Week 10

The most important thing I gathered from the videos was that even when using specific technology and programs, children needs choices while using the technology. If students simply follow the teacher’s directions step by step and never get to make any choices they are not going to be as engaged in the activity. I like the video where students got to use KidPix and create their own animals and their habitats. I thought this activity was good because it allowed students to think about what they learned about habitats and create their own. Students got to use technology and still got to be creative and think for themselves. Another thing I learned is that the technology cannot be too complicated. If the technology is too difficult to use students will get frustrated and give up. On the other hand if the technology is too easy students will get off task and this could lead to management problems. The technology has to be at the right level for the activity to be successful. Lastly, using the technology needs to be fun. We shouldn’t use technology in the classroom just because we feel like we have to. The activities should be fun as well as educational.

Week 9

My initial impression of the technology available to my mentor teacher is that she does not have a lot of technology available to her. My elementary school isn't the most technologically advanced school and most teachers do not have a lot of access to technology. I also observed that using technology would take too long and is often cumbersome. With first graders they do not have a very long attention span. They cannot sit still and wait patiently for the teacher to set up technology. They get distracted, misbehave, or start having long and loud conversations. I also observed that my teacher doesn't know very much about technology. She has been teaching for twelve years and I don't think technology training or using technology has ever been a high priority for her. She is a great teacher without it and doesn't have the time to learn it all and fit it in. I think the biggest things I learned this week are that there is not a lot of technology available at my school and that first graders don't really have the mentality for using a lot of technology. There is the chance that they will break something or the chance that it might be too confusing for them and nothing will get done.

I have completed parts 1 and 2.

Science Challenge

I viewed and commented on the following science challenges:
cicelychipman.blogspot.com
ashleykp.blogspot.com
mariasadventurestoday.blogspot.com

I think the upside to using our science activity is that students can see information presented in a new way. Sometimes just having the teacher lecture and students listen can be boring. Kidspiration is a new way for students to interact with the material. The biggest bonus of Kidspiration and almost any other fun science activity is that it's interactive. Students can demonstrate what they have learned without taking a test. A downside to using Kidspiration is that you would need to have a technologically advanced classroom. Without a computer for every student or at least a couple students per computer the activity wouldn't work. Another downside might be that the teacher might not have a lot of control as to what students are actually doing. With so many students on so many different computers, management might become an issue.

Science Challenge

1. Students will view a powerpoint presentation created by the teacher. The powerpoint will be about four habitats, wetlands, rainforest, forest, desert, and the characteristics of those habitats. After having presented information on each particular habitat, the teacher will present information (and pictures in the powerpoint presentation) of different animals that live in that habitat and why. During the powerpoint presentation, students will be taking brief notes on the habitats and animals. They will also be actively participating when the teacher asks for questions and comments. After having gone through all four habitats, their characteristics, animals in that habitat, and why the animals live there, students will have the opportunity to practice identifying animals and what habitats they belong in. Using Kidspiration, students will place a minimum of four different animals in the correct habitat. After placing four animals in each habitat, students will show a partner what animal they put where and why. While students are using Kidspiration, the teacher can be walking around the room answering questions or offering up comments on students progress. When students are talking with their partners, they can ask the teacher for clarification if there is a disagreement.
2.

• The content we are focusing on is Grade 2nd Standard 3 student will develop an understanding of their environment. Objective 1 investigate relationships between plants and animals and how living things change during their lives. a. observe and describe the relationships of plants and animals.
• The pedagogy we will be using is classifying. This will be a good fit because student will have the opportunity to express their knowledge of animals and the environments they belong in. More specifically students will be using concept maps to help them identify animals and the environments they belong in. Concept maps will help students make connections and see how different animals and environments relate.
  
• The technology we will be using is Kidspiration. This program will work well because it gives us a chance to assess whether or not the students have understood the content. The program works well with our pedagogy because students can classify animals into their individual environments. The program also provides many examples for the students, examples that they might not otherwise come into contact with.
  
• We will be using a visual representation to help students understand the relationships between animals and their environment. The technology will help students understand the content better because it will provide them with the visual images of the environment and the animals. Being able to connect the animals with the correct environment visually as well as verbally is an important skill. It will also provide the student will new and different examples for them to learn from.
  

Virtual Tour

I watched Kerry, Alexandra, and Maria's tours. I think the upside to implementing a virtual tour in an elementary school classroom is that students will get to see and experience things they might otherwise never have the opportunity to. They can learn about information about specific places in the world that they usually wouldn't. I think the downside to a virtual tour is that google earth only gives you a rough idea of what an area looks like. What I mean is the satellite images are not detailed or give you very much to look at. The features of google earth allow you to see more but google earth itself doesn't make natural features look very cool. Also creating a virtual tour can be a little time consuming at first when you don't know what you're doing so it might be difficult for a beginning teacher to find the time.

Google Earth Virtual Tour

This tour is about major volcanoes from all around the world.