Seeing as this is my last reflection in this class, this reflection will be about any type of technology that can be used in the classroom, ranging from WebQuests to email to technology tools. I will answer each question by responding about the best technology tool to use for that question.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students? I believe the best technology tool to use to most effectively communicate with your students is through using email. I think that, by teaching your students to become more comfortable with using email, they will be more prepared for their future when technology will be more necessary. If they become more comfortable using email with their teachers, they may also become more comfortable emailing other students (friends), their parents while they're at work, or anyone else. I think that email allows the students to contact their teacher at any time, and you can assure them that you will check your email every night after you eat dinner by (for example) seven o'clock. That allows the students enough time after seven to complete any assignments that they emailed you with questions about, and it also lets them know that they should look at their work for the next day BEFORE seven so they can email you with any questions. I believe this system would work very well for both the teacher and the students to create a more effective system of helping students with homework.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? After taking this class, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of communicating. I believe the best way for a teacher to communicate to students' parents (as a whole, not individually) would be through a class website. Parents would be able to go on the class site and see the class schedule, future/current assignments, etc. I will DEFINITELY use a class website with my students' parents. On the site, I will do my best to put as much of the students' work as I can. I think that it is so important for parents to be aware of what their children are doing in school, because it is the place their children spend the majority of their days.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? This one's tough for me. I personally would think that email would be the best way to communicate with my colleagues; however, a website may be useful too. First, let me talk about email. Email is wonderful because, not only can you email messages, you can also add attachments. If one of my colleagues wanted to swap lesson plans with me, we could just email them to each other as attachments from our computers and save paper. Also, a website for the school faculty might be helpful. It could have a calendar on it (google calendar) which would list field trips, upcoming meetins, deadlines, etc.
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Kids these days are so into technology. Now, if they were allowed to use technology in school, they would be extra involved and extra interested in what they were learning about! For some older teachers, using technology in the classroom is almost like a taboo. However, if you invite technology into the classroom, the students become engaged in the learning process and will remember information better if they are involved in learning
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? I think the best technology tool to use for this one would be for the teacher to make a digital story. When a teacher makes a digital story for the classroom, they are in charge of what the message is that is shown and how that message is shown. This would be the best because the teacher is in complete control of what and how the video comes across.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? One of the pros of technology is that students will love it! Almost any topic you pick, whether it's how paper is made or a biography on Harriet Tubman, the students will more likely than not be involved with any way you present the material if it is through technology. Another pro is that the teacher is in control of the technology and can shape it and mold it to fit the curriculum. A huge con of technology in the classroom is something that I've mentioned several times on this blog. The internet is a dangerous place! All it takes is for one of the students to not be supervised while on the internet, click on a wrong link or type in a website wrong, and BOOM, they're looking at things they shouldn't be looking at.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Last Week of Field Experience
In this reflection, I will talk about Digital Stories. Now that I am done with my field experience, I look back and wish that I had done a digital story for the students. However, the students did not have appropriate computer access to do so. This caused me to reflect on the impact digital stories have on student learning.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students? If you, the teacher, are making the digital story, you are in control of what the content of the digital story is. You are in control of the pace and the message being put forth for the students. A digital story allows the teacher to communicate whatever they want to their students. Also, you are in control the "feel" of the story. For example, if you are doing one on Martin Luther King, Jr., you'd want it to be emotional and powerful through music and images. However, if you are doing one on the making of The Three Stooges, it may use fun music and funny video clips.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? The parents will be able to view the video from home since it would be online. They would know what their children are learning in school and what method is being used to teach them (i.e. using technology). Parents are very protective of their children and want to know what's going on while they are at school. A lot can be done through the digital story that can be incorporated into the home and family.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? Other teachers in my school could use the video to teach about that same topic too. For example, if the grade was doing a unit on recycling, we would have a competition between the classes in the school/grade to see which class can gather the most recyclable items, and whoever wins gets to take a field trip to a recycling plant and bring all of the items from the school and watch them be recycled.
