In 2011, almost 2012, why is technology still a class kids go to to learn to use a tool and not an integrated part of the lessons we teach?
Throughout this class I have really learned that technology is not an isolated skill that we must teach our students. It is a way to communicate and retrieve information. We get so bogged down with teaching technology skills, when what we should really be focusing on is critical thinking skills.
Just the other day, I had the laptops out in my room as my students were typing personal narratives (I was guilty of the $2000 pencil that was talked about in our readings...) and two different teachers commented on how my students are still using the "hunt and peck" method when they were typing. They told me stories of how they used to sit in the auditorum and learn how to correctly type. I agree that some of my 10 year olds are pretty slow when typing, but what skill are we really working on here? I wanted my students to publish a personal narrative that they were proud of. I wanted them to be able to communicate lessons on vocie, revision, organization, and word choice. I think when we teach students skills in isolation, the meaning is completly lost. As long as they have some basic instruction in typing, they will naturally learn how to type quickly becuase it is efficent and useful.
I believe that we should be asking ourselves what we want the children to be able to do and what technology will help us get there. We should be staying away from teaching students to word process without publishing an actual piece of work. What is the point in learning to use movie maker when they don't see an actual need in their lives? I think it is much more beneficial to teach students to use technology through authentic products and experiences.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Week 9: Instant Messaging
Tell us what you think of Instant Messaging; Do you like it? What concerns do you have using a tool like Instant Messaging? Has it changed the way you work at all?
I love using the instant message feature on facebook. It lets me instantly communicate with others that are also online. I love the idea of Meebo because it consolidates all your instant messaging applications. I also use google talk because almost all of my close friends are on it. I wish we used it more at school. Sometimes I feel like we use email as a stand in instant messaging system! Maybe I could suggest that we start using it at my school. I am concerned about it when students use it. It seems like another place for creepy people to get in touch with kids. It is unclear to me how you really know who you are speaking too. I guess you can never be completely sure! This is another tool that we shouldn't be afraid of, but we should teach our students how to use safely.
I love using the instant message feature on facebook. It lets me instantly communicate with others that are also online. I love the idea of Meebo because it consolidates all your instant messaging applications. I also use google talk because almost all of my close friends are on it. I wish we used it more at school. Sometimes I feel like we use email as a stand in instant messaging system! Maybe I could suggest that we start using it at my school. I am concerned about it when students use it. It seems like another place for creepy people to get in touch with kids. It is unclear to me how you really know who you are speaking too. I guess you can never be completely sure! This is another tool that we shouldn't be afraid of, but we should teach our students how to use safely.
Week 8: Cloud Computing
Here is a quick google docs that I did. It was remarkably easy and quick!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQInhL0lVsGPST1DkSdHgjpK9cUEahq9bkKAstUjBaM/edit
Here is another example of a google docs that my family has been passing around. We are adopting a family this year for Christmas, instead of doing traditional gifts. Google docs has made it painless to sign up and split up the gifts.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Al7zQbO4akDXdDFNVXFVSUwxWTE3MWZvcXpsYTBjNmc
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mQInhL0lVsGPST1DkSdHgjpK9cUEahq9bkKAstUjBaM/edit
Here is another example of a google docs that my family has been passing around. We are adopting a family this year for Christmas, instead of doing traditional gifts. Google docs has made it painless to sign up and split up the gifts.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Al7zQbO4akDXdDFNVXFVSUwxWTE3MWZvcXpsYTBjNmc
Week 7: Microblogging
What do you think about using one of these microblogging tools?
I am excited to learn more about using Twitter. I had never had an account before because, honestly, I didn't really understand it. I like the idea of following a few people and forming a community. I was scared that I would get overwhelmed by all the information, but it was good advice to take in what you can and leave the rest.
Did you find it easy to find people to follow, especially after a list of examples was given?
I did find it really easy to find people to follow. The list of librarians on twitter made it really easy to find people that could share valuable information with me.
Who are three people or organizations you starting following this week and why did you follow them? Have you found their posts helpful?
