Education World

I found this website that gives teachers ideas on how to integrate technology into their classroom and lessons. It provides links to current articles that talk about technology in the classroom as well.

Clicker here to check it out!

Future Classroom

It worries me to think that one day when I have my own classroom there may not be up to date technology devices present in it for my use and for my students use. Depending on where I teach there may or not be computers available. I believe technology makes learning fun, interactive, and it can even help make learning more meaningful. I just hope one day I get to teach in a school where students are provided the chance to explore technology that is present in the world today. I can only hope my future classroom has a SMARTboard and a computer where I can display interactive websites, powerpoints, and movies. I am learning how the use of technology can make teaching easier and learning more fun. I am also seeing how important it is that students are given the opportunity to explore and use technology since technology is taking over! It hurts me to know that some kids have never even used a computer.

Wikis

Click here to check out my wiki!

I think a wiki can be a great resource to have available for students in my future classroom. It can encourage students to collaborate and edit assignments together online. It can also allow students to view important upcoming assignments, due dates, links that can be helpful for homework, videos that were viewed in class, and power point presentations viewed in class. Students can also add links to the wiki that they think go along with what we are learning at the time. A wiki is different from a website in many ways. For one all students can have equal access to it allowing them to create, collaborate and modify assignments. Unlike a website it allows multiple people to edit and save material even though they didn't create it. It is a webpage that anyone can edit. I believe parents can even have access to it as well. It can be a easy way to discuss what their child is being taught in the classroom. News letters can be posted on a classroom wiki, field trip volunteer sign up sheets, and even party volunteer sign up sheets. I think a class wiki encourages students to get involved in what is being learned inside the classroom in the comfort of their own home. It introduces the beauty of technology to students over the web. If students have a group assignment and they cant finish it in class then they can communicate about it and edit it online. After they are done collaborating and adding to it I can view it. I can grade it electronically. A wiki can be very resourceful and it integrates the use of technology inside the classroom.

i-clicker

1. Easy to use
2. East to learn
3. Easy to trust

An i-clicker is an electronic multiple choice device that helps a teacher or professor receive instant feedback on what students are learning in their classroom. It is an audience response system that allows a teacher to pose a question to his/her students, then students answer the question by using the i-clicker itself, and then feedback is provided at once. The i-clicker itself a is hand-held device that is portable. It allows students to answer the questions by clicking on the appropriate button for his or her choice. After students click on the button for his or her choice a wireless signal from each clicker is sent to the reviver. The receiver is held by the teacher and once this happens the teacher is able to see each students response through the i-clicker software displayed on a computer screen. The software logs and stores the responses where the teacher can take this and display the results in multiple forms, graphs, charts, etc. I believe this a great piece of technology that can help students get involved in classroom lectures, especially in big lecture halls. It can help professors see who is coming to class and where their students stand with the material that is being presented to them. I have never personally used an i-clicker but I know many of my friends have. I would use an audio response system in my classroom. It is a great way to present material to students and see what they think and provide them with instant feedback. Simple quizzes, and homework questions can be presented to students through the system and then they can see where they stand with the material. It is a fun and efficient piece of technology that allows one to keep tab on students progress.

ISTE

The ISTE stands for International Society for Technology in Education. It is a membership association for educators that are interested in improving learning and teaching in PK-12 by the use of the advancing technology that is available today. It contains 20,000+ individual members, along with organizations and corporations. Being a member of ISTE allows one to connect with peers and share their teaching experiences. I believe this organization is great, and I believe all students should be given an equal opportunity when it comes to learning with technology. I know that's not the case but it is a vision and that's where something positive starts.

 Click here to view more about ISTE!

Podcasts

A podcast is a sequence of digital media files. They can either be audio (mp3) or video that can be downloaded through the web. It can be played through a computer or a portable media device, like an ipod. Podcasts are becoming more present in the education world. I had a professor that used podcasts frequently. He would upload his lectures (him speaking) online and then I would download it onto my computer. I would listen to him in the comfort of my home. It was very convenient because while listening to him talk I would be able to do other things like my laundry. Listening to the podcasts allowed me to multitask while learning. If I wanted to I could have downloaded the lecture (podcast) onto my ipod and listened to it while working out or walking to another class. A podcast can be a portable lecture. Podcasts are becoming more prominent because they give students more freedom and allow professors to do more meaningful activities inside of the classroom. Podcasts can cut down the time teachers spend on lecturing. As Apple would say, “Extend your classroom- and your curriculum- with podcasts. From lectures and slideshows to gallery tours and interview, podcasting engages students in ways the printed page can’t.” Podcasts are probably not a good way to present information to younger level students. They are probably better for upper grade students, like high school and college level. Something that needs to be considered before placing your lectures on the internet is  whether or not your students will have access to the internet outside of school? Soon we are no longer going to have to sit inside a classroom to become taught and educated.