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Students these days are so interested in technology, and any chance they are given in school to use technology, they would love. Also, if the students know that their teacher made it just for them, they may be even more interested because it has that personal touch from their teacher. They may gain more respect for their teacher as well once they know that their teacher has the knowledge of how to make such a video that can be used to teach information.
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? Since the teacher is in complete control about what will be delivered to the students, regardless of whether or not it is made by the teacher or picked out from TeacherTube.com, any objective can be taught through digital stories. The stories can be as specific or vague as the teacher wants them to be, and they can be picked out depending on the age group of the audience, which is very important to take into consideration.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? The pros of a digital story are that it takes the students through a process that is either emotional, entertaining, or just outright interesting. That way, the students can see why it is important of that certain topic. Another pro of a digital story is that it won't be geared towards an older audience other than your target audience, so you (the teacher) are in control of the content. This way, the students are more engaged in watching the video. A con of a video is that it can be low quality sometimes and some students may lose interest because it was "home made". Another con of it is that it isn't interactive. The video isn't a lesson in itself, but it has to be used in a lesson to learn more information.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students? If you, the teacher, are making the digital story, you are in control of what the content of the digital story is. You are in control of the pace and the message being put forth for the students. A digital story allows the teacher to communicate whatever they want to their students. Also, you are in control the "feel" of the story. For example, if you are doing one on Martin Luther King, Jr., you'd want it to be emotional and powerful through music and images. However, if you are doing one on the making of The Three Stooges, it may use fun music and funny video clips.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? The parents will be able to view the video from home since it would be online. They would know what their children are learning in school and what method is being used to teach them (i.e. using technology). Parents are very protective of their children and want to know what's going on while they are at school. A lot can be done through the digital story that can be incorporated into the home and family.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? Other teachers in my school could use the video to teach about that same topic too. For example, if the grade was doing a unit on recycling, we would have a competition between the classes in the school/grade to see which class can gather the most recyclable items, and whoever wins gets to take a field trip to a recycling plant and bring all of the items from the school and watch them be recycled.
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Students these days are so interested in technology, and any chance they are given in school to use technology, they would love. Also, if the students know that their teacher made it just for them, they may be even more interested because it has that personal touch from their teacher. They may gain more respect for their teacher as well once they know that their teacher has the knowledge of how to make such a video that can be used to teach information.
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? Since the teacher is in complete control about what will be delivered to the students, regardless of whether or not it is made by the teacher or picked out from TeacherTube.com, any objective can be taught through digital stories. The stories can be as specific or vague as the teacher wants them to be, and they can be picked out depending on the age group of the audience, which is very important to take into consideration.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? The pros of a digital story are that it takes the students through a process that is either emotional, entertaining, or just outright interesting. That way, the students can see why it is important of that certain topic. Another pro of a digital story is that it won't be geared towards an older audience other than your target audience, so you (the teacher) are in control of the content. This way, the students are more engaged in watching the video. A con of a video is that it can be low quality sometimes and some students may lose interest because it was "home made". Another con of it is that it isn't interactive. The video isn't a lesson in itself, but it has to be used in a lesson to learn more information.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Week 12: Field Experience
In this reflection, I will talk about online video chats.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students? My students would all have my video chat name, and I would have all of theirs. I could do a small technology unit and have an assignment be for them to create a video chat account through something like Skype, and they would have a week to invite me to chat or something like that. That would get them more involved in technology, and more comfortable using that technology tool. Once my students were comfortable using video chatting, they could Skype me whenever they had a question. Video chatting allows for a quicker response than email, and is more personal than a phone call. I don't think I would feel comfortable giving out my phone number to students (only their parents), but I would feel better about giving out my Skype ID for them to contact me with.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? The parents of the students would all have my video chat ID as well as the students, and they would be able to contact me whenever they wanted to as well. This is good to use with the parents because it is a very personal way to communicate. Really, it's the next best thing to meeting in person. As I've mentioned before, I think that it is extremely important for teachers to keep a close relationship with the students' parents. This is so the parents will feel comfortable sending their children off to school to spend the day with their teacher, and they will also feel confident that their children are with a good role model. By forming a personable relationship with the parents, they will be more likely to feel this way.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? If the principal needs to hold a meeting on a weekend or over a vacation period, all of the coworkers and the principal can engage in a group video chat, where all of them are chatting together and can see the other members of the video chat. This would be the same thing as meeting in person, except the coworkers wouldn't have to travel to the school or a mutual meeting place. All they'd have to do is log on and get in a quiet place. I think this would be very convenient for my colleagues, and the principal, because it can be last minute (as long as everyone has computer access).
