Chapter 15

I was interested to learn more about the adaptive input devices which allow students with disabilities to use computers more effectively.  The disability accessibility software that has been created would be helpful to students with disabilities in any classroom.  I also like the idea of the alternative keyboard for computers such as the Intellikeys.  By using this technology students with severe disabilities are able to participate in using many of the same online technologies as that students in general education. Many of the websites the book gave for at risk students would be useful aids for teachers who are facing this challenge.  These websites include http://www.iping.com/ for students who have difficulty remembering things and http://www.pleaseread.com/ for student who are not at the same reading levels as the other students in their class.

I definitely agree with the mainstreaming process.  I think that the inclusion of students in special education into general education classes is helpful for their growth and development.  I would definitely use alternative use technologies in my classroom such as joysticks, switches, screen readers, optical character recognition, and alternative keyboards.

I would be interested to learn more about disability accessibility software.

Chapter 4

The idea of information "pictures" which are developed through organization of data was interesting to me. The example the book gave about the U.S. government's descriptive profiles helped to explain how important these "pictures" can be when done correctly. The disaggregation technique of taking student data from a general database and grouping the information by certain characteristics could be a useful tool not only for classrooms individually but also the school as a whole. I also liked the idea of Max's Toolbox as a scaffolding tool for young learner's or learners with cognitive impairments.

I will definitely use word processing tools in my classroom for a number of things: creating handouts sending letters home to parents, lesson plans, announcements, etc,.  Spread sheets will also be very useful especially for keeping students homework grades and totals organized.  Also using database software I will be able to compare students grades and also be able to track students progress.

I would like to learn more about information "pictures" and how they have been used in schools and in with other groups or organizations.

Chapter 13

I was interested to learn about computer programs that would automatically morph animation images, without any help from the animator. This would definitely save the animator a lot of time when the work is already rather tedious. I was unaware that there were now computerized kilns, even though I am not surprised.  This would be very helpful in a classroom especially for a teacher because it would allow them to fire ceramics work during the night so that they will be able ready the next day. I was also interested to learn more about graphic scanners that allow you to transfer photos, drawings and text into digitized images. I think that Photoshop is now something that all students should be introduced to in high school.

I like the idea of creating a movie as an art project. More and more movies, TV, and commercials are becoming an even bigger part of our society. This project would be a good introduction to a career direction a student might want to take. I also think that being able to digitally document works of art o n the computer is also important.  By creating a class website students can display their artworks and be able to show them to different people out side of class (this could include college admissions people).

I would like to learn more about the most recent animation programs.

Minute by Minute

This article was very interesting to me. I think that formative assessment is a very important part of teaching effectively.  This is supported by the statistic they article gave:“students taught by teachers who used assessment for learning achieved in six or seven months what would otherwise have taken a year (1998).“ Two other things that caught my eye were the ideas of “range-finding” questions: to reveal what students know at the beginning of an instructional sequence, and a “hinge point”: determines the direction the lesson will go, depending on student responses.  I thought that both of these ideas could be very effective ways of teaching in almost any classroom.

I would definitely share and clarify intentions and criteria in my classroom.  When I was in school it always helped me to see what a student had done to get an “A” before me.  For many students I fell that this would be helpful when they are introduced to a new assignment.  I also really like the idea of using “exit passes” in my classroom.  This would be a great way to track students progress and understanding on a day to day level.

I would be interested to learn more about how teachers can activate students as the owners of their own learning.

Chapter 12

I find it irritating that social studies classes are often viewed to be not as important as other classes, and therefor students are not tested on it.  I think that having a firm grasp on world culture and world relations is important.  I also think that the growing concern for inaccurate sites about history should be dually noted in any classroom and that the student should be notified up front of these inappropriate sites. Students need to be able to analyze images and text in order to tell fact from fiction.  I was interested in the information about geocaching.  This hands on approach to exploration is a great way for students to learn about the world.

I really like the idea of using virtual trips to take students to places they might not normally be able to go to. This will give them a better understanding of the places and the people they are learning about. Clearly Internet research is also a helpful tool in a social studies classroom because students and teachers can quickly get information about current events and new and continuing research.

I would be interested to learn why educators don't value social studies as much as they value math and english.

