Technology Integration Plan

For my technology integration plan, I am going to utilize technologies learned in EDCT 203 to enhance the learning of my students. Since I am working with Kindergartners, I need to make the technology for the children age appropriate and easy to use. I plan to send out a survey via Google Survey to parents and students. Parents will then respond to the survey telling what they want their children to learn, what the children themselves want to learn and interests of the children. Then once I have the survey results in, I will make interactive power points in math, science and reading that parallel the interests of the students so that they can learn in a way that is unique to them. I will also make a class wiki so that these interactive power points can be uploaded and utilized at home. The wiki will also have links to other reading, science and math activities to help my students learn. I want to use these technologies because I feel that they are in the best interest of my students. By having parents fill out a survey, I can find out what my students like. Then once I know what they like, I will use these ideas to make the interactive power points. Children learn best when they are learning via something they have an interest in. I also want to make a class wiki so that children can learn while they are at home, not just at school.

My plan for integration process is to make this a year-long process. I want to keep my students interested in what they are doing by evolving my lesson plans about what they want to learn. An example of this would be a little boy who loves dinosaurs. I would make a math lesson plan or a reading lesson plan that is about dinosaurs. This way my students will always have an interest in what they are learning. I plan on using only one specific type of technology with my students and that will be the interactive power point. I only want to use one because these students are still very young. As a teacher, I have to keep the best interest of my students in mind, and not overwhelming them with technology is in their best interest. I really like the idea of sending out a survey to parents to find out about what their children like and are interested in. Parents know their children the best and have the best grasp on what they like and don’t like. As a teacher, if I can figure out what a child likes, that makes the learning process for them and me so much easier!

I will access my success of these children in reading, math and science by doing informal testing. I will have pre-lesson plan questions, questions during the unit and questions asked after the unit. I will ask children questions about the unit before they start the unit and I will ask them the same questions after the unit. If children can expand on their answers and add more to it, I would say that is a success. It is hard to measure the learning capacity of young children because they are always changing and learning. I feel that this is the best way to assess young children. It is not appropriate to do formal testing on young children because they are not developmentally able to sit and take a test. I will document this process for future employers by keeping documentation of before, during and after test questions. This will show the progress made by my students and will show some of my teaching abilities at the same time. I feel that this is the best way to integrate technology into a classroom and to assist in the learning of young children.

Slidecast

Here is my slidecast! It is about Exceptionalities in the classroom and how to cope with these exceptionalities. Enjoy!

Exceptionalities for Technology!

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Lost Arts of Teaching

1. Do you think technology can enhance learning? Why or why not?
2. What are the factors that affect decisions on whether to use technology and how to use technology in the classroom?

I think that technology can enhance learning. I believe this because of everything that we have learned in this class. We have learned ways to incorporate technology in a way that will benefit students and help them learn. We have also learned ways to incorporate the teacher into technology with this things such as podcasts, interactive power points and what we just learned today with slidesharing! Technology is definitely beneficial in the classroom! While I do think that technology is important in the classroom, I think there are definitely factors that play a role in the classroom. If children are very young, then as a teacher you need to make sure that the technology is basic and that they can understand what they are doing. For more advanced students, the technology level in the classroom can be raised and be more interactive. Either way, technology is very important to the classroom and is very beneficial to all students!

Podcast!

A podcast can be used in several different ways in a classroom. I think the most beneficial way would be for a teacher to pre-record a lesson. This way, if the teacher needs to do child observations or needs to do something else, the children will still learn everything they need to learn. Podcasts are a great way to integrate technology into the classroom!

Learning with Games and Simulations

For this assignment we have to find two games that would be beneficial to our classroom. I have found two games that intertwine learning and technology!

Bon Appetit
This is a game that helps children work on their reading comprehension and grammar skills. This is perfect for a kindergarten classroom because children are still learning new words and are still building their language base.

