Weekly Reflections 7-8

Reflection #7
     For the past few days, I have been attempting to see if itunes has a program that allows you to create podcatsts.  Unfortunately, from what I have read, itunes does not have a podcast creation program, but they do allow you to subscribe to and upload podcasts.  I am looking because many podcasting programs have yet to create a stable software that will support Windows 7, which is the latest edition by Microsoft and the edition that is on my computer.  So far I have yet to find a podcast program that is free, safe, stable, and easy to use.  I am a going to try to download Audacity again, but am a little worried that it will crash my computer, which has happened in the past.  I just get a little nervous about downloading new programs because at this point in college, the computer has practically become an essential part of my life.


Reflection #8
     While searching for articles about podcasting, I ran across this article about the Pros and Cons of podcasting in education.  Although it didn't give to many points on either pros or cons, it did make an excellent point that technology should be used as a tool at the appropriate times.  Although in today's society the students probably know about more technology than you as the teacher do, they are still excited to use technology in the classroom.  It makes doing school "work" fun and entertaining.  I agree with the author in that using technology should not be used all of the time, and the teacher should be useing other methods for teaching the students.  For instance, having the students learn through discovery/experience by having the students do a hands on activity of some sort.  Technology is just another tool that gives teachers more flexibility in the methods that they can use to teach.

Assignment 4: Part 1 - Technology Project

     For my project, I will have my students create a presentation using power point and podcasting.  The presentation will be 3-5 minutes long.  The students will need to do research for their project, have a title page, as well as a concluding page.

     The students will pick an animal, land or sea. They will then create a power point that has bullet descriptions of the animal and its habitat.  The podcast will be the first part of the presentation.  While the podcast is playing, the student will be in his/her seat or up by the board turning the slides.  After each presentation, the students will write down two things they learned about the animal.

Week 9: “Caught on Video"

    As I read through this blog, I was really interested in how you could integrate such filming devices into the classroom.  I agree that we are coming into a society where technology will continue to advance and schools will integrate some into their classrooms.  However, I did not agree with everything he said about getting rid of the summative grading system.  Although I think it would be cool if we could record student's progress with these new filming techniques, I do not think that filming should replace the summative grading styles that are in place.  The grading system helps teachers to assess where the child is at in the curriculum and keeps a record of how well they are doing in the class.  I agree that some parents have an issue with the grading styles and that a video showing the progress of their child would help, but keeping a written account is a wise decision.  Proof of assignment grades would come in handy if a parent has a question concerning how well their child is doing in accordance to the class or state; and especially if the technology decides to freak out and destroy records.  Technology is not infallible and records can be lost, which is why written grades would still be a good thing to keep around.

Week 8: Questions for NU Panel??

I am excited to ask these teachers about their teaching experience.  Since they are pretty new to the system, it will be interesting to hear their perspective on teaching.

-  As new teachers, do you use technology every once in a while or quite a bit?

-  How do you engage the children in their studies when you do not use technology?

-  How much time do you spend planning for each day?

-  Do you spend a lot of time working technology into your lesson?

-  Do you like to create some of your own technology games/lessons or do you like to use someones else's and modify it to fit your lesson?

I'm excited to hear the panel!!

Mid-Semester Blog Comments

Kayli Smith:             Assignment 1: Technology Literacy Project
Yajaira Garza:          Technology Reflection 5 and Week 1
Alison Langstraat:     Reflective Entries #1-6

Week 7: Promethean

Promethean - The Story of Prometheus
      I watched this video and was amazed at all of the new features that could be done with the board.  Although it looks similar to the SMART Board, it seemed to be easier to work with in creating lessons and activities.  I watched a few other videos and read some articles on the activboard, one thing I disagreed with on some of the videos was allowing the younger grades to use the calculator feature.  I do not think that students should be able to use calculators until they have reached the higher level maths, such as algebra or calculus.  Although the board is not touch activated, this could be an advantage because you could point to the board without having to worry about moving something.
   In the video it shows being able to look at an object in 3D, as well as rotate the object around in order to see a full scale model.  The clickers are a great tool in allowing the students to answer questions anonymously and can also help the students evaluate on how much knowledge they know on any given subject.  These clickers also help the teachers evaluate what the students know.  This method is a great way to get the students involved.  It's not embarrassing for the students if they get an answer incorrect and provides for a less stressful atmosphere.
     Some questions that I would have is:
         If this board would allow more than one student to work on the board at once? How the clickers could benefit the classes on a more regular basis? 

Weekly Reflections 5-6

Reflection #5

Hetty King, Sarah Stanley, Alec, Felicity, Janet, Olivia, and Cecily King.

     As I watched a few episodes of one of my favorites series, "Road to Avonlea,"  I found myself watching how Miss Hetty King got her students interested in their studies.  She had no tolerance for any fun and games; Hetty instructed, the students listened, and answered questions when needed.  When Hetty told a student how to work the problem, it was in the same manner.  This particular style of teaching is not the favorite style among students and often leads to boredom or lack of interest.  Although, there will always be students who do not enjoy school, our job as a teacher is to create a fun learning environment where students are engaged while learning.  With new technology and different styles of teaching, I want to be able to teach the students that school is not just about sitting in class listening to a lecture, but rather where the students can learn the facts through discovery, visual and direct teaching. I hope to get the students excited about school and learning.