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Technology is becoming so popular with children these days, and I think that any kind of opportunity you give them to experiment with it, they would enjoy. I think that most students wouldn't have had much experience with video chatting; I'd assume they would be more familiar with email or instant messaging. By introducing them to something new like this, they would instantly be interested in it and therefore would use it more often once they experimented with it and found out how easy it was to use.
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? This can help achieve classroom objectives (this is a stretch...) by helping students completely understand their assignments. How can students understand a unit if they don't even understand their homework/projects? Through video chats, the students have access to their teacher via the internet. If they have any questions about the unit or their assignment from home, they can video chat with their teacher to get more clarification so they can complete the assignment. I can remember plenty of times where I've gone home and had no idea what I was supposed to do for my project or homework, and we didn't have the internet back when I was in elementary school! Now, the students can take advantage of being able to have internet access and can ask their teacher questions to better their understanding.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? A pro of video chatting would be that the students can have a personal conversation with their teacher while they are both at home. Another pro would be that video chats can be used by the students' parents and coworkers for several uses. A con would be that it has be done on the internet, and not every student has access to the internet. Also, another con would be that, again, it is through the internet and the internet can be a dangerous place. Parents should supervise their children while video chatting with their teacher, or they should childproof their internet so nobody has to worry about anything popping up that the students shouldn't see.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students? My students would all have my video chat name, and I would have all of theirs. I could do a small technology unit and have an assignment be for them to create a video chat account through something like Skype, and they would have a week to invite me to chat or something like that. That would get them more involved in technology, and more comfortable using that technology tool. Once my students were comfortable using video chatting, they could Skype me whenever they had a question. Video chatting allows for a quicker response than email, and is more personal than a phone call. I don't think I would feel comfortable giving out my phone number to students (only their parents), but I would feel better about giving out my Skype ID for them to contact me with.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? The parents of the students would all have my video chat ID as well as the students, and they would be able to contact me whenever they wanted to as well. This is good to use with the parents because it is a very personal way to communicate. Really, it's the next best thing to meeting in person. As I've mentioned before, I think that it is extremely important for teachers to keep a close relationship with the students' parents. This is so the parents will feel comfortable sending their children off to school to spend the day with their teacher, and they will also feel confident that their children are with a good role model. By forming a personable relationship with the parents, they will be more likely to feel this way.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? If the principal needs to hold a meeting on a weekend or over a vacation period, all of the coworkers and the principal can engage in a group video chat, where all of them are chatting together and can see the other members of the video chat. This would be the same thing as meeting in person, except the coworkers wouldn't have to travel to the school or a mutual meeting place. All they'd have to do is log on and get in a quiet place. I think this would be very convenient for my colleagues, and the principal, because it can be last minute (as long as everyone has computer access).
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Technology is becoming so popular with children these days, and I think that any kind of opportunity you give them to experiment with it, they would enjoy. I think that most students wouldn't have had much experience with video chatting; I'd assume they would be more familiar with email or instant messaging. By introducing them to something new like this, they would instantly be interested in it and therefore would use it more often once they experimented with it and found out how easy it was to use.
