I strongly believe that technology is a vital part of education and that we as teachers need to do our best to make sure that we are exposing our students to it and also teaching them how to use it. In a world that is based in technolgy, it is imperative for students to be knowledgeable about it and be able to use it. For our students to be successful as adults, they need to be able to be efficient and able to use technology. It has been a while since I have graduated from high school and alot of my friends still do not use technology. It has put them behind and it is more difficult for them to learn it now than it would have been when they were younger.
I believe that we have a responsibility as teachers to use all of the resources out there to give our students the best and most recent information. This can be done very easily through technology. Using technology offers so many benefits and opportunities for students and it would be a shame for us to take that away from them.
I am grateful for the many things that I have learned in these 2 technology classes that I have taken at UVU. They have given me the tools that I need to be succesful at integrating technology into my classroom. I am so excited to be a teacher and I can't wait until I finally have my own classroom.
Monday, April 18, 2011
21 April - Lessons Learned
Wow! Those videos and articles were very informative. They didn't actually tell me anything that I haven't heard before, they just brought it to life and made me think about it in a different way. Since I am getting closer to having my own classroom it is important for me to be aware of these things and relate them to myself as a teacher and how it will affect my students. I learned that the 4 key elements of Integrating Technology are active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback and connection to real-world experts.
These 4 components are important and necessary for integrating technology. Active engagement is so important for students. It keeps them interested and give them a more active role in their education. It gives them responsibility for learning and makes them accountable. I believe that it is important to students to participate in groups and learn how to work this way. Although it is difficult at times, this is they way the world works and the more exposure that students can get in this area, the more successful they can be in their adult lives. When students are using technology it gives the teacher frequent interaction with the students and provides more feedback. It helps the teacher to know exactly where the student is with the content and allows her to be able to provide feedback to the student to further his learning. The final component is giving the students a connection to real-world experts. This is an important aspect. I think about how much more knowledge is available to students now than when I was in high school. It is so easy to find answers to questions and become knowledgeable about a subject. Students need to know that this is available and have the tools to take advantage of it.
I learned many things during this assignment. It was great to put it into context and think about how it will affect me as a teacher.
These 4 components are important and necessary for integrating technology. Active engagement is so important for students. It keeps them interested and give them a more active role in their education. It gives them responsibility for learning and makes them accountable. I believe that it is important to students to participate in groups and learn how to work this way. Although it is difficult at times, this is they way the world works and the more exposure that students can get in this area, the more successful they can be in their adult lives. When students are using technology it gives the teacher frequent interaction with the students and provides more feedback. It helps the teacher to know exactly where the student is with the content and allows her to be able to provide feedback to the student to further his learning. The final component is giving the students a connection to real-world experts. This is an important aspect. I think about how much more knowledge is available to students now than when I was in high school. It is so easy to find answers to questions and become knowledgeable about a subject. Students need to know that this is available and have the tools to take advantage of it.
I learned many things during this assignment. It was great to put it into context and think about how it will affect me as a teacher.
21 April - Strengths & Weaknesses
I feel that I have many strengths when it comes to technology. I have integrated technology into all areas of my life and enjoy learning more things about technology. As I reviewed the NET Standards, I would consider myself a Level VI. I am aware of technology resources and while I do not have very much experience in using it in a classroom, I have every intent to do so and have appreciated learning all that I have learned about integrating technology. As I reflect on the UNI Survey, I noticed that I am considered an apprentice in almost every category. I can see that this means that I am weak in actually designing my own technology and using it with my students. I feel that this will come as I become a teacher and have the opportunity to use all of the things I have learned so far. My weaknesses would be that I do not know as much as I would like to know about integrating technology into my classroom and teaching my students to use technology. I plan on doing everything I can to become more informed and I am not scared to try new things for my students.
I found a couple of workshops that I could attend online to help me learn more ways to integrate technology into the curriculum. There are 2 classes listed on the UEN Professional Development page called "Integrating Technology & Curriculum I and Integrating Technology & Curriculum II." I believe that a teacher should always be learning and trying their best to reflect and make changes as needed with their lessons. A podcast that I found online is called "Moving at the Speed of Creativity" which would teach me more about technology and how to stay current with all of the new things that come out so quickly regarding technology.
