2 Articles

Don't Fear the Digital:
Using a computer to type something up is much easier than handwriting something down. It's easier and it saves paper. But when I sit down to type a paper I get distracted by soemthing like facebook. I am sure most college and high school students can agree to this. Today when Trudy came into our classroom we saw that the majority of the class would rather watch a video over readinbg or hear a lecture.

The Multitasking Generation:
This articlle is about technology and how it impacts children and families, and how multitasking impacts as well. using media helps children interact in the classroom. I think as future we need to incorporate multitasking in our lesson plans to help with higher level thinking and fit the characteristics of our students. This article shows do's and don'ts' for parents. For example this article says do take the time to hang out with your kids, and do set limits and monitor content. It alsos tells parents don't let technology steal your kids from you and don't be a screen sucker.

Articles

I read 2 articles this week, "The Multitasking Generation” and “Don’t Fear the Digital.” I enjoyed both articles and found them very interesting. I thought the multitasking generation was incredible. A family was observed for months and most of the time the family was separated even when they were at home. The son was usually in his room, online and IM-ing his friends while listening to music and doing homework. The daughter was on her laptop and talking on her cell phone. The parents could hardly manage to get their children’s attention. I feel like this is something that many families deal with. I know in my family, we try to keep our gadgets off for some family time. It seems to me that this family needs to set up something so they can actually have some time to talk to each other.
The second article I read was about how the digital is rapidly becoming more prominent in our generation. We do not need to fear this transition because everything changes sooner or later. The argument that was proposed in the article was that many people will not be able to do things like write legibly any longer. I think that this could be true, and in many cases it is. My grandmother has beautiful handwriting because she was forced to practice for school. My parents both have decent handwriting but you can tell that it can be a little sloppy. I feel like my generation has horrible handwriting. Typing on a computer may be faster but I think that practicing both typing and good penmanship is important.

Articles for Chapter 10....really this time!

When I was about seven years old I had a computer program called Jumpstart. It incorporated learning with fun games. It worked on spelling, math skills, and second language skills. In an article about children using computers it says that children should start using computer around the ages of 3-4 because it helps reinforce what they are learning. Children younger than three should not be using computers because they need to learn using their senses. Even when young children start to use computers, computers should not be their main way of learning, but more of a levy to keep the information they have already learned. Even though schools should be incorporating technology into the classrooms even more, studies show that only a fraction of teachers have had any training on how to utilize them. I found this to be extremely interesting since I will be in elementary education, this is my freshman year, and I'm taking the technology class now. So what I'm wondering is....are schools sending out unqualified teachers just to have them graduate?

The second article I read about how many teachers aren't creating a classroom environment conducive to critical thinking. A way to rectify this problem is to have media tools in the classroom: televisions, computers, radios, even newspapers or magazines. The standard sit and read from a text box then fill in a A, B,C or D bubble just doesn't work for this generation. This generation have been brought into a world where they are constantly bombarded with media images and are use to having to comprehend at a faster level. This is a lot more from even when I was born. I have a niece that is three years old and knows how to work a cell phone. She knows to press the green phone to call and the red phone to hang up, she doesn't know the numbers that well, but she knows that if she wants to talk to me or mommy or whoever, she has to press them.

The last article talks about how there are several different types of teachers. There is the teach from your gut who believes with absolute certainty that what they're teaching is right, but cannot explain why. The is the teach from the gut with reason...they have the same ability to do the right thing in their classroom and can explain why, but they don't use educator vernacular.
Another type of educator is one who can explain things in educational vocabulary but common language as well; they also have the positive qualities of the first two types of teachers. The last one is the type of teacher who knows all the right words and all the right things to say, but for the life of them cannot tell you why you should learn. From these theories stated above the best one to be would be the educational translator. Or hey, maybe you should try to find your one type of teaching style that works the best for you.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 was titled Designing and Planning Technology Enhanced Instruction. Teachers who want to create effective instructions must consider everything that needs to happen in the classroom and during the lesson. The Dynamic Instructional Design (DID) has six steps to it and they are know the learners, state your objectives, establish the learning environment, identity teaching and learning strategies, identify and select technologies, an perform a summative evaluation. Bloom’s taxonomy was addressed in this chapter which we discussed this in the classroom. To use for out lesson plan.. Support technologies are a great tool to use in the classroom and some examples of them are the radio, videotapes, and computer hardware. These technologies is a way that teachers can enhance teaching and learning strategies.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 dealt with the importance of creating lesson plans that are well organized and thought through. Not much is learned from a teacher who is unprepared and does not know what he or she is going to talk about. This whole section really spoke to me personally, because I tend to be one of those people who will throw something together at the last minute and then stumble as I present it. This is not how a good teacher should act. Being prepared is a very important thing for a teacher.

