April 13, 2009

Today in lecture we talked about legal and ethical issues.

I thought it was really cool that teachers can put whole paragraphs into Google and search for plagiarism. This is a really cool tool to use when you suspect your student has written much better than their typical writing, or above their writing abilities. I think it is really important to go over what is acceptable and what is not, and how to cite your information in the very beginning of the year. Teachers need to make sure their students understand what the cannot do, and that cut and pasting is not okay. The rules need to be clear.

We also talked about teachers personal, and professional lives, such as teachers using facebook. I do not see facebook as a huge problem for teachers as long as they are smart about it. They should make their pages private so that their students cannot see anything, and they should not accept students as friends until they have at least graduated. If you follow these rules students cannot see your page and so you should be fine, just to be safe you should always monitor your pictures and what you have on your page incase someone somehow gets through!

April 6, 2009

Today in lecture we were able to give our opinions and thoughts on how the class was going, and suggestions for next semester. People brought up ideas, and possible changes to the course.

We also talked about New York City Charter school because of the pay raises that are going on, and how they are getting their pay raises.

March 30, 2009 Lecture

Today in lecture we talked about productivity tools.

Different types:

Documentation production

Time management

Research

Instructional planning

Tools:

Zoho writer

Open Office

Google Docs

Goal: The goal is to help teachers and students save time while doing tasks, and to be as efficient with time as possible.

march 23, 2009

Today in lecture we talked about data collection and analysis. This can be a useful tool for students in the classroom, and can be used as a project. An example is the M&M example given in class about how there is a rumor that there are more brown M&Ms than other colors. The class can use data and analysis investigate the claim. The students could use tools like Excel, Survey Monkey, Google Docs, and Whiteboard.

March 9, 2009

Today in lecture we talked about communication tools. There are three different patterns of communication:

1. One to one

2. One to many

3. Many to many

Technology is an easy way to communicate in all tree of these ways! YOu can use E-mail, Gaggle, Asyhchronous, and Blogs as forms of communication online.

March 2, 2009 Lecture

Today in lecture we talked about production tools. We talked about how students can learn something by creating something that focuses on the subject they are learning about. For example students could make a power point or a digital story in order to learn about something. Then not only does the student learn the information they have something they can look at and use as a study tool.

February 23, 2009 Lecture

Today in class we talked about how to use technology in the classroom. We talked about the resources that are available to classrooms to help in students learning. For example there are learning games. Games such as the Oregon Trail, Quest Atlantis, and Reader Rabbit can be used as a fun way for students to learn. We also talked about using other technologies in the classroom like blogs and Google Earth. Last semester I had a class where I needed to do field work. In my fifth grade classroom we were reading a book about New York City, but none of the students had been to New York, or a big city so they did not understand some of the content. I suggested we use Google Earth to see New York. We took out the projector and took a tour of New York using Google Earth at street level so the student could appreciate and understand what they were reading. I thought it was a really cool experience!

February 16, 2009 Lecture

Today in lecture we learned about SNOWY and GRADE

S- standards

N- needs

O- options

W- what

Y- why

G- goals

R- resources

A- assessment

D- decisions

E- evaluate

GRADE is a really cool tool to use when assessing how some thing would work in your classroom. I know that we will be using GRADE for our E-portfolio artifacts. I think it is a really good thing to keep in mind when planning lessons and activities for the classroom

February 2, 2009 Lecture

Today in class we learned about different Standards.

Teacher Standards

Curricular Knowledge

Instructional Knowledge

Assessment Knowledge 

Professional Behavior

Knowledge of Children

Ability to communicate and maintain relationships

Reflect on Practice

NETS-T Standards

1. Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity

2. Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments

3. Model digital-age work and learning

4. Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility

5. engage in professional growth and leadership

We also talked about how our E-portfolio can be used for our careers and to track our professional develoement. THey can also be a great tool for interviews and showing your skills.

January 26, 2009 Lecture

Today we talked about Indiana Teacher Standards. We also discussed how to bring technology, standards, and digital natives together. It is really important to use technology in classrooms today, because the students are so comfortable with it. Students would be bored with only books and lectures. By combining technology with the students it could make them more excited and willing to learn. 

We also talked about the three E s of technology:

Efficiency (time)

Effectiveness (quality)

Enhancement (opportunity)