This is the first blog on the WebBlog - Technology for Educators
We will be exploring different forms of technology and how they can be effectively applied to the classroom. The focus will be on how technology can add to student interest and ultimately to what they learn.
This will be a collaboration between all of us to weed through the many possiblities and find a few resources that we can actually apply to our lives and classrooms with little expense and just a little effort.
A Blog for students to comment on their learning process as they expand their knowledge of using technology in the classroom
The biggest piece of technology we are exploring and teaching wonderful things with today is the IPad. It is an extremely useful tool in the classroom with the various apps that are appealing and available to all ages. It is relative to the students interests as well. The apps are useful tools that can be challenging for cognitive learning without the students realizing they are technically studying. I cannot say enough about the hand eye coordination and the classroom resources teachers have available to them via the IPad.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know what apps are both appealing to the students and of value educationally. Are they learning facts - information - or is it more of a means to know how to get information?
ReplyDeleteI am a student in the Technology for Educators class. I have managed to sign in. Now, let's see if I can manage to complete a post. Thank you for your patience. Growing up, the only technology readily available to most people my age was a calculator. THAT was considered high-tech. Our social media was the telephone party-line. You could hear the 411 on all the neighbors. Now, you do that on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteVery sad news about Steve Jobs. I wish him well. Today's technology would NOT be what it is if not for his forward thinking.
ReplyDeleteClicker systems are great for formal and quick verbal tests and quizzes. Students have hand held devices. They work at there own pace and submit answers when finished. There is no grading just simply print out report once all students are finished and you immediate feedback to the class.
ReplyDeleteI agree that "Clicker" systems or CPS systems are a great resource for the classroom. We have several in each department at my school. Students also enjoy using them instead of the traditional testing with paper and pencil. I have personally used them for both formative and summative assessments in my classroom and have found them very helpful.
ReplyDeleteAnother excellent, and entertaining, resource is the Nintendo DS. Our math department was able to receive a grant to purchase a class set along with several Math related games. The kids love them.
I also agree that the IPad could be a great resource because of the wide selection of resources available with it. However, financially it is not practical for all schools. We don't even have the money to hire all the teachers we need, let alone a class set of IPads.
Lori Rollins writes:
ReplyDeleteThis summer I attended a workshop for my school system for 2 days. We learned about the Ipad and all of the phenonemal apps that were education related. It has apps that accompany textbooks, that help children write their own books or stories. It even has apps that help children create a town for a social studies class and "work" on the town to make it grown in numerous ways. I learned about creative writing sites that I am currently placing into my curriculum for the year. The science apps which followed things about space, and measurement were also really neat. I enjoyed the classes. I do agree the pricing for the Ipads are not economical for classrooms today. However there are alternate things that are similar which work with the Smart Boards that do about the same things. Technology hurts our children in that now we don't have to spell, because spell check does it for us. However it also helps our children be able to manipulate things at earlier ages.
In my first job as an educator, I was in charge of students that had fallen behind their peers and needed to get caught up--at a rather quick rate. We did this through technology. We had a partnership with a large metro school system that allowed us to log into their systems and complete assignments that were all online. The students worked at their own pace and they were given a timeframe to finish the course. If the student had been working diligently on his/her course and did not complete the class before the deadline, they would get an extension. The classes had links to sources and material that could be used to help the student complete the assignments. Even books that were assigned in English courses could be downloaded and read from links provided. Technology such as this was never thought of when I attended high school. Now, a student can complete course work and be integrated back into the regular classroom quickly--thanks to technology.
ReplyDeleteTechnology in the classroom is awesome for the educator and the student! I am very excited about this course and the new applications I will be learn to use to enhance my students experience!
