Reflections on Using Technology in the Classroom

Now that I am finishing up my technology class at college since it is the end of the semester, I have learned ways to integrate technology in the classroom and how that might be done successfully.  I have been introduced to podcasting, Google Docs, Sites, and Calendar, and Delicious.  I have learned how to make a web quest and a teacher web page, how to make a rubric and a spreadsheet using Excel (though I am still horrible at that), how to create a scavenger hunt for my students, and what things to look for to make sure a website is credible and valid.  

I was very skeptical when I first started this class and thought that I would never use any of the things I was learning in my future classroom.  Though I will still not use everything I have learned in this class, there has been some things that have been helpful.  I am especially thankful that I have learned how to use Google Docs for that will be helpful for any documents or papers that I would like to share with my co-teachers.  I am still not sure how to design a web page but I am glad that I have been introduced to the basic concepts of it for I will have to create one when I become a teacher.  Also, I am glad that I have learned how to make a scavenger hunt and web quest for I know these will be helpful to interest my students in the material we are studying and they allow the students to take control of their own learning.  Technology is extremely important for all students to have a grasp of and I know now how to better integrate various sources of technology in my future classroom.

Reflections on Podcasting

1). Podcasting is online audio content that can be recorded using a cell phone or sometimes another device and various kinds of information can be found on podcasts.  Anyone can listen to a podcast anytime and anywhere and at his or her own pace.

2). In my future classroom, I will use podcasting for those students who are auditory learners and will learn better by listening to the material that is being presented in class.  I will also use podcasting for different academic subjects where students can make videos and stories about what they have been learning and then record their observations, results, and research on a podcast. 

3). The pros of podcasting are that students can take charge of their own learning and most of the time, will find using podcasting as a interesting alternative to traditional methods of learning.  Podcasts are available to listen to at no charge.  It is also great for the auditory learner.  The cons of podcasting are that it takes time to record information on a podcast in order to make it available to students and not all podcast sites are free for teachers to use.

Ethics in Education

1). Ethics is the principles of what is right and wrong. It is a person's morals and his or her standards of conduct that he or she follows. Possessing ethics is important in any profession but it is extremely important in teaching for teachers affect the lives of numerous students and their fellow teachers.
2). Ethics will greatly affect how I teach my students. I have a strong sense of ethics and morals and without bringing religion into my classroom, I will make sure that my students know what is right and wrong and why something is a certain way. I will model for my students what I believe to be right so they can see a good example. I will follow what my school district tells me to do and go through the curriculum that they give me but after that is done, I will bring in activities and things that I believe is helpful for them to learn. Even though I can't bring up the subject of religion in my classroom or talk about God with my students, I can still pray for them and integrate my faith into how I teach.
3) A con of being concerned with ethics is a person can get so caught up with what is right and wrong and what is the moral thing to do that he or she may look down on those who mess up or who aren't on the same level of moral standards. A pro of ethics is when a teacher does have a strong sense of morality and can teach and relate that to his or her students, thus providing them with a good example to follow.

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours are an unique way to visit new places and learn new things.  Instead of traveling to several places and only seeing a limited amount of things, teachers can use virtual tours to help their students learn.  Virtual tours can include videos, pictures, and related websites of the places that are being currently studied.  They are rapidly becoming more popular and are an unique option to school field trips.

Since schools are increasing doing away with field trips on account of limited funds, I will use virtual tours to allow my students to travel to places they could only dream about before.  I want to open their minds to the world around them and virtual tours are a great option and are much more interesting than researching information on Google.  If my students have a project that will be due, I can use virtual tours to encourage their excitement of the assigned topic(s) and to increase their learning.

Pros of virtual tours are they allow students to travel to places they have never been to before, they are free and will not cost the school anything, and it makes learning much more fun and interesting for students.  A con would be that there may not always be a virtual tour for the topic or subject area that the teacher has assigned.

Web quests

A web quest is a fun and interesting way for students to research new information and often includes a list of websites for students to use when conducting their research.

I will use web quests in my classroom in the following ways: since I will be teaching elementary students and be in charge of teaching all the subject areas, for any subject that requires a little more effort and thought, the ideal would be for the students to use a web quest.  This will encourage more independent and group study and show them that learning can be fun.  I will also use web quests to teach my students how to break down a great deal of information into smaller steps.

A pro of web quests are they are much more fun and interesting then worksheets or book reports and it encourages students to learn on their own or with partners.  This creates team work and frees up my time to work with those who may be struggling in a specific area.  The biggest con would be that web quests require a lot of work and effort and I am not sure how many I could use for each subject area but however, I would like to use web quests at least a few times each year.

Teacher web pages

A teacher web page is a special document that allows teachers to keep in touch with parents and students regarding assigned homework and any special announcements.  It is usually linked to the school's website and it is up to the teacher on how often it is updated.  Usually, it has the school's and the teacher's contact information and it is related to the subject area(s) that the teacher is instructing in at the school.

I think that a teacher web page is a extremely helpful tool.  I will create one for my classroom that will include any current homework or projects that are due, newsletters, upcoming events and important dates, and my contact information so that my students may feel free to ask me any questions that they have outside of school.  I will also list current world events on my web page for I feel that it is important for my students to know what is going on in the world around them for they all have a part to play in it.

Pros of a teacher web page are:  It is easier to keep in touch with parents about events and reminders instead of having to call them, students can see the homework that is due if they were absent from class or just forgot it, and it would save on the use of paper.  Some cons would be:  Not all families have computers which would make it more difficult as they would not have access to my web page, students may not always check it things that may be coming up and may need reminders, and lastly, I believe that it would be hard to keep up as I am having difficultly creating my sample web page.  It would be worth it but not something that I am an expert at doing.

Technology class

I am in a technology class this semester and I have found it somewhat difficult to understand.  I am not a technical person and I find it hard to grasp how I will be using the things I am learning in my future Early Ed. classroom.  However, the movie was kind of fun to make and it is interesting to see everything Google has to offer.  So, I am hoping that I will learn enough to take back with me and put it to use in my future career.