Journal #10

For this journal posting I read the article entitled, Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged by Diane Curtis which discusses the technology that has been developed to assist students that are not phisically mobile in being active and participating in school activities and events. This article is extremely relevant and can help me as a future teacher in many ways. There are so many resources out there that can help me provide assistance to students and enhance their learning and ability to participate in learning to the fullest. By students being able to function in the classroom more independantly they get an enhanced confidence and will want to learn more and be more involoved. An example of this in a classroom setting that the article discussed is the use of technology and computers for students to take their own notes and communicate through typing their thoughts.

How will I use technology to assist students with special needs?

Through differentiating lesson plans I will make visuals and communication avaialble to students with special needs. If they cannot communicate or need modifications in assignments I will be aware of this and make lessons reflect their needs as well.

What do schools need to do to provide students with special needs the technology to be successful in school?

Schools need to be aware of the technology that is available to them and include this in the budget and always increase the tools that they can provide for students with special needs.

Journal #9

In the article Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning? by Dave Nagel he discusses students, teachers, parents and administrators' points of view in limiting students use of technology in the classroom. This topic seems to be a double edged sword because on one hand students do feel limited and do not feel that they have the access and use of technology and are being limited to the use of it in school but on the other hand security and control of technology is vital and important in an educational setting. Tools such as social networking are so valuable to people in the real world sharing knowledge with others and increasing your own in so essential in education. There are students that will abuse the privilidge and use this tool inappropriately and schools are liable and responsible so they are not willing to risk any type of exposure to this. I think that this problem could be limited with the focus on technology in schools but educating and bringing teachers up to speed on how to monitor kids use of technology in the classroom and setting the ground rules with their students. Establishing rules and setting expectations within the classroom is the first step. Teachers also need to get updated on the resources and technology that is being used because students knowledge far exceeds many teachers knowledge when it comes to technology. Another important part of using technology successfully in the classroom and benefiting both students and the teacher is to monitor students use and to be sure that all students are using the technology appropriately. An example of this is to have a class blog and monitor students comments and use of blog consistently. If a student abuses their privlidges then they lose them.

How would I handle establishing rules for using technology in my future classroom?

I would have all students sign a contract that establishes a commitment from each student in how they will use the technology that is available to them and that they are responsible for their comments and use of the resources. This will give them a sense of responsibility and they will develop a reputation online.

Do I feel that I am comfortable in using technology in my future classroom?

I feel really confident in using the technology that I have learned and the technology that I really benefit from in my life in my classroom. I really enjoy blogging and reading blogs so I think I will definately use this tool in my classroom for a variety of subjects.

Journal #8

The article, Spotlight: Free Science Resources Online, by Dave Nagel is from the March 2008 issue of THE Journal and has both explanations and highlights great resources for teaching science utilizing the resources on the web. The article highlights the NASA website, MIT's website and the Smithsonian Institution's website. It is very hard to get kids attention and keep them motivated to learn when teaching subjects like science and math. Few kids realize the impact and modern day uses of science in our world. These websites offer materials and resources for elementary levels all the way through high school and secondary education. There are lectures, videos, audio clips, and animations that are avaliable on the web for both teachers and students. There are even links that offer resources for AP Calculus, AP Biology and AP Physics. Sometimes we do not have the resources in our classroom to conduct the lessons we want to give to our students but we can improvise and show videos of labs or demonstrations that are offered on MIT's website that will give our students this knowledge.

I particularly liked NASA's website resources that are offered. I think that space and the technology that is developed at NASA is so facinating that it is great to capture students interest and motivate them by showing them the different simulations and technology developed at NASA. I like the interactive links that allow students to find out fun facts like what astronauts wear in space. I hope to teach 2nd or 3rd grade and this is something I would use in my classroom. Visuals are something that allow students to get a real perspective on what is being taught and this makes learning fun.

How would I make science fun in my future classroom?

I think there are so many different ways to make science fun by getting students up and moving and having them actively learning. I liked one of the links on NASA's website that was entitled star gazing. This activity allowed students to identify different stars. I think it would be fun to incorporate this into a lesson in the classroom and have students do star gazing and label different stars that they see.

How would I utilize these resources as a teacher?

There are lectures and lesson plans online that I can use or get ideas for that will help make science fun and interesting. By continually educating myself and using technology in the classroom I can get students to be interested in science.

Journal 7 Photosharing on Classroom 2.0

I chose to find out more about photosharing in classroom 2.0. I discovered a website that allows you create a slideshow with your pictures and mixes them into a fast paced slide show. The website is http://animoto.com/ and there is an example of a slideshow that you can create on the website. The slideshow looks like something you would see on a television commercial. You can even add your own music to it. This is a tool that can be used in the classroom for a variety of subjects. It is a way for students to learn and be creative through technology. In the thread I read that this is a great tool to use in the classroom for storytelling. Students can finish the ending of a book or use it to structure a story that they create for a literature class.

Journal 6 - imovie Review

imovie is a great program and is very user friendly. It is basically a program that you can figure out or go through a step by step process and have students use it as you teach them like we did in class. By incorporating this program in the classroom you can capture students interest and motivate them to learn. I loved that you can incorporate music and still images and video that you capture to create a movie. This can be used for so many things but I immediately thought of students creating commercials or movies in groups for an assignment.

Journal 6 - Kidspiration

How I liked the program and how I would incorporate it into my classroom:

I really liked kidspiration and enjoyed using it to create the cluster map below on the topic of space. It is a great tool that I will use in the classroom and I thinks kids will really enjoy using this program. It allows them to utilize technology and creatively organize ideas as a prewriting exercise or just a tool to organize their thoughts while learning a particular topic. This is a great way to incorporate technology in the classroom and can benefit all different types of learners. Using this in the classroom fosters creative thinking and can be used for visual learners, GATE students, English Language Learners and children with disabilities. When using this program I thought it would be great to use for creating a family tree, or describing parts of a story that students have read or a prewriting activity on a subject. Having the visuals that represent students ideas allows them to think more creativly and will help their writing.

I really liked Atomic Learning and think it is a great tool for students to have. It is great to have these tutorials if they are needing help when they are using the program from home or the library. Another time when you can use the Atomic Learning self tutorials in the classroom is if students are at different levels. Some students are very technologically savvy and others are not because they do not have the resources at home and don't get to use it a lot.