The Seattle Times: Teachers are reaching out to students with a new class of blogs:
It is great to read about what teachers are doing to encourage blogging in the classroom. Blogging is just a great way to encourage children to write and I think the children will take it more serious because they know that there are thousands of people out there reading what THEY wrote! As far as blogging being mistaken for Myspace or Facebook, those people need to take a tech class or do a little research to find out what each of those things are!!
A day in the life of Web 2.0:
Wow, I really enjoyed reading all of the sub-articles under this heading. I love to read about the things that I learned in this class. It's neat to see where the technology is going and how it is being used to broaden our education system. Before I took this class I had never heard of web 2.0 and now that I know what it is, I am noticing that it is everywhere and it is incorporated in some way with everything that I do on the internet! Something that really caught my eye while reading this articles is the quote "Good technology and good teachers: a perfect match." That is so true, the teachers who are tech. savvy are teaching their students more and to a full extent than the ones who aren't tech. savvy.
If wired right, computers do belong in classrooms
It's crazy how there are people trying to keep technology out of schools and "deprive children of their futures!" It's not right, at all! How can we keep educating our students without technology? Don't they want the education system to keep up with the rest of the world? This article really frazzled me. I know that the results came back "flat" but there are so many cases in which technology has enriched the children's learning!
Friday, July 20, 2007
5. Reflection for Techs 290
When I stop and think back, I wish I would have had more time to explore and learn more things from this class. It was packed full and everything I learned was worth something and will be used at sometime in my teaching career! I have never considered myself to be tech savvy, but after taking this class, I want to learn more about the technology that is out there! I definitely think that every teacher should have to take this class at some point in their lives, because it would be very beneficial to them. In a way I wish I would have waited a year or two, before taking this class so I would be closer to being out in the teaching world. That way everything I learned would be put to use sooner!
- Photo Software(s): (The most fun)
- Flickr and Picnik are both great resources for in the classroom and out of it. I think the reason I liked these so much is because I can use them now, where as most of the other resources are intended for teachers that are teaching NOW and not in a couple of years.
- Quia and Kidsipration: (The most useful/helpful)
- I also enjoyed learning about Quia and Kidsipration, both are great resources for teachers. I had no idea that there were such helpful tools/resources out there to help teachers make education so much richer for students. I have bookmarked both of these resources and I will keep them in mind when I get my own classroom, regardless of how much they cost(hopefully the school will have a subscription to them already)!
- Podcasting: (The assignment that I learned the most)
- As far as learning the most in this class, podcasting definitely wins the race. I was oblivious to podcasting. I had no idea how helpful, useful, and easy it was. I really enjoyed learning how to make a podcast and learning how podcasts can be used in the classroom. This is something I hope to do more of both making podcasts and listening to them!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
4. Edutopia
1. Harrison Central High School
I had no idea that there were school integrating so much technology into their curriculum. It's so great! I know that schools are using technology in their education system, but I had no idea that there were schools using technology in so many ways! After I watched this video I started thinking back, then the only new technology that was used were the e-clickers, and that was rarely! I wonder how many schools are taking advantage of the technology that is available to them like Harrison Central High School did!
2. Mary Scroggs Elementary School
What a great school, full of opportunities and technology integration! It was great to watch a video and see how all of the things that we have been learning about in this Tech. class being put into action in a real live school. It is just wonderful that the staff of the Mary Scroggs Elementary School is giving their students such an advantage on learning. I understand though, that it is so easy to them to integrate the technology into their classrooms, because it is all right there for them to use, and the new building aids to that! I just can't express how neat it was to watch and see how technology is being integrated into today's classrooms!
3. A Product of Learning
Wow, something that caught my eye/ear right off the bat was that 28 DIFFERENT languages are spoken at this school and 60% of the kids qualify for Free or Reduced lunches!! Something else that I found quite neat was that to make this one big project, each subject/class did something to contribute (example: the art classes painting accurate pictures of the animals!!). I think it is so great that each student gets the chance to learn equally (using the technology). This video just goes to show that if the resources are available and the staff is willing every student will succeed and enjoy learning!
