1. Do you think there are negative aspects to having technology in the classroom? What are those aspects? What part of a child's education are suffering? (For example, handwriting, social skills, interpersonal skills, etc.)
2. Give three detailed examples of how technology can be used in the classroom to help students with special needs. (For example, how students have speech needs, physical disabilities, learning a new language, etc.).
3. How do you think that technology is now assisting teachers or helping us do our job more fully? Think in such ways of incorporating Smart Boards into lessons, using Word templates for lesson plan organization, and Grade Machine or Excel for grading purposes.
4. In the article, "Technology Integrations" there is an activity, please do the activity and answer the questions and post. The questions are 1) Do you think these sites would engage your students? Why? 2) Which site(s) could you use with your students? How? 3) Did these sites make you want to find more like them? Why?
5. How much of a student's day at school should include the use of technology? Please justify your answer. Think about your classroom and how you will teach your students, how often and for how long will you use Smart Boards, computers, videos, etc. within lessons.
35 comments:
Question # 1: I believe that while the many benefits of technology in the classroom greatly out weigh the negative aspects, there are still some negative aspects that can be improved upon in order to make technology integration seamless. One negative aspect is that often in classes today schools are providing teachers with great new technologies such as smart boards, but they are not providing them with training/professional development on how to use them. To go along with this many teachers feel intimidated by the latest technologies so when they are presented with the opportunity to use these new technologies that choose not to because they have no training in it and are therefore intimidated by them. Why would teachers use technology if they don't know how to use it...many believe that their students will suffer because in struggling with technology their lessons will be less productive than his/her age old standbys. Teacher's also struggle with finding time to learn to use the latest technologies. They argue that their is not enough time in the day, especially with state standards which demand so much of their time.
A second negative aspect could be how teachers use technology in the classroom. I believe that it can definitly be missused in the educational setting. For example, if teachers just let their students have free reign on the internet without direct instruction students may be accessing things that are not educationally appropriate for the task at hand. Also, if teachers don't teach their students that all sources of information online are not always fact their students maybe come under the false understanding what as long as it is in text online it is true.
A third a final possible negative aspect of technology in the classroom could be teachers over relying on its use for everything. While I believe that technology is definitly useful for many educational task there are still many tasks that do not need to be taught or reinforced with technology. For instance, students still need to be able to read actual books. They still need to practice their hand writing.Teachers should not allow students to just type everything at the expense of their handwriting deteriorating. Also, students should still be expected to function away from technology in ways that facilitate peer to peer interaction. They should not always be sitting at the computer screen. Finally, technology should not replace hands on activities that best support the learning of some students who learn best by doing! These are some of the possible negative aspects of technology in the classroom. However, not every classroom will experience these negative aspects and even if they do I believe that the benefits of technology integration on student learning greatly outweight the possible negative aspects!
Question # 2:
Three examples of how technology can be used in the classroom to help students with special needs are: Some students who are unable to communicate via speech or writing may benefit from being able to type using a keyboard specifically designed for their needs. A second example is students will hearing impairments could greatly benefit from the teacher wearing a microphone that amplifies her voice into a hearing device that the student is wearing. A third example, is a student with significant vision loss might benefit from having her reading materials such as texts and other work being digitized and put on a lap top screen which will greatly magnify it, which the student can take with them throughout the entire day.
In response to question #5, I think half of the students day should be spent on activities and instruction including the use of technology. In one of my student teaching placements, I used a Smart Board. The setting of the classroom was sixth grade special education. I felt by using the technology, I was able to reach more students and found that more were interested in what I was teaching because the Smart Board allowed us to become interactive with the material. I agree with the article "On Technology Integration: What" when it states “students are more actively engaged in projects when technology integration is a seamless part of the learning process.” I feel if more teachers used the technology appropriate and to aid in the students learning, we would have more students eager to learn and participate.
In response to #1 I think incorporating technology is a great idea but I also think teachers need to be aware of other negative aspects. The article states that “technologies of today bring the tools of empowerment into the hands and minds of those who use them.” I think this statement is true because half of the time, the students know more then the teachers on how to use the equipment. This could possible bring on the idea of cheating such as instant messaging someone while taking an online test or storing information on calculators. I also think the children’s education is suffering because they are not receiving all the basic skills that were once taught in schools without technology. Some teachers are making use of the computer to have students write stories instead of hand writing them. This causes the students penmanship to suffer and what are they really learning when the computer does all the work for you (spell check, sentence structure). I think we need to make sure the negative aspects of technology does not enter our classroom and our students receive the best education they can.
