Final Media Post

This last week I had the opportunity to learn about and successfully utilize the Podcast; Which is a great way to express what is wanting to be said to your friends, family, teachers, cohorts and everybody else, including those on the web. It was quite fun to do and I think that students would enjoy using the Podcast as a form of homework, in-class assignments, or for communication in general. i like The Black Eyed Peas. I feel that those individuals that have a particular interest in music, gaming, and electronics in general would enjoy this form of technology. Simply because it involves exactly these types of things to create one. It would also be fun for them to experiment with adding music to their voices and other things of that nature. Podcasts can also be utilized for those students who have various disabilities involving reading, spelling and other areas. They're able to express themselves through voice which also takes them to a different place to learn rather than having them do the typical paper and pencil or through a text book.

Through out this semester i have had many opportunities in learning and working with some great technology. It is amazing how many different ways technology can be used in the classroom and in every day life. i am excited to be able to use google sites, pod casts, blogger, emails, web quests, digital stories, excel, power points, vokis, hopefully interactive white boards and many more. I have noticed through out this semester technology can be a lot of fun but at the same time it can very frustrating for those that aren't familiar with all the up grades. It it so important that as teachers we are aware of that and to not over load the way we teach with only technology, because not all students will learn best that way. We have learned ways to use all these different tools of technology in the classroom, we have been able to create things on our own, we were able to apply technology into our lessons and actually teach students with it, we were able to experience how little technology there is in classrooms and in schools, and to be able to be upgraded with the latest technology.

Believe In Me
This video clip was about believing in yourself, believing in your colleagues, your parents, your classmates and pretty much putting your belief in the good of humanity. Children need the support of their adult role models to help them get the proper education and succeed in the work place. For a little boy to stand up and give that kind of speech was very moving in my opinion because it showed that he had all the love and support from his role models that he needed. One of the big things that it showed me was that success comes when there is support, love, and desire is present. It was neat to see someone as little as him with so much power, It was just another example to me of how much one person can do if they put their mind to it. It would be truly amazing if everybody in the world were just like him, in that they had a huge desire to succeed and they followed through with it. I think that this world would be an extremely better place.

Pod Cast

Here is my podcast

Week #13

These past few weeks, there hasn't been much technology use going on, but there has been some communicating through the Internet and writing up papers on google docs. The Internet is a great source of communicating, and for the most part is pretty fast. Being able to communicate in more ways than one is so convenient and helps have things written down and documented. During my Field Experience, our cooperating teacher has been emailing lesson plans, worksheets, links, ideas, and much more for us to have in our future teaching career. It is so great to be able to have them on file, and to also make a hard copy of them just in case. Emailing them to us, instead of finding them in the filing cabinet, making copies, this way just works so much better. Emailing also through this Field Experience has been pretty convenient also, where we didn't see the teachers for three it was a good way to stay in contact. Emailing ideas, worksheets or projects to my colleagues that went well in my classroom is a great way to help other teachers also have great experiences. The other day we needed an immediate answer to a question from one of the UVU instructors so we text messaged them, and got an immediate response, which was so helpful. Emails may take a bit longer, but text messages is a bet faster, and basically does the same thing.

Blogging is also another great way to keep people around you updated, and to send messages, invites, or announcements out to a wide range of people. It's also a great way to post reflections, or learning logs for school, which would be a great idea for younger elementary students to become familiar with. It would be fun to be able to blog some homework or different things through out the week. The kids seem to get more interesting and willing to do the assignments or listen in class if it's just worksheets all day long. Blogging can also be great for journaling, and being able to make a hard copy book of all the yearly events and announcements that were blogged through out that year. Being able to post a Voki onto a post on the blogger was a lot of fun, and made the post a lot of fun. Putting a Voki on the class blog for announcements, would be so fun for the students. You could also do class announcements or an object of a lesson on a Voki to start off the beginning of class is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom, and it's not hard at all.

I hope I have an opportunity to use technology in my classroom, and the students will enjoy the interaction and the excitement it brings. It would also be so nice for schools to get some new technology for the teachers so the students lives can be enriched with technology and so can the teacher as they teach their lessons.

Reflection #12

While doing Field work, I have noticed that a lot of the teachers are still communicating with students through grades on hard copies, and take home notes. It would be so great to see more technology being used, especially from teachers that have been teaching for a while. Not only do the teachers need the update with technology, but so do also the students and parents. There are so many great and effective ways to communicate through technology. There is powerschool, individualized websites, email, and many others. It is also a lot more fun for the students to be introduced to all the technology.