4. Leading with Laptops
What an "expensive" and brave experiment that has turned out to be well worth it. This experiment goes to show that with the right equipment and funding integrating technology can be easy. Maine is definitely grasping all of the tools and resources available to them and they are way ahead of the game! This video does a great job of showing/highlighting the positives of integrating technology into the classroom and getting the message out there that the funding is worth it!
5. Assistive Technology: Lukas Bratcher
I found this video to be very touching, because it shows that technology isn't only used to enrich education, but also to enrich people's lives. It is great that the improvements of technology can make disabled people's dreams come true! I truly enjoyed watching this video and it was great to see technology directly better someone's life, someone who didn't let their disability hold them back!
6. Hula to High Tech
What I enjoyed the most about this video was that the teacher was so trusting and he was willing to let the elementary students work with expensive equipment. I think that this is a big step for teachers and especially administrators. How can we expect the children to learn if we aren't willing to let them work with the technology? It really touched me that the faculty at this school were so trusting in their students and they let them work out the problems!
7. The Geo-Literacy Project
A neat video because it shows how schools/teachers are taking integrated technology to new levels-and are making resources for other schools and classes to use! It is wonderful that schools are stepping out of the box and stepping up to the plate and they are taking advantage of the tools before them! What great ways to enrich the children's learning experience while letting the children interact and do something that they think is "fun". I loved seeing how technology is bring people together and enriching the learning experience!
I had no idea that there were school integrating so much technology into their curriculum. It's so great! I know that schools are using technology in their education system, but I had no idea that there were schools using technology in so many ways! After I watched this video I started thinking back, then the only new technology that was used were the e-clickers, and that was rarely! I wonder how many schools are taking advantage of the technology that is available to them like Harrison Central High School did!
2. Mary Scroggs Elementary School
What a great school, full of opportunities and technology integration! It was great to watch a video and see how all of the things that we have been learning about in this Tech. class being put into action in a real live school. It is just wonderful that the staff of the Mary Scroggs Elementary School is giving their students such an advantage on learning. I understand though, that it is so easy to them to integrate the technology into their classrooms, because it is all right there for them to use, and the new building aids to that! I just can't express how neat it was to watch and see how technology is being integrated into today's classrooms!
3. A Product of Learning
Wow, something that caught my eye/ear right off the bat was that 28 DIFFERENT languages are spoken at this school and 60% of the kids qualify for Free or Reduced lunches!! Something else that I found quite neat was that to make this one big project, each subject/class did something to contribute (example: the art classes painting accurate pictures of the animals!!). I think it is so great that each student gets the chance to learn equally (using the technology). This video just goes to show that if the resources are available and the staff is willing every student will succeed and enjoy learning!
4. Leading with Laptops
What an "expensive" and brave experiment that has turned out to be well worth it. This experiment goes to show that with the right equipment and funding integrating technology can be easy. Maine is definitely grasping all of the tools and resources available to them and they are way ahead of the game! This video does a great job of showing/highlighting the positives of integrating technology into the classroom and getting the message out there that the funding is worth it!
5. Assistive Technology: Lukas Bratcher
I found this video to be very touching, because it shows that technology isn't only used to enrich education, but also to enrich people's lives. It is great that the improvements of technology can make disabled people's dreams come true! I truly enjoyed watching this video and it was great to see technology directly better someone's life, someone who didn't let their disability hold them back!
6. Hula to High Tech
What I enjoyed the most about this video was that the teacher was so trusting and he was willing to let the elementary students work with expensive equipment. I think that this is a big step for teachers and especially administrators. How can we expect the children to learn if we aren't willing to let them work with the technology? It really touched me that the faculty at this school were so trusting in their students and they let them work out the problems!
7. The Geo-Literacy Project
A neat video because it shows how schools/teachers are taking integrated technology to new levels-and are making resources for other schools and classes to use! It is wonderful that schools are stepping out of the box and stepping up to the plate and they are taking advantage of the tools before them! What great ways to enrich the children's learning experience while letting the children interact and do something that they think is "fun". I loved seeing how technology is bring people together and enriching the learning experience!
