TECH-KNOW-LOGIC-AL

When it comes down to the meaningful learning assessment tools, the rubric seems to be such a great way to help your students understand what you are asking for within an assignment. There are so many different ways to use a rubric. No matter the assignment, no matter if it is on your own or with a group they're such wonderful ways of being able to grade everyone on the same level and making sure that the students understand what is expected of them. Another amazing tool that allows students to participate in the classroom as well as every student being able to be involved, Clickers. These are great devices that are able to be given to every student so that once you have posted a question on the screen each student is able to submit their answer and once every one has had the chance to answer the result may be posted to show all students what percentages of them got it right. It allows the student to figure things out without having to be the center of attention or uncomfortable. Inspiration Software is such a wonderful tool for teachers, students, parents, and even as far as business and personal use. The software allows you to create a diagram for almost anything, there are even example lesson plans for every subject at your finger tips. Kidspiration is another part of this software that is especially made for kids and is much more simplistic. As for me in my high school classroom I'm not really quite sure which I would rather use considering sometime students just need you to take it slow so that they may be able to understand and contain the knowledge you have left them with more clearly.

Now if it weren't for this wonderful ETEC424 class that I got to be a part of there is no telling how long it would have taken me to find some of these things out or if at all. There is so much technology out there that can be such a great use for teachers and their students. All of the technology is just sitting there waiting to be discovered and so many already have. We all know that teachers borrow from each other, especially when something works so wonderfully. Being a part of this class has given me a great insight to what I need to know when it comes to teaching. I feel that I have been given a leg up on many other soon to be teachers. The tools that have been shown to me are more than just one or two but they are gateways into so much more. I enjoyed learning about so many new and upcoming things throughout this class and I can hardly wait to be able to share it with my students and even other teachers.

Visualizing with Technologies

From what many of us remember was that our favorite day in class was when we got to watch a movie. Now rewind and think, do you remember what movie you watched, what it was about and or related to? Students have been known to be able to retain more knowledge when they have something the can compare to visually. Fortunately, others realize this as well and have made it easier for teachers to get across to their students visually. Such websites as discoveryeducation.com and SAFARI montage are some great examples of what teachers can and do use to help teach their students. On the discovery education website there is so much to chose from. You may search by grade level or subject or even keywords, this makes it easier for you to see what would be suitable for your classroom and easier for the students to understand the content in which you are showing them. In my belief students are at a great advantage with this much information at their finger tips. There is so much to see and plenty of time to show it. Expand your horizons and help other people grow.

Designing with Technology

There are so many other ways for students to learn about technology than just inside the classroom. Either it be creating robots, structures of art out of legos, or their own sound track. There are more and more way becoming available for students to express themselves through technology. As they grow in this area, there seems to be a link to inside the classroom. If a teacher is able to tap into the aspect of the student and bring their interests into the classroom there just seems to be no boundary that the student couldn't reach. Students are there to learn, to listen, to grow, and to understand, but the way you are able to help this student accomplish those things they wish to accomplish will need some blending of the worlds.

copyright and fair use....

Simply trying to learn about copyright is difficult enough, but trying to teach it to multiple students throughout multiple years makes it seem almost like insanity. Now when I was in school, copyright play a role but we didn't have nearly as much to draw from as the students of today do. The laws and guidelines to fair use that is being laid out by the law seems quite necessary.

The laws have also seemed to come in to help with cyber safety as well. With so many pop-ups, viruses, and other harmful things just floating around that could harm your computer you also have to look for the online predators that are just searching for someone that they could pounce on. As educators, we must take control of the situation to protect our students.

With students being able to do more and more things with technology and online and practically living online. There have come to be more issues than just predators, cyber bulling. If it wasn't bad enough kids have learned how to reach each other through different means of communication. It is even said that some students won't say anything in the classroom or in person but they won't hesitate to say something mean online. This must come to an end! Students need to learn that words are harmful no matter the source it's coming from.

Hello Friends =)

Thanks for visiting, I am currently a senior at A&M University Commerce where I intend on graduating this December and going on to become a Speech teacher/ track and or cross country coach. I am also taking an online ETEC class that is introducing blogging to all the students so we all get to create our own. The class I'm taking is also showing teachers of the next generation how to use technology in their classrooms. The idea of aiding students learn using something they already know so much about seems to be the right train of action. As I become a speech teacher and seeing a most of the class is about getting students to speak out, it might take a while for some so if they do have something to say and are unable to portray their thoughts in class a blog seems like a great way for them to express themselves. This class is going to be so mind blowing. It is never a bad idea to get new ideas on how to teach your students. I'm sure there is so much to be learned here that I didn't even know I didn't know. How to connect with students from home, how to get more participation out of your students both in the classroom and through technology. One thing I really think would be fun to learn is how to teach my students to only use technology as a crutch and not as their source for everything that they need to accomplish in the classroom or in life. maybe a happy medium. =) Beside all that I am excited to learn so that my students should be able to learn and maybe even one day pass it on to someone else.