Articles for chapter...2?

The first article I read was entitled Technology and MI. The article started with a narration of Ramonda Van Winkle and what would happen if she were to wake up in school from a 50 year nap. While inside the school she wouldn't notice much of a difference technology wise, but outside there would be an explosive of new technologies being used. The fact that technology has encroached into all aspects of life, except school systems. Has technology worked a lot in high schools as well as lower grades? There has been uses such as the Internet and Cds, but considering the amount of technology we use in every other part of our life, what students use in school is comparably less. How could technology help accommodate to various types of learning styles?
The second article I read was about IMing and how it effects students academically. Some instructors argue that any reading and writing is good for a student and that text/IM language is just an example of how language is always changing and evolving. I have to disagree. Yes language changes, but some text and IM language is so mentally dumbing that it makes me cringe to read it. For example: "Yo,Waz haps. Nmhjc U L2G 2 movie 2nite well, g2g txt bk s00n!" That was an incredibly mild version of text/IM language and I hate it. I am one of the people that puts punctation and capitlzation and spells things out. Does reading and writing help a student...yes. Does whatever that language is help...no.
Last but not least my third article is called What does Globalization mean for Education? The main sections answer that question: it means increased opportunities to learn with and from global community, it means wonderful collaborative projects for students and teachers and it means wonderful opportunities for students to be involved in global projects of their own. I have to say that I think this is very true. There are so many resources that allow someone in a small town in Indiana ( ok me) to talk to someone in say Ireland or Paraguay. The communication tools that are now available to students kind of allows us to be in more control over how much we learn outside of the classroom. Before we were fairly limitied to what resourced the teacher gave to us, now there are free lectures form IVY League schools available.

Interchapter 8

When a teacher thinks about making a classroom website, they should put the following information on their site: Teacher information, Class/course information, Daily/weekly information and homework, Information for parents and information for the community. They need to make sure their site meeds the basic guidelines. Teachers need to be sure that their site isn't too visually irritating. If a website has too many fonts and bright colors on it, it may take away the message and/or professional feel of the site. Teachers shouls go to the Bubbly online portal to test the usability of their site for students who are disabled. Teachers should make sure that their whole site is working. If the site doesnt work correctly, then it will confuse students and other people who need to read or know the information.

Articles for Chapter 10

The first article I read was how technology is being used at an earlier and earlier age. Children's computer programs are targeting children as early as 4 years old! The article argues that consumer habits can be made at 6 years old that will last their whole life. Even though the programs are suppose to be educational, if a child gets into the habit of needing computer programs early in life, then technology companies are set for 60 more years. The article also states that children are losing more and more active activities in exchange for computer programs. I have to agree with this. My six year old nephew would spend hours playing leap from or games on the computer, but complains about being told to play with his toys! Is the technology advances for younger children more helpful and harmful? I think it has become a very fine line and is not always to stay on the right side.
The second article I read was how technology usage should be started in kindergarten and continued through all grades. Again we walking that tight rope...how much is too much? How soon is too soon? The article says that people in today's society is bombarded with technology more than ever and make decisions everyday having to do with technology, yet they know very little about technology. The article says that since technology is advancing in leaps and bounds then people need to start learning about it earlier and earlier. I honestly can't say which one I would agree with...I don't know what side is the right side.
The next article I think wraps up the other two perfectly. In the words ' Technology, we love to hate it and hate to love it.' How many of us love to get on facebook, but hate having to use the Internet for a paper? How many of us love to go to the movies with friends but quietly groan when we have to watch something boring for class. People and technology share a love/hate relationship.

Chapter 2

This week I read about Chapter 2, which was titled Designing and Learning Technology-Enhanced Instruction. I liked how this chapter discusses before you plan a lesson you need to consider each student in your classroom and their needs. This also included those students in your classroom with a special need. The Design, Plan, and Act chart was neat as a visual in this chapter because it allows you to know how to go about making a lesson plan. Revising your lesson plan is important, and you should try to make it benefit each student as much as possible. This chapter also discussed the Bloom's Taxonomy which I thought was a neat tool to be aware of in making your students think in a variety of ways.

