WIKI comment on games

As we all know, games play a huge role in today’s society. Whether it is video or computer games, or even puzzles and card games; games can be used as an advantage to a child learning if they are used effectively. For example, if I allow my students’ in my classroom to play a card game during a math lesson, they are gaining new knowledge as well as learning to social interact with their peers. They are also learning about rules and the importance of playing fair. Allowing my students to play educational software on the computer is another way to involve children in games, but they have fun while doing it. They are involved in a “thinking process” which stimulates the brain and they have no idea. Games that are educational create a positive learning environment that every child should be exposed to at all times. Even puzzles are a type of game that is motivating and challenging for any aged person. However, video games have become a hindrance to children’s learning. The video games that children play at home are filled with violence and they have made children lazy and uninterested in learning new things. Instead of being active or reading a book, they are investing all of their time and energy into less stimulating activities such as video games. I also think these video games that parents are allowing their children to play non-stop are a huge factor in today’s violent society. When these children are exposed to such games, they begin to conform to this idea that violence is okay and part of our world. I think it is incredibly ridiculous the amount of hours that are invested in video games that aren’t educational when gaining knowledge and simply learning is far one of the most important aspect of our lives.

Technology in Social Studies

Chapter 12 discusses using technology in the social studies curriculum. After reading this chapter it gave me an insight of how to utilize the computer to construct lesson plans involving social studies. I use the computer in my classroom more as a reward, a center, math games on c.d. roms, and during Science lessons. I normally teach social studies orally. We use our books and workbooks and have discussions about our lesson. However, this chapter helped remind me you can use the internet to incorporate many social studies lessons even in 1st grade. You could have children look up different generations and how they differ today as well as studying the variety of cultures that make up our society. One of the teachers in my grade level sent home a project for her children to complete and come back to class and conduct an oral presentation of what they learned. This is a great way for children to utilize the computer as well as learn about people and their ways of living. You could also have pairs of students to work in groups at certain times during the day to locate information; especially in the upper grades where the kids do not require as much attention. Although, there are a variety of ways children could access technology to integrate social studies standards, we have to be careful not to get lazy with allowing the computer become the teacher. This chapter listed many strategies to integrate technology that I would have never known about.

Technology in Math and Science

Chapter 11 discusses using technology in Mathematics and Science instruction. I will be the first to admit that I do not integrate technology into my Math and Science instruction as I should. After reading this chapter, I retained some useful websites and information on how to incorporate it more into my plans. First of all, I usually associate technology with “computer”, but that is not even close to the only technology there is for children to learn. When learning to add and subtract I teach my children to use paper and pencil, their fingers, or manipulatives. However, I could teach them to use a calculator, but when the skill is as easy as adding and subtracting I feel as if I were teaching them to be lazy. If I taught higher grades where they learn more complex mathematical skills then I would definitely introduce and teach them how to use a calculator. They could also build on and learn social skills from one another by using calculators in groups or working on assignments together using the computer. I do allow my students to play on math websites and C.D. rom’s for a reward. As for using technology to teach Science, I struggle with that as well. Again, I teach Science with much more of a hands-on approach. We do experiments and observations and I inquire them a lot with data, questions, and reasonings. There are also some useful websites this chapter mentions that could aid in the discussions we have on some of our experiments. It is interesting to find out all the different ways to incorporate technology into our curriculum.

Technology with ELL students

Chapter 10 talks about using technology in English Language Learning and Foreign Language Instruction. As an educator I will always face the challenge of teaching English to students of other languages while maintaining my instruction to correlate with the State’s Course of Study Standards. When I was in High School, I took Spanish I and II and since English is the language I was born speaking Spanish was very hard and frustrating for me to understand. Therefore, when I have student’s who do not speak English I want to be able to provide them with some of the best resources for them to learn to speak and read English as quickly as possible. The computer is one resource that can help with that task and this chapter did a magnificent job of providing some various software and websites to aid in vocabulary and language development. This is helpful because so often the teacher does not speak fluently the home language of those ELL students and technology can help provide some of those tools. Also, at my school we have an ELL teacher who comes in at different times during the day to pull out our ELL students. She works with them orally and with written assignments to reinforce what is being taught in the classroom. Having these ELL students in our classroom is not a problem, but just something that we must admit will never change. I will continuously strive to give each and every student the utmost education possible through hands on activities as well as using technology.

