"D" Posting

I really appreciate Rebecca's comment on my posting regarding the ebook I had created. Yea Rebecca, I really did feel like a professional- it was amazing to be so proud of myself! I'm sorry you did not feel that way about your ebook. I saw yours today, and I thought it was amazing! It was different from what everyone else did and you took many creative risks that i definitely think added to your ebook!
It really makes my blog more valuable when you write comments on it. I know Rebecca's was a positive one, but I take constructive critisism well and hope you will comment regardless if you had a positive or negative reaction to any of my posts! I now know out of all my blogs which one gets the most recognition! I hope to add many more blogs like my "B" posting and hope they are enjoyed as well! Thanks again for the comment Rebecca!

"E" POST

Recently, I did a five hour observation on a first grade class. I finally had a chance to see first hand how computers were used in a classroom. The teacher had different modules set up and the students spent fifteen minutes in each and then rotated. One of the modules was dealing with computers. Each student put on their headphones and designed their own robot, like the ones they were learning about all that week. With the robot they had designed, they could ‘program’ it to do simple tasks. The students were really excited to use their creativity and share their designs with fellow classmates. I just thought it was a really cool idea that you might want to consider!

"C" POST

I recently read, Computers Proliferating in Classroom, and article from the New York Times. The article talks about how computers are being used to enhance instruction in new ways. Before, emphasis was on how to use a computer and all of it’s functions. This article talks about the changes now and how computers are being used to learn new things. There are now 2.25 million computers in the elementary and high schools, about one for every 20 students. An average high school had 34 computers while an average elementary school had 17.

I decided to post in reference to this article since I believe it brings up a good point. If there are so many computers in elementary schools, the number of ways to learn from the computer should be just as high. They are included in schools because there is so much to learn from them and teachers really need to start using them as an instructional tool. Computers need to be used for more than just an aid classes in business education, math, English, science and industrial arts.

Computers Proliferating in Classroom

"B" Posting

Recently, in my Introduction to Computers in Education class we were assigned to create an ebook. Using powerpoint, my digital camera, and Audacity, I had to make a slideshow that talked and read a story with illustrations I created. I learned that combining the knowledge I had of Powerpoint, and my creativity, allowed me to create a masterpiece that I previously thought only professionals could do. One of the challenges I faced was the timing of my slide. I had to make sure that when a new ‘page’ of my ebook was ‘turned’ the reading began immediately, and once the reading ended, the next page automatically appeared. I added in 3 seconds to each slide so the reader was able to have time to look at the picture, yet did not get bored of what they were looking at. I learned that I could create great things, and when I become a teacher I will definitely create my own stories for my students to read. Or maybe even design the story as a class!

"A" Posting

I recently read an article entitled, Teaching outside the Book. I believe it is a great start for anyone concerned about students today and how to keep their attention while there are video games and HDTV’s available to them. The teachers at Horizon Elementary School decided to teach their lessons on Leap Pads and discuss the impact it had on their teaching abilities and the student’s reactions. Three grants totaling up to $900 helped the teachers in Port Orange accomplish this. Radford says, “There were many games and activities available that met my needs including the different subject areas such as science, social studies, math, language arts and, of course, reading.”

I selected this article for a number of different reasons. The first is that there is so much new technology in our world today, and old teaching methods are being replaced. Therefore, we as teachers need to learn to adapt to these changes and help better design our lesson plans and teaching techniques. I also chose it because the purpose of this blog is to teach you about different software and programs that can be used with the computer in order to function in today’s classrooms.

Teacher Thinks Outside the Book