These workshops and podcasts will be very helpful to me as I become a teacher. I can take these courses and watch the podcast when I can use it in my classroom and know exactly what it is that I need. As a student it's hard to know what I do not know and once I am in the profession as an actual teacher, I will know better the things that will help me and benefit my students. While I know that I am not a computer or technology expert, I enjoy learning about it and am willing to make the changes necessary to incorporate it into my life and career. I am absolutely for using technology and know that it is important for my students to be exposed to it and learn how to use it themselves.
I found a couple of workshops that I could attend online to help me learn more ways to integrate technology into the curriculum. There are 2 classes listed on the UEN Professional Development page called "Integrating Technology & Curriculum I and Integrating Technology & Curriculum II." I believe that a teacher should always be learning and trying their best to reflect and make changes as needed with their lessons. A podcast that I found online is called "Moving at the Speed of Creativity" which would teach me more about technology and how to stay current with all of the new things that come out so quickly regarding technology.
These workshops and podcasts will be very helpful to me as I become a teacher. I can take these courses and watch the podcast when I can use it in my classroom and know exactly what it is that I need. As a student it's hard to know what I do not know and once I am in the profession as an actual teacher, I will know better the things that will help me and benefit my students. While I know that I am not a computer or technology expert, I enjoy learning about it and am willing to make the changes necessary to incorporate it into my life and career. I am absolutely for using technology and know that it is important for my students to be exposed to it and learn how to use it themselves.
Monday, April 11, 2011
14 April - Field
I had a great experience with field. I learned so much about so many different things. It is so wonderful to be able to be in a classroom and actually watch an experienced teacher teach elementary school students. Alyse and I had a great time teaching the students and trying out all of the fun things we have learned this semester.
The students loved it when we used technology in their classroom. We showed them our digital story and they absolutely loved it. They watched it very attentively and asked some great questions afterwards. We gave them a worksheet with a few questions to answer as they were watching it and it worked like a charm. They were listening so well and writing in their answers.
Our cooperating teacher uses a document camera alot and it was so useful to us, as well. He also had a projector in his classroom. He told us that it was the only one for that grade level at the school, but he had it in his classroom almost the entire time we were there. There were a few students who helped him get it setup each time he needed to use it. They loved to help and knew exactly how to use it. They were also very helpful to us as we were trying to figure it out.
During field, it just made me realize even more how I want to use all of the cool technology I have learned about when I have my own classroom. It is such a useful tool for a teacher and I hope to take full advantage of it. All of our lessons in this class and computer technology in education were so helpful to me and I am so glad that I have learned it all. Field was so amazing and I cannot wait to have my own class.
The students loved it when we used technology in their classroom. We showed them our digital story and they absolutely loved it. They watched it very attentively and asked some great questions afterwards. We gave them a worksheet with a few questions to answer as they were watching it and it worked like a charm. They were listening so well and writing in their answers.
Our cooperating teacher uses a document camera alot and it was so useful to us, as well. He also had a projector in his classroom. He told us that it was the only one for that grade level at the school, but he had it in his classroom almost the entire time we were there. There were a few students who helped him get it setup each time he needed to use it. They loved to help and knew exactly how to use it. They were also very helpful to us as we were trying to figure it out.
During field, it just made me realize even more how I want to use all of the cool technology I have learned about when I have my own classroom. It is such a useful tool for a teacher and I hope to take full advantage of it. All of our lessons in this class and computer technology in education were so helpful to me and I am so glad that I have learned it all. Field was so amazing and I cannot wait to have my own class.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
10 March - Digital Stories 3
The production process of my digital story has been a little slower than I actually thought it would. It has taken quite a while to come up with a good idea and find the resources to put it all together. I can see how these projects will probably get easier each time that you do them. I think that Photostory is a wonderful tool for teachers and I look forward to using it more and more in the future.