This weekend my husband and I watched LDS conference on the internet, because we were somewhere that didn't have television or cable. It was so great and convenient to be able to still take part in that. The internet is a great source of technology that needs to be used more for teaching tools, and communicating, and discovering. IT seems as though students would get so much more involved in the lessons if they had a chance to do a webquest or research in class. I love the idea of the laptop station for each classroom. It gives every student a chance to use their own computer and have that experience with technology. It seems as though everything is going to start being on computers versus hard copies, so it's great prectice for these younger children.

While teaching our lessons this last week, we did a webquest with our class, and they loved it because it was so interactive and different from what they are use to. Webquests are great for students to get heavily involved in their work, and can explore what they please and learn what is available to them. It is also a fun idea to make one as a class, I think it would get everyone so exciting and they will be learning so much and not even know it. I know as I have done our webquest for class I have learned a ton of stuff but it's been in fun interactive and interesting way. After making one as a class, it's great way to agree as a grade level to have each class make one, and then share them and have each class explore the others. So instead of having just one webquest, each class then has three or four to use for lessons. It's a great way to collaborate with other teachers and classes. While preparing our lessons we also used the internet and sources like UEN for ideas, which was a big help, and helped us make sure we were staying within the curriculum for the students. It was also helpful for the teacher because instead of teaching pointless stuff to the class, we taught stuff they actually need to know.

When I become a teacher I hope to be able to use all the great technology that is out there, it may take some extra money and time to get it, but it's so worth it. Students deserve to learn with technology and now days it's just something they need to know or atleast be introduced to. There are too many great fun and amazing technologies out there that teachers and students aren't using.

Reflection #11

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In the classroom, the teachers main teaching resources are the white board, overhead, and worksheets. They have one computer for the children to play on at recess, and the teacher has his laptop, which is mainly used to take attendance.
There definitely needs to be some technology integrated into this school, and in this classroom. These children only know how to learn by lecture, pencils and papers.


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An Elmo is a piece of equipment that the teachers can check out of the library to project books, pictures or other things they want to show the students in a larger view. It's very expensive so they could only afford to get one for the time being, but it's a pretty cool piece of technology. You lay the book or picture on the flat surface, and the projector puts it on the wall for everyone to see, instead of having to make overheads for each thing, and they can also be larger than just paper size. I would definitely like to use this type of equipment in my room when I become a teacher. It's makes teaching more interacting and fun for the students.


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The interactive whiteboard is something I definitely would like to teach with and use in my classroom. It's is so fun for the teacher and the students. It is very interactive, and involves the students to a degree that a normal whiteboard or overhead can't do. It has some great programs, and to be able to also show videos, clips, and other online sources is great for the students to be able to get introduced to that. They may be a lot of money, but they would be well worth it. It's a great source of technology, and can be used for so many different things. It would also be great to have other teachers or colleagues that have these sources of technology also so you can teach one another, and become educated to better teach the students.

The mobile lab is also great for students, especially when they only get once a week in tbe school computer lab, with no computer teacher. The students will be able to have the time to do research,webquests, discover new things, and the teacher is also allowed to teach in a whole new way. It's great for the students to be able to follow along with the great web resources as a class, instead of only using technology and computers for direct instruction. It also gives the students more experience and knowledge about computers in general, and also the teacher to stay in tune with all the technology. I would definitely like to have a mobile lab for each of my students, and to be able to teach in such a great interactive way.

Reflection #10

This last week we have continued working on creating Web Quests, which has been fun to see how it all comes together. It offers exploration, activeness, creativity, and more. Web Quests are also fun to use to communicate lesson objectives and the curriculum to my students. They are able to learn and explore on their own. Web Quests also allow students and parents to work together to explore new topics and know what's going on in the curriculum. Parents are able to know what their child is learning and get a chance to help teach their child, just not the teacher. This web quest assignment as also helped me to understand how to use web quests more efficiently, and know what's going on. 

There is a lot ot things to be learned through out the media and it's great to be able to use it more and more in the classrooms. The way we have been working in our pods could be a similar way it could be done with my colleagues, or others that are creating web quests with me. It takes team work, dedication, research, and everyone just doing their part. it is fun to be able to create a tool used by students and other people to learn from. Making web quests are a lot of fun, and open a whole new way of doing things. I love using power point, but I love even more how interactive this power point is. When students get to interact with others, and with media it's a great learning cycle to have in the classroom. 