I agree with Theresa in her response to question #2. I really liked her ideas of how to incorporate technology into the classroom with students with special needs. I have had the opportunity to use Theresa’s second example of how teachers could wear microphones to amplify their voice for students with hearing impairments. I found this tool to really work for the student and I really enjoyed learning a new piece of technology. Good three examples Theresa!
After completeing the activity in the Technology Integrations article here is my reflection on the resources. I think that many of these sites would engage my students such as: The Great Satellite Search, The Glitter Gazette, The Solar System, Shrinking a landfill, and Fact Monster. These sites get children involved via activities that are interesting and fun! At the same time they have students learning how to use the internet to further their learning. The activities act as a scaffold as students explore the internet to complete specific tasks of the activities. I would use most of the sites for a few reasons: The Great Satellite search is a great lesson to teach students how to use the internet to research from different resources, compile their info, log where they got all their info and present it in a way that makes sense to them. THE GLITTER GAZETTE lesson gives students a great historical background on the Gold Rush in California and engages students in many educational activities. I especially like how students work cooperatively in groups to cover a tremendous amount of information and present it to the class, which allows all students to reap the benefits of tons of research that would otherwise have been impossible for an individual to cover! I also love how the lesson has students analyzing text and pictures to take advantage of diverse learning styles! THE SOLAR SYSTEM is a great resources because the text is very informative and the site also provides audio, which will read each page to students for who may need to hear it read because the text may be too difficult and overwhelming!I love the activities such as the solar shuffle which could be adapted into a handson classroom activity also. I also love that the site has two levels for upper and lower grades. This is great because it allows teachers to direct their students to activities that will be on their level whether they are advanced or may be functioning at a lower level than classmates! The SHRINKING A LANDFILL activity is a great activity for older kids to do. It shows them how they can make a difference by recycling. It also shows them that sometimes making a difference may be costly but it is well worth it in the long run. I might even extend this acivity by having students research the negative effects of pollution on the environment! The ABOARD THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is a great site to use as a source of information for students who may be researching the topic. It provides a great visual of what the underground railroad truly was via a map and actual listings of houses that were part of the network! Finally FACT MONSTER is a Great site!I would def use it in my classroom because it is very kid friendly and therefore engaging. It is great for students who may feel overwhelmed by having to flip through big texts such as encyclopedias to do research. This site is also has great resources which students can access to help them with their homework. There are even tons of cool facts that might get students interested in topics and wanting to learn on their own!!!! These sites totally make me want to search the internet for more sites like these websites because they are so engaging and a great resource for a teacher to use to support in classroom teaching!
For Question #1, goaliegurl21 brings up the point of intimidation that many teachers feel which is an excellent point. I feel that also, many of our educators in the field at this point are of an elder generation that did not have this technology and are intimidated by it because they haven't kept up with it. Training and workshops are a definite plus but many districts are not able to financially afford to have them or send their staff to them.
Excellent detailed examples Goaliegurl21! I actually substituted for a kindergarten teacher last week who wears a microphone because she has a student who has partial hearing loss. It actually worked great! The student sits near one speaker when he is at his seat and then he sits near another speaker when he is at the carpet. Can we find any examples of that help students with physical disabilities beyond sight and hearing? How about for students with MS or partial paralysis?
A good point brought up by htbennett was that by incorporating technology the students are ultimately engaged in the lesson. I know that from my experience actually teaching and from observing teachers who are using technology, engaging students is the ultimate task at hand! If you cannot engage them then you might as well leave. I have stood on my head before to get a class' attention so if all I have to do is use technology- I'M IN! :o)
Question #2: There are numerous ways in which we, as teachers, use technology in the classroom to support our learners with special needs. One piece of technology for learners with auditory needs is the FM system. I have used this a lot during my student teaching placement, as well as substituting in the classroom. Another piece of technology used for students with special needs is Refreshable Braille. This is for visually impaired students. It is an electronic device that is placed underneath the keyboard. A line of cells (representing a line of text on the computer screen) moves up and down letting the reader "read" the contents of the computer screen in braille! There are really simple pieces of technology for students with special needs, as well! Keyboards with larger keys, would be a great example of this.