Our cooperating teacher has asked that we teach his 4th grade students about the government in the State of Utah and how a bill becomes a law. We are using our digital story to explain to the students how a bill becomes a law. I think that it will be beneficial to the students and it will help them remember this important concept.
I am excited to be able to give our digital story to our cooperating teacher and hope that he will find some use for it in the future. I am excited to get into the classroom and try out all of these great things that I have learned in my first semester in the program. I am a little nervous, but really excited for this experience. I can see that the more experience we get, the better teachers we will become.
Our cooperating teacher has asked that we teach his 4th grade students about the government in the State of Utah and how a bill becomes a law. We are using our digital story to explain to the students how a bill becomes a law. I think that it will be beneficial to the students and it will help them remember this important concept.
I am excited to be able to give our digital story to our cooperating teacher and hope that he will find some use for it in the future. I am excited to get into the classroom and try out all of these great things that I have learned in my first semester in the program. I am a little nervous, but really excited for this experience. I can see that the more experience we get, the better teachers we will become.
Monday, February 28, 2011
3 March - Digital Stories 2
I thought it was really interesting to learn about the copyright laws and issues that we face as teachers. I really would not have thought that teachers would be bound by these laws, but I am glad to know about them and to be aware of what I can and cannot use in my classroom.
It is so important for us to be informed of the different copyright rules that will affect us as teachers. With all of the technology that is out there, it would be easy to ignore these laws. It is very important for us to be aware of and use good digital citizenship and make sure that everything we use off of the internet and other digital technology is appropriate and legal. I was surprised to learn about Disney and Pixar and how tough they are about copyright issues. That is very useful information for me to have in my teaching career, as well as my personal life.
I want to make sure that my students are aware of and use good digital citizenship. They need to learn what is allowed and what is not so that they will never get themselves in a situation where they have used something that they were not suppose to use. I think we need to teach our students that just because it is on the internet, it doesn't mean that it is fair game. Someone produced these things and we do not have the right to use them without their permission. We teach them not to steal from the store and it is the same thing regaring digital technology.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
24 February - Digital Stories 1
I really enjoyed learning about digital stories. The examples that were shown in class were very moving and amazing to watch. I am surprised at how powerful a digital story can be and the importance of getting everything just right, like the music, pictures, timing, etc.
I have not heard back from my cooperating teacher. I emailed him on Monday and am waiting for his response. We are doing our field in a 4th grade classroom, so we know that we will be doing Utah history for social studies. We are hoping that he will get back to us soon so that we can begin working on our digital story and other lesson plans. I like the way that you are guiding us step by step through this process. It seems really overwhelming when you look at the examples that you have shown us, but I think if we do it step by step it will help make it a simpler process.
I am excited to work on this digital story. It looks like such a fun tool to use in my future classroom. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a semester ahead of me in this program and she has already made a few more digital stories just because she loves to do it and wants to get ready for her field. I love using technology in the classroom and I know the students really enjoy it too. I hope to be able to get pretty good at making digital stories so that I can implement them into my curriculum and use them over and over again. What an awesome tool for a teacher to have. I am so glad that I am learning how to do this.
I have not heard back from my cooperating teacher. I emailed him on Monday and am waiting for his response. We are doing our field in a 4th grade classroom, so we know that we will be doing Utah history for social studies. We are hoping that he will get back to us soon so that we can begin working on our digital story and other lesson plans. I like the way that you are guiding us step by step through this process. It seems really overwhelming when you look at the examples that you have shown us, but I think if we do it step by step it will help make it a simpler process.
I am excited to work on this digital story. It looks like such a fun tool to use in my future classroom. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a semester ahead of me in this program and she has already made a few more digital stories just because she loves to do it and wants to get ready for her field. I love using technology in the classroom and I know the students really enjoy it too. I hope to be able to get pretty good at making digital stories so that I can implement them into my curriculum and use them over and over again. What an awesome tool for a teacher to have. I am so glad that I am learning how to do this.
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