WEEK #7: Digital Cameras

WHAT?

In class we discussed digital cameras and how they can be used in the classroom.

SO WHAT?

I think we are learning how to use digital cameras and how we can use them in the classroom for many reasons. First off there is the obvious reason which is to teach your students how to use them and the endless possibilities they offer. Also in a way I think it is taking education to the next level. It seems like the world today is becoming so dependent on the technology aspect of things. This allows the students to embrace the education this new technology crazy but to still be creative and think independently while they do it.

I can even use digital cameras in the school work I am doing right now. I can use it to make my presentations and homework assignments more fun. Also after researching web sites that talk about using digital cameras in the classroom, i have many new ideas. Also, while going through the elementary education program I can make my lessons plans fun and creative .

NOW WHAT?

If I choose to incorporate digital cameras into my future classrooms it could be a lot of fun. It will allow the students to think in a more creative way. To learn how to use this new technology. And to have them think outside the box on assignments. Also I think it will be very beneficial to students who are visual or hands on learners.

It will be good for me as a teacher also. I can use it to make my presentations more fun, to relate curriculum to real life things, and to not have to worry about copy right issues that I might run into when using someone else's photographs.

VIDEO REFLECTION:

Honestly I really didn't like video. It seems loud, chaotic, and unimportant. I'm not really sure what we were supposed to get out of it and comment on. I think the point we are supposed to get from it is seeing the creative things you can do with technology. In that regards its true, there was a lot of talent that was put into making that video. However I honestly don't see what this has to do with digital cameras or teaching.

WEEK #6: Internet Safety

WHY WE SHOULD USE THE INTERNET IN OUR CLASSROOMS:

-Using the internet in the classroom is a benefit for both the teachers and the students. It benefits the teachers in that is it a quick resource, they have access to lesson plans, it allows them to collaborate, and much more. It is great for the students because it helps them learn deductive reasoning by have to filter through the hundreds of links brought up by one search. It also is a quick resource they can use to answer basically any question they have.

WHY WE SHOULD EVALUATE THE SITES WE USE:

-We should evaluate each site we use so that we can make sure that the information we are presenting/teaching is accurate and creditable. We also need to make sure the content is safe for the students to be viewing.

THE QUESTIONS YOU WOULD ASK YOURSELF WHEN EVALUATING A SITE:

-Who wrote it and are they an expert?

-What is the author’s purpose for this site?

-When was the site created and last updated?

-Where does the information come from? Is there a link or information about where I can look up this information for myself?

-Why is the information that I found useful for my purpose?

-What organization is the author affiliated with?

-Is the content easy to find, read, and process? Is the spelling and grammar correct?

WAYS YOU CAN KEEP YOUR STUDENTS SAFE WHILE SEARCHING:

-I could try to keep my students same in many ways. I can give them specific sites to view and use for research that I have previously viewed and made sure are safe. If a students wants to access a website that I have not approved they can tell me which website it is and I can then view it and determine whether it is safe or not. But most of all if i educate my students on how to prevent getting into an unsafe situation and what to do if they do get into one of these situations, that is where I will have the most success in keeping them safe.

WEBSITES I COUL USE TO TEACH MY FUTURE STUDENTS:

- http://web.ebscohost.com/srck5/search?vid=1&hid=102&sid=442768d7-0bc4-4245-ac72-ead37b054360%40sessionmgr110

- http://web.ebscohost.com/sas/search?vid=1&hid=102&sid=63dc84fb-4a38-4dbb-8b12-0ab3e0ee6464%40sessionmgr110

- http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/home?null&gr=Welcome+Utah+Education+Network

- http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/discoweb/disco/do/frontpage

- http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-portal-res?id=SUT0568-0-6007

VIDEO RESPONSE:

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=9965&title=Internet_Safety_Movie

I think this would be a good video to show in your class. I feel it is less cutesy, and would a good reminder for the upper grade levels in elementary. I felt that all of the rules they gave were good. However, I think the very best part is when it said that the parents need to be aware of what their children are doing on the internet. If the parent knows what the child is doing on the internet I feel the child will be less likely to come across something that they shouldn't. Also if the parent knows who the child is talking to or what website they are on, if something happens the parent now knows where it happened and can try to take care of the problem permanently.

WEEK #5: UEN Response

I think UEN will be a lot of fun to use in my classroom. It will be nice in the fact that I can have all the links and resources I need all in one place. I do think I will need to learn to understand it better before I'm going to try to use it for everything I do in the classroom.

Also I can upload the link for all the curriculum that I need to teach in my class for the semester. I can also up load lesson plans and leave notes about what I like or don't like. Hopefully it will become my one stop for all that I need and do as a teacher.

UEN will also be helpful to my students. I can teach them how to use the internet for things like searching or even just for fun. UEN will be great for this because all the links are safe for children's eyes.

I'm still not totally sure if I like UEN but I haven't given up on it. One of the reasons I don't like it is because it times you out every other second. It times you out even if you are in the middle of typing something (like it did while I was typing this the first time). Another thing I don't like about it is that you have to sign in again every time you go to a different page. I do like UEN because it is a one stop resources for basically everything that I am going to need.

VIDEO RESPONSE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY "If your not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original." I think this statement it bold. Students need to come up with ideas and be able to understand and handle the fact that their idea might not work. However, when 'correcting' these ideas we need to make sure that we are not crushing their creativity. If the idea and concept they came up with is impossible, then rather then telling them "no that wont work", we need to try to redirect their thinking to a possible new solution that will work. We need to give them constructive criticism, without cruching their creativity.

Week #4: UEN

WHAT:

This week I learned how to create a UEN account. I also learned how to customize it to reflect myself.

SO WHAT:

I not sure yet how this will benefit me as a student but I know for a fact that it will help me as a teacher. I think the reason we are going to all work of each creating our own website is so that we will have these tools and resources available to us once we become teachers. Also so that we can learn where all the resources are on the website and how to use them.

I can use it as a quick place to keep data and find lesson plans. I can find ideas, lesson plans, links, etc that I like and save them to my personal page. That way I don't have to worry about writing it down and potentially loosing it. It will be there asked on my web page and I can go back and look at it any time.

NOW WHAT:

As a teacher it will be great because I can give my students and their parents the URL to my web page. There, they can go see messages and up dates that I post about the class. They can see the links that I showed in class. It will be a way that I can let the parents know what exactly is going on in the class and what their children are learning.

The students can use it in many ways also. If they didn't understand something we talked about in class they can review the links I used. They can also use it to access homework that they lost or missed getting in class. There are countless possibilities that can be done through this website.

VIDEO REFLECTION:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZZ6GrzWkw0

I liked the part where President Obama said, "It's the teachers responsibility to inspire students and encourage them to learn. It's the parents responsibility to make sure you stay on track and get your homework done. It's the governments responsibility to set high standards and supporting the teachers and principals...but at the end of the day we can have the most educated teachers, most supportive parents, and best schools...but none of it will matter unless you (the students) fulfill your responsibilities." I really like that and think it is true. The student can have the very best teachers, parents, schools, etc. but if the student doesn't take responsibility for themselves none of that will matter. The student needs to have the dedication and determination to take their education into their own hands. There should be people there along the way to help the students in their education, but none of them can give the student that education. The student has to get that on their own.