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? This can help achieve classroom objectives (this is a stretch...) by helping students completely understand their assignments. How can students understand a unit if they don't even understand their homework/projects? Through video chats, the students have access to their teacher via the internet. If they have any questions about the unit or their assignment from home, they can video chat with their teacher to get more clarification so they can complete the assignment. I can remember plenty of times where I've gone home and had no idea what I was supposed to do for my project or homework, and we didn't have the internet back when I was in elementary school! Now, the students can take advantage of being able to have internet access and can ask their teacher questions to better their understanding.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? A pro of video chatting would be that the students can have a personal conversation with their teacher while they are both at home. Another pro would be that video chats can be used by the students' parents and coworkers for several uses. A con would be that it has be done on the internet, and not every student has access to the internet. Also, another con would be that, again, it is through the internet and the internet can be a dangerous place. Parents should supervise their children while video chatting with their teacher, or they should childproof their internet so nobody has to worry about anything popping up that the students shouldn't see.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Week 11: Field Experience
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students? I think that WebQuests are wonderful for communicating effectively with my students. Although the internet can be viewed as a dangerous place for children, WebQuests make it a safe way to teach. The teacher/creator of the WebQuest chooses the websites that the students will be using, so the students are restricted to those websites. The teacher also is responsible for making sure those websites are safe. WebQuests are a great way to introduce a unit, or to wrap up a unit. It is important to make sure, before making a WebQuest, that the students will have access to computers (one per student). It is also important to make sure the questions on the assessment can be found on the websites in the WebQuest.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? I think that a classroom website is a great way to communicate with parents, as long as all the parents have access to the internet from home, work, or somewhere else. The parents can pull up the class site and check out what their children will be doing that week in school. It is very important to keep parents informed. It is also a good idea to have a link to your email from the class site, so parents can email the teacher about any questions they have while looking at the website. Student work, class videos, calendars, WebQuests, digital stories, and much more can be posted on the class website for the parents to follow along with. Also, it is important to post any homework or long-term assignments on the website so the parents are aware of what is expected from their children.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? If I would like to share any of my lesson plans with other colleagues, I could just email them to them. Also, I can share my WebQuests with my colleagues to help them use technology in their classrooms. The biggest thing that will help me collaborate with my colleagues is email. Email is so quick and easy, and it's so simple to ask a question and get an instant response. The principal will be able to email out any kinds of announcements to the parents and to me and my coworkers. Also, if my coworkers and I wanted to collaborate our lessons and ideas and make one large activity for our students to all do together, we could do a google doc or a chat room. That way, we would all be able to compile our ideas. If I had something that I wanted to share with the other teachers in my grade, all I had to do was forward the email to all of them. The only time this would pose as a problem is if one of my coworkers wasn't familiar with such technology, and therefore I would have to print any announcement or idea and put it in his/her mailbox.
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Any new kind of technology use is exciting for students to use, especially in school. What kind of excitement would students get out of writing a paper when they could type it instead? If we taught the students in the classroom how to use Skype or had them all make up their very own email address, they would be very excited about this because they are using technology instead of reading a textbook or doing research at the library. Instead of doing that, the students could do a WebQuest and research information that way on the internet. In this activity, they could compile all of their notes in a Microsoft Word document, or a class-wide google doc, and then (if it was in Word) forward it to me. That way they would get practice with several kinds of technology tools all in one activity.
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? It's easy to fulfill classroom objectives through technology tools online (i.e. virtual tours, 3-D games, etc.) All I'd have to do is take a look at the objectives and find a tool that fulfills that objective. For example, if one of my objectives was about learning about Egyptian tombs, I could find a tool that was possibly a 3-D exploration through an ancient tomb. That way, the students could use the tool to explore the tomb by themselves instead of me lecturing about the tombs. The students are able to search for the objectives on their own as long as I provide them with the tool to fulfill that objective.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? There are many pros of Digital Story, and the way I see it, there are much more pros than cons. As I've said repeatedly in this blog, Digital Story allows the students to use their imagination and be creative. It allows the students to explore the impact music has on a story. It also is able to be used in all age groups. The students can use it in any subject as well, from art to history to science. I feel like it is a more modern approach to a book report, and it allows the students to give their final product a personal touch. A con would be that not all students would be able to catch on to the technology as fast as other students, and if the students were to work on it in a group setting, all it takes is one person who doesn't know how to use the program and that person does nothing to help out in the group. In the same way, if there is one student who understands the program better than others, it is very possible that that student does everything on their own and the work is not distributed throughout the entire group.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my students' parents? I think that a classroom website is a great way to communicate with parents, as long as all the parents have access to the internet from home, work, or somewhere else. The parents can pull up the class site and check out what their children will be doing that week in school. It is very important to keep parents informed. It is also a good idea to have a link to your email from the class site, so parents can email the teacher about any questions they have while looking at the website. Student work, class videos, calendars, WebQuests, digital stories, and much more can be posted on the class website for the parents to follow along with. Also, it is important to post any homework or long-term assignments on the website so the parents are aware of what is expected from their children.
