Technology

It is really important to incorporate technology into your classroom and include it in lessons. There are many different ways that a teacher can incorporate technology into their classroom, including using computer software and interactive Smart Boards. During my instructional technology class, I was able to learn about many different technology devices that I might not have otherwise learned, and therefore used in my classroom. I can now use what I have learned in the future when I teach. I have found that when technology is used, students are more engaged in the lessons and more willing to actively participate.

Some of the things that I have learned in this class that I will definitely use in my classroom are the lesson plan templates and Microsoft Excel. Before this class I had never used Microsoft Excel before and I was amazed at everything you could do it the program. I thought that it was only used for math, however, I now know that it can be used for many more things, including graphs and charts. Not only is using technology more engaging to students, but I also think that it is more fun. I think a benefit for the teacher is that in many cases it saves a lot of time. For example, it will be a lot easier and faster to just type in the useful information into the word document lesson plan template, rather then have to type the headings in again and again. I will also hopefully have a Smart Board, or some other type of interactive white board, in my classroom. I am glad that I got to use the Smart Board in class, and create lesson plans that use the smart board, since I know feel comfortable using it. There are also so many different types of activities and lessons that teachers can incorporate using the Smart Board. Teachers can also incorporate all subject areas using the Smart Board.

Incorporating the use of Smart Boards, computers, digital media, and other technology tools is important for engaging students in the learning process. Teachers are expected to prepare students for the real world, and part of that is teaching them how to use different kinds of technology, since technology is a part of everyone's lives in one way or another. Technology benefits both the students as well as the teacher. Technology makes things much easier for teachers as they can easily do research on a topic, search the web for many lesson plans and other ideas, and use technology for keeping track of grades and long term assessments of students. One problem that teachers may have is the technology that is available to them through the school district that they work for. For example, if a school district does not have any Smart Boards, then teachers in that district can not complete any lessons using it. Teachers also may not have enough of something for the entire class to do something at once. For instance, if a classroom only has 4 computers, then only four students can be on a computer at once, unless the teacher goes to a computer lab. Teachers must be creative in this sense and work around what technology they are given.

Overall, this class has taught me a lot in regards to different types of technology, and how the different types of technology can benefit me in the classroom. Even the types of software that I already knew how to use, I was able to learn so much more about the software capabilities. I really enjoyed this class and will use a lot that I learned in this class to apply it to my teaching techniques and lessons.

Copyright

After learning about copyright laws in class, I found that a lot of the laws and outcomes from different cases surprised me. The cases that probably surprised me the most were the cases that focused on music. For example, there was one particular case where the Beatles were sued for a song that they sang because another group found it to be too similar to a song that they previously produced. The Beatles were found guilty because of having four notes in their song that were the same as the group that was suing them. This case's outcome almost shocked me because I thought that the two songs seemed nothing alike. There is only so many notes that can be placed together to sound good, so I think it is almost an expectation that artists should have that their music may sound like other artists songs. I was also surprised to see how many gray areas there are within the copyright laws. For instance, if one case goes to trial and wins, and an almost identical case goes to court at at later time, it is not guaranteed that that case will also win; they could be found guilty.

Looking back I can see that a lot of my teachers have violated the copyright laws, especially my music teacher. Almost all of the music that I played for band was a photocopy of the original. I also was given warm up pieces to practice that was also photocopied. Also, my English teacher in 9th grade would give up copies of chapters of novels that we were asked to read over the weekend, and then compare and contrast the different pieces of writing.

I am thankful for learning about the copyright laws before becoming a teacher. I think that there are probably a lot of teachers out there who do not realize that they are "stealing" other people's work and violating copyright laws. Now, when I become a teacher, I know what I can and can not do. You never know who your student's parents are, and you never know if they will see work that you send home and turn you in. This is why it is so important to know about the copyright laws. It is also important for me as a teacher to teach my students how to respect other peoples work, and to respect copyright laws. I will make sure that when I teach I follow the copyright laws, and if I am ever confused about something, I will ask around and see if it falls under the copyright laws and is found under the guidelines of fair use.

Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive whiteboards are becoming more common in the classroom and are very beneficial to teachers and students. Interactive whiteboards are beginning to replace the old "traditional" chalkboards and whiteboards and help to increase student engagement. By using interactive whiteboards, teachers are able to create an environment where students can enjoy learning in a new way. Teachers can use the interactive board to teach a lesson or review old concepts. They can do this by creating interactive games or using it to play videos from the web. They also allow teachers to record their instruction. Visual learners will especially benefit from using this technology. Students are able to actively move materials, write, and play games. The pictures are very colorful and extremely interactive since students can do things such as roll dice, spin a spinner, practice writing, and move pictures.

I found the software to be very easy to use. I loved how simple it was to take lessons that I have previously created in worksheet forms, and turn them into interactive, fun lessons. Some of the tools used for the whiteboard technology was a little tricky to use, such as remembering to switch back to the pointer each time you needed to move things, but for the most part it was pretty easy. Some of the tools the technology incorporated I thought were really good tools to have, such as the cloning tool. This tool allowed you to clone certain materials that you incorporated into your slides, such as pictures. Another thing I liked was how you are able to lock parts of each slide in place so students can not accidentally move them.

When I created my interactive project, I tried to recreate worksheets that I used in my unit on water resources. I found that by using the smart-board, students would be much more engaged in the learning process and more willing to focus attention. I also found that students would have a lot more fun doing the worksheets on the whiteboard because they were interactive, rather than just sitting at their desk and completing a boring worksheet. I think that smart-boards would also be a good thing that teachers could use as a center in their classroom. By using it as a center, students could review concepts in all content areas, including math and language arts. The placement of the smart-board is very important to teachers since students must be able to reach the board to actively use it.

There are many pros and a few cons to having an interactive whiteboard in your classroom. They engage students, as I already mentioned, and they allow for many more rich learning opportunities for students by having hands on activities. Teachers can also use them to easily access websites to play interactive videos and games. When students have fun learning, they remember the information better, and I feel interactive boards help them do this. One con of having a whiteboard is the trouble of placement. Students must be able to reach it, which is often difficult. Teachers also have to keep in mind that the lighting and color on the board is often different then what it looks like on the computer when creating the website. These problems can ultimately be fixed by placing it low to the ground, using step stools, and knowing the lighting of your room. Another con is the possibility of using markers on the board. Dry erase markers can create marks on the board, and permanent or regular markers should not be used.

After learning about the interactive whiteboard technology, I really hope that my classroom has a whiteboard. I can look back at many previous lessons that I have written, and see how I can recreate them using the smart-board to increase learning and engagement, which I think is something that all teachers need to strive for. Interactive whiteboards are good tools for teachers to use, and good tools to teach content to students.

Digital Video Project

Last year I created a Social Studies unit on the Kentucky Derby. On day seven of my fifteen day unit, I had students work in groups of three to create a video project where they had to use what they learned about the Kentucky Derby, horses, and advertisements, to make a commercial to advertise the Derby. The age level of my unit was 4th grade. Students were already shown how to properly use the video cameras and we spent a day learning how to use Microsoft Movie Maker. If I was teaching this unit, there are many things that I would have to do to prepare for this lesson. First, I would have to make sure that I was familiar with how to use Microsoft Movie Maker and be able to teach my students how to use it. I would also have to have placed a request to the library to check out all of the video cameras for students to use, and know how to use the video cameras so that I could teach my students how to properly use them. Before teaching this lesson, I will also have to have all of my materials ready to teach students about advertisements.

The most challenging thing about this project will be teaching students how to use Microsoft Movie Maker. Students will not be graded on the effects or music that could possibly be added to each groups video. Instead, students will only be graded on the information used in their video. The hardest thing will be showing students how to import their clips and how to edit and cut their videos to show only the parts that they want to.

