As I thoroughly read through the website, a lot of what I read was information I had previously been exposed to. However, I did learn several interesting facts. One was "computers are included in the curriculum within the classroom rather than set apart in a separate room or lab." I knew that computers should be included in the curriculum, but I never thought about the location of the computers mattering. I assumed it was just as helpful to take students to the computer lab as having students use them within the classroom. I think this key point is encouraging teachers to make technology a natural part of the classroom environment. Rather than having one day a week designated to attending the computer lab, computers should be used constantly throughout the week. I also learned a lot reading the section "offer support for young readers." I had never thought that being allowed to type their papers would actually help students. Rather, I tended to assume that it would be an obstacle for them. However, I now know that word processors actually encourage children to view writing as a process. They allow students to focus on ideas, enabling them to more easily compose and revise text. Lastly, I loved reading about speech synthesizers. Speech synthesizers use a digital voice that reads a student exactly what he has written. Since it is reading the actual writing, and not what the writer meant to say, it provides the immediate, focused feedback that is very helpful to students. "For example, when reading aloud a series of words without capitals or ending punctuation, the voice does not stop at the end of the idea. The importance of punctuation and capitals soon becomes clear."
The most important thing I learned from watching the videos is it really is possible to incorporate technology into your lesson plans. The examples given were not elaborate projects on the computer; they were simple tasks that had a natural connection to the curriculum being taught. In the first video (I Love Spiders), I really liked the idea of communicating with another classroom in the country. Not only does it cause your students to be excited about collecting data/information (i.e. pictures of spiders), it gives them a reason and purpose for doing it - sharing the information with another eager class. In addition, it allows your students to learn about other areas of the country. They might not get this information anywhere else, and if they do, it will probably be out of a textbook. The other video that really impressed me was Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I was not impressed because her activity was something amazing and unique that I have never seen before. In the past few years, I have observed countless activities tied to the popular Brown Bear book. However, I was impressed because she was found a way to use technology with kindergarteners. Previously, I have underestimated the abilities of younger elementary school children. I love the fact that her kindergarten students were able to use the computer to draw pictures of the assigned topic. That's so neat! After watching these videos, I have decided to do my best to incorporate technology in a variety of my lesson plans. What is my main motivating factor? The children's reactions! They seem to all love using technology and get so excited about a topic that is presented through technology :)
For my interview, I met with Ms. Herren, a 2nd grade teacher who teaches at Whitehead Road Elementary. I began the interview by asking her to describe the types of technology she has access to in her classroom. She responded by saying they use technology almost daily. One way is with a program called Sentio: each student has a clicker and are supposed to log in to their particular class, using their ID or lunch number, in order to take their math test. They have a hard copy of the test in front of them, but they answer in with their clickers. Other forms of technology are incorporated into centers. During reading centers, students are allowed to use the computers to play "Ticket to Read." Another option is to listen to a book on tape. In addition, students have access to a little machine that they can slide a card (with a word written on it) into and have the machine read it to them; they are supposed to say the word along with the machine. Ms. Herren also has a personal laptop and has access to the media center where she can check out tape recorders, digital cameras or video cameras. However, the main form of technology she uses is a "technological whiteboard," called a Smartboad. Her classroom does not have a television, VCR or overhead because these technologies have now been replaced by the Smartboard. Naturally, I asked her to explain more about the Smartboard because I have never heard of or experienced it. Smartboard is a technological whiteboard that looks like a movie screen; it is a big square screen with small areas of whiteboard on each side. It comes with an eraser and markers that allow you to use the Smartboard as a whiteboard though (except the markers are different than regular Expo markers- they show up on the screen without actually marking it). Next, Ms. Herren hooks up her laptop the the Smartboard so anything she does on her laptop is broadcast over the Smartboard for the whole class to see. She has a program, Smartnotebook, that allows her to design individual lesson plans. There are just so many different things you can do! For example, if you are teaching a lesson on time, you can pull up a clock that is actually ticking off the seconds and minutes. Ms. Herren absolutely loves her Smartboard because it is touch screen as well, making it even more interactive for her students. For example, when they had a lesson on money, students came up and pulled coins to different areas to make different dollar amounts. She also uses numerous teacher websites to gather ideas for upcoming lesson plans.
When asked if there were any other technologies she wished she had in her classroom, Ms. Herren replied, "Not really. My Smartboard seems to be able to do almost anything." She thinks it would be too difficult if each 2nd grader had his/her own laptop. However, she did comment that she wished her school gave access to YouTube. Two of her student teachers went out to a river and made a video using their camera. They wanted to upload the video on YouTube and broadcast it over the Smartboard. Unfortunately, they were unable to do this because the website is blocked from the school.