I have started to follow erniec. He is a teacher and librarian and his tweets are helpful becuase he tweets about new things he has found to help students. For example, he just tweeted about a new way to search for creative common images that I had never heard of before. I also started following sljournal and they post really useful information. One of my favorite tweets what the best books for 2011 - Top Ten. There were some books on there that I am eager to read!
What kinds of uses do you see you might have for microblogging? Have you already found some uses for it?
I think it would be interesting to continue to follow educational twitter-ers. I could also see it as a way to communicate with patrons of the library. The librarian could announce new books that have come in, tweet about a favorite author, ect.
I am excited to learn more about using Twitter. I had never had an account before because, honestly, I didn't really understand it. I like the idea of following a few people and forming a community. I was scared that I would get overwhelmed by all the information, but it was good advice to take in what you can and leave the rest.
Did you find it easy to find people to follow, especially after a list of examples was given?
I did find it really easy to find people to follow. The list of librarians on twitter made it really easy to find people that could share valuable information with me.
Who are three people or organizations you starting following this week and why did you follow them? Have you found their posts helpful?
I have started to follow erniec. He is a teacher and librarian and his tweets are helpful becuase he tweets about new things he has found to help students. For example, he just tweeted about a new way to search for creative common images that I had never heard of before. I also started following sljournal and they post really useful information. One of my favorite tweets what the best books for 2011 - Top Ten. There were some books on there that I am eager to read!
What kinds of uses do you see you might have for microblogging? Have you already found some uses for it?
I think it would be interesting to continue to follow educational twitter-ers. I could also see it as a way to communicate with patrons of the library. The librarian could announce new books that have come in, tweet about a favorite author, ect.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Effective Instruction
These two articles were very similar in their ideas about effective instruction. They both talked about the importance the lesson making sense to the students. They had slightly different organization models of instruction, but they were very similar. A teacher should start by stating the goals or objectives of a lesson. The students background knowledge should be activated to make them ready for learning. Then, they both stressed the idea of having motivating content. If the work is interesting, they are able to do it, and it makes sense to them, students will be motivated to learn. A lot of times, I think of motivation as being fun lessons that are hands on. Motivation can come from something as simple as knowing exactly what is expected of them. They both stressed the idea of not going to fast through a lesson, but also not to go too slow. It is also important to have a culture of respect where students feel valued and praised. It is important for students to reflect on what they have learned and be given an appropriate amount of time to master content. This is difficult in schools when you have a pacing calendar to follow, but it is crucial to real learning.
Effective instruction is so important for an LMS because students will come to us to do really hard work. We must be prepared to support them in that work and teach them effectively. Although not all LMS will be responsible for teaching students lessons each week, it is important to know about effective lesson design when helping teachers plan. If you are co-planning, or co-teaching a lesson with teachers, you need to know what it takes to have a strong lesson. LMS should be instructional leaders in our schools that help students go deeper. Through research projects, book check-out, and informal library lessons, we are responsible for standards that students are required to know. It is important that we deliver those standards so students can understand. We are all responsible for every student in the schools learning and we need to have effective strategies to teach them. Also, as we help teachers integrate technology and children's literature, it is critical that they are integrated in meaningful ways for increased learning. Other wise, what’s the point?
Effective instruction is so important for an LMS because students will come to us to do really hard work. We must be prepared to support them in that work and teach them effectively. Although not all LMS will be responsible for teaching students lessons each week, it is important to know about effective lesson design when helping teachers plan. If you are co-planning, or co-teaching a lesson with teachers, you need to know what it takes to have a strong lesson. LMS should be instructional leaders in our schools that help students go deeper. Through research projects, book check-out, and informal library lessons, we are responsible for standards that students are required to know. It is important that we deliver those standards so students can understand. We are all responsible for every student in the schools learning and we need to have effective strategies to teach them. Also, as we help teachers integrate technology and children's literature, it is critical that they are integrated in meaningful ways for increased learning. Other wise, what’s the point?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Presentation Design
This week we have been studying presentation design. I had no idea how much thought needs to go into presentations. I have created a lot of power points for different purposes, and I have always used the templates given and called it good. I never really realized how BORING my presentations were. I feel terrible for all those parents that have sat through my back-to-school night presentations. Yuck!
