interview with teacher

I interviewed my math teacher with another PLN member to see how he feels about technology in the classroom.

1. Scott prefers to use just the blackboard in class to lecture but he uses the internet to email students and update his blackboard website.

2. He feels that technology can take away from the lesson because he isn't very tech savvy so he becomes frustrated and disorganized.

3. The biggest misconception he feels about technology is that people think you need technology to learn. Scott feels that although calculators are a useful tool students should learn to do math without them.

4. He feels that a big hurdle is how expensive new technology is.

5. It's a great way to keep in touch with students and get announcements out to the class.

6. His biggest inspiration for using technology in the classroom is the students. They have grown up using a computer and prefer to communicate with over email.

7. Scott sees technology being much more prominent in the classroom in the future. He doesn't know if he himself will use more technology but other teachers and younger generations will.

zoho.com vs google

I had never heard of zoho.com before but it seems like a useful tool. The website offers many features like a personal organizer, spreadsheets, slide shows, and a chat feature. I could see myself maybe using this in the future but the only draw back is that you have to sign up. I could see myself using google over it just because google is free and doesn't require you to sign up for anything.

slide.com

This is a slide show about classroom rules, this would be very helpful in my teaching career.

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websites with activities that I can use in the classroom

http://www.kidzone.ws/math/kindergarten.htm

This website has lots of different worksheets to help kindergartners learn math. I would definitely steal some of these to use in my classroom.

http://www.teachablemoment.org/elementary.html

This website has lesson plans for teaching different concepts from the disaster in Haiti to how to be an active listener. These lesson plans are well laid out and seem easy to use.

http://www.science-teachers.com/

This website has teaching tools for science classes. It has flash cards, crosswords, and other fun activities that will help the children learn in an interactive way.

critique of blogs

http://www.postrank.com/feed/52e9653411a952dc1619737288ebfe36

This blog is all about different websites and activities online that can be helpful in classrooms. It was nice that it was updated at least once a day too. If I was a teacher I would read this blog and get ideas for my own classroom.

http://www.postrank.com/feed/2f297e559bdf2ab1f7d291bfab795ec7

This blog was interesting because it was more about his personal opinions about things. He decided to get rid of the comments on his blogs which I thought was interesting too.

http://www.postrank.com/feed/2fe50447f81332f1f22a48d3dcc4f42a

This blog could be interesting but it is not updated very often. This teacher seems to want to get into technology in the classroom but doesn't know how. I think it would be good if teachers could blog about what they do in class and their ideas about teaching in today's world.

what makes a good blog?

A good blog should have the following:

• sticks to one theme and is focused
• good spelling and grammar
• is inventive and creative
• maybe includes pictures/ activites
• causes the reader to think
• be updated every so often
• open to feedback
• give feedback to other bloggers
• open minded and fun!

Story bird

I made a story bird that is meant for young kids around kindergarten age. I want to teach kindergarten and I think they would like to watch a story like one of these.

cartoons in the classroom

Our group made this cartoon depicting how the younger generation knows a lot about technology and the older generation is used to using only books. I think a making a cartoon in a classroom would be a really fun way for kids to learn while still being interested. For example, you could make a funny cartoon about classroom rules that would help kids remember the rules instead of just telling them and boring them on the first day of school. Cartoons could also be used to teach concepts like how the body's digestive track work.

igoogle page

I just made my first igoogle page. It was really cool and I like that I get to personalize it with themes and widgets. I picked widgets that would keep the kids interested like a pet turtle and trivia, and I also kept some things for me like a to do list and new announcements. I think igoogle is a good teaching tool to keep children engaged and interested. It could also be used to show parents what is going on in the classroom.

dream technology classroom

21st century teaching

We're talking about some of the technology essentials to have a classroom. For example, digital camera, flash drive, video camera, projector, laptop, smart tablet, etc. I think all these tools would be helpful to engage students. All children learn differently and for some it might be more helpful to watch a power point about the topic rather than simply reading about it. I think that it's important for teachers to know how to use technology because children today are being bombarded by media and it's important for teachers to help students learn about technology from a young age.

Although I believe that technology is important, I think that school shouldn't completely stray away from books and other traditional methods. I think it's important for students to know how to take notes from reading.

I have and actively use facebook to keep in touch with friends and network. I think it is a useful tool however, I think that allowing to use this in class can be semi distracting. Younger students would probably struggle to focus on what the teacher is saying with the distraction. Maybe if the school could somehow regulate what students look at or do on facebook then it would probably be better.

We're sharing our videos in class. I love everyone's! I'm so glad I got to make one and learn how to use imovie!

First day of class!

I did not know what to expect when joining this class but I think I'm going to really like it. I can see why using technology in a classroom would be helpful. Throughout my education, technology has always been a helpful tool to enhance learning. We used computers starting in about 3rd grade to play educational games and learn to type. We used computers sporadically throughout elementary school and middle school. In high school, we used computers to type papers and do research. Some teachers also used an "elmo" instead of an overhead projection. I think in the future technology is going to become an even bigger part of education.