Last Day Reflections

On this, the last day of class, we have been asked to reflect back on the term.

1. Have your opinions about technology integration in education changed since the beginning of the term? Why or why not?     My opinions about technology integration in the classroom have not changed over the term. I have always believed that tech integration is very important and taking this class has just cemented that belief. This term has expanded my experience with technology resources available and the many different uses.
2. Identify one or more programs/web apps introduced this term you believe you'll use in your future classroom. Why will you use these programs/apps?    Wow, where to start? We have used so many different programs and web applications. One that immediately stands out is blogging. Blogging can be used in almost any subject and in almost any grade level because it has the opportunity to be so versitile.  I love that it can end up being a collection of work completed through out the year. Another I liked, even though I really stumbled through it and didn't get everything to work right, was the use of Prezi vs. a PowerPoint presentation. Prezi was more interactive and interesting that a regular slide show.

   Overall, I learned a lot in this class and am encouraged to continue to explore new and different ways to intergrate tech in the classroom.Print Page in IE

Student Slideshow

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This is the answer to the question posed in class: According to the article "Myths and Realities about Technology in K-12 Schools," what changes must take place in K-12 schools before educators can fully integrate and utilize technology?

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Integrating Websites into the Classroom

Today I discovered a great website for incorporating movement into everyday lessons that are taught in elementary classes. The website is called "Learning in Motion" and was designed for a Virginia curriculum but can definitely be used in any classroom or district curriculum. There are ideas for lessons in English, math and science and for grades kindergarten through 5th. One of the things I loved was how simple the ideas are and that they don't take much extra planning or materials to be able to use them in a classroom. An example of one of the simplest ideas from the 2nd grade English portion is just to have the kids hop up to the board to show which answer they think is correct.
  There are different ways this site could be used in the classroom. It could be used for getting the kids interested in what can sometimes be boring lessons. The website can also be used to keep kids form getting to fidgety during lessons by getting them, and keeping them, active.
  The site can be used to extend learning opportunities beyond the classroom by giving the student a new reference for recalling the information learned. Rather than trying to remember what they read from a book or what the teacher said, they can remember back to the action that was being done while the learning was occurring.Print Page in IE

Project Based Learning

Out of the six projects we looked at in class I had two clear favorites. The one I chose to discuss involves 2nd graders learning about how to stay healthy. Here is a link to the project. 
  This particular project appealed to me because I was impressed how much this group of 2nd graders were able to learn in such a relatively short amount of time. They were able to reach the higher levels of Bloom's Cognitive domain, synthesis and evaluation, through their involved exploration of the ideas. The project integrated medical health with physical exercise, nutrition, and the human body. I loved the end of the project where they set up a "state-of-the-art wellness center" in their classroom. They even sold healthy snacks for a profit and were then able to donate that money, therefore, also learning about giving and generosity.Print Page in IE

Reading Response Two

Quality telecollaborative projects help develop students’ critical thinking skills by incorporating various resources to enhance Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domain.  Students can gain knowledge of a particular subject just by reading about it. Utilizing telecollaborative projects the student can progress by having more resources and different perspectives of other students to help them acquire a better understanding of the subject. Students can collaborate with other students or experts from across the globe in ways that would have been difficult to impossible before. This allows them to have access to new ideas and feedback on a greater scale, therefore increasing their likelihood of reaching the top two tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy- synthesis and evaluation.

Using a project for telecollaboration that is appropriate for a group is important, as stated in the article Commonly Asked Questions about Teaching Collaborative Activities. If a project is something that would be best suited for an individual, the higher levels of cognitive thinking are reduced and the quality of the project goes down.  The project must be something that is “challenging enough” that a group is needed to work together.  Setting group roles is important, not only so everyone has something to do to feel part of the group, but so that everyone brings in there own knowledge and understanding to the group based on their specific job in the project.

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Reading response 1

1.) Tech Past:

Thinking back on my schooling from K-12, the first time we really used computers was in the 5th grade. We did use them for writing quick reports but mostly I remember playing "Oregon Trail". I didn't use computers in middle school at all. In fact, when I had to take a typing class in the 7th grade we used typewriters. In high school we used a computer very sparingly and only to write papers- never for research. I was 19 years old when I signed up for my first email address and I first began using the Internet.

2.) Tech Present:

I am very much hoping to have a SMART board in my 5th grade classroom. They are so much more versitile than a regular projector. I would use them for most lecture lessons as an interactive tool. With math lessons, a SMART board is very useful in showing the page from the book right on the board and not needing special transparency pages. It's also useful for demonstrating problems so that the whole class can see each step clearly. Having students be able to show a problem on the smart board might be less nerve wracking for some rather than having to stand up at the board in front of the whole class.
    I would also love to have a class set of quizzers. These are remote control looking things that are connected to a computer and a set of questions. The teacher puts a question on the board and the student chooses the correct answer on their clicker and the results show up on the SMART board. I believe this can be a very useful tool in test preparation, and gauging where the class understanding of a subject is. The answers can be completely anonymous or the teacher can record the answers and look back to see which student had which clicker to know where individual students are.
    Blogging is another technology I will utilize in the classroom. It is a fabulous way for students to share their writings and reports for just about any subject from social studies to science. It provides a medium for all the students and the teacher to collaborate, as well as give and receive feedback.

3.) Tech Future

   There are a couple of challenges I am anticipating in using technology in the classroom. The first being how fast technology changes and becomes obsolete. Trying to keep up with the latest and greatest seems like a task that might be pretty hard to keep right on top of.
    The second challenge is keeping up with the knowledge of the kids themselves. Toddlers can use a DVD player and know how to turn on a computer to click on their favorite games. My future students are growing up using technology that I am having to take classes to know how to use.Print Page in IE

Avatars in Education

Avatars can be used in students writings to give them personality. They can also be used to enhance a story or writing. In my son's middle school class they just started blogging and using avatars. They had to explain, in their blog, why they chose the colors they chose, why they chose their avatars and have a personal connection with their choices.Print Page in IE