Tuesday, June 29, 2010
tired
I am glad we are learning about new websites to use during the school year. I really like classroom 2.0 and tube chop. Those will be 2 I will definitely incorporate into my classroom.
Monday, June 28, 2010
memory and music
Thursday, June 24, 2010
prezi
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
blogging in schools
Blogging or Web logging as some people call it is thought of as an activity for high school students. Students as young as kindergarten now blog on a daily basis in a variety of exciting ways. Educators know that students write better when they have a real audience -- not just a teacher with a red pen. In the past, finding such an audience was a challenge. But with Internet access and some basic software, any student can write for the world to see.
The website gave specific articles for grade level and for levels of comfort of technology. So I knew which website fit well for my grade and since I am not tech savvy, it explained which a good blog site was for me. It also includes teachers concerns about safety and content. Teachers can use a blogging program/online tool that requires a password to publish. That way, you as the teacher have final say about what goes online, and you can edit out any identifying information (such as a student's home address!) before it becomes public.
This article was the best of all three that I chose due to the awesome information on how I can incorporate it and which websites can help certain levels of tech people. I loved the blogs idea when it was first introduced to us at the beginning of class; however I was a little skeptical if I was going to use in the classroom. I so wanted to use blogging for my students because I think blogging is a great learning tool. I agree with the articles about because of the simplicity of a blog, and because of the context of news and editorial column writing, blogging has become a highly effective way to help students become better writers. Research has long shown that students write more, write in greater detail, and take greater care with spelling, grammar, and punctuation, when they are writing to an authentic audience over the Internet.
cellphones
Cell phones have become a huge accessory of high school students since the late 1990s. Initially banned by schools as an unnecessary distraction, events such as the Columbine tragedy and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have made most districts reconsider the place of cell phones in middle and high schools. Although the bans have largely been removed, the problems—or distractions—of cell phone technology have only increased. Cell phones today allow users to do so much more than just a few years ago. Students can use their cell phones to write and send text messages, take and send digital photos, and even take and send short digital video clips, in addition to making phone calls. Nearly all of the uses can become inappropriate and undesirable in middle and high school classrooms.
This article was fair in which it described the positives and negatives in regards to the use of cell phones. I really learned a lot from reading about the part where the If found with a cell phone turned on during a test, students receive an automatic two grade deduction from the test scores. Remind everyone to turn their phones off prior to the test. However there was a rule about taking the phones at the beginning of class. I don't think the is realistic and plausible; they will just pretend that they don't have one.
Digital camera for fieldtrips would be awesome and they could send them to my phone and I can make a presentation or review of we saw on the trip. However in high school we don't go on many field trips especially in social sciences. They can be great for calculators, however I would rather supply calculators if possible just to decrease the risk of texting. Which I come to my next topic about them even being used at all. I think cell phones should not be used at all because there are more cons than pros when it comes to using them among teenagers.
smart boards
Kids growing up in this new technology era may never know the painful sound of fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. That's because the dust-covered board that normally would be the focus of their classroom has been replaced by a giant, touch-sensitive computer screen. All across the country, chalkboards are being ditched in favor of interactive, computer-driven whiteboards that allow students and teachers to share assignments, surf the web and edit video using their fingers as pens.
This article was very informative in explaining how effective the smart board is for all classrooms. Because I am not tech savvy I think this will be an easy tool for to incorporate in my school, mostly because of the computer aspect of it. This article made me want to go out and buy a smart board for my class right now. I hope In the next 3 or so year nearly all of OPS schools will have one, high school included.
Because it is technology driven kids are susceptible to grasp onto it more. Kids already have the newest and latest technologies at home so why not incorporate into the classroom as well. At the school I will be teaching at, they do not have a smart board. I will also be a traveling teachers so I do not think I will be lucky to get one. Once I have my own room as a teacher I will definitely ask for a grant to purchase one. My son comes home everyday and all he talks about is the magic board as he calls it. He remembers everything that was done that day that was from the smart board. Just think if a student had a question that you did not know at the top of your head…you can find the answer in seconds by using the smart board; immediate gratification.