There are a million educational software programs out there that are great for kids. Not only are these programs educational and informative but they are also fun. In my opinion, there is nothing better than learning that kids WANT to do.
A lot of games teach skills that kids aren't even aware of. My favorite computer game growing up was the Adventures of the Zoombinis. This game involved getting little tiny creatures, zoombinis, from an unhappy home to a new, peaceful land. In order to get them from one place to the other, the player had to pass a series of challenges. All of the challenges involved something educational- making patterns, grouping characteristics, critical thinking skills, deductive reasoning, etc. I never thought of the game as educational- I played it purely for pleasure. However, in the process, I learned and practiced a lot of important skills without even realizing it.
I think it is important to allow students to play educational games, particularly games that aren't obviously educational. This will help students foster a love for learning without thinking that learning is cheesy or boring. Some traditional educational software are a little cheesy and boring, and I think that can be a huge turnoff to a student.
Monday, December 3, 2007
VideoSoftware
In my high school years, Video Software played a huge role in many of my classes. Classes would require us to work in group and videotape some sort of clip- usually a dramatic reenactment of a book we had read or maybe even something based off of a screenplay of our own. We would then have to edit the footage we had, add sound bytes, transitions, rolling credits, etc.
At the time, I thought this was extremely tedious, however now, looking back with a more open mind, I see it as an excellent, almost ingenious, way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Some of my fondest memories are of the crazy videos we shot in the middle of the winter for a project in English on Romeo and Juliet. Video projects are the ultimate expression of creativity!! They're always fun and students always get into them. Yes, the editing can be a little bit annoying, but I suppose in the long run it was worth all the good times had while shooting. For most the editing isn't even that big of a deal- and it gives students to perfect opportunity to learn about software, uploading onto a computer, inserting, editing, recording- all sorts of technology stuff. Students are so excited with their video project that they don't even realize all the skills and practice they are acquiring.
Hopefully one day when teaching middle school, I will be proficient enough in VideoSoftware to allow my students the opportunity to do their own video project.
At the time, I thought this was extremely tedious, however now, looking back with a more open mind, I see it as an excellent, almost ingenious, way to incorporate technology into the classroom. Some of my fondest memories are of the crazy videos we shot in the middle of the winter for a project in English on Romeo and Juliet. Video projects are the ultimate expression of creativity!! They're always fun and students always get into them. Yes, the editing can be a little bit annoying, but I suppose in the long run it was worth all the good times had while shooting. For most the editing isn't even that big of a deal- and it gives students to perfect opportunity to learn about software, uploading onto a computer, inserting, editing, recording- all sorts of technology stuff. Students are so excited with their video project that they don't even realize all the skills and practice they are acquiring.
Hopefully one day when teaching middle school, I will be proficient enough in VideoSoftware to allow my students the opportunity to do their own video project.
Discovery Education
Discovery Education is great resource for teacher! When creating our collabrative lesson plan, Discovery Education connected us to great websites and gave us interesting ideas for a creative and engaging lesson plan. If we actually had to implement the lesson plan, there was even a part of the website that helped you create worksheets and crosswords puzzles to handout to students.
It not only is great for teachers, but it is also a fun website for students. It provides many opportunities for students to expand and practice their science knowledge. I love the way they present information- it is very creative and visually pleasing. The site even provides science fair project ideas and tips.
As a future science teacher, Discovery Education is going to be a great resource for me in my future classroom.
It not only is great for teachers, but it is also a fun website for students. It provides many opportunities for students to expand and practice their science knowledge. I love the way they present information- it is very creative and visually pleasing. The site even provides science fair project ideas and tips.
As a future science teacher, Discovery Education is going to be a great resource for me in my future classroom.