ReplyDeleteMy experience with technology in the classroom has been a very positive one. For the past couple of summers I have had the opportunity to teach online classes for the county in which I work. I have enjoyed helping students not only in the context of my content area, but also as they become acclimated to technology that they had not had access to previously in their educational experiences.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn more about the Ipad. They sound like the hot topic and could have endless possibilities in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading all the posts and I must say I feel somewhat overwhelmed. I am not a teacher in the classroom. I am a hairdresser and my undergrad is in Business Management. I feel lost in alot of the education classes. I am working on my Masters in Educational Leadership. I don't know alot about technology in the classrooms. I am looking forward to learning from this class and the students to better help me understand my own childrens educational needs.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Kindergarten teacher, especially in this area, technology for most of my students is completely new. As a matter of fact, we introduce them to a computer the first week of school as about 75% had no idea what a mouse was. Interestingly enough, they knew more about a Smart Phone!! I have a two daughters in school and have installed apps on my phone to help them with their studies. There are phonetic awareness apps for the children to play where they are engaged in a game that teaches them to sound things out!! Also, I have installed sight word recognition games. My oldest daughter practices multiplication and division tables using an app installed on my phone as well. In a perfect world, it would be nice to see students (even at a young age) have access to technology. Unfortunately, even the students in my room only get it once a week for 40 minutes AT THE VERY BEST.
ReplyDeleteI did have a student on my homebound roster last year that used an iPad regularly. We uploaded all of the classroom work and included many interactive games. Since this young man spent most of this time in the hospital this kept him engaged and also helped to improve his fine motor skills by using this tool.
There are several smartboard activities that we engage in during the day - either as an entire class or small group and they correspond with the curriculum and the students love them.
Technology is crucial in our classrooms today. With the constant upgrades and new technology that's being discovered, it's important that our students are being kept up-to-date with the changing times. I believe it's critical that our students are introduced to this new technology because by the time they get into the workplace, paperwork and hardcopies may be a thing of the past. Just yesterday, I did a presentation at Owsley County high school where Promethean boards (smartboards) have been installed in all of the classrooms.
ReplyDeleteWhy is my name not appearing in the contributors list?
ReplyDeleteCarl Harrison here. Would you consider having a chat room discussion where we could ask you questions about things we're unsure of? I had an instructor who set up chat times where all students could come together to discuss that week's assignments, and it worked really well. I feel lost - and the technology knowledge gap among our class seems vast. Thank you for your consideration.
ReplyDeleteMisty Allen
ReplyDeleteI agree that "Clicker" systems or CPS systems are a great resource for the classroom. We have several in each department at my school. Students also enjoy using them instead of the traditional testing with paper and pencil. I have personally used them for both formative and summative assessments in my classroom and have found them very helpful.
Another excellent, and entertaining, resource is the Nintendo DS. Our math department was able to receive a grant to purchase a class set along with several Math related games. The kids love them.
I also agree that the IPad could be a great resource because of the wide selection of resources available with it. However, financially it is not practical for all schools. We don't even have the money to hire all the teachers we need, let alone a class set of IPads.
(Carl Harrison) Through delicious.com I came across the preface for a book entitled THE CHILDREN'S MACHINE: RETHINKING SCHOOLS IN THE AGE OF THE COMPUTER (1993). The quote is important for two reasons: 1. The book was written by Seymour Papert, who is considered the father of Connectivism. 2. The copyright is 1993, 11 years ago. While his ideas were novel and very true, it has taken a long time to get to the point where we don't view the computer as a toy on which to play games, but a tool for learning. Here is the quote: "Not very long ago, and in many parts of the world even today, young people would learn skills they could use in their work throughout life. Today, in industrial countries, most people are doing jobs that did not exist when they were born. The most important skill determining a person's life pattern has already become the ability to learn new skills, to take in new concepts, to assess new situations, to deal with the unexpected. This will be increasingly true in the future: The competitive ability is the ability to learn." Any comments?
ReplyDeleteIn a conversation with my children. I was asking them about technology in the classroom. They commented on the use of the smart-board in their classrooms. In speaking with them I can see how important it would be for teachers to be updated and technologically literate on the newest technology. Since I am not in a classroom daily I did not know that technology had become such an influential part of the learning process. It shows me that I have to make great strides in the near future to understand and learn all that is available for use in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteCarl Harrison here...Just doing some late night surfing, which eventually leads me back to Union College and the technology class. In completing the power point presentation, I learned a lot. It was my first attempt at doing one, and I was satisfied with my attempt. Comments from anyone about their power point assignment?
