I read a comment on a blog entitled Teach42. The blog that I read was called "Mobiles to Help Learning? High School in UK says OK." This blog was all about how a school in the UK is now allowing students to use cell phones in the classroom. It talked about how cell phones can be beneficial to students: they have internet and take photos. The blog was pretty neutral. It just reported the facts and asked people to give their thoughts about it. There were many comments on the blog since it was kind of a controversial topic. There were arguments for both sides of the debate.
My comment was on the side that argued that cell phones should not be used in class. I think that it would be hard to monitor what students are actually using the phones to do. The screens are so small on cell phones, teachers wouldn't be able to see whether a student is using a phone for an educational purpose or not.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Reflection #7
Today in chapel, a group from Invisible Children came. They showed a video about the problems in Uganda with child soldiers. They used a video to show a recap of the story and what is happening in Africa. This is a good way to get a message across to millions of people. The entire project started with three guys who made a documentary about the problem. They came back to the US and spread the documentary around. This documentary started the entire Invisible Children movement and caused millions of people to try to stop what is happening in Africa. It is crazy that just one video could be used to bring so much awareness to people. Videos are such a good way to inform people. They can be used to show things that many people would not know about without videos. Without the use of technology, I do not think that as much would be happening to prevent this tragedy from continuing.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Assignment #4 Part 1
For my technology project, I will be creating a smart board presentation. I will use several features of the smart board in order to make my presentation more interactive. I will also be creating my own video which I can use as the anticipatory set for my presentation. I think that this presentation would be useful because it could be presented in front of a class. Also, a video is interesting for students to watch. I plan on making this project for a 6th grade science class.
Podcast
Podcast
Questions for the Panel
How often do you use technology when you teach?
How do you deal with difficult parents?
What is the most important piece of advice that you would give to first year teachers?
How do you deal with difficult parents?
What is the most important piece of advice that you would give to first year teachers?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Assignment #3
I created a delicious account where I stored all of my bookmarked websites. A toolbox is a very helpful thing to have because it organizes all of the websites and articles that a teacher uses or wants to keep handy.
My websites are in the order in which I added them to the account. I decided to not organize them alphabetically because sometimes when you are looking for a specific website, you do not remember the name of it. Sometimes, you only have a general idea of when you last looked at it. That is why I organized my websites by the dates in which they were added. I think that will make them easier to find in the future. Also, I gave all of my websites tags. This way, I can search for a specific tag in order to find the site that I want. For example, I have more math websites than any other subject. If I wanted a website that had math worksheets, I would search for "math" and "worksheets," and every website that I entered with these tags will appear.
I decided to add mostly math sites because that is the topic that I am most interested in. If I decided to teach middle school, I want to teach math. I included some sites for nearly all subjects, though. I also included some general education websites, like the OSPI website, and some articles about teaching.
I think that I will use a toolbox frequently when I am a teacher. It would be helpful to know exactly where to look to find a specific website, if needed. It is a good way to keep websites organized. I will be able to easily share my toolbox with other teachers by emailing the link to them. I think that it might be helpful for a group of teachers to create a joint delicious account. This would be a way to see helpful websites and articles that other teachers are looking at.
One site that I really liked was Fun Brain. This website has been bookmarked over 11,000 times on delicious accounts. It is a website that features different reading and math games. One game that I will probably use from it is the Mad Libs games. All of the games on this website are educational, but also fun. These games would be a fun way for students to review and reinforce different reading and math concepts. I am pretty sure that I will use this website in the future.
Another website that I liked was called Math Playground. This website contains various math games, videos, logic puzzles, and word problems. I especially liked the logic puzzles. There were games such as mancala, sudoku, battleship, and coin weighing. These would be fun and interactive games that could help students to think in a more logical way. These are the type of games that teachers make available for students to play during free time and at recess.
I also bookmarked a website that contained links to various pages. It was called Sites for Teachers. This website has many different sources for worksheets, games and activities. It is a resource for teachers to use in order to find resources and gather ideas. Really, it is a toolbox within itself. I think that I will definitely use this website when I need new ideas or am looking for a worksheet or activity for a particular subject.
My websites are in the order in which I added them to the account. I decided to not organize them alphabetically because sometimes when you are looking for a specific website, you do not remember the name of it. Sometimes, you only have a general idea of when you last looked at it. That is why I organized my websites by the dates in which they were added. I think that will make them easier to find in the future. Also, I gave all of my websites tags. This way, I can search for a specific tag in order to find the site that I want. For example, I have more math websites than any other subject. If I wanted a website that had math worksheets, I would search for "math" and "worksheets," and every website that I entered with these tags will appear.