This week I have started a new job, and it's been amazing to see how much I have been using the technology we have been learning about, or that has been mentioned in class. I have been a lot with Excel, which is a lot of fun and really helps me keep things organized, and helps generate numbers very easily. Excel helps the process go faster, and more efficient. I have also been doing a lot with email, which helps a ton with saving time on the phone, and being able to also see it and just not hear it helps a ton. Emails are also great to be able to save information given that will need to be used down the road or multiple times. I have also been using different company websites that are used to promote business, and help generate revenue. It's a great way for customers to see what the business is all about, what to expect, contact information, any other important information. These websites are similar to our classroom sites we created to also help students and parents to see what the teacher and classroom is all about. Rules, homework, expectations, schedule, projects, announcements, and other things the teacher wants to post. I just get concerned because it's an open site, which it worries me about viewers, and what they are viewing it for. 

Video

"We Didn't Start The Fire"

This video clip was so fun to watch, and covered a lot of interesting material, in such a short amount of time.  It was very creative, and rhymed very well.  It was a great idea to also have the words and the date the events and people occurred in case people couldn't fully understand what the person was singing.  It was interesting to see the different events that took place in each era, and the progression that took place in the world.  This clip could also be used to compare the world today and see how much the world has progressed since then.  This could be a great clip to show maybe to older kids to see the important people through out earlier times of the world, and also certain events that took place that made an impact on the world.  It could also be fun for the students to make a clip of their own as a  class of the era they are living in, and the different things they have went through and things they have experienced.  For little kids it may show to many sex symbolisms and drugs, although it was a big part of life, it maybe wouldn't be appropriate.  I personally really enjoyed it and it was a fun way to learn something new.  I think students would really enjoy this clip.  

Reflection #9

This week in media we discovered Web Quests and how great they are to use in the classroom, and for both students and teachers. It's a fun new way to learn, and explore new topics. Web Quests will help me communicate with my students through discovery and allowing them to do assignments at home. This way of learning could be my way of communicating to some of my students if this is their way of learning. It is also a way to communicate to them specific things I want them to know, or to explore. (If I created my own for them). Web Quests are also a great way for the teacher to communicate with the parents with what they should be learning and know. It is a great way for parents to help their children learn at home, and help them understand the material. It is also a great way to communicate to the parents what is being taught to their children in class. I can also collaborate with my colleagues through a web quest by sharing some web quests I have created on my own that I taught to my class, and worked. It would also be a great project to do as teachers to create one together for the grade being taught. It's also a great idea to communicate to the other colleagues different and fun web quests they used to help them also better their lessons. Web Quests I think will be very popular for my students when I start teacher, because it's a student-directed lesson. There are allowed to learn and discover on their own. There are so many great lessons and information on the web, and it's a chance for them to utilize it. Students also love technology, and it's a great way to get them introduced to the technology out there, and new ways of learning. Web Quests are just learning from a lecture, paper and pencil. It's a whole new concept and any kind of change with learning or within the classroom, helps the students get re-motivated to learn. Not only are they popular for just the students but also my colleagues. Web Quests aren't only fun for the students but teachers can also have a lot of fun doing them, or making them. It's a new way of learning and teaching, which is always great to have new ideas. It is a very effective way of teaching, that doesn't allow the teacher to just stand in front of the classroom and lecture. They also enjoy creating them, to help better direct their lessons and encourage learning. In order to achieve classroom objectives in the classroom by using Web Quests is to first search the right topic, allow student discovery, and be there for questions or assistance. Web Quests allow students to be independent learners, and also allows teachers to teach the objective also, plus some. Most Web Quests are also very specific in their directions to help guide the students to correct information, which also is helpful. The students are having fun and learning at the same time, and that is a very important or should be a very important objective in the classroom. As the children are learning facts they are also learning objectives about technology. Some pros of a Web Quest is the the chance students get to use technology in school more than just writing papers in the computer lab. It also gives them a chance to use it at home to also help get their parents familiar with the technology also. It allows independence, self discovery, exploration, a new concept of learning, fun and interactive, student directed learning, and there are many other great things this way of learning can help students. It is also great for the teacher to explore also and direct lessons in a new way. Web Quests can also be done at home which is very beneficial if the students doesn't complete ttheir assignment or is absent. Some cons of a Web Quests is the technology if the students don't have access to a computer, or the internet at home. It may also take some students more time and may be harder to understand. It may also be a longer learning process for some students, and a different concept that may be hard to catch on to if they haven't done much with computers or the web. There may not be enough time in the computer lab to complete the quest, so they may have to take their work home. Video Surface Computing This new computer, surface computing is so interesting. I love how they keep coming up with such great ideas of new technologies. This computer would be great for sharing things to large groups of people, such as doing a presentatin on a certain topic, photo sharing, or designing somehting together. They have the ability to do hangs on things that they normally would sitting at a table, but just not on paper. It is great how you can manipulate more than one thing at a time, which is great for different occupations. It is amazing to me how they could take a picture and place the camera on the surface computer and the picture pops right up, which can then be placed on another device such as a cell phone. It is so quick and easy. It will be exciting to see where these types of computers will end up.

