Using Technology in the Classroom

This semester, I learned about a lot of thing that I can do to incorporate technology in my classroom. I already knew some of the more basic things, but learning how to create things like wikis, webquests, and teacher web pages was helpful to me. It will be good for my students and their parents to have online resources and ways to contact me. I plan on using a lot of the things that we learned in class in my classroom. They are very helpful tools that could add a lot to my teaching. Kids need to do things that are different than just sitting in a classroom, and using technology can make things fun (such as webquests or virtual tours, for example). Also using the technology that I already knew something about, like powerpoints, movies, blogging, and a few more things could aid my instruction. Making movies and powerpoints can also be interesting for younger kids. There are endless possibilities of ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, and I am glad I got to explore some more in this class.

1. Podcasts are audio or visual files that are played on a computer. They can be focused on an endless number of topics.

2. I would probably not create my own podcasts in the classroom, but I could definitely use ones that others have created to share with my students. For little kids, it might be helpful to them to see people modeling things for them or to hear something new and exciting. Kids get excited to do new things, so I am sure hearing a lesson or something like that on the computer would be cool for them.

3. The pros would be that it would be a new and interesting way for kids to learn and it could teach things that could not be taught in the classroom. The cons would be that if it used to much, it is very impersonal and kids need hands-on learning.

Ethics

1. Ethics are the standards that determine whether an action is good or bad.

2. Teachers need to be aware of ethical issues so that we can teach the good ethical behavior to our students. Cheating is a big issue in schools, and students need to know that that is something that is not ethically correct. Issues of ethics could also play a part in the materials that I use in my classroom. I have to make sure that I am not plagiarizing anything and not using ideas or materials from unethical sources.

3. The pros of being concerned with ethics is that you will be a good, honest person if you are concerned with them. As a teacher, you are a role model, so ethics definitely will have a major impact in the classroom.
I cannot really think of any negative things regarding being concerned with ethics. I guess too much of anything can be a bad thing, so being overly protective of your students and overly critical of things that may or may not be unethical could cause problems.

Virtual Tours

1. A virtual tour is usually done by means of a computer using the internet. It will have photos or videos of a location and allow the user to "walk through" the simulated place.

2. For younger kids, virtual tours would be very exciting. I would probably use virtual tours in a group setting, rather than having each child do one on their own. For early childhood, getting everyone together and "walking through" an animal habitat or space center or museum or lots of other things could be so much fun. It would be a good way to get them to work on noticing important details in pictures or videos. If I find the right virtual tours, I think I could have a lot of fun using them in an early childhood classroom.

3. Pros- It would get kids very involved and excited about the place that they are virtually viewing. It would teach kids how to pay attention to all aspects of the scenery and not to miss important details. It would make the location seem more real to them than looking at pictures in books or something; a virtual tour would make them feel like they are there and know what the place is like.
Cons- It could take a lot of time to find age-appropriate, subject-appropriate, interesting, and user-friendly virtual tours to show in the classroom.

Teacher Web Pages

1. A teacher webpage is a page that a teacher creates for their students and students' parents (and anyone else who cares to look at it) to view. They can include information about themselves and their classroom for people to look at. It is a good way to let students know what they missed if they were absent or what is coming up on the calendar. They can also put information for parents on the webpage.

2. I definitely will use a teacher webpage. I will be teaching early childhood, so I think it would be good for the parents to be able to get to know me a little better through it and to put some fun activities for my students to do. I would use the page as both an informational resource and as a place for my students to come and explore and have fun with.

3. Pros- Parents and students can get to know the teacher better and see some of the things that are going on in the classroom.
Cons- It needs to be maintained in order to be an effective webpage for viewers, which means more work and time for the teacher. If teachers do not know their district's policies, they could get in trouble for putting pictures or names of students on the page.

Webquests

1. From browsing the examples, it looks like a webquest is a way to teach a new concept and/or complete a class assignment on the internet. They include the learning objectives and then give websites that can be used to find the information that will be needed to complete the learning objective.

2. It will be kind of hard to use webquests in early childhood classrooms because the kids probably cannot use computers and read extremely well. It could probably only be used with the older kids (second or third grade) and I would definitely have to use the shorter version of webquests that could be completed in one day. I could use webquests to help further explain concepts to them. There are a ton of ways that this could be done. For little kids using kid-oriented websites with pictures so that they do not get bored with paragraphs of text would be most efficient.

3. The pros of using webquests would be that kids could be more interactive and get to do something different than the everyday classroom learning. In the examples from class, the kids would have been very involved and doing something interesting and fun. The cons would be that maybe some kids are not good with using computers (for younger kids this may not be the best way to teach). If it is not compiled carefully, it could turn into a mindless activity, so teachers need to make sure that the assignment is still a challenge to the children's learning and that they are not just clicking websites and copying answers.

K12 Conference

I watched the presentation called “What Did You Do in School Yesterday, Today, and Three Years Ago?” The creator discussed how new technologies can be used by students in schools today. He noticed while on a college tour that the students were consumed by their technologies- he asked them what proof they had of going on this tour. Even though they had cameras, cell phones with picture and video, and mp3 players, they had not documented anything- the next day the students were much more interested and using their gadgets as a digital record of their tour. The creator of this video had a lot of ideas about how to get kids involved- using the internet for all kinds of things, have them watch podcasts or read blogs, make slideshows, etc. He thinks that students should have blogs over the course of their education to make note of their progress and because he says that paper is unnecessary. The only paper that he uses is usually scanned onto the computer so that all of his students can see it. "Portable learning" can be with kids everywhere- not just in the classroom.

Gabcast

Gabcast! Podcasting on Gabcast #0

Technology in Education

I think that it is amazing how far we have come with technology through the years. People, for example, from my grandparents' generation would never have imagined all the things that young children now know as second nature. I think these technological advances have both positive and negative aspects. However, regarding technology in the classroom, I think the changes are good. Kids are learning how to type and retrieve information. I think it makes things like research and writing papers easier. Although the internet also allow more cheating and sometimes less work from students, I personally greatly appreciate the resources that are available to me as a student. Technology is not just computers though. Introducing new technoligy, such as SmartBoards, is not easy at first, but I think that with continued use and learning how to use these items, teachers will be better equipped to teach their students. I think that technology in the classroom is helpful to students and, when used appropriately, is a great resource and learning tool for students and teachers.