Technology in Education

Technology in Education Class

The homework is all done (almost).  The class will be done in less than a week.  And I have learned a tremendous amount.  Do I still need help with technology?  Absolutely, but I feel more confident and knowledgeable about using technology.  When I first entered the class in late August, my biggest concern was to gain more information about using the SmartBoard.  As the class concludes I have learned more than I thought possible.  My overall technology skills are still shaky, but I have some "cool tools" under my belt.

Just this week I was working with a student who has trouble getting her ideas down in written form.  I decided to use a graphic organizer for her to brainstorm before writing.  I initially grabbed a paper and pencil.  Then I realized popplet would do the same job and probably be more interesting to the student.  She loved it and not only were her ideas well organized before she wrote, but she enjoyed the process of creating her first popplet.

And I think that experience summarizes my tech situation at this point.  Now that I know about the sites like Blabberize, quizlet, popplet, voki, prezi, and edmodo, I am more likely to use them.  I am now also more aware of the power of networking on the computer as an educator and a lifelong learner.  So through all the hours at the laptop, deleting of information, time spent yelling as I created my website, figuring out embedding and linking, the newly acquired computer knowledge has made it worth it.  I am more prepared to engage learners of the 21st century and to use technology effectively in my life. 

Tech Tool #3

My final tech tool was Blabberize.  From the first time I saw this tool, I wanted to use it in my future classroom and for my kids to use it for their classwork.  Prior to the Presidential Election, my daughter had to study a president and summarize some important facts about his life.  She chose Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the U.S.  After I showed her Blabberize, she decided to use it for her project.

http://blabberize.com/view/id/864603


It was fun.  As a first time user it took me a little while to figure out how to crop the mouth and add the sound.  Now that I feel more comfortable with the tool it will be very easy to use.  I think it is a great tool to use to grab the attention of students and for class projects.  It is a great way to transmit information.  I recommend this tool to educators, students, and parents. 

Tech Tools #1

I do not currently have my own classroom so I decided to focus on using tools that will help my third grade daughter with her homework.  I want to see the tools from the teacher's vantage point and how they work for a student.  My daughter is currently studying the states and their capitals in social studies.  I devised a study tool for an upcoming state/ capitals test.  Therefore, the first tech tool I used was Quizlet.

50 State Capitals With Map

Quizlet was great.  It was easy to create and easy for my daughter to use.  I basically created an account, put the flashcard information in, and the flascards were ready to be used.  My daughter not only enjoyed the games, but the information helped her study for her test.  The game we both liked best was the Scatter Game.  The names of the capitals need to be matched with the state name and its corresponding picture.  An A+ for Quizlet given by both teacher and student.

Tech Tools #2

The second tech tool I used was Wordle.  My sixth grade son is studying Classification in Science and has an upcoming quiz.  I thought studying with a Wordle might be more fun than memorizing from a traditional list.   The only problem I had was trying to save it and I actually had to download it and save it as an image.  However, I enjoyed creating the Wordle and changing the fonts and colors.

The Wordle was a success.  My son actually took it to school to show his friends his study guide.  I think it is a great tool to use for studying, visual displays of written information, and just for fun.  This year I might incorporate a Wordle into our family Christmas card - I think family and friends from near and far will enjoy reading it.

PLN

In mid September I joined the 21st Century and signed up for Twitter.  I followed 10 people or organizations affiliated or interested in education.  The amount of information I received was overwhelming although some was not as useful to me as I had hoped.  There is so much educational information available, but I sifted through and found some great new resources.
For my PLN, Personal Learning Network, I chose EdVoices as my educational tool that has been most useful to me from Twitter.  EdVoices is actually a collection of blogs from various educators.  It was created by the National Education Association to discuss issues and concerns in public education.  The main reasons I find the site so useful is because of the breadth of information and that the blogs are from educators themselves.  The organization of the site and the ease navigating the site make it very user friendly. 
EdVoices is a site I can use while working as a TA, finishing the requirements for my IL Teaching Certificate, and when I have my own classroom next year (hopefully).  The information is relevant to a variety of subjects and age groups of students.  EdVoices is definitely a site I will be using now and in the future.  It is a great way to build my PLN as my teaching experience grows.  Through this activity I have discovered that Twitter itself is a resource for educators.  EdVoices is another tool in my expanding bag of tech tricks.

www.edvoices.com


Follow @jsquared74

Hmmmmm.  The stages of technology integration in the classroom and where I fall?  I think right now I am at the Adaptation Stage.  I understand the importance of technology in the classroom and  for today's learners.  Having two children of my own, working in a middle school, and being addicted to my iPhone all increase my desire to know more and use more technology in the classroom.  But frequently that pesky reality sets in and disrupts my tech love fest.  For my reality is that while I can use technology I don't really understand much about it.  When there is an error or malfunction I do not have any idea how to fix it.  And I get frustrated and want to play it safe by using the programs I know and love. 
I think the main aspect of technology integration I am interested in is using technology in a new way.  I frequently see teachers using the laptop in lieu of an overhead but nothing new is being done.  Our students not only need the knowledge which can be presented through technology but the know-how  to use the technology.  And this is where the difficulty lies for me.  I have a wealth of technology information but don't know how or where to start using it.  So I stick to what I know and use technology in a simple, safe way.  I hope this class improves my comfort level in the classroom.

Technology in School

I have had almost a week to digest all the information we received in class last week.  I am feeling a little less overwhelmed but still feel there is so much for me to learn.  Especially when I really thought about the amount of technology at our students fingertips on a daily basis.
According to Project Tomorrow's Speak Up findings from 2010 51% of 6th to 8th graders have cell phones and 34% of those are Smart phones.  This really shocked me as my son just started 6th grade a few weeks ago and I finally broke down and got him a phone  Not an iphone.  Not even a Smart phone.  Because I am a lame mom and his life is so rough(loosely paraphrased).  The reason I was so impressed by this study was that they surveyed the students themselves and rural, urban, and suburban areas were well represented. 
I currently work in a middle school as well and am familiar with the cell phone policy at school.  Off and out of sight during the day.  A part of me understands this because of the reality of how students chose to use their phones.  Even adult students are asked to turn off their cell phones during graduate level instruction.  Yet what part of relatively inexpensive technology are we asking our students not to use with these policies?  However, in a practical sense monitoring their use would be an uphill battle and could possibly take away from instructional time.  I don't really have any concrete answers just more questions.  Which means the practical implementation of technology is like everything else in life.  Multi faceted with no clear cut answer and opens the door for greater discussion.......

I am blogging!

About me
I am currently working as a Teacher's Assistant in a middle school in Oak Park, IL.  I have my Master's Degree in Education from Notre Dame University in Maryland.  In order to get my type 03 Certification in IL I need to take 15 more graduate credits.  Just took my first class last night and feeling overwhelmed this evening.
I live in Oak Park as well with my two kids, 8 and 11, and my cat Hugo.  In what was previously known as my free time I like to read, swim, listen to music, travel, cook with my kids, laugh, and spend time with friends and family.  I love Oak Park and Chicago even though I am an transplant from Alaska via the East Coast. 
My brain hurts.  I need to stop!