Saturday, January 31, 2009
Video #3: Pay Attention
The video Pay Attention got my attention. The music in the background was soothing. The words that appeared on the screen brought emotion. I also think that educators could use the technology students use each day to enhance the learning environment. I agree that students would be much more engaged in learning. I think education is far behind in using technology. The facts were eye opening. It would be great to see a school opened that specialized in using technology. The possibilites are endless and the students learning would be endless because they can relate. This is a good idea for secondary education but I wouldn't suggest if for the elementary level.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Reflection: Week 3
In my teaching career it will be important to stay up to date with current technology. There are many things available that I was not aware of. I work at an elementary school as an aide. I have introduced some of what I have learned to my colleagues and they think it is awesome! They want me to show them how to make a google site. My husband was also looking at the google pages I am working on and he wants to learn how to use it too.
The google pages we learned about will be great to use to keep in touch with my students and parents. It will help my class run more efficiently. The school I work for just recently hired a new teacher for resource. She hasn't kept up with technology. She has a big piece of paper with her lesson plans on. She makes many changes so she has to erase alot. I wonder to myself how much more efficient it would be if she used technology instead of paper and pencil. I don't want to be the teacher that uses the old fashioned, dinosaur method, so I am excited about this class.
One great reason to use technology is because of the cost. For instance the school I work for just recently changed their newsletter from paper to online. The parents can read the entire newsletter on line. It saves tons of paper and postage. It is much more cost effective. The google tools are free which is great for teachers. I like the idea of being organized so of course I need a schedule. The google calendar will help me be organized and creative.
The google docs is something I would love to implement with my team. It is cool to pull up the document and see what my classmates have done. Collaboration is important with my team, so this would be great tool to use for something like an assigmnent that we want to create together. Usually one person has a strength that is anothers weakness. Using each others strengths on a document would make it better than if only one person worked on it. I vote yes for google tools!
The google pages we learned about will be great to use to keep in touch with my students and parents. It will help my class run more efficiently. The school I work for just recently hired a new teacher for resource. She hasn't kept up with technology. She has a big piece of paper with her lesson plans on. She makes many changes so she has to erase alot. I wonder to myself how much more efficient it would be if she used technology instead of paper and pencil. I don't want to be the teacher that uses the old fashioned, dinosaur method, so I am excited about this class.
One great reason to use technology is because of the cost. For instance the school I work for just recently changed their newsletter from paper to online. The parents can read the entire newsletter on line. It saves tons of paper and postage. It is much more cost effective. The google tools are free which is great for teachers. I like the idea of being organized so of course I need a schedule. The google calendar will help me be organized and creative.
The google docs is something I would love to implement with my team. It is cool to pull up the document and see what my classmates have done. Collaboration is important with my team, so this would be great tool to use for something like an assigmnent that we want to create together. Usually one person has a strength that is anothers weakness. Using each others strengths on a document would make it better than if only one person worked on it. I vote yes for google tools!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Reflection Week #2
Why are communication tools/social networking tools so popular with my students? My son is twenty years old. When he was only two years old he would get excited about technology. He loved to put his hands on the keyboard and pretend he was a typing, clicking keys randomly. When he heard the printer he would get excited and kick his feet to the rhythm of the paper shooting out. The generation of children we will have in our classrooms have been bombarded with technology. Technology is in their homes, school, libraries etc. It is just a acceptabale way of life for this generation.
I attended a conference last year about how the children in my classroom will learn. Studies have been done and it has been found that the children we will have in our classrooms learn best when taught with the arts. This is why children love technology. They love creativity. Students love to be able to express themselves.
It has been said that this generation is not "social" because of technology but the word "social" may have to be redefined for this generation. Students of this generation are very social when it comes to using blogs, texting, facebook, chat rooms, cell phones, e-mail and instant messaging.
My future students enjoy feeling special and loved. These social networks give them an opportunity to feel like they have a friend. I have seen teenagers compete in who has more contacts in their texting network. Why do they make it into a competition? It all comes back to feeling important. Children long for relationships and these social network tools and communication provide that.
I attended a conference last year about how the children in my classroom will learn. Studies have been done and it has been found that the children we will have in our classrooms learn best when taught with the arts. This is why children love technology. They love creativity. Students love to be able to express themselves.
It has been said that this generation is not "social" because of technology but the word "social" may have to be redefined for this generation. Students of this generation are very social when it comes to using blogs, texting, facebook, chat rooms, cell phones, e-mail and instant messaging.
My future students enjoy feeling special and loved. These social networks give them an opportunity to feel like they have a friend. I have seen teenagers compete in who has more contacts in their texting network. Why do they make it into a competition? It all comes back to feeling important. Children long for relationships and these social network tools and communication provide that.
