Reflecting on the various technologies / software we have explored this semester, pick the three (3) that will most effectively help you create a learner-centered classroom where students would be actively engaged this their learning. At the beginning of your final blog entry mention the content area and the age level of the students with whom you intend to work.
Briefly explain how you would integrate these choices into your teaching and your future students' learning.
As I mentioned numerous times throughout the semester, not every technology is appropriate for every learning situation. As such, which technologies/software are not appropriate for your content area and/or student level. (Discuss at least one.)
Throughout this semester of ETPT I will admit that I thought I was not going to learn that much than of what I've already known. But I was proven wrong; the amount of new materials I have gained from this class will better prepare for me my classroom integration with technology.
I am planning on becoming a Special Education teacher with focusing on students from the ages 14-18, at this level I already know that they have established a sense of maturity and will have a better understanding of new technologies. With being a Special Ed. teacher my content area will be whatever that student needs help in, I have to have a good knowledge of each subject to help the students. And one of those is technology. In ETPT we have learn numerous amounts of new wave technologies but not all will be suited up for the type of learning environment I want to create in my classroom.
One of the new technologies that I will integrate is the SMART Board. I feel that this technology has a lot of great educational benefits and along with fun ones too. If the school I teach at has this new age of technology I am very certain that it will help my students out. Not only is it hands-on, which I feel helps kids out with learning but it keeps them in tune. It’s a very intriguing piece of technology and kids will keep motivated to keep on learning. SMART Board is great with math, I know from experience. While tutoring at Toledo School of the Arts, I had gotten firsthand experience to see how the kids use the SMART Board and how they interacted with each other. I don’t know how but it has this way of keeping the students engage with wanting to learn more.
Another technology that I would integrate into my classroom is definitely a multimedia project. Either have my students make one or use it for studying purposes. I know that while I was in school, playing Jeopardy was a fun way for preparing for a test. And if I tell my students to create one, it would to test their knowledge of how well they comprehend what they are learning. Writing a paper of what you learn tends to get old and honestly holds back from the student can create. I feel that a student’s creativity shines through when you don’t create barriers for them. The project will show what the student has learned and how much they have really retained.
And the last technology I will use in my classroom is a classroom blog. This the students can keep in touch, but with an educational approach to it. It gives the student a sense of maturity and independence. Instead of asking the teacher for help, the students can use the blog to ask questions from other students. And also the students can give each other positive feedback on how someone did on a quiz or presentation. The blog will be totally private and for educational purpose only.
Technology is advancing every day. So I know by the time I graduate from college that I will need to advance my skills as well. But the more advance I become, the better off I am integrating technology into my classroom, to give my students the education they deserve.
After exploring outside of class the following Emerging Technologies: a) Games,
b) Interactive Whiteboard Activities, c) Simulations/Role Playing, & d) Virtual Reality/ Worlds (links found HERE), discuss whether or not you see a use for each of these four technologies. Then, pick two different, specific activities (a game, a simulation, an interactive whiteboard activity, or a Virtual Reality or World) and discuss in detail how it engages students in their own learning. Click HERE to go to Games, Simulations and Virtual Reality Wiki page to access various links for exploring these emerging technologies.
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Throughout this semester, we had engaged in all different types of technologies that would have the students be integrated into systematic learning. We had learn and talked about the 4 different types of technologies, Games, Interactive Whiteboard Activities, Simulations/Role Playing, Virtual Reality/World. In my opinion I do see a use for almost all four of these technologies. The two that I can see being most beneficial in the classroom and for the students use, is the Games and the Interactive Whiteboard Activities. It can put the students into a different perspective and have them look at learning in a whole new way. It can sort of get the students out of their “funk” of learning and just have an open mind to learn something that isn’t text book related.
The first type of technology I looked at was the Games. There was a plethora of games that we listed but since I am going to be Special Ed. I had went to the website www.funbrain.com, and there was listed all different sorts of games for each subject. The one that I found most enjoyable, even more me when I was playing it, was the math baseball. The fact, that this game is correlating a common interest to the student, will be more likely that the child is going want to learn math and they don’t even know that they are. How it engages student is by, the game is bringing in the child with the big colors and cool graphics, with the intent of them learning math. I feel that in this situation, everyone wins.