Connect the Numbers
This is a game that helps children work on their counting and number recognition skills. This is perfect for Pre-School or Kindergarten students because it will reinforce their mathematical skills!

Concept Map!

Concept Maps are a good idea, especially when thinking of an elementary classroom. As mentioned in a previous blog, children need ideas to be reinforced with pictures because they are still at such a young age. If you would just tell a child what to do or how things link together, they would not understand because children are visual learners. By using a concept map, elementary students will be able to see how ideas link together. I think this is a very good idea for elementary classrooms. Showing concept maps to students will increase their understanding of different ideas!

Link to "Kindergarten Concept Map"

Wordle!

Wordle is my new favorite thing! I think this is so cool and I can't wait to use this for other college projects. When it comes to my classroom, I will use this in education as a way to show my students what their vocabulary words are. This will be a new and creative way to engage my Kindergarten students! I can't wait to try this in my future classroom!

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VoiceThread

For today's assignment, we have to make a voice thread to go along with a lesson plan for our future classroom. Since I am going to be teaching little kids (approximately 4 to 5 year olds), I have to keep lessons very basic and fun and interactive. For this assignment, I choose to make a voice thread on my trip to Washington D.C.. Since I do will have to do a History lesson for my class, what better to do a History lesson on rather than our own capital. During my show, I will show my students:

1. Where the president lives
2. What the capital building
3. What is inside the National Museum of American History
4. Other historical monuments

I will also ask my students questions such as:

1. Why does the president live in the White House?
2. Why is the capital building important?
3. Why is the Lincoln Memorial/Washington Monument important?

This meets ISTE standards because it
1. Facilitates and Inspires student learning through an interactive and engaging way
2. Models Digital Age work and learning through a technology inspired lesson plan
3. By designing a Digital Age learning experience by once again using technology to teach my students.

I will use voicethread in my future classroom because it gives children a new way to learn. Instead of watching a boring power point, this voicethread gives teachers a whole new range for making presentations. A teacher can give a presentation without speaking a word to the class! This is a very neat and engaging way to inspire learning and I plan on using it in my future classroom.

link to voicethread

Survey in Google Docs

After reading over the article, I have found new ways to use Google docs in a way that I didn't know was possible! I think these are creative ways of using Google! I had never even thought of using Google for making a spelling test before, so this website really opened my eyes to some new and creative ideas!
After talking to the girls at my table, we have decided that the three best ways to use google docs are:

1. Get to know the class
2. Weekly reading log
3. Spelling Tests

I think that personally, these would be best for my future classroom. I am an Early Childhood major, which means I'm going to be working with younger students. Because the students are so young, it is vital to make a connection with them early on. The "get to know the class" survey is really a good idea. I will definitely use this in my class! Also, when working with younger grades, reading is essential because these are the years where children are learning to read. By making and using weekly reading logs, I can track what my students are reading and how they are doing with the books that they are reading. Lastly, Along with reading, during the younger years for children, they are learning how to write. Spelling tests are a must for young children so that they can learn how to write. By giving children a paper for the spelling test, that will make grading easier for the teacher and also less of a hassle for the students.
I think that there are many possible ways for me to use Google Forms in my future classroom. I plan to use Google Forms to make surveys to see what my class wants to study. I could also do a survey to see what my students know before we start a new unit. That way I know what I should be teaching!

Click here to look at my technology survey!

