Technology and The Order of Operations

For my lesson plan, I will be instructing my students on the proper way to solve mathematical formulas using the Order of Operations. In order to move further into to study of Algebra, understanding the order of operations is a must. There are many approaches to take when teaching the order of operations such as the use of an overhead, Smartboard, breaking into groups and working on problems, etc. One can use technology to teach the order of operations through applications such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, or even Paint.

Obviously the use of a Smartboard would be one way I'd incorporate technology into my lesson plan. Writing out the rules and completing sample problems can be done on the Smartboard. But the one specific plan I have for incorporating technology into my lesson plan is to have students work with Excel and Word to create their own individual posterboards explaining the order of operations. On their posterboards, students write out the acronym "PEMDAS - Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply/Divide, Add/Subtract). Using Word/Excel I will have them come up with and type out their own example formulas. Then they'd print them out and break each step down using each letter of the PEMDAS acronym. Example formula:

[(5+4)^2/(11-2)]+8*3

Once pasted onto the posterboard, students may add arrows from Paint, Word, or Excel to point out each step in the process of solving the formula. Additional math-related images from the web or clipart may be used to "spice up" the posterboard.

Technology with Measurements

It is so important for students to learn all measurements but this lesson plan would just address volume measurements. Our fun and exciting lesson plan would include a measurement power point project. I would provide the students with a sample and review the bibliography format with them as well. I would also give them a sample bibliography to take with them to the computer lab. My next step would be to schedule time over several days in the school's computer lab for my students to work on a three slide power point presentation. The first slide requirements would involve a list of ten measurements and one equivalent of each measurement. It would be required that this slide contain a clip art image. The second slide requirement would need to include an internet image and a short explanation of why measurements are important. The third slide would contain the bibliography.
This lesson plan could be used for grades four to six. The students would not be expected to complete it all in one day. The students would learn measurements and computer skills at the same time. All of these lessons could be used almost on a daily basis.
The lesson encompasses:
*Measurements
*Power point
*Clip Art
*Internet imagery
*Bibliography skills

I would allow time in our schedule to briefly view these power points. After watching the power points presentations the measurements should be reinforced in the students mind.

technology in grammar lesson

In every classroom it is important to incorporate technology. Technology is growing rapidly and it is more than likely that your students know more about technology than you do. It is important to keep kids interested and technology is one way of doing that. Technology isn’t the only way of teaching kids and it should not take the place of a teacher, but it is still very important. It is important for kids to get familiar with technology, there may be some kids in your class that don’t have access to a computer at home or maybe even a television. School may be the place that some students can get technology experience that they will need later in life. In the world we live in today, it is important that everyone knows how to use a computer or is at least semi familiar with it and what it can do. As I mentioned before as important as technology is, it should never take the place of a teacher and the teacher shouldn’t let technology be the entire lesson.
There are a few ways I have come up with to incorporate technology into a grammar lesson. First I could show one of the videos of “School House Rock” which would be on a TV or on a projector. More specifically I could make up a power point for the kids about synonyms and antonyms (what my lesson is about) instead of them just listening to me and taking notes. I could use clip art and other various pictures to try to make it more interesting. Another form of technology that I could use would be different websites. There are different websites that kids can go to that have interactive games with different grammar lesson. I know there is a game on funbrain.com that has to do with grammar and synonyms and antonyms. Unless a class had access to a computer lab, maybe only a few students could do this at a time. This could also be a station in a workshop type setting if a computer lab is unavailable. If more games are wanted if you type in grammar games into google you can find thousands. It is important to keep up with technology and incorporate into your classroom, luckily in the world we live in today, it isn’t too hard.

Technology and lesson plan working together...

Technology provides an opportunity to transform traditional lectures into an interactive experience, making a simple lesson very exciting. My lesson plan is Spanish K-4, Calendar Unit which introduces the concepts of months, numbers, days of the week and basic questions related with the mentioned concepts. Much of foreign language is practicing linguistic fundamentals consider by many students to not be exciting.

As a technology immigrant educator, I can enhance a mundane unit with interactive instruction.

Through high speed Internet, classroom smart boards and inexpensive web cams the class will conduct a live classroom session with an English language class in Mexico. Once a week we will have an activity where students will ask each other questions such as: What day is today?/ Que dia es hoy?, What do you do on the weekends?/Que haces los fines de semana? . American students will use their Spanish and Mexican students will use their English. Exposing children to listening and speaking any language helps to develop their understanding and pronunciation in a foreign language.