I would create a checklist to use to prepare myself for this lesson:

1. Sign up for the computer lab for day eight of my unit

2. Make sure that each computer has Microsoft Movie Maker on it

3. Check the book I will be using in my lesson out of the library

4. Sign out the video cameras from the library

5. Make sure I have enough tapes for the video camera

6. Find examples of commercials advertising the Kentucky Derby to show the class

7. Have groups of students already picked out

8. Upload all of the videos so that I can access them on my computer and project them to the class

Here is a copy of my lesson plan that I used for my unit. I made a lot of changes to try and focus the lesson specifically on the commercial that students are creating for their video project.

Lesson Plan: Kentucky Derby Advertisements

Student Teacher: Amanda Givler Unit: Day Seven

Grade Level: 4^th Grade Subject: Kentucky Derby

PRELIMINARY PLANNING

PA Standards:

· Art:

9.1.3 Production, Performance, and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre, and
Visual Arts

A. Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the arts
and humanities

· Economics:

6.2.3 Markets and the Functions of Governments

B. Identify ways businesses compete to get consumers

6.2.3

K. Identify forms of advertising designed to influence personal choice

· Reading:

1.6.3 Speaking and Listening

D. Contribute to Discussions

1.6.3

A. Listen to others

1.6.3

B. Listen to a selection of literature (fiction and/or non-fiction)

Pre-assessment:

· Students already demonstrated the ability to know what the Kentucky Derby is and give the Kentucky Derby a definition

· Students are able to properly identify the “points” of a horse with a 95% accuracy

· Students have acquired a strong vocabulary associated with horses, the state of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Derby

Objectives:

· Students should use what they have learned about the Kentucky Derby, horses, and advertisements to successfully make their own commercial, advertising the Kentucky Derby

Materials:

· Book: “Bernstain Bear and the Trouble with Commercials” By: Stan and Jan Bernstain with Mike Bernstain illustrating

· School Video Camera (one per group)

· Pictures of horses or anything else that students can use for their commercial

LEARNING SEQUENCE

INTO

· *Students will meet on the carpet, and the teacher will read the book “Bernstain Bear and the Trouble with Commercials”

§ Questions to ask:

· Explain why brother bear and sister bear like commercials so much.

· Why would the fact that commercials are so fun make brother and sister bear want to buy the products they are advertising?

· What lesson did brother and sister bear learn by the end of the book?

o After the story, the teacher will draw the attention of students to the power that advertisements have and how they are used to persuade individuals to purchase something.

· The teacher will then give the students the proper definition of an advertisement- “a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. Many are designed to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation and reinforcement of "brand image" and "brand loyalty". Many things are used to deliver these messages, including television, radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, videos, or posters.”

· The teacher will then show the class a number of commercials and advertisements relating to the Kentucky Derby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrjcRvmSbbI
(commercial)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5OaEMbagQ4
(Hilary Clinton- speaking about the Kentucky Derby)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4s_SMqMWs4
(Radio Station Advertising the Kentucky Derby)

Students will then be told that they will be placed into small groups and given the opportunity to create a commercial, and make their own Kentucky Derby Advertisement.

THROUGH

What to do (Guided Practice):

· The teacher will place students into groups of three and they will each be given a video camera. Students have already been shown how to use the video camera, and gotten to use them once before on a project. The teacher should refresh student’s memory and explain to them how to use the cameras.

· Students will be given 45 minutes to film their commercial. There commercial should only be about 30 seconds to 1 minute when complete.

BEYOND

· The teacher will restate the important parts of the lesson by asking students to describe what an advertisement is. The teacher will also ask students to name some of the different ways that something is advertised.

· The teacher should explain to the class that tomorrow they will be editing their video in the computer lab and that he/she will be there to help them use Microsoft Movie Maker in case they forget how to use it.

Reflection of Project

During class this past week, we created a project where we had to create a newsletter, quiz/test, flyer, and concept map using software skills that we learned in class. In my previous education classes I had created many quizzes, tests, flyers, and concept maps, however after Mrs. Mislevy taught us how to navigate and use Microsoft office and Inspiration, I found it much easier to recreate previous work. For example, in my science methods class I had to create a concept map that outlined my entire science unit. I had never used Inspiration before, and it was my first time making a concept map, so I found this task difficult. It probably took me roughly an hour and a half to complete it because I did not know how to use Inspiration. I had to navigate and try and learn how to use the program on my own. I decided for my new project to just recreate my science concept map. I started from the beginning and was able to complete the concept map in about twenty minutes; it took me a lot less time to finish it the second time around.