Reflection

Ok I had this blogged by Sunday night, the correct date and time is at the bottom, I accidentally posted it on my Ed Psych blog, sorry.

This week we looked at engrade, which is very helpful for our media class for us to locate our grades. It is a very easy and free way to access grades and at the same time not have them be public. It's easy to access for teachers and makes them from papers, grade books, binders, and other inconvenient things. Communicating through engrade with my students and their grades would be very effective and also easy for them to access at home. I would keep them updated and they would be able to see what they are missing, and can take care of any problems with me as soon as they see something wrong. Students can also access an online attendance sheet through engrade to also help them stay caught up. It would also be very helpful with communicating the students grades to their parents also, instead of them being in the dark with scoring, projects, in-class assignments, and homework. They will be able to stay caught up with the progress of their child, and also help their child stay caught up. Parents can also contact me if they see any problems also with the grades and scoring of their child. Teachers are also able to post online assignment calendars for students and parents to view to also help them stay current. Teachers can easily safely connect with students and parents online to answer questions in a private and SPAM-free environment. Engrade could be a very popular thing, and is nice for children to be able to stay current with their scores and what is going on with their grades on a daily bases. I also love that it's their own, it's not public and use private for the student, cause grades can be a very touchy subject. Like we did for class it's a great idea to have the students go home and view their engrade, sign it, have a parent sign it and turn it back in for points. It's a great incentive, but yet they are benefiting from it. Video-Did You Know 3.0 This video clips are so interesting because as the years go on technology becomes more and more advanced, which also advances occupations for all the people through out the world. It was funny to see that I fell under or will fall under the category of having 10-14 jobs by the age of 38. I have switched jobs so much, but once I get my occupation that will all change. It is so interesting to see how people use and depend on technology so much for communication and other means in their life. My space is a program that expanded at such a rapid rate I think for the good and the bad. It is interesting to think who or where people went to ask the type of questions they ask google just a few years ago. We definitely are living in exponential times. I would have to agree that text messaging is out of control now days, but it's just going to keep expanding. Internet is definitely a faster and more efficient way to communicate to the world, which is a great advantage we have now days. Technology is definitely out there and growing at a very rapid rate. It is a dominate feature in our lives.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Reflection #6

Digital stories will help me communicate with my students through fun active learning and a different way to present topics, or even information about myself. I think it would be fun to communicate to my students about who I am, what I like to do, how I got where i am, and special things about me though digital stories. It would be different than just talking and a biography, it would catch their attention and help them remember who their 3rd grade teacher was. It will also help the communication go the other way by also having the students present who they are and what they are about. It can help me as a teacher to have that different form of communication to remember things about each and every one.

Digital stories will help me communicate with my students' parents in a similar manner also. I will have a chance to also let the parents see what I'm about, which is good for the parents to know who is teaching their precious children. It is also great to have the teacher and students communicate with the parents, by allowing them to see the work that is or has been done in class, and to also allow the parents to experience what goes on in class.

This program will help me as a teacher communicate with my colleagues by introduces this to them, showing them the ideas I have done with them, how we use it in the class, and how effective it has been. It's another chance to share ideas and help other teachers make their teaching skills and curriculum better. It would also be fun to present class digital stories at the end of the year, of the whole school year of each class. It is a great way to share moments and memories. You can also let you colleagues about you also and who they are working with.

Using digital stories to achieve class objectives is endless with ideas. It allows students to think outside of the box, which is a great technique for students to do with all their activities. It makes projects and topics a lot more fun and definitely more interesting. It also allows students to use the available technology in homes and in schools for school objectives and to make them different and to help them become more familiar with the impact technology has. Digital stories are another way to help integrate technology into our students education. This project also helps them to practice a lot of skills to accomplish one goal. They need to plan, prepare, research explore, use their imaginations, learn technology, and so much more. It is also a great way for teachers to present to students in a memorable and effective way.

