Technology in the Classroom

The use of technology is of the utmost importance in the classroom today. Time is changing and children today are becoming more exposed to technology. Technology has become a part of their daily lives from a young age. It is a way to help students learn in a way that they know and will help them to learn better. There are many benefits to using technology in the classroom. Technology is something students understand, so using it helps teach students in a way that they already understand. Also, technology in the classroom has a way of grabbing students' attention, whether it's with the use of a SmartBoard, video cameras, software programs, etc. If technology is involved, students are more excited to learn. In addition, using technology in the my classroom will allow me to master and be exposed to the various types of technology, which is something I need to become accustomed to. However, there are many challenges to the use of technology in the classroom. One challenge is that I must become completely aware of all functions of the technology that we may be using in class. This may be difficult to remember all technologies or answer questions that may come up from students or others in the school. Another challenge is that technology will sometimes not work. This means that I must be able to improvise if the technology has failed. The last challenge of using technology in the classroom is teaching all students how to use the technology. For instance, most schools do not have a designated time each day for students to use the computer lab and there are not usually not enough computers in each classroom for all students. So, the lessons of technology have to be taught in rotations on the computer or once a week in the computer lab, which allows for both time consumption or forgetting the use of the technology on the students' parts. Finally, I have to say that I have learned a lot from this Instructional Technology class. One of the greatest lessons I have learned was the copyright laws. I was not aware of these before and I now know that I have to follow them in my daily teaching. Other lessons I have learned have dealt with projects I have completed in class. I have learned that it is fairly simple to incorporate technology in the classroom if I am willing to do it. I have learned that there are so many resources out there to help me as a future teacher. I have learned how to work a video camera, how to use Microsoft programs better and how to create a blog, social bookmarking site and digital portfolio. From Instructional Technology, I have learned technology skills that I know I will carry with me all through my teaching career. I am very grateful for this class because I have learned so much.

Copyright

Copyright laws can range from black and white to being in the gray area. From experience, it seems as though schools do not take copyright very seriously. The law that we learned about that surprised me most is that band directors are not allowed to copy music if students lose music or there are not enough parts for the band. I thought this was very surprising. I thought if you bought the originals you had the rights to that music within your band. I have been in band since fifth grade, and every year my band director has copied music if students have lost it, or there are not enough originals. As a teacher, it is important to teach students about copyright respect because they will encounter copyright throughout their entire lives, whether it is through sharing music, school projects, etc. I believe teachers should have to pay attention to copyright in order to be a good example for their students. They cannot teach their students to follow copyright correctly if they are not following it themselves. In addition, not following copyright can get the teacher, the school, as well as the school district in trouble. When I am a teacher, I will model copyright ethics. For example, I will only use a copy of a source for myself when planning or researching a lesson. I will explain to my students about the risk of downloading music without paying. I will try my hardest to have enough workbooks and textbooks for everyone in my classroom.

Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive whiteboards are becoming more and more common in the classroom and can be a useful resource for the classroom. Interactive whiteboards enhance teaching and learning by providing a hands-on experience. Interactive whiteboards are fully engaging. They provide visual, auditory and kinesthetic activities. Interactive whiteboards have enough technology to enforce any lesson in the classroom in a way that students want to do and in a way that they will remember. The interactive whiteboard technology, however, is difficult to learn. There are many different applications for the technology and it is important for educators to be introduced to the technology beforehand, as it is difficult to use with no prior knowledge. The pros of having them installed in the classroom is they provide an engaging experience for students, reinforce material in new ways, and incorporate a new technology in the classroom. The cons to having them installed in a classroom are they may be difficult to reach, they have malfunctions, and they are not able to be completely manipulated. Smartboards are great for incorporation into content. For example, when studying geography, the Smartboard can reinforce geography with matching games or map games. When studying money, students can make change with the infinite cloner. When studying seasons, students can sort aspects of seasons into categories. The Smartboard is a great resource for the classroom, as long as the preparation for use is done appropriately.