Internet Safety
In the past couple years, the Internet has become a standard part of life. For this reason, it is very important that we teach students how to use and navigate it. However, with the Internet come many concerns for safety. While it can be a great tool, it can also be very dangerous- it includes information of ALL kinds and it is very easy to stumble across something unexpected. For example, typing www.facebook wrong in the address bar- www.faecbook.com- results in a 'naughty' website rather than the popular social networking site. The Internet also connects people like never before- people can be easily accessible if they are not careful. Unfortunately, the inter net attracts all sorts of people, so it necessary that a person protect themselves and be very, very careful with who they communicate over the Internet.
It is important that teachers teach students safe Internet practice. It is also important that parents are aware of the many dangers of the Internet. In this day and age, it is not uncommon for kids to have much more technology knowledge than their parents. Parents need to be a step ahead of their kids and enact appropriate filters and monitor young children's use of the Internet. Both educators and parents need to take an active role in protecting young people on the Internet and teach appropriate and safe useage practices.
It is important that teachers teach students safe Internet practice. It is also important that parents are aware of the many dangers of the Internet. In this day and age, it is not uncommon for kids to have much more technology knowledge than their parents. Parents need to be a step ahead of their kids and enact appropriate filters and monitor young children's use of the Internet. Both educators and parents need to take an active role in protecting young people on the Internet and teach appropriate and safe useage practices.
Technology in the Classroom
Technology savvy classrooms scare me. As a technology Neanderthal, I am sure my students will know much, much more about computers than I will. It is obvious that computers play a huge role in the classroom. I am shocked when I go to placements by how much students do on the computer! I am afraid I won't be able to keep up!
I am an old fashioned girl, and would prefer to just ignore technology- it makes my life more complicated. I get exhausted by the constant and speedy communication and find it all more of a burden than helpful! Give me an old, heavy encyclopedia- I'd rather research for information there than on the Internet.
However, there is simply no way, in this day and age, that I can ignore it- especially if I want to be a teacher. It is becoming mandatory that certain computer skills be taught. In order to be a good teacher, I am going to have to be proficient in those skills- not to mention a step ahead if I don't want my kids to walk all over me. Technology raises the standard. It forces us to be on the ball and up to speed- now a days, parents can email a teacher at any time and the teacher is expected to reply quickly and efficiently. All I can hope is that I'm up for the challenge.
I am an old fashioned girl, and would prefer to just ignore technology- it makes my life more complicated. I get exhausted by the constant and speedy communication and find it all more of a burden than helpful! Give me an old, heavy encyclopedia- I'd rather research for information there than on the Internet.
However, there is simply no way, in this day and age, that I can ignore it- especially if I want to be a teacher. It is becoming mandatory that certain computer skills be taught. In order to be a good teacher, I am going to have to be proficient in those skills- not to mention a step ahead if I don't want my kids to walk all over me. Technology raises the standard. It forces us to be on the ball and up to speed- now a days, parents can email a teacher at any time and the teacher is expected to reply quickly and efficiently. All I can hope is that I'm up for the challenge.
Email in the Classroom
Last semester, I had a placement in the CollegeSchool for EDUC230. Our assignment was to work one on one with a student in whatever area they happened to need a little extra practice with. The girl that I worked with always had to work on her typing skills. One method the teacher used to practice typing skills was through email! The CollegeSchool has its own network where students and teachers can email back and forth. Rather than doing a program like Mavis Beacon over and over again, students would send emails. This allowed them not only to communicate but also apply and practice their typing skills in a real life setting. I thought this was a great way to incorporate typing skills. My student thought emailing was a really cool thing to do, so even though she hated to type, she still got excited to send an email. Her and I got in the habit of writing to each other. It was a painless and fun way to practice typing.
Excel
While I find Excel to be a great tool, it can also be very overwhelming. It offers so many services that in navigating through the program, it can be easy to get lost.
When teaching Excel in the classroom, I think it is very important to highlight the formulas and functions that are most commonly used and focus intently on those few items. Overkilling a few functions would be better than to brief a mass amount of functions. Students would only get confused and be unable to remember anything. In my computer experience, I have been taught Excel many, many times. Each time, my professors briefed a whole lot of different formulas and functions that Excel is capable of- as a result, the only thing I know how to use is AutoSum. I feel that if my teachers had spent more time of a select few and important functions, I would be a more proficient Excel user.