I loved the idea of using "stunning images". I can't wait to play around on istockphoto.com or flickr.com. I know that when a presentation has a lot of visuals, that make sense, I am so much more excited to listen. I also liked the idea that the audience reads much faster than I can talk. I vow never to type everything that I am going to say on a slide, ever again! It is kind of insulting and I never thought of it that way before.
I also loved the idea of connecting it all through use of a color scheme. There is a reason we are drawn to magazines and print. They are creative and visually appealing. They attract our eye. Why wouldn't we want our presentations to do the same thing?
I have a lot to learn about presentation design, but I am really excited to begin the process. I know that creating strong presentations will be fun and time consuming, but worth it!
I loved the idea of using "stunning images". I can't wait to play around on istockphoto.com or flickr.com. I know that when a presentation has a lot of visuals, that make sense, I am so much more excited to listen. I also liked the idea that the audience reads much faster than I can talk. I vow never to type everything that I am going to say on a slide, ever again! It is kind of insulting and I never thought of it that way before.
I also loved the idea of connecting it all through use of a color scheme. There is a reason we are drawn to magazines and print. They are creative and visually appealing. They attract our eye. Why wouldn't we want our presentations to do the same thing?
I have a lot to learn about presentation design, but I am really excited to begin the process. I know that creating strong presentations will be fun and time consuming, but worth it!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Week 6: Tagging and Social Bookmarking
I loved signing up for a Delicious.com account. My user name is lauren_dawson if anyone wants to look me up! I am excited about the possibility of not having to search the entire internet for good links to sites I could use with my students. I spend so much time aimlessly wandering the world wide web and I usually come across a lot of junk. I am also excited to share some of the best sites that I have found with other teachers. I also love the fact that this bookmarking is not tied to your computer. I find sites all the time at home that I would like to use at school. This will be a huge time saver!
Week 5: RSS and Feed Readers
Activity One:
I chose to use Google Reader because I already had it set up. I use it to keep track of my friends blogs. I decided to add "tales of a fifth grade teacher" and "expeditionary learning". I chose these two because they don't post all the time, but when they do, I want to be informed.
Activity Two:
To add this blog to your google reader, go to http://technicallyteachingdawson.blogspot.com/ and click the share button at the top. It will be added to your reader.
Activity Three:
My blog does not have a RSS feed link on the homepage that I can see.
RSS and Feed Readers are still confusing to me. I am working through how to use them efficiently.
I chose to use Google Reader because I already had it set up. I use it to keep track of my friends blogs. I decided to add "tales of a fifth grade teacher" and "expeditionary learning". I chose these two because they don't post all the time, but when they do, I want to be informed.
Activity Two:
To add this blog to your google reader, go to http://technicallyteachingdawson.blogspot.com/ and click the share button at the top. It will be added to your reader.
Activity Three:
My blog does not have a RSS feed link on the homepage that I can see.
RSS and Feed Readers are still confusing to me. I am working through how to use them efficiently.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Video in the Classroom
a. Based on Prensky’s descriptions, are you a digital native or a digital immigrant?
I think I am a mixture of a digital native and a digital immigrant. My students have always had computers and internet access from the time they were born. I remember when my family got their first computer. However, I do feel like I have grown up with using technology and exploring the web. I don't feel as if I am as native as my students. They brains are wired for all things digital. It takes me more time to figure it out, but I have much more experiance then some of my colleges who are digital immigrants.
b. How are you equipped to teach the “digital natives” in your classroom?
I believe that some of the things I do reach the digital natives. We watch videos, create powerpoints, and us technology everyday. However, after reading the article, I am a long way from reaching them completly. I don't use video game like activities in my room and I have never had them actually create a game. The article was very daunting to me. I agreed when it mentioned that there are many things our students could do, but who is going to teach it?
c. What further steps could you take to learn the “language” of multimedia?