Digital Video Project

Incorporating a digital video project in the classroom can be an exciting, yet difficult task at the same time. Such a project requires preparations, technological equipment, as well as a great deal of creativity on the teacher’s and students’ parts. The following is the digital video project I would incorporate in my classroom:
Title: Take Two!
Content Area: Language Arts
Age Level: 5th Grade
Project Description: The teacher would split the students into reading groups. Each group would be given a different short story, and would read the short story together. When the short story is read, students would have to come up with a plan on how to reenact the short story within the school. They would write a script, pick a setting, and learn how to use the camera. Students will film their reenactment and edit it to create a short film. Students will showcase their final projects to all classes in the school.
Preparations: The students would have to read their assigned short story, write a script, learn how to use the technology, and assign roles. The teacher would have to teach the students how to use the technology, as well as have all the technology needed available, including cameras, microphones, tapes, editing software, and any props needed to reenact the short stories.
Timeline:
Day 1- Split into groups; Assign short stories; Start reading short stories
Day 2- Finish reading short stories; start writing script
Day 3- Finish writing script; Assign roles in film (cameramen, actors/actresses)
Day 4- Teacher explanation of technology; Students start filming
Day 5- Filming
Day 6- Finish filming; Editing
Day 7- Finish Editing
Day 8- Showcase
Final Project: Students will show their videos to the school in a showcase. Their videos will allow other students to visually see the short stories they have been reading, and exhibit their newly-found film-making skills.

Software Skills and Resources

Before Instructional Technology, I thought I knew all there was to know. But, boy was I wrong. This class has introduced me to so many applications concerning software, specifically Microsoft Word/Publisher and Inspiration. Who could have ever guessed that Microsoft Word was more than creating word processing documents and essays? Microsoft is such a great resource for teachers and students. It allows the creation of tables, charts, symbols, flyers, and so much more. Microsoft Word is an essential for the classroom. Microsoft Publisher is also a great resource for the classroom. It allows the creation of so many necessities: from flyers to brochures to calendars to certificates. Microsoft Publisher creates anything a teacher could ever need for their classroom or school. Inspiration is also a great resource for the classroom. It allows students and teachers to create concept maps to organize their ideas, whether it is for english, math, history or scheduling. All three types of software are essentials for the classroom. They allow teachers and students to create meaningful products for the classroom. They can assist with learning concepts, scheduling, presenting ideas, and so much more.

Another great resource for the classroom is United Streaming, an on-demand movie website. It contains thousands of movies on-demand for every subject imaginable. United Streaming is great for the classroom because it permits students to see real connections to what they are learning. Movies are a great introduction to new ideas and concepts, as well as a great ending. United Streaming allows the opportunity to engage the classroom in learning.

Favorite Web Resources

I have enjoyed exploring many of the web resources available to teachers for use in their classroom. Of the many web resources we have covered in class, I would have to say my favorites are eThemes and the Library curriculum. The web resource, eThemes, provides an endless amount of resources for teachers. The website includes thousands of resources for units, sorted by grade-level. eThemes is very easy to navigate and provides a gateway to an endless amount of information that is interesting for both the teacher and the students. eThemes would be a great classroom resource because it allows teachers to find great ideas for the classroom easily, and at no cost. The other web resource that I really liked was the Library curriculum. The Library curriculum was easy to navigate and provided information that was succinct and covered all areas of curriculum. The curriculum was child-friendly, and provided information in a way students would understand easily. Out of these two resources, I would say that eThemes is my favorite. eThemes covers information across an entire spectrum of ideas. The website provides resources that students would greatly enjoy and would help students learn in an easier and interesting way. This web resource is also great for the teacher because it is easy to navigate around and provides ideas for all topics under each curriculum area. I would use this web resource the most because it covers an array of subjects that would more than likely appear in my curriculum.

INSPIRATION

Inspiration is a software that would be a worthwhile investment for my classroom. I believe that it is very important for students to be able to organize their thoughts and to visually display ideas. Students that are able to demonstrate this skill demonstrate to the teacher that they understand concepts/ideas. Inspiration allows students to make organizers, outlines, etc. for every subject area. There are hundreds of templates to choose from. In addition, Inspiration is a great resource for teachers. It also allows teachers to organize information into a way that is precise and easy for the students to follow. Inspiration is very beneficial for the students and the teacher because it caters to the needs to visual learners, organizes information, and displays information in a way that is precise and easy for everyone to understand and to follow. Inspiration can be used in the following content areas in the following ways:

Science

• Teachers can produce concept maps for various units and/or concepts they want their class to learn.
• Students can graphically organize various scientific lessons (photosynthesis, forms of energy, skeletal system, etc.).
• Students can create Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast various scientific processes.

Math

• Students can create tree diagrams for concepts such as probability.
• Students can create process maps to display the steps in various math problems.

Social Studies

• Students can create Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast various events in history (i.e. Wars, etc.).
• Students can create concept maps to display all information relevant to the lesson they are learning.
• Students can create family trees.

Language Arts

• Students can create outlines before the actual writing process of papers.
• Students can create a "Character Analysis" of main characters in the literature they are reading.
• Students can create concept maps to outline main ideas of the literature they are reading.