10/03/05 Class

I think it is very motivating to hear students talk about how technology has shaped their learning. Our student panel impressed upon me the idea that technology really makes a lasting impact on them. They were so excited to talk about their projects and share their experiences.
Through experience, these students have literally become experts at using technology. This is an invaluable skill for them to have, as it is one that is going to become more and more necessary. The more they use it, the better they are at it.
When I think about using a new program (like Power Point - I know my students have little exposure to this), the first thing I think about is how long it will take just to teach them to use the program. Then for them to create their own presentation on top of that, it can become a time consuming project. But if I teach it once, and then give my students the opportunity to use that new skill on a fairly regular basis, they won't forget it. I won't have to reteach it every time as long as they get a chance to practice. Of course, everything is the most time consuming the first time you do it, but time for practice is key.
I was really enthused by our student presenters. Whether they realize it or not, they are authorites on technology. Just in the short time we spent talking to them, I learned a lot of things that will help me in my own classroom.

9/26/05 class

I have no previous experience working with iMovie, so the past two weeks have been a whole new learning experience. I never realized how much of an impact a short video clip can have.
I am going to put together a movie to potentially show at the Veterans' Program next month. The 6th grade class is always asked to take part in the program, and I thought this would be a way to do something different. I think that I am just going to include still shots in my movie. I don't have a definite plan yet, but I am working on a couple of different ideas. I just haven't come across the perfect thing for it yet. It will come to me though.

9/19/05 class

I find that it is true that students seem to retains more information from projects, as opposed to the amount of information they remember from general lecture/note-taking classes. Porject learning seesm to stick with them longer. I am sure this is because, like the article said, they are participating in hands-on learning.
So why, when I've read this infomation and have seen it in my own teaching, do I not incorporate more hands-on, group-based projects in my classes? I tell myself that the main reason is the time factor. There is so much that we are required to cover in a year. I always feel like I don't have time to add one more thing.
I find that I always think of projects as a supplemental activitiy, an add on. A reward for after we have gotten through the material. I don't know how to make the switch and use projects as a way to learn the material instead.

9/12/05 class

I have never really worked with Inspiration at all, but just looking through the examples on Kidspiration gave me some great ideas. I think that this program in particular would be great for kids who are more visual learners, because they are able to see how things fit together. I also enjoyed working with Photo Shop. I was not really successful though, and I think that it would take a lot of playing around with. I don't think that this is software we have at our school, but it was fun to get to work with it a little.

9/5/05 class

I finally came up with an idea for my power point project. I thought of a few possibilities during the week, but nothing I could get excited about. I have decided to make a book review for my 7th graders. One of the novels we read is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Before we take the test at the end of the book, we always spend a day reviewing the content. I thought I could make a power point review, save it on to the laptops in our mobile lab, and then all of my 7th graders could try it out. I think it will be something fun for them, and they can all answer the questions at their own pace.

Article 1 Response

I could relate to many things that were said in this article. I feel as though I have a basic understanding of technology, but I don't believe that I have the knowledge or skills to integrate technology in my classroom. In order to do this I need to know more than just how to run a program. Technology integration is not something that I learned in college, nor in any workshop that I have attended in the last two years. I would like to use technology on a regular basis, but am not really sure how to make it a valuable and worthwhile experience for my students.
One statement from the article that really stood out to me was on the last page, "Technology integration is where you use technology to do something that could not be readily done with something else. Learning technology skills and content at the same time encourages fascination and student curiosity." I know that all of my students would greatly benefit if I was able to do this.

First Class

I think that blogging would be a great way for kids to have discussions and use technology at the same time.
I am looking forward to learning lots of great ideas for getting kids excited about technology. More importantly, I am excited about learning new programs so I can use them in my classroom.