I think it is important to keep up-to-date on the newest technology. I also think it is important to learn best practices when it comes to teaching with technology. Our school just got a cart of i-pads that I am dying to use, but I haven't yet because I am not sure even where to start! I think it is important to not let our lack of knowledge prevent learning opportunities for our students.
d. What steps can you take to keep students safe from undesirable YouTube content?
Many times when I use YouTube, I show it whole class on the smart board. That way, I am in control of the material and what links they can view. I also like the idea of getting software to "rip" the video so that is all the students have access to. I do think that educators should take all possible steps to prevent inappropriate use of YouTube, but I think it is equally important to teach our students the importance of responsible use of our computers at school.
I think I am a mixture of a digital native and a digital immigrant. My students have always had computers and internet access from the time they were born. I remember when my family got their first computer. However, I do feel like I have grown up with using technology and exploring the web. I don't feel as if I am as native as my students. They brains are wired for all things digital. It takes me more time to figure it out, but I have much more experiance then some of my colleges who are digital immigrants.
b. How are you equipped to teach the “digital natives” in your classroom?
I believe that some of the things I do reach the digital natives. We watch videos, create powerpoints, and us technology everyday. However, after reading the article, I am a long way from reaching them completly. I don't use video game like activities in my room and I have never had them actually create a game. The article was very daunting to me. I agreed when it mentioned that there are many things our students could do, but who is going to teach it?
c. What further steps could you take to learn the “language” of multimedia?
I think it is important to keep up-to-date on the newest technology. I also think it is important to learn best practices when it comes to teaching with technology. Our school just got a cart of i-pads that I am dying to use, but I haven't yet because I am not sure even where to start! I think it is important to not let our lack of knowledge prevent learning opportunities for our students.
d. What steps can you take to keep students safe from undesirable YouTube content?
Many times when I use YouTube, I show it whole class on the smart board. That way, I am in control of the material and what links they can view. I also like the idea of getting software to "rip" the video so that is all the students have access to. I do think that educators should take all possible steps to prevent inappropriate use of YouTube, but I think it is equally important to teach our students the importance of responsible use of our computers at school.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Week Four: Photo Sharing
This week, while checking out flicker, I came across this cool picture. I am currently living in Washington DC and get to see this all the time. I thought the Kansans reading my blog might like to see it!
I love to be able to share my pictures with friends and family online. Generally, I use facebook to do this. I have tried to use Flickr in the past, but for some reason, I don't find it very user friendly. Maybe it just isn't set up the way my brain works. I do love the option of being able to search other people's photos. I use this for school a lot when I am doing powerpoint. Being able to pull high quality photographs easily is defiantly a plus to Flickr. The keyword search is very good and always provides pictures that work for my purpose. It also always cites where you are getting it from, so I can feel good about sharing them.
I also use shutterfly a lot. On shutterfly, users can create photo books that you can order for pretty reasonable prices. I have never used this with students, but we could use it to publish our writing and photographs. They would be really motivated by that!
I love to be able to share my pictures with friends and family online. Generally, I use facebook to do this. I have tried to use Flickr in the past, but for some reason, I don't find it very user friendly. Maybe it just isn't set up the way my brain works. I do love the option of being able to search other people's photos. I use this for school a lot when I am doing powerpoint. Being able to pull high quality photographs easily is defiantly a plus to Flickr. The keyword search is very good and always provides pictures that work for my purpose. It also always cites where you are getting it from, so I can feel good about sharing them.
I also use shutterfly a lot. On shutterfly, users can create photo books that you can order for pretty reasonable prices. I have never used this with students, but we could use it to publish our writing and photographs. They would be really motivated by that!
