Week 7 Summary/ Presentation By: Corey Hayden and Cristine Cowan

1.)Think about what you are doing in the classroom with your students: What projects are they working on? What resources are they using? What tools are being used? Is technology use transparent and varied?

-very few people responded to this question, actually only one of you did. Audrey said that in her school and in her class (1st grade) very little if any technology is being integrated. Her room looks more like an art room than anything else.

2.) Many teachers have started to experiment with blogs. How could you use blogs in your classroom?

- 5 people touched on this question in their posts. Most people feel that incorporating a blog into the classroom could be very beneficial for teachers, parents and students. Lori said that having a blog could eliminate possible excuses such as "my dog ate it". Also many of you feel that a possible "online journal" could be an effective use of the blog. Overall, we feel that blogging could be a positive thing.

3/4.) In the articles A ”Fantastic Super” Use of Technology: Closing the Digital Divide, and Sherman Oaks School: Seamless Integration of Technology examples are given on how to integrate technology into the curriculum. How could you use these ideas to integrate technology into the classroom?

Do you agree or disagree with the statement, technology integration is important? Provide examples why you agree or disagree.

- About 5 people commented on these two questions, however, most of the questions deal with technology in one way or another, so these questions are quite broad. There is pretty much a consensus that integrating technology into classrooms is very important. our world is changing, and in order for teachers and students to "keep up" we need to stay current and learn the new technologies of the day such as blogging and emailing... Gretchen says that the more technology that is used, the more fun is had by all

5.) There are plenty of examples of how various electronic media can help students achieve more. This can be seen most dramatically in the ways that assistive technologies empower students with disabilities, allowing them to contribute in ways never before possible. What technological opportunities can you provide students with disabilities?

- No one posted on this particular question, so maybe next time we could tak more about ways to incorporate technology into teaching our learning disabled students...

6.) At Mary Scroggs Elementary and Sherman Oaks, the “teachers are treated like professionals”. Explain the importance of teacher morale in the education process. Also explain the benefits/downfalls of teacher collaboration within a school/community.

- Four of you posted on teacher morale/collaboration. The consensus seems to be that a happy, much appreciated teacher is going to be an effective teacher. And an unhappy, underappreciated teacher is going to be much less effective. Those of you who posted feel as though teacher collaboration is also very important. Letting each other know what is going on in class or with a particular student can be very helpful for teachers throughout the day. Collaborating with other teachers is also important so that students do not get overloaded. many of you said that teacher collaboration in your own personal experiences has benn nothing but helpful..

7.) When integrating technology into the classroom, is there a grade level/age at which time the use of computers is too advanced? Why might other methods be appropriate?

- Heather and Theresa agree that technology integration has no bounds. They feel as though using computers at a very young age is appropriate even as young as 2-3 yrs old. Building for the future is one of the primary justifications for incorporating technology into younger childrens lives. Lauren, however, feels as though computers should be introduced around second or third grade. Before then, she thinks that students should be learning the "basics" so that when it is time to use more technology, they will be that much more prepared. So there is mixed feelings about this question. It could certainly be seen both ways, some want to use the technology at a young age, others feel it is best to wait...

8.) At Sherman Oaks School, Email has been one of the aspects that has changed the way the school functions. In your experience in the classroom, how has the use of email made life easier on educators? Explain your answer.

-Just about everyone had something to say about the use of e-mail within schools, and just about everyone was all for it. The use of email makes things easier on parents, teachers and students alike. Teachers can email home without having to worry about sending a note with the student, teachers can email amongst each other to plan projects or give updats on students or meetings. Using email also eliminates a lot or paper usage, and wasted time trying to hook up with a parent or administrator over the phone. Amy does raise a good point on the possible downfalss of using email. Teachers could be irresponsilbe and waste class time emailing friends. Therefore, the consensus seems to be that if used appropriately by teachers and students alike, Email is a very benficial and useful tool to implement into schools and classrooms...