Entry 8- K12 Conference

From the K12 Conferences, I chose to listen to the presentation about using digital technology for history classes. The speaker talked about how by using technology, history can become more impressive to the students who are sitting through the lessons. The presenter also stressed that using different forms of technology would help students be more actively involved in the class and discussion. He presented several lessons that he would use in a classroom to entice the students to be more interested and ultimately learn better than if the lesson had been taught in a more traditional lecture session. I thought his ideas were really insightful and progressive.

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I learned a lot from the presenter and can incorporate many of the suggested items into my classroom instruction. As one of my areas of instruction is Social Studies 4-9, I can definitely relate to the information presented. The professor presented ways to help students bring history to life through present day news like creating newspapers or news reports. I think that those are both awesome ideas because students will be able to see history from a first-person point of view. By putting themselves in the situations personally by making a modern day periodical or newscast, history becomes more relevant.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hackny/6893166270/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

As we have learned all semester, technology is a pivotal part of modern-day classroom instruction. It’s a great way to keep students interested and involved with their lessons. So often, traditional lessons leave students wanting more so incorporating new forms of technology in the classroom will help students be more excited with the information being taught. Many students dread the idea of a history class because “it already happened” and “Why should I care. It’s just a bunch of dead guys.” Showing them how important history is through the use of technology can make them better understand why history is necessary and how it can relate to their lives in the present.

Entry 10- Using Technology in the Classroom

In my classroom I plan to use teacher web pages. A teacher web page is a resource teachers use to keep students and their families or guardians aware of classroom and school wide happenings. I would use a teacher web page for relaying contact information and assignments. It is also a great way to post pictures of class projects, events, and activities. Often parents are unaware of their student's goings-on for many reasons. Incorporating all of these things onto a teacher web page will help parents be better involved. It also opens up opportunities to link parents and students to at-home practice and homework help online. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hackny/5604805706/ --  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

I also really like the use of Webquests in a classroom. They're an excellent way to engage students in learning in any subject through incorporating internet technology. I would use it to  teach students main themes of novel or to better grasp the aspect of a portion of grammar. Using technology keep students engaged and webquests provide a hands-on way for students to learn through technology.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/4577052912/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

iPadio is a great way to incorporate my own personal teaching into technology. I had no idea that podcasts were so easy to make, and I am amazed at how effective they can be. They're an excellent resource for in the classroom and at home. Teachers can use them to create a weekly assignment list for students to listen at home. They also are a great way for a teacher to to record a lesson for absent students to use at home. They can be used in the classroom when a teacher is absent to record lessons for the students to listen to along with the substitute's instructions.

Entry 9- Ethics

       Ethics is a set of moral guidelines which govern behavior. Basically, ethics determine right from wrong. If one does something that is ethically wrong, there are negative repercussions such as if one robs a bank, he will go to jail. Doing things ethically is an important part of being an honorable citizen of the nation. Ethics branches through every action we make including the actions made through technology.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/giuli-o/3421327165/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

  
 In a classroom, ethics can mean not cheating off of another student, citing sources used in a research paper, or giving credit to other's materials used in a project. In my classroom, ethics will be addressed upright. My students will have expectations for all of their work. Any article used will be cited along with any picture, video, song, or other media created by another but used in my students project. I will also be sure that my students have sites to use to make sure that they know of their resources.Creative Commons will be a staple in my classroom. I will be sure that my students understand the important of technological ethics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ph0rk/2808836318/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

   


The pros of ethics are many; however, no cons seem to exist. Ethics is a theory of how to behave in a way that is good and acceptable. Technological ethics means behaving properly with technology. It teaches the correct ways to use another's works legally. Illegally using another's work is wrong; ethics teaches that.

Video Project 2

Entry 6- Virtual Tours

Virtual Field trips are an excellent way for students to learn through experience while sitting in the classroom. These online tours allow students to tour museums, countries, factories, and more by the click of a button. They're an excellent technological resource for teachers wanting to use technology more prominently in the classroom. Another great aspect of virtual field trips is that they are free of charge. Teacher's don't have to worry about getting them approved by the principal, raising money, or passing out permission slips. Students take these trips from the comfort of the classroom computer.

 

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/23905174@N00/3600252879/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en 

In my future classroom, I'll definitely use virtual field trips in a social studies setting. Several virtual field trips take students to museums. I would be sure to include a tour from any museum with an online tour that corresponds to my lesson. Another great resource is the tours that help take you back to the past. Tours that teach about the great depression or the industrial revolution would be excellent additions to my lesson plan.

 

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The pros of virtual tours are numerous. They allow teachers to teach from a more hands on perspective without actually leaving the classroom. Many schools have banned field trips, so these tours can be a, if not parallel, at least acceptable substitute. Some of them are interactive and keep students engaged, and they're a way to move students out of the traditional classroom-lecture setting to a fun-filled online lesson. The cons of virtual tours are that many lack substance and they're not a parallel to actual field trips. Even so, they're a wonderful resource for any teachers classroom.

Entry 5- Teacher Web Page

A teacher web page is a resource teachers use to keep students and their families or guardians aware of classroom and school wide happenings. She can write contact information and assignments on this page. She can also post pictures of class projects, events, parties, or other activities the class engages in. They're very helpful for linking at-home instructional resources or homework, and they function as a connection between home and the classroom.

