This is my beliefs about technology. I believe that technology is very useful and very beneficial. I am grateful for the way it makes things quicker and easier. Although technology is critical to our lives I think that we need to only use it when necessary and not bombard our students with things that make their lives more complex. I think we need to simplify and by using technology only as a tool and only when necessary will help us with that.
I really like the NET standards that we read because it stated things that I need to do and know to be a competent teacher and keep up with the latest and best ways to teach. I really like the fifth heading about productivity and professional practice. We need to teach students how to use technology to increase productivity and do so ourselves. We also need to utilize the best communication methods that we can to collaborate with peers, parents and the larger community. This will definitely nurture student learning. I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the education programs collaboration meetings (lectures) they are having with a University in Spain over the past couple weeks. It is very interesting to hear about the things Spain is teaching in their education department and share with them what we are learning. I believe students should understand what is going on with students around the world. This is made possible by video broadcasting, skype, and there are many other programs out there. When I was a kid we wrote to students on the east coast but the letters took so long to get here and get to them that we didn't learn as much as we could with simple video broadcasting.
I believe that technology has its own place and as teachers we must distinguish when to use it and when it is burdensome. We need to make sure our students are effective face-to-face communicators but we also need to make sure they are ready to face the world once they leave high school. We need to make sure they have creative minds and can innovate and investigate. I want my students to know how to use technology but also when how to turn it off. I really liked that both UNI and NET talked about teaching kids about copyright and safety. These are crucial when using the internet and other types of instant media. I'm really excited to be able to use the things I've learned in this class so that I can make math fun for my students and also have it come alive for them.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
18 April- "Lessons Learned"
The readings were very informative. I really liked the two video clips. It was very interesting to hear and read about students points of view about technology. Sometimes it frightens me how smart and tech savvy the rising generation is. But if they weren't this way they wouldn't be able to survive in the future business world. The movie that just had words was also interesting one of the slides stated that by 2012 there would be a computer that is smarter than a human and by 2043 a computer that is smarter than the human race. I think computers are really important to our society but I think that people need to make sure they are creating and inventing things for the benefit of society. Today I was talking to my husband about how wonderful my childhood was because I didn't have a care in the world. I never used the internet until about 5th grade. My childhood was filled with pirate adventures, blanket forts, trips to the moon, and troll hunting. Kids today are attached to technology somehow they need to be able to use technology but have active bodies and active imaginations without being overwhelmed by the influences of outside media (at least while they are young).
Technology is great but we need to also make sure that students are still learning things they need to know to be sociable. The first skill is how to write. I think if a student ever writes text message slang on a paper they turn in they will get an automatic 0 or give it back and ask them to rewrite. That is how horrible I think it is, I hate that students nowadays can't write effectively. They really need to develop their vocabulary. The second thing is they need to have people skills sometimes students feel way uncomfortable approaching teachers so they email them (sometimes I am a victim of this). This I believe is the drawback of technology.
Even though sometimes technology is overwhelming, it is very important, critical to our students lives. I really, really liked the idea about having a ClassAct Portal. Students can engage in discussions, research, service, and many more things through this portal on whatever subject you are teaching about. Once they research the topic and see how it effects millions of peoples lives they will have a unique and new appreciation for whatever subject is being studied. I really liked the example the article gave about child labor laws. In my class I plan on having a ClassAct Portal for my students to contribute to. I also want to teach my students about how important internet use is but also its dangers and benefits. These articles taught me a lot of valuable information.
Technology is great but we need to also make sure that students are still learning things they need to know to be sociable. The first skill is how to write. I think if a student ever writes text message slang on a paper they turn in they will get an automatic 0 or give it back and ask them to rewrite. That is how horrible I think it is, I hate that students nowadays can't write effectively. They really need to develop their vocabulary. The second thing is they need to have people skills sometimes students feel way uncomfortable approaching teachers so they email them (sometimes I am a victim of this). This I believe is the drawback of technology.
Even though sometimes technology is overwhelming, it is very important, critical to our students lives. I really, really liked the idea about having a ClassAct Portal. Students can engage in discussions, research, service, and many more things through this portal on whatever subject you are teaching about. Once they research the topic and see how it effects millions of peoples lives they will have a unique and new appreciation for whatever subject is being studied. I really liked the example the article gave about child labor laws. In my class I plan on having a ClassAct Portal for my students to contribute to. I also want to teach my students about how important internet use is but also its dangers and benefits. These articles taught me a lot of valuable information.
