Final Movie

Final Movie

Here is my final video explaining to students how to play file folder games as a morning center. There are several photos and video shots taken by me! The photos were edited using Photoshop. The opening and closing text slide was created and edited using movie maker.
I hope you enjoy!

My Favorite Websites

Here are my favorite websites:

http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/printables.htm
Busy Teacher's Cafe is a popular teacher resource for free printables, themed activities, and much, much more!

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/index.asp?grade=0&strand=0&engagement=0
Read Write Think is a great website where a teacher can sort ReadWriteThink Lessons by Title, Grade, or Date by clicking on the appropriate header. You may also use the Lesson Plan Selector to help you plan lessons.

http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/
This website is created and managed my an actual kindergarten teacher. Her website is full of wonderful ideas, games, centers, songs, newsletter templates, and so much more. You have to check it out if you teach early childhood!

2 Minute Movie (Months of the Year)

Favorite Podcast

I subscribed to Ms. Thompson's Kindergarten Class. This is a great podcast that helps students understand the Accelerated Reader Program, an Alphabet Cheer, and more. I chose this podcast because I am a kindergarten teacher and would use all the things this podcast has to offer. I will definitely be using this podcast in my classroom as a resource.

Favorite TeacherTube Video

Wow, there are a lot of great videos on TeacherTube.com. One of my favorite videos was Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. I plan to use this video when I teach my students about Martin Luther King Jr. during the month of February. I liked the part on the video where they ask.."what have you learned from Martin Luther King Jr?" After the video I will ask my students "What have you learned from Martin Luther King Jr?" We could make our own class video on what we have learned from him. It is a very inspiring and inspirational video with great music and pictures.

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=2572eef9076c03b7b8c6&page=6&viewtype=&category=

Reaction to "Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning?" Article

I really enjoyed reading this article because I found it to be very interesting how technology plays a role in student’s and teacher’s lives when it comes to education.
Students may feel that teachers are limiting their use of technology in schools, and almost half said that school "security" practices, like Web filtering, were limiting their ability to gain the full experience of technology for learning, this has to be done do due the irresponsibility of many middle and high school students. It’s sad to say but filtering needs to happen to protect students. There are too many predators, scams, etc, that young teens are naive about.
In my opinion, educational games should be used in the classroom as often as possible. The issue with this is to find quality games that meet the specific lesson being taught. I would agree that students would get more out of a lesson when it presented in a way they are interested in.
The article expressed the desire for students and even teachers, when it comes to professional development, to be involved in online learning. I can see why this would be desired because look at how I am taking my masters, through online learning. It is convenient, fun, interactive, etc. This is definitely the way of the future.
It was no surprise for me that the article said for both teachers and administrators that laptops ranked as their number one choice of technology. I read through our class blogs and almost everyone said their computer was their number one pick for technology that they could not live without. This just proves that computers are very important to adults in today’s society.
-April Gradoville

Introduction for Class EDUC 552

My name is April Gradoville and I am attending Peru State College to acquire my masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Currently I teach kindergarten at Lewis Central Community School District in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I also work part-time at a restaurant, coach the Saint Albert Dance Team, and my husband and I are the chair couple for the Saint Albert benefit auction. I graduated from Buena Vista University in May 2007. I received my B.A. in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Elementary Education and my reading endorsement. Last year was my first year of teaching at Saint Albert Catholic School in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I taught kindergarten and absolutely loved it. However, this year I switched schools to teach kindergarten at Lewis Central in Council Bluffs. It was a very hard decision to make regarding the decision to move schools but the pros outweighed the cons so I decided to make the move. I am very happy with my decision and love teaching at Lewis Central. I look forward to the new challenges that await me and the new experiences I will have this year teaching.

My experience with technology is average. I use my computer for just about everything! I enjoy editing photos, sending emails, researching things, banking online, shopping, etc. I also enjoy using technology in my classroom with things such as UnitedStreaming Videos. I am a PC person and love it. The version of Office that I am currently using is 2003.

A friend of mine inspired me to start my masters degree at Peru State College. I wanted to start my masters degree early before my husband and I started a family; and I enjoy learning! I plan on using my masters to advance my personal education level to make myself a better teacher for my students.

Starting Class EDUC 552

Hi Everyone!
My name is April Gradoville and I am very excited about this technology class. I love technology and can't wait to learn how to incorporate it more in my classroom.