The second type of technology that I had taken a look at was the Interactive Whiteboard Activities. On the website I had gone too, it was mostly about maps and the world. I really liked this website because the students can interact on the website with maps that have flashing labels, so it grabs their attention about what their looking at. And it’s great too, because after they are finish looking over the maps, on the previous page, they offer all sorts of games and puzzle for the kids to quiz themselves. The Interactive Whiteboard activities really engage the students, because it gives them a chance to really teach themselves.
By integrating technology into classrooms, the students and teachers will create a positive atmosphere in the classroom. Having new and fun ways of learning, will help the students stay focus and ultimately, gives them the motivation to want to learn.
Assignment:
a) In what way (s) does Digital Nation depict digital technology as beneficial to teaching and learning?
b) In what way (s) does Digital Nation depict digital technology as detrimental to teaching and learning?
(For both of the above questions, cite or refer to, a specific example or examples to support your conclusions.)
c) What are your overall conclusions regarding digital technology and its impact on teaching and learning?
Every day, more and more information is being provided by technology. Really, just about everything is used can be power by some more of technology. Driving in your car and charging your phone, ordering a pizza, researching information for a paper, or just making a power point presentation for your computer class. Everything is being used with technology. With that said, as future teachers, we have to be on top of knowledge of technology. We need to know the ins and outs and everything in between. As fast as technology is advancing, with have to keep up with. I do agree that technology is beneficial to learning. In an aspect that, a lot of cool and new learning programs are for the kids. Students learning how to use a SMART Board in the classroom is beneficial in that they know it is self taught and then they can use what they learn and teacher their other classmates. In another aspect children are better at comprehending new information.
Technology can affect learning in a bad way because the kids may not be as focused. A lot of people may call themselves " Multi-takers" but when in reality, they are just attempting to take on more than they can handle then eventually fail at it. It’s true because I know from experience trying to be a multi-tasker and something always gets unfinished or not even started. Thinking that students can text, search on the internet and be on face book at the same time is virtually impossible, trust me I know! And the internet can be a very scary world in one does not have the knowledge for it. Some people can get into some serious trouble and have to face the consequences.
Over all, I feel that technology today, has taken over in a good way. It has gotten advance enough that even the younger generation can comprehend but also having the older generation get it as well. A lot of it is being used for good instead of bad but you do have the rare cases. But technology is classroom is beneficial all in all. It helps out the student by learning in a different way and both the student and the teacher can learn something new with the internet, Microsoft Programs and the SMART Board. But all in all it hasn’t taken over in a bay way...yet
Tell us the level of students with whom you plan on teaching as well as your content area or the content area you have chosen for the newsletter. Tell us the standard you are working with. Then, describe the benchmark and/or grade level indicators you were working with on the Newsletter assignment.
Most importantly, reflect on how your newsletter activity represents a learner-centered activity where your future students (on their own or with younger children, working with the teacher) would be able to construct meaning regarding the benchmark or grade level indicators by using the technology of word processing.
I am going to become a special education teacher, so in regards towards the newsletter I had created I was gearing towards the younger students. I had chosen fourth grade level students. In the newsletter, my standard that I was working with was the students had to research three different holidays other than their own. I would have put them in groups of three or four and they would all work together to research a holiday that was unfamiliar to all them. They couldnt research the holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Pattys Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, Memorial Day etc. The grade level indactor or benchmarch that I was striving for with the students was in groups of three or four, students will research three different holidays and present them in a newsletter to the class. I had recently describe this above.
I feel that this newsletter will broaden the students understanding for new culture other than their own. It will make them look outside of the box when it comes to somthing that is unfamilar to them. I know that they are only in fourth grade but it will also help to work together in a group and have everyone put in their own effort towards creating this newsletter. Also working with Microsoft Processing,it will help the students explore the different tools used in creating their newsletter. They can all put in their own creativity and would be proud of the work that they all put in towards making their own newsletter for the class.
As i plan for the future in becoming a teacher there are some resources that will be good or not good in the classroom. Wikipedia in my opinion is sort of the best of both worlds. It can be a blessing by having the information you need rite there that fast. But it also can become a burden. By having incorrect information on the site about that certain subject. Because it is very easy to make your wiki information and have someone believe it. So like i said it can be the best of both and worse worlds.
In my classroom I will mention Wikipedia as a source of finding information but I will definitely have them be cautious of it and to watch out for incorrect information. I will have them use more than once source and that Wikipedia will have to be their last resource of finding out what they need to study on. So all in all in my opinion I don't want my students in my classroom relying on a unreliable source.