3. ALTEC: Innovative Strategies to Improve Teaching and Learning
When I first started exploring this site I thought to myself, hmm...this site is probably going to be like all the rest. Man, was I wrong! This site is totally different from any of the other sites we have looked at in this class. ALTEC has it all, there is a little bit of everything and it is all at one site!
I explored several of the resources provided on the ALTEC site, the ThinkTank, Academic Games, Teacher Tacklebox, and Rubistar! Each of these will be great assets to me in the future. I am amazed time and time again that there are such helpful teacher tools out there that not only I but other teachers don't know about!
My favorite resource that I have found this far was the Teacher Tacklebox! Not only will it help me in the future, but I can use it now, if I have an assignment in a class and I need some helpful resources this is the place to go! I am definitely going to keep exploring the ALTEC site and see what other useful tools become my favorites. I also am making notes to myself which ones will be the most helpful and when.
I chose to share the ALTEC site with Mindy Sedam, a second grade teacher at Chapman Elementary School! She had never heard of this site, and I find that odd because she has only been out of college for a year. Anyway, Ms. Sedam really like the ALTEC site, particularly the Teacher Tacklebox and the Academic Games. She said that for her it is hard to find ways to get her 2nd graders involved with technology and not have to do a lot of explaining (since their attention spans are very small)!
I explored several of the resources provided on the ALTEC site, the ThinkTank, Academic Games, Teacher Tacklebox, and Rubistar! Each of these will be great assets to me in the future. I am amazed time and time again that there are such helpful teacher tools out there that not only I but other teachers don't know about!
My favorite resource that I have found this far was the Teacher Tacklebox! Not only will it help me in the future, but I can use it now, if I have an assignment in a class and I need some helpful resources this is the place to go! I am definitely going to keep exploring the ALTEC site and see what other useful tools become my favorites. I also am making notes to myself which ones will be the most helpful and when.
I chose to share the ALTEC site with Mindy Sedam, a second grade teacher at Chapman Elementary School! She had never heard of this site, and I find that odd because she has only been out of college for a year. Anyway, Ms. Sedam really like the ALTEC site, particularly the Teacher Tacklebox and the Academic Games. She said that for her it is hard to find ways to get her 2nd graders involved with technology and not have to do a lot of explaining (since their attention spans are very small)!
2. Apple Learning Interchange
Wow, what a great tool for teachers and education! I really enjoyed exploring this website even though I don't have my own classroom, I enjoy looking at lesson plans and suggestions from other teachers (it gives me ideas for the future)! What a great idea by Apple! In my opinion this is a tool that will become even more popular with teachers and educators because it is technology oriented. Many if not all of the lesson plans I explored, had technology related to them in some way. Something else I thought was great about this website, is that it isn't just for Apple users, but for everyone else too! I don't feel as if I have fully explored this tool, and when I have more time I would love to explore the Interchange deeper! I chose to share this resource with Mindy Sedam a 2nd grade teacher at Chapman Elementary School. When I asked her if she was familiar with the Apple Learning Interchange, she said yes, but she wasn't sure what it was exactly! Well, she knows now! She loved it and couldn't believe that she wasn't sure what it was! Ms. Sedam said that she would use this resource mainly for lesson plan ideas and that she would love to explore it more before the school year starts!
1. Articles to Read and Reflect
U.S. Schools Lag Behind In Use Of Technology
This USA Today article, really caught my attention. It brings up some very good points, for instance-"students of almost any age are far ahead of their teachers in computer literacy." I believe that this is true, but it isn't a good thing. I don't see how teachers can just sit back and tell the students to do an assignment using technology, if they themselves don't know or don't want to know how to do it either! Teaching is not only about helping others learn, it is an ongoing job that requires the teacher to continue their learning forever! I am a future teacher and I am learning about technology and I know that when I am older there are going to be things that I don't particularly want to learn about, but I am going to have to learn them, so I can be the best teacher I can!