How will the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far help me communicate with my colleagues? If I would like to share any of my lesson plans with other colleagues, I could just email them to them. Also, I can share my WebQuests with my colleagues to help them use technology in their classrooms. The biggest thing that will help me collaborate with my colleagues is email. Email is so quick and easy, and it's so simple to ask a question and get an instant response. The principal will be able to email out any kinds of announcements to the parents and to me and my coworkers. Also, if my coworkers and I wanted to collaborate our lessons and ideas and make one large activity for our students to all do together, we could do a google doc or a chat room. That way, we would all be able to compile our ideas. If I had something that I wanted to share with the other teachers in my grade, all I had to do was forward the email to all of them. The only time this would pose as a problem is if one of my coworkers wasn't familiar with such technology, and therefore I would have to print any announcement or idea and put it in his/her mailbox.
Why are these tools so popular with my students? Any new kind of technology use is exciting for students to use, especially in school. What kind of excitement would students get out of writing a paper when they could type it instead? If we taught the students in the classroom how to use Skype or had them all make up their very own email address, they would be very excited about this because they are using technology instead of reading a textbook or doing research at the library. Instead of doing that, the students could do a WebQuest and research information that way on the internet. In this activity, they could compile all of their notes in a Microsoft Word document, or a class-wide google doc, and then (if it was in Word) forward it to me. That way they would get practice with several kinds of technology tools all in one activity.
In which ways might I employ the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far to achieve classroom objectives? It's easy to fulfill classroom objectives through technology tools online (i.e. virtual tours, 3-D games, etc.) All I'd have to do is take a look at the objectives and find a tool that fulfills that objective. For example, if one of my objectives was about learning about Egyptian tombs, I could find a tool that was possibly a 3-D exploration through an ancient tomb. That way, the students could use the tool to explore the tomb by themselves instead of me lecturing about the tombs. The students are able to search for the objectives on their own as long as I provide them with the tool to fulfill that objective.
What are the pros and cons of the communication tools/social networking tools learned so far? There are many pros of Digital Story, and the way I see it, there are much more pros than cons. As I've said repeatedly in this blog, Digital Story allows the students to use their imagination and be creative. It allows the students to explore the impact music has on a story. It also is able to be used in all age groups. The students can use it in any subject as well, from art to history to science. I feel like it is a more modern approach to a book report, and it allows the students to give their final product a personal touch. A con would be that not all students would be able to catch on to the technology as fast as other students, and if the students were to work on it in a group setting, all it takes is one person who doesn't know how to use the program and that person does nothing to help out in the group. In the same way, if there is one student who understands the program better than others, it is very possible that that student does everything on their own and the work is not distributed throughout the entire group.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Week 10: Technology in the Classroom
The elementary school that I will be doing my field work in has virtually no access to technology. I thought I would use this week to talk about the importance of technology in the classroom. This entry will cover all classroom technology, ranging from overhead projectors to internet access.
How will technology in the classroom help me communicate with my students? Through technology, the students will be more interested in learning than if they were to just read out of textbooks. For example, if I showed something using an overhead projector, the students would be more likely to look deeply at it than if I handed out a piece of paper with that same information on it. Technology in the classroom is something that is being introduced to schools more and more, and for good reason. Technology is much more engaging than how teachers taught back in the 1970's. Also, technology allows students to reach their teachers from home via email. The internet can be a wonderful learning tool in the classroom, as well as outside of the classroom. However, the internet can also be a dangerous place, so whenever the internet is used in school, supervision of the students is a must.
