#10 Technology Skills Outcomes

I completed the Technology Skills and feel very confident of the work that was done. I was able to show how savvy I was in Word, Spreadsheet, and Database. I hope to continue to use these in my classroom for the future.
For my Word project I implemented the various editing tools. I have seen other's use this application, but I had never been able to use it myself. I was able to highlight through and comment on the mistakes.
The Spreadsheet project I used a gradebook and used various formulas such as mean and average formulas to compare student grades.
The Database project was my favorite because I had never done a Database project. The project was a merged document about upcoming field trips.
Overall I learned how find information and apply it to produce desirable work.

#20 Final Post

This class has definitely been a journey for me. For one, this was one of my first graduate classes and it was online. Having the class online was difficult. There was so much work to be done every week. Many times, it became quite difficult to handle. But I was able to get the class done. For that, I am proud of myself for enduring. The most beneficial portions of this class for me was the Database and Lesson Plan project. I was able to go above and beyond while investigating and probing to learn various kinds of technology to integrate into ordinary teaching tools. For the Database project, I learned how to merge documents and use Help to find what I otherwise did not know how to do. The Lesson Plan project gave me great ideas that I could use in my present classroom that would benefit my students. This class also benefited me by making me more aware of the various software that is avaialable for education, especially assistive technology.
The format of the course again was included a plethora of work that I feel had to be turned in too soon considering the amount of the work. I benefitted from the actual assignments, the timing is what inhibited me. In the future, I would make this a self-paced class since it is online. The only thing that would be due every week should be discussion board responses.
I am a very interactive person when I am face to face in a class, but online classes tend to "lose me". They are very difficult to maintain. I am also a person that needs to talk out a problem to get a solution. But with this online class meeting only once a month, I felt that I did not receive all the answers to my questions.
Overall, I have become more knowledgable of many more technology applications for education.

#19 Technology for Field Trips

With an ever failing economy, schools and school districts are feeling the pinch to save money. School field trips are one of the many ways to bring learning to life. But with the cut of funding, parents losing jobs, and rising prices, field trips are not as available for students to attend. The good news is students can take virtual field trips to places that they may not have ever been able to visit or at this time could not afford to go. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators would not have to worry about having money for transportation or entrance. Virtual tours offer free tours. Virtual field trips offer its visitors an individualized session that allows the visitor to move about at their own pace. Visitors are able to learn new vocabulary and learn information that they may not would have been able to explore.
Some virtual tours can be taken online with webhost using webcams that focus on different kinds of animals and museums. Students would be delighted to take a three daytrip following the eating patterns of an animal in a zoo that is near or far. They would also enjoy seeing a museum in Washington D.C. This not only saves money, but it extends learning opportunities.

#18 Technology to teach reading skills

Reading is one of my favorite sub-subjects under language arts. I enjoy the various genres that it presents. I would love my students to feel the way that I feel about reading. For my students I try to be an exmple of how much I love reading, so that they will mimic me. I also use various pieces of technology to foster their readability and their enjoyment of various ways to read.
In my classroom, I use leapfrog books to provide additional reading practice for students who need help with sounding words out and fluency. I also use online books from www.starfall.com. I was also told about a website by the name of www.audacity.com. There I could record myself reading books to play back to my students as they read along. In addition, I have also learned how to make movies using Windows Movie Maker. I will use these as individual practice models for students to practice fluency, comprehension, and phonics skills. I also would like to teach my students to record each other while reading using video cameras. I would use the recordings as assessmet pieces to assess students' fluency levels. I would be able to see how quickly and easily students read text.
There are many other ways to teach reading using technology. Some other ways would be to have students to write blogs and read others' blogs and visit Internet sites such as www.pbskids.org for phonics games and stories. These tools not only assist teaching students to read, it also serves as motivational pieces to engage students in learning.

#17 Technology for fitness

Being fit is ever so prevalent as a basis for topics on magazines, televisions shows, and many other sources of media. But not technology is being used to help people to become healthy and maintain their health. Some tools include pedometers, heart monitors, and even calorie counters that allow a person to place food on a scale and the scale calculates how many calories the food contains.
Many websites offer tracking support for those who are trying to lose weight. Some of these websites include www.self.com. Guests are able to log onto the website and view how many calories that they have burned according to their weight and the activity performed. Blogging and chatting groups offer support from those who are losing or who have lost weight.
In additon to tools for weight loss, technology helps those with diseases to keep track of their health. For example those with diaetes are able to use a digital device to track their blood sugar levels.
The health devices can also be used with students in school. The teacher can have students track how many steps they take over a period of three months. In a Spreadsheet document the student can create an organization framework of his steps over the period of the months. The student could also add a graph to simulate the changes over the period.
Technology can be integrated in many ways: at school, home, or work in healthfully beneficial ways.