Chapter 11

I found it very surprising that elementary education candidates have lower math and verbal scores then other college graduates who took the Praxis 2 because of a lack of preparation in math ans science.  I feel that this is something that should be addressed quickly.  I was interested to hear about the Internet sites that provide daily math activities to help develop and incorporate math communication skills for students.  I think that Problems of the Week found at the Math Forum @ Drexel could be an effective tool.  There are so many good resources in educational technology, especially for science teachers.  I find it suprising that more teachers don't take the time to learn about the programs and how to use them in their classrooms.

I think that using a virtual manipulative in a math classroom could be very effective. By using these manipulative's the teacher can put students in "real life" situations where they may need to use the information that they are learning in class.  I also like the idea of using interactive/dynamic geometry software.  Especially at a young age, these programs can help students explore a new concept by relating them to things they are already familiar with.

I would like hear more about anthentic science experiences and how to teac them.

Chapter 10

I like the idea they gave about Trackstar.com for web based learning. I think that it is important for students to understand the culture of the language they're learning and think that this could be an effective way of helping students with this task.I also found that the information for International Children's Digital Library, could be helpful in an ESL classroom.  I think that storytelling is a great way of teaching and learning. It give the student something to relate to. The book gave a website sponsored by the Telus Learning Connection, that helps teachers and students to present effective visuals.  I think that when learning any new language a visual is an important aspect of absorbing the information.

The suggestion about using oral and written language programs for differentiation in the classroom could be very effective when needing to spend time with a particular student in a classroom setting.  This is something that I would consider using in my own classroom. Moodle is also something that I would use in my classroom.  I think that it is a great toll that is helpful for teaching and useful in implementing collaborative projects.

I would like to learn more and explore the Telus Learning Connection website.

Chapter 9

The amount that the definition of literacy has changed over the years was kinda amazing.  I was also interesting to learn what pressures technology has put on this definition, and how it has effected they way that educators must teach. I found it interesting that even though the Department of Education recommends that 30% of schools technology budget should be spent on professional development, only 6% actually is.  I find this to be a little ridiculous.  How do they expect for the technology to used effectively if no one knows how to use it properly.  I also liked the idea they gave about Electronic Ouliners.  I have never heard of these programs before, however, I think that these programs could be helpful for students at almost any level.

I think that using programs such as the Accelerate Reader Program would be useful in almost any classroom. There is a certain amour of reading in any class a student will take, and if this program is implemented early in their education, it can help the student be more successful for when they are in high school or college where they will have a ton of reading for many different classes.  I also like the idea about practicing writing by creating a script for an iMovie or Movie Maker project.  I think this is something that many students would really enjoy. 

I would like to learn more about the opportunities for professional development for technology.  I would also like to know why schools don't think it is important for teacher to take these classes.

Chapter 8

This chapter gave a lot of great ideas for successfully integrating web use into a lesson.  This includes electronic mentoring, electronic publishing and social action projects.  I think that all of these ideas could be good learning experiences for students and would also teach them to use the internet in productive ways.  I also found the list of the different image formats very helpful.  Although I knew of these previously, I did not know exactly how they worked nor their individual qualities.  Even though I have never created a website before, this chapter gave different ways to create one in various different levels and made me think that make an original web site could be within my grasp.  The step by step instructions they gave made this seem possible.

I think that using an electronic field trip in an art classroom would be a good experience for the students.  There are many great museums throughout the world and many of the students may not have an opportunity to visit them.  This would give the student the opportunity to at least see what they have.  I also think that creating a collaborative project would be a helpful experience.  This could include creating a website for the class they are taking.

I would like to learn of more websites that help a person create their own website.

Chapter 7

I found the information about basic Internet troubleshooting helpful. Because there are any number of problems which could occur with a computer it is nice to at least be able to troubleshoot the basics without having to bring in the tech department. The information the chapter gave on distance learning was also interesting to me.  Although I think that virtual classrooms have their place, I do not think that they should take the place of traditional classrooms and teaching styles.  I do think that traditional teaching paired with an online course could be quite successful.  The book points out that there have been studies done that show that students profit from the support of teachers and students, and I agree that this is an important element of learning.

I think that using an online organizer could be helpful in a classroom. It would allow me to review websites for content and reliability, and then my students would be able to find this website list at home and use them easily.  The websites they suggested to check and prevent plagiarism would also be helpful in a classroom setting.  When students know that these websites are being used, it might discourage them to plagiarize in the first place.

I would like to learn more about computer troubleshooting.

Chapter 5

In this chapter, I thought the book gave some good recommendations on useful tools just for teachers.  This would include software programs for test making and grading analysis programs.  The grading programs would be especially helpful in being able to quickly track student progress.  Although I already knew about many of the adobe art programs, I was happy to see that they are being used more in schools and that some students are gaining experience with these programs at a younger age.  There now seems to be a program for almost anything you would want.

