Continent and Ocean Video!

Current View of Technology

My current view of technology has not changed very much since the beginning of class. I still think technology is a great tool to use in the classroom. I think technology is a good thing to use in an elementary classroom. The focus of the classroom should not be on strictly technology. I have learned some great ways to use excel in lessons. I also discovered and learned about different programs that are kid friendly such as Kid Pix, Kidspiration, The Graph Club and much more. I have definitely discovered more educational websites I could use in the classroom. After taking this class, I have discovered and realized even more ways to use technology in the classroom! I still believe children should use technology to get use to it and to start to develop their skills for future classes and their careers. I have realized even more that I have no idea what my school or classroom will pertaining to technology.

Blog 11 Non-computer tech use in the classroom

One non-computer tech use in the classroom that i think it is helpful and interesting is a switch. A switch is like a huge button that can do various tasks. A switch can be hooked up to a computer to be used instead of a keyboard. It also can be hooked up to educational toys and other toys. Switches are used for students with severe physical disabilities. It takes a lot of fine motor skills to use a keyboard and to write. Switches allow students who have trouble with fine motor skills to do the things that involve fine motor skills. A switch can easily be hooked up to a toy where a marker is attached to the toy and can allow a student to draw a picture. I think switches are still needed today because they are very helpful to students with physical disabilities. They allow student with physical disabilities to get tasks accomplished that other students are doing too.

Blog Post 10

I enjoyed listening to the presentations. I learned a lot from all of the presentations that have presented so far. I never knew what an AUP was and that every year my mom and I were signing an AUP. I definitely think AUPs are very helpful and a great idea for schools to use. I also found the way gender and technology are related. I never would have guessed that women use the computer more for word processors and building relationships. Men use the computers for analysis and to figure out how it works. The presentation on e-portfolio brought up some really great ways to continue using them after we are hired as a teacher. I never would have thought for students younger than college age to use e-portfolios. I really think these presentations helped me a lot because it got me excited about technology even more. The presentations also taught me some great ways to incorporate technology into my classroom. They also got my brain flowing with some great ideas for lessons I could use in my classroom! Overall, the presentations were very good and very informative!

Blog Post 9

The article I found is called "Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson!" from the Education World website. This was not a bad article at all. I found it interesting because it talked about blogging in an elementary classroom. The article brought up a point I never thought about. It mentioned that children are more likely to do better on a writing assignment if they actually have a writing audience. Students would feel that they are writing for a purpose and someone else besides the teacher would actually read what they are writing. The article not only talks about the benefits of blogging for younger children it also mentions how to start a blog or what teachers need to start the blog. It is also a great article because it gives some great safety information! Saftey on the internet is a big issue now!

Website: http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml

Video

I thought this video was interesting because it shows the classroom in the past and the classroom now. It also shows the technology differences! Enjoy!

Half-Way Reflection

Things are going well. I never realized how much technology you could implement into the elementary classroom until now. There are a lot of fun sites and programs students can use. I think it is good to use some technology in the elementary classroom, but I do not think I would use it everyday. The most important lesson or concept I have learned so far is how to implement technology into the classroom using the basic programs like word and excel. I never thought of using excel the way we have in class.