Social Issues and Technology

I think that one of the most important technological issues for elementary students today, is teaching them the cautions of using the Internet. I think that when you as a teacher are introducing the Internet to your classroom, whether they have used it before or not, you need to cover the basics of Internet use. You should repeat the rules and cautions every time you are going to allow the students to access the Internet. It is also important to make sure that you are monitoring their Internet use. While things such as filters can be useful in elementary classrooms, there are still many ways to get around them to inappropriate materials. Making sure that you make rules clear and help children to understand the dangers of Internet use is important and should be paired with adult monitoring.

Distance Learning

Distance learning is an excellent alternative for people who want the opportunity for education but have some sort of obstacle that hinders them. When the distance learning allows for a person to log on at their convinience, it opens the door for education to so many more people.
One thing that distance learning does not cater to so well is group work and one on one interaction. Not everyone learns very well when they do not get some face to face interaction. It does not contribute to developing communication or team work strategies.
In order to determine if a student is ready for distance learning, I think that someone such as a teacher, school counselor, parent or a combination should speak with the student in question. The person evaluating the student's readiness should address why the student feels like distance learning would suit them and what they think distance learning will require of them.
In order to be a teacher for distance learning, I think that you would need to be prepared with many different ways to describe lessons and deliver information. The odds are that you are going to have students with a variety of learning styles and needs that will need to be addressed. I also think that the distance learning teacher should meet with each of their students one on one if possible to meet them and get a feel for their needs and abilities.

Emerging Technologies in the Classroom

The three technologies I chose to focus on are the skype program, document camera, and the Smartboard. Skype is a program that is used to video chat over the internet to other skype users. To download skype for your computer access this website: http://register.skype.com/en-us-skype?cmmmc=google/ latsearch-_-NA-USENSTRCT-_-BD kwid=JFT008286 creative=30146 72189& JAWS= zhwyha&gclid =CKrI7Pre0JkCFQ6jagodyV_Stg. A document camera is basically a modern version of an overhead projector. It reflects the image of any document or book that is placed under it and then projects it onto a screen. For more information about how a document camera can be used visit this website: http:/ www.emints. org/ethemes/resources/S00002162.shtml. The Smartboard is a mobile board that can be hooked up to your computer and used with a wide aray of applications. To find more about the uses for the Smartboard access the following website: www.kenton.k12.ky.us/smartboard/SMARTBoardinfo.pdf.
Skype is a fantastic tool that can be used with interactive projects. Instead of the teacher having to set up phone calls or only using email, the students are able to interact with one another face to face. It really adds an exciting element to any lesson. A document camera is a time saver for a teacher who likes to have what ever they are working on projected for the whole class to see. Instead of having to prepare the documents and make transparencies, the teacher can simply place the document or project right underneath the camera and have it instantly projected for the whole class to see. The Smartboard would allow a teacher to get extremely creative with they way they taught lessons and the programs they used. It would allow the teacher to create more interactive lessons that are more engaging to the students.
I think that Skype would really impact the student's motivation and excitement about learning. I used the program as an adult and had a blast talking to someone accross the room. I feel like students would really be excited about being able to use this technology. A document camera would allow students who are more visual learners to be able to better understand the processes and instructions of lessons. Smartboard would allow students to demonstrate their ability to create a project and present it effectively to the class. The teacher would be able to view their communication skills easily and assess whether or not their communication skills meet the standards. This is just one example of the mastery that students would be able to demonstrate with this technology.

Engaging Students with Concept Mapping Activities

Here is an example of a Concept Map.

One Way that a concept can be used within the classroom setting is as an organizer or "brainstorm" for writing an essay. For example if you wanted students to write a paper detailing the field trip to the city zoo, it would help for the students to map out all of their ideas before jumping into writing the paper.

Another way that concept mapping would be productive in a classroom is used as an introduction to a lesson or topic. For example if you are beginning a lesson on the solar system, you could have the students help create a concept map about all of the things that they already know about the solar system. This is an excellent assessment tool to help you as the teacher understand what the students know and what they don't know.

One more way that a concept map could be used within the classroom is to create a grading rubric with the students. For example if you had the students write an essay on your class feild trip to the zoo, you could create a concept map detailing what areas you will be grading the students on. You could start in the middle with "essay grading rubric" with branches for things like spelling and grammar, writing conventions, or essay organization. This would create an excellent visual example of what you are looking for in the essay.

I think that concept mapping will really help all students by giving them a strategy for easy organization. Concept mapping is an easy tool that students can use for brainstorming for any project or paper for any subject. I also think that using concept mapping will be very beneficial for visual learners. This tool will also benefit student learning when a teacher uses it as an assessment tool to understand where the students are at in their learning. It allows the teacher to make sure their instruction is better suited to the students' needs.