17 April- Strengths and Weaknesses
While reading the articles and watching the movies about technology I realized that there are lots of things that I need to improve upon. There are also a couple things that I fell I do alright at.
In the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). I really liked how it outlines all the standards and performance indicators that all classroom teachers should be prepared to meet. The one thing from this article that I am going to work on is under heading III Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum section B. Use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students. Until this class I didn't realize that teachers must use technology to differentiate for the different learning styles and preferences of the students. I would say that this is probably one of my weaknesses. I'm a little ashamed to say that I'm not super tech savvy. In one of the video clips it talked about preparing the students for jobs that don't even exist right now. I want to do that, I want my students to have a spirit of discovery that will take them to places they didn't think they could go to discover things they didn't thing existed. When I am teaching my own class I want to make sure a use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of my students. The one strength that this article made me realize that I have is applying technology to increase productivity. I'm a firm believer in using technology to do things more quickly and more effectively.
When I was reading the UNI Preservice Teacher Technology competencies it was shocking to see how many things I need improvement in! One of these is described by question 3 Describe and implement basic trouble-shooting techniques for multimedia computer systems with related peripheral devices. I don't have any clue about troubleshooting things. I sort of assumed that there would be a computer specialist at the school that could help me with any problems that I may have. But this isn't always true I need to develop these skills for myself. There was only one or two things in which I put that I am an expert at. One of them from UNI was listed under question 6 Demonstrate knowledge of equity, ethics, legal, and human issues concerning use of computers and technology. The expert level states: I reflect upon and make educated decisions in determining the effectiveness of activities that help my students gain awareness of copyright laws concerning information and computer software and the importance of equitable access to information technology. When I took the el-ed version of this class and we did the internet safety activity. I have since then always felt a strong desire to help kids realize the dangers and benefits of the internet and technology. I plan on teaching my students about that even though I'm teaching math.
My two goals are: 1. to find ways to implement technology in my every day teaching (using a Smartboard). 2. To learn how to troubleshoot my own computer. Two resources I found that I can improve my weaknesses are first a Smartboard training website when I was doing my teacher work sample my teacher used a Smartboard, it was really neat and I hope one day I have one in my classroom. SmartBoard Training. The next way I am going to improve my technology skills is by reading this website. It is about trouble shooting
In the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). I really liked how it outlines all the standards and performance indicators that all classroom teachers should be prepared to meet. The one thing from this article that I am going to work on is under heading III Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum section B. Use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students. Until this class I didn't realize that teachers must use technology to differentiate for the different learning styles and preferences of the students. I would say that this is probably one of my weaknesses. I'm a little ashamed to say that I'm not super tech savvy. In one of the video clips it talked about preparing the students for jobs that don't even exist right now. I want to do that, I want my students to have a spirit of discovery that will take them to places they didn't think they could go to discover things they didn't thing existed. When I am teaching my own class I want to make sure a use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of my students. The one strength that this article made me realize that I have is applying technology to increase productivity. I'm a firm believer in using technology to do things more quickly and more effectively.
When I was reading the UNI Preservice Teacher Technology competencies it was shocking to see how many things I need improvement in! One of these is described by question 3 Describe and implement basic trouble-shooting techniques for multimedia computer systems with related peripheral devices. I don't have any clue about troubleshooting things. I sort of assumed that there would be a computer specialist at the school that could help me with any problems that I may have. But this isn't always true I need to develop these skills for myself. There was only one or two things in which I put that I am an expert at. One of them from UNI was listed under question 6 Demonstrate knowledge of equity, ethics, legal, and human issues concerning use of computers and technology. The expert level states: I reflect upon and make educated decisions in determining the effectiveness of activities that help my students gain awareness of copyright laws concerning information and computer software and the importance of equitable access to information technology. When I took the el-ed version of this class and we did the internet safety activity. I have since then always felt a strong desire to help kids realize the dangers and benefits of the internet and technology. I plan on teaching my students about that even though I'm teaching math.