 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/extraketchup/748446571/-- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

 Someday when I have my own classroom, I will use a teacher web page for teacher-parent communication. My email, phone number, and information will be posted on the site along with that of the school's administrators. I also think teacher web pages are an excellent way to incorporate technology in the classroom. By adding resources for use in the classroom, student are then able to use those resources to practice lessons at home. Linking to games or study guides would be extremely useful for use in school and at home.

 

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Pros of teacher web pages are that they are an easy, convenient way to keep parents up to date with what's happening in the class. Also, they provide assignments for the day or week and this can be beneficial for parents of forgetful students. The cons of teacher web pages are that often times students do not have a computer at home so the resource is not applicable to them. This creates a problem for teachers who intend to use their web page as their main communication resource. While problems do exist, teacher web pages are still an excellent resource for teachers, students and parents. I would recommend any teacher to use one for their classroom. 

Screenr recording

This is my screenr recording of how to change a twitter profile picture and background.

Entry 3- podcast

According to searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com a podcasting is "the preparation and distribution of audio files using RSS to the computers of subscribed users" (http://searchunifiedcommunications.techtarget.com/definition/podcasting). Files are uploaded to computers or digital music players as podcasts. These informative audio blogs allow information to be distributed and listened to easily and conveniently. Podcasts can be saved and listened to whenever and where ever according to the convenience of the downloader. Most podcasts are free and can be downloaded from sites like iTunes for the iPod digital mp3 player.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15319336@N07/2060971197/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

When making my own podcast, I thought a really great way to use the technology would be a weekly homework reminder distributed on Friday afternoon after school let out. This way teachers could distribute the next weeks homework in one easy step, and students would have a heads-up about what the next week had in store. They also would be a great resource for parents whose children might forget to write down the weekend's homework assignment. Making a new podcast every day seems over-the-top so a weekly homework reminder would serve as a convenience to both the teacher and the students. Because podcasts are so easy to make using ipadio.com (as shown below) any teacher could add the file to her class blog or website without problem.

It's easy to see all of the pros about using podcasts in the classroom. They're informative, helpful, and convenient. However, some problems could arise. Technology often times fails, so if the computer system went down or was being worked on, a weekly homework podcast might not be able to happen. Also, many families don't have a computer or time to access one at a local library, so even though it would be helpful for many students, for others it might be more burdensome than anything. Even though some problems may exist, I still believe the pros outweigh the cons. A podcast is a great example of how technology can be used conveniently and effectively in a classroom

Entry 2- Webquests

A webquest is a very effective online classroom tool that can be used for a specific assignment. They can take anywhere from a few days to a month to complete depending upon the length and extensive material it requires. These assignments are helpful to teachers because they are easily accessed, well organized, and an interesting way to keep students enthusiastic about learning along with an excellent example of incorporating technology in the classroom. For students, they insight higher levels of thinking and help students stay on task.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/5248031474/lightbox/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Someday in my classroom, I will use webquests to engage students in digital media in the classroom. Projects will be put in webquest form so that they are easily accessed, very organized, and fun. Through webquests, students will be able to focus on all of the necessary information needed rather than weeding through ambiguous information that often gets in the way of learning.

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Although there are many pros to a webquest, cons exist,too. For example, allowing students to access the internet for an assignment leads to the tempting world wide web and its many distractions. It also is extremely easy to access and doesn't allow for much exploration and individualized learning by students. Creating webquests, especially longer webquests, can be very time consuming for teachers, and the amount of time they take can take away from other necessary benchmarks teachers must cover in 9 months time. Although not perfect, the webquests also have many admirable qualities. They are organized, easy to access, and a fun way to get students involved. As long as students are monitored, there is no reason to believe distractions will be of issue. Also, the amount of organization they provide well outweighs the amount of time they take to prepare.

Entry 1- The Use of Technology in the Classroom

Technology works as a very effective tool in the modern day classroom. Because students are living in a technological world, implementing parts of their every day life will keep students better engaged, and encourage them to continue in their studies. The dated, linear style of  lectured, teacher-focused instruction is no longer an affective form of teaching. Technology in an educational setting helps to create a more student-centered instructional style by incorporating students in the learning and teaching process. Technology gives a kind of academic freedom by allowing students to research, explore, and learn without a teacher modeling every step.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/inusebilder/4922403753/sizes/m/in/photostream/ -- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

The most important technological tool in the classroom remains the computer. Computers, the basis for all classroom technology, allow students to access the internet for research, include word processors for writing papers, and are the access point for class websites and blogs. Currently, schools are incorporating different types of computers into classrooms. The Apple iPad is a type of tablet made by the Apple Corporation that incorporates educational applications that can be used in the classroom. Other types of tablets are also being used, but my personal preference is the iPad.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/5285737119/sizes/m/in/photostream/ --http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Another great technology for the classroom is the SmartBoard. SmartBoards are interactive touchscreen computer that can replace a chalkboard or dry-erase board. Through these giant touchscreens, all of the notes taken during class can be saved and uploaded to the class website or distributed through email or other technologies.

Overall, it is easy to see that technology in the classroom is more that a good thing. Technology betters the class, is convenient, and are overall helpful for the instructor.