Inter Chapter 8

This is a short section that assists current and future teachers to create a classroom website. One of the first things mentioned is that creating a web site is not that difficult. I have just finished my classroom web site for this class and I didn't think it was difficult but it did take some time to accomplish. The steps that a person must take to create a website is the storyboard, determining the content, and lastly checking the guidelines. To create a storyboard you could use an index card to sketch out each page before using Publisher. Things that are good to put into a classroom website are your information, class information, a calendar including important upcoming dates, information for parents, and information for the community. Some of the guidelines that teachers must meet are site consistency, bias- free content, date notifications, current links, contact information, student privacy, and a few others.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 focuses on Using the Web for Teaching and Learning. Technology is tool that can simply make our lives easier. There are so many different things that teachers can use to help them stay organized. A teacher website is a perfect example. This website keeps student, as well as parents, up to date on the schedule and progress in their schooling. Homework assignments, FAQ's, and tidbits about the teacher are common things found on a teacher website. It is an easy way for parents to see into the classroom without actually being there. If a student is sick, they are able to look on the website to see what they have to make up. Having a link for podcasts is another great tool for student who may have missed class due to illness or a snow day. A teacher can upload the lesson on the website and the students would be able to download and listen to the lesson. With a teacher website comes many responsibilities as well. It is important to update the site regularly. Privacy, content, and navigability are also key elements to a website.

Chapter 8

This week I read Chapter 8, which is titled Using the Web for Teaching and Learning. One of the things this chapter discussed was about the online publications. These can be very useful for teachers to use. Most of the online publications have a search engine where you can type in what you would like to look up on the Web. There are many neat things on the Adobe Reader. Blogging is another great idea for teachers to do throughout their teaching career. It's a great way to share their ideas with other educators, as well as gain knowledge from others. As a teacher you will find sites on the web that you may find useful but aren't ready to quite use yet. A neat tool on the web is the bookmark tool. You can mark this website and save it in a list and keep it for later use. Academic Tools are great for teachers to get worksheets and activities for the children in their classroom to do. A really neat idea this chapter discusses is to have a FAQ page on your webpage as a teacher. I think that's a really great idea.

On your mark, get set, WAIT!

On your mark, get set, wait….
This was the title of the article we read this past week. It focused on assistive technology in the classroom. I found this whole article very interesting. Since I was homeschooled, and it was only me and my siblings, I never had to interact with students who had disabilities. After reading this, I found that there are so many different kinds of disabilities and how teachers need to be able to respond to the needs of each student. Some people may think that it would be easier for students with disabilities to be put in a different room, apart from the “normal” or “average” students, but since new developments in technology and no child left behind have taken place, more and more disabled students spend time with the rest of the classroom. I feel it depends on the situation, depending on the extent of the disability, because it may be better to do some things in a different room where there aren’t as many distractions and the student can get one on one help. Interaction with the other students in also very important though.
Chapter 10 dealt with distance education. I’ve taken a few online classes and let me tell you, it can either be a blessing or a curse. For me, I had to be very self motivated. Also, since I live out in the country, my internet connection did not work all the time (Just like it’s not working now! I’m using the internet at Starbucks :P). Distance education can be great for students who are in correctional facilities, different countries, homeschooled, or in the workforce. Communication is very important for the student to do well in the class. Since there is no face to face contact, everything must be discussed online. It can be very helpful for many people who do not have the time to be in class.

Chapter 10 and On your mark, get set, wait!

On your mark get set, wait! Is about how students with disabilites are now taught in regular classrooms. Some students use assitive technology to stay in regular classrooms. Teachers or students studying to become teachers, need to be ready to deal with students with disablities, including, with speech and language impairments, students with specific learnign disablities, students with emotional disturbance, mentally handicap, and students with multiple disabilities. Teachers are now teaching handicapped or learning disabled students in the regular class room.

Chapter 10 was titled.... Distance Education: Using Technology to Redefine the Classroom.
This chapter is about using distance education in a classroom. Teachers should plan extra time in case technologies fail. In a regular classroom teachers would:
Ask a question to determine what content needs to be reviewed, Review content as needed, select a target objective for the lesson, prepare students by explaining what they will be able to do after the lesson, respond to students questions about the lesson, decide how to arrange the classroom for this specific lesson, write notes for themselves, select and set up materials media and technology needed and decide how they will be used.
In a Distance education classroom Teachers would/ should : Prepare a pretest so students can self assess, make review materials available, post the target objective in a place students will notice, explain the objective in detail since there may be a delay, create a content module so that students will have manageable materials to work with, and arrange for technologies to be available to students who may not have access.

