Lessons Using Technology

During my field experience in kindergarten, I had the opportunity to use technology devices to assist me with my different lessons. This was not only a learning experience for my students, but a learning experience for me as well. I have found during my observation and teaching experiences that the students seem to be more engaged if some sort of technology is being used.

For example: I did a lesson with a small group on rhymes. Instead of bringing an actual book, I used a book that I downloaded onto my laptop. Now to adults this may seem very minor, but the students were so excited because they were reading a book from my laptop.

 I also used applications that allowed the students to directly interact with the smartboard. It is important to remember when using technology, that we use it to facilitate our teaching, not to do the teaching for us. After watching the video of my lesson, I realized that I could have done a little more "teaching" rather than just having the students come to the smartboard to perform the activity.

With that said, I am gradually realizing more and more that our experiences in the classroom are not about being the best at teaching something, but being able to look back on something we taught and reflecting with complete honesty to realize what we can do to be better and more effective. When I think about the beginning of the semester, I can honestly say that I have learned so much about myself and about education. I am amazed at what we have been taught in such a short amount of time by our instructors and our students (sometimes children have a way of showing you things about yourself). I look forward to next semester and the growth that I know is ahead. (Not looking forward to the math class though -- )

Grants for the Classroom

In our technology class we have been learning about how to write grants in order to get supplies for the classroom. Often times there are so many things that a classroom could use, but the funding just is not there. www.donorschoose.org is an awesome website for certified teachers to use for basic grant writing. The teacher simply writes a grant, explaining what he/she needs for the classroom, how it will be used for the classroom and waits patiently for a donor to donate money for that specific project. The only requirement for the teacher is to make sure they send thank you cards and post pictures of the new equipment being used if the grant is fulfilled.

This is not only a great idea for teachers, but it is also a great idea for those who like to donate money for good causes. Anyone can donate and every bit helps the teacher reach the goal.

I look forward to writing grants for my own classroom one day and getting materials that will facilitate me as a teacher and help the students become more engaged.

Rubrics, Portfolios, and Applications

Rubrics are evaluation tools that specify criteria for each level of proficiency. To create a rubric for a class, you must first decide the performance criteria, generate a list of items of what you expect the students to do as they work on the project, then generate another list of items of what you expect the final project to have or look like (Frei 2009). The number of performance criteria is up to the teacher, but it is good to keep in mind that the more criteria that is in the rubric the more time consuming it will be to grade.

Our technology book has a rubric for us to review. I think that the rubric has a lot of criteria and that some of them could possibly be combined and rated together, such as presentation text, graphics, sounds, and transitions. The information for the students is detailed and the expectations are also very clear. Overall, I think the rubric is really good.

Having an electronic portfolio offers a lot more diversity compared to the traditional portfolios that are put together by hand. Once projects have been completed and graded they can be placed in the portfolio electronically. If pictures exist or you have work that students have completed that you would like to submit in the portfolio, they can easily be scanned in. Instead of carrying around a massive book of such great value, you can provide the portfolio for whoever needs it via jump drive or give them a password that accesses the information. This not only shows off work that you have done, but it allows the employer to see that you are able to efficiently use technology.

I have a huge interest in technology and really believe that it can enhance the classroom.  I see myself using technology quite often in my future classroom and I know that it will benefit the students. The applications that I will probably find myself using the most are word processing programs, multimedia presentations, databases, and other software such as testing programs and graphic organizers. I will use word processing to design some of the activities that students will do and to also make monthly newsletters, this will probably be the program that is used most frequently, because of the wide variety of things that can be produced with it. Multimedia presentations will be done for some lessons to engage the students. And, I will use graphic organizers to show the students how we organize information.

I think knowing how to make an effective rubric, portfolio and use technology in our classrooms are very important things to learn. 

Evaluating Websites

We tend to look at websites to find information for our daily lives and for education purposes. In class this week, we talked about the credibility of websites and we were given an evaluation form to fill out on one specific website. The evaluation asked questions about the appearance of the website, the grammar on the website, and if the website was current.

When assigning students a website to look at, it is important to review the websites and make sure that they serve the purpose that is intended, are current, and are appealing to the students. In order for the students to be engaged and learn what is necessary, it is very important that the site is intriguing to them. During my evaluation, I chose to do the website, www.factmonster.com , this website has facts about almost anything a child could possibly think of and I think it would be very interesting for students between the grades of 3-6. It was colorful, current, and creative. I think it definitely fits the criteria of being a great website!

Blogger, Blogger.

Blogging can be very helpful not only for the blogger, but to others who are searching for ideas on a certain topic. Using a blog in education not only facilitates other educators who are searching for ideas on certain subjects, but it also allows parents a way inside the classroom on a more regular basis. I consider a good blogger as someone who is consistent in blogging and offers many pictures and thorough explanations about the things that have been happening inside the classroom.

Let's look at an example of an excellent blog…

http://mrsriccaskindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/01/literacy-centers.html

Mrs. Ricca has a blog that is very well maintained. She keeps her blogs updated and offers many examples of things that are being done in the classroom through pictures and text. She also has links to blogs that she enjoys reading that are very helpful as well. This teacher seems to be very dedicated to her job and it seems that she spends countless hours making sure that the students are engaged in activities that they can learn from. I think another reason that I am so enticed by her blog is that she has only been teaching for 2 years, it is encouraging to see someone who is still new in the profession doing so well. I highly recommend her blog.

Now, let's check out a blog that is mmm…just okay...

http://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/

This blog isn't bad and I like some of the concepts on the page. The layout is not as friendly as I felt the first blog was and she has not updated in a month which is sort of a down side for me. I definitely feel that she has some useful information stored in her page, but I would just like to see the layout more inviting. Appearance is really important when blogging!

 Finally, let's see a blog that receives a thumbs down…

http://schools.bibb.k12.ga.us/Page/24763

To be perfectly honest, there are so many great/good blogs out there that it really was a challenge for me to find a bad one. I decided to look through some of the local school systems at some of the teachers pages to see if any of them had pages that would be easy to use by parents and students for after school activities. This particular page had absolutely no information on it. To give the teacher the benefit of the doubt, it is still early in the school year. When I am a parent, one of the first places I will look will be on the classroom page. I would love to see these utilized more.

I really think using the teacher pages provided by the school or creating a blog can be such an added bonus to the classroom and for the parents. Blogging will definitely be something I use one day in the future.

Using Technology to Learn!

We have been in class for almost a month now and I have already learned so many ways to introduce technology into the classroom!! There are literally thousands of apps that can be downloaded onto your  mobile phone, computer or Ipad that will assist in helping students master certain objectives. I always struggled with math in school and I wish that this sort of technology had been available for me as a student. Children in this generation have been exposed to technology their entire lives, so it makes perfect sense to incorporate as much technology in the classroom as possible.

Here are a few of my favorite FREE math apps that children will enjoy using, but learn from too!!

- Rocket Math

-Motion Math Zoom

-Math Puppy Bingo and Math Challenge for Kids