, it affects how we speak and write and also our emotional well being. Social media is an amazing tool; it keeps people connected with their family and friends from present times to long ago. While these social media sites have a ton of positives to them, there are some negatives as well.

It seems as if people sometimes have issues in being able to tell when the right time is to use Textspeak versus proper grammar according to The Effects of Social Media on How We Speak and Write. Another issue is over-sharing. I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be telling those six hundred something friends when I get my nails done, hair done, or when anything of huge importance happens. Yeah, it’s nice to be able to keep up with all your friends. But there is no possible way you are super close to that many people. Good thing in this aspect? You get to know when your best friend from back in second grade gets engaged. You get to stay updated with all the pictures of your friends’ lives. It’s truly a great way to stay connected. I for one am glad we have our social media sites.

 Social Media and Its Effects on our Emotional Well Being points out how often on average people actually check their social media sites daily. “On average, we check our smartphones 150 times a day…”  Honestly, I can see that. When I’m bored, Facebook or Instagram is a great way to keep occupied. But doesn’t checking our smartphones for friend requests, notifications, etc 150 times a day seem a bit excessive? When taking the time to think about this, doesn’t this take away from our day to day lives? Will it make people socially incompetent? Everywhere you go, you’ll see people playing on their phones while waiting on classes, while on dates, or even during family dinners. In this aspect it seems to take away from our one on one conversations.

Welcome to my Blog!

 Hi! Welcome to my blog :)

 Me

I'm Megan and I'm excited to try this out. I've never had a blog before so this is definitely going to be a new experience. I hope you'll be patient as I learn what exactly I'm doing.

First off, I should probably tell you a little about me. Well, as I said earlier, I’m Megan. I was born on October 13, 1991. I’m a 90’s kid. I remember all those shows like Drake and Josh, Hey Arnold!, Famous Jett Jackson, and so much more that make me miss those days. I was born and raised in Arkansas. When I was fifteen years old, I began attending church with my uncle and his family. I became very close to the Pastor’s wife, Kim Wagner. One night at sixteen years old, when I was extremely upset due to circumstances out of my control, she came and took me to Sonic right up the road from my home for a milkshake. We sat at that fast food restaurant for over three hours, just enjoying our shakes and talking. She was speaking with me about Christ and my need for a Savior. I ended up being saved and committing my life to God that very night on February 29, 2008. After this I received such a peace that amazed me. I had never even dreamed such peace was even attainable to the slightest degree. I was baptized later that year on April 8, 2008.

My brother is a Freshman at University of Central Arkansas. I miss him a lot. He's a pretty cool guy.

My brother, Joey

My mom, younger brother, and I

My Mom, Tammy, (right) and me (left)

I live with my mom in Pearcy, Arkansas. 

I'm in a relationship with a pretty awesome guy, if I do say so myself. His name is Ryan and he is also 22 years old.

Ryan & I

I attended Lake Hamilton School District all thirteen years of my secondary education. Upon graduating, I really had no clue what I wanted. I ended up going off to college at Harding University and attended there for two years. My family then ended up having some issues and I ended up coming home and transferring to a new college, to National Park Community College in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I thought I was meant to be a nurse and quickly came to the realization that that profession was NOT for me.  I obtained my Associate of Science Degree and am currently a Junior at Henderson State University. My major is Elementary Education and I am hoping to teach first or second grade students upon graduating. I can’t wait until I am able to teach my future students different skills and the knowledge they will need. I’m hoping to be able to give students the knowledge they need, a love of learning, and also personal skills to help them throughout their lifetime.  

I enjoy singing although not in front of a crowd. I love Christian music and Country. My all time favorite would have to be Brantley Gilbert. I enjoy scrapbooking but hardly have the time anymore. One might say I’m into DIY (Do It Yourself) projects because of Pinterest. I can spend hours on that site.

I decided to start this blog for my class assignment in Education Technology. I’m really excited about it and I’m planning on continuing this beyond the class. I'm hoping to incorporate my faith throughout, random country bits and pieces, and also just day-to-day life. I'm glad you're taking time out of your busy schedule to visit my blog and I hope you enjoy!

God Bless Yall