Reflection

After completing this course I definitely feel my opinions about technology integration in classrooms have changed. Before the class I did think technology should be used, but I didn’t know how vital it was. Now I have learned about so many different ways to bring it into the classroom, I know it will be helpful. We have discussed so many controversies regarding technology I feel so versed on both sides of the issue. By doing this I will be able to use technology in my room, show my principle how I will use it and why, and show parents how this will help their children in the real world. Technology integration is a wonderful thing and it should be used.

In my future classroom, I feel like I would use Scribus when I start teaching. I thought it was sort of fun, and it helped make neat and professional newsletters. My students’ parents will be impressed I believe. I also think I would use StoryJumper. The interface on this was not difficult to use, and it is a good way to differentiate learning. By teaching my kids something, I can see if they understood it by having them create a story of what they have learned. It is a great tool to use in the classroom. Right now I am not able to tell which programs/apps I will for sure use in my class, but there is one thing I know for sure. I know that I have the possibility to use all of the programs we learned, and many more. 

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Integrating Websites into the Classroom

The website I have looked at is P.E. Ideas. This site can be used to try and discover new P.E. activities. There are many links for the students or the teacher to explore, each link gives an in depth description of an activity or game. Some of the activities are warm-ups, some are cool-downs, and some are just fun work out games. One way this site could help extend classroom instruction is by having the children pick what activity looks best to them. There are so many to choose from the children will be really interested in reading about all types of exercise games. Another way this site could increase instruction is by actually having the students pick an activity for the day. If a different student is in charge of picking the warm up activity of that days P.E. class it could increase their interest in class. This way they will have to know enough about the activity to convince the teacher they should be doing it. Another benefit of this site is that it can increase learning opportunities outside of the classroom. The students may be able to access this site at home and read about the different activities at hand. Some will even be able to try out a few of these games at home, either alone or with some friends or siblings. The unfortunate thing is that most of the activities are designed for a whole class, so they may not be able to try them on their own. Overall this site is a really neat idea, I hope to be able to incorporate it into my classroom someday. Print Page in IE

PBL Analysis

Our favorite PBL project was “My Healthy Self Project”.  We chose this PBL because the teacher incorporated a lot of different aspects pertaining to the topic of health and what is healthy is to her students.  The students were able to be a part of the process of the PBL.  They first discussed what healthy means to them and then based on their opinions, the teacher was able to provide out-of-the-classroom learning opportunities by going on various fieldtrips and bringing professionals to the school (showing different health-based professions that children could pursue if they are interested in health).  In addition, the topic at hand was open-ended and very relevant to everyone in the classroom. 

This PBL project uses different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.  The project uses comprehension because the students need to understand the topic of health that the professionals are speaking about.  Students also use application by applying what they have learned in the classroom that they can then use outside of school.  Students also use analysis because they understand why health is important in their daily lives.  

To improve the “My Healthy Self Project” PBL, we recommend that they encompass the two upper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, synthesis and evaluation, to help the students understand that project even more.

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Exploring Ask-An-Expert

For a fun activity for my 5th grade class I would have them be in contact with the expert Dr. Math by email or chat room if available. Something I would have them ask him when we start learning about algebra, and equations is when they would use them in real life. I find a lot of students are discouraged from math because they feel it has no real world applications, but the truth is it does. As a teacher they may not always believe you when you say they will use math in everyday life, because they will think "she has to say that, it's her job." But when a real person outside of the classroom can give examples of how they will use math in everyday life they will start to understand how important it really is.  This is just one time Dr. Math could help my students, I am sure he has many other answers for my class. Print Page in IE

Technology: Past. Present, Future

Until I was in 6th grade computers were almost nonexistent in my educational experience. In 3rd, 4th and 5th grade we had one computer in each classroom, and I hardly remember ever using them. The most technology I ever used in elementary school was the spell check, which I thought was pretty cool. In 6th grade I had my first typing class, and it only lasted about 3 weeks. This was hardly enough time to even become acquainted with a computer, let alone learn how to type. In 8th grade my class learned how to use power point, we were the only class in the school who had the luxury of learning how, so I felt pretty advanced. In my freshman year of high school I took a computer class again, this time for 18 weeks. In this class we learned how to type and use various other functions on the computer, it was actually a very helpful class. After this I rarely used computers in class, I mostly just used them to type up my papers out side of school. In a technology-based world, I feel my k-12 education was lacking in that department.

For my future classroom I feel incorporating technology is a necessity. I hope to teach 4th or 5th grade, and to use technology as much as possible with each subject. The first thing I would do would be to start off by getting the kids used to the computer, teaching them the programs available, and most importantly how to type. I would also be sure to keep technology in the classroom, so it becomes a part of their everyday lives. Using the SMART Board regularly will be a goal of mine, the kids love using it and they seem to pay attention to what is being taught to them when they get to interact with it. Something else I would like to focus on with technology is history lessons. A lot of history is taught straight from a textbook, which can be very boring for the students. Doing something like we saw in the video of the kids in Hawaii, with the boat, would be very cool for my students, especially with something like the Oregon Trail. I think they would really be able to get into it and feel like they are apart of something great. Technology should be used to our advantage, it is not something to hide from. 

The readings brought up many good points about what problems with technology might be, but I think the most important one is “adequate and timely professional development.” What this is saying is that teachers need to have time to “play with” and understand the technology that is being brought into the classroom. If a teacher understands all of the technology that is available to them this year, there is absolutely no guarantee that they will understand the technology that is being developed for next year. Teachers need time to explore the technology that is available to them, and figure out how to use it to benefit their students. Without time there is no hope for keeping our schools up to date with the evolving world. 

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Avatars in Education

I think avatars can be very helpful for students in school. With younger kids it can help you see how the students view themselves. If you assign them to make an avatar that represents them, you can see how they think others see them, and how they perceive themselves.
In my EDST 199 class we talked about a little girl who was denying who she was. She was the only black student in the entire class, one day the class was drawing self portraits and she drew herself as being white, with blonde hair. Because of this the teacher was able to see how self conscious she was about her true identity. Having students make avatars can really benefit the teacher in that they can identify, and help the children who need it the most. And, as a added bonus, making avatars is fun and keeps the children up tp date with technology. Print Page in IE