Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Using Technology to Help the Teaching and Learning process in your Classroom
Through this semester I have learned a lot of different strategies to help incorporate technology into the everyday elementary classroom. Some of these strategies include: Blogs, Curriculum Pages, Teaching Over the Internet, Online Scavenger Hunts, Teacher Web Pages, Internet Videos, Virtual Tours, Web Adventures, WebQuests, and Wiki's. Each and everyone of these strategies has its own specific purpose and place in the Elementary classroom. One of the ideas I have found most interesting is the Internet Scavenger Hunts. This is an activity that can allow students to learn new information through the exploration of websites and it also can be a race between the children in a classroom. This activity hits all of the high points when it comes to a lesson that students will find exciting and beneficial. I also have enjoyed learning about using Wiki's. One major reason is I would like to create one to keep and store all of the papers and projects that I do in my college career. I have backups for all of my papers on my hard drive and an external drive, but I feel that it would be a really great idea to have them on the Internet so I can access them from anywhere. All of the information I have learned can help me create a better classroom for my future students through the incorporation of technology.
Podcasting
1. Define or describe podcasting?
- Podcasting is the broadcasting of music, radio stations, and any other forms of audio over the Internet.
2. How you will use podcasting in your classroom?
- Podcasting can be used in the classroom when teachers need to have students listen to any forms of audio. This can include books on tape for younger children or even full lessons that have been recorded by teachers. This can help broaden the types of instruction the students receive and help them to stay interested in the subjects they learn about.
3. What are some positives and negatives of podcasting?
- A negative of podcasting is that it can be hard to fully understand how to do. Many teachers do not have a large amount of technology training and this sort of material may be difficult for them to do in their classroom. Another negative would be that the audio casting can change with time. If a teacher finds an audio program that they like and want to use, there is no guarantee that it will be there the next day during school.
- A positive of podcasting is how it really opens up the creativity for teachers to use when making their lesson plans. Since this is not a teaching strategy widely used, many students may find it interesting to receive this sort of instruction. Podcasting also can be very beneficial for students with sight disabilities. These students can use the audio programs for reading and instruction help.
- Podcasting is the broadcasting of music, radio stations, and any other forms of audio over the Internet.
2. How you will use podcasting in your classroom?
- Podcasting can be used in the classroom when teachers need to have students listen to any forms of audio. This can include books on tape for younger children or even full lessons that have been recorded by teachers. This can help broaden the types of instruction the students receive and help them to stay interested in the subjects they learn about.
3. What are some positives and negatives of podcasting?
- A negative of podcasting is that it can be hard to fully understand how to do. Many teachers do not have a large amount of technology training and this sort of material may be difficult for them to do in their classroom. Another negative would be that the audio casting can change with time. If a teacher finds an audio program that they like and want to use, there is no guarantee that it will be there the next day during school.
- A positive of podcasting is how it really opens up the creativity for teachers to use when making their lesson plans. Since this is not a teaching strategy widely used, many students may find it interesting to receive this sort of instruction. Podcasting also can be very beneficial for students with sight disabilities. These students can use the audio programs for reading and instruction help.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Ethics
1. What does ethics mean?
- Ethics is how a person decides what is morally correct and what is morally wrong. These tend to vary from person to person depending on culture, religion, beliefs, and personality.
2. How does ethics affect your work as a teacher with your students and your colleagues?
- When in the teacher environment, teachers are constantly faced with decisions that tap into their belief regarding ethics. With students, teachers want to exhibit the most positive and mature ethics in order to set a good example for their students and to have a calm and well controlled classroom. When working with colleagues, there are often a variety of personalities with in a school and in turn a variety in ethics. It is not necessarily that some ethics are better than others, but it does boil down to how these ethics are exhibited in the school environment. Many times the basis of how ethics should be exhibited is created by those in charge of a school or district.
3. Positives and negatives of being concerned with ethics?
- When teachers are concerned about their ethics they are most often trying to exhibit them in a better light for their students and colleagues. This can help a school in terms of the staff environment. If all of the staff and teachers in a school are worried about their ethics and how they will effect others, there is much less likely to be petty problems with in. These teachers will also look to provide the best possible outlook for their students.