ReplyDeleteCarl Harrison again. I started a blog on here. If you click on OLD EAGLE in blue, it should take you to my blog page where you can read the posts there.
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ReplyDeleteMy blog is at http://reallyoldeagle.blogspot.com for Carl Harrison. Please add me to your list. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIn reading the chapters in preparation for this week's test, the tone taken by the authors (imo) is one of being in a school district with bucket loads of money to buy software. In a perfect school world, we could chose Encarta, Oregon Trail, Microsoft Office, and the like. The tips given on choosing the right software were great, but how many of you actually get money to spend on software? We're given what our school and school district wants us to use. Decisions on buying software aren't made at the classroom level - I don't have a voice/choice in what software is available. The only bright spot is that I AM able to find shareware or freeware for my classes. These are good sources, but the best software usually isn't free.
ReplyDeleteYou don't get to be that beautiful piece of pottery unless you've gone through the fire. Old Eagle has had his wings singed a time or two this term, but the WebQuest has transformed this Eagle into a Phoenix. Just like the Phoenix rising triumphantly from the ashes, I felt like a new being once the WebQuest file had been uploaded. It is done. It is finished. It is over. Amen.
ReplyDeletehttp://reallyoldeagle.blogspot.com/ Here is by blogspot link. :) by Carl Harrison
ReplyDeleteI have a smartboard in my classroom and use it almost everyday, I a trying to find more activities that go with US history for 11th grade students. This year these students will take end of course exam and so far many of the students are having a hard time retaining the content, I have seen some of the students more engaged when we use the smartboard but when we move on they forget some of the previous content. This worries we when we move on to the 20th century part of US History.
ReplyDeleteI have a Promethean Board in my classroom and use it every day as do all of my fellow teachers. I also have an Ipad 2 for personal use. My area of expertise is special education. It is of great importance to utilize technology and any other tools available to develop students' skills. The students are comfortable with technology and seem much more apt to give attention to lessons presented through a variety of methods.
ReplyDeleteJust seeing if this works...
ReplyDeleteI have an ipad 2 as well. We also have one for every student to use in class, but we have to wait for something to happen before handing them out. I've been trying to research ways of utilizing them in the classroom. I can use wireless on mine, but there's an issue with our wireless being too old so the students can't use it. I teach 6th grade math, so if anyone has any suggesstions let me know. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, see if your school has an ELMO or can purchase you one. You can display your ipad for the entire class to see. There are many apps for math that are free, you just have to search for them.
ReplyDeleteI would first like to say that I am also not a calssroom teacher. I am a coach at Union College and I must say the iPad did revolutionize how we give golf lessons. When you can take something like that on the road with you and do video work with a players swing on the spot it becomes really beneficial to us as a team. I also feel like that you could basically search for any app you could think of and you would find it.
ReplyDeleteMallen, I agree with you totally ipads would be wonderful but with all the budget cuts there is no way that my school district could afford them. Our schools are just now receiving smart boards and they are a wonderful tool, but they kinda scare me because I haven't had much experience learn as I go I guess. Back when I was in school we still had the old fashioned chalk boards, we didn't even have the marker boards that most school have today.
ReplyDeleteI have joined the class blog, but have no idea what to do!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am really excited to be learning about new technology that will enhance my instruction. Technology is always changing and I know that it is an essential part of the "new" classroom.
ReplyDeleteYou're on the right track!
DeleteWith the ever growing enhancement of technology it requires the need for the teacher to be trained in the use of that technology. Sometimes I believe the reason some teachers don't use it as much is that they are not familiar with it.
ReplyDeleteI have seen CPS systems work great in classroom settings and also Jeopardy style game in classroom increase participation and involvement among students.
I am excited to learn about new technology and how to utilize it in the classroom effectively. When it comes to technology it seems my students, who are elementary, know more more about it than I do!!
ReplyDeleteI am not very familiar with using a lot of technology other than using the computer and my classroom SmartBoard to a degree. I don't even use facebook or text. I hope I will catch on easily and be able to contribute more to my classroom by becoming more technology advanced.