Also utilizing available technology, students will visit the computer lab where they will create their own month of March. They will type in Spanish the activities that they perform during this month. This activity will improve their spelling and increase their vocabulary.
Not only we will embrace diversity but we also open children's eyes to another culture.

Technology in my lesson plan....

Figuring out how to incorporate technology into my lesson plan and future classroom is something I have been thinking about since day one of wanting to become a teacher. Being in the integrated business program, I will be certified to teach 4-12 and vocational. I will be able to teach many different business courses such as word processing, accounting, personal finance etc. When I first started my lesson plan planning, I came to realize there were no standards for business for K-12 by the state of Ohio, therefore I turned to national standards and Ohio standards for technology. These have been my guide thus far in prepping my lesson. To me being in the business world goes hand in hand with technology. When students take my courses, they will learn how technology comes to play in the business environment. They will learn more than just how to connect to the internet and make a power point, but rather other technological skills to assist and understand how business and technology play together.
My lesson plan is to introduce the marketing mix to 11th and 12th graders in a high school marketing course. The rest of the unit would be to dive deeper into each mix element. The marketing mix is made up of four components (price, product, place and promotion) on how a company launches a marketing plan for a product and/ or service. I could incorporate technology into this introduction lesson by having students pick their favorite brand name and product of that brand and conduct research on the internet through observing blogs, the company's website, consumer reviews etc. I could have the students identify the four components through their research on the internet. Another way to integrate technology into this lesson would be to have the ultimate goal at the end of the unit (after diving into each mix element) to be for the students to be in groups of 4 in which they will create their own product and a marketing plan for it. Each of the members of the group will have a responsibiity similiar to that of a real person in a marketing job function in which they will work hand in hand in creating this product and its launch plan. They will be paired up with a business member from the community who will be their mentor on the project. They will communicate with this mentor through email, web cams and blogs in which any meetings will be done this way and feedback given this way as well. My hopes would be to even have students particpate in teleconferencing with their mentor as well to see how their mentor uses technology on a day to day basis to get their job done!
You can see, I could go on and on about ways to incoporate technology in my classroom setting because the truth is, I have to incorporate it. The more I do, the better and more rounded my students will become with the way today's business world is. I will feel the pressure to incorporate at any and all times. To me the medium is the message in the sense that my concepts that I will be teaching will be easier and more effective with technology added in. Since children aren't in the business world to experience things for themselves, I need to utilize technology to make it as possible for them to experience and witness this world as possible for them to better understand the concepts and build vital skills to function in our business world today!

Web 2.0: Helping Reinvent Education http://thejournal.com/articles/21907_2

Web 2.0 is a "perceived" second-generation edition of the world wide web. "Perceived" because the celebrated features attributed exclusively to Web 2.0 are based on ideas that were present in the development of the web from the beginning. It just took this long for the proliferation of computer access and some modest technological advances to make these features attainable. Web 2.0 in its most ideal form refers to any web communities that "facilitate creativity, collaboration and sharing." Blogs, wikis, and podcasts are all examples of these kinds of sites. The article identifies a resultant paradigm shift in peoples' thinking process. The participatory and collaborative nature of Web 2.0 assures that "knowledge is gained through bottom up, individual methods, rather than top down, traditional forms." The article goes on to correctly(I think) conclude that new forms of knowledge and learning demand new ways of teaching. It's time to retool our education system so that it compliments the new knowledge acquisition technique of our next generation learners.

"The medium is the message"