When deciding whether or not concept mapping activities would be part of a lesson for my students I would look at what the lesson entails and if an organizational tool would benefit them in putting it together. I would consider whether or not we were starting a new unit where drawing out and sharing students' prior knowledge would be beneficial.

Blogs and Wikis in Education

1.) One interesting educational blog that I found was one in which the teacher posts up different art projects that have been tried in classrooms. She offers directions and helpful hints on how to do the project with the children. She also posts pictures of finished art projects that her students have done. She posts new projects every day. I also found a lot of educational blogs that are geared more towards college students. These blogs provide advice on different issues that college students deal with (strategies for test taking, resume writing, getting financial aid, etc.). A third blog that I found to be very useful is a website that provides information about the whole school. It provides upcoming events, breakfast and lunch menus, teacher’s notes, etc. This would be extremely useful for parents to really see what is going on in the school.

2.) An RSS reader is something that you can subscribe to from a specific website and these provide you with updates from that website. An aggregator is a program that you use to read the RSS reader files. You could find websites with interesting topics and subscribe so that students can keep up on the latest information about that subject.

3.) One advantage of using a blog or a wiki is that parents have the full advantage of being able to see what their children are working on or what is going on within the classroom or school setting. Another advantage of using something interactive is that students are able to work together and collaborate on projects, and they are able to access it in locations other than school. One downfall of using a blog or wiki is that not all students and parents have access to the Internet all the time. Another bad thing is that if you are using something like a wiki page for informational purposes, you need to make sure that you constantly update it and delete old information.

Teacher Web Project Critique

I think that using a teacher or class website within the classroom would be very beneficial for students and for parents alike. I think that it could encourage children's learning and exploration. If you post websites for the children to visit it gives them the opportunity to explore and learn in a fun way. As far as communication with parents go, a teacher/class website would be very helpful so that assignments and notices would not be lost in transit. Also it would make it very easy for a parent to check what homework is due and what other things are going on within the classroom.
I think that one of the biggest advantages of using teacher web within your classroom would be that you would have easy communication with parents. It would be really easy for parents to log on and see what events are coming up and what other things are going on within the classroom. It also gives the parent the option of emailing the teacher with questions or concerns. Another advantage of using teacher web with your students would be that they have so much information and interesting links at their fingertips that they could easily access. If they are working on a project, they can refer to the links that have been posted for their use as opposed to if you just told them to find information online. They might have trouble finding the information they are looking for or finding reliable websites. Placing links to the sites you want them to visit it makes it easier and more reliable.
The one disadvantage of using a class website such as teacher web is that not every student will have a computer in their home or have access to a computer. This would make it so that the parent would not be able to communicate with the teacher or receive any written communications that are posted on the website. Also it would give the children who don't own computers a disadvantage when it came to assignments with required reading or research on posted websites. This is the biggest disadvantage to using teacher web that I see. As a teacher you would have to make sure that while you post things on the teacher website, you are also sending home written copies so that parents without access to a computer are still receiving all necessary information. It would also be a good idea to allow children time in class to explore websites for research so they do not miss out.

Multiple Intelligences In the Classroom

After taking the multiple intelligences quiz on surfaquarium.com, I found that I am the strongest in the kinesthetic and rhythmic domains. A kinesthetic person is someone who learns information the best through physical movement and sensory information. They are coordinated and seek to learn through action. Kinesthetic students enjoy hands on activities and group games. It is important to note that these children are not the same as hyperactive children. I will support this type of intelligence within my classroom by providing learning centers, providing many opportunities for physical movement, and doing more hands on activities and projects. Some technologies that support the kinesthetic intelligence are levers and pulleys, PE equipment, and manipulative materials.

While I was strong in the kinesthetic domain, I was also very strong in the rhythmic domain. A person with strong rhythmic intelligence, has an increased listening ability, they think musically, and they are able to distinguish many different patterns. Students that are rhythmically inclined, search for patterns in new material, they are drawn to music and sound, and they enjoy moving to music. In order to support the rhythmic intelligence in the classroom, I will provide students with activities that involve listening to and moving to different types of music, learning new languages, and creating visual patterns. Puzzles, instruments and multimedia presentations help support the rhythmic intelligence.

Attention to multiple intelligence is paramount within the classroom setting. Not recognizing a student's specific intelligence could be detrimental to their self esteem. They may come to feel that their intelligence is not as important or valuable as other intelligences. Likewise if you as a teacher are always recognizing one specific intelligence that maybe you yourself share, students may misinterpret that and strive to only succeed in that one specific area. It is important to recognize and address all intelligences withing the classroom so that students will continue to value their strengths and improve their weaknesses.