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ReplyDeleteI am currently not teaching as I’m currently working in the private sector. I have begun working on a rank 1 to stay fresh and informed as an educator. I look forward to learning about new technological methods and concepts that I can utilize once I do return to the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI am currently in my 9th year of teaching at Owsley County Elementary School. Over the past few years, our district has been making great strides to become more technologically advanced. We now have Promethean Boards in every classroom. We have three sets of iPads that can be utilized in our building. Each classroom has at least 4 student computer stations and 1 teacher computer station. I love using the Promethean Board for teaching every subject. United Streaming is great for finding science and social studies video clips that correspond with your lessons. We now use the programs Ticket to Read, IXL, and Study Island to supplement and enhance instruction. Our district now allows us to use youtube and I have incorporated it into several lessons this year as well.
ReplyDeleteI have just returned to Kentucky from teaching in Florida for the last 9 years. This is my first time taking an on-line class, hope I am doing it right.
ReplyDeleteI am employed in the field of Human Resources. Currently, I am working on a Educational Leadership Masters. My philosophy of technology is the more you know the better off you will be. I am always excited to learn about new technology and what it can do to help me be more productive. Below is a link posted a few minutes ago talking about some new technology.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gizmag.com/
I am a 4th/5th grade Social Studies teacher in Floyd County. I use technology on a daily basis, but I still feel inadequate in a lot of areas. I am willing and excited to learn all I can from this class and then pass that knowledge on to my students. Currently I use my Smartboard, Document Reader, Youtube, United Streaming, and PowerPoint presentations on a regular basis to enhance my lessons. I have an iPad, but I haven't used it much in the classroom. So, as I said before, I am open, willing, and excited to learn new ideas and information about technology and education.
ReplyDeleteI am a library media specialist and I am always looking for more ways and ideas to bring technology to the students and teachers. I am looking forward to this class and all the new ideas and information that will be presented.
ReplyDeleteI am interested in activities that would incorporate the Ipad. I also have an Ipad as others do have on here and I would like to see any ideas on some very good activities, Apps, or anything for education that the Ipad could be used for. I really think the Ipad can be a really good educational tool for almost any situation in the education field. What are some of the things other people have found out about using the Ipad.
ReplyDeleteWhat grade level do you teach?
DeleteHigh School, 9-12
DeleteI am an 8th grade Science teacher and currently in my first full year of teaching. I recently finished my KTIP and am now working on my Masters. My collegues expect me to know more about technology than they do because I am such a new teacher, but I am still pretty in the dark on uses for technology in the classroom. I am looking forward to learning many new tools to implement in my lessons for my students.
ReplyDeleteDue to some technical difficulties, I am now finally able to gain access to the blog. I teach 9th, 11th, and 12th grades here at Lee High School in Jonesville, Virginia. I try to utilize as much technology as possible in my classroom. I look forward to this class to hopefully learn new techniques and technologies that will benefit my students in their quest for knowledge. I use the Smartboard technology on a daily basis with my classes. I agree with previous posts that students are more engaged when they can actually see and hear history, rather than just reading it. United Streaming is a site I highly recommend to other teachers. Through discovery education, they offer streaming video and downloads to support a wide variety of lessons.
ReplyDeleteIt is very apparent after having started reading and researching for this class that I am not up to date on the current trends and options for learning on the Web. I am looking forward to moving through this class with some 'hands on' experience with all the options as it relates to education and the web. I am also curious on how I can/could utilize the web as a coaching tool for my basketball program. I know that I am in the dark a bit about all of the internets options. Most of us at my age are primarily using for social needs and/or news gathering. I look forward in seeing how I can be more effective in using the web as a tool for education.
ReplyDelete“Remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.”
ReplyDeleteI am an 8th grade math teacher in Johnson County and I have been teaching for three years. This is the first time I have ever blogged and I must say it is a little intimidating. I have also been working on creating my own blog which I thought would be a lot more complicated than it actually was. I am very excited about this blog hope it will enhance my students experience. Also something that has already enhanced my students’ classroom experience is a set of iPads that my school purchased. I use them at least once a week and my students love them. Some of my students’ favorite sites are ixl.com and khanacademy.org.
