Google Earth Table

	Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
	1. Palos, Spain	Compare the sizes of Columbus's three ships: Nina, Pinta, Santa Maria docked at port. Read the descriptions of the ships. Write a paragraph on which ship you think Columbus sailed on and why?	Picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/PUERTOdePalos.jpg Information: http://www.evgschool.org/Columbus%27s%20Sailing%20Ships.htm Use google earth to create ships of relative sizes to help children compare. Also provide painting of the three ships.
	2. Canary Islands	Look at the the coastal cities in the Canary Islands. Describe what how you believe the Canary Islands looked when Columbus sailed. Did they look the same?	Picture: http://chriscolumbus123.blogspot.com/2009/04/canary-islands.html Use google earth tools to see the the modern day cities in the Canary Islands.
	3. Bahamas	Measure the distance between the Canary Islands and the Bahamas. If the ships travel 9 miles per hour, how long will would it take for Columbus to get to the Bahamas from the Canary Islands.	Picture: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~coacdar/member_page/american_history_essay_contest.html Google earth ruler to measure distances.
	4. Hispaniola	Compare the physical attributes of Hispaniola to India. Why do you think Columbus thought that he had reached India instead of the Americas?	Picture of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic): http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/photos/photo_dominicanrepublic_dominicanrepublic.html Picture of India: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/photos/photo_dominicanrepublic_dominicanrepublic.html Use google earth to look at the different landscapes of the two places.

Fifth Grade Social Studies, Standard 1, Objective 1, c. Identify explorers who came to the Americas and the nations they represented.

The Hardest Thing about Implementing a Digital Storybook

Overall the process of creating a digital storyboard was extremely simple. I was surprised at how easy it was. I think the hardest part of implementing a digital storybook in the classroom is finding the time and technology to actually do it. Being in early childhood education, I would probably create the storybooks for my classroom and show them to the children. This would be easy to implement because I would just need a computer to show the video. However, if I end up teaching third grade I would help my students create the digital storybooks. In this case, I would have to find time in the school day to let my kids work on their storybooks. I would also need to find ways to show the class all the videos. I do not think this challenge would be too difficult to overcome.

The Road Not Taken

More on my storyboard

Here is the description of the content: UEN Thrid grade Standard 8, Objective 6, b.Produce traditional and imaginative stories, narrative and formula poetry.
By using "A Road Not Taken" in the digitial storyboard, I will show the thrid graders how the poem Robert Frost wrote is a narrative form of poetry. The pictures used will better illustrate this and the music will create a dramatic element akin to narrative plots. After showing this storybook, hopefully the children will be able to see how poems can create pictures to tell stories.

Here is my storyboard for my digital storybook. I am planning to use Robert Frost's poem, A Road Not Taken, to teach about poetry in my storybook. I think that digital storybook will make the poem come to life because the images and words help the students visualize poetry. The students will get a change to feel the poem more than if we were just reading it in class. The visuals and the background music will give the poem more emotional strength to English students in high school or junior high were poetry is not cool.

Week Three- What I Learned about TPACK

TPACK is the idea that teachers should use pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and technological knowledge in the classroom to create a better learning environment. In order to provide good instruction in the technological based classroom technological knowledge must be grouped with content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge or learning will be difficult. An example of TPACK would be when a teacher uses digital microscopes to teach children about insect parts because the teacher believes in hands on activities. It is important for teachers to have TPACK because it provides rich lesson plans where content and technology are used to teach children. It provides a more enriched learning platform where the teacher's pedagogical knowledge can be better used.

Skype Screen

Week 2- What I Learned

I learned a whole lot of ways to use the Internet to support a unit in the classroom. The wiki I created can house a multitude of online resources for students to use and learn from. The most useful thing I learned was how to connect websites and Internet resources to the curriculum. Many places online have excellent educational applications that can be connected to the class wiki. Students will then be able to use a variety of ways to learn and discover new information. Not every lesson needs to be lectured on in class.

My Technology Experience

I have spent most of my life using computers for homework assignments. I can use the word processors on computers and play computer games. I can also use the internet for research. I am not strong at blogging or using websites like facebook. I am more experienced at using PCs than I am at using Macs.