There are several tools that I have learned about that I will use as a teacher. Facebook, Blogger, Knol, and Brain Pop are just a few tools. I can use these tools to communicate with my students, their parents, and my colleagues. My students can also use these tools to complete assignments and learn about different subjects.
Tools such as, Facebook and Blogger are a great way for me to communicate with my students, their parents, and my colleagues. They can also communicate with me. If they ever have a question about anything we can communicate by using these tools. This is a way I can get the answers to them in a short amount of time.
Tools such as, Brain Pop, can greatly help my students. If my students are struggling with any subject they can use this tool to help them better understand the subject. They are able to work on problems in different subjects, and they aren't just told if they do it wrong, but they are shown how to do it right. It is a great and fun way for my students to learn! I know I will use these tools in my classroom, and many more!
Once again the video for this blog was a huge eye opener. It amazes me that most teachers are not using technology to teach their students. That is how children learn now! They need technology to complete assignments. Why are we as teachers letting them sit in their desks and write all day long? We need to start getting them involved. They need to use technology in and outside the classroom. We must start making the change!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Technology Article #2
Blogger/Blogging is one of my favorite educational tools. This is a great way for me to communicate with my students and their parents. In return, they are able to communicate with me. If I’m not teaching or sleeping I am on-line. If my students or their parents ever have a concern or question, all they need to do is send me a post on my blog, and I will always respond as quickly as possible.
Blogging has opened the door to a lot of possibilities. We are now able to receive answers in a timely matter. One of the many positive things about blogging is, if a student or parent has a question such as, when is the next field trip, and they post that on my blog, I am able to respond and everyone is able to see the answer. I may have ten other people who wanted to know the answer to that question, but now they can save their time by reading and not asking. It is also a great way for me to answer any homework questions. If one of my students is ever struggling with anything, I want them to be able to ask me so I can help them get the right answer. I may have five students who are struggling with their science homework, and if one of them asks me a question on my blog, I am able to respond and everyone can read it.
There may be some concerns with this tool. Some parents may be concerned with the security of the tool. I can promise you blogging is safe and protected. No contact information is given out unless someone posts that. I will talk to my students and all of their parents about not doing this. I will only use this blog for academic and school related questions. I know this is a safe educational tool that will greatly help us!
Blogging has opened the door to a lot of possibilities. We are now able to receive answers in a timely matter. One of the many positive things about blogging is, if a student or parent has a question such as, when is the next field trip, and they post that on my blog, I am able to respond and everyone is able to see the answer. I may have ten other people who wanted to know the answer to that question, but now they can save their time by reading and not asking. It is also a great way for me to answer any homework questions. If one of my students is ever struggling with anything, I want them to be able to ask me so I can help them get the right answer. I may have five students who are struggling with their science homework, and if one of them asks me a question on my blog, I am able to respond and everyone can read it.
There may be some concerns with this tool. Some parents may be concerned with the security of the tool. I can promise you blogging is safe and protected. No contact information is given out unless someone posts that. I will talk to my students and all of their parents about not doing this. I will only use this blog for academic and school related questions. I know this is a safe educational tool that will greatly help us!
Technology Article #1
An educational tool that I will use in my classroom is, www.aplusmath.com. This is a great educational tool. My students will not only learn about math, but they will learn it in a fun way. The students are able to receive feedback from this tool, and they are given the right answers to the mistakes they made. Growing up I was hardly ever taught math in a fun environment. I was always sitting at a desk, listening to the teacher lecture, and watching numbers and equations that made no sense to me written on the board. I never had the desire to learn math or to even put an effort into it. Why would I want this for my students? I want my students to be able to learn in a fun environment. My students will be more open to learning and it will help them grasp the concepts.
There are some negatives that come with using this. I do worry that my students may not learn the math, and just use this tool to play and receive all of their answers. If the students do not put on effort into this, they will gain nothing. This is true in any subject. You have to give a little to get something in return. I believe that if they are having fun and I am switching things up for them, they are more likely to learn and do their work rather than not.
Parents, I know this may be a concern to you. You may be thinking, how is my child going to learn anything about math while playing games? Well, I can promise you that this tool is more than just games. The children can get help with homework, make flashcards, work on practice tests, and many more things. I also believe children need to mix up the way they learn, and doing something that looks pleasing to them can help. I know this is a great tool, and it will help my students succeed!
There are some negatives that come with using this. I do worry that my students may not learn the math, and just use this tool to play and receive all of their answers. If the students do not put on effort into this, they will gain nothing. This is true in any subject. You have to give a little to get something in return. I believe that if they are having fun and I am switching things up for them, they are more likely to learn and do their work rather than not.
