School year 2016-2017 is now started! As I start my Senior year, I am so excited to see what this year will consist of.
I am a student at Birdville High School, and am involved in the Education and Training Program at Birdville's Center of Technology and Advanced Learning. I am so excited to be involved in school organizations and experience new things as I take on my last year of high school. In a few weeks I will be going out to a new field site classroom, and I am so excited to meet my new students. Last year, I interned in a kindergarten classroom, and this year I plan on helping out in a first grade classroom. I can not wait to learn more about this new grade level, and experience what teaching first grade is like.
Follow my blog to watch my journey through my year as a Senior in the Education and Training program.
Click here to view the following blog prompt. Recently in class we started to read "The Smartest Kids in the World" by Amanda Ripley. I think this book is very interesting and a good book to read if you are interested in what it's like to be a foreign exchange student.I found interesting, and really enjoyed what I read through the first four chapters. I got introduced to the students: Kim, Eric and Tom, and I am very excited to read more about their experiences in Finland, Korea and Poland.
Out of the three characters, I think that I most relate to Eric. Eric is empathetic, and he always sees the positives in things. Even though lonely at the Korean school, he is very interested in the new culture around him. He enjoys math, and he worked hard in high school, taking rigorous courses. I view myself as Eric because I LOVE math, and I'm interested in new things. I am empathetic towards others, I try to stay positive in new situations, and I am pushing myself by taking difficult courses in high school. Eric's want for adventure stood out to me. After completing high school, instead of going to college, Eric wanted to try something new, and left his peers for a year. This took bravery and determination to travel and to study abroad.
The three different schools in Finland, Korea and Poland were very interesting to me. I learned that most of them are not like schools in the U.S., especially Korea. The way they taught and led things were very different. Out of the three schools, I think that the school in Finland would be beneficial to the United States. Finland offers a school that may be considered as "old-school". Even though the school does not use technology, I think that this would help the students in America to stay engaged and on task. The teachers in Finland are devoted and excited about teaching. I think teachers like this would benefit the learning envoiornment in the U.S., because if the teachers are promoting education, the children will enjoy it.
Click here to view an intrerview with the author of this book.
Swivl Capture is a free app which is available to iPhone and Android users. This app is easily accessible.
This is an instructional video explaining how to use and set up this device with an iPad mini. The set-up process does not change with a normal iPad.
Above, is a video of Rebekah demonstrating and explaining the Swivl to her 2nd grade students.
To use Swivl, you must buy the device, then create an account to log into on the iPad. It is free to make an account, and you only have to provide your name, email, a password, and the country that you live in. You can upgrade your account to an Educator Pro Account, costing $5/month ($50 a year), or a Standard Pro account for the non-educators, costing $20 a month ($200 a year). You can also upgrade your account to a Team account, which you can contact sales@swivl.com for the pricing. Below you can view the differences in the three accounts.
You must be 14 years or older to make an account. After you make an account, you can view, share and export your previously made videos, upload videos, or make new ones. You can also create a project, or interact with your video by making a title for each of your videos, and cut the videos to make them shorter. Below, are a few explanations of what Swivl offers. 1) In your project, you can add presentation slides and other media to your video. 2) With time stamped commenting, you can post time stamped comments for questions or feedback with varying privacy from public to private. 3) You can comment on a video, and give feedback to the owner, which is great for a group discussion. 4)You can also make notes in your video at certain time-frames, so you can go back and make changes to your presentation.
This is a video of a man using the Swivl camera.
How can you use this in a classroom? Click here to see Swivl's ideas for what it may be used for.
There are many uses for teachers or students to use this app and device.
If a student is absent, you can video yourself teaching a lesson, and have the absent student watch it the next day.
If you are a student teacher, you can record yourself teaching to get feedback, and recognize what you may need to improve on.
If you are doing an activity that involves movement, you can record yourself and your students, so they can notice what they should have done differently.
If a teacher wants to use your idea on how to present a lesson or activity, you can record yourself, and send them the video so they see the details that were included in your lesson.
This lesson can be used for any type of lesson moving, or not. This video collects up to 8 minutes of record time, if your lesson is longer, you will have to take multiple videos.
Fun Fact- You can also be hired for a job for Swivl. Click here, scroll down to the middle of the page, and then click the link to view the available jobs.
I am a student at Birdville High School, and am involved in the Education and Training Program at Birdville's Center of Technology and Advanced Learning. I am so excited to be involved in school organizations and experience new things as I take on my last year of high school. In a few weeks I will be going out to a new field site classroom, and I am so excited to meet my new students. Last year, I interned in a kindergarten classroom, and this year I plan on helping out in a first grade classroom. I can not wait to learn more about this new grade level, and experience what teaching first grade is like.