Some pros of digital stories are the technology it uses and the opportunity it gives children to use the technology available. It also gives the teachers a chance to become acquainted with technology and use it in the classroom. Digital stories are also great for teaching important objectives in the classroom, and also a great way to communicate. Some cons of digital stories is the time, work and effort that is needed to put into these projects which is very consuming for some. Some may also not be as familiar with technology as others, which can be very frustrating and overwhelming to do so many new and different concepts with technology. Digital stories at times can also be very confusing, because of everything they consist of, but in the end they are worth the time, learning, and effort. They are a great teaching and learning source.

Video
Millennial Generation

This video clip is about media mobility, the ability to have tv, music or any type of mobility on the go. It's basically taking you computer with you always and having easy access to it anywhere you are located. There is no limitations to media mobility, but it makes me wonder if we really have that type of power of technology to actually be able to do all these things, for every single person, of every second. This clip is also stating that they think technology devices are continually going to be getting smaller, just as they have through the years. Things just keep ugrading and keep getting better, it's just up to us to keep up with it all.

My Beliefs

In my personal opinion I think that technology in the classroom is a great thing, but only to an extent. I love how our society is getting so advanced in this area, there are so many opportunities available at our finger tip that our parents and grandparents did not have. I think that it is a great way for students to be able to stay caught up in the classroom and keep in touch with the class even if they have to miss a class period. There is a down side to this also, I believe that a teacher can make it extremely difficult for parents and students alike to stay involved in the class by the use of too much technology. We have to remember that there are many parents out there who did not have this kind of stuff when they were in school and so they will still be expecting an update to come home with their child of what is happening so that they can stay in touch. I think that you could have some upset parents, should you choose to make accessing their child's syllabus and grades too difficult. I also think that if the child is overwhelmed by the teacher's web site that they can also be overwhelmed and demeanored at the fact that they are not able to do such a simple thing as access their grades or see what they are doing the next day in class, this could have a lasting effect on them throughtout their entire experience at school. It could simply deter them from having any interest in the technological side of education, and also make things a lot harder for them.
I like the old saying, "Everything in moderation." I think that it is no different in this area also. A little technology can go along way if used correctly and it could have an extremely positive impact on future generaltions to come.

Lessons Learned

This assignment has been very informative and interesting. I have enjoyed learning about all the different things technology can be used for, especially in the classroom setting. It was also made known to me through all the reading, how important it is to become familiar with the latest technologies, and to help students also become familiar. Technology is being used more and more now days, and will just continue to grow as the years go by. Technology has made education better and more effective, but shouldn't be made overwhelming to the teachers, parents, or students. Technology takes patients, and a lot of instruction to learn, but it's worth the time and dedication. Technology can do so many great and helpful things for teachers and also for students and to just name a few it can support learner-centered strategies, develop students' order skills, manage learning and growth, helps with communication, increases productivity, helps with assessments and evaluations, and get engaged in the curriculum. There are so many ways technology can help us, it's just a matter of learning it, and staying current with it and there are so many tools to help with that change and transition. Through the articles it was amazing to see how much technology has improved peoples' lives and continues to create change and growth for everyone.

Strengths and Weaknesses

According to UNI survey and the NET standards I found the basic technology of operations and concepts are my strengths, and not much above that. Such as access programs and files, save, create folders, and maintain backup work. I am also very good with specific equipment such as VCR's, calculators, scanners, video cameras, and etc. I am also aware of how to access world-wide information over the web, by using online encyclopedias and dictionaries. My biggest strength would be emailing to communicate with others, but unfortunately i also have some weaknesses. I really struggle with audio or visual recordings on the web, or incorporating them into projects, or using video conferencing. I am familiar with databases or graphic organizers to organize and collect information, but I don't know the best technique to use them as efficient as possible. I am also not aware of some good resources to help assists students with disabilities, which would be so helpful as a teacher. My terminology is also pretty weak, along with dealing with trouble-shooting. I need to be aware of continual growth with technology for the students and also for myself. I also need to be more comfortable with incorporating technology into my curriculum. I need to know and be very familiar with the many technology uses out there so I can help enable and empower my students.