Week Three: Online Meetings
Today, I listened to the webinar "Ebooks and Libraries". Tom Peters at the Wisconsin E-book presented this webinar on the importance of ebooks. I found the information really interesting. I have been interested in getting ereaders into our schools and this webinar made it clear that it is time. He mentioned that libraries are really behind the rest of the book community when it comes to e-books. He calls the work we need to be doing around the idea of ebooks "murky". I feel that way a lot about technology. It seems like we all know that something needs to be done, we just aren't sure how to do it. He also talked about the idea of publishers not liking libraries. I had never thought of it that way. Publishers see libraries as a drain on their income. Peters said that we should be retraining the publishers to think about libraries as developing a culture of readers. Brilliant!
All in all, I found this webinar to be helpful. For some reason, I was having trouble finding a webinar that would come up with audio and the powerpoint slides. I get really distracted when it is just the audio without any visuals.
I see the public using webinars a lot in the future. As the 23 Things Kansas site mentioned, budgets are getting tighter. It is not always feasible to send groups of people to conferences. Webinars can help by cutting down on the cost of attending. I also think that webinars make it easier for more people to receive information. Most people have a computer, headphones and a microphone. If you are interested in learning more about something, there is probably a webinar out there for you!
All in all, I found this webinar to be helpful. For some reason, I was having trouble finding a webinar that would come up with audio and the powerpoint slides. I get really distracted when it is just the audio without any visuals.
I see the public using webinars a lot in the future. As the 23 Things Kansas site mentioned, budgets are getting tighter. It is not always feasible to send groups of people to conferences. Webinars can help by cutting down on the cost of attending. I also think that webinars make it easier for more people to receive information. Most people have a computer, headphones and a microphone. If you are interested in learning more about something, there is probably a webinar out there for you!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Week Two: Online Communities
I decided to use the Online Community Facebook. I chose this because I already have an account and I know how it works. I like how it works because it is easy to control your privacy settings and most of my friends and family use it. Actually, my mom just joined last week! I use Facebook to communicate with friends. I use status updates to let people know what I am up to. I think it is fun to share pictures with people who live far away. It helps me to feel up to date on everyone. I think in the future, we will use this to communicate more and more. It is so easy and instant. I would like to see a library use it as a tool to communicate with its users. A lot of other organizations use pages on Facebook to get out information, share upcoming events, and post pictures. I think it would be a great tool to help people become informed about libraries. If anyone would like to be friends with me on Facebook, send me a email. I will "friend" you. I am not searchable of facebook because my students are on facebook and I don't feel comfortable being cyber space friends with them :)!
Things that make me go hmmm.....
1. Why is it so challenging to print at my school? It think our ITC has tried to make it easier by making printing wireless, but I can never seem to install my printers.
2. At my school, we get very little space to save anything. This baffles me becuase they want us to use technology more, yet if we save a notebook file from smart board, we are at 99% capacity.
3. I am still working with the idea of doing a blog with my students. I am still unsure about how to make it confidential, yet create a real audience.
4. Since our school just now got oulook, I am hearing myself saying hmmm a lot about that lately. I am so far behind the rest of the world with this, so I feel silly asking!
5. I am wondering how I can use technology to connect my classroom with other classrooms around the world. I want to do this, but I am still figuring out logistics.
6. Why is it that when you check the laptop cart out, it is always the student with anger issues that gets the one that doesn't work???
7. Is it just me, or does the internet in your school always seem to go down the first week of school? I have realized that without it, we are totally paralyzed!
8. What is the point of buying teachers laptops if they have to be locked to our desk. Isn't the point portibility?
9. Why do we complain about technology when the truth is, even with its glitches, our lives are so much easier!
10. Hmmm... how can I get a grant to get kindles into my room??
2. At my school, we get very little space to save anything. This baffles me becuase they want us to use technology more, yet if we save a notebook file from smart board, we are at 99% capacity.
3. I am still working with the idea of doing a blog with my students. I am still unsure about how to make it confidential, yet create a real audience.
4. Since our school just now got oulook, I am hearing myself saying hmmm a lot about that lately. I am so far behind the rest of the world with this, so I feel silly asking!
5. I am wondering how I can use technology to connect my classroom with other classrooms around the world. I want to do this, but I am still figuring out logistics.