Technology in English and Language Arts

Chapter 9 discusses technology in English and Language Arts Instruction. As a First Grade teacher, I don’t focus much of my instruction on teaching technology, but I do integrate it into some lessons. Also, they go to the computer lab once every other week and they are still learning how to use the keyboard and different important concepts of the computer. During our ninety minute literacy block the computer is one of their centers everyday. I usually have them work on the website starfall.com and they thoroughly enjoy it. On this website they can play games or listen to a variety of stories read to them. They don’t realize it is instructional because they see it as playing on the computer. Another center is the read along with a book. They also love this center and there again, it is instruction for them which can support their growth in literacy. Centers that are fun, but curriculum centered help motivate students to read whether for study or pleasure. These particular centers also provide reading fluency for the children; learning to read fluently in First Grade is crucial and it is my responsibility as an educator to teach them to read with ease and fluency. Another way I promote literacy development in my classroom is to engage them in “book talks.” We have read alouds daily where I help them visualize the story through questioning to build their prior knowledge. When they can relate to stories and events, they are more motivated to want to learn and read more often.

Integrating the Internet in the curriculum

Chapter 8 talked about integrating the internet into the curriculum. As we all know, it is crucial we use technology in our classroom and one way to incorporate it into our content is to use web-based activities, projects, and lessons. However, they are not always the most effective way to enhance children’s learning. I teach 1st grade so I have not ever made any of my students have a project due from using the internet even though they would be capable. I work with a teacher who is in my grade level that made her student’s complete a project on black history month. She chose different people for them to research in a month’s span. They then had to make some kind of visual for that person, dress up like them, if possible, and give their class a report on that individual. She said they had a blast reporting to their classmates and it was a huge learning experience for them as well as her. I would love to try this next year in my classroom. As for right now, I integrate the internet whenever possible during the day. For example, this week one of our phonics words was oyster. Some of my student’s had never seen an oyster before. During that day, I looked up a picture of an oyster and shared it with them. I also have allowed them to use the dictionary online to look up certain words in the past that they did not know the definition of. The socio-economic status of my school is somewhat lower than others, therefore, many of our families may not have internet access, but I think giving a web-based project would benefit those families even more because it would give them a chance to use a community area such as a library to use the internet which could possibly be another learning experience for them as well. I think if I taught in an older grade level, I would give more assignments that pertained to using the internet more often. In chapter 8 they gave five important questions to consider before giving any online project. I would definitely use these questions to help guide me in planning for the project for any grade level.

Internet Madness

I was excited to see that chapter 7 was based on introducing the internet and other distance learning tools because that is what our world has become consumed with. Don’t get me wrong, the internet is a wonderful learning tool for all ages, but call me old fashioned sometimes I also can’t stand it. In ways it is positive for our society, but our society today has also taken it to a whole different level to where I think it has completely made people lazy and not as inspired to find out new knowledge based on their own skills and motivation. I will be the first to say, I do use the internet in my class as a learning tool as well as a reward some days. However, when I got out my dictionary one day for my class and me to look up a word, a child asked why don’t we just look it up on the internet. I explained to him that we do not need to use the internet for everything when we can use other resources as well and I wanted to teach them how to use a dictionary anyways! I think the internet has also damaged our line of communication. I would rather meet someone and talk one afternoon rather than e-mailing 15 times back and forth. Although, I know sometimes this is just not the ideal situation such as if 2 people are in separate states or even cities. Obviously, I could go on and on about my opinion on the internet in today’s world, but I will save that for a later time. There are many advantages and disadvantages to the internet and all of the resources that go along with it; I just think people need to use it to there advantage when needed and in moderation.