Reflection #6

 

     Ooh!  I have found the many wonders of using Wordle.  When I first tried to use it, the site would not work for me.  It took me a while to figure out that I needed to have the Java software on my computer in order for the program to work.  Once I had figured that out, I had a blast making up some super cool Wordles of my favorite words.

Before Class Post 1

One thing that I have learned about the SMART Board is that when one of the pens has been taken off or may be missing, you can still write with other objects like a tennis ball.

A confusing thing that I haven't figured out is the Page Recording function.

Assignment 1: Technology Literacy Blog

     In the article “Use of SMART Boards for teaching, learning and assessment in kindergarten science,” the authors, Chris Preston and Lee Mowbray, discuss the uses, value, and limitations that come with using a SMART Board in a kindergarten science class.  The research that the authors provided for this article is from Abbotsleigh Junior School.  Because of its many features – such as highlighting and writing text using ones finger or other object, playing videos or sounds by pressing an object, and playing with the multimedia games – the SMART Board, also known as the interactive white board, is a great asset to a classroom.  The features and its many other uses help get the students engaged and interested in the lessons, excited to come to class, and provide a good aid by using plenty of visuals or audio.  According to the teachers, the students give more attention to the lesson because they can see, hear, and interact with the topics with the use of the board.  Although there were many benefits to having the interactive white board in class, there also some drawbacks.  For example, the board can only be used by one child at a time or the board can be a distraction if students are working in separate groups.   The interactive white board’s potential for helping students become more involved with their education is high, but there are also limitations in using this technology that the teacher will have to work around.   

     While reading this article, I could see the benefits, as well as the drawbacks of using this technology with a kindergarten class.  I agree with the author that kindergarten students need a lot of direct instruction and teacher modeling while teaching science or other subjects.  The interactive white board’s usefulness in helping with teacher modeling and instruction can increase a child’s understanding in science.  Students have a better time understanding when they are able to see and experience what they are learning.  In science, being able to learn through discovery is especially helpful because they can feel and smell many things such as rocks, grass, or trees.  Also I agreed with some of the drawbacks with the board in that only one student can use it at a time, but I have recently learned over the past few weeks of many different methods that can be applied where all of the students are involved and participating in an activity using the white board.

     This article was very beneficial to me because I have gained a better understanding of some of the benefits and limitations of using the SMART Board.  Also, the board must be used effectively and efficiently within the classroom or else it will become a hindrance rather than a benefit.

Citation:

Preston, Chris and Lee Mowbray. "Use of SMART Boards for 
     Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Kindergarten Science.”  
     Teaching Science - the Journal of the Australian Science 
     Teachers Association.  June 2008: 5.

NETS for Teachers:

3.   Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

     This standard is important as a teacher because the age that we live in now is full of technology.  Each year new technology is brought into schools; and in order to teach with it fluently, teachers must be proficient at working with technology.  It will also help when giving assignments because you will be aware of what programs or sites will be most beneficial for your students.  Being able to perform a task with technology will allow you to model instructions, which will be beneficial to your students if they are new to a program or are not very fluent in that program.

Three ways that I can work on this throughout the semester consist of:

·       To always be open to new ways of doing something on a program or online.

-        For instance, learning how to use the graphs and higher functions on excel.

·       Observe how my professors and fellow classmates give presentations using technology, then memorizing anything new that I see, and trying to perform the process later.

·       Finding new sites that can help in my teaching and learning

-        Teacher Tube, Teacher.net, etc.

NETS for Students:
      1.  Creativity and Innovation

     This standard is important for students because it causes them to use what knowledge they have in order to create or improve an idea.  Because technology is becoming an important role with the education system, students are able to take their ideas and explore new ways of demonstrating their ideas.  This helps them not only to think for themselves, but it can also help students become more active within the classroom.

Two assignments that students could do to meet this standard consist of: 

1. After direct instruction, students are placed into groups and must create a three slide power point showing different pictures of animals and listing the type of animal.  
2. Students will be placed into predetermined pairs, create a word problem containing fractions, solve it, and present the problem to the class.  Each group will have to write the problem on the board as they are explaining it.

Week 6: Children and Technology

     I read the article, Generations IM, and saw just how much technology the children of this generation have experienced.  This article notes how that children are around technology or media about 44 hours a week.  When I read that I was astonished and could not believe that kids were playing on electronics for such a long period of time.  It's quite amazing how much technology has advanced since I was a kid.  Because the students of this generation are growing up with so much technology in their lives, applying this technology into the schools would benefit the students because they are more interested in what they are learning.       The author also points out how the teachers feel concerning all of this new technology.  For a while, I was not sure why teachers would not want to integrate new technology right away into their class; now I see that every time new technology comes out, teachers would have to learn how to use it well enough so that the new tech would flow smoothly with the lessons.  Because technology advances so quickly, there is always higher forms of tech coming out.  This put a lot of strain on the teachers if they are always assimilating new technology, because it takes so much time to learn how to use it and then apply within the classroom.  This is just one of the factors pointed out in the article as to why teachers are hesitant to use new technology.
     Likewise, I really enjoyed how the author gives seven ways to help assimilate technology into the classroom that would not only be beneficial to the teacher and students, but also to the teachers.  For instance, having a blog for your class, where they can post assignments or comments.  I really liked the creative ways that the teachers used in order to keep the identity of their students safe.
     This article was really beneficial in teaching about how involved in technology the students of this generations are and with more technology advancing, how we as teachers will need to adapt to the new generations of students.