I decided to add mostly math sites because that is the topic that I am most interested in. If I decided to teach middle school, I want to teach math. I included some sites for nearly all subjects, though. I also included some general education websites, like the OSPI website, and some articles about teaching.
I think that I will use a toolbox frequently when I am a teacher. It would be helpful to know exactly where to look to find a specific website, if needed. It is a good way to keep websites organized. I will be able to easily share my toolbox with other teachers by emailing the link to them. I think that it might be helpful for a group of teachers to create a joint delicious account. This would be a way to see helpful websites and articles that other teachers are looking at.
One site that I really liked was Fun Brain. This website has been bookmarked over 11,000 times on delicious accounts. It is a website that features different reading and math games. One game that I will probably use from it is the Mad Libs games. All of the games on this website are educational, but also fun. These games would be a fun way for students to review and reinforce different reading and math concepts. I am pretty sure that I will use this website in the future.
Another website that I liked was called Math Playground. This website contains various math games, videos, logic puzzles, and word problems. I especially liked the logic puzzles. There were games such as mancala, sudoku, battleship, and coin weighing. These would be fun and interactive games that could help students to think in a more logical way. These are the type of games that teachers make available for students to play during free time and at recess.
I also bookmarked a website that contained links to various pages. It was called Sites for Teachers. This website has many different sources for worksheets, games and activities. It is a resource for teachers to use in order to find resources and gather ideas. Really, it is a toolbox within itself. I think that I will definitely use this website when I need new ideas or am looking for a worksheet or activity for a particular subject.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
"Caught on Video"
After reading Bob Sparkle's blog "Caught on Video," I have learned that there are so many ways in which videos can be used in the classroom. Videos can be used for practically anything in class. I never considered that a teacher could use a video instead of a parent letter. I think that it is a really good idea to use the videos to document what students know at the beginning of the year/unit and then go back at the end to see what more they have learned or if their questions have been answered. It is a good way to track the progress in a classroom and for students to see how much they have learned.
I think that a video camera would be worth the investment. Cameras can be used by students, as well as teachers. If a student is working on a project that needs to be presented, the student could use a camera in order to present part or all of the project. I think that there are even more ways in which cameras could be used than even Sparkle's blog listed.
I think that a video camera would be worth the investment. Cameras can be used by students, as well as teachers. If a student is working on a project that needs to be presented, the student could use a camera in order to present part or all of the project. I think that there are even more ways in which cameras could be used than even Sparkle's blog listed.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Reflection #6
Technology is really prevalent in sports. I play volleyball here at Northwest, and our team uses technology a lot. We watch film of other teams before we play them in order to break down what they do and where they have weaknesses. Our team has a stats system that corresponds with the video of teams. Our coach can enter a player's number and find all of the short clips of that person hitting/passing/serving/etc. It is a really neat feature. For example, if I wanted to know where #2 tends to hit the ball, I can find all of the clips of her hitting in one spot. It is really efficient for watching film. You do not have to keep fast forwarding in order to find all of the clips of #2 hitting. It is also a helpful tool for watching yourself play. I can watch myself play and see my tendencies from using the technology. I think that technology that athletes use has really transformed the way that athletes prepare for games. I'm sure that technology for professional athletes or athletes at Division I schools is even more complex. Now, I think that athletes need to focus more on limiting their weaknesses because it is easier for opponents to find them. It has made sports more strategic. Teams must prepare thoroughly if they want to win. I think that technology also helps make athletes better because they can see their own weaknesses and work on them.
Promethean ActivBoard
Promethean ActivBoard
The Promethean ActivBoard seems like it is just like the smartBoard. It has a lot of the same features as the smart board. The main difference that I noticed is that it is not touch sensitive. You cannot use your finger to write on the board. This has its pros and cons. The pro side of this is that you can actually rest your hand on the board or touch the board without messing up what you are writing. The con side is that you can't just use your finger to erase or write. You have to use the pen. There are many cool devices that can be used with the activboard. It has clickers where students can vote or send in quiz answers. I think that the Activslate is a really cool addition. It is like every student has a small white board. Except, all of the answers appear on the board. I thought that was really cool, but I'm sure it costs schools a lot of money for each student to have one. The Activboard also has pre-made lessons, videos, and activities that teachers can use.
I do not think that I have many questions. Although I would like to know, other than the touch sensitivity, what makes an activboard different from a smartboard?
