Current View of Technology

My current view of technology hasn't really changed prior to taking this class. I have always thought technology is something that should most definitely been incorporated into the classroom because of all the many resources available through the internet and other technology. This course has definitely opened my eyes to different strategies and fun and interesting ways to use technology in the classroom. For example, I have learned about several different software programs for students and teachers to use which most definitely enhance learning. My current view of technology is that when used effectively and to minimize distractions, students can have a great learning experience. I feel that technology can help students realize all the different ways a task can be done, such as research and putting together projects. I am most definitely going to use technology in my classroom for several different things. I will use technology for communicating with parents, constructing letters/newsletters to send home, coming up with activities for my students, having my students do research and look at different educational cites, and so much more. Technology is a great resource, and I'm excited to see what else is in store during my career as a teacher.

Non-Computer Technology

I think that the use of projectors in a classroom is a necessary resource for teachers. Projectors are very helpful while doing whole group instruction to go over materials together and explain information every student must know. They are also helpful because they enlarge certain works or instructions, which can help for students who are visually impaired. Also, projectors can be used to show examples of what kids will be doing, such as activities. It's also a great way for teachers to go through activities and projects step-by-step, instead of using a chalkboard. Projectors are interesting, because you can use them in many different ways- both with the computer and without. Smart boards and White boards are great to use with computers, but for all other teaching strategies a projector can be extremely useful.

Another non-computer technology I have in mind is the Leap Frogs. I am not very familiar with these, but I know that they use a lot of the same features that CD ROM storybooks use, but without the computer. For example, there is sound, as well as a pen you can use to highlight words that need repeated or decoded. This is a great way to incorporate technology in the classroom for students who are learning to read, without the use of a computer.

ERIC Reflection

Being that I was only in class for my presenation and the Assistive Tech presentation, this is what I will be commenting on. I know that through doing research for our presenation, I learned a lot about how technology can be "bad" in elementary classrooms and how technology can be "good." However, I feel like it all seems to lie within how the teacher implements certain activities that partner with technology. If the teacher doesn't think carefully about how to make sure kids are getting what they need to out of an activity that's maybe done on a computer, then of course the kids will be distracted and off-task. If a purpose is set and goals are stated and known to both the students and teacher, technology can only enhance the learning experience for young students. As far as the Assistive Tech presentation, I found it to be very interesting, especially the legal parts. For example, the district MUST provide the resources for ANY child who needs them. I feel like this is great for me because other people should be taking care of the resources and needs for my students and it should all be paid for. I also enjoyed this presentation because it showed how much is really out there for students with special needs and how we should take advantage of this. Overall, what I saw was very helpful and I feel more prepared to use technology in my future classroom.

Blog Post #9

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/CTE/te/K-5/Engineering/


The above website is the Virginia Department of Education's teacher resource guide for using technology in the elementary school classroom. The website includes standards of learning, as well as standards for technological literacy. The website also includes a comprehensive set of design briefs for technology integration for grades K-5. For each grade level, there is a list of subjects which include English, Math, Science, and History accompanied by a lesson plan title which is a link to the complete lesson plan format. Each lesson deals with technology in some way or another. For example, Kindergarten Math deals with shapes and students are to create shapes using the computer.

I feel that this website is great for educators to get ideas on how to integrate technology into the elementary classroom. I love that there are sample lesson plans that give detailed explanations on what students are to do and learning outcomes. I also like how the website is set up. There are tabs that you can click on on the left hand side to see the standards of learning. I also like how the different grade levels are split up and the subjects are listed. There are pictures by each grade level which make the website very attractive and draws viewers in. Overall I think this is a great website for educators to use when looking for ideas on how to integrate technology into their own classroom. You should all check it out!

Motivational Video: "Pay Attention"

This video is a really great way to show teachers how important integrating technology into their curriculum really is. Since many of our students today can be labeled as "digital learners" why do teachers still refuse to offer their students the opportunities technology can provide? This presentation really gets you thinking and will hopefully motivate you to more effectively use technology in your classroom when you are a teacher in the near future.

Half-Way Reflection

I've learned a lot about technology use in the classroom so far from this course. I feel like I've gained a lot of resources that I can use in my future classroom such as websites where I can make lesson plans, find lesson plans, generate quizzes, and much more. This has probably been the most important thing I have learned in this class. I sometimes feel overwhelmed with all of the work that comes along with this course, but for the most part I feel that it is helping me become a more successful educator.

Internet Use in Elementary Classrooms

I feel that the internet is an amazing tool for a teacher to use. There are so many resources available on the internet and it would be silly to not take advantage of this. Some pros of internet use in elementary classrooms would be finding lesson plans, fun and educational clip art, as well as allowing students to do research on any given topic. While I feel that there are many more pros to using the internet in education, there are most certainly some cons which include safety- there are a lot of inappropriate sites on the internet that may not be blocked even with privacy settings, and you definitely don't want your young students coming across these. Also, using the internet too much can take away from teacher-student relationships as well as peer relationships. If I were being interviewed and asked how I would use the internet in my classroom, I would say that I would use it for several things. I would use the internet to come up with different ways to organize my classroom, such as seating charts, I would use the internet to generate quizzes, tests, games, and puzzles. I would use the internet to come up with fun lesson plan ideas and to print off clip-art and signs. I would use the internet as a tool for my students to do research and to help them come up with topics for projects. I would allow my students to use the internet to come up with new ways to do presentations and use graphics such as searching for sound and video. The opportunities for using the internet in an elementary classroom are endless, and I will most certainly use as many of these as I can in my own classroom.