Some goals for myself as a beginning elementary teacher is to become as familiar as possible with technology and its involvement so I can help my students stay caught up, and better understand the way of technology life and education. I also would like to be effective with communicating with students, parents, co-workers, and others through technology. I will know how to manage the technology and use it in moderation. Another goal is to also get the audio and visual part down of technology. I think students would will really enjoy this type of learning and presentation. I will also use technology to assess my students, which will hopefully make things more effective in and outside of the classroom for my students and also myself.

I would like to take another instructional media class from Dr. Cox or Dr. Waters to help me better understand these different technology concepts. It's hands on which is a great help, and are very imformative and up to date with the latest and greatest technologies for educators.

I would also like to take some online tutorials from the UNI website. they seem to be very updated and familiar with the technology teachers need to know to be as effective as they can in the technology.

Video Reflection

Video Reflection

How Not To Use Power Point

This was a very funny and entertaining video clip, with some great power point advice. Some key points were to not put every word on the presentation, you will loose your audience very quickly and it won't be effective. Try not to put spelling errors on the slides, check for grammer and spelling errors before presenting the show. We need to also be careful to make sure we limit the bullet points, so the students don't get overwhelmed. It's important to make the presentation pleasing to the eye with good readable fonts, good color schemes, visuals, and a limited amount of animations. Don't over do the slides, especially for younger students, power points can be very effective, but also very overwhelming for the students if they are not used correctly.

Reflection #5

These last two prior weeks we have been working on and learning about digital stories, which have been so much fun and will help students with active learning, and creating. These tools will help students be able to create their own stories, about whatever they would like. It can help bring out some self discovery and make learning very fun and active. This allows students to creat their own projects, individually or with a group.



These tools with help me collaborate with my colleagues by sharing this new idea with them, sharing information, and working togehter as colleagues and students to create an awesome digital story. It is a chance to share my own story with my colleauges, or introduce them to a new way of learning and teaching.



These tool are or could be so popular among colleagues and students, because how fun and interactive digital stories are. It helps with creativity, and exploration. These tools are fun for teachers to show their students or for teachers to also have their students try something new and exciting. It allows students and teachers to take technology to a whole new level, and allows audacity in the classroom and among colleagues.



I can emply these tools in my classroom to help achieve many teaching objectives and skills. If there is some fun research or fun technology lessons I need to teach I can use the digital stories for demonstration or for a fun way of learning about things through out the world. It can also teach the students to work as a group, and create together by creating one on their own.



Some pros of digital story is the fun things it offers, the ability to use technology, it's interactive capacity, group work is available, it can help accomplish many teaching objectives, it can be a new way for presentations for the teacher and for the students.



Some cons of digital story is everyone may not have access to the internet or to the things needed for creating these types of projects. It may also be difficult for some teachers and students to use if they aren't familiar with higher technologies. it is also very time consuming but can all be worth learning it and taking the time in the end.

Did You Know 2.0

This clip was very interesting, I really enjoyed the different statistics it gave, it was all very surprising. The comparisons between the U.S., India, and Chine were also all very surprising. It was very interesting how much lower the U.S. is in the numbers when dealing with technology. It was also very fun to see the numbers of different technology uses for 21 year olds, and how high they were, which wasn't very shocking but is sad. I loved this clip cause it made a good point about how much and how fast this world is growing with its technology and as educators we need to make sure we are keeping our students on track in order to make it through the 21st century.

A Vision of Students Today

This clip was also very interesting, and was so correct for students today. There is a lot of money and time that go into school that in the long run or short run don't help students at all in life. It seems by this clip a lot of students are feeling not noticed, or learning useful information. The classrooms are too large, buy useless stuff, going into debt, tests are pointless for life but technology is a way to get through all this long term hectic hardship. It helps because there is a lot more school work, reading and association online, which helps students stay more intune. Students need technology in their lives, but need to also be interested in school and learning the information that is being taught. I would say a lot of students are using technology for the wrong this at the wrong times during school or when they could be studying.

Technology Reflection

This tool www.pbs.org/kratts is great for animal adventure, the world, the environment, garbage and recycling, air and water, and plants and animals. This site encourages children to become friends and fimiliar with animals, introduces wild life, and encourages excitement for learning about the world around them. It is such a fun site to see and explore for teachers, students and parents. It's fun cause it becomes each of the students own site and keeps them interested because of all the different things that are offered, music, and creature exploration. There are fun quizzes, games, spots lights, daily challenge, videos and shows and photo galleries. This tool is a great tool for other great pbs links. I came across pbskids.org, which is also full of so many great things for kids also. They are both so bright, fun and flashy for the children. They are great and offer so much.

