Week 11

So I survived my first week doing my field work! Being in a classroom full of sixth graders has really been an eye opener to me because I get to experience first hand some of the concepts i have been learning about through the semester. Our teacher incorporates technology by projecting math problems with an overhead to introduce that days topic. Other than that, he has not adapted any technology tools besides using the computer lab. The students meet once a week in the computer lab to improve computer skills, i was very impressed to see how well the 6th graders could type. This showed me how much technology has grown since i have been in elementary school, it amazed me! Me and my partner are teaching our class about the Renaissance. Our first day we created a web quest for the students to explore what the Renaissance was all about. I feel that incorporating technology is fun for the students because it adds variety and most of the students enjoyed learning this way. Also, this teaches the students the importance of finding correct information on the computer and it keeps them on task while doing it. I am looking forward to my next two weeks here at Brockbank Elementary and am looking for ways i can improve myself and my classroom in the future.

Week 9 Reflection

** the voki would not let me type very much**
I think learning how to create web quest will be really useful in our future classrooms. This allows the students to explore computer technology in a safe and productive way. As a pod, we are creating a web quest on weather and the different types of clouds. I have realized that creating a web quest is very time consuming and takes a lot of preparation. In my classroom someday i will for sure use web quests on occasion to help my students explore what technology has to offer and the information that is available to help them succeed in life!

Week 8 Reflection

This past week in class we have been working on our PDP's. This assignment was an eye opener for me because i realized that although i thought i knew a lot about computers and technology, I still have so much to learn in order to become a great teacher. I feel that i need to learn how to integrate technology into the curriculum by creating activities to engage students. I thought this week in class was not very productive becase we didnt have much instruction as to what to work on. I enjoyed learning about the different concepts that are nesessary to become a great teacher and i really learned a lot from that.
The video this week was very informational, however i feel that it was sort of repitory to previous videos. I enjoy learning about how technology has increased and how it is involved in our lives. It is so important for us as future teachers to inform our students about current technology and how they can prepare and benifit from it. The video discusses how large is myspace and other networks have become throught time and that amazed me!

My Beliefs

As a future teacher, I have a different perspective on integrating the use of technology in the classroom. I have been able to see both advantages and disadvantages of this subject. I feel that incorporating technology into the classroom is a great way to engage students in the curriculum and it also reaches different types of learners. I also feel that as our students are growing up in a world of very advanced technology and also at such a rapid rate, it is important to prepare our students for the future by integrating the curriculum by the use of technology. I think we as teachers benefit from technology as well, it is a great way of communicating with our students and parents. Also, the possibilities are endless to what and how we teach our students and keeping them engaged and on task is also easier.

However, There also are some disadvantages of integrating the use of technology. Such as, many students do not have access to computers and it is hard for them to stay at the same pace as other students because of computer skills and time. I also feel that because not every child will have access to computers, it will be difficult to assign assignments, and communicate with each other if not everyone has access. Also, students may take advantage of the use of computers in the classroom. Many students enjoy spending their free time playing games and surfing the web, this may become a distraction in your classroom when you are trying to teach a new subject with the use of technology. Although there are some disadvantages of the use of technology in the classroom, I feel that it is a great way of engaging your students to enjoy what they are learning. Also it creates a pathway for your students to become aware of their technological world!

Lessons Learned

After completing all of the readings, videos and websites I concluded that there are so many great things that come from teaching with technology and why it is so important. I feel that it is vital to teach our students about the technology today and how to use and understand it. From the video “millennial generation” I learned about taking technology on the go. The kids referred it to media mobility. The video also talked about technology today is still changing so much and that parents are getting advice from their kids about technology because it is increasing at such a rapid rate. IIts amazing to me that our children someday will have a completely different view on technology in the world and how much more it will be integrated into our every day lives. I liked the video we watched in class called the Shift Happens, it really explained how rapid our technology is growing and why it can be such an important part of our students lives. I also really enjoyed the article about why we should integrate technology in the curriculum. Technology is involved in almost every part of our lives, communities and homes. There are many advantages that are offered for teaching and learning with technology. It will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge based economy. I felt that all of the articles and videos had good information telling why technology is so important and should be a part of our students future.

Strengths and Weaknesses

According to t he UNI survey and the NET standards, I was an apprentice in most concepts. I understand the basic technology equipment and tools, but have never designed activities for classroom lessons. My goals for accomplishing these concepts would be to reflect on the material and to actively engage my students to participate in my technology activities. Also, I would like to develop my weaknesses into strengths. For example, one weakness I have is that I am a novice using spreadsheets to create formulas and cell references. By using on-line tutorials, I would like to become more familiar with this concept so that I am able to create activities for my class.
Because I have weaknesses that I would like to make strengths, I have found a few resources that I have found helpful. One site I found is called skillheaven.com, this site has many related tutorials that help elaborate such concepts. One I found helpful is a trouble-shooting tutorial and I now am more familiar with it and it helped me a lot. Another resource I found was a podcast to help teach with technology. I found this helpful because it gave ideas to replace traditional assignments with pod casts or technology involved assignments.
From identifying my strengths and weaknesses, I have a greater understanding of what is expected and what I need to prepare for as a future teacher. I have found the NET standards very informative because it states what is necessary to meet the standards of becoming a teacher. I plan on completing my goals so that I can be aware of the technology that I need to pass on to my students and make my weaknesses strengths so I can have an impact on my students future.