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.