I have seen technology used in classrooms, I have heard stories and seen movies of how technology can be used and be effective. Yet, why then is it so hard to use the cool new technology in the classroom.
I know for myself that it is hard because it takes time and effort, and there are new things to always be learned. If you use technology but don't put time into it then it won't be good and effective, it will have been a waste for you and your students. I do believe that technology is a great thing. The kids love it, and it makes learning fun for them. When i showed my students the digital story that Debra and I made they sat there and watched it in silence. When it was over they clapped for us. They really did like it and appreciate all the work that we had done. When your students enjoy learning then you will enjoy teaching them and making the use of technology available to them.
I do believe that it is worth the time and effort to have and use technology in the classroom.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Lessons Learned
I feel like this assignment has helped me a lot in realizing everything that technology can bring into the classroom. Technology can make the learning more personal and meaningful. I really liked one of the videos you had us watch called, "Why Integrate." The technology that was in that high school was amazing! I had no idea how to do anything they were talking about, but it made me curious and want to know more. In this movie they talked about E-Click, where everyone in the classroom has a remote, and is involved. I like that you read the question and answers off the screen then each person answers the questions by pointing their remote at the TV. My favorite part is that the teacher can go back and see what every person answered, so that is how she can assess them. I thought it was a wonderful tool and the kids loved it!
Some of my concerns might be that i will have to stay up on the new and cool technology. I know that my students will know all the new and great things that are coming out and i will have to keep up and know how to use them. I can get very comfortable in my normal routine and i don't really need the new and great things, esspecially with technology. I know that i can do it though. I have wonderful resources all around me, that will let me keep up to date and be the best that i can be. It can be challenging to use technology, but i know that it will be worth the effort!
Some of my concerns might be that i will have to stay up on the new and cool technology. I know that my students will know all the new and great things that are coming out and i will have to keep up and know how to use them. I can get very comfortable in my normal routine and i don't really need the new and great things, esspecially with technology. I know that i can do it though. I have wonderful resources all around me, that will let me keep up to date and be the best that i can be. It can be challenging to use technology, but i know that it will be worth the effort!
Strengths and Weaknesses
When reading the UNI and NET standards i found that there are some weaknesses that i have regarding technology. On the test that i took i found myself being lower on the question that talk about setting up the technology equipment you will need in your classroom. I am not very good with technology, my family would attest to that. The biggest thing that i have done in regards to technology is my digital story. That for me was huge! I really didn't know if i was going to be able to make it and then get in on You Tube and my website. Learning how everything works and is set up would really be benificial to me.
For me to strengthen this weakness there are many things that i can do. My uncle works with computers everyday, he is someone that could help me learn more. There are also podcasts/vidcasts on you tube that i could watch. I found a couple things titled, "How to set up a smart board," "My mac set up," How to set up a PA system." There are so many resources that i don't use but need to use more when i don't know how to do things. When things sound hard to me then i really just want to give up and not relaly go for it. This class has really helped me know that i can do these technology things, and there are tools out their to help me succeed.
For me to strengthen this weakness there are many things that i can do. My uncle works with computers everyday, he is someone that could help me learn more. There are also podcasts/vidcasts on you tube that i could watch. I found a couple things titled, "How to set up a smart board," "My mac set up," How to set up a PA system." There are so many resources that i don't use but need to use more when i don't know how to do things. When things sound hard to me then i really just want to give up and not relaly go for it. This class has really helped me know that i can do these technology things, and there are tools out their to help me succeed.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Reflection Service Learning Assignemt
SERVICE LEARNING ASSIGNMENT
We (Sarah Taylor and Debra Ward) completed our field work at Ridgeline Elementary in Highland, Utah. Our cooperating teacher was Miss Reinhart. There are 34 students in the class and the majority of them come from families who are from the middle to upper class.
We had a really good relationship with our cooperating teacher. She was willing to share her knowledge and resources with us. She helped us in getting involved with her students by inviting us to play games, letting us tutor her students as they completed writing projects, and giving us the opportunity create a bulletin board in the hall. She let us teach her students without interference and instructed her students to be on their best behavior for us. She also helped boost our confidence in teaching.
Miss Reinhart liked our digital story (I-Movie) on “The Lewis and Clark Expedition”. We used the digital story as a review on the second day of our lesson. She really liked our lesson and we were successful in teaching our students about Lewis and Clark. The students enjoyed watching the movie, also, and were able to learn some important facts about Lewis and Clark’s Expedition.
Miss Reinhart uses a MacIntosh and actually had a digital story of a relative’s wedding on her computer. She has never taken the time to learn how to use I-Movie. Sarah taught her the basics of the program as Debra observed. We think Miss Reinhart might create a digital story in the future, providing she finds the time to do so. Sarah told her that she could do a story on anything she wants, such as an end of year video of her class.
This was a good opportunity for us to help our cooperating teacher learn in a more convenient way. Teachers don’t have much time to spare, so service-learning lessons are very helpful. We don’t think that Miss Reinhart had the desire to create digital stories before we taught her, and now she might find the time to do so. We think it was worth the effort, even if she doesn’t create digital stories, because at least we were able to teach her something to help her in her profession, just like she did for us.
We (Sarah Taylor and Debra Ward) completed our field work at Ridgeline Elementary in Highland, Utah. Our cooperating teacher was Miss Reinhart. There are 34 students in the class and the majority of them come from families who are from the middle to upper class.
We had a really good relationship with our cooperating teacher. She was willing to share her knowledge and resources with us. She helped us in getting involved with her students by inviting us to play games, letting us tutor her students as they completed writing projects, and giving us the opportunity create a bulletin board in the hall. She let us teach her students without interference and instructed her students to be on their best behavior for us. She also helped boost our confidence in teaching.