Replacement Articles for Chapter 10

Since we had articles online to read, I want to talk about them in this blog. The one that I identified the most was The Multitasking Generation. This article talks about how people are age are overwhelming themselves by having too much going on. I think that my schedule can sometimes be seen as hectic, but let's face it, schedules have to be if we want to get everything done. The article says that people are surrounding themselves with too much visual and audio stimulation in times where concentration is needed. When I'm working I usually have a DVD playing in the background, my phone by my side, and most times or not, Facebook will be up. My attention is diverted between all those things quite a bit, but when I sit in complete silence, I find that I will daydream and have my attention elsewhere considerably more than if a DVD is playing. The article also says that we need to cut down out technology time. This is something I agree with. In my house, if we're all home, we eat at the table. And when we eat, no one is allowed to have their phones out. We try and have a family night at least once every two weeks so that we're not 'roommates' but a family. The only difficulty is, when we live in a technology based world, and the majority of the work that we have to do is online, how do we cut that down to a manageable time? We kind of can't.
I think the article Don't fear the Digital is one that represents students and young adults more fully. Digital technology isn't making us dumber, it's making us more capable I think. My parents are fairly good with computers because computers where becoming household items when my parents were in their twenties, but cell phones and new technologies...they're not so good at. When my dad first got a camera phone I had to show him how to take/send pictures. When my mom got her first mp3, I had to show her how to upload music and save copies of the songs so they wouldn't be lost if her library got wiped. I still have to show my grandpa how to work his DVD player. My skills like, writing, have improved because I can type at about the same pace I think. New technologies aren't destroying students; it's all about finding a healthy balance between technologies and real life interaction, that will make a student successful.
The last article On your Mark Get Set, Wait, is about technology and special needs. My research paper was about using assistive technology with visually impaired students. I have to agree that teachers should have a better understanding of new technologies before they are thrust out into the workforce. Not every student is going to have the same abilities or the same learning styles, some may need technological help. If teachers aren't able to work that into their knowledge base, then how can they be successful educators.

Chapter 10 and On Your Mark, Get Set, Wait!

Chapter 10:
This chapter was titled Distance Education: Using Technology to Redefine the Classroom. Using technology for distance education can allow communication no matter where the student is at or even where the teacher is at. Distance Education has changed over the years from mail, to radio, to television, and even to the computer. Communication is a big factor in distance education. Online self assessments are a great idea to have students takes before starting a distance education class. Teachers need to give feedback to their students so students have verification that their work is correct and if there are problems they know how to fix them. Some synchronous technologies that can be used for distance education are the telephone, broadcast videos, radio broadcast, internet chat, videoconferencing, and net meetings. Students who take distance education need to be self motivated and they need to be able to manage their time.


On Your Mark, Get Set, Wait!:
I really enjoyed reading this article because I think it is very beneficial for teachers to be able to utilize different technologies for children P-12 who have different disabilities. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 created a focus for special needs children to be in a regular classroom. So teachers should be able to know how to use different technologies, different materials, different approaches, and many more ideas to include special needs children. There are many assistive technologies that can be used to help assist teachers and students in their education journey. Teachers need to be up to date on these technologies and they need to know how to choose and use these technologies.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go Article

When I read this article I liked how it really reinforced how much teachers prepartion for a variety of different students is crucial. Teachers knowledge and what they can do with it makes the most difference in what children are able to learn. The Standards are also important to be aware of for the teachers. I liked the assitive technology for special needs students. I think it's great how many tools there are out there for special needs students.

Chapter 10

This week I read Chapter 10, which was titled Distance Education: Using Technology to Redefine the Classroom. This Chapter really emphasizes how technology is constantly advancing and changing. Technology is becoming more and more used on a daily basis by people all across the world. This Chapter talks about distance learning which is learning that is all technology based and can be between two people that are even in different states or countries. I personally think distance learning is a neat tool in technology, and one I never really thought much about until after reading this chapter. I liked the immediate response from teachers about the students work. I think it's important as a teacher to communicate reguarly with your students. Teacher feedback is crucial to a students success. This Chapter discusses several different types of communication tools, such as: telephone, conference call, videoconferencing, internet chat, and electronic mail. I think all of these are important in communicating.

Chapter 8!