WebQuest Evaluation

An Insects Perspective
This Webquest is about insects and trying to save their habitat. During the webquest, a child would pick an insect to become and learn all this information about a specific animal. During the webquest, I decided to research Bee's. I was able to find out what they ate, where they lived... everything about Bee's. After my research was finished, I had to write a letter to the exterminator and make a poster about why I was helpful to the environment and why I should not be exterminated! Overall, I thought this was a good webquest. I think that to a second grader this would be very interesting and a very hands on activity, which is good for younger students. This activity would allow them to be moving around, yet also learning at the same time. For the five points that the webquest has to meet, I would say.
1. Introduction - the introduction was very clear
2. Task - the task was clearly defined and I thought it was developmentally appropriate for children at a second grade level.
3. Process - While I thought the webquest was good, there were some parts that were lacking. On some pages, there was no arrow or something to take you back to the main page ... you were just stuck on a page with pictures of bees. Another problem would be that there was not a multitude different learning styles; adding more learning styles would improve the quality of the webquest.
4. Resources- There were no resources listed, only what you would need if you were to do a lesson like this; adding resources would improve the webquest and make it more credible.
5. Evaluation- Yes, the evaluation rubric is very clear and concise.

The Four Seasons
This webquest is about the four seasons. The point of this webquest is for second graders to learn about the seasons and all the things that go along with the seasons, such as: holidays, typical weather and the months in that season. For this webquest I followed the season spring and I was able to learn so much about it! I think that this is appropriate second grade, but i think it would be for a low functioning second grader. By second grade, a child already knows the months and knows the type of weather for the months, so thats the only thing I would say I don't like about this.
1. Introduction - I thought the introduction was catchy, but not in-depth; providing a more in depth introduction would improve the quality of the webquest.
2. Task - the task was clearly defined and but I thought it was a little below developmentally appropriate for children at a second grade level; making the webquest more age appropriate would improve the webquest.
3. Process - I thought the process was very clear. It was very easy for a child to find what they needed to do and how they needed to research it.
4. Resources- Resources were listed and credible on this page.
5. Evaluation- I could not find an evaluation for this webquest, making it non-complete

Who Really Owns the Rosetta Stone
This webquest is about the Rosetta Stone. The introduction gives a background about what the Rosetta Stone is and why it is important. I think that this was a good way to begin, because, I personally don't know a lot about what it is. Other than the introduction, I thought this webquest was hard to follow. While the information was more in-depth than the other webquests, I found this one to be difficult. I think this could partially be because in other webquests you are able to follow a specific thing, like a bee or a month, here you are just learning history about the Rosetta Stone.
1. Introduction - the introduction was very clear and very beneficial to the webquest personal
2. Task - The task was spoke about but it was not that in depth.
3. Process - I could not find a specific process, so adding one would improve the webquest.
4. Resources- The resources were listed and are credible
5. Evaluation- I could not find an evaluation; adding an evaluation would improve the quality of the webquest

Review of Algebra One
This webquest is about reviewing Algebra One for eighth grade and high school students. I think that this is a good webquest for helping math students. What a person needs to do to improve their Algebra One is clearly stated. Unlike the others, I felt that this webquest is developmentally appropriate. Any person who has taken algebra one or is taking algebra one can use this as a study aid or a refresher.
1. Introduction - the introduction was very clear and concise; i thought it was very appropriate
2. Task - the task was clearly defined and I thought it was developmentally appropriate for students at the eighth grade or high school level
3. Process - the process is clearly stated and is very easy to follow
4. Resources- The resources are listed and are credible!
5. Evaluation- I could not find an evaluation rubric; by adding an evaluation, it would make the webquest more credible and would improve the quality of the webquest.


Click here to visit my webquest!

Website Evaluation

For this assignment, we have to evaluate five different websites on immigration and whether or not they would be credible sources for classroom use.


Website #1: FAIR

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public-interest organization whose members believe that immigration policies must be reformed to serve national interest. Due to the fact that this website is a .org website, I find it to be a non-credible source. A .org ending to a website means that this website is made by an organization, which therefore means that the website is not credible. This is not a credible resource because it only shows the negative side of immigration, while a credible resource would show both sides of immigration. Lastly, this website was updated in 2005. Due to the fact that it is 2011, I would say that this is not credible information because it is not consistently updated.
When debating to use this in a classroom, I would have to say yes. The only reason I would show this in my classroom would be to show the students a type of website to NOT use.