In my classroom I would definitely use the adobe art programs in a planned unit.  I think it is important to be familiar with these programs because so many art related careers use these programs on  a daily basis.  I also think that the lesson planning software could be helpful to keep me organized and I would be able to clearly see daily lessons and the unit as a hole.

I would be interested to learn how a cell phone could be a useful tool in a classroom.

"Where's the Beef"

I thought that this article made some interesting points about the content and quality of work that students should be focusing on when using technology in the classroom.  One of the main points that I thought was worth while was making sure to use technology in such a way that it does not just recap the information learned, but extends and develops your cognitive thinking beyond what was studied. I also found it interesting that they suggested that the teacher should let the student to pick the technology that they want to use so as to help develop their independent thinking skills.  I think that this could be effective in engaging the students. I agree that is important that the teachers are knowledgeable about the technology they teach; you should ask you students to do something that you cannot do yourself.

There are a number of different art programs that are now available to use in the classroom.  I want to make sure that I make these programs available for my students to use when they want and how they want (within certain parameters).  I also want to be able to use any new programs that are available so that I am able to teach them correctly.

I would like to learn more effective ways of presenting material that develops and encourages cognitive thinking when presenting a topic.

Chapter 3

There is a large variety of computer software programs available for educational purposes.  Each one has it's own set of advantages and disadvantages. The computer games can be used effectively if a student needs extra help on a subject or if they need a more hands on activity to help them learn. It is important to be selective when choosing a program.  Make sure the program has exactly the things you want your students to learn. I also learned that is is very important to use computer games appropriately.  Using a computer game to much as an alternative for teaching one on one is not acceptable. Another down fall for using computer games is that quite often the best ones are very expensive.

I think that simulation programs would be effective in a classroom when there was a complex problem that could be explained by a model to better understand the information.  However, I think that tutorial programs would not be as effective.  Not only because there are a limited number of good programs in production. , but also because I think that they accomplish the same thing that a teacher should be doing everyday: teaching.

I would like to learn more about individual programs that have been developed for education purposes, how they work and what they can accomplish.

Chapter 2

I found the differences between directed instruction and constructivist theories interesting.  In the beginning of the chapter I thought that I would agree more with constructivist theories.  Upon finishing the chapter, however, I think that there is a place for both methods.  Students need to learn certain things to be successful in life, which follows directed instruction. After a certain point in a students education, I think, it is important for the students have a choice in the direction they head. John Dewey stated that "the curriculum should arise from students interests."  I think that this thought could work well with educational technology.  In today's society especially, children have a strong interest in technology.  By using this in the classroom it may motivate children who might otherwise not have an interest in school.  At the end of the chapter, teacher education was discussed briefly.  This is an obviously important part to being able to keep up with the technology.  Training over time and training continually would be helpful in many schools.

With computers today,almost any thing can be done.  By allowing the students to have access to computers, they are able to use them in any direction they want.  (under reasonable supervision)  This will help them to learn by working with things they are interested in. I also think that the drill-and-practice software could be valuable assessment technique.  When I know that a student is struggling with the material I am teaching in class, this could be a fun way to motivate the student to learn what they need to be successful in the class.

I would be interested to learn multiple different ways that would be effective in integrating the two different theories, directional learning and constructivism.

Chapter 1

While reading this chapter, I found the history of technology in the classroom interesting.  It was interesting to learn where different ideas came form and also where they are headed today.  It was also interesting to gain perspective on how fast technologies change.  There are so many different components that it is truly impossible to keep up wit it all.  As a teacher, with everything else that is going on, it would be hard to stay up to date on all of the new developments. This chapter also showed how many different instructional methods there are and how useful they can be.  This being said, I think it is important to at least try to use technology in the classroom and do your best at keeping up with it.  If you have the resources you might as well use them.

In my classroom I would definitely try to integrate any technologies that might be available to me.  One of the things they mentioned in the chapter was an electronic portfolio.  For my students, in an art class, I think this would be a good tool to keep track of their work and also be able to transfer it easily.  I think that the alternative assessment options mentioned in the chapter, using handheld devices, could be useful in tracking the progress of students more closely.

I would be interested to learn what the statistics were about the issues in educational technology, especially in terms of gender and ethnicity.  I would also be interested to learn of any reasons they could give for this difference,whether it's because of availability or if they are just treated differently.