Technology in the Classroom

After completing this course and looking at all different types of technology that are available for the classroom, I am a firm believer that technology enhances the education that students receieve in schools. There are so many different types of leaners (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) and the use of technology gives teachers the opportunity to reach all of these different types of learners through different modes. I think that when students feel that teachers are reaching out to their needs, they are more motivated to work hard to achieve and are more interested in the subject they are being taught.

As a teacher, I think using technology is also a good way to keep me interested in what I am teaching. I think that after teaching the same thing a few times in one day or for many years, the subject matter can become boring and uninteresting. However, technology introduces a new element into the mix that can really change how you teach the subject. I'm sure it's really interesting to see how students use and react to using a different piece of technology in the classroom. I think that all students would have a different response when using technology, so there would be quite a variety of differences as opposed to in the past when all students were producing similar products.

Second Life

In my technology class, we met in Second Life to see how it could be used in the classroom. There are so many places in Second Life that teachers can take students to that, otherwise, they will not have the opportunity to visit. We went to a museum that featured all different types of space crafts. There were various simulations that gave the experience of being in a tsunami or a hurricane. It was really interesting to see all of these things.

Second Life experiences are a great way to show students things that they may have never otherwise seen. In the classroom, Second Life can be an important tool to explore the world without ever leaving the school.

Assessment

It's a known fact that students do not enjoy tests. They don't like studying; they don't like the pressure; they don't like the idea of failing. However, assessment is necessary in the classroom in order to make sure students are meeting benchmarks, to enhance student's educational development, and to help the teacher make decisions about what she should teach. Assessment provides information about what is the best way to differentiate in a classroom so all students gain the most from lessons.

Tradional assessments like multiple choice tests and essays are important to discover what students have learned. However, in today's day and age, there are also a number of technology-based assessments that will allow teachers to see what students have absorbed and give students the opportunity to experience something that does not give them the same feelings as traditional tests.

Computer-adaptive assessments are when items are presented in a sequence that is dependent on the correctness of the examinee's response to previous items. Every student has different questions based on their responses. This provides immediate feedback for both student and teacher. Teachers can easily transfer this data to gradebooks or student records. This helps to save paper, money, and scoring time. With this technology, assessment occurs more regularly and can be standardized more easily. It also makes assessment seem non-threatening towards students.

Overall, I think this is a very interesting form of assessment that I think both students and teachers can learn alot from.

Flash Drives

Students should be given the opportunity to work on projects, essays, and papers both in their homes and in the classroom. However, this becomes an issue when students must transfer their work between their home computer and school computers. In order to facilitate this move, flash drives are extremely important. They are able to hold alot of data in a small space. Unlike floppy disks, they are not as susceptible to breaking and damage. Flash drives can be attached to a keyring or backpack so students can keep them near at all times.

Before flash drives, I remember what a hassle it was to use floppy disks. You had to be extremely careful when handling them so they didn't break. It is so much more convenient and handy to be able to use flash drives today.

Online Classes

In our Learning Thru Technology class, we have met a number of times via the Internet rather than meeting in our classroom. While this may not be appropriate for every lesson, I think it's a great opportunity for students and teachers to explore how technology can be used in the classroom.

When we used Elluminate, we were able view Power Point Presentations without clicking anything. The presenter of the class controls everything and students have the opportunity to observe and participate in discussion. Students could talk amongest themselves and to the teacher through the use of an instant message system, which the teacher could observe if he had any questions about what students were talking about. In addition, the teacher and those students with headsets were able to communicate orally. It was really interesting to see that logging into a website could give students the opportunity to communicate and learn without leaving their dorm rooms.

I think this technology could be really helpful in a high school classroom. Students in one room could connect with students in another city, another state, or even another country. There are so many people out there that have things to teach; virtual classrooms make this learning easier and more accessible.