#16 Funding for Classroom Technology

I am in such a trance right now. I am slightly disturbed for the technology that I feel is needed in my classroom. The overhead projector in classroom is helpful. But, I feel that technolgy such as ELMO's and in-focus machines could help me deliver my lessons so much more effectively. My students would also not have to move around the classroom so often. Neither would I have to adjust things in my classroom as often for viewing purposes.
My frustration begins when, as a teacher, I am shown all of the technological tools that would benefit me in the classroom, but not offered a real way to attain them. My salary is decent for me to live but not supply my school with the necessary equipment that is needed! I believe my next goal willl be for me to learn how to write grants to receive funding for not only my school, but my classroom.
I must also clear something up. I am not saying that my campus does not provide technological equipment. The equipment is scarce and basically given to the Library Media Specialist. There is usually only one of whatever technology is given. This is better than nothing, but our students deserve to have the opportunity to encounter technology of various kinds everyday. Not just when the teacher is able to check it out. Following this blog, my endeavor will be to find alternative ways to get technology that will support my teaching.

#15

My colleagues and I were able to participate in an on-going study on the affects of how technology helps students. In addition to the students being in the study for 1st grade they will be followed throughout 3rd grade.The students are placed on the computer twice a week using a program call istation. Istation provides reading instruction across the spectrum for alphabetic principle, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonics. Students were first assessed on every level and depending on the students score, they will receive computer based instruction. The students enjoy accessing the software when they are able to access it. I enjoy seeing my students with vigor to learn. I cannot yet say that I see the results of them using the software, but I am looking forward to seeing my student's readability increase.

#14 Computer Workstations

I recently was given four computers for classroom. I have implemented these computers into my classroom for centers. My students log onto www.starfall.com and practice phonics skills such as sounds for -ar , -er, -ur, sh-, ch and many more sounds. I have seen tremendous outcomes from my students. They are engaged in learning and yearn to go to the computer center for practice.
In addition to the website, I have used the computers to help students with writing process. My students used a website to organize the main characters, what the characters are doing, the problem, and the solution to organize the story. The students took their stories and typed them in Word. The students were able to revise and proof their work.
The computers have been beneficial to my students for their academic advancement.

#11 Assistive Technology

I was unaware that there were so many technologies available for those impaired in one way or another. Assistive technology is technology that provides the use with the ability to perform a task that they otherwise would be unable or incompletely be able to do. For example braces on one's legs enable them to walk when they previously would not have been able to. Assistive technologies in the classroom and school usually allow for students with handicapps and impairments to perform normally with peers. For example, to enhance a student's ability to use the keyboard, the student can use alternative keyboards.
Some other examples of Assistive Technology Resources are as follows:
Screen readers- these are used for students with sight impairments. It interprets and reads what is projected on the screen to the student.
Optical Character Recognition- This technology is also used for students with sight impariments. This application converts printed material into audio information for the student.
FM amplifications-For individuals for hearing impairments. This application is attached to the teacher using a microphone and the student using the receiver. While the teacher is speaking, the student with the hearing impairment will be able to hear without difficulty.
WriteOut Loud-This tool will allow students to hear what they have written
Assistive Technology allows for students participate in a regular classroom setting.

#6 Spreadsheet Reflection

Spreadsheet from my previous understanding was a software program used to store information such as phone numbers or basically organizing personal information. Spreadsheet now I understand can be used to add formulas to retrieve medians and modes from numerical data. I also learned that graphs and visual models can be added inside a Spreadsheet document to simulate the numerical data for viewers to see a relatable image to the data.
For my classroom, I could use Spreadsheet to implement a gradebook that would store assessment scores from the beginning, middle, and end of the year. I could use the average formula to average the scores and compare student growth. I would also insert a graph to simulate the scores over a period of an academic school year.
For students, Spreadsheet would be valuable for drill and practice functions. Students could drill and practice with math and subtraction facts, multiplication facts, and division problems. Students can also use the what if functions for higher level problems. Spreadsheet can also be used for math assessments.Teachers can premake an assessment in Spreadsheet that includes the formulas. The student can answer the various mathematical questions and retrieve immediate feedback if the answer is incorrect. Spreadsheet provides teachers and students with accessibility to organize numerical data.

#5 Database reflection

I recently created a merged document using information from a database created file. In the database file I saved my students' names, phone numbers, parents' names, addresses, and other helpful information to help identify the student. I merged the Database document with files from Word. The Word document was a field trip letter updating parents of upcoming field trips. When I merged the Database document and the Word document, the Word document implemented the students' name into the letter heading and parents' names onto the parent name line.
Before this class, I never knew anything about database. I have heard of the the software previously , but never had the opportunity to implement for my own use. After reviewing Roblyer and using Database software, I learned that Database is a software that is used for storing and organizing information. Not only does Database include text information, it also stores numerical information. Basically Database is a record keeper. As a teacher, I can use Database to store information about my student's personal information and assessment scores. I can also teach my students to use Database for organizing purposes. Database is a great tool for storing information in a sequential order.

Technology in the Arts