Incorporating technology

When I first started this class I really did not think that I would be able to incorporate technology into what I wanted to teach (Kindergarten or 1st grade) because most of my students would not be able to read yet. (...well this also coupled with the fact that I am pretty clueless when it comes to learning about new technology).   However, after learning about all the different ways to incorporate technology through the reading and through the example websites I'm very excited to try it out.  Technology is everywhere and it is the way of the world these days.  Kids today are born into this crazy techno obsessed world.   I shouldn't be blind to the fact that kids who are 5 and 6 years old may know a lot more about the internet than I do!   One of the most useful integrating technology strategies that I learned about was the webquest.   I feel like these are going to be so useful to me as a teacher because they are so organized and easy to understand that even young students can follow them.   I also think that a lot of the websites that I had to research for class will be beneficial to me- especially the one about using technology to help teach special needs students.  Even being as clueless as I am when it comes to computers and internet, after this class I feel a lot more comfortable with trying to find ways to add technology.

technology integration for special education

 In Chapter 15 of the reading I learned a lot about the different students I will come across.  From those that are extremely gifted, to those with physical impairment, to those who have a learning disability I am sure I will come across more than one in my future classroom.  Integrating technology for those students that have disabilities is just as beneficial as integrating technology to the students who do not.  The problem that arises is how am I going to do that.  In the reading I came across the webite www.attainmentcompany.com.   I clicked on the video that popped up and was shown a student with a disability learning how to read by using a tool the site identifies as the early reading skills builder.  I was so inspired by watching the little boy recognize the letters and being able to read the words.  I think that this website is fantastic.  It shows parents and teachers that even a child with disabilities can learn and that they are not a "lost cause."  If I come across a student such as Grady in my experience I will definitely be visiting this site and the links to find ways to help him or her learn.  Check out the site and watch the video-amazing what a little technology can do!

technology integration blog 2

After reading chapter 11 on integrating technology in mathematics and science instruction I saw the site http://mathforum.org.  I figured as an early elementary teacher math shouldn't really be a problem for me but after visiting the site I saw that there are hundreds of different, interesting ways to teach math to young students.  I loved this site because not only is it a great site for parents and students to use-it is also a helpful resource for teachers.  It has tons of ideas for teachers, activities and puzzles, teacher exchanges, and fun sites for kids.  I think that I would definitely use the kids site in the future- I loved this one I found http://www.mathcats.com/.

technology integration blog 1

 One of the ideas that I read in chapter 9 on technology integration of English and Language arts that I will definitely use in the future is the idea of giving students access to online reading materials.  The chapter gave the example of www.icdlbooks.org- the international children's digital library.  It has over 2000 free online books.  I went to the site and found a lot of different books that I found interesting  that could be used in an elementary setting.  I also liked that the site had different books from all over the world which would be great to give kids a chance to see what a book in a different language looks like.  There are lots of different ways that a teacher could use this site-from showing students in the classroom how to read an online book, to having them do a workshop where all the students read the same book, to having them search for books that they find interesting from the list provided.

5 pet peeves on webdesigns

Some of my biggest pet peeves about web designs and webquests are too many links, too many graphics, poor grammar, confusing layouts, and obnoxious sound effects.  While I was searching for webquests for our first assignment I came across a ton that had all of these negative aspects.  If I have to go to 10 different links to understand what your webquest is about you have already lost me.  I also get distracted easily-so if there is a dancing cartoon on a page that is all I am looking at-again you have lost me.  There were a number of web sites that I visited that had grammatical errors as well-it is one thing if you are posting in a personal blog or on facebook and you have poor grammar and spelling but it is quite another if you want people to take your web site seriously.  As far as confusing layouts go-if I can't figure out how to go through your web site I'm not going to waste my time-even if it has great information.  My last pet peeve is obnoxious sound effects.  I saw these in a number of elementary webquests.  I get that you want to spark the interest of the student but again it is distracting.

Powerpoint on Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is the way of the future.  From personal experience along with the readings for class I have seen how useful interactive websites can be.  Some web 2.0 sites that I believe will be helpful in the classroom are kahnacademy.com and youtube.com.  Kahnacademey helps students with math questions and gives them practice questions to do on their own.  For someone like me who is absolutely terrible at math, this site is amazing.  This is something that has helped me as an adult studying for standardized math tests as well as my 2nd grade nephew studying for his multiplication test.  Overall, I think this is a great site and is super useful to lots of students.  The other 2.0 website that I think will be useful is youtube.com.  There are millions and millions of videos from instructional videos for teachers to learn new and different ways to teach to visual aid videos that a teacher can use to show her students something.  There are endless possibilities with that site.  The site that I did my powerpoint presentation on is ourstory.com which can also be very useful to students and teachers-check it out

 

 

 

 https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=633D494D449FD5A2%21181

 

 

The quest for the best webquest...

When I was little I LOVED this show on PBS called "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego."  It was a kids game show that was basically all geography mixed in with a little bit of trivia.  The goal was to find Carmen.  She wasn't just anywhere in America though.  She was always in another part of the world that I, as a small child, had sometimes never even heard of.   The kids had to find her by answering trivia questions for the first rounds.  Once they discovered which country she was in the final challenge was to be able to identify different areas of that country on a large map.  Once they got a certain number of areas correct they found Carmen and won.  The show was amazing to me.  How did these kids just a little older than me know all this information about countries that I haven't even heard of?!  How could they identify the capitals of these countries by looking at a blank map?  These kids were geniuses!! They probably began studying geography at a young age.  But how?  I barely knew where Illinois was on the map- how could I learn more?  Were there geography books made for little kids?  The answer is YES!! I discovered a webquest that is perfect for little kids based on a story called Flat Stanley. The webquest is designed for students in the 2nd grade. Flat Stanley is a character who has been flattened and can be folded to travel easily. This webquest is great because it teaches little kids to identify places on all seven continents.  They also will research these places to find out why Flat Stanley would want to travel there.  I thought this webquest was just the best because it taught kids about how big the world is and gives them the opportunity to discover new and exciting places!  If I had this webquest when I was 7 I would definitely be applying to be the next contestant on "Carmen San Diego!!"  Check it out for yourself! http://questgarden.com/88/51/0/110206182314/index.htm 

This is my first blog...

Hi, this is my first blog post....ever.  I'm creating this in accordance with my course in educational technology at Olivet Nazarene University.  We are going to blog for the entire class which is about 6 weeks.  We will be answering questions from class and posting them on this blog.  Since this is my first attempt at "blogging" I hope that everything runs smoothly.