Blog #11

There are many non-computer-technologies that are useful in a classroom, but one I thought was very resourceful and easy is a cd player. A cd player can be used for two devices, one is children to listen and learn through music. That is one of Gardner's intelligences, and many elementary classrooms include music daily. It can also be used for reading. I know one teacher who records someone reading the story, and the child follows along. She uses this for her students who have a more difficult time with reading. These are only two ways a cd player can be incorporated in the classroom, and cd players are very easy to find!

ERIC Research Projects:

After presenting and listening to various ERIC research projects I have learned a lot of new things about technology in and out of the classroom. I was assigned to focus on electronic portfolios, and this was very beneficial for me. Before doing this project, I did not know a lot about e-portfolios, I knew they existed but nothing more than that. E-portfolios are a great useful tool for college students because it can help you design your resume. For teachers, it can also help show progress, build rubrics and lesson plans, and organize information. Another presentation I found interesting was the one about gender in technology. I was not aware of the statistics that were discussed, and was shocked by a lot of them. It is a stereotype that men know more about technology then women, but as technology grows so does women's interest and minds. After that presentation, a very interesting question was asked, "do you think in the future men or women will dominate technology more?" My answer is both, just depending on what types of learning styles and personality the women or men have. I thought all of the presentations were very interesting. Some of the stuff I already knew, but it got my mind thinking about the topics more. As technology grows in our future, so do people, and with all of the resources on the computer, I believe it will make everything more resourceful and easier!

Technology in an elementary classroom

I found a great website that specifically discusses technology in an elementary classroom. The website is http://cherryweb.com/msippel/summertech1.html, and it was created by an elementary teacher. The homepage consists of four icons teacher resources, sites for kids, website creation and multimedia resources. Teacher resources included tons of different sites and databases that are easy for teachers to use, such as easytest maker and rubric makers. Website creation included different sites that teachers or students could make their own websites from, and multimedia resources that included a lot of helpful programs where you can design graphics and use hyperstudio. The icon sites for kids was organized by subject and grade level, and seemed very simple for children to use. I really liked this website because both teachers and students can use. It gave a lot of ways technology can be incorporated into a classroom. It was also very organized, so students would not be confused using it and it have a lot of helpful resources for using technology. I also liked the fact that an elementary teacher used it because anyone can make a site such as this one, and she knew what is important in using technology in an elementary classroom.

A New Way of Learning

This video teaches teachers and students that digital learning can enchance learning.

Blog # 6 and #7

Their are both positive and negative affects that involve using the internet in an early elementary classroom. Some pros about using the internet is it will prepare students for internet usage in the future. It will also help support their research and may even enhance their learning. Some cons is it may be too much for them to learn for a student at such a young age. Their are also some dangers to worry about such as online predators or inappropriate websites. Their are many beneficial uses for the internet in an early elementary class. It is a great resource for children with disabilities, since technology is growing so rapidly their are certain programs and websites students can use to help them better understand the material. It also can be a fun way of learning. Students all have their favorite cartoon characters, and there are many different educational games that involve television shows. If a student hates schoolwork, it would be a good idea to put them on a computer because they will not even realize they are doing educational things because they will be having so much fun. It is also great for the students to get familiar with the internet because they will be using it for the rest of their lives. For being a college student and a high school graduate, I would not have survived without the internet. My favorite educational website that I have learned about so far is probably webquest. I like webquest because it can be used by a student or a teacher, and it serves many purposes. If a student is doing a book report on a certain subject, webquest will tell the student what book would be suitable to use. It will also help teachers plan lessons, and what resources will be the most effective.
Since I am halfway done with this course, I have learned a lot. I have learned that technology is growing everyday, and it keeps improving. I believe technology is a great resource for an elementary class, and never realized how important it is until this course. It can help students with different types of learning styles and really benefit students with disablities. It can also help the teacher be more prepared and provide better resources. The most important lesson and concept I have learned so far are the different educational websites that are on the internet. I have never realized how many free internet tools there are avaliable for teachers and students. I have gotten to look at some of them through learning about them during this course, and did not know there were tons more on the internet.

Blog #5

I found this article very interesting because it is a topic that has been occurring lately. I think there are positive and negative affects of these standards. In my opinion, for a teacher's perspective I find this very intimidating and stressful. I think it is a good idea for young students to learn these standards, and it would prepare them for their years ahead, but I believe it would put alot of pressure on the teachers. If some students do not pass some of these standards, people might pass judgments on the teachers. I have heard that kindergarten and third grade are the most difficult grades to teach and this is because of the standarized testing. On a positive note, this would give teachers alot of things to teach the students, and it will help them develop good lesson plans because of the variety of standards they need to know. For a student's perspective, it also has positive and negative sides. Every child learns differently, and has a strong subject, so with the standards it might be difficult to see that on a test. I think it is a good way to prepare them for the schooling years to come, but is it too much to ask of a six year old? Can a kindergardner handle the pressure of these new standards? Every student and classroom is different. Some teachers could incorporate all of these standards into creative lesson plans for each student to understand. Each classroom and student are different, some can handle the pressure of these standards, while others are not. It is alot of stress to put on a very young student, however it will prepare the student for the future in the classroom. The last thing I am going to say is it takes the right kind of person to be a kindergarden teacher. They have to be determined, motivated and have discipline.

Image Lesson

This image lesson is to be done for a first grade classroom. Students have to match the picture of the food to the word of the food with lines. This will help students learn how to identify words with pictures, and it will also help them with spelling. Teachers can do this with a spelling list, or when teaching about the different foods. To expand on this lesson, I could ask the children what food group each food falls in, and if they are healthy. This lesson can be used in many different ways, and shows images of real food.