My two goals are: 1. to find ways to implement technology in my every day teaching (using a Smartboard). 2. To learn how to troubleshoot my own computer. Two resources I found that I can improve my weaknesses are first a Smartboard training website when I was doing my teacher work sample my teacher used a Smartboard, it was really neat and I hope one day I have one in my classroom. SmartBoard Training. The next way I am going to improve my technology skills is by reading this website. It is about trouble shooting
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
3 April- Internet Safety
Internet Safety Reflection:
As a teacher I believe that although the Internet can be very dangerous it is a very useful tool that should be used every classroom. The Internet is extremely useful for many reasons. The communication that it provides between people all around the world is unprecedented. It is so incredible that we can search, study, and interact within the click of a mouse. Students can take virtual tours of the ocean, learn about Africa then use Google Earth and other simulation programs to actually see it and explore it, students can research topics at home and much more with the Internet. Although the Internet has many uses there are a lot of drawbacks as well. One of the major issues with using the Internet in a classroom is safety. There are a lot of predators, cyber bullies, and many other safety issues with using the Internet. As a teacher of young vulnerable adults I plan on monitoring their Internet very closely. When we utilize the internet I will teach them safety precautions that are critical to follow. Students will learn how they should never give out personal information online, correct etiquette, what they should do if they read something that is inappropriate or strange in anyway, and how to avoid cyber bullies and viruses. Because there is so much garbage and useless information on the Internet it is important to evaluate the sites that we use. Evaluating every website that we use will ensure that accurate information will be obtained, the author and source are credible and reliable, and most of all that it is safe and useful. The questions we should ask ourselves when evaluating a website can be remembered by the 5 Ws: 1.WHO: Who wrote the information and are they an expert? Does the website contain an online biography of the author or an email address? 2. WHAT: What doest the author say? What is the purpose of the site? Is the information biased? What organization sponsors the page? Is it an ad disguised as information? Does it contradict other information? 3. WHEN: When was the site created and last updated? 4. WHERE: Where does the information come from? Where can I find out more information about the sponsor or organization the author is affiliated with? In the URL look for personal names like jdoe or johndoe, ~ or %, or the words "users," "members" or "people," 5. WHY: Why is this information useful for my purpose? Why is this page or site better than other pages or sites? By following these guidelines and teaching our students Internet Safety we can ensure that they receive the most out of the time they spend on the Internet while still being safe.
As a teacher I believe that although the Internet can be very dangerous it is a very useful tool that should be used every classroom. The Internet is extremely useful for many reasons. The communication that it provides between people all around the world is unprecedented. It is so incredible that we can search, study, and interact within the click of a mouse. Students can take virtual tours of the ocean, learn about Africa then use Google Earth and other simulation programs to actually see it and explore it, students can research topics at home and much more with the Internet. Although the Internet has many uses there are a lot of drawbacks as well. One of the major issues with using the Internet in a classroom is safety. There are a lot of predators, cyber bullies, and many other safety issues with using the Internet. As a teacher of young vulnerable adults I plan on monitoring their Internet very closely. When we utilize the internet I will teach them safety precautions that are critical to follow. Students will learn how they should never give out personal information online, correct etiquette, what they should do if they read something that is inappropriate or strange in anyway, and how to avoid cyber bullies and viruses. Because there is so much garbage and useless information on the Internet it is important to evaluate the sites that we use. Evaluating every website that we use will ensure that accurate information will be obtained, the author and source are credible and reliable, and most of all that it is safe and useful. The questions we should ask ourselves when evaluating a website can be remembered by the 5 Ws: 1.WHO: Who wrote the information and are they an expert? Does the website contain an online biography of the author or an email address? 2. WHAT: What doest the author say? What is the purpose of the site? Is the information biased? What organization sponsors the page? Is it an ad disguised as information? Does it contradict other information? 3. WHEN: When was the site created and last updated? 4. WHERE: Where does the information come from? Where can I find out more information about the sponsor or organization the author is affiliated with? In the URL look for personal names like jdoe or johndoe, ~ or %, or the words "users," "members" or "people," 5. WHY: Why is this information useful for my purpose? Why is this page or site better than other pages or sites? By following these guidelines and teaching our students Internet Safety we can ensure that they receive the most out of the time they spend on the Internet while still being safe.
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