Reflection #3

I am currently in a geography class here at NU. The professor only uses the internet to find online maps and an overhead to show blank maps. Students in that class seem so unengaged with the material that is being taught. I have always liked geography and learning about different places in the world, but I find myself incredibly bored and uniterested in that class. I am also a very visual learner, and am not a good auditory learner. While the professor does show different maps of places, it would be nice to see some images that have to do with specific aspects of the places that he describes. Just showing a picture of a famous landmark or cultural aspects of a place would be something that would benefit myself, personally. Many students need to be able to be engaged in some aspect of the class, especially a class that is two hours long. I think that if more technology was used, then the class would be much more interesting and insightful. There are so many aspects of technology that could be used in my geography class. For example, there are smart board applications that require students to identify different places on a map. In geography class, when we identify places on a map, we just point to a spot on an overhead. I believe that my professor should use different forms of technology in order to keep the students engaged.

Reflection #2

I recently visited a 1st grade classroom at Jefferson Elementary in Everett. I observed a math lesson. The teacher used a document camera, but no other form of technology. The lesson featured a few card games, so technology was not necessarily needed for the particular lesson that I observed. However, I think that technology could make math lessons more fun and engaging for younger student. There are so many different activities on the smart board that can be used to teach students about math. I think that oftentimes, technology is underutilized in classrooms, especially in math. Math is usually the subject that many students do not like. So, math should be the subject where technology is used quite a bit. Technology usually engages students. There are so many ways in which technology could be used in order to help students learn about math in a fun way. I think that teachers should definitely think about ways in which technology can be used while teaching math so that it is not just working out of a workbook.

Reflection #1

This week, I was thinking about my high school experience and how technology was used. I remember that I was in a few classrooms that did not even have white boards until half way through my sophomore year. A few of the classrooms in the older wing were still using chalk boards. This is interesting to note because half way through my senior year, every classroom at Kentridge High School got a smart board. In the 3-year span of my high school career, I went from using chalk boards to smart boards. Even though my classes had smart boards, none of my teachers knew how to use them. In 4-5 months of having the smart boards in classrooms, not one of my teachers used the board for anything more than tapping it twice to change the slide on a powerpoint presentation.

I think that my experience really shows how fast technology has developed over the last few years. Technology has really impacted the way we approach school and teaching. I'm sure that since I have graduated, Kentridge teachers have learned more about the smart board and how to use it. At the time, I did not see the point of the smart boards since none of my teachers used them. There are so many more things that teachers can use to teach because of technology. I think that I have learned that teachers need to learn how to use the technology that is in their classrooms because it can be very beneficial for the learning process.

School Website

One of the many Elementary Schools that I attended was Fairwood Elementary in Renton. I visited the school's website. I like how there is not a whole lot of information on the main page. The main page does not seem cluttered or confusing. The main picture on the home page is of a teacher dressed up like the Cat in the Hat. I like that the main page contains information that is easy to find. The address and phone number of the school is at the top of the page. Sometimes, this information is difficult to find on school websites. Upcoming events are also clearly highlighted. There are easy to find links to information about the school on the left side of the page. I also liked how the staff directory was organized by grade or department instead of alphabetical order.

The website is very basic. There is not a lot of flair or special features on it. Therefore, I was not confused by any aspect of the site. I was a little curious as to why there were no school rules listed on the website. However, there were quite a few things missing from the website. There were a couple of links that went to pages that said the information would be "coming soon." Also, there were not a lot of forms under the "forms" link. I would think that there would have been quite a few forms under that link. There were only 3.

After Presentation

I have learned that there are many different ways to use the SMART board in classrooms. The SMART board can be used for every subject. I didn't realize that you could use the SMART board for subjects like health and PE. There are so many different interactive programs that you can use to get students involved in the lesson. I think that SMART boards are good for keeping students engaged in the class lesson or discussion.

After this presentation, I do not have many questions. I might still need some help with some of the small technical elements. I may not know how to use certain applications or interactive elements.

Assignment #2

I will be presenting a lesson about probability that is designed for 6th graders. My SMART board presentation will include the following features: an interactive spinner, an interactive die, moving pictures on the board, and writing on the board.

NETS for students:
4)Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
For this lesson, students must collect and analyze data in order to identify the probabilities for certain problems.
6) Technology Operations and Concepts
Students must be able to use the SMART board technology in order to take part in the activities in the lesson.

NETS for teachers:
1) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
This lesson uses real-world problems and has creative aspects in the lesson.
2) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
This lesson uses technology and digital-age learning experiences in order to teach probability.

Interactive white boards could help students to remain engaged in classroom activities and lessons. It is more interesting to pay attention to a lesson that uses and interactive white board than to pay attention to a lesson that does not have interactive elements. These boards allow students to be involved in the lesson, not just listen to the lesson. When students are involved and engaged, they learn better.

Blogs for Educators

I looked at the website called Emerging Ed Tech. This website detailed many different ways to use new technology in the classroom. It showed how things like twitter could be used with teachers and students. I didn't realize that there are so many different ways to use twitter in a classroom. I always thought that twitter was kind of pointless and a waste of time. I can now see how twitter might be beneficial for students to use. For example, a teacher could ask for suggestions about different lesson plans from other teachers in a quick way. However, if a teacher does use twitter, it should only be used for school related activities. A twitter account should not contain personal posts as well as school related posts.

I'm not sure if I will ever actually use a twitter account. However, if I do, it will only be used as a resource for teaching. It would only be used to communicate with my students and fellow teachers. Also, since I want to teach elementary, I might not use twitter. I'm not sure if young children really need to use technology like facebook and twitter. Some parents would probably not approve of their children using this type of technology.