I'm going to relate this quote to Web 2.0, a.k.a. "the participatory web." Marshall McCluhan would have us set aside the thoughts and ideas conveyed in the multitude of blogs, podcasts, and wiki's that exist all over the internet and instead asks us to examine the overall effect Web 2.0, as a medium, has on our society. After a few hours research, I'm most intrigued by this medium's propensity to become a living, breathing and ever-growing collective intelligence. I'm immediately reminded of movies like 'The Matrix' and 'The Terminator' where man has been overtaken by his own technology. I definitely agree that the information sharing put forth through this medium is invaluable. I admire the spirit of collaboration and cooperation it inspires in the academic arena. However, reflecting on Mr. McCluhan's quote has made me realize that, indeed, often times the medium ultimately has much more societal impact than the message. The advent of television has definitely proven this. Are we giving enough thought to all the possible ramifications that might come from the existence of such a dynamic, international, and interactive information network? By it's very nature this particular medium's growth can only be characterized as exponential. Will the tremendous educational benefits bestowed upon our society be nullified by the initiation of a paradigm shift that is incompatible with the human psyche? Can our finite biological intellect exist in a newly created digital environment that trancends the physical boundaries between mind, space, and time? I think Marshall McCluhan's quote, "the medium is the message" is more relevant today than ever. I don't think we can overestimate the potential consequences this medium may have on our society. In fact, is it not our duty to monitor this oh, so powerful medium? We should consider every possible theoretical permutation on how this thing might evolve. Yeah, I'm probably getting a little too 'science fiction-y' here, but does anybody think that television hasn't had a lot of negative impact on society? Television is child's play compared to the world wide web. Not since we first split the atom has anything so powerful been released.
Now to the more mundane task at hand. My lesson plan is about converting fractions into decimals and percentages. A specific way that I could use technology to enhance my instruction would be to incorporate one or two clever teacher generated videos found on http://www.teachertube.com/. Here's a specific video I like because the audio portion is spoken by a student while visually, a simple animation graphically illustrates the process. So what better way to engage your students than putting them "right at home" in a familiar You Tube-like environment combined with all the advantages of peer tutoring. Take a look if you like; http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=be6613daea643a7706a4

Reflection 6 - The three branches of government

Reflection # 6

The subject of social studies is a key to understanding our history on the national and international levels. As an intervention specialist I know that I will be teaching a variety of subjects, therefore I have chosen a lesson in social studies on government at the national level. I feel that being knowledgeable and comfortable in the subject of social studies is a key component to a well-rounded student. In my lesson I will focus on the three branches of government in the United States of America. The three branches of course, are legislative, judicial, and executive.
I feel that I can incorporate technology into my lesson in three interesting ways. The first way deals with the way I will present the material. By creating a powerpoint presentation, complete with facts, discussion questions, pictures, etc., I believe students will be more interested than if I just stand up at the front of the class, write the three branches of government on the chalkboard and talk about them. Powerpoint could possibly hold students’ attention better, and also be responsible for more interest in the subject material. I feel that presentation of the material has a lot to do with the excitement level and interest level of the students that you are teaching.
A second way in which I can incorporate technology into my lesson could be a video on the internet or just simply a DVD or VHS, that relates to the three branches of government. This video could be from a series that provides videos or DVD’s on education, for example, PBS. This video could also be from of an educational website, and viewed on a projector that is hooked up to the computer. After giving an initial lesson or some type of instruction, I feel that it sometimes helps to have students view and listen to the material from another source other than the teacher.
A third way in which I could incorporate technology into the classroom would be a sort of capstone assignment to end the lesson. For this assignment I would have my students find an example of the legislative branch, judicial branch, and executive branch in action. For example a student would get on the internet and look for an article about a criminal who was recently sentenced for their crime. This would be an example of the judicial branch. I feel that incorporating this final capstone assignment and third form of technology is beneficial for a students understanding of the entire process of our three branches of government.

Teaching Social Studies Topics using Technology

The basis for any serious discussion begins with and ends with what ideas, concepts or relationships are you as a teacher trying to relate? Implicit, explicit or null content and in which content area and by who's standards based curriculum and through which instructional strategy or combination are you trying to relay this knowledge to your students. Unless we specifically are teaching a course on technology in content area Geography and show changes in surveying equipment over time or more specifically are we training to locate our exact spot on the earth using a handheld Global Positioning Satellite device. Can we teach navigation of roads and roadways via a Garmen GPS system? This would be Direct Instruction on how to utilize the physical equipment.

But technology in the classroom is more that how to use a tool. It is how can you as an instructor use cutting edge technology to impart and impact learning. Will your lessons encourage classroom participation? Will your students understand the important matters. Example: A student can be taught how to utilize the latest and greatest technology but if they are never presented and learn the components of a compelling story they will never be a filmmaker regardless of how impressive the computer, the software, the number of pixels in the flat screen monitor are in their classroom. It is most important if you can use technology to convey the lessons you want to impart and then have technology: encourage student interest, hold the students attention, which then results in learning, thinking and retention.

Social Studies, American Government, High School students.
The Smart Board technology software suites allows for many different uses for layering of words and pictures. In Geography we would have learned the concept of a physical map and a political map. In Government we would have brainstormed as many different political subdivisions as we could come up with. Starting with national boundaries, state boundaries, then county's, townships, cities, villages, school districts, zip codes, political districts-state and federal, courts and representatives both. Utility service territory's would be examined as well. Students would create a list and then in diverse groups would research definitions, office holders and search for maps. The smart board allows teachers to ask questions and the handheld devices allow real time feedback of each students understanding of the information presented. The student would be asked for instance to rank the political districts from smallest number of people to largest. These maps would also be scanned and overlaid in PDF format so we could pinpoint our schools location and then create an X-marks the spot presentation to start small and build up or reverse starting with a world map and moving down. I believe this exercise would build research skills and understanding and prove to students the wider world in which others have inputs into our individual lives.

