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.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking is often seen as something adults would use. In reality, this tool can be great for use in the classroom, even in the elementary classroom. One way to use social bookmarking is for the teacher to create a list of bookmarks for students to use to have reliable resources for research. The teacher could evaluate websites, and bookmark them on a social bookmarking site. This way, students have access to reliable resources. Another way to use social bookmarking in the classroom is through group projects. Students, as a part of a group project, could complete research separately and then bookmark the reliable sites they find on their group's social bookmarking site. This way, all research and bookmarks are in one set place, and the students are not scrambling to find their research. Finally, social bookmarking can be used in the classroom for a classroom page. Teachers could have their bookmarks on one page that could be useful bookmarks for parents and students. For instance, bookmarks on incorporating what children learn into home life, or educational games that the students would enjoy. Social bookmarking has many benefits for the teacher and students. Social bookmarking allows teachers and students to have concise information that gets rid of all the hassle and misinterpretations of research. It allows students to save the things they have learned about, so that later on they can go back to them, if needed. In addition, social bookmarking provides a tool to connect parents, teachers and students with great information and resources, in a hassle-free way. Social bookmarking is a great resource for the classroom, even the elementary classroom.

As a student at Albright College, social bookmarking is a great help to me. Social bookmarking allows me to save favorite pages under different tags, which in turn, organizes all of the information by class. Therefore, I do not have to click on one hundred URL's in order to find the link I need for my Social Science class or my Research Methods class. Social bookmarking provides me with a way to organize all of the information I am overwhelmed with each and every day, which is something I wish I would have been introduced to a long time ago.

Evaluating Websites

The Internet provides a plethora of information, some information that is necessary, and other that is not so much. When allowing elementary students, or any students for that matter, access to websites, it is important to evaluate websites beforehand. If websites are not evaluated before students gain access, the students can be exposed to both appropriate and inappropriate information, which could bring about trouble for the teacher. In addition, it is necessary to evaluate websites because not all websites provide true information. Students can access false information, which can impact their personal views on topics, as well as influence false information on projects for the classroom. Finally, it is important to evaluate websites before allowing students to access to make sure websites are updated and can be the most useful resources for students to use for research. I think that most people can understand and apply website evaluation techniques. School districts take great responsibility in filtering Internet access at schools so students do not have access to the entire Internet. Most teachers, as well, seem to know what is a good or bad website. For instance, most teachers would understand that if a website does not have an author, it is not the most reliable source or if the website was from ten years ago it does not provide the most current information. Most people understand evaluation techniques and can distinguish reliable and unreliable websites. Evaluation techniques can be taught to students and incorporated into the classroom. One way to incorporate evaluation techniques in the classroom is to have students fill out evaluation sheets when they are completing research. Evaluation sheets could be checklists (where websites have to meet all criteria) or could ask students questions about who the author is, when the website was published and whether or not they think it is a good source. Another way to incorporate evaluation techniques in the classroom is to have the teacher show students a series of websites to determine together whether they think it is a reliable or unreliable source. Websites are a great resource for the classroom. However, it is necessity for teachers to evaluate websites to determine whether they are appropriate for the students.

Blogging in the Elementary Classroom

Blogs in the Elementary Classroom can be a great resource for teachers, students and parents. A great way to use blogs in the classroom is for students to help each other with homework through a homework blog. Students can utilize blogs to post questions, concerns or useful tips about their homework. This is a great tool for students because it is allowing students to interact and help each other, instead of always resorting to the teacher for the answers. Blogs can also be a great tool when used as a classroom page. Using blogs as a classroom page allows students and parents to communicate with teachers in a number of ways. Teachers can post upcoming events for the school or the classroom, as well as homework assignments for each night. Parents can communicate concerns or praises with the teacher, and students can ask questions or look at assignments they may have forgotten. This is a great resource for everyone because it provides a new form of communication for everyone, which is both fast and hassle-free. Finally, blogs can be used as a mentoring tool for all students in school. An older student could be paired with a younger student as part of a mentoring program. The students could blog to each other about themselves, school, homework, etc. This blogging could be a great help for both students because they are learning about technology, getting answers to their problems and fostering a new relationship in a different way. There are many advantages to blogging in the Elementary Classroom. Blogging allows students to utilize a new kind of technology to solve every day problems, access information and build new relationships. Blogging has its advantage because elementary students are born into a technology-driven world, so it is only natural that students have access to technology in the classroom, such as blogging. This generation of students is equipped to handle this kind of technology in the classroom setting. Although there are many advantages to blogging, there are some disadvantages. One disadvantage to blogging in the elementary classroom is even though this world is technology-driven, not all students have access to computers. Blogging, although a great tool and assignment for the classroom, is not always fair for all students due to the lack of computer access. Finally, another disadvantage of blogging in the classroom is the lack of security for students. Information provided over the Internet is easily accessible by all. Blogs made in the classroom could be viewed by outsiders and students in the classroom could potentially gain access to information they should not have access to. This can be prevented by security settings and filters on computers, but information can sometimes slip through the security. It is important that students always be monitored on the computer constantly, which can be hard on teachers. Overall, I feel blogs are a great resource for today's elementary classroom and can be utilized in many useful ways.

There's always a first...

This is my first blog post ever...so here it is...take one.