This chapter is about using the web in the classroom. Reading this made me understand that the web can be used for many things. Including teaching. My favorite thing that i think i will use or want to use when i become a teacher is blogs. Blogs are a great way to keep parents and teachers connected with what's going on at school. BLogs can keep students stay caught up with classwork and homework. If a child misses a class then the student can read the classroom blog and do their work. I think another thing that is good to use is the favorites link. You can juse favorite a web page and go back to look at it later without having to save it or having to take the time to search for it. I think the favorites link helps with plagairising. It would help a student, by letting them look at the article over and over again. :]

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 was titled Using the Web for Teaching and Learning. During class we discussed web quests and how they are made. Web quests are great for assigning projects to students. They have all the instruction and resources for their work. These are great because they can be posted online for other teachers to use as well. When designing a web quest, its very important that the content is age appropriate and that the student is able to be interested in the project. If you have a chunk of information that has no color or creativity, then the students may lose interest. The web quest needs to be appealing to the eye, as well as educational.

Articles for chapter 8

The first article I read had to do with a program called Wordle. If you don't know what that is don't feel bad because neither did I. Wordle is a program where you can highlight any text and the words that are used with great frequency are made into a word cloud. Words that are placed together or used in the context are placed together. Take for example Andrew Jackson's address to congress on Indian Removal. The words Indian, Savage, and tribes are placed together just as White and Civilized are put together. I think this is an excellent tool to use to allow students to grasp the main idea of a speech or a piece of literature, especially the more complex it is.
The next article was a point/counterpoint on whether or not a teacher should befriend a student on Facebook. The point says that the same comments or conversations that are held on Facebook are just continuations of what would happen in person. The counterpoint stated that students would have a hard time distinguishing between the personal life and the professional life of the teacher. That once a teacher is outside of the school then they are just like other people and that the students might take unhealthy interest in their personal lives. As a student there were several teachers that I considered to be friends or at least friend-like and I don't want to lose contact with them just because I graduated. I get to know about how their kids are doing, what their new classes are like and they get to know what is going on with me. I don't see this a broach of professionalism. If I saw them in the store or restaurant I should hope that we be able to converse pleasantly.
The last article was about standardized testing and teachers. Since everyone in this class must have had standardized testing I feel safe in asking, was it boring? I also feel safe in assuming the answer would be unanimously be yes. The question I pose with slight uncertainty is, would school be just as boring without testing? The article I read said that the disinterest of students is because of the teachers. How many of you had a favorite teacher in school? Was it someone that textbook taught or someone who wasn't afraid to do something different? The author says that teachers are stuck and their inability to break out of their comfort level is a hindrance to student learning. I think I just might agree, because even though testing isn't' fun, neither is being read to straight from a book and being forced to take pages of notes.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 was titled Using the Web for Teaching and Learning. Current and future teachers need to use the web in their classrooms but they need to make sure the web is being used appropriately and wisely. There are many resources available to use and they are very beneficial to everyone. Using a website in your classroom can and will enhance communication between teachers and students. Even parents can use the classroom website to keep up with their child’s education. Teachers can post up classroom rules, schedules, and homework. A tool to help teachers make their webpage is web authoring tools. If teachers have their own classroom website, they need to make sure their children have privacy. Chapter 8 was an important chapter to read since we will be making classroom websites later on.

Chapter 8

This week I read Chapter 8, which is titled Using the Web for Teaching and Learning. A good piece of information to remember as a teacher, is that there are so many resources on the web available to you. The resources available online for teachers can be very helpful. This chapter discusses blogging. Blogging is a great way for teachers to communicate, and share helpful information and resources with other teachers. A neat element of the Internet is that you can bookmark websites that you want to keep for later use. Even grading for students is all technology based. This chapter talks about the electronic grade books available for teachers. Web authoring tools are helpful in creating class web sites. Class web sites can be a neat tool for a classroom. Overall, this was a great informational chapter about how using the web is great for teachers and students.