I concluded the interview by asking Ms. Herren a final question: how do your students respond to the technology used in your classroom? As expected, she said her students LOVE it. They love getting to use the computers and love getting to come up and do different things on the Smartboard. She said whenever she asks for volunteers, almost every student has their hand raised.
I read and commented on Tammy, Whitney and Ashley's videos!! They were all so fabulous.
Through this assignment, I really have learned to love Kidspiration and can honestly see myself using it in my future classroom. It would be inappropriate to simply sit students in front of the computer screen and expect them to teach themselves, but I think it would be a great assessment tool. After introducing a concept (i.e. seasons) to the class and performing numerous interactive activities to expand their knowledge, Kidspiration is a perfect assessment activity. It helps show how much students truly know as they apply concepts, but they are getting to play a game all along the way. This hands-on activity would be helpful to every student. Another HUGE advantage is numerous activities are already designed, preventing me from having to invent every program from scratch. The only problems I can anticipate relates to the grade level I am teaching. For example, if I am teaching 1st grade, I may not let each individual student access Kidspiration. I do not want to spend all of our time explaining directions and teaching students needed computer skills. However, if I have previously observed that students are comfortable with technology, I will happily let them perform the activity on their own. Another possible problem is the lack of support during this activity. It will be extremely hard to have an effective activity if I am only able to visit with a few students. If I decide to use Kidspiration, I will encourage parent volunteers to come and help with the activity.
My science activity is centered around the different seasons. I will begin the unit by introducing the concept of seasons to the class. We will have a class discussion about what they have observed about the different seasons, and then I will tell them specific characteristics of each season. Following which, each student will take his/her notebook and walk around the room, stopping at marked locations that contain objects that represent a certain season. They will make their best predictions about the objects, dicussing their thoughts with their classmates, and then return to their seats as we review the answers as a class. At the end of the week, I will assess their knowledge. Using Kidspiration, each student will click on the 'Science' section and then 'Seasons.' For the assignment, they will use the symbols on the left-hand side to describe each season. Then, they will go to 'Writing View' to describe how each picture relates to its season. Since this activity requires them to apply the knowledge they have learned, they need to find symbols for 1)what the sky would look like during each season 2) the clothes they would wear during each season, and 3) another area of their choice. As they complete their assignment, I will walk around, answering questions and providing assistance. 1. Content: Science-Kindergarten-Standard 3-Objective 1: Investigate changes in seasons 2. Pedagogy: This activity employs so many essential scientific procedures:
Observing, Classifying= First with the activity in the classroom, and then with Kidspiration, students have to observe the objects/pictures and classify them into an appropriate season Predicting=Every discussion and activity revolves around predicting which characteristic matches with which season Acquiring data= Studens will organize all their predictions neatly in each season Interpreting data=The paragraph they write in 'Writing View' will require them to describe the relationship between the picture and the season Analying data=During class discussions, we pay particular attention to everything we are learning about each individual season
This activity requires students to use their own problem solving and critical thinking skills. They are acting as real scientists as they pose questions, gather information and make valid conclusions on what they discover. However, I will be close by to scaffold their efforts.
3. Technology: Kidspiration! It's a great fit because it provides a fun, interactive activity that not only reinforces the concept to the students in an enjoyable way, but it also gives me a chance to assess their knowledge. 4. Representation: Again, this multimodal representation is so beneficial to students because it is hands-on! Students learn so much more and are able to stay engaged when their mind, eyes and hands are busy. Compared to simply looking at different seasons in the textbook, or watching a video of the leaves falling, students are able to use technology to search for objects related to different seasons and drag them to the appropriate season "box." They are able to use their prior experiences to choose which symbols they want. Through this use of technology, each individual child can complete the assignment according to their personal needs.
This poses a hard question. I will be the first to admit that yes, I think virtual tours are very impressive and would be a great teaching tool. Young children will become easily distracted and bored if they are having to learn about different cultures and land marks from the pages of a book. How great would it be to actually let them see and view the experiences firsthand?! Activities could be interative and hands-on, as teachers are always striving for, and I would be incorporating technology to help capture their attention as well. Unfortunately, the same problem arises as with other technology projects. I will not be teaching children above 3rd grade so having them make a virtual tour is highly unlikely. I would have to put them together myself, and this one took me quite a long time, with countless struggles mixed in. I doubt I will have the patience for such a project when I am trying to juggle so many other things.
