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.