Multimedia and Hypermedia

As technology increases in the school systems, we continue to have more opportunities to use multimedia and hypermedia tools in the classroom. Chapter 6 discussed the differences between multimedia and hypermedia and they both have many advantages and are closely related. Also, the great thing about both types of media is you don’t always have to use each for a learning tool. One of the teacher’s in my grade level is very computer savvy. Throughout the year, she takes pictures of her kids participating in various activities and even video records them during special times as well. Then, at the end of the year she puts all of her recording and pictures on a CD-ROM for the parents’ of her class to purchase if they desire. I would absolutely love to do this one day when I learn more about technology. Especially since we teach first grade, it’s a great way for the parent’s to have keepsakes and memories of their child during that year. Each type of media has a variety of software that enhances the media. Even though I use both types of media in my classroom, I would have to say I use hypermedia more often. Hypermedia pertains more to me because I always take pictures of my class doing different things whether they are working at their center, on the playground, or during a holiday party. Another resource of hypermedia is texting such as Word Art which I use in an assortment of tasks such as newsletters, flyers, and my lesson plans. One of the best things about both types of media is that they are user friendly for people like me with hardly any technical skills.

Amazing Software Programs

Chapter 5 discussed even more of the software programs used beyond just your basic programs. I was fascinated at some of the programs they have such as the IEP generator software that assists teachers with coming up with IEP’s as well as the Worksheet and Puzzles generator. A worksheet or puzzle on skills that have been taught is an easy way to assess children’s knowledge. Also, the electronic gradebook is amazing to me. I have recently heard of teachers having that program at their school and how it is a convenient and quicker way to input grades for progress reports and report cards. We don’t have that program at our school, but I think I would enjoy it if we did. I was interested in many topics in Chapter 5, but the one I could relate to the most was using the graphic tools. However, I don’t have any of this particular software except what came on my computer such as word art, paint, etc. I can’t imagine actually having the software and some of the techniques I could use to create certain documents. Right now, I even use word art in my lesson plans sometimes, but like I said before it doesn’t come from an actual program. If I taught upper grades like middle school or high school, I think it would be necessary to purchase many of these programs due to some of the assignments they would be working on. However, it would be a waste of money with early childhood grades. I think what we have now on our computers is sufficient for my first graders. For example, on Fridays I allow some of the one’s who made good choices all week to use the paint program in Microsoft word to draw and they absolutely love it.

The Positives of Word Processors

Chapter 4 was based solely on the basic three software tools: word processing, spreadsheet, and database programs. Out of those three with being a first grade teacher, I related to word processing the most. As the book states it offers a wide range of advantages. First of all, it saves time, enhances document appearance, and allows you to share documents with other writers. I use word processor for a variety of assignments mostly for myself. I use it to type my lesson plans on a weekly basis. I also use it to type my newsletter bi-weekly. Any note I send home that I know that I’m going to use again the next year I simply save it and just pull it up again the next year. At the beginning of the year we have a packet to give to our parents with an assortment of papers to be filled out. These are anywhere from classroom rules and management to what each folder will be used for in our classroom. However, I use some of the same procedures each school year so all I have to do is pull it up on my processor where I have it saved and change the dates. Talking about saving some major time? It has been a lifesaver for me in the past. The book suggests that word processing can be introduced to students as young as 4 or 5 and I completely agree. My student’s have computer lab time every other week, so most of the time we practice handwriting drills and write stories in class, but if they did not have that “special” I would incorporate something in my lesson where they would do some kind of work at the computer typing especially where our world is headed with technology these days. They would be lost in the future probably without practice at a young age! With that being said, I’m not surprised word processing has become the most commonly used software in education.

