Week 8 Blog

Twitter,
I have learned a great deal about twitter in this class.  I never had an account and never really payed much attention to it before this class.  I did have to step out of my norm for twitter because I usually don't post many things about myself electronically due to various things that may result from posting certain items.  I have really started to pay closer attention to twitter especially after a few chats with the class and #edchat which have been interesting.  I kind of just jumped in on the second chat because the first one I was trying to read everybody's tweet and it was just very confusing to me personally.  Since then I have discussed with a couple other social studies teacher in other states and mainly focused on whats going to happen at my school in the near future.  Overall, I think that twitter is going to be a valuable tool in the future and I have received some great advice from some people. 

For education the most interesting individual I have followed is RIchard Byrne because of all the stuff he offers.  In regards to non-educational I would say Kenny Mayne from ESPN because he is always posting stuff that makes me laugh. 

I will continue to use twitter in the near future and would like to keep interacting with current students in EDU 552 and others as time goes on. 

Voice Thread EDU 552

http://voicethread.com/share/3528202/

Curriculum Video Election Unit

This is my curriculum video for my American Government Election Unit.

Week 7 Blog

After searching through the Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne I have found numerous items that could be used in the classroom.  I especially liked the Google for Teachers downloads because I am always trying to continue to educate myself on Google.  My school is going 1:1 in the very near future and using the options Google has is going to be our foundation for many of the interactions between the teachers and students.  I definitely need to continue to educate myself and the links that are provided can be of great service to myself and I will share this with other teachers in my school as well. 
I think blogging can be a good tool to use in my classroom and is something that I will use in the near future.  I want students to interact and communicate about the items that we are discussing in class.  Students can blog and do summaries of information we are covering in class and they can also link their assignments to a blog just like blackboard.  I think that I still need to explore and experiment with many items in technology and finding the time is the next major aspect of implementing a blog.

Favorite Podcast

CNN Student News Podcast
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cnn-student-news-video/id179950332

I show CNN Student News everyday in my classroom and discuss it all the time.

Other Podcast that I enjoy are as follows:

TED TALKS
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tedtalks-video/id160892972

What you missed in History Class
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-missed-in-history/id283605519?mt=2

Mike and Mike in the Morning (Sports -Personal Enjoyment not curriculum)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/espn-radio-best-mike-mike/id154597838?mt=2

Screencast CNN Student News -Youtube

Animoto Use

I feel that this is a valuable tool to use for future project in my classroom.  It was fairly easy to create and can be very informative for teaching.  I don't particularly care for the fact that I can't use my own music from itunes because I have other songs that would work better for this video but couldn't use them.  I also tried the freemusic.com link and that would not work either.  Overall, I can see the value in using this Animoto website, it was easier than using the iphoto for our other project.

My Animoto Video Pearl Harbor

My Animoto Video

Digital Storytelling

My name is Jason Friesen, I teach social studies at Cross County Community School.  Cross County is a class D-1 school this year.  This is my 4th year at Cross County and is my 7th year of teaching.  At Cross County I teach American History I & II, World History, and American Government.  I also am an assistant varsity football, boys basketball, and 7-12 track coach.  I grew up in Henderson, Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln for 3 years and then transferred to York College and graduated from there in 2005. 

In regards to my technology experience, I use a Mac for school and for this class.  I use a Mac Book Pro, and have the Microsoft Office 2008 version.  In my class I try to use technology in many of my class projects.  I also want to learn more about ways in which to use technology in my classroom.  In January, Cross County will be going 1 to 1, and therefore I want to continue to learn new uses for my computer. 

The reasons why I chose to continue my education at Peru State is primarily because I have heard about the programs offered and the fact that PSU is willing to work with teachers.  I have an older sibling that recommended PSU to me, she really enjoyed her classes and how PSU was willing to help her.  With my future Masters degree I plan on using the information learned and applying it to my classroom and profession.