Ideas for Today & Tomorrow

This is a power point on the "future classroom". It is a quick reference with key points about the capacities of our classrooms now and in the future. It is the precursor to the "Did you Know" presentation!

Implications of New Media for K-12 Education

After reading the article, I was most intrigued by the four new forms of expression predicted for 2015:

1) knowledge webs
2) virtual communities
3) synthetic environments
4) sensory immersion

The fact that our society can follow the technology path and predict where it's going is somewhat scary, but relieving. As we study to become teachers we can focus on today and how to incorporate technology in our curriculum, but we can also know what's coming and start to prepare for these new forms of expressions.

The article touches upon teaching our students how to handle such a vast array of information as well. I think this is going to be important for teachers to have a handle on this themselves because we have access to a plethera of information and we have to pick and choose what works for us, our purporses and which resources are truly rich and which are not. How do we teach this to our students? The quote below is from the article and touches upon that these expressions will not just make students smarter with greater knowledge by themselves. They need to make connections.

"However, access to data does not automatically expand students' knowledge, nor will the mere availability of information intrinsically create an internal framework of ideas that learners can apply in real world settings. While presentational approaches transmit material rapidly from source to student, often this content evaporates quickly from learners' minds. To be motivated to master concepts and skills, pre-college students need to see the connection of what they are learning to the rest of their lives and to the mental models they already use. "

The Future of Learning in a New Free World

http://www.newhorizons.org/future/dryden.htm

Summary: The author notes that millions of teachers and billions of students continue to work mainly in isolation, yet in today's world of instant communication, collaboration is essential in order to make the most effective changes.

The author gives these three choices/solutions for the problem he presents:

· A world where only two billion rich people share the benefits — and two billion live in poverty?
· Or a new sharing, caring world?
· A new world of cooperative enterprise and mass innovation?

He states his choice as, "the new free world of cooperative enterprise, where all children are the leaders of the new free world. And where we all share the benefits of a new World Wide Learning Web."

I agree with a lot of what he states in his article, especially when he talks about how it's unfair that such a large group of students are being "left out" by high-priced computers and high-priced software.

Linking Students with Their world

The article I read was "Linking Students with Their World: A Good Day in French Class" by Nancy A. Bacon. This article was about a French class in Washington state that was able to be video connected with a class from Dakar, Sengal. The class talked to each other and learned about issues that each class was dealing wtih. They were able to give power points and presentations together at conferences. They talked about issues such as education and even serious issues like AIDS. The connection between Foster High School and Senegal began in 1996 when returned Peace Corps volunteer and Tukwila School Board member Mary Fertakis visited Sue Pike's French class to talk about life in Senegal.

The questions that were asked back and fouth were:
From students at Lycée Thierno Saïdou Nourou Tall in Dakar, Senegal:· Do communities try to find solutions to the increasing violence in schools?· Can you speak about a true American culture if you consider the different ethnic groups who make up the population?· Don't you think that the attitude of the USA toward China may be the beginning of a new cold war?· How do you feel about the Bush presidency?
From students at Foster High School in Tukwila, Washington:· How do you feel about the spread of AIDS and other diseases? · If there were a civil war which broke out in Senegal, to which country would you go and why?· If you had the chance to visit the USA, where would you like to go and what would you like to visit?· What do you worry about?

I feel like this is a very interesting article about techonolgy in the classroom.

Students with disabilities and computer technology

I found this article interesting because as future educators we need to be aware of how technology can help our students to reach their potential. They can communicate, participate and achieve academic and personal goals.

Virtual Reality in Education

Virtual Reality in Education is an article written by seventh grade science teacher John Shaffer. Some of his ideas to incorporate virtual reality in education are as follows:
-development of "VR math flash cards" (vision, color, touch, sound)
-bilingual math VR flash cards
-bilingual reading; imagine, walking into a VR room, touching items and getting feedback.
-social studies; imagine, looking at a VR globe, where a country and information can pop up when pressed, on a world geography map filled with experiences of geography, culture, peoples daily lives, language, and founding history.
-science; demonstrating cells, photosynthesis, space, chemistry, geology, physical and environmental science.
John Shaffer hopes to become involved in any of the following areas:
participate directly in research regarding Virtual Reality benefits.
This would include all areas of program development, data gathering and analysis.
Working with a facility or school test site that would be willing to participate in program development.
This would involve developing Virtual Reality learning experiences for application in the classroom content curriculum. One such area to develop, mathematic programs and follow data for student enhancement.
Direct involvement with a commercial venture.
This area would pursue all data and concepts in developing programs including education, sports training and entertainment.