6. Why is it that when you check the laptop cart out, it is always the student with anger issues that gets the one that doesn't work???
7. Is it just me, or does the internet in your school always seem to go down the first week of school? I have realized that without it, we are totally paralyzed!
8. What is the point of buying teachers laptops if they have to be locked to our desk. Isn't the point portibility?
9. Why do we complain about technology when the truth is, even with its glitches, our lives are so much easier!
10. Hmmm... how can I get a grant to get kindles into my room??
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Instructional Design
"Education has missed the boat, with respect to instructional design. Teachers come up with lesson plans on the fly, with little thought to why they are presenting information or even who their audience is. Teacher training, at the university level and during Professional development, needs to focus on helping teachers become comfortable with instructional design principles."
As I was reading and watching the videos for this course, I realized that instructional design is the way I think about lesson planning, but I rarely have the time to complete all these steps. When I was in undergrad, I learned the basics of instructional design. Before designing our units, we would come up with what the problem was. We would then make a blueprint for what we needed to teach. We spent a lot of time learning how to write objectives and investigating different learning strategies. Then, we would spend time developing what and how we are going to teach. At my school we were lucky enough to implement our lessons and actually deliver instruction to real students. During class the next week, we would relfect and evaluate. We would ask ourselves, did it work?
There is no doubt that this is the process we should all go through when we are developing units and lessons. It is the best for learners when we know where we are going, why we are going there, and how we are going to get there. However, I agree with the WikiBooks article when it said that this method is rarely used in real life. The lessons we developed in undergrad took hours upon hours to design one 45 minute lesson. When you are an elementary teacher, teaching five to six different subjects every day, there is simply not enough time to do this with every single lesson we teach.
That being said, I do think I work in a district that has done a lot of that leg work for the classroom teacher. At the district office, they generally identify the problem and write our objectives. Because this is the age of standard assessments, the objectives are directly tied to our state standards. As Gustafson and Branch said, sometimes we are told what the delivery method needs to be and what instructional strategies we are to use. Teachers are the ones that develop the lesson plans, but we have long range plans that help us pace our teaching and really good materials to pull lessons from. I don't always use what the district gives me, but sometimes it is a mandate to use the provided lessons. It is always my responsibility to deliver instruction and I do get some room to do what is best for my students. I always give pretests so I know what instruction is needed and what we can skip. I find it really hard to find time for the evaluate step, but I want to get better at making time for this.
After learning more about instructional design, I do think it will help me slow down and intentionally plan lessons. However, I don't think it is just because teachers come up with lessons "on the fly". Teachers would love to have the time to go through this process with each lesson, but that is not real life. I also think there are a lot of outside influences that make it difficult to let teachers teach specifically to their particular students and teach to their needs.
As I was reading and watching the videos for this course, I realized that instructional design is the way I think about lesson planning, but I rarely have the time to complete all these steps. When I was in undergrad, I learned the basics of instructional design. Before designing our units, we would come up with what the problem was. We would then make a blueprint for what we needed to teach. We spent a lot of time learning how to write objectives and investigating different learning strategies. Then, we would spend time developing what and how we are going to teach. At my school we were lucky enough to implement our lessons and actually deliver instruction to real students. During class the next week, we would relfect and evaluate. We would ask ourselves, did it work?
There is no doubt that this is the process we should all go through when we are developing units and lessons. It is the best for learners when we know where we are going, why we are going there, and how we are going to get there. However, I agree with the WikiBooks article when it said that this method is rarely used in real life. The lessons we developed in undergrad took hours upon hours to design one 45 minute lesson. When you are an elementary teacher, teaching five to six different subjects every day, there is simply not enough time to do this with every single lesson we teach.