Caitlin Hunter

Articles for Chapter 6

Learning communities are important no matter what stage of education you are in. How many of you have ever attended an SI, or the tutoring center, or even just worked in groups? That's waht a learning community is. Now with new technologies you don't even have to leave the comfort of your home to have a learning community. Say school was snowed out (even though that NEVER happens) but you still really need to study with other people. With Wikis, blogs, and chatrooms can let you communicate with others and share information that otherwise might not have been available.
The next article I read was a reader's response about whether or not schools should regulate student's offsite online behavior. As a student I feel very torn about this. I feel that if I am not at school, or using a school computer, than the school should have no say as to what I do. The arguments made were that of cyberbulling and how it's become a huge factor in schools today. If a student was harassing another student from his/her home computer, doesn't that fall into the realm of the parents' job? When did schools become the third parent? If schools were to regulate offsite online behavior when is the line drawn? Will they have the ability to tell a student, no you cannot go with you friends tonight because you have a test tomorrow?
The last article focused on how people best learn how to use new technology. People fall into one of three catagories: coached, nutured, or nudged. People who fall into the coached catagory are already to use technology but needs advice everynow and then from someone they trust and respect. The nutured catagory consists of people mostly like us. They are learning about technology and are ok, but not comfortable enough with it to incorporate it into lesson plans and to teach other people how to use it. The last, nudge, includes individuals who want nothing to due with techonolgy. They are happy with the way things are and have no desire to change.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 deals with academic software in the classroom. What I related to in this chapter was all the programs that let the student show their creativity. I've always been interested technology and computers. Since I was a home schooled student, I never really had a specific computer class with a lot of resources, but i explored computers on my own. I liked going through word programs or publisher and making up my own random pages or I would design fliers or birthday cards.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego was my favorite educational program that I used when I was in middle school. I think I asked for a new Carmen Sandiego game for my birthday one year. Its a fun program for learning history and geography.
As a future teacher, I need to be able to find good programs because educational software will be an important part of daily classroom activities.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 deals with Academic Software and teachers can use this to improve their classroom. Academic software includes authoring systems, desktop publishing, graphics, reference, tutorials and drill-and-practice, educational games, simulations, special needs, and integrated learning systems. One of the simulation software mentioned was something that I used back in elementary school and that was The Oregon Trail. This game helps with problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, and content. I think that academic software is a great way to get all students involved in the classroom. There are many different types of software that teachers can use in all subject areas. As future teachers, I think it is vital that we use some type of software in our future classroom.

Chapter 6

I read Chapter 6 which was titled Academic Software. This chapter covered several different types of Academic Software available. I like the authoring systems this chapter discussed because its a type of software that can be customized to help fit different students needs. This would be good to have because it allows students to learn better. This chapter also discusses the importance of visual aids. I like visual aids because I think they engage students in learning and make it more interesting and fun. Another type of software on computers available are educational games. Educational games present material that needs to be learned by a student in a fun way. It's good to make learning fun, because students are more likely to be engaged in it, and actually learn something. Lastly, there was a software for special needs students. This software was able to read letters and words out loud and enlarge the text on the screen. This makes it easier for those students with special needs to learn.

Caitlin Hunter

Replacement for Chapter4

The first article I read talks about protecting a students privacy with today's technology. An example that was used was that a PDA was lost during a basketball games and it contained every students' medical, finical and other private information. This article talks about how you choose the information that needs to be protected and setting up confidentiality requirements to access the student information. The way to decide is to think about all the questions you would have during registering a student for school. Personally I think it's almost impossible to protect a students privace completely; with blocks that on internet that keeps track of everywhere a student goes on the web and keeps track of everything they type. It doesn't seem realistic that students won't be able to bypass those blocks or even hack into another student's inforamtion.

The second artice I read Microsoft Math and after reading it I wish my school would have had this program readily acceptable. In school math was always the hardest subject for me because I am a very visual learning and there is only so much a teacher can do with numbers. This program allows for both students and teachers have access to a ' graphing' caculator, manipulate graphs of all kinds, make 3d equations and enter into the system a multitude of information at the same time. With this program I think math would be a lot easier for both students and teachers.

The last article I read was titled Implementing NETS.S and I was really interested in seeing how when learning how to teach a lot of students are made aware of the NETS.S and what they were, but not how to work them into their own classrooms. As teachers they should care, but how are they suppose to get their students to care. After a lot of revision there are now a lot of workshops for teachers that are just for the NETS.S. They talk about support groups with other teachers so they can share their like experiences and frustrations.

Late chapter 11 post

Chapter 11 deals with ethical issues in technology. This is something that has to be taken very seriously in the classroom today. It is the teacher's responsibility to protect the students and their privacy. Posting pictures, full names, addresses, and other identifiable information is not to be done on the internet. Since the internet is so widely used, it makes it easy for anyone to access private information. It is better to post fictional names, avatars, and less identifiable information while on the web.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of our text book is labeled Digital Technologies in the Classroom. Throughout the chapter it discusses the different kinds of technology a teacher can use in class. There are countless possibilities when choosing devices, but the text pointed out that there are some guidelines that teachers should follow: first, when choosing say, a digital camera, one can decide on how many megapixels the camera needs. For some, a camera with the highest number of megapixels is right for their specific type or work; for others, a simple, 2-3 megapixel camera works just fine. Pricing, the ease of use,and space availability factor in as well.
I think for every teacher, the main goal of technology is so that the students gain from it. Even if one may have the highest or newest tech off the market, the objective is learning. If this is a distraction, then we may need to downgrade our devices.