I feel like this is a very interesting article about technology in the classroom.

T. Clark - Role of Technology in Education

An effective use of technology can co-exist with a demanding curriculum with technologically savvy, highly-trained teachers. Technology is an important tool to use within the classroom, it is not the end – it is a means to assist students in achieving significant improvements in students’ performance and achievement.

Technology should not be used in the classroom to overshadow the importance of academic results. Interactive learning resources are critical components that should be available in every classroom. Students using technology and research in a controlled environment and under instructional conditions tend to learn faster than those students who do not have classroom access to technology.

Different Types of Technology and their Educational Applications

This article presents ideas on how technology can be used to enhance learning in the classroom.

For example;
- word processing and e-mail promotes communication
- spreadsheet and database programs promotes organization skills
- modeling software promotes the understanding of math and science

It is important to identify what technologies are being used in the classroom, and for what purpose. Each technology is likely to play a different role in student learning and should not be treated as the same.

The article emphasizes that educational technology, "compliments what a great teacher does naturally," extending their reach and broadening their students experience beyond the classroom.

Take Back the Afternoon: Preserving the Landscape of Childhood In Spite of Computers

This article is to try to get teachers and parents to encourage the old way of learning at least a couple times a week. Like playing outside at recess, feeling the air touching the trees, faling down scuffing thier knees etc... The point here is that computers should follow, not lead. Dynamic, real life engagements that build skills, self-confidence and a sense of purpose in life are the motive force of education. The computer has a role to play in this drama, but it should be a supporting cast member, not the star. Right now, the computer is too much of a prima donna, attracting attention away from the rest of the players and the technical crew. And if an increasing percentage of the school budget is spent on computers, then not enough will be spent on pianos, art materials, laboratory equipment, land acquisition for the nature center, bilingual education specialists and a new sound system for the theater. Childhood is short enough; there is no need to hasten its demise with exposure to soul-depleting electronic media.


Take Back the Afternoon real, old-fashioned play, at least a couple of days a week.

Technology in Environmental Education

major points of this article:

• Integrating technology into our educational programs provides students with additional tools to enhance their learning
• Technology supports our efforts to appeal to different learning styles
• Technology supports our multidisciplinary approach to learning
• Technology gives us a way to connect with each other and extend the learning experience
• Technology aids our efforts in supporting teachers
• role of technology in education is that technology is an "amplifier"

examples of technology integration at IslandWood

• time-lapse movie of a caterpillar metamorphosizing into a butterfly
• spreadsheets to display data graphically
• showing how things work through simulations
• handheld computers to collect and analyze data

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/environmental/wolf.htm

My reaction:
I agree that technology is an "amplifier" for education. Using technology can be very advantageous and there are many ways to reinforce the content that is being learned through using technology.

Mr. Coulter's Internet Tendency: to Infinity and Beyond

so mr. coulter started publishing his students writing on the internet. he is a fourth grade teacher. he has them write everyday in their journals for fifteen minutes. after the fifteen minutes, they get together and share what they've written. after they do a lot of rewriting and the teacher helps them edit, they type them up in a simply formatted word processing document. the students pick out their very best writings every month or so. the teacher then publishes the students writings on the internet. he adds pictures when he thinks they will accent the writing.
he doesn't let the students embellish their writing with crazy text or pictures in the beginning. so the writing that they do is just about the writing. i think its a great idea. encouraging students to write helps them find their place in life. they will become better readers. they will be better writers in all the different ways you can write. writing everyday will help them evolve in all the subjects of their school day.






http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/coulter.htm

techno in education everybody dance

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Web site is interesting. I have bolded the interesting bits of information.