Video Cameras in the Classroom

I think the idea of using video cameras in the classroom has a lot of potential. When students are given a camera, they have the opportunity to go out and explore the world. They can choose what to document by deciding what is important. The hands-on-experience is a totally different way of learning that most students don't get the opportunity to experience. I think that when students have the opportunity to do something themselves, they learn more from it.

Internet Literacy

Since the Internet has become such a big part of our everyday lives, I think it's really imperative for students to be careful about what they view online. Just because information is online doesn't mean it's accurate or reliable. It is really important to remember the ABC's of evaluating websites--accountability and authority, bias, and currency. I think that if teachers start educating students at young age about the importance of looking for these things in websites, students will be much more informed about researching on the Internet and be able to obtain more accurate information.

instant messenger

I think instant messenger has definite potential to be used in the classroom. I know that as a student, there have been many times in my academic career when I would be home and wished that I could somehow have immediate contact with my teacher. Instant messenger is capable of allowing this to happen. If teachers could set up a screenname and then log onto it at certain times, students could IM them with questions and suggestions. This could really enhance teacher/student relationships because many times, people feel more comfortable communicating online rather than communicating face to face.

Although instant messenger has its advantages, it can also be a deterrent to learning. Students tend to use improper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure while on instant messenger. Many of these habits are already finding their way into students' writing. If teachers are condoning the use of IM's, they may be setting the scene for errors to occur in formal writing more frequently. Instant messenger can also be a distraction for many students because instead of concentrating on what teachers have to say, they will be busy IMing friends and family members.

By teaching students how to use instant messenger in a responsible, productive fashion, it can become a vital tool in today's technologically advanced classroom.

Digital Photography

Yesterday in class, we talked about how a teacher can use digital photography in the classroom. KidPix isa really interesting program for younger students. Teacher-created documents can be used to demonstrate an important concept or idea. I saw people using the program to create examples of food chains, the water cycle, or story boards. I think these are great ideas to review important information with students. KidPix can also be used by students to create a finished product after learning about a topic. It's definitely a new and different way to provide an assessment for students.

Elluminate

Now that we've completed our first online class, I think it was really interesting. I didn't realize that online classrooms had so many capabilities. We were able to visit different websites and view presentations without doing anything. It was my first experience with an online class and it definitely held my attention.



I believe that there is definite potential for this to be used in a K-12 environment, probably more for a high school audience than an elementary school class. Because this is a new idea, it will hold their attention for a longer period of time. Students have the opportunity to use an instant message feature, similar to how they might use AIM. I think this could be a great idea when a class is assigned a long-term project over a school break because students could meet with teachers in a virtual way from anywhere they may be. Teachers could clear up any questions students may have, and students could talk with others about any problems they've been having and how best to solve them.

More Technology

I'm taking a class on the everday life in which we are currently working on a couple of technology projects. We already have to keep a blog for the class on which we can write anything we want. Recently, we have learned how to use the program Flash to create animations and presentations. It's a really interesting program because there is so much you can do. I know that when I was in high school, there was one boy who would always use it to create his projects. He always had the most interesting projects because they were full of animation and interesting pictures. Although I know that it is a difficult program to use, as a teacher, I would definitely encourage my students to learn to use it and create projects for class with it. I think everyone in the class would enjoy and benefit from these presentations because they are quite different from an ordinary Powerpoint presentation.

In My Language

1. Reactions
At first, I was a little disturbed by the video. The noises and actions of the person were very unusual when compared to most of society. I didn't understand what she was trying to say or do. When she went to the second part of the video and did the translation, I was amazed by everything that she could convey. I didn't realize that she had the ability to communicate with people like that. Her sentences were fluid and complex. I had no idea that she would be able to talk like that. It's really amazing what technology can do to assist people with disabilities. However, it's really depressing to think that there are people in the world who wouldn't treat this girl like a person because of her disability. There is nothing she can do to prevent or change her disability. This video showed me that as a society, we need to learn about people with disabilities so we can become more accepting of them.