How will technology in the classroom help me communicate with my students' parents? Through email and text messaging, the parents will be able to contact me whenever they want to with any questions they have pertaining to their children's' education. Also, the parents will be able to access the class website, so they will be able to see what their children are learning in school at that time by viewing the class calendar. I would also have all of my students' grades posted online, so the parents will be able to see how their children are doing in school. I know my parents always looked forward to progress report time, but with access online to my grades, my parents would always know how I was doing.
How will technology in the classroom help me collaborate with my colleagues? If I would like to share any of my lesson plans with other colleagues, I could just email them to them. Also, I can share my WebQuests with my colleagues to help them use technology in their classrooms. The biggest thing that will help me collaborate with my colleagues is email. Email is so quick and easy, and it's so simple to ask a question and get an instant response.
Why is technology in the classroom so popular with my students? My assumption is that almost every student is in contact with technology every day of their lives. If they are at school for 6 hours out of their days, it would be a treat to them if they use technology during their time at school. These days, the students are surrounded by technology everywhere they go. If technology is used as a teaching tool in an interesting way, such as a digital story or a WebQuest, the students will be interested in it because they know that they are being given the privilege of using technology.
Why is technology in the classroom so popular with my colleagues? For adults, it has become so much easier to communicate through the internet and text messaging. If the principal is planning to push back the time of a meeting, all he has to do is forward a text message to each of the coworkers attending the meeting, or he could send out an email to each of the workers. Also, teachers can keep all of their lesson plans on a zip drive or a folder on their computer. That way, if they would like to share any lesson plans of their with other coworkers, they can just forward them to them.
In which ways might I employ technology in the classroom to achieve classroom objectives? Any objective can be reached through technology. Also, any lesson plan can be tweaked to incorporate technology in one way or another. For example, instead of using a textbook, you can have the students research online. Or, instead of reading a story, a digital story can be used. Or, instead of handing out a worksheet, an overhead can be used and the students can write the answers down on a piece of paper.
What are the pros and cons of technology in the classroom? The pros of using technology is that there is always something new that is coming out to use. The internet can be used in so many different ways, from online games to WebQuests. Also, email allows the students and parents to have 24/7 contact with the teacher from home or work. The cons are that, well, the internet is very dangerous for students, especially when they are sent to school by their parents who expect them to get a wholesome education. When the teacher makes the decision to give her students access to the internet, she takes it upon herself to make sure every one of her students is protected from the dangers of the internet.
Video Response: I think this video is a great way to show a timeline. It's quick, but so is the song. This is an example of a great way to do a digital story to an education and clean piece of music. The fact that it's quick makes the students pay closer attention so they can absorb all of the information. As we learned in class, the amount of time a clip is on the screen is a powerful aspect to a digital story, but it is only a good idea when it makes a point. The point of being quick in this clip is that it is a timeline, showing how fast events happened. Plus, the song is very fast.
How will technology in the classroom help me communicate with my students? Through technology, the students will be more interested in learning than if they were to just read out of textbooks. For example, if I showed something using an overhead projector, the students would be more likely to look deeply at it than if I handed out a piece of paper with that same information on it. Technology in the classroom is something that is being introduced to schools more and more, and for good reason. Technology is much more engaging than how teachers taught back in the 1970's. Also, technology allows students to reach their teachers from home via email. The internet can be a wonderful learning tool in the classroom, as well as outside of the classroom. However, the internet can also be a dangerous place, so whenever the internet is used in school, supervision of the students is a must.
