Scratch

Scratch is a program in which you create characters call sprites. You can use your character it can be anything you want to be a animal, a person, shapes, and forms. You control the character by using the movements on the left side. You can make the sprite jump, move, walk, turn, or talk. You have to put the movements into what looks like blocks and click on a green flag the sits on top of the sprite. You make the movements go on forever if you like but to stop it you have to click on the red flag that is located next to the green one.

In my opinion, I think this program is a great program to start with when teaching Robotics. In robotics you have to tell the robot exactly what to do in order for them to move, and in scratch that what it teaches. Even though, with Robotics it is a little bit more detailed, scratch is a great program to start off with. It gives the student an insight on what to expect when working with robots.

Lesson 1: Have students download the Scratch program, and have them learn how to make their sprite move.

Lesson 2: Teach students once they have the Scratch program understood, introduce the Robotics program

Online Collaboration

This presentation was about online colllaboration given by Barbara. What I got from her presentaton was that online collaboration gives teachers the opportunity to communicate with their students in a safe environment. One of the websites that she introduced to us was http://globaleducation.ning.com/events/event/listByDate?date=2010-04-29. In this website she showed us that you as the student and as the teacher can control the environment in which they can communicate with each other. Online Collaboration not only makes it easier for teachers to commincate with their students but it also teaches students about using techonologu safely. It gives students the opportunity to learn how to use technology safely.

Lesson 1: Have students set up a Global Education account and show them how to make their profile safer.

Lesson 2: Set up a dicussion on Global Education.

Virtual FieldTrips

I learned alot of things about virtual fieldtrip from my classmates Barbara and Ginette. What I got from their presentation was that virtual fieldtrips are more sufficient then taking the class on a real field trip. Virtual fieldtrips enable students to get sort of a glimpse of a place such as the zoo or the museum while giving them activities for them to do that help then with reading and writing, math and science. Virtual fieldtrips even give the students a sense of what to expect once they get to the place.

Lesson Plan 1: Use the Virtual Field Trip http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/tourFames.cgi?tour_id=14731 to teach students aout nouns and pronouns.

Lesson Plan 2: Use Virtual FieldTrip to teach students about zoo's and the wild life.