2. Has your impression of autistic people changed after viewing this video?
Yes, my impression has definitely changed. I had no idea what people with autism were capable of when given assistive technology. I always thought that they were less intelligent than others, but I know that is not true after viewing this video.

3. How has technology changed her life and allowed her to communicate?
The girl is able to use a computer to type out what she wants to say. The computer then says what she has typed. Without this technology, this girl would have no way to communicate with the outside world and people would be confused and reluctant to interact with her. With the use of the computer, she can show people that she is a real human being.

4. Do you think You Tube should be allowed in schools? Why or why not?
I definitely think You Tube should be allowed in schools. Although there is alot of inappropriate content, students can benefit from viewing videos such as this one. For students who have never met an autistic person before, this video gives them the opportunity to see how one may act and speak. I think You Tube can be a useful source for video clips to enhance a classroom discussion and give students more information about a topic. However, there should be some sort of block or firewall set up by the school so maybe only teachers could access the site. Students would be able to access it only with teacher permission and supervision.

cell phone cameras...

Over the weekend, my friends went to see a concert in Poughkeepsie. At the door, they were told that they could not bring in cameras or video cameras. However, they wanted to be able to capture the concert for future memories. Enter the video phone! With this, they were able to record their favorite parts of the concert and bring them home to share with myself and our other friends. This is such a convenient form of technology that can really be used at any time, in any place.

While the use of the cell phone in this case was for purely entertainment, usage could also be a great way to capture things as they are happening when students are not in the classroom. Pictures of nature or something that is going on around them can be instrumental in the classroom. Camera phones allow students to obtain these pictures in seconds and share them with the class at a later date.

blogs...

Although I have had either a Myspace or Facebook account for a couple of years, I have never created a blog before this semester at school. Now I am required to keep blogs in two of my classes. At first, I was confused as to what the purpose of these blogs would be, but I think I am starting to see why they are useful.

In my technology class, we are using blogs to discover how they can be used in a classroom for students in grades K-12. As an English major, I think blogs would be a great way to have students keep an online journal for class. Teachers could give a topic each day or week, and the students would be required to write whatever they wanted about that idea. As a result, teachers would get the opportunity to get to know their students better because they are getting an inside look at what is going on in students' heads. I think many students would find that they enjoyed blogging because it gives them a chance to get their feelings and ideas out in an easy and convenient manner and would continue blogging even after the assignment was over.

In my art of culture class, we are using blogs to post some of our homework assignments and questions we have about the class. I think this is also a valid use of blogs for a k-12 classroom. Rather than students printing out homework, they could simply post it on their blogs. The teacher could access each blog and see what students are doing. This is also a great way to begin a portfolio to see what kind of work students have done over the course of a school year and the progress they have made.

Hi! So it's Tuesday afternoon and I'm procrastinating. I spent a little time on Facebook, a little time instant messaging my friends. However, I am soon drawn back to Facebook and the numerous pictures that my friends have put on display.

As I look through all the pictures from this past weekend, summer days and nights, and even last year, it makes me really thankful that we have digital cameras. The digital camera has helped preserve simple memories that may have otherwise been forgotten. It's so weird to think about the days when my family had a camera where the film had to be dropped off and developed. We would have to wait days to see what pictures we had taken and whether or not we even liked what we had captured. Now, I can take a picture, decide instantly whether or not I like it, and either show it to my friends or delete it. There is no wait time, and I feel like I can relive any moment that I have captured on my digital camera at any time.

In June, I went to Cancun with some of my friends. To say the least, we were all disappointed when we had to leave. However, as we sat on the plane, about to pull away from the gate, we were occupied with looking at all of the pictures we had taken that week. To be able to relive our Mexican experiences was like reliving the trip over again. Even today, we still look at the pictures to remind ourselves of what a good time we had.

My digital camera has become such an important part of my life. I love being able to relive some of my most fun moments and share them with the people around me.

Welcome!

Hi! Thanks for visiting. I will be writing on this blog once a week about my thoughts on technology.