Cick here to view the Apple link about Podcasts!

Google Docs

I was introduced to google docs during my TE 348 class in the summertime. I created a couple presentations on it with some of my classmates. It was great because we never had to meet outside of classroom to create our presentations. All we had to do was log into google docs and edit away. I think google docs could be a very useful application inside my future classroom. It is a great application to allow students to work together and contribute an equal amount of effort on.  I would have students create group presentations on google docs so they could all have access to what is being worked on at their own individual computers. This way they do not need to swarm around one computer to get their work done. I would also encourage my students to type their papers in google docs so they can easily access their work at home and at school without having to worry about saving and emailing. It is great for students to use because it is accessible 24/7. They can make something at home and then work on it at school by simply logging in!

First Lesson Ever :)

I taught my first lesson ever on Thursday. It was a 5th grade science lesson on "the reason for seasons." It was a success! I tried to incorporate as much technology as possible. My lesson contained two interactive websites that I displayed on the SMART board. I had students come up to the board and move objects and answer questions that were shown. They loved it. Students were engaged during my lesson and were able to all participate by coming up to the board and interacting with what was displayed. I am excited to become a teacher and be able to incorporate technology use in my classroom.

MacBook :)

I just got a MacBook yesterday. My computer crashed Tuesday morning :( It was an hp that I had for about 4 1/2 years. It was working just fine so its death was very unexpected. I am so happy with my new purchase though. I believe this computer is going to very beneficial through my professional development year. I am excited to be apart of the Mac World and explore all the cool things it can do!

ELMO

The piece of technology that I explored is the ELMO. Goodbye overhead projector HELLO new digital visual presenter. An ELMO is a document camera and a projector. I believe the ELMO is replacing the overhead projector.

Features:

• True color reproduction of image
•  Flexible camera
• Base and arm lights
• Images being shown do not have to be transparent 
•  Connects to the computer

I believe this piece of technology is great and I would definitely use an ELMO in my own classroom. Many of my college classrooms right now contain an ELMO projector and my professors put it to good use during class time. I even have personally displayed my work on an ELMO for a presentation I had to do. One of my professors reads children picture books to us off of the ELMO. It allows her to display the images present on each page of the book without having to walk around the room for us to see the pictures. There are many advantages to using an ELMO. It can make displaying class assignments much easier. Worksheets can be displayed and done on the ELMO projector as well. This specific piece of technology can be used for all subjects and grades. I was surfing the web about it and I found this great site that contains why teachers love their ELMO’s. Click here to check it out! It gives cool ideas on how it can be used in your own classroom.

What about...

Since my online class, Teaching and Learning with Technology started, I got to thinking what about the kids that go to school and do not have access to all the great technologies I have been exploring? A majority of American kids have access to a computer in their home but what about the American kids that don’t? Technology is great but it is not affordable for all. It can be a very useful learning tool and it is sad to me to think that some kids will never be given the opportunity to explore its greatness. Some kids may never see a SMART board or an ELMO. Some schools require students to have their own personal laptop where other schools don’t even have up to date computers available for their students to use. I just hope one day I will be able to teach in a school where up to date technology will be available for my students.

Banning Laptops in Class

“Tell us what you think: Should students be busted down for booting up in class? Should professors be responsible for making lectures and classes interesting enough to hold students’ attention? Do students have a responsibility to pay attention?” (Banning Laptops in Class, Kathy McManus)

Although this specific article was published in 2008 I believe laptops are still an issue in college classrooms. Some professors prefer their students not to bring them to class. They make it very clear that laptops are not to be opened while they are teaching. I have had professors that have said, “NO LAPTOPS.” I personally do not believe that students should be “busted down” for booting up their laptops in class. At the collegiate level it should be a student’s decision whether they want to pay attention or surf the web during a lecture. College students are paying to be in class and if they want to google around then so be it. They are only hurting themselves by not paying attention and staying engaged. I believe it is a professor’s responsibility to make lectures and classes interesting enough to hold students’ attention. That’s what students are paying for right? A professor’s job is to teach and hopefully present the required material in an interesting enough way. As a college student I would much rather surf the web in some of my classes then listen to my professor talk. Laptops are a great piece of technology that are very personal to people. For some people, laptops hold everything for them, important documents, files, music, pictures, etc. A laptop is a great piece of technology that can be useful in many classrooms. I believe it is a piece of technology that can make learning very personal. I think that teachers should encourage their students to bring their laptops to class so they can open up the lecture being presented onto their own personal screen. This way the lecture is right in front of students and students can be taking notes on the actual lecture slides. It is a lot easier to type then it is to write. 

The Blog: Banning Laptops in Class