Chapter 4

This chapter was called Digital Technologies in the Classroom. There are plenty of different types of technologies that teachers can use to help them teach their students. Teachers and even students can use scanners, digital cameras, and touch screen devices, just to name a few. There are many digital technologies being discovered and they are; wireless ones, handheld computers, e-books, and virtual environments. Software can help future and present teachers in numerous areas inside and outside of the classroom. My research paper is about how you can use technology to help teach deaf and hard of hearing students and some of the technologies that were mentioned in this chapter would help teachers fulfill the needs for deaf and hard of hearing students but also help other children who have disabilities.

Chapters 7,11, &4. [Have to upload as pictures]

My computer is messing up its not letting me post right. So the pictures are the posts. If you are going to respond please put which you are responding to.

Chapter 4

I read Chapter 4 this week titled Digital Technologies in the Classroom. This Chapter discusses several different types of Digital Technologies. Some of these included: electronic whiteboards, wireless devices, and scanners. All of these contribute to making the classroom easier for you as a teacher, and for your students. Another thing I read about was the e-books. These are digital books which are really nice to have. They are an interactive way for students to read rather than just having some boring text book to read.

Chapter 11

After reading Chapter 11 this week I am aware of how technology can enhance the way teachers teach their students. Teachers need to be aware of issues and be able to demonstrate respect for different ethics, show fairness and respect the law. I learned about plagiarism in elementary school. This is because plagiarism is a huge issue and we must learn how to respect others work and cite their work when we are finished paraphrasing it. Schools can install antiplagiarsm software that will help to enforce students to respect others work. In the future I need to make sure students use technology appropriately in the classroom. Some students still may not know technology as well as others so as a future teacher I may offer an after school program for students who don't have access to a computer like other classmates do. In the reading it also talks about computers as appliances and an example of one is the tablet PCs. I thought these were a lot like a laptop but very smaller.

Chapter 11

I read Chapter 11 in our Textbook this week. The title for Chapter 11 was titled Issues in Implementing Technology in Schools. One of the first things this Chapter discusses is the importance of knowing about the privacy acts of the Internet and how to use the Internet in an acceptable manner. It's very important as a teacher for you to make sure your students understand what is acceptable to use on the Internet and what is not. Discussing plagiarism with your students as a teacher is important so that they understand they are expected to do their own work and that plagiarism is not only not tolerated but is also illegal. When using Technology in your classroom I think it's important to utalize everything available to benefit the students learning. I think peer-to-peer networking is really a neat idea, which was discussed in this Chapter as well.

Replacement articles for chapter 7

We as student realize how hard it is to concentrate when we're hungry; the article Hunger Pains how teachers are suppose to help with this problem. Childhood obesity has become a serious issue, but on the other end of the spectrum a lotof children are unable to receive the proper nutrition in their home. As teachers we are suppose to recognize the signs of malnutrition and help. Most teachers keep snacks in their rooms and send home care packages over the weekend. We have to be able to take care of our students and not just their education.
The second article was a point/counterpoint for cellphone usage in the classroom and whether or not it should be banned. Both authors made excellent points and I honestly can't say who I side with. The counterpoint says that allowing cellphone usage would cause the students to be even more distracted than they already are. The point says that a cellphone is like the Swiss army knife for today's generation. Who do you side with?
The last article was about digital books. I am a person who has always loved to read in my free time and as a teacher I wish to encourage the love of reading in my students. Technology has changed how kids have learned to read; when I was learning I would follow along with my mom while she read to me. Now there are computer games that read out loud and highlight the words as they are spoken. Technology had combined the enthralling ability of television with the intellectual stimulation of reading. As a teacher I will have to be able to use this new technology.

Chapter 7

After reading chapter 7, I realized the World Wide Web is the most popular services on the Internet. All of the hyperlinks on the internet is the World Wide Wed. The reading says that it's important to be aware of the many types of tools and services you may use. I believe that as future teachers we need to be able to use technology in our classrooms everyday and help students understand the internet and what we can do with it. One thing we might teach students to understand and use is email. A great way of teaching students about email is Microsoft Outlook. You can also use this for making calendars, making tasks lists, making address books, and plenty more options. Chat can be used to communicate to others across the internet. An example of videoconferencing is Skype. Skype to many people has gotten very popular over the past couple of months and as a future teacher I could use Skype to make my job easier. For example, in elementary schools you always have conferences with the student’s parents to go over their strongest points and their weakest points in the classroom. I could use Skype to connect with the parents. I could save time and make my teaching career a lot easier by using Internet and the World Wide Web.

