Response to Chapter's 1 & 2

Chapter 1:
As mentioned in Chapter 1, educators are extremely slow to react to all types of technology that could possibly be used in the classroom. It has been my experience from several classrooms that I’ve observed that emerging technology is rarely used. I think that technology in the classroom needs to be maximized since the current generations of students are techno savvy. There are many benefits of using technology in the classroom such as keeping students entertained, engaging students in active learning, increasing software and application skills, and so on. In my opinion, one of the easiest ways teachers can keep up with emerging technology is by attending technology Professional Development (PD) classes.

Also in this chapter, the author discusses keeping students safe when using the internet. I know firsthand that school districts cannot block all inappropriate material on the internet. Therefore I like the idea presented by the author that teachers should teach students the skills they need to navigate the darker sides of the Web. This includes knowing what to do when inappropriate material pops up on the screen and or knowing how to react to the hazardous material.

Chapter 2:
Though this chapter about weblogs was entirely too long and oftentimes repeated itself, I found the information extremely informative. Before this course, I never viewed or used a weblog. Therefore, the book provided several examples of ways a weblog can be useful in the classroom. I loved the idea of creating a class portal, posting a weekly update about what students are doing and achieving, my classes classroom rules, home work assignments, handouts, etc. Though this seems idealistic, I actually wonder how many of my students will have access to the internet

Article Reaction: Syncing Up with the iKid

In the article Syncing Up with the iKid: Connecting to the Twenty-First-Century Student, the author raises several great points. One statement that caught my attention was when the author suggests that this generation of students is more like to have cell phones, laptops, and iPods rather than paper and pencils. This is exactly what happened in my field placement last semester. My first grade students never brought in paper or pencils. They relied on the supplies provided by the teacher, but yet several hand held gaming systems were taken away from several students because they were caught using them during instructional time. I must admit I was taken aback by this reoccurring problem, but in a media generation it is to be expected that gadgets are more appealing than having the necessary materials needed to complete school work.

The second issue that commanded my attention was when the author says, “More than 85% of respondents in CDW’s Teachers Talk Tech survey say that while they are adequately trained on Internet, word processing, and email software, 27% have little or no training with integrating computers into lessons.” Again, I completely agree with this statement. In my experience, several teachers that I worked with in the classroom had access to new technology, such as the smart board, but never implemented the technology into their daily lessons. In my opinion I think many teachers do not take advantage of the technology that they have access to. In other words many of their resources are wasted because teachers either do not want to learn how to use and or incorporate the technology into the classroom or would rather stick with the older technology, such as the overhead, that they feel more comfortable using.

Overall, I agree with what the author presents in this article. It is my belief that teachers must use technology within the classroom to help students in the media generation gain greater understanding of the information being presented to them. Besides gaining knowledge, technology also keeps students engaged in the lessons, which in turn cuts down on the amount of off task behavior occurring in the classroom. Therefore, it should be the goal of all teachers to incorporate current use of technology into their daily lessons.

Flickr Project

Project: Greater than, Less than or Equals to


Elementary Mathematics (1st grade-Numbers and Operations)


MA-EP-1.1.3
Students will compare (<, >, =) and order whole numbers to whole numbers, decimals to decimals (as money only) and fractions to fractions (limited to pictorial representations).


http://www.flickr.com/photos/38342385@N02/sets/72157618105452128/

Research

What do I do when I research?

I honestly only use one technique to research about any topic. I go to google and I type in the subject in the toolbar. Whatever pops up is usually what I use, especially if the information comes from a valid website.

Technology Autobiography

I must admit, I am not a very technology savvy person. The first time I experienced a computer with internet access was in 2002 when I entered UofL as an undergraduate student. Then, I began surfing on the internet for entertainment purposes only. Over the years I have managed to learn how to navigate through the internet, but again these skills are basic. As far as using any other forms of technology, I use my cellular phone daily and my digital camera about twice a month. Here recently, within the last four months of being placed in an elementary classroom, I have learned more about technology and its practical use in the classroom, than I had ever imagined.

In my placement I was introduced to the smart board. I quickly learned that the smart board is multifunctional, in the sense that it displays images from the computer or the que viewer and acts as an interactive touch screen. Because my mentor teacher was big on using technology in the classroom, I began to implement the use of technology in the majority of my lessons. For example, in teaching a science lesson about weather, I used an interactive thermometer on the smart board to give students the opportunity to practice reading various temperatures. Also, in one of my phonics lessons, I used the smart board to display an internet site that discussed and displayed an entertaining way for students to learn about and create compound words.

By using the smart board, it has also helped me to realize the importance of technology in the classroom. Not only is using technology entertaining for students, but it also engages students in active learning. There are also other benefits of technology in the classroom, as well. For example, just by having internet access students can be put into groups to do research about different topics. Students could even create a website displaying their knowledge about a particular subject. Students could also use the computer to learn how to use specific software/application programs. Finally, students could get on the internet to take online assessments created by the teacher. Just as I have presented benefits of technology in the classroom, there are also some concerns. For example, students could plagiarize their papers from research found on the internet. Students could also cheat on online assessments by having access to the internet. Finally, students could access material that is inappropriate for them to view. Though there are concerns about using technology in the classroom, I think the benefits outweigh the concerns. Therefore, I support the idea that technology should be used in every classroom.