According to the article: "Why Do We Need Technology Integration?" there are many positive aspects of using technology in the classroom. The article states that "technology integration positively affects student achievement and academic performance." While I definitely agree with this statement because technology allows teachers to teach students according to their learning needs which allows students to be successful, technology does have its downfalls. Technology makes it very easy for children to lose their handwriting skills. If teachers use technology to allow students to write papers or stories, students are not working on their handwriting skills which is something many students are struggling with already. Also, because technology does have its "glitches" teachers need to be extra cautious when planning their lessons because techonology doesn't always work the way we want it to. Teachers need to make sure there is a backup plan to their lesson in case this does happen so learning can still take place. I also agree with Theresa when she comments on the fact that teachers are improperly trained to use the technology available. There are so many technology tools out there that not only is there not enough money to train every teacher but there is not enough time to keep up with all of the changes technology brings.
I think technology is helping us do our job better by allowing us to meet the needs of our students. According to the previous readings from previous weeks we have learned that students are digital learners. Technology allows us to meet the needs of our digital students. For example, by having discussions on wiki pages students are more engaged because they are using the technology that engages them while they learn. There is something about the computer that just keeps students engaged for whatever reason. I mean take a look at how long a student can be on the computer--hours and hours at a time. By incorporating the computer into discussions students are more likely to pay attention and read all of their peers' opinions. I know from experience when having discussions in the classroom on a certain topic, half of the students don't even listen. Most of the time they are doing something else (most likely just staring off into space). Because students are not listening, they are not learning from eachother. Technology also helps us meet the needs of our students because it allows the teachers to have students learn by doing. For example, a common practice I am seeing in schools is having students play math games on specific websites so they can practice their math facts. The traditional method was always going over math facts as a class. This traditional method often left the other students bored when it wasn't their turn so learning wasn't taking place. By allowing every student to have a computer to play the game they are engaged and learning at the same time by doing something.
Technology also provides the teacher with a better assessment tool. With discussions on the computer for example, the teacher can see what each individual student is saying about a specific time. This ensures that the teacher will know exactly which student has an understanding and which don't. When discussing things orally in class, it is hard for the teacher to have a valid assessment because not everyone participates and that may not be because the student doesn't understand what is being discussed, it is simply that they are bored and don't have a desire to participate because they are not engaged in the discussion.
#1
I think there are definitly negative aspects to having technology in the classroom. We are in a transitiion stage in the world of technology, not everything runs as smoothly as it is supposed to. Computers crash, small problems arent easy to fix for everyone, and teachers dont have the time to spend fixing errors when it interrupts learning time. I think we have all experienced a system crash that has haulted a class. Wether we were the student or the teacher, it has impacted the flow or design of the lesson.
I belive students do suffer in some situations, such as loosing learning time and possibly handwriting (although we are still writing quite a bit more than we are typing). In students personal lives myspace and facebook present more detriment in social skills and interpersonal skills, as does texting with cell phones. I have yet to see a situation within the classroom that requires students to communicate with one another through any type of technology.
The fact remains that integrating technologies into the classroom is going to have its ups and downs. There will constantly be new computers, features, and programs that will replace what we currently use. As educators we will have to keep ourselves as up to date as possible.
There are several ways that technology can be used in classrooms. I really liked goaliegurl's examples of how to use technology to help students with special needs... there are so many great ways to help children with disabilities through technology.
Of course there are negative effects of using technology in the classroom... but I believe it has a LOT to do with how the teacher chooses to incorporate it. If the teacher does not have the training in technology and chooses to do an activity that has nothing to do with developing higher knowledge, etc. than that technology is not being used correctly. I do not believe that technology has anything to do with the lack of handwriting skills, social skills, etc.. those skills should still be practiced and there are several ways to practice those skills through technology. The idea is incorporating technology into education, not replacing all aspects of paper and pencil learning with technology.
