Post #10

After reviewing my classmates blogs, I learned different ways technology can be useful for a teacher in the classroom. Someone discussed using Photobucket for storing pictures for certain subjects. I thought this was a great idea, I've used Photobucket for my own personal photos but it never occurred to me that it could be used academically. I also noticed that most of my classmates seemed to enjoy using Inspiration for the first time, and found that it could be extremely useful in the classroom.

I would love to learn more about podcasts. I plan on teaching children with low or no vision, and it could be very useful to them for notes to be recorded and available at their own leisure (like a audio notebook). This could be useful because most of my students will not be able to read or write. Recording notes or other classroom information that allows them to listen as many times as they need to would be very beneficial and could possibly enhance their ability to use the senses they have.

My goal for technology in my classroom is that whatever software, computers, or other materials I use has the best interests of my students. It is important to me that I maintain my responsibility as an educator rather than depending on a PowerPoint slideshow to do my job for me. I do not want to allow technology to let me short change my students. However, I do think that there are times when using technology enhances education. For example, Inspiration will allow me to create easy-to-read timelines, graphs, idea webs and other interactive and creative ways to teach.

Post #9

An interesting website full of web-based tools I found is http://www.suelebeau.com/freetools.htm. There are tons of online tools for teachers. This includes places for students to post homework, quiz generators, web page builders, free email accounts, timeline creator, calendar and worksheet generators, certificate and awards generators, educational games, and flashcards. I never realized how many resources there are for teachers on the internet. I think this can be so helpful, but that it is also important for a teacher to try to think outside the box when it comes to educating children. My favorite teachers were always the ones who did things a little differently. This website of tools for teachers may be more useful for instructors who work with younger children. These tools may be to immature or underdeveloped for middle schoolers and older.

Because I plan on teaching younger (around 1st or 2nd grade) visually impaired children, I may not use Excel very much with the students. However, it could be helpful for showing graphs and data that is age appropriate and if they are able. I could also use Excel for my own records, such as grades and attendance. This is the first experience I've had with Excel, and never knew about all of it's uses.

Post #8

I think my PowerPoint2 presentation was very easy to navigate through. The buttons on the home page clearly mark which slide they will bring the viewer to, and each slide has a button to get back to the home page. While trying to incorporate graphics, I think I may have made the text less easy to read, although it is still legible.

In my classroom, I would integrate peripherals by having students take pictures of their work (for a science project or experiment, before and after photos, completed assignments). The students would be asked to take a picture with a digital camera, and then upload that picture onto the computer where they would create a file folder for it. These photos could be incorporated into a PowerPoint where the students would be asked to present their completed projects or assignments.

This past week I learned how to make PowerPoint more interactive. By adding action buttons, the viewer is less likely to become bored or inattentive to the material. I think this will be especially useful in my educational career because I plan on teaching younger children who would benefit very much from a more interactive learning technique. Young children are much less likely to sit through a PowerPoint lecture, but if the children watch the presentation from their own computers while interacting with the software, they would be more capable of learning and maintaining new information.

Post #7

An advantage with using presentation software in K-12 classrooms is that it allows for a clear an organzied way to relay information to students. Presenting class notes on PowerPoint lets students copy down the information easily. A disadvantage with using presentation software in K-12 classrooms is that it can become very tedious for the students. It takes away from any hands- on learning opportunities and can be considered very boring, even for the speaker/teacher. Some students may have problems actually absorbing the information on the slideshow if they are only focused on wrting down the information, and miss out on any discussion going on at the same time.

If I were using PowerPoint in my classroom, I would only put basic, short notes on the slides and try to rely mainly on my own notes when speaking to the class. I feel like students may pay more attention if they are actually listening to someone speaking and figuring out what is important rather than simply copying down information without comprehension. I think this would also allow for more discussion between myself and the students. I would also use PowerPoint when presenting specific details, graphs, dates, timelines, pictures, etc. However, when presenting more in depth material, such as politics or philosophy, I would only rely on the slideshow for more basic facts.

I recently read an article about the issue of how technology in the classroom may cause inequitable education (http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm). The article addresses how funding can result in cerain schools recieving newer and better technology based on property taxes. If a school district is in a lower socio-economic area, they most likely will not recieve the same amount of money for computers, microscopes, or interactive whiteboards if the school is struggling just to retain teachers, compared to a school that is in a neighborhood with higher property taxes. This just makes me wonder how this issue can be resolved. It wouldn't be fair to take away from schools that can afford new technology, but how can we help struggling school districts give the best education possible with technology?

Post #6

I do not think I would use Web 2.0 technologies in my classroom. I do not think these types of technologies would be useful in lower grade level classroom. Social networking, blogs, and video sharing have many great uses and applications, however I do not think they are appropriate tools for educating young children. These programs could also be very distracting to students and teachers.

I think Wikipedia as a learning resource is only appropriate when one is searching for very general and basic information. I do not think it should be used as an academic source . Anyone can post information on Wikipedia, which means there is no way to tell if the information provided is factual. A free online encyclopedia is a great tool, but it has little significance if anything can be posted without being reviewed by an expert.

Last week we acquired skills on making Wikis. I found this to be a very interesting technology, although somewhat tedious with the very basic word processing. I think this could be very useful in education because it would allow for a teacher to create their own website about a selected subject area or specific topic, organized anyway they see fit. This website could be viewed by students and their parents at home to allow for review of the material.

Post #5

The interenet can be very useful when it comes to student research. Search engines, virtual museums, online articles, and data collections are very useful to students who are trying to compile information. It also allows for students to gather large amounts of information very quickly, which would create a more through essay or presentation, for example. A search engine may not be useful is an assignment asks for the student's own opinion or a deeper analysis using one's own skills.

Another way the internet could support student learning is through distance education. The internet allows for web based classrooms, where lectures can be posted on slides and assignments can be turned in online. This allows for people who may not be able to physically attend school obtain an education or degree. Online encylapedias, dictionaries, and other resource materials can also help support student learning. Websites that create math problems, like www.funbrain.com, can be useful for younger students as well.

I plan on teaching children no older than 6th grade. Because of this, it will be very important that I supervise my students while they are researching the internet. It will be very important for schools to have a system of blocking inappropriate websites. If this tool is not available, it would be necessary to use a children's search engine, like Ask Jeeve's for Kids, because of the high risk of inappropriate material showing up on a normal search engine, like Google.

Post #4

As a teacher, the concepts in chapter 7 would be very useful. I plan to teach younger children with special needs, so visually presenting information may be very useful as it can be difficult for some children to only read through information. Story boards and concept maps can be very helpful to younger children when learning new concepts, so I would definitely make use of those resources. To achieve these goals, I would utilize the Inspiration and Visio softwares to make idea maps and bubble charts. I am unfamiliar with Kidspiration, but I know that it is similar to Inspiration, but more geared to younger children. This could be very useful if I am teaching a younger grade level.

I would encourage my students to develop outlines, idea maps, and story boards. These are very useful organization skills when done correctly. These tools can be used for essays, research, timelines, etc. As long as the work they turn in and use is their own, I do not see a problem with encouraging these techniques.

The skills I acquired last week in web searching will be very useful as a teacher in the classroom.
I am more familiar with ways to search for articles and videos on Google. I am also now aware that there are websites where teachers can create their own websites for classrooms that parents and students may have access to. This may be useful if I am working at a school without their own website or one that is outdated. I also learned that there are many lesson plans available online. This may be useful if I am required to teach a subject I am unfamiliar with. Web searching will be very useful to me as a teacher.