With this site it provides so much educational research for the students, but also some great stuff and different links and tools for teachers and parents. It offers some great activities and games to help improve their knowledge also. It has a link for teachers and students to ask questions for their own knowledge or to help answer questions for their students. It provides very informative resources about their site to read and see why this site is so great.

This site is so great, which makes it kind of hard to find some cons, but with these sites mentioned, it may require parents help for younger children in order to use this site. Because it offers so many things it may be a bit confusing for first time users, or younger viewers. With these tools children and maybe even teachers and parents might even get distracted while being on this site, it may take longer to accomplish what needs to be done in the first place. It's a fun and adventurous website.

Technology Reflection

My objective with www.lessonplanspage.com is for teachers and also the student to be able to find fun and educational lesson plans regaurding specific subjects. As I was searching this tool I came across so many fun and interesting things I am so excited to use to better my teaching, and improve my students learning. Some special features for both teachers and students this website offers is effeciant reading, which gives great suggestions for students to be better reader and offers so many different tools to help. It also has a link for Food and Fitness, which is so important for children to understand, and also for teachers to incorporate in their classrooms. Along with all the other special features, this site also has a special feature page full of websites great for educators, students, and even parents to use for all sorts of educational purposes. Not only are there great lesson plans for teachers, but there are also so many pros for students. They can use the math section to practice their math skills, by clicking on the appropriate grade and do worksheets right there online at home. When students are struggling with ideas for Science Fair Projects or how to present it this is a great tool for them, or for the teachers to give suggestions. This site is also great for teacher and other colleauges to share different teaching ideas and suggestions all through this site. This is also a great tool for parents to help work with their children at home with reviews, research, and teaching them the appropriate material. Aside from all the pros, there are some cons concerning the students all in the fact that this tool would probably be most useful for teachers and not for students. Although this is the case students can still benefit cause teachers are using this website to make their lessons more interesting and fun for the students to learn more. There are some things also on the site that need to be signed up for which can be an inconvenience, but can also be very beneficial for teachers, such as Hot Chalk offers some great video footage for teachers and students.

REFLECTION #3

For this weeks reflection we learned so many great and fun things for the classroom, things I never knew existed. Using Teacher Tube in the classroom will help me communicate with me students through a different media, or primary source. It will allow my students to see and discover things in a knew perspective. Along with Teacher Tube there is You Tube, which does similar things, but isn't as educational as Teacher Tube. I will communicate with my students different educational objectives through the world around them, and animations.

These different materials through the media are so helpful in teaching students and allowing parents to work with their students, cause it's all found online. It's also so great that if students are absent or not understanding the material that was presented in class, they can go home or on their own time look up these different materials used by the teacher from these online sources. These tools given to teachers and students are so great for delivering instruction to students in a different and fun way for the students to learn.

Tools such as Zamzar, Teacher Tube, You Tube, National Geographic are all full of discovery for the students, other colleagues, parents, and teachers. Along with these sources of technology there are of course pros and cons. Some pros of course have already kind of been mentioned, but they are just great to help deliver the curriculum being taught in a new and different way. They help the students learn the environment, and gives variety. Some cons of these tools be the understanding of using these tools, using online sources, and basically being introduced to a new way of learning.

I can definitely see myself using these different tools to teach and insturct my students, it will be a new fun adventure for them and also myself. They are also very useful and helpful with refections or review. They are easily accessable and easy to use for students and teachers to use as a source for reflections, and to go back and look at for reviews.

REFLECTION #2

The tools we have been learning about in class so far are going to be so helpful for me as a teacher, for the students, the parents of the students, my co-workers, and people in general dealing with education. The tools we have recently learned how to use are so great, convenient, and fun. Google sites will be so great for my students and parents to always know whats going on in the class and to also help parents better communicate with me. They are also so fun to personalize and make my own for my classes each and every year. I think teachers need to stay very organized and on top of things, and the Google calendar is great for that. IGoogle also helps people stay in contact with the things around them, and in tune with the world. The Google groups will be so greatly used among co-workers, and other people through the school district and among other school districts to help share ideas and communicate.

I have noticed it's very hard for parents, grandparents and other family members to get through to teachers, especially during school hours. These different, fun, and easy technologies are just the tool for fast communication at all times. These all provide a fast easy and convenient way to find answers to questions, and to also communicate when needed. The telephone just isn't the most convenient and easy thing for educators and parents to use.