#5: The article written by Josh McHugh says that "...today's brains are shaped by various information streams --constantly popping and sparking and competing for attention. This new generation of digital learners -- take in the world via the filter of computing devices: the cellular phones, handheld gaming devices, PDAs, and laptops they take everywhere, plus the computers, TVs, and game consoles at home. A survey by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that young people (ages 8-18) mainline electronic media for more than six hours a day, on average. Interestingly, many are multitasking -- listening to music while surfing the Web or instant-messaging friends while playing a video game." So, if this is in fact true, and we know that students spend a great deal of time using technology resources, it would be a waste to not incorporate it into the classroom. Technology should be a large part of the school day! Teachers can incorporate so much into their teachings through technology and it will be highly beneficial for students to see how technology can be incorporated into eucation.
amyh said To answer question #1 There are always negative aspects when introducing a new technology until Administration and faculty and parents get used to the idea. Children have no problem in adjusting.I do however feel that if our children depend on technology we are doing them a great injustice. The other day at the winery I worked the whole day without electricty. If we are dependent on teaching with technology what happens when the system crashes? What happens when there is no electricty? Does everybody go to the gym? This is just one aspect of technology.
I firmly believe that a child needs to be fully rounded. I am in great distress when a child does not write in cursive or should I say cannot write in cursive. THeir printing skills aren't so hot either. Why can't are children write? Because they don't need to. How sad. I can type.
I don't need to learn how to spell. I have spell check. (I like that little feature, but for the most part I can spell.)
I am not so sure how much social skills and interpersonal skills are suffering what with social spaces, but are they going to text some one to dance because they don't know how to talk to someone? I have to think about homeschooled children and how isolated some of them are. Is that what we are doing with technology in the classrooms? I also think about evolution and this is a stretch....WHen a spieces don't use something they will eventually lose it. Take the mole for example they didn't need to use their eyes so now their eye sight is limited. Well is that going to happen with our children? They do not need to learn cursive are we going to lose it?
I feel that their are negative aspects in using technology, but there are positive ones also. We have to find a balance. Don't give up one for the other.
In response to Goaliegurl21...
After reading your comment, I got to thinking about my views and technology. I think that there are two types of technology and can be classified as either open or closed. Open technology is technology that is used to unify and connect people via real time (blogs, instant messaging, etc.). Closed technology is technology used by one person and might be viewed by a teacher or something, there isn't anyone that influences or can read it, or is something that is not connected to the internet basically (smartboard, ELMO, etc.). Would that change our view of technology and what we decide to do with it? Would we have a more positive view of it if we knew exactly how it worked and what we could do with it? My hang up is with the open technology.
To htbennett...
You bring up a great point when you said, "I feel if more teachers used the technology appropriate and to aid in the students learning, we would have more students eager to learn and participate." I couldn't agree more. I think that is why technology is viewed as such a hot button issue. Those who aren't trained feel threatened by it and don't understand that it is another tool that can be used, like a calculator was years ago.
You are right about the handwriting issue as well. So many students do not take their time when writing because, "If I were really going to do this, I would type it." So they write enough to get by, but don't take the time. That response comes from kids of all ages. That is the sad part, they know the easy way out. Sometimes a handwritten note means more than something written, but that isn't being taught.
Maybe a solution to this could be to have students reach a certain proficiency in spelling and grammar before they can use the computer and the tools.
Response to Lauren...
You brought up a couple of great points in your responses. Teachers should always have a backup plan for when the technology fails, lets face it, technology isn't flawless, and we should always be prepared for that!
Also, we can do things on computers that log a students activity and progress in different areas. There are reading and math programs that I know of that when a student logs on, (not via the internet) that logs the progress that the student makes and shows the teacher what the student is able to do well, and what he or she is struggling with.
Response to Kathryn...
There is also a huge issue with compatibility between computer programs from one computer to another and from one program to another. We have to be ready to deal with those technological issues as well!
In Response to Alison...
You brought up a great point when you said, "The idea is incorporating technology into education, not replacing all aspects of paper and pencil learning with technology." You made me rethink how I view technology. I was thinking of technology the other way, in the sense that it was being used to teach instead of the teacher, a gradual push to eventually (not in our lifetime) to push teachers out. I look at it completely differently now in that we are given the tools to do our job better to reach a larger number of students.
Amy, you bring up a really good point with homeschooled children and how some believe they lack social skills. It is very similar with technology because now students don't need to be in person in order to communicate, therefor they are lacking social skills. My uncle owns a homeschooling company and I wanted to try homeschooling but my parents were very much against it because they feared I would lack social skills.