Parents, I know this may be a concern to you. You may be thinking, how is my child going to learn anything about math while playing games? Well, I can promise you that this tool is more than just games. The children can get help with homework, make flashcards, work on practice tests, and many more things. I also believe children need to mix up the way they learn, and doing something that looks pleasing to them can help. I know this is a great tool, and it will help my students succeed!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Reflection #4
Microsoft Word is a great tool that can help me in many ways as a teacher. I can easily type up a class calender, class announcements, and any information my students, their parents, or my colleagues will need to know. It is easy to use, and there are many different things you can do. You can make a page look very simple, or you can create a birthday card for your students. Once I have finished my tasks using microsoft word, I can easily print it off and distribute the document as needed.
My students can use Microsoft Word to accomplish and finish several of their homework assignments. They can use their brain and fingers to type, and Microsoft Word can do the rest. It is a great way to accomplish almost everything that needs to be written down and read by others.
The videos were very interesting. It is an eye opener to learn almost all of those facts. It was really amazing to me that China will soon be the country that is dominent with English speaking people. It is also amazing how much time people spend using technology. Our lives revolve around technology. Our world would fall apart without technology, and we as human beings would have no idea what to do.
My students can use Microsoft Word to accomplish and finish several of their homework assignments. They can use their brain and fingers to type, and Microsoft Word can do the rest. It is a great way to accomplish almost everything that needs to be written down and read by others.
The videos were very interesting. It is an eye opener to learn almost all of those facts. It was really amazing to me that China will soon be the country that is dominent with English speaking people. It is also amazing how much time people spend using technology. Our lives revolve around technology. Our world would fall apart without technology, and we as human beings would have no idea what to do.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Reflection #3
I love these new tools I have learned through google. I had no idea there were tools like this on the web. I thought you could only do things like this through microsoft word, and I had no idea it was free and accessible to anyone.
I will definately use these tools with my students. I will teach my students about google docs, and I will pair them up in teams to work on different assignments. I will teach them how simple and easy it is. This will take time to teach, but once it is taught, my students will do great! I will also teach my students about google calendar. This will be the way I will communicate with my students and their parents. I won't have to waste paper everyday by sending home the schedule for the week, but I can simply tell them about google calendars, and they can check the schedule daily. This will be a much more simple and conservative way to communicate with my students and their parents.
I want my colleagues and I to have our own web site that describes what our students will be learning during the school year. I will teach my colleagues about google sites, and how we can create and manage our own site. We will work together to make this possible, and it will help the parents know what their child will be learning, and it will help the student get excited to learn. I will also work on projects with my colleagues through google docs, and we can keep eachother on track with google calendar.
These tools are great! I am so glad I learned about them, and I can't wait to start using them more! These tools make the tasks of a teacher a lot more simple!
The video, Pay Attention, was a huge eye opener for me. It was all true. Students growing up now in our world are comfortable with technology. That is all they have known their whole life. I know this to be true, because I am one. I listened in class and payed more attention to my teacher when they allowed us to use our cell phones, ipods, etc. in class. I felt whole when I was using these. Children growing up now, thrive off of technology. I agree that as teachers we need to be incorporating technology into our curriculum. Students will love to do their work and assignmets if you add a twist to it. We must start using more technology to teach!
I will definately use these tools with my students. I will teach my students about google docs, and I will pair them up in teams to work on different assignments. I will teach them how simple and easy it is. This will take time to teach, but once it is taught, my students will do great! I will also teach my students about google calendar. This will be the way I will communicate with my students and their parents. I won't have to waste paper everyday by sending home the schedule for the week, but I can simply tell them about google calendars, and they can check the schedule daily. This will be a much more simple and conservative way to communicate with my students and their parents.
I want my colleagues and I to have our own web site that describes what our students will be learning during the school year. I will teach my colleagues about google sites, and how we can create and manage our own site. We will work together to make this possible, and it will help the parents know what their child will be learning, and it will help the student get excited to learn. I will also work on projects with my colleagues through google docs, and we can keep eachother on track with google calendar.
These tools are great! I am so glad I learned about them, and I can't wait to start using them more! These tools make the tasks of a teacher a lot more simple!
The video, Pay Attention, was a huge eye opener for me. It was all true. Students growing up now in our world are comfortable with technology. That is all they have known their whole life. I know this to be true, because I am one. I listened in class and payed more attention to my teacher when they allowed us to use our cell phones, ipods, etc. in class. I felt whole when I was using these. Children growing up now, thrive off of technology. I agree that as teachers we need to be incorporating technology into our curriculum. Students will love to do their work and assignmets if you add a twist to it. We must start using more technology to teach!
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