ReplyDeleteI guess I am in the minority on here but if anybody is looking for educational resources for agriculture the Georgia AG ED website is a great place to go. They have games, lesson plans, and an abundance of other technology available for students. The games are fun for students of all ages which usually are based around vocabulary.
ReplyDeletehttp://gaaged.org/
Hello everyone!!!!! The class blog that I created is at www.carnwill.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteWill
Looks Great!
DeleteI am really finding EDUC 573 to be one of the most beneficial classes that I have ever taken. My favorite assignment has been the class web blog and the screen-cast since I have had no previous experience with either of these technological advances. I must say this class has been truly inspirational when it comes to integrating technology into everyday instruction.
ReplyDeleteI would like to take a chance and say how beneficial I have found this class. It has given me a few ideas to take back to my classroom that will allow me to make it more interactive. By exploring the use of PowerPoint and creating a Webquest, allowed me to find out how user friendly the program can be. I was the type that felt it would take a great deal of time to make documents that are pleasant to view, which was far from what I experienced while completing the class assignments. I hope to be able to take the knowledge I have gained and share it by increasing the implementation of technology in my classroom. I hope that everybody has been able to take something away just like I have. Good luck to all on the pursuit of the degree you are hoping to achieve.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the different forms of technology and how can we impliment them in our classrooms? How should technology be utilized in the classroom? When is it too much? Should we as teachers just give the student a computer and let them explore? Can we over-tech our students? I can't wait to explore the ways in which I can utilize technology in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteDid I complete this correctly Dr. Rubin?
ReplyDeleteThe one problem that I have with the technology is that our school can't afford the technology we need. I have alot of ideas about how to use technology and use what I have but I know that I could do alot more with ipads, computer, etc. I saw above that one math teacher had ipads for every student in their math class, that would be a dream.
ReplyDeleteI am an 8th grade Math teacher and in my district we have been pushing technology more and more each year. Our biggest issue is funding. We currently only have one computer lab. Our district missed some 20-30 days the past two years, so coming into this year we created a plan to cover curriculum in those times that we miss three and four days at a time. We used a site called www.EDmodo.com to post assignments for students to see. The site is basically a facebook clone. Students join groups which in our case is the four core classes(Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts) and they are given a code to join each. Fortunately we didn't have to use this alternative this year due to a mild winter. I still try to promote the site by offering bonus points to the students that turn in their study guides online. I also use it as a safe tool for communicating with me. Students can send questions and comments just like on facebook, but I don't have to sort through all the hassle of their personal facebook posts. We also have started using Carnegie online. We use the MATH!A program. It is an excellent tool. It is student paced and mastery driven. Students must master the skills be assessed in order to move onto new content. It is a user friendly program and fully customizable. I created my units based on the units I teach in class.
ReplyDeleteI love using as much technology in the classroom as possible. The kids really like to get involved when we are doing something other than working out of the book. The khan academy was a pretty good source to use to explain certain topics in algebra class too, sometimes it's good just to get another way of solving a problem other than how me as the teacher does it. The more ways they see to solve a problem the better. Some understand it one way and others understand it another. I also like the screencast with Jing. Being able to pre record a lesson and show the kids how I navigate through it is awesome. Having my voice and movements pre recorded saves a lot of time and makes use of my planning time. I have really learned some great things to make my classroom a little different and more exciting for my kids.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is a wonderful tool The problems at my school are much like the ones at many other schools; too little money to have an adequate lab and equipment. Although I entered education later than most after spending numerous years in the business world, I have thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the avenues that technology can open up. And if I hit a roadblock my students always seem to have the answers!!
ReplyDeleteUsing an anticipation guide is a great way to introduce a topic to the class and see what all they know about it before you start. Some of the kids that give their opinion before the topic discussion sometimes change their minds about it after the class discussion.
ReplyDeleteI really like using jing for teaching lessons to students who have missed a lesson. I can see how this can truly help students and teachers.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time posting on a blog. I love looking at Educator blogs and find it very interesting.
ReplyDeleteHello, this is my first blog. I am very excited to learn all about ways to use this in my classroom!
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