Increased Motivation and Self Esteem
The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was an increase in motivation. Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks:
The kids that don't necessarily star can become the stars. [with technology]. My favorite is this boy . . . who had major problems at home. He figured out a way to make music by getting the computer to play certain letters by certain powers and it changed the musical tone of the note and he actually wrote a piece. He stayed in every recess. . . . When I asked him what he was working on, he wouldn't tell me. Then he asked if he could put his HyperCard stack on my computer because it was hooked up to speakers. I said "sure" and at recess. . . he put it on my computer and played his music and literally stopped the room. And for months he had kids begging him at recess, every recess, to teach them how to make music. And for that particular kid it was the world because he really was not successful academically and was having lots of problems. . . . This really changed him for that school year. -Elementary school teacher
Teachers talked about motivation from a number of different perspectives. Some mentioned motivation with respect to working in a specific subject area, for example, a greater willingness to write or to work on computational skills. Others spoke in terms of more general motivational effects--student satisfaction with the immediate feedback provided by the computer and the sense of accomplishment and power gained in working with technology:
Kids like the immediate results. It's not a result that you can get anywhere else except on the computer. . . . For them it really is a big deal. Much more so than I ever though it was going to be. --Elementary school teacher
Technology is the ultimate carrot for students. It's something they want to master. Learning to use it enhances their self-esteem and makes them excited about coming to school. --Fifth grade teacher
The computer has been an empowering tool to the students. They have a voice and it's not in any way secondary to anybody else's voice. It's an equal voice. So that's incredibly positive. Motivation to use technology is very high. --Elementary school teacher
In many of these classes, students choose to work on their technology-based projects during recess or lunch periods. Teachers also frequently cite technology's motivational advantages in providing a venue in which a wider range of students can excel. Compared to conventional classrooms with their stress on verbal knowledge and multiple-choice test performance, technology provides a very different set of challenges and different ways in which students can demonstrate what they understand (e.g., by programming a simulation to demonstrate a concept rather than trying to explain it verbally).
A related technology effect stressed by many teachers was enhancement of student self esteem. Both the increased competence they feel after mastering technology-based tasks and their awareness of the value placed upon technology within our culture, led to increases in students' (and often teachers') sense of self worth.
I see more confidence in the kids here. . . . I think it's not just computers, it's a multitude of things, but they can do things on the computers that most of their parents can't do and that's very empowering and exciting for them. It's "I can sit down and make this machine pretty much do what I want to," and there's something about that that gives them an extra little boost of, "Wow, I'm a pretty special person." --Elementary school teacher
Students clearly take pride in being able to use the same computer-based tools employed by professionals. As one teacher expressed it, "Students gain a sense of empowerment from learning to control the computer and to use it in ways they associate with the real world." Technology is valued within our culture. It is something that costs money and that bestows the power to add value. By giving students technology tools, we are implicitly giving weight to their school activities. Students are very sensitive to this message that they, and their work, are important.

my lesson plan + technology pros and cons

I feel as if there is quite a bit of controversy throughout education on the usage of technology. There are many pros' and equally as many cons. Using telecommunications to connect with fellow teachers, family members or students, using tools such as PowerPoint’s, scanners, multimedia and real world simulations are all positive forms of using technology. On the other hand, technology has some negative features. I believe that technology shapes our student’s lives and education if used properly. If not and the amount used in negative ways can affect their language, penmanship, and spelling. Technology is freezing these important parts in today’s curriculum. Yes, I said I was a “native” in class but I feel that when I was a student technology was just up and coming and the practice was learned, on my own or by my parents, not in school. I believe as teachers we need to lead the students to technology, monitor their progress, and use it as a tool to support their rich and deep learning experiences.
Therefore, as far as the quote from class, it is not the way you use the medium its what is in the message that really counts. The message, I believe, is the content we as teachers are guiding the children in our curriculum to use technology to get that important message across to themselves and their fellow classmates. I am doing my lesson plan on weather, from a science lesson. The usage of technology will be helpful in many ways. The first way it can be used in my information that I give to my students like in a PowerPoint presentation. I feel as if students find looking at graphs, pictures, and animation more engaging then taking notes on a piece of plain notebook paper. The second way I would use the Internet is to let the students explore using “monitored” websites on weather around the world. Finally, the usage in technology in my class I would put up my web cam and talk with my Aunt or Cousin that live in Colorado and Hungary and have them show us what kind of weather is out there right then and there. These three ways are not the only ways I could incorporate technology in my classroom. I can have grades on the Internet for parents to look up. A teacher website for due dates and classroom activities, we could watch dvd’s or vhs tapes in class, and so on and so forth. My main point I would like to get across is to make sure those important lessons in curriculum like spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc do not get ignored or frozen because the usage of technology in the classroom.

Sandbox

This is just a test. I'm going to label this "Sandbox" (that's commonly a place where users can test out an online application without creating a mess in the "real" areas--e.g., there's one at Wikipedia).