In addition to learning how to use Inspiration, we also learned how to efficiently use certain programs in Microsoft office including publisher and word. I was really familiar with how to use Microsoft office 2003 after taking a course on it in high school; however I have found that it takes me a long time to just find where a certain feature is on office 2007 because things have been changed and upgraded so much. I am so thankful that I was shown how to use Microsoft publisher and word because I was unaware of all of the new features that they have. I also now know where certain things are located, which I did not know before. When I recreated a flyer and a newsletter that I had done in the past, I found it much quicker to complete since I knew how to use the programs. Knowing where things are located and knowing about the new features and how they can be used, will help me in the future when I teach since I will be using these programs often. I will also be able to teach my students how to properly use them.

I found it to be very beneficial to take the time during class to learn how to use Microsoft office and Inspiration. Not only did it help me to create and finish my project fast, but it will also help me with future projects and assignments. Probably the most beneficial thing to learning them was how it has impacted me as a future teacher. I will be able to quickly and efficiently complete handouts, worksheets, flyers, newsletters, concept maps, outlines, and calenders, to just name a few, for my classroom. I will also be able to teach my students how to use these programs to benefit their education. For example, concept maps will help visual learners to see how units can be broken down into parts. I could use concept maps not only for my own reference, but I could also have students create their own for an assignment. We could also create a concept map as a class on a certain topic, which could then easily be printed out and given to students to use as a reference to brainstorm and write a story. Because of this, I think that learning how to use Inspiration was extremely beneficial to me and will also be to my students. Concept maps can be used for all subject areas, whether it be to brainstorm ideas for an essay or project, or to outline an upcoming unit. One other thing that I really found beneficial was learning how to use tables to create forms or quizzes. When using tables to create a quiz, you can easily line up all of your questions. Microsoft has a feature where you can create forms, which will also allow for me to have students take quizzes or tests on the computer by just typing in the answers. This is another feature that will help me when I teach. It will also save paper as they can easily send their completed quiz or test directly to me.

Inspiration

Inspiration is a program that teachers can use as a tool in their classroom for themselves as well as for their students. Teachers can create concept maps and outlines for units and lessons, as well as use the math manipulatives for lessons. Inspiration is definitely something that I will use in my classroom when I become a teacher. The program is very beneficial to students who are first learning to create outlines. The teacher can create a concept map with students since it helps student's visually see what kinds of information get included in an outline. The teacher or students can also choose to use pictures instead of words to create their outline. This is a good way for younger students who are just learning how to read to understand what they should include in an outline, as well as understand what an outline is. The neat thing about inspiration is that with the click of a button students can take the concept map that they created and turn it into an outline. Students could use this program to help them build ideas about a story they wanted to write, or to create an outline for a research paper. Another option that the teacher has with this program is giving students time to practice their math skills using the math view option. Here students can play around with math tiles, pattern blocks, base ten blocks, fraction tiles, and fraction boxes to build essential math skills.