In elementary school, the basic functions are the most practical tools to be taught anyway. AutoSum is great for totaling numbers for any class- recorded times for a science experiment, gathered statistics for a math class- the opportunities are endless. Another Excel resource that is great in the classroom is the graph maker.
When teaching Excel in the classroom, I think it is very important to highlight the formulas and functions that are most commonly used and focus intently on those few items. Overkilling a few functions would be better than to brief a mass amount of functions. Students would only get confused and be unable to remember anything. In my computer experience, I have been taught Excel many, many times. Each time, my professors briefed a whole lot of different formulas and functions that Excel is capable of- as a result, the only thing I know how to use is AutoSum. I feel that if my teachers had spent more time of a select few and important functions, I would be a more proficient Excel user.
In elementary school, the basic functions are the most practical tools to be taught anyway. AutoSum is great for totaling numbers for any class- recorded times for a science experiment, gathered statistics for a math class- the opportunities are endless. Another Excel resource that is great in the classroom is the graph maker.
Kidspiration
For my powerpoint presentation in EDUC286, I highlighted the software Kidspiration. Kidspiration serves a variety of purposes. It's main goal is to teach students organizing skills (it's a tool for creating graphic organizers) but it does so in a creative way that teaches and fosters other skills along the way. Young students are able to practice literacy skills while older learners improve comprehension skills and learn effective ways to organize and plan writing compositions.
All of these skills are "taught" in a very creative way- the software is all about visuals and audio clips. These extra tools are great ways to get students excited and into what they are doing.
Kidspiration is definately a resource I want in my classroom. It simply looks neat- it is easy to see why students would get excited about it. Another plus is that the website offers several examples of how the software can be applied not only to reading and writing skills, but subjects across the board- math, science, and social studies! This software does it all.
All of these skills are "taught" in a very creative way- the software is all about visuals and audio clips. These extra tools are great ways to get students excited and into what they are doing.
Kidspiration is definately a resource I want in my classroom. It simply looks neat- it is easy to see why students would get excited about it. Another plus is that the website offers several examples of how the software can be applied not only to reading and writing skills, but subjects across the board- math, science, and social studies! This software does it all.
Search Engines and Directories
I learned a lot about Search Engines and Directories in class. There are a lot of little helpful hints that I had no idea about that can make the Internet searching process much much easier.
I think search engines and directories can be very helpful in the classroom, especially if students know the difference between them and the various search options that they have. For my WebSearching activity for this class, I used a search engine uniquely designed with kids in mind- Yahooligans. I also tried using Google. The results I got were very different! With Google, I had to do mass amounts of searching through hits- many of which were completely unrelated to what I was actually looking for. With Yahooligans, however, there were many less hits and the hits that I did get were kid friendly. With Google, I searched through pages of links before finding the information I wanted, where with Yahooligans, I used the first hit it gave me.
Knowing how to navigate the Internet in a safe, efficient way is a very useful skill. When searching with a regular search engine, the amount of hits can be overwhelming- especially when half the sites are completely unrelated or useless to what you are actually trying to find. Using something like Yahooligans can really help students find what they want when they are searching for information on the Internet. It can also keep them safe by reducing the amount of inappropriate hits. I wish I had known how to make the search process easier and more efficient when I was in school.
I think search engines and directories can be very helpful in the classroom, especially if students know the difference between them and the various search options that they have. For my WebSearching activity for this class, I used a search engine uniquely designed with kids in mind- Yahooligans. I also tried using Google. The results I got were very different! With Google, I had to do mass amounts of searching through hits- many of which were completely unrelated to what I was actually looking for. With Yahooligans, however, there were many less hits and the hits that I did get were kid friendly. With Google, I searched through pages of links before finding the information I wanted, where with Yahooligans, I used the first hit it gave me.