Chapter 7 post

This class session has been very motivating to me. I feel like I’ve been learning so much about all the technology around me that I have easy access to, but I did not exactly know how to do it. There are thousands of sites on the internet, which contain multitudes of information, but I need to be able to differentiate which content is appropriate for me. This is incredibly important, because as a future teacher, I will be instructing my students using technology, giving them assignments online, and having them do their own research. They need to be able to discern if a site is creditable on the internet or not.
From reading the chapter, I found that Table 7.5 is a very useful tool for evaluating a website.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 was titled The Internet and The World Web. One thing I learned while reading this Chapter is that there is a difference between the internet and the world web. The web is actually the most popular. The internet provides several tools and services. Email is a major type of communication available on the internet. I really like how emails can be between students, student-teachers, or teacher-parents. Technology is advanced in such a way that it has programs where you can chat with another person and actually see them also.

As a teacher it will be important for me to teach my students about technology and all of the different types of advancments it provides. I will want them to be aware of whats available for them technology wise that will help them to learn, and become excited aboout it as well.

Caitlin Hunter

Three Articles

I didn't read chapter 5, but I read three different articles in its place. The first article was called Sowing the Seeds for a More Creative Society. The article brought up an interesting point of how people now live in a more creative society; people have to think up different ideas and solutions to problems. However, very few classrooms are teaching students to think in a creative way. There is a process that is starting to be used in classrooms called the creative thinking spiral. This allows children to use technology to imagine, create, play, and share, and reflect on their ideas and expierences.
The second article I read was called Digital Principals. Digital Principals explains how Administrator are often the last to hop onto the technology bandwagon eventhough, when they do finally use it, they don't know how they ever lasted without it. There are such technologies like, webcams, chats, and digital calanders that make their job considerbly easier. The use of such technologies need to be incorporated into their daily life or they, in this day and age, principals won't be able to work as affectively.
The last article I read was entitled Up Front: Laughing Matters. This is a recollection of a man's memory about high school and how he was very much a class clown. After he had grown up his boss told him the importance of being able to get people to relax with a chuckle or two. Owen Edwards, the author, posed a very important question. Where has the fun gone in education? Research has shown that being able to laugh and having a fun enviroment in which to learn actual promotes successful teamwork, and helps children remember more effectively. So to tie this article into technology I am now asking the question, How can future teachers use technologies to make learning fun?

Chapter 5

By reading chapter 5 i realized just how much technology is used in classrooms today. Before reading chapter 5 i thought that technology was just a every-now-and-then type of thing. But i learned that technology is used every day, in many different ways. While reading chapter 5 i kept thinking about the administrative software Judy showed us in class on thursday. Teachers can use a variety of software:Administrative software, Academic software, Productivity software, classroom management software, Freeware, shareware, word-processing software, database management software, and many others. Teachers also use electronic spreadsheets.
Software that is available and used in classroom settings helps the class stay organized. Technology is used everyday in education and it helps the class run smoothly and stay together. Some technology can help students with learning disablities.

What I learned from Chapter 5

After reading chapter 5, I am beginning to notice just how much technology teachers use in their careers. There are countless numbers of programs which educators can use to make their lives easier in the classroom. Snapgrades is a program that teachers, parents, and students can all access. This helps teachers keep up to date with each student and their progress in the classroom. I think that technology is something that we as future educators need to be able to access skillfully as we now live in an age filled with it.

Chapter 5

I liked the Academic Software because it assists both educators and learners in the teaching and learning process itself.

Chapter 5

When I finished reading Chapter 5 I realized teachers need a lot of knowledge in technology these days. Teachers use technology every day and they need to be able to select the correct software for different situations. This chapter deals with administrative software and this software can make my teaching career easier in my classroom and even at home. Some software that teachers use are word processing, spreadsheets and even databases. Technology can be used in every subject to assist teachers and to help them to stay organized. Administrative software allows teachers and students to see their improvement throughout the year. Portfolio software makes this easier and parents can even stay on top of their student’s growth. After reading this chapter I’m aware that teachers need to use technology in their classrooms on a daily basis.