One of my favorite teacher websites I have found so far would be Discovery Education: School Resources which is sponsored by the Discovery Channel. On this website, you are able to generate your own puzzles, you can search through the thousands of lesson plans in the lesson plan library, you can look through the clip art gallery, and there is also a section called "Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators" which is a list of sites for enhancing curriculum and professional growth. There is so much more to this site as well so you should check it out!

Kindergarten Standards

I feel that having standards for what kindergarten students need to know by the end of the year has both postive and negative aspects. I think it's a good way for teachers to set goals and have high expectations for all of their students, but I can also see how these standards can be restricting. No classroom is going to be the same, especially the make-up of your students so it's hard to say these group of kids will know the same exact material as another group of kids. I think it's great that kindergarteners are learning more and more because it shows that these children are in fact capable of accomplishing more than what was previously asked of them. I think there should definitely be standards for what kindergarteners need to know before leaving the grade level, but I do not think these standards should be restrictive because all children are different and there are exceptions to every rule.

Images in Education

My lesson is on the different parts of the flower. We will talk about the stem, the petals, and the anther. I took a picture of a flower outside of my apartment building and I copied it into a Word Document. Then, I put diagram lines using the drawing tools that point out the three parts of the flower I just mentioned. In the classroom, we could learn about the different parts of the flower, then the students could either fill out the paper with a pencil or they could get on the computer and type in the answers. This lesson can be fun and interesting for children to learn.

Teaching Philosophy

-love kids; working with them, playing with them, listening to them
-want to make a difference in the lives of children; want to be a positive influence
-want to be apart of their learning process; want to see growth and shaping taking place
-can't see myself doing anything else with my life; always known this is what i want to do

Gardner, Bloom, and Dale

Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory is the idea that different people learn in different ways, or using different "intelligences." He came up with eight intelligences which include linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Gardner focused on the idea that every human has a mixture of intelligences and that it's important to recognize the best ways in which we learn. http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Bloom's taxonomy said that there were three different types of learning which include cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. Cognitive learning has to do with mental skills or knowledge, affective learning has to do with growth in feelings or emotions (attitude), and psychomotor learning has to do with manual or physical skills. http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

Dale's cone of experience has a lot to do with different ways people learn and how much they are able to remember. The bottom of the cone is considered "doing the real thing." If someone is doing a presentation themself, they will remember 90% of what they do, with learning outcomes that include analyze, design, create, and evaluate. At the top of the cone is reading and according to Dale, a person will only remember 10% of what they read with learning outcomes that include define, list, describe, and explain.
http://teacherworld.com/potdale.html

Even though Dale's Cone of Experience doesn't flat out say that technology is a positive learning aspect of the classroom, I think it is implied. The use of technology is an experience; the children are experiencing something hands-on and they are actually involved in their own learning. This means that the students will better remember what they learn while using technology. On the other end of the spectrum, young children need to focus on their reading abilities, even though Dale says that people only remember 10% of what they read.

Bloom's taxonomy both supports and detracts technology in the classroom. More and more these days, children use computers to play educational games that really prove to help vocabulary and literacy skills. So using computers really supports children's cognitive learning, which is gaining mental skills and knowledge. However, technology does not so much support the other two types of learning in Bloom's taxonomy-affective and psychomotor. It could difficult to successfully teach young children about their emotions and feelings over the computer and I believe that children need to be active and moving around while working on psychomotor skills.

Last, but not least, Garnder's Multiple Intelligence Theory definitely supports and detracts the use of technology in the classroom. People who are logical-mathematical and intrapersonal may enjoy learning or playing educational games on the computer. However, naturalistics or bodily-kinesthetic learners may not enjoy being on the computer at all. They may want to learn outside or be moving around. It all depends on how people learn and what will help them become the best learners they can be.

These three theories can relate to the three types of technology we discussed in class. To begin with, all three theories relate to Type I Technology because the integration of technology would still be under the instruction of the teacher. For example, the teacher would explain how to play certain educational games on the computer, so the computer would be considered a "tutor." All different types of learners would be able to use the computer as a tutor. In addition, all three theories relate to Type II Technology because the student and computer are working together to get something accomplished, such as doing a good job with a computer game, or learning new vocabulary through a computer game. Lastly, Dale's Cone of Experience is really the only theory that relates to Type III Technology, which is using the computer as a "tutee." Dale's Cone of Experience is the theory that talks about actually doing a presentation is the best way to learn information and students can use the computer to make presentations. The other theories do not really discuss using the computer as a tutee.

Introduction

My name is Karly MacAleese and I am a junior here at BGSU. I am originally from Columbiana, OH which is a small town about 20 miles south of Youngstown. My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family and friends. I also love shopping (which I do a little too often), taking pictures, traveling, watching movies, and listening to music. Education is also a big part of my life-that's why I'm here. I'm expecting to gain a quality education from BGSU and I hope to become a very good teacher someday. I hope to gain skills and confidence in dealing with all sorts of situations in the classroom. I also hope to learn more about using technology in the classroom and different forms of technology that can be helpful to young students. I feel that technology is a very good tool that can be used in the classroom. I did a field experience in Toledo last year and I was in a kindergarten classroom where computers were used. The children were allowed to use the computers if they were good and had completed what they needed to complete for the day. The computer was seen as a reward, even though they were playing educational vocabulary and literacy games, which proved to be very helpful. This is why I am in favor of using technology in the classroom. As for this course, I'm very excited to learn new ways of incorporating technology into the elementary classroom!