Tuesday, December 13, 2011
My Portfolio!
Welcome to my digital portfolio! Here are my thoughts throughout the semester and all of the projects that I have worked on. There are blogs on Non Linear Power Points, Pod Casts, Copyright, Photo Shop and More! Click on links, read about the programs I learned about and enjoy!
Reflection
I found this class to be helpful and interesting. I am not a tech savvy person but the way things were explained in this class made it easy for me to learn. I made my own blog and website, something I thought I would never do! The programs that were chosen were useful as well. I enjoyed Picnic and Photoshop the most. I learned more how technology can be used in the classroom from websites to encyclopedias. I thought that Google was the best source for students to look up information until I learned about the Students Encyclopedia. There are great articles and information on all subjects for students to look at. I also liked learning about Nonlinear Power Point. I am used to creating power points with slides that go from one to the next. Nonlinear Power Points make the presentation fun and interesting using buttons. I learned great things from this class that I will use in my classroom!
Learning how to use so many recourse's is so important, especially in the classroom. As much as text books are great, technology can make the classroom that much better. Smart boards are a great invention that most schools have. I would have like to learn more about Smart boards but the topics that we did learn about are also going to help me. Digital Stories are fun and easy to use. In my classroom, I will use the digital story program asking students to record themselves instead of read to each other. Students lose interest easily, but with technology and recourse's such as the digital stories, students will be intrigued. I am excited that I learned about new programs and to apply them into my classroom!
Computer Delusion
Technology: Good or Bad? I don’t think you can say that technology is completely one way or the other; I think it is a mix in the classroom. We have come so far in our classrooms using smart boards, Google, Internet Encyclopedias etc. It has become so easy for us to look something up if we don’t know the answer, to pull up a visual for students or to play an educational video right from the computer. But, can we live without a computer and technology in the classroom? Yes, but it would be hard. Truth is, computers have not always been in the classroom and people actually learned from text books (gasp). It’s not that text books are bad or not useful anymore, it’s just that they are out of date for subjects that can be taught in such a better way. Instead of having students read about Africa in a text book and expect them to connect to the issues happening there, we can use technology to play a video of starving children in Africa. The video provides a visual for students and allows them to connect with the faces in the video. There are also more updated statistics on the Internet than there would be in a text book.
Most schools have computers in the classrooms or have a computer lab for students to use. However, there are schools that do not have computers and they are doing fine. Students need to learn how to write before they learn how to type! Many adults rely on computers to write and spell check for them and cannot write themselves. Students need to know how to make letters correctly and spell words correctly, all things the computer can do for you. Typing classes should be in high school, not Elementary or Middle School where students writing is not completely developed. I think technology is important for students to learn, especially because of the jobs that will be offered when they go for a job, but for now, learning to read and write, technology is not crucial for them to have in the everyday classroom.
ICONN
It is great to learn about new tools that can be used. ICONN is a tool that I have never heard of or used and found that it would be helpful for me to use as a teacher. Instead of researching articles or books, it is an easy tool to use to do the work for you. It is also great that it is free. There are many great websites for teachers to use but they ask you to pay for them. As a teacher, I am turned off when I am asked for my credit card. Teachers pay for so much to go into their classroom, subscribing to a website is one more thing that we should not have to pay for. As a teacher, we should be up to do date on current events to discuss with students and ICONN is great for current topics.
Junior Worldmark Encyclopedias are great for students and they are simple for students to understand. There are a lot of articles on science and literature with great visuals for students. It is easy for students to Google information however websites that do not apply to their search often pop up. Allowing students to use Encyclopedias for information is fun and safe for everyone. I will use this in my classroom for students to research information or just because they want to!
Problem Solving
Growing up it was difficult for me to problem solve, especially in math. I felt that I was never taught properly how to complete a problem and it was frustrating. Now, as a teacher, I always go over the problems over and over making sure that everyone understands. It is important to pull apart a problem and then put it back together. A problem can have many different questions in one, making it difficult for the student to grasp what the question is asking. There is a Big 6 model that can help students: 1. Define the task 2. Information Seeking Strategies 3. Location and Access 4. Use of Information 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation. Problem solving comes easier for adults which as teachers we need to remember. Problem solving is important for students to learn academically and socially. Problem solving is important so we need to take our time and make sure that everyone understands what is being taught.
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