The program that I think I will end up using the most as a teacher is the 4teachers program which includes rubistar and quizstar. I think that it is extremely important to let students know your expectations of them whenever they create a project, or finish an assignment. Students should know how they are going to be graded, and what things you will be looking for in their work. Rubrics help students to see if they included everything you wanted them to include in their project, and to help them reflect on their grade and know why they received the grade that they did. I will use rubistar often when I teach to create rubrics for students in all conent areas. The neat thing about this program is that it has premade rubrics that you can choose to print. You also have the option of adding new boxes in the rubrics, or removing ones that you do not necessarily like. I also find rubrics to be a good, unbiased way to grade assignments and use them as assessments. Quizstar is another thing I will probably use often. It is an easy way to create quizes for students to take. These quizes can be used as an assessment, or could be done just as practice. As a teacher creating quizes and tests after each unit is something that is done often, and quizstar is an efficient and effective way of doing that.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking will definitely be something that will come in use when I begin to teach. I was aware of social bookmarking, however until now did not know how beneficial social bookmarking can be to a teacher. Social bookmarking is a good way for teachers to organize websites into categories or “tags” so that when they need to find a certain website, they can easily locate it. Teachers can also follow each other and share websites that they found. Not only is social bookmarking beneficial to the teacher, but it can also be beneficial to students. If the teacher wanted students to do research on a certain topic, he/she can place a list of websites on their social bookmarking website for students to easily access. The teacher can also assign readings that students can read from home with internet access. If students do not have internet access from home, the teacher can still print out copies for these students to read. Another major advantage to using social bookmarking websites with students, is that is saves teachers from making copies, and instead, students can just log online to do their readings. Also, when students use social bookmarking sites to complete readings, they are much more engaged then if they were completing their readings from a textbook or a handout.

As a student at Albright College, I can see many ways that having a social bookmarking site can help me now, as well as in the future. Because I am an education major, I am constantly writing lessons, planning activities, creating units, and finding ideas that can help me when I begin to teach. I could use my social bookmarking site to organize websites that I found that are helpful to teachers/students. By placing websites into categories, I can easily be able to find them. Also, if I needed a website on something specific, like classroom management, I can just see what I tagged under that category and see what comes up. This will make it much faster to complete an assignment since the websites are essentially at my fingers. Social bookmarking is something that I plan to begin using right away, and continue to use throughout my career. Not only will it help me organize the websites that I find online, but it is also an easy way to share these websites with my coworkers, and hopefully many of them will have social bookmarking websites that can be beneficial to me as well.

Blog #1

1. Blogs can help enrich the educational process in many ways, which is why many new teachers incorporate them into their curriculum. Blogs can be a way for students to comment and critique on a nights reading, or even to discuss a project with a group at home. Blogs are also a good way for students who are absent from school to keep up with the class, since it is easy for teachers to post notes and tag certain websites for further readings on a topic. Teachers can also list websites that can be useful for an upcoming project, or just to post websites that they would like students to read. Some teachers also use blogs to post the readings in place of using a textbook. Those who do not have internet access at home are still given a textbook. It is also much cheaper for school districts to use blogs in place of a textbook. Blogs are also more motivating to students, especially those who otherwise might not actively participate in classrooms. Blogs are also effective forums for collaboration and discussion. Digit portfolios can also be created by students, and teachers can easily access and view them. Another benefit of blogs is that students will tend to pay close attention to spelling and grammar since they know that others, maybe even the public, can view them. There are a few disadvantages for using websites as well. One disadvantage is that technology is not always reliable, and students may have trouble accessing the internet on a particular night and in return are unable to complete the readings/assignments.

2. It is important to evaluate websites before using them in the classroom and for research. As a teacher you do not want to convey information to students that are not updated and valid. Also, teachers should make sure a website is still in use and working before planning on showing the website to students in a lesson. Teachers should also be sure to teach students why it is important to evaluate websites when using them for research and show them proper guidelines to follow when evaluating them. I think that a lot of students and even teachers/professors do not know how to properly evaluate a website, which is not a good thing. These teachers could be giving their students outdated information, or even information that is made up, since some websites are on false topics, or are very bias. I believe that teachers should incorporate how to properly evaluate a website, and teach students the importance of evaluating websites in their lessons. To do this, teachers could simply point out certain things on the websites that they are using for class, and ask students, “is this an updated website? Is this a good website to use?” Students should be able to know how to search for an author’s name, when the website was last updated, the authenticity, and reliability, to just name a few. Whenever the teacher uses a website for a lesson, she should have students try and find this information and come to a decision together whether or not the website is a good one to use. This is probably how I would reiterate the importance of checking a website for its reliability, and for getting my students into the habit of always checking on these things whenever they visit a website, whether it be for research purposes, or even for personal use.