- If teachers decide not to concern themselves with ethics, they can face a number of problems with in their classroom. They could exhibit inappropriate language or body language in their classroom, they may participate in inappropriate actions outside of the school environment, and they may also have problems with some of their colleagues when addressing ethical subjects.
- Ethics is how a person decides what is morally correct and what is morally wrong. These tend to vary from person to person depending on culture, religion, beliefs, and personality.
2. How does ethics affect your work as a teacher with your students and your colleagues?
- When in the teacher environment, teachers are constantly faced with decisions that tap into their belief regarding ethics. With students, teachers want to exhibit the most positive and mature ethics in order to set a good example for their students and to have a calm and well controlled classroom. When working with colleagues, there are often a variety of personalities with in a school and in turn a variety in ethics. It is not necessarily that some ethics are better than others, but it does boil down to how these ethics are exhibited in the school environment. Many times the basis of how ethics should be exhibited is created by those in charge of a school or district.
3. Positives and negatives of being concerned with ethics?
- When teachers are concerned about their ethics they are most often trying to exhibit them in a better light for their students and colleagues. This can help a school in terms of the staff environment. If all of the staff and teachers in a school are worried about their ethics and how they will effect others, there is much less likely to be petty problems with in. These teachers will also look to provide the best possible outlook for their students.
- If teachers decide not to concern themselves with ethics, they can face a number of problems with in their classroom. They could exhibit inappropriate language or body language in their classroom, they may participate in inappropriate actions outside of the school environment, and they may also have problems with some of their colleagues when addressing ethical subjects.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Virtual Tour
1. What is a virtual tour?
- A virtual tour is a video or picture tour of a facility or area shown through technological means. Often these tours are on the Internet and give viewers a first had look at houses, schools, classrooms, apartments, construction areas, and even sports facilities.
2. How can you use virtual tours in your classroom?
- A teacher could use a virtual tour for parents to see the environment that their children learn in. Teachers could also create a tour for student assignments involving mapping and room outlines. Many times a school will create a virtual tour of their classrooms, cafeteria, and maybe athletic facilities for prospective students and new families to the area. These tours are geared to give the parents a clear idea of where and how their child will be interacting with in the school, along with the schools new means of technology and learning.
3. Positives and negatives of using virtual tours.
- One obvious positive of using virtual tours is that it allows the viewer to physically see and observe and area without actually having to be there. Through virtual tours students can also prepare for field trips by watching a virtual tour prior to physically being there to familiarize themselves with the new setting. For new students a virtual tour of the school they will be attending is largely beneficial due to the ease of comfort that it offers prior to the student embarking on that first day adventure.
- One negative that can arise from virtual tours would be schools relying too much on them. In some cases a school board may choose for their students to not physically travel to museums or educationally informative buildings due to them having virtual tours. This would be much more inexpensive, however it would not actually allow the students to interact with the information they are receiving. Virtual tours may also only cover the positives of a facility. Many times these tours leave out any negatives or sub par areas due to the poor reflection it will leave with the viewers.
- A virtual tour is a video or picture tour of a facility or area shown through technological means. Often these tours are on the Internet and give viewers a first had look at houses, schools, classrooms, apartments, construction areas, and even sports facilities.
2. How can you use virtual tours in your classroom?
- A teacher could use a virtual tour for parents to see the environment that their children learn in. Teachers could also create a tour for student assignments involving mapping and room outlines. Many times a school will create a virtual tour of their classrooms, cafeteria, and maybe athletic facilities for prospective students and new families to the area. These tours are geared to give the parents a clear idea of where and how their child will be interacting with in the school, along with the schools new means of technology and learning.
3. Positives and negatives of using virtual tours.
- One obvious positive of using virtual tours is that it allows the viewer to physically see and observe and area without actually having to be there. Through virtual tours students can also prepare for field trips by watching a virtual tour prior to physically being there to familiarize themselves with the new setting. For new students a virtual tour of the school they will be attending is largely beneficial due to the ease of comfort that it offers prior to the student embarking on that first day adventure.
- One negative that can arise from virtual tours would be schools relying too much on them. In some cases a school board may choose for their students to not physically travel to museums or educationally informative buildings due to them having virtual tours. This would be much more inexpensive, however it would not actually allow the students to interact with the information they are receiving. Virtual tours may also only cover the positives of a facility. Many times these tours leave out any negatives or sub par areas due to the poor reflection it will leave with the viewers.
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