Website #2: Immigration Blog

Immigration Blog is a Blog done by a man named Bradley Maged. He blogs about immigration and policies that are adopted through immigration. Due to the fact that this website is based on only the opinions of one man, I would deem this website not credible. Maged even states that his blog is from a "liberal" viewpoint. Along with having a biased opinion, Maged states in his blog that "None of the attorneys listed in this Web site is certified as an “expert” or “specialist” pursuant to any authority governing the practice of law in any state". If the lawyers are not certified, then clearly this is not a credible source. Once again, I would not use this as an example website for students to gain credible information. The only reason I would use this website would be to show my students where to NOT get credible information.

Website #3: Amercia.gov

America.gov is a government website about Immigration and U.S. History. The article on the website is written by Hasia Diner, a professor at NYU in New York. I would find this source to be credible because it is a .gov website. We know that the government has all the facts about what goes on in this country, so we know the information that they give us has to be true. Another reason I would view this source as credible is because it is written by a college professor. To be a professor and teach students, one has to be knowledgeable and credited in a subject. The government wouldn't throw any random person on their website if their information was not un-biased and credible. I would definitely use this in my classroom because this would show students what a credible resource is and how to maneuver a credible resource website.

Website #4: US Citizenship and Immigration Service

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. In their mission statement, it says, " the USCIS will secure America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system". Because this is a .gov website and because of the statement "providing accurate and useful information to our customers", I would find this to be a credible resource. This website gives information on green cards, citizenship, adoption, anything that an immigrant would need to know. I would definitely show this to my students as a credible resource. They could use this website to find un-biased information about immigration and also learn about the government as they do so!

website #5: News from the Onions

This would in no way be appropriate for classroom use, and I would find this resource not credible just by looking at the website. There are multiple uses of inappropriate language and is defiantly not for the use of children. It even says in the disclaimer that this is not appropriate for children under 13 years of age. I believe that this is not a credible resource because it is a .com website and .com means this is a commercial site, meaning that anymore can make one. Also, I believe that this website is for a comedic purpose, and not for an educational standpoint. In conclusion, I would for sure not be showing this website to my students.

Wiki!

Hello :)
For this assignment we had to make a Wiki page. I decided to make mine an interactive Wiki that will be both beneficial to my future students AND their parents. I think a wiki is the perfect place for a teacher to let parents know what is going on in the classroom as well as a safe place children to go online. I made one page of my wiki for my kindergarten students. This page has free down-loadable worksheets and activities for children to do at home. My other page leads children to a counting activity that I have made. This gives children help with their math skills. On my home page I added a calender so parents cans see what their child will be learning in class on each specific day. This works perfectly with my age group of students that I want to teach! Along with the worksheets I uploaded, children also gain technology skills! The standards for this assignment are to "model digital age work and learning, as well as facilitate and inspire student learning". I did just that by using the internet (the model of digital age) to create a website for my students to get worksheets (facilitate learning). Below is a link to my Wiki ... enjoy :)

Click here to navigate to Wiki page

Counting In Kindergarten!

Welcome :)
Today's assignment was to make an interactive power point presentation for our future classroom. Well, since I am an Early Childhood Education major, I think it is only appropriate to make a kindergarten based activity. For my activity, I made an interactive, kindergarten level counting activity! Students will follow Carl the Counting Pig on his journey through the farm. Students will count farm animals and look to Carl to see if they have counted correctly! I made this an interactive PowerPoint presentation by hyper-linking slides to one another. This way, it is easier for younger students to move through the presentation. This activity is definitely good for kindergarten level students! In kindergarten, children are still learning all about the world, including math skill and even about animals, too! This activity combines both life learning skills into one activity! I am really proud of how this turned out and I hope you enjoy it too!! Below is a link that will allow you to follow Carl the Counting pig on his counting adventures! Enjoy :)

Counting In Kindergarten - Interactive PowerPoint Presentation

January Third Blog

This is my first blog post!

http://facebook.com :)