That being said, I do think I work in a district that has done a lot of that leg work for the classroom teacher. At the district office, they generally identify the problem and write our objectives. Because this is the age of standard assessments, the objectives are directly tied to our state standards. As Gustafson and Branch said, sometimes we are told what the delivery method needs to be and what instructional strategies we are to use. Teachers are the ones that develop the lesson plans, but we have long range plans that help us pace our teaching and really good materials to pull lessons from. I don't always use what the district gives me, but sometimes it is a mandate to use the provided lessons. It is always my responsibility to deliver instruction and I do get some room to do what is best for my students. I always give pretests so I know what instruction is needed and what we can skip. I find it really hard to find time for the evaluate step, but I want to get better at making time for this.
After learning more about instructional design, I do think it will help me slow down and intentionally plan lessons. However, I don't think it is just because teachers come up with lessons "on the fly". Teachers would love to have the time to go through this process with each lesson, but that is not real life. I also think there are a lot of outside influences that make it difficult to let teachers teach specifically to their particular students and teach to their needs.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Educational Technology Is...
After reading these three articles, my view about what educational technology is has shifted a bit. To me, educational technology is the way we look at how people learn best and design instructional materials and processes that meet their needs. It is about changing the way we present the content to our learners. In the 20th century, we would present content through the teacher, the chalkboard and the textbook. We know so much more about how people learn now. We need to change the way we instruct them so we get optimal results.
Educational technology effects every part of the school system. It is a way to share information, not only with students, but between colleges, parents, and the greater community. When I think of educational technology, I think of smart boards and computers. It is so much greater than that. It is a holistic way of thinking about our school system and all the ways we can solve problems for students and staff. This shift takes a great amount of trust from staff and students. It can completely change the role of the student and the teacher. Through educational technology, the teacher becomes a facilitator that helps the student along in their journey.
Educational technology effects every part of the school system. It is a way to share information, not only with students, but between colleges, parents, and the greater community. When I think of educational technology, I think of smart boards and computers. It is so much greater than that. It is a holistic way of thinking about our school system and all the ways we can solve problems for students and staff. This shift takes a great amount of trust from staff and students. It can completely change the role of the student and the teacher. Through educational technology, the teacher becomes a facilitator that helps the student along in their journey.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Week One: Blogging
I love to blog! My husband and I keep a blog for our friends and family to read. It is such a fun way to stay connected to them. We can share pictures and video which makes it so valuable. I also love to catch up with my friends blogs when I get the chance. Even though we live miles apart, I can still see what their house looks like, meet their new dog, and hear all about their jobs.
I have also gotten really into following different educational blogs. Some are written by classroom teachers, some by administrators, and some by people who are specialists. It gives me new ideas for classroom management, set-up of the room, and new educational therories.
I have not started using a blog with my class. I would love to try it out this year. I could see my students possibly putting together a fifth grade newsletter that is posted on the blog. That way, parents and community members could get involved in what is happening in class. I could also see my students using a blog at the beginning of the school year. At my school we do what is called "Hopes and Dreams". After we brainstorm, pre-write, rough draft, and edit, the students would post their hopes and dreams to the blog. We would have a permanent record of their goals for the school year that we could share with families.
I am posting links to some of my favorite teacher blogs out there. Have fun :)
Lauren
http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/blog
http://studentsgrow.blogspot.com/
http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/
http://ladybugsteacherfiles.blogspot.com/
http://teachfactory.com/
I have also gotten really into following different educational blogs. Some are written by classroom teachers, some by administrators, and some by people who are specialists. It gives me new ideas for classroom management, set-up of the room, and new educational therories.
I have not started using a blog with my class. I would love to try it out this year. I could see my students possibly putting together a fifth grade newsletter that is posted on the blog. That way, parents and community members could get involved in what is happening in class. I could also see my students using a blog at the beginning of the school year. At my school we do what is called "Hopes and Dreams". After we brainstorm, pre-write, rough draft, and edit, the students would post their hopes and dreams to the blog. We would have a permanent record of their goals for the school year that we could share with families.
I am posting links to some of my favorite teacher blogs out there. Have fun :)
Lauren
http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/blog
http://studentsgrow.blogspot.com/
http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/
http://ladybugsteacherfiles.blogspot.com/
http://teachfactory.com/
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