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Using Technology to Help the Teaching and Learning Process in my Classroom

Through this class, I've learned how important it is to use technology in the teaching and learning process. Using technology can provide neccesary tools and experiences that students wouldn't have otherwise.
Once such tool is a virtual tour. A virtual tour can allow your students to go to another place without leaving the classroom. It's a great tool to introduce a unit about a certain place. The students can experience many things the place has to offer by simply watching the virtual tour. I definitely want to use these in my classroom.
Another tool that I want to use in my future classroom are webquests. I think webquests are really valueable because they help the student to be independent as well as to use critical thinking skills. Students must follow the websites in the webquest to find the information. Then, they must use the information to answer questions and create products.
I've learned of many different sites and tools to use in the classroom through taking this course. I learned how to make valuable products such as curriculum pages, teacher web pages, wikis, webquests, and many more. I've also learned how to use everyday programs such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel as tools in the classroom. Another thing I found extremely helpful was using creative commons to find pictures on flickr. This was helpful because I had no idea how to find pictures like this that were allowed to be used. Now I do and I know the proper way to cite them.
Overall, I've learned many strategies, programs, and ways to integrate technology in my classroom that will be helful now and in my future classroom.

Podcasts

A podcast is an audio or video file that is automatically delivered to your computer. Podcasts are very common today and can be found on a variety of subjects. I will use podcasting in my classroom in a variety of ways. First off, I think podcasting would be very useful if I as the teacher know I'm not going to be there on a specific day. I could make a podcast for a specific lesson or activity that the substitute teacher could play for my students. Podcasts could also be useful for students to learn more about a specific topic or for help with a topic a student is struggling with.
A pro of podcasts is that there are so many different ones that you can find one on almost every subject. Another pro of podcasts are that they are usually free. Also, you can make your own podcast easily.
Some cons of podcasts are that it is auditory so I doesn't really help your visual learners. Another con of podcasts are that you have to listen to the content to make sure it is appropriate before you share it with your students.

Ethics

Ethics means that you are concerned with morals. Ethics looks at things such as good and evil, right and wrong, justice and injustice. I think ethics is a big part of what we do as teachers. We must look at these questions of right and wrong, good and evil, and decide what we should do with them. We also must show our students what to do with these topics. We also must discuss these with students and let them decide for themselves what they think is right and what to do in certain situations. We must help students develop into people who can make these sometimes hard ethical decisions. We must be a guide as the wrestle with these issues at times. Also, in teaching and in life, we are sometimes faced with ethical dilemas, decisions in which both options seem like a viable choice. We must be able to make the decisions that seems most ethically sound to us.
I think it is definitley necessary to be concerned with ethics. A pro of being concerned with ethics is that we can look at the world and our decisions through our moral convications. Another pro is that we can teach our students about ethics and help them when they have to make ethical decisions. A con of being concerned with ethics is that there isn't always one clear cut ethical solutions. It's complicated at times and making ethical decisions isn't always easy.

Virtual Tours

A virtual tour is a stimulation of an existing location that uses video clips, sound effects, narration, and text. I think virtual tours would be very helpful at the beginning of a unit to help students preview the unit. For example, in my future classroom if I do a unit on a particular country, say China, I would make or find a virtual tour about the area of China we were going to be studying so that students could get a brief overview of that area and see what it looked like in person. I think a pro of virtual tours is that they feel like you are actually there in the place. Another pro is that they allow students to see how that area is in a variety of ways. Another pro is that you can visit a place without actually going there. A con is that if you can't find an already made virtual tour then it make take a lot of time to make your own. Another con is that a virtual tour can't show you every part of a particular place, it just gives you a brief overview.

Teacher Web Pages

A teacher web page is a place online where teachers can keep resources for their students and parents. It usually includes sections with homework, recent projects the class has done, what they're going to do next, and so on. Some teachers also put up pictures of the kids that show what they've been doing in class. It also offers the teacher's contact information for parents.
When I teach, I think a teacher web page would be very helpful. I definitely want to include a homework section so students can see what their homework is if they forgot or so parents can see what the student has for homework. I definitley think a web page would be an excellent place to communicate. I would put reminders on about things that needed to be brought in or reminders about school being off. I also would like to put pictures up of the students so the parents can see real examples of what the students are doing in the classroom.
I think web pages have many pros. They are a good source of information for both the parent and the student. I also think they're a great reminder of homework, important events, and a place where you can put announcements about what is coming up. I also think it's a good place to show what's going on in the classroom with pictures and information.
Some cons of web pages are that if they aren't done well they look sloppy and aren't helpful. Also, some parents may be opposed to pictures of their children being posted on them. Also, for students whos family doesn't have a computer they may feel left out.
Overall, I think web pages are a very convient and effective tool for teachers if managed  correctly.