Video Week 2: Dewy Fractions
The Dewy Fractions video is a strange yet interesting tutorial on decimals. It was cheesy, yet entertaining. Parts of the song were hard to understand because of the quickness and lack of precise pronunciation of the words. The dance moves in the video were amateur. The floating fractions were eye catching. I think students would get a kick out of it. It would be a good way to introduce the topic just to get the kids excited about fractions but I don't think it teaches well enough alone. I would start the lesson with it and show it again later for a review.
Video Week 2: Dewy Fractions
The Dewy Fractions video is a strange yet interesting tutorial on decimals. It was cheesy, yet entertaining. Parts of the song were hard to understand because of the quickness and lack of precise pronunciation of the words. The dance moves in the video were amateur. The floating fractions were eye catching. I think students would get a kick out of it. It would be a good way to introduce the topic just to get the kids excited about fractions but I don't think it teaches well enough alone. I would start the lesson with it and show it again later for a review.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Video Reflection #1
The New Tech Trendes Video was very interesting. I don't like the idea of setting monthly limits on the internet unless it is cost friendly. Usually big companies are just looking for another way to make a buck. I do like the online program that Sandra Day O'Conner helped put together. The program seems like it would be a fun way to learn about our court system. Students in this generation like to use the computer so I think they would be more intent in learning from an online program rather than a dry history teacher. I am also fascinated with the multi touch screens. They will make using computers even easier and faster. "Computers for Dummies" may become obsolete. What a great idea! Technology is great! I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
post #1
My ideal classroom will be a safe, fun, and learning environment. I want my students to be excited to come to school each day. In order to do this I will have to incorporate many things.
First of all my classroom will be visually stimulating. To set the mood I will use bright and cheery colors. I want many things on the walls but not so many that it is distracting. I think an organized room is also a must. A clean and tidy room is a happy room. I want my students to enjoy reading. I would love to have a special place just for reading with bean bags or something comfy the students can sit on.
I want my classroom to be inviting to all my students. I want them to feel that it is a safe haven. I know for some students my classroom will be the only place they feel safe and cared about. I will have a no tolerance policy for students being mean to each other in any way. I would like to have a family feeling, where the students can share with each other. I will do this by encorporting family circle once a week. The students will move their desks to the sides of the room and sit in a big circle. We will share with each other anything the students want to talk about. (Within reason)
I am not really aware of all the teaching techniques yet, but I do know I want to teach in a creative way. I want to make learning fun. I want to do as many hands on projects as possible and use the creative arts to teach.
I don't really have a preference of what grade I want to teach except I don't want to teach first grade. I have mixed feelings about extended day and traditional schedule. Extended day is nice because you don't have to prepare a lesson for every subject. On the other hand traditional would be nice because I have the same class all day.
As far as technology goes I want to be up to date with all the things that are available to me for the classroom. I hope this class will help me use my creativity with technology and bring it into my classroom. I am excited to find out all the tools I will have available.
I am very excited for my future classroom. I want to make a difference in the lives of my students. After all, like they say, "It takes a village to raise a child". I will be a huge part of that village and a big part of the students day. I want each day to be a pleasant experience for both of us.
First of all my classroom will be visually stimulating. To set the mood I will use bright and cheery colors. I want many things on the walls but not so many that it is distracting. I think an organized room is also a must. A clean and tidy room is a happy room. I want my students to enjoy reading. I would love to have a special place just for reading with bean bags or something comfy the students can sit on.
I want my classroom to be inviting to all my students. I want them to feel that it is a safe haven. I know for some students my classroom will be the only place they feel safe and cared about. I will have a no tolerance policy for students being mean to each other in any way. I would like to have a family feeling, where the students can share with each other. I will do this by encorporting family circle once a week. The students will move their desks to the sides of the room and sit in a big circle. We will share with each other anything the students want to talk about. (Within reason)
I am not really aware of all the teaching techniques yet, but I do know I want to teach in a creative way. I want to make learning fun. I want to do as many hands on projects as possible and use the creative arts to teach.
I don't really have a preference of what grade I want to teach except I don't want to teach first grade. I have mixed feelings about extended day and traditional schedule. Extended day is nice because you don't have to prepare a lesson for every subject. On the other hand traditional would be nice because I have the same class all day.
As far as technology goes I want to be up to date with all the things that are available to me for the classroom. I hope this class will help me use my creativity with technology and bring it into my classroom. I am excited to find out all the tools I will have available.
I am very excited for my future classroom. I want to make a difference in the lives of my students. After all, like they say, "It takes a village to raise a child". I will be a huge part of that village and a big part of the students day. I want each day to be a pleasant experience for both of us.
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