National Education Technology Plan
This plan isn't really telling me something that I don't already know. I think that it is something that needs to happen, like the article said: [these changes will] "require not only a rethinking and realignment of the industrial age factory model of education, but a rethinking of the tools available to support such change." The education model has to be modified to keep up with the changing world! We can't just expect to sit here and keep on doing the same things that we have done in the past years. Technology keeps advancing and making things easier and there are so many new and useful tools out there that would make learning so much more "rich." Hopefully this technology plan will help the education system make learning a more enriched process and it will help educators to stop depriving students from learning about all the useful information out there!
NETS: National Education Technology Standards: for Students, for Teachers and for Administrators
I think that all of the NETS-S, T, and A are great articles and are each great sources for information. They give guidelines and would be helpful to teachers who are having trouble integrating technology into their classrooms. This is definitely a website and these are articles that I will bookmark for my future use. All teachers should know about (if they don't, they are missing out) these Standards and the website. I like how the Standards give an article and guidelines for each category: Administration, Teachers and Students. I really enjoyed the 'Digital Citizenship,' because it focuses on ethical and safe uses for technology, which are both very important, in my opinion! Each list of Standards shows that technology can be good and it doesn't always go "bad!"
Don't Just Adapt Technology, Adopt It!
I really enjoyed reading this article, it made me stop and think about how I adapt(ed)/adopt(ed) technology. I have never really been that 'into' technology, but the more articles I read and the more I read, the more I want to explore technology and adopt it! After I finished reading this article I realize that I normally just dab with technology and that I don't try new things in new ways. I find myself mostly in the dab category and in the doing old things in new ways. I want to challenge myself to try doing some 'new' things in NEW ways! I like how the article challenges not only individuals to try new things, but it also challenges schools and districts to "step out of the box!"
High School.com
I could not locate this article, the website said that "this article has moved or is no longer available."
This USA Today article, really caught my attention. It brings up some very good points, for instance-"students of almost any age are far ahead of their teachers in computer literacy." I believe that this is true, but it isn't a good thing. I don't see how teachers can just sit back and tell the students to do an assignment using technology, if they themselves don't know or don't want to know how to do it either! Teaching is not only about helping others learn, it is an ongoing job that requires the teacher to continue their learning forever! I am a future teacher and I am learning about technology and I know that when I am older there are going to be things that I don't particularly want to learn about, but I am going to have to learn them, so I can be the best teacher I can!
National Education Technology Plan
This plan isn't really telling me something that I don't already know. I think that it is something that needs to happen, like the article said: [these changes will] "require not only a rethinking and realignment of the industrial age factory model of education, but a rethinking of the tools available to support such change." The education model has to be modified to keep up with the changing world! We can't just expect to sit here and keep on doing the same things that we have done in the past years. Technology keeps advancing and making things easier and there are so many new and useful tools out there that would make learning so much more "rich." Hopefully this technology plan will help the education system make learning a more enriched process and it will help educators to stop depriving students from learning about all the useful information out there!
NETS: National Education Technology Standards: for Students, for Teachers and for Administrators
I think that all of the NETS-S, T, and A are great articles and are each great sources for information. They give guidelines and would be helpful to teachers who are having trouble integrating technology into their classrooms. This is definitely a website and these are articles that I will bookmark for my future use. All teachers should know about (if they don't, they are missing out) these Standards and the website. I like how the Standards give an article and guidelines for each category: Administration, Teachers and Students. I really enjoyed the 'Digital Citizenship,' because it focuses on ethical and safe uses for technology, which are both very important, in my opinion! Each list of Standards shows that technology can be good and it doesn't always go "bad!"
Don't Just Adapt Technology, Adopt It!
I really enjoyed reading this article, it made me stop and think about how I adapt(ed)/adopt(ed) technology. I have never really been that 'into' technology, but the more articles I read and the more I read, the more I want to explore technology and adopt it! After I finished reading this article I realize that I normally just dab with technology and that I don't try new things in new ways. I find myself mostly in the dab category and in the doing old things in new ways. I want to challenge myself to try doing some 'new' things in NEW ways! I like how the article challenges not only individuals to try new things, but it also challenges schools and districts to "step out of the box!"
High School.com
I could not locate this article, the website said that "this article has moved or is no longer available."
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