I feel by having the correct things listed on the Google site with much detail and information and keep it up to date, that is a big way to also help communication. Although there are so many pros to these new technologies, there may also be some cons especially for those teachers that aren't technology savvy. It may be very time consuming and hard for those just learning it and getting the hang of it. The telephone just may be easier for them, but over time it can be learned. It may also take some time for parents to get the hang of it also, but it can be so beneficial once its learned.

These tools can also be used to achieve classroom objectives, such as being the organized teacher that can teach the students what they need to learn in that day, it can help the students be more prepared with reminders and help online for class the next day. It can also give the children the chance to also become more technology friendly and more familiar with the technology out there for their education.

It's so amazing to me from when I was in elementary to now how much technology all around us has changed and progressed, and how many great and convenient things there are for educators, students, and parents to use. Teachers basically used the grading system and roll taking on the computer, and a few emails here and there and that's it. As I got into the upper grades I started seeing more power point presentations and more technology, but nothing like today. I'm so excited to be able to use and learn these different technologies to better my teaching ability, my classroom, and my communication line.

VIDEO
DR.DUEY FRACTIONS--WEB 2.0

The Dr. Duey clip was very interesting and also very fun. I think the boys would really enjoy this way of learning, and would probably really remember the different things being taught. It's an easy way of remembering things when put to mucic or a rap.
The web 2.0 clip was also very interesting to be able to see all the different things on the web for educators and for others to use, all in which I think is free which is always helpful. It is so helpful to have easy ways to share ideas to help better your teaching and curriculum. There is blogging, wiki, tagging, podcast, google, and so many great web resources for us as teachers to use in our teaching and become familiar with. It definitely takes powerful thinking and coming together to make these technologies work and be effective. This clip would have been much for effective to me, if they showed actual examples of what each of these web resources were. It would have got me that much more interested than I already am. This clip made me very excited to learn all these new things out there.

CLASSROOM REFLECTION #1

My ideal classroom will be surrounded with color, numbers, fun pictures, and themes for the children. I don't want to over do it to the point that it will distract the students, but still make it fun and welcoming. I will have all sorts of books to give the children a variety of things to read, research, and to look at. My classroom will be very organized to make it easy for my students ans I to find things, and not have to learn in clutter.

My students will be willing and excited to learn with a lot of enthusiasm to be there every day. They will hopefully be able to understand the curriculum, and still have room to keep learning. The parents will be helpful with different activites, field trips, assisting students needing extra help, respond to notes and emails, and work with their children at home in helping them get their homework done and understand it. They will understand what takes place in the classroom and support the discipline. My colleagues will also be very supportive and helpful with teaching and getting the best curriculum for the students. They will be willing to share ideas, different lesson plans and activities. they will be willing to work together and people I feel are my friends and someone I can go to for anything.

I will use a variety of teaching techniques to allow all sorts of leaners in my classroom to understand the material. For example, I will use a power point presentation, along with visuals and hands on techniques, with some paper work and also allow room for questions and discussion. I will also teach everyday with different. I hope to stay away from tests and quizzes as much as possible, and incorporate more visual presentations and reports for the students.

Along with teaching techniques there are many technologies that can help enhance a students learning. I will use computers, calculators, occasionally over head projectors, televisions, dvd player, camera, stereo, and many other media systems to help teach my students.

I will teach the content of the curriculum, such as mathematics, spelling, reading, writing, science, social studies, art, health and safety and many other things the children need through their school career.

I will embrace the goals of the school, the district, goals of the grade I am teaching, goals I set for my self, goals we set as colleagues, goals we set as a class, and goals the students set for themselves.

I hope to teach the curriculum to my students, but most of all I hope to teach my students life lessons that help them grow to become great individuals and become successful in life. I hope to teach them how to be good people, set and reach their goals, and have good relationships with all those around them.

All of these things will help make my classroom a very successful and comforting place for the children to come learn and grow.


Video-Tech Watch

I was impressed by the video clip, being able to see the new technologies out there for students and teachers to use with education today. These technologies can make teaching and learning much easier and a lot more fun for the students. Customers using the internet shouldn't have to pay more for their usage time, just pay a flat fee, and not worry about the time and the money. It may cut down on the games played with and on the internet, but that should all come down to the rules within the home. When slowing down or putting a stop to the use of games on or with the internet it will effect a lot of people and the gaming industry. The touch screens seem to be more interactive for users and has a chance to enhance or make learning more fun, along with the child interfaces to also help enhance learning. Iphones seem to also be more convenient, faster, and easier for teachers to access the internet and also for parents.