How will technology in the classroom help me communicate with my students' parents? Through email and text messaging, the parents will be able to contact me whenever they want to with any questions they have pertaining to their children's' education. Also, the parents will be able to access the class website, so they will be able to see what their children are learning in school at that time by viewing the class calendar. I would also have all of my students' grades posted online, so the parents will be able to see how their children are doing in school. I know my parents always looked forward to progress report time, but with access online to my grades, my parents would always know how I was doing.
How will technology in the classroom help me collaborate with my colleagues? If I would like to share any of my lesson plans with other colleagues, I could just email them to them. Also, I can share my WebQuests with my colleagues to help them use technology in their classrooms. The biggest thing that will help me collaborate with my colleagues is email. Email is so quick and easy, and it's so simple to ask a question and get an instant response.
Why is technology in the classroom so popular with my students? My assumption is that almost every student is in contact with technology every day of their lives. If they are at school for 6 hours out of their days, it would be a treat to them if they use technology during their time at school. These days, the students are surrounded by technology everywhere they go. If technology is used as a teaching tool in an interesting way, such as a digital story or a WebQuest, the students will be interested in it because they know that they are being given the privilege of using technology.
Why is technology in the classroom so popular with my colleagues? For adults, it has become so much easier to communicate through the internet and text messaging. If the principal is planning to push back the time of a meeting, all he has to do is forward a text message to each of the coworkers attending the meeting, or he could send out an email to each of the workers. Also, teachers can keep all of their lesson plans on a zip drive or a folder on their computer. That way, if they would like to share any lesson plans of their with other coworkers, they can just forward them to them.
In which ways might I employ technology in the classroom to achieve classroom objectives? Any objective can be reached through technology. Also, any lesson plan can be tweaked to incorporate technology in one way or another. For example, instead of using a textbook, you can have the students research online. Or, instead of reading a story, a digital story can be used. Or, instead of handing out a worksheet, an overhead can be used and the students can write the answers down on a piece of paper.
What are the pros and cons of technology in the classroom? The pros of using technology is that there is always something new that is coming out to use. The internet can be used in so many different ways, from online games to WebQuests. Also, email allows the students and parents to have 24/7 contact with the teacher from home or work. The cons are that, well, the internet is very dangerous for students, especially when they are sent to school by their parents who expect them to get a wholesome education. When the teacher makes the decision to give her students access to the internet, she takes it upon herself to make sure every one of her students is protected from the dangers of the internet.
Video Response: I think this video is a great way to show a timeline. It's quick, but so is the song. This is an example of a great way to do a digital story to an education and clean piece of music. The fact that it's quick makes the students pay closer attention so they can absorb all of the information. As we learned in class, the amount of time a clip is on the screen is a powerful aspect to a digital story, but it is only a good idea when it makes a point. The point of being quick in this clip is that it is a timeline, showing how fast events happened. Plus, the song is very fast.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Week 9: WebQuests and Voki's
How would WebQuests help me to communicate with my students? Ask Will Smith!
Get a Voki now!
How will WebQuests help me to communicate with parents? Ask J.Lo!
Get a Voki now!
How can I use WebQuests to help me communicate with my coworkers? Ask my Australian cat!
Get a Voki now!
Why are WebQuests so popular with students? Ask this beach loving sumo wrestler!
Get a Voki now!
In which ways might I employ WebQuests to achieve classroom objectives? Ask this kid who's stuck in the 70's!
Get a Voki now!
What are the pros of WebQuests? Ask my husband!
Get a Voki now!
...and a con of WebQuests? Ask my seventh grade english teacher!
Get a Voki now!
Get a Voki now!
How will WebQuests help me to communicate with parents? Ask J.Lo!
Get a Voki now!
How can I use WebQuests to help me communicate with my coworkers? Ask my Australian cat!
Get a Voki now!
Why are WebQuests so popular with students? Ask this beach loving sumo wrestler!
Get a Voki now!
In which ways might I employ WebQuests to achieve classroom objectives? Ask this kid who's stuck in the 70's!
Get a Voki now!
What are the pros of WebQuests? Ask my husband!
Get a Voki now!
...and a con of WebQuests? Ask my seventh grade english teacher!
Get a Voki now!
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