Instructional Game Software

The topic in Chapter 3 that caught my attention the most was the different types of software programs. There are various types of software that aid in learning these days which include drill and practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional games, and problem solving software. The software that I am most familiar with is the instructional games. In the book, it refers to Arthur’s Math Games which I have personally never heard of, but am definitely going to look into. As a First Grade teacher, my kids absolutely love any time they have on the computer. I even have the computer as one of my literacy stations where they get on Starfall.com and read or watch movies on certain phonics sounds. It has a wide variety of material that goes along with lots of phonics lessons I teach whether it is long or short vowel sounds or even blends. The computer center is probably one of the centers they are most focused at just because it is something different and it is interactive and entertaining, therefore, they enjoy learning more. An instructional game software my kids thoroughly enjoy is Batter-Up. It increases their motivation for Math and they are learning at the same time. However, this is not the only instructional method I use when it comes to the math curriculum. Most of the time, I allow certain students throughout the week to play it when they have made good choices that day or whole week. That way, it gives them an incentive to make good choices, but it is an instructional tool also.

Direct or Constructivist Instruction?

While reading Chapter 2 this week, the topic about learning theories as bases for integration models caught my eye. As I read it, it made me reflect back on my education courses I took at Auburn University. We were always learning about the two different views of teaching styles, directed instruction and constructivist instruction. Directed instruction is based solely on direct instruction of the material to be learned from teacher to child while constructivist instruction is based more on the fact that knowledge is constructed through hands-on activities completed by the children. I am going to have to agree with both instructional methods. First of all, I have used both methods as a means of students’ learning process and seen both succeed. In Auburn, there schools are involved in nothing but a constructivist view of teaching and believe strongly that this is the only way children gain knowledge. When I interned with Kindergarten I was able to put this practice into play. At first, I thought there’s no way these 5 year olds are going to understand about glaciers, the Arctic’s, and sea otters. However, I was proved wrong! We learned about these various creations through reading informational books, looking information up online, and even constructing our very own and hanging them up in the classroom. It was an unforgettable experience for me and I know it was for them as well. Alternatively, this kind of learning normally takes place in different situations than what I am teaching in right now. The socio-economic status of these kids was much higher than what I teach now and the parent’s of each child were thoroughly involved in the education of their child. I do know constructivist teaching can work with my class now, because I have used that teaching method and seen the result, but it’s not as possible to teach in the kind of environment I am in right now on a daily basis like in some other schools such as Auburn. I would love to be able to teach with a constructivist view each day if I had the support that is needed. Lastly, either way of teaching whether it is direct or constructivist, students gain and retain new knowledge especially when you integrate technology in the lesson. So, which view do you use most often or prefer?

Wireless Connectivity

I agree, wireless connections make things so much easier. I am very limited in my classroom because my computers can only be arranged in one space. This arrangement doesn't leave much room for decorating. :0) Also, I feel that wireless connections are safer for classroom environments. You wouldn't have to worry about children tripping over cords and other related objects.

"Convenient" Wireless Connectivity

Technology is an important component of everyday jobs today more so than ever and it continues to develop each day. There are emerging trends in software daily whether it is with cell phones, fax machines, or computers. The more technological advances that are made, the better our educational practices will become. First of all, Chapter 1 talks about wireless connectivity being a trend. I agree with this trend because I think of all the places in our community today that have wireless internet for users with laptop access. This allows for fewer cables for hookup and offers only one “drop” where numerous computers can access the network. There are many hotels and restaurants that have this available for a convenient way for people to utilize the internet. I must say it has been convenient for me at times when I needed to “get away” from a setting and still be able to work on the internet. Also, some schools have these “hot spots” around the building so students or teachers can utilize the internet from anywhere in the school. This makes organizing your classroom much easier to set up and not having to worry about putting your computer in one place in your room for internet access. In the school I interned at, they did not have this “wireless connectivity” yet, therefore, the teacher only had one place to put her computer so she had to rearrange her room according to where her computer was going to sit because she wanted to be able to use the internet. This was frustrating when organizing the classroom because it gave limited space of where to locate her computer. Luckily, with the wireless trend we have more possibilities of how to arrange our classroom without being stuck putting our computer in one specific spot.

Blogging on the first day

Thus far I have enjoyed learning about blogs and how to create one. I think it will be helpful in the future to use it for my communication with my classmates. It was difficult to understand everything at first, but hopefully it was because we were moving at a fast pace and I was unable to really grasp what I was doing exactly. I am excited about learning more this semester about blogs and how to use them.