Final Curriculum Review

I have been trying to embed this video for three hours. I can do this it just takes me time. I liked doing this project because it is something I will use this year. I used Picnik for the photos and the new iMovie. I am glad to finish this project. I am not totally happy with my video and I will work on it in the future.

I made this video for my 8th grade class who study WWII. I went off of the Pulitzer Prize picture taken on Iwo Jima. I went through all of the soldiers in that photograph and told you a little about their lives. In 8th grade some of my students have misconceptions about war and this video will help them out to understand war. I like talking about the soldiers and steering away from historical facts. This photo was made into the statue that you can see in D.C. and I tried to tie that in to the video.

I liked using Picnik during this project because of many options. I selected colors and used the Ken Burns effect on iMovie. I tried not to cover up the faces and pictures with words because that will take away from the photos.

Podcasts

I already use iTunes U in my classroom. I find the information very beneficial for my class because the students can look up a variety of history projects. Some examples where students have accessed information were for projects on WWII, and the Civil War. When we studied WWII a student used a Ken Burns video in his presentation about the War.  Another student, used Civil War music in their presentation over the Battle at Bull Run.  

We also watch CNN Student News every Friday to catch up on current events. The students gain valuable information from those podcasts. The great thing about the podcasts are that students can subscribe to them for free. I have several students already subscribing to CNN Student News and watching it everyday. This leads to a well informed classroom that can participate in educated class discussions.

I tried going to Open U and found a lot of information. I just don't find much use for it in my class.  I try to keep my class always doing something different.  I do recommend those podcasts to my students who find an interest in the items found on Open U.

Tagxedo

This project has to deal with my Heritage Outreach Program.  I think that there is great possibilities with this tagxedo.com website.  I am thinking of using this for my senior government when we talk about Supreme Court cases that changed the course of America.  This is will be a great day project for my class.  I know my students will enjoy this project because it's something different and fun to do.

Animoto Video Reply

I liked this project.  I ran into a snag with some of my pictures because it was from a website that they did not approve.  I understand and I am fine with that information.  I feel that some of my students are visual learners and will love this website.  It was different for me because I wanted to type like it was a PowerPoint.  It was different because you only had so many letters that you could use.  I am currently doing a religion project with my students and I am thinking of doing this Animoto with a couple of my students that are visual learners.

I enjoyed using Picnik for my project.  I tried to keep it the same with every picture.  The reason why is because I want to show this to parents and my administration.  I liked all the things you could do to a picture.  I had no idea that you could do all of those things to an image.  I guess I am slow to change in some ways because it's an unknown to me.  I like the way this class is going because you are getting me out of my comfort zone.

Animoto Video

This is a picture of me

This video has credits

Introduction

My name is Chris Mahalek and I am the History teacher at Alma High School and Alma Middle School.  Alma is about an hour south of Kearney.  If you have ever go to Harlan County Reservoir then just go to the west end of the lake you will run into Alma.  I love Alma because of the community and the students I teach in my classes.  I am finishing up my 5^th year of teaching Social Studies classes and coaching football.  When I started in Alma I coached both football and golf but now it is only football.  I wanted to cut down on coaching for various reasons:  My wife, time to earn my masters degree, and my second job with the Army Corps of Engineers.  My wife’s name is Sara Mahalek and we currently have no children.  I met Sara in college at the University Nebraska at Kearney.  Sara works at ESU #11 and makes the commute from Alma to Holdrege.  Sara likes working for the ESU because of her coworkers.  Alma Public Schools and the ESU do a great job of making you feel like family and they’ve proven to be understanding in situations such as family emergencies.  Over the past two years my father has had health problems and our two employers have been very understanding. 

My understanding of technology is above average.  I am not saying that I understand everything there is about technology but I can figure it out if you give me time.  I think technology is essential if you are a teacher in the 21rst century.  Technology is a necessity for today’s children because technology tools that they use in the personal lives helps to gain their interest in your curriculum.  I want to learn about technology so I can acquaint the students with the latest technology.  Currently, I use podcasts, PowerPoint Keynote, Greenscreen, Smartboard, and Moodle in my classes.  I am currently on a team of teachers that is going to be presenting at NETA this spring and talking about technology etiquette.  Our school has one-to-one computing with Macintosh laptops and all of the teachers have MacBook Pros.  In my classroom we have wireless connection with a Smartboard and a Mac desktop.  The Smartboard has a projector where I can access my computer from in front of the classroom.  I feel that the students use the Mac laptops to the best of their abilities and they have a leg up on the students who don’t have access to their own laptop. 

The reason why I am going after my Masters degree right now is because I want to earn this degree before we have children.  I always knew I would get my Masters one day it was just about timing.  Additionally I feel that after I have my degree in curriculum from Peru State then I will be able to better educate my students.  One of the pieces of knowledge that I have already received is that education is always evolving and you as a teacher need to be refining your curriculum to have better reach your students.  Another reason I chose Peru State College was because it is online and the price agreed with my budget.  I always hear about people who take out student loans and then struggle to pay them back.  Also I believe the cohort program has benefited me because I know that there is another person that is going through the same thing that I am.  It is very difficult taking nine hours a semester in my degree program, having four preps with different ages at my school, coaching football that starts in July, and working the night shift for the Corps of Engineers.  I like participating in my Master’s classes even though I have very little time to do so in my days. Finally I was thinking that after I get my Masters in Education about maybe attaining my Masters in Administration. If I go after my Administration degree then I will acquire it through out time.