It is interesting what technology can do for us socially. It can be negative in that we don't communicate with people face to face. On the positive side, technology connects us to people that we normally wouldn't be connected to other wise, like people in different countries around the world.
amyh answering question #5 In the article Why Do We Need Technology Integration they state several reasons why we should have technology in the classroom. Once we have a goal of why it is important than we can answer how much. An example of this is PE. Once we decided that PE is important to so many students who are over weight PE classes were expanded and reexamined.
Getting back to technology the article states that technology developes Personal and social responsiblity. We have found that if something is "published" a student will be more likely take a greater interest. With this responsibility comes planning, and strong communication skills. Visualizing and decision-making. Knowing how to use technology and when to use it is also invovled.Cross cultural understanding is perhaps one of my favorite goals.
Once we have outlined what we want to teach and get out of technology then we can address how much time should we spend using technology. Of course all is subjected to the grade level.
I think I will discuss 4th grade. 4th grade is the start of New York State history and for me it was the first real history class that I had. One of the projects that we had to do all year long was to make a notebook of vocabulary using magazines and writing the terms. I loved it because I could do hands on instead of memorizing. It would be wonderful to use technology instead of magazines. If a teacher could find youtube of Native AMerican Life in NY how wonderful. Have the students make a video of COlonial life. It would be so memerable for the students instead of reading. You can implement technology and it is much easier for the teacher to use the technology than to have studnets use technology. A teacher has so many hours in the day to teach. It does not at this point lend much time for technology instruction.
I know that in the schools that I sub in, their computer time usually includes typing lessons and that is about all. Perhaps math problem games. There isn't enough extra time in the day to breathe for large projects. Yes you can show quick youtubes or use the smartboard but for children to actually really work with such things it is limited. I would think that afterschool/before school programs would be a perfect way to include lareger projects. Students at my one school start later than the high school so it would be possible for them to ride an earlier bus. After school and before school programs would also prevent some students from being able to join. In VA we had something called a TAG program. Talented and gifted program. Students would be able to leave the classroom and work on special projects> Again it discriminated against students.
It is great for teachers to use technology in the classroom because it expands on your lessons. I hope that technology becomes the next let's pop in a video. The clasroom baby sitter.It is a wonderful tool. It should be used as a tool. To integrate student involvement for them to actually get involed in technology process I feel something needs to give or some students will be left out if you offer out side of class time.
amyh responding to Kathryn #1
There is nothing worse than to have technology malfunctions! As an art teacher we were told to do the project first. You could then work out all of the bugs. A student will lose confidence in a teacher so quick when they do something wrong. The first time they may forgive you. The second no way. When you pull out that technology the third time their eyes will roll.
I think a student doesn't need that frustration of is it going to work today? Some of us have experienced such frustrations. It's hard just imagine a child who is trying to find themseleves and is in front of the classroom and their project flops. But with this they can also learn that technology is not perfect. And that it is ok if it doesn't work. you can explain this all day but it still doesn't help sometimes. I am torn about technology because I know the time crunch of the day. I know what teachers go through to get through what they need to get through the academic year. What do you give up? Music, art, PE a science lab? How about recess. I would not want to make that decission.
Amyh and Kathryn bring up a great point about technology and its inevitable failure...Whether its a teacher who experiences say a PowerPoint presentation failure- which I have experienced in the past, it definitely may have a negative effect on the entire lesson. Luckily, I had a copy of the PowerPoint presentation in front of me and I was able to still give the lesson presentation minus the visual effect. However, amyh states that when it's a student whose technology presentation fails, confidence is lost over this issue. I completely agree and I feel that this at points even in this very class, misinterpretations and miunderstandings lead us to a lack of confidence and hinder the technology learning process that we all need. I believe that is why we one of our expectations is a POSITIVE ATTITUDE!!! :o) Great discussions everyone, keep it going!!!
Lauren and Amyh also brought up the lack of social skills that homeschooled children have verses educationally instituted children. I completely agree with this issue and definitely see the similarities between those who are homeschooled and those who spend way the majority of their time with others on the computer. My younger sister (love her to pieces) but she is very tech-savvy. Also, playing computer games online or instant messenging, even owns her own freelance web page design company. She is incredible with computer art! Social skills plummet though. Her confidence level in front of other's face to face needs lots of improvement, but we as a family still love her!