The Promethean ActivBoard seems like it is just like the smartBoard. It has a lot of the same features as the smart board. The main difference that I noticed is that it is not touch sensitive. You cannot use your finger to write on the board. This has its pros and cons. The pro side of this is that you can actually rest your hand on the board or touch the board without messing up what you are writing. The con side is that you can't just use your finger to erase or write. You have to use the pen. There are many cool devices that can be used with the activboard. It has clickers where students can vote or send in quiz answers. I think that the Activslate is a really cool addition. It is like every student has a small white board. Except, all of the answers appear on the board. I thought that was really cool, but I'm sure it costs schools a lot of money for each student to have one. The Activboard also has pre-made lessons, videos, and activities that teachers can use.
I do not think that I have many questions. Although I would like to know, other than the touch sensitivity, what makes an activboard different from a smartboard?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Reflection #5
It is crazy how much research has changed just in the past 10-20 years. I can remember the first time that I was allowed to use the internet in elementary school. I was attending Fairwood Elementary in Renton. The school had just gotten 4 PCs that were able to use the internet. All of the other computers were those tiny box-like macs that only allowed you to do a few things on them. All of the students had to get their parents to sign permission slips stating that it was ok for the students to use the internet. I remember being extremely confused the first time that I used it. I did not know what a search engine was or how to look for information online. I remember thinking that I would probably never really use the internet for research, and stick to using books and encyclopedias. Things have definitely changed for me since then. The internet is now my primary research tool. It is so quick and easy to use. You can get almost any information you want with a click of a mouse. In fact, I have had many teachers who have required students to use a few book references for research projects because it is now our tendency to find all of our research online.
Using the internet as a tool for research can be a beneficial thing for teachers. It is often quicker to use than trying to find information in a books. Teachers can assign projects that do not necessarily require a trip to the library to complete. Also, students can find information that answers a quick question. The internet saves time in classrooms. The internet is also helpful for teachers. It allows them to find quick information, pictures to use in class, videos, or other tools that benefit learning. Although books are definitely important to use for research, the internet has become the fastest way to find information. The internet is so helpful in the classroom, and all teachers should have their students use it in some way.
Using the internet as a tool for research can be a beneficial thing for teachers. It is often quicker to use than trying to find information in a books. Teachers can assign projects that do not necessarily require a trip to the library to complete. Also, students can find information that answers a quick question. The internet saves time in classrooms. The internet is also helpful for teachers. It allows them to find quick information, pictures to use in class, videos, or other tools that benefit learning. Although books are definitely important to use for research, the internet has become the fastest way to find information. The internet is so helpful in the classroom, and all teachers should have their students use it in some way.
Reflection #4
I use technology so often in my everyday life. I think that is proven every time the power goes out. I use my computer, cell phone, and ipod on a daily basis. It is very rare if I do not turn my computer on during the day. It seems like I use my computer for almost everything. I use it to communicate with others, search the internet, watch TV, follow my favorite sports teams, and do homework. Every time the power goes out, I have to figure out a way to entertain myself.
I think that this just shows how involved in technology we are. Students in classrooms are the same way. They are so used to using technology, that when they get to the classroom and technology is not being used, they get bored. I think that technology has also shortened our attention spans. I can be checking my email one minute, reading an article online the next, and writing a paper another. We go from one activity to another so quickly when we use computers. It is important to keep this in mind when teaching because teachers need to keep their lessons and activities as brief as possible to avoid having students get bored. Technology helps us communicate and keep tabs on things that are happening around the world. Not using technology is like containing learning to only what is happening in the classroom. Having said all of this, teachers should definitely use technology in the classroom. Students are so involved with technology away from school that it would be a mistake to not incorporate it into the classroom. Also, teachers should use a variety of activities and technological tools in order to keep their students' attention.
I think that this just shows how involved in technology we are. Students in classrooms are the same way. They are so used to using technology, that when they get to the classroom and technology is not being used, they get bored. I think that technology has also shortened our attention spans. I can be checking my email one minute, reading an article online the next, and writing a paper another. We go from one activity to another so quickly when we use computers. It is important to keep this in mind when teaching because teachers need to keep their lessons and activities as brief as possible to avoid having students get bored. Technology helps us communicate and keep tabs on things that are happening around the world. Not using technology is like containing learning to only what is happening in the classroom. Having said all of this, teachers should definitely use technology in the classroom. Students are so involved with technology away from school that it would be a mistake to not incorporate it into the classroom. Also, teachers should use a variety of activities and technological tools in order to keep their students' attention.
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