Miss Reinhart liked our digital story (I-Movie) on “The Lewis and Clark Expedition”. We used the digital story as a review on the second day of our lesson. She really liked our lesson and we were successful in teaching our students about Lewis and Clark. The students enjoyed watching the movie, also, and were able to learn some important facts about Lewis and Clark’s Expedition.
Miss Reinhart uses a MacIntosh and actually had a digital story of a relative’s wedding on her computer. She has never taken the time to learn how to use I-Movie. Sarah taught her the basics of the program as Debra observed. We think Miss Reinhart might create a digital story in the future, providing she finds the time to do so. Sarah told her that she could do a story on anything she wants, such as an end of year video of her class.
This was a good opportunity for us to help our cooperating teacher learn in a more convenient way. Teachers don’t have much time to spare, so service-learning lessons are very helpful. We don’t think that Miss Reinhart had the desire to create digital stories before we taught her, and now she might find the time to do so. We think it was worth the effort, even if she doesn’t create digital stories, because at least we were able to teach her something to help her in her profession, just like she did for us.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Field Experience
What? This week i am in Miss. R's 5th grade classroom. At this school there is early start and late start. Track A comes at 8:00 then leaves at 2:15, and Track B comes at 9:15 and leaves at 3:30.
So What? This field experince means a lot to me. It is amazing to me to see a class function so well. Miss R has her class knowing exactly what to do with; transitions like when they come in the morning they know exactly what to do, lining up, raising there hands, and much more. I know that by observing Miss. R and taking notes will/has helped me when i am up teaching her class as well as when i have my own class.
Now What? With everything that i am learning from observing, teaching and helping in Miss. R's class, i know that it will help me with my future students. I will have better teaching strategies as well as better ways to dicipline. Miss R has told us that she really looks up to her colleagues, esspecially the ones in her grade. They get a long well and really help each other if ther are problems in the class as well as sharing lesson plan ideas. There is so much more that i have to learn, and i think i will learn more by being in the classroom as well as in my next few semesters at school.
So What? This field experince means a lot to me. It is amazing to me to see a class function so well. Miss R has her class knowing exactly what to do with; transitions like when they come in the morning they know exactly what to do, lining up, raising there hands, and much more. I know that by observing Miss. R and taking notes will/has helped me when i am up teaching her class as well as when i have my own class.
Now What? With everything that i am learning from observing, teaching and helping in Miss. R's class, i know that it will help me with my future students. I will have better teaching strategies as well as better ways to dicipline. Miss R has told us that she really looks up to her colleagues, esspecially the ones in her grade. They get a long well and really help each other if ther are problems in the class as well as sharing lesson plan ideas. There is so much more that i have to learn, and i think i will learn more by being in the classroom as well as in my next few semesters at school.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Reflection 8 (field 1)
What? I have been in the classroom for three days so far. I have learned a lot about teaching and how to manage a class.
So What? This for me means a great deal. It is helping me now while preparing my lessons and it can help me in the future when i am student teaching. It will also help me so that i can answer my colleagues questions about field and how the experience was and what i learned. The technology has been good. Our teacher uses a smart board everyday and then at least once a week the kids go to specialties where they get to use their own computers.
Now What? For me this can help me a lot with my future students. I like the smart board because it works like an over-head but it is smaller there for it takes up less space. I am not a huge computer/technology person, but i will try to find different technology things to incooperate in my class as well as lessons that i will one day be teaching. I can also tell you that coming up with lesson plans can be very hard and time consuming. It has really helped to have a partner to work on them with. I am very excited to be a teacher and have wonderful colleagues so that we can work together and share ideas.
So What? This for me means a great deal. It is helping me now while preparing my lessons and it can help me in the future when i am student teaching. It will also help me so that i can answer my colleagues questions about field and how the experience was and what i learned. The technology has been good. Our teacher uses a smart board everyday and then at least once a week the kids go to specialties where they get to use their own computers.
Now What? For me this can help me a lot with my future students. I like the smart board because it works like an over-head but it is smaller there for it takes up less space. I am not a huge computer/technology person, but i will try to find different technology things to incooperate in my class as well as lessons that i will one day be teaching. I can also tell you that coming up with lesson plans can be very hard and time consuming. It has really helped to have a partner to work on them with. I am very excited to be a teacher and have wonderful colleagues so that we can work together and share ideas.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Reflection 7
What? This week Debra and i continued working on our digital story. We found more information on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and started planning it out and how we want to out it in i-movie.
So What? This technology stuff is really important to me as a student and as a future teacher. I may not be the best at it but i really do enjoy making these projects and learning what i can. With my digital story i have found that it will be really benificial to show my students. So i do hope that i can share my story with my class and that they can share theirs with me as well. I think that the digital story is a great way to learn this great technology.
Now What? For my future students i think that digital stories will help them learn in a new different way, either for previewing, or reviewing. Digital stories will also be a fun new thing to share with my colleagues, most of them will probably know what one is, but to show them one that i made and tell them i know how to make one, would be pretty cool. I hope that my finish product on the digital story works out and it will be something a lot of people will want to use.
So What? This technology stuff is really important to me as a student and as a future teacher. I may not be the best at it but i really do enjoy making these projects and learning what i can. With my digital story i have found that it will be really benificial to show my students. So i do hope that i can share my story with my class and that they can share theirs with me as well. I think that the digital story is a great way to learn this great technology.
Now What? For my future students i think that digital stories will help them learn in a new different way, either for previewing, or reviewing. Digital stories will also be a fun new thing to share with my colleagues, most of them will probably know what one is, but to show them one that i made and tell them i know how to make one, would be pretty cool. I hope that my finish product on the digital story works out and it will be something a lot of people will want to use.
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