Being an educator and a mother, my hopes were to homeschool my own children. After numerous discussions with my husband, we have ultimately compromised that on sending our children into our local public school for their educations (his alma mater, of course). The importance of social skills was one vitally important argument but the other one was New York States lovely assessments...We definitely want our children to be well prepared to do their absolute best on any evaluation they will be taking.
Question #5: I think a good chunk of the day should be spent using technology in the classroom. Whether it be using a Smartboard to get the students interacting with the material being presented, or simply using computers, technology should definitely be incorporated within each school day. During my student teaching placement (3rd grade), we had a cart with laptops for each student to use. The students would sit at their desks with a laptop, and type up stories or whatever they were working on for ELA. There was a printer hooked up on the cart to the laptops, so when the students were done, they could print their work. They absolutely loved being able to type up their own work at their seat! It gives them good practice and allows them to become familiar with that piece of technology. Depending on the day, I think we used technology at least half of the day in that classroom.
In response to Kathryn (#1), I agree with her ideas to backup that there are negative aspects of having technology in the classroom. She brought up the point that we are in a transition stage right now, and things don't always run the way we expect them to (computers crash). This interrupts the learning, and students ultimately can "lose out". During my student teaching placement, I was using a laptop hooked up to a monitor, to show my students how to develop their stories, and my laptop froze right in the middle of my lesson. This was not expected, I lost my work, and had to restart the laptop. My students lost some valuable learning time because of this malfunction. Needless to say, there will always be both negative and positive aspects of technology when incorporating it into your classroom.
Response to Question 1: I do think there are some negative aspects of having and using technology in classrooms. Most of the articles strongly support technology in classrooms, and I do think it is a great resource to have while teaching. I do agree with Theresa comments and how technology can cause anxiety in teachers who are not familiar with the appropriate way to use technology. I would say it is an incredible expense for districts, but the benefits surpass the negative aspects. Most districts provide training sessions for familiarize teachers with new technology, or there are plenty of workshops for professionals to attend that are free. Every teacher knows that no matter what they have to be prepared for the unknown, and yes the server may be down and you won’t be able to use the computer during that time, a light bulb may go out in a projector, etc. I believe there are so many benefits to using technology in the classroom, just like Jess had mentioned about using a microphone. I have done taught using a microphone before as well, only the student who had a hearing impairment had a headset they wore and my voice was right in their ear. Some students have a lot of difficulty writing, and therefore typing on the computer is fast, more legible, and serves the same purpose. Overall, I would have to say I agree with every article and how affective technology can be in the classroom.
Response to Question 3: Not only has technology helped teachers do their jobs more thoroughly, but it has expanded our resources. Technology allows teachers to vary their instruction even more, we are able to keep track of student progress using computers, and always having lesson plans available. Studies have shown that integrating technology into instruction revolutionizes the learning process. As one article states that we have entered a technological knowledge-based economy; we need to be educating our students to be able to survive in this environment. As we teach using projectors, computers, smart boards, word templates, or excel to name a few we are enhancing the learning process. I love how some of you, especially Kathryn I believe, said technology needs to be used appropriately in the classroom, and should not replace all pencil and paper assignments nor should it replace hands on experiments and classroom activities.
I absolutely love the idea that Gretchen brought up about the laptops on a cart! I would love a school district that has this opportunity for its students! In our ditricts we have 4 computer labs throughout the entire UPK-12 school and it is so difficult to get into a lab to do anything! I also agree with Gretchen that the majority of the students' day should be spent with technology. Technology is so important and we do not want our students to lack in this department- EVER! Like Kathryn and Christine and many of you have stated in your postings, this definitely should be appropriate technology usage that is incorporated into the classroom.
The activity that involved going to the different web-sites could be very useful for a wide range of students. The Solar syatem one was very educational. The fact that you could actually "step-up" the educational level on the web-site was very neat. The solar system could be taught in a couple different grade levels, so I think that is a very nice feature to have on a website. I learned a lot from just reading through that page, so im sure that most studetns would also. Also, the Underground railroad web-page was basic enough that it could be used by some lower level students, while it has some great information that would be useful to anyone who wants to learn about the civil war, slavery, and the UGRR. Monster fact and the Atom's Family were two of the sites that I felt could really only be utilized by a much younger audience. Although Monster Fact does contain a lot of useful information for a young person to utilize, I feel like there are other, more advanced web-sites that an older leanrer could use. All in all, I feel like at the appropriate grade levels, all of these web-sites/activities could be useful in education. The monster fact and the solar system would probably be the most engaging, because there seems like there is more to do and learn, while the Atom's family and the underground railroad seem more limited.
