ECDC Project

So I was a little confused when starting the project and wasn't quite sure which direction to take with it. After attending class and talking with fellow peers I had a much better outlook on what to do and what was expected. I think that since we have researched and had the chance to experiment on our own it will be interesting to see how students use the technology.

I look forward to commenting and helping the students put together their projects as well as see what comes out of it.

I can already tell this is going to be a great experience and one that I can look back on.

Creating a spreadsheet and working with formulas was pretty fun to me. I can definitely see using this activity in the classroom. Spreadsheets can be used in any subject in school and can always be taken to another level by using graphs and keeping records. View my spreadsheet to see how a spreadsheet can be published and used.

Teachers now should really consider using this activity. Not only is it about technology and how to use it but also teaches math and how to incorporate that into the activity. Many students enjoy being on the computer and doing such things and I think that any student will enjoy creating a spreadsheet if given the opportunity especially if it is something they are already learning about or enjoy.

Digital Storytelling

Okay so this assignment was a little time consuming but once it was done I found that it really wasn't that hard. It is very simple to use and so easy to incorporate into the classroom. Digital storytelling is not something that I had done before and it was definitely a challenge. After completing the assignment I learned that you can use this in so many ways to communicate with your classroom. You can use digital story telling as part of a lesson plan. In my unit plan (Why Read?) it would work perfect. First of all you have to read the presentation and it is a great way to get across the point of reading. Technology has come very far and digital storytelling is a great tool to use for teachers and for students. There are also other ways to communicate to your students through technology as well. Some students learn different ways. Some are visual learners and some are listening learners. Teachers may also used voice threads to help get their lesson across to their students.

This was a fun project and I know that I will being using it in the future and I can't wait to share it with my students.

Reading in the Classroom

Internet Resources

How can you envision using a variety of Internet resources in your unit plan?

Unit Plan Topic: Reading

By having the opportunity to actually sit and research on so many topics I have come across many ways to incorporate Internet resources into my unit plan. I came across several websites that were very helpful to me while researching. You can find more of these on my Works Cited page. Many students who like to browse the internet or play games already have to read to know the rules of games or are researching. We read on a daily basis everywhere we go and anything we do. By using technology and internet resources in the classroom it allows students to have more resources rather than just what they can find in the library. In some places today, schools are starting to replace textbooks with laptops so students can have the extra resource. Teachers can easily set up lesson plans so that the students also understand and can see the learning objectives in what they are about to learn. Using email can also be integrated in the classroom with not only the students but with the parents as well. One way email can be used is if a child is absent you can let the parent know what happened in the classroom that day and what the student will need to review before returning to school. It also gives the students access to the teacher outside of school if they are looking for additional help. Surveys and opinon polls can also be of importance since sometimes students dont always like to voice their opinions in the open it gives the students to take a vote or express what they like and dislike anonymously. Also Voice Over Internet Protocol also know as VoIP can be useful with the reading unit topic. Although most students who are fluent readers will read silently it is sometimes helpful to hear someone else read something aloud and hear a different voice other than your own to understand something.

This is such a broad subject and so many internet resources can be used in the classroom with any subject. Technology is playing such a major role in the classroom for teachers and students and also allowing the parents to be involved.

Blogging for students

This blogging was a little difficult for me at first.......The first time that I tried saving it didnt save and I had to start all over. Oh well, the point of doing this is learning.

With a little guidance from the teacher a student can learn to blog and teach others to blog as well. It can also be a little challenging for them too but one they get the hang of it, it can be a little addicting and I can see why. Students can blog about every subject no matter what they are learning. Older students who are a little more familiar with computers may appreciate blogging more but it is never too early to learn how to blog.

A website that helps you blog and teaches you the varieties of blogging is http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/. Many students who have a Facebook and or a Myspace are already blogging as I learned in my first Technology Applications class. Little did I know that this was a form of blogging already. So many students will learn to appreciate blogging the more they are introduced to it and it is the teacher's responsibility to introduce them to it.

Introduction: Why should we read?

In the assignment given last week were to to come up with an essential question as well as some unit questions. My essential question was Why should we read? This is a great question mainly because it is an open question and can have a variety of answers. It is not a yes or no question and forces the student to think about the question and how it can be answered. It is a broad question and can open up several discussions for students amongst themselves as well as in the classroom.

Inquiry based learning is great for this question and will help the students come up with their own answers and possibly other questions. Teachers should help the students to answer the question and provide them with the proper materials but not give them the knowledge or the answers they are looking for but to simply guide them in the right direction. One of my unit questions is can reading be fun? Well of course reading can be fun but the students have to find that out on their own. If the teacher can provide fun reading material that will keep the students interest and relate the material to their lives they will learn how fun reading can be.

Another unit question that I have listed is why do I have to learn to read? As we all know reading is very important in our lives. Students may or may not know this and may ask this question while they learn about reading. By the teacher guiding them and helping them learn why reading is so important and how it will always be used in life the teacher may also help the students relate writing and reading. The last unit question added is how do I know what level of reading I am. Many teachers use level books to help students know exactly what level they are reading at. If a teacher does not have level books they may have a classroom library and by simply leveling the books themselves the students will know where to start. The students may also set goals for themselves and want to be on a different level by the end of the year.

Reading is just one subject that they may ask and is just one essential question but while they are learning they may come up with other questions and the learning process can branch out into many other subjects.