Knowing how to navigate the Internet in a safe, efficient way is a very useful skill. When searching with a regular search engine, the amount of hits can be overwhelming- especially when half the sites are completely unrelated or useless to what you are actually trying to find. Using something like Yahooligans can really help students find what they want when they are searching for information on the Internet. It can also keep them safe by reducing the amount of inappropriate hits. I wish I had known how to make the search process easier and more efficient when I was in school.
Citation Machine
I absolutely love the Citation Machine. I used it in high school religiously and continue to use it to this day. It is my best friend when it comes time to writing papers for any class!
However, though Citation Machine makes my life much, much easier, I often think that with ease comes a lost skill. If I had to make a reference page and could not use the Citation Machine, I would be lost. I think that in making things easier, technology often allows us to lose important skills. Those skills become obsolete and are replaced with a simple mouse click. Will there come a point in time where people rely solely on Citation Machine to make bibliographies? Will it no longer be taught at all in the classroom? It's an interesting thought- and it applies to many other technology tools too.
However, though Citation Machine makes my life much, much easier, I often think that with ease comes a lost skill. If I had to make a reference page and could not use the Citation Machine, I would be lost. I think that in making things easier, technology often allows us to lose important skills. Those skills become obsolete and are replaced with a simple mouse click. Will there come a point in time where people rely solely on Citation Machine to make bibliographies? Will it no longer be taught at all in the classroom? It's an interesting thought- and it applies to many other technology tools too.
Wikis
I had no idea what Wikis were until starting this class; I did not even know that Wikipedia was a collaborative encyclopedia! In fact, I am pretty sure I had never even imagined or heard of such an idea as collaborative websites.
However, I must admit, I am much more in favor of Wikis than I am of blogs. In my opinion, Wikis serve a more professional role than blogs. I really like the idea of being able to work on the same document with another person and being able to see the changes made. Just recently, I was working on a project with a friend; we both had the documents saved on our computer- after tediously emailing them back and forth- and we both intended on making changes on our own. This would have been a great time to use a Wiki. Instead, we are going to have to meet again and compare and consolidate both of our changes.
For our collaborative tool project, Richard and I used Wikis; we found that it was great when we were trying to make a lesson plan together. We also found a great way for Wikis to be used in the classroom. Wikis are great tools for professionals, teachers, students, friends- they are truly a technology tool that I think is very useful to many people.
However, I must admit, I am much more in favor of Wikis than I am of blogs. In my opinion, Wikis serve a more professional role than blogs. I really like the idea of being able to work on the same document with another person and being able to see the changes made. Just recently, I was working on a project with a friend; we both had the documents saved on our computer- after tediously emailing them back and forth- and we both intended on making changes on our own. This would have been a great time to use a Wiki. Instead, we are going to have to meet again and compare and consolidate both of our changes.
For our collaborative tool project, Richard and I used Wikis; we found that it was great when we were trying to make a lesson plan together. We also found a great way for Wikis to be used in the classroom. Wikis are great tools for professionals, teachers, students, friends- they are truly a technology tool that I think is very useful to many people.
Blogs
Blogs are a whole new ballgame for me. While in high school, I was the one person who did not have a xanga or a livejournal. Though I am sure they offer many benefits, I also think that there are negative aspects to blogs. If used in the perfect way in a perfect world, blogs could be an excellent way of spreading ideas. However, in my experience, especially while in high school, blogs are used as a method of self expression. In this situation, I think blogs can be quite dangerous. People often reveal more detail than they should, treating blogs almost like a diary. In my opinion this is not OK, especially in the world we live in today. ESPECIALLY when talking about young children. There are so many predators out there just waiting for a hint of vulnerability. Though self expression should not be hindered or restricted, I also think it is important to teach students about Internet safety and discourage use of online journals or blogs as a close confident or a venting tool.
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