"The technologies of today bring the tools of empowerment into the hands and minds of those who use them". This is a great, and very true quote. Teachers need to be utilizing technology as much as they can in their classrooms. I'm not suggesting that all teachers use technology all the time, but it should be a significant part of the curriculum in schools that have the means...There are certainly some draw-backs to the use of technology, such as handwriting difficiencies, and less time being spent with personal interactions (groupwork),however, for the most part, the benefits out-weigh the negatives. "Technology, when integrated into the curriculum, revloutionizes the learning process". This is also very true, computers and other forms of technology (smart boards, powerpoint) allow teacher s to teach in a way they never could before, and students to leanrn in ways they never could before. I totally agree with goaliegurl21, that professional training is badly needed in schools that utilize technology. Even the best, most technologically savy teachers could benefit from a professional tech. person showing them some new/innovative ways to teach/use technology. I also feel that it is very important for teachers to make sure that their students stay on task when using computers, young minds wonder and with a computer in front of them, you never know what theyll be up to...
I believe that there are some negative aspects to having technology in the classroom. One of these aspects in teacher monitering of student activity on the computer. Let me give an example of a situation I encountered not even a year ago when working with a foster child. There was an incident at this child’s school where the child and their friend were on the computer and able to look at pornographic sites on the classroom computer. This child is twelve years old. This brought up many questions. Where were the teachers when this was taking place? Why were these sites not blocked from being able to be surfed? As a teacher and as a school as a whole I believe we need to take the proper precautions to prevent such activity from taking place in the classroom. This greatly deters from the social aspect in the classroom and as well their learning that should be taking place in the classroom.
Thank you so much for all of your feedback and responses to so many of the questions! Great effort everyone!
So in summary...
#1. The majority of postings felt that technology definitely has both more positive than negative aspects within the classroom. Definitely, engagement in a lesson is the key! Technology does offer that engagement. As teachers, we must be aware of both negative and positive aspects as well as being prepared for technology malfunctions and failures, and keep as up-to-date as possible! However, the arguments against technology are good ones, students' handwriting skills have plummeted, I do agree with this one, whatever did happen to cursive handwriting? And the training provided for teachers to learn the programs is randomly not available or not included in the budget, or whatever excuse school districts will think up...there's never enough $! Also, social skills...oh yes, the future of our society will not understand the importance of talking to person one-on-one; face-to-face...we're in trouble...definitely good points. A balance is definitely necessary for education to fully be successful. (Responses posted by goaliegurl21, htbennett, lauren, Kathryn, alison12, amyh, g_marion, Christine, coreyhayden, audreyd516)
#2. Technology provides some necessary assistance for those with special needs. Great examples! One all similar tool we have all used has been a microphone of some sort for our hearing impaired students to hear us better. (Responses posted by: goaliegurl21, htbennett, g_marion)
#3. Our profession is being assisted by technology so well. Many educators actually have their own computer, if not 2 or 3 computers in their classrooms, or access to one at any point of the day. Many programs that we use do nothing but enhance our ways of teaching, organizing, and following through to be effective. I think all we may be missing is a secretary to make sure we make it to meetings, hand in tasks on time, and tell us when to go home and rest and relax! (Responses posted by: Christine)
#4. The activities that goaliegurl21 and coreyhayden took part in were thoroughly enjoyed. Students would definitely be engaged by these programs and furthermore, these activities could be modified to fit appropriately grade levels. (Responses posted by: goaliegurl21, coreyhayden)
#5. We are all divided upon the amount of time within the school day students should be utilizing technology. It is definitely evident that as teachers, we need to mix up our instructional means. Too much technology may turn off your students. However, many students strengthen their skills of multi-tasking while using technology and this is seen as a positive aspect within education. A posting wrote of additional larger technology usage being implemented into a before and after-school program because there are only so many hours in the day for teacher's to utilize technology within the academic subjects. (Responses posted by: htbennett, alison12, amyh, g_marion)
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