My Personal Learning Style

My top learning style was visual. I completely agree with this. I learn through pictures and diagrams and love examples. My second style was auditory and I feel like a learn good using both of them together. When I study I look at what I'm studying and read it out loud at the same time. It really helps. I almost always make notecards for studying with is visual and I appreciate powerpoints and handouts in class especially with examples. So I think I am most definitely a visual learner.

Webquests

Webquests are a lesson format on the internet that students complete mostly using diffferent websites. Students usually complete webquests on their own following the instructions by completing various tasks online using different websites.
I think webquests could be a very useful tool for teachers to use in the classroom. I would use webquests in my classroom to introduce topics, as a project, or as a way for students to explore a topic in depth. Webquests could also help in my classroom as a lesson for the students to work on if I was going to be out of the classroom for a couple days.
Webquests have many pros and cons. A pro of webquests is that it allows the student to work independently with teacher directed lessons. Another pro is that it helps the students to search for information on the internet using provided sights. Another pro is that webquests can be used in a variey of ways. A con of webquests is that some students may not be able to complete the work independently and will still need to be directed by the teacher. Another con of webquests is that they do take some time and effort to make. They aren't always readily available.

Should Schools Supply Computers to All Students??

I think it would be helpful for students to have computers if their family wasn't able to afford one. This would make it easier for the student to do assignments and access online resources for projects. Another pro to supplying students with computers is that you could use them in instruction to help students accomplish tasks.

A con to giving students computers is that it would be a big cost financially for the school and they could probably use that money elsewhere. Another con is that the students could lose the personal aspect of responding to classmates and the teacher because the class would be more focused on the technological aspects of teaching and learning.

Response to 2010 Online Confrence

I watched the video entitled "A Week in the Classroom." It was a very interesting video. I listened to a teacher from New Zealand talk about her students and their activities in the classroom. Her elementary classroom used many of the tools we are learning to use in this class. Her class had their own blog and wiki. She also mentioned that they used delicious to bookmark stuff. One of the main parts in the video talked about discover time. Discover time was time they took everyday for the kids to do basically whatever they wanted. They had cameras for the kids to take pictures and supplies for carpentry. They also had books, computers, various art supplies, and lots of other fun things that engaged the kids and let them discover things hands on. I was surprised by how much the students did with technology in their classroom and how well they were at it. I enjoyed watching the video and learning about her classroom in New Zealand. I also think I might start reading her classroom blog because it seemed very informative and interesting. Overall, I loved watching the video and it made me feel like I was there with the teacher in New Zealand discovering her classroom and learning about her students.

My Personal Learning Network Video

Podcast

How to intergrate technology in the classroom...

I will integrate technology into my classroom by allowing my students to use technology on a regular basis. I will also use the smartboard a lot. The smartboard is very good for tactile activities. My area of teaching is intervention specialist and early childhood education. I think having active learning activities is key for both of these groups. The smartboard offers many options for tactile activities.
I will also use computers in the classroom and have students use them for writing activities. I will also allow the students to use the computer during our reading block for one of their activities. I will have different websites they can go to do reading activites.
I will use some podcasts from ITunesU in my classroom as well. There are some math study partner podcasts I found that would be helpful for students who need some extra help in this area.

The Use of Technology in Education

Technology is used in the classroom and educational settings a lot today. I think technology can be a valuable resource, but it also can be frustrating at times. Technology offers many resources and different approaches to teaching such as smart boards. Smart boards are found in almost every classroom these days and are a fun and interactive teaching tool. This is definitely a pro of technology. Another pro of technology is that it allows people to assess a lot of information from one source. A con of technology is that it is not always available to all people. Some students may not have a computer in their house and therefore may not be able to do assignments that require extensive use of technology.  Another con of technology is that it can be expensive so some schools as well as families may not have the money to pay for it.
My experience with technology has been okay. I haven't had extensive experience with technology because I went to a small private Christian high school that didn't have the funds to provide a lot of technological devices for us. We had computers, but that was it. I've learned more about technology since coming to college, but there's still so much to learn. In my experience technology can be frustrating at times, but it is a valuable resource if I know how to use it and it is working properly.
My expectations for this class is to learn more about technology and to discover more technological resources I can use currently and as a future educator.