I was looking through all of the things that "Blogs for Educators" has too offer and it's amazing. There are so many resources available for every subject, esspecially English (that's where I spent most of my time). Having creative and engaging lessons isn't really that hard. I mean, with all of the available resources the possibilities are endless. In earlier years, teachers had to be creative all on their own while trying to figure out what to do with their lessons, but today many different teachers can collaborate with one another even from different parts of the country. It's really quit amazing. I honestly can see myself using these resources quit often in my teaching career.
As for how to use it in a math lesson. I'm not really a matyh person, but I suppose there are many different project ideas in those blogs that designed to make kids enjoy math. If I were a math teacher, I would just explore those different options and see where it took me.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Reflection 3
This blog post might seem like a "no-duh" kind of a reflection, but it's something that recently just dawned on me. I'm a Ukrainian-American. I came to the United States when I was very young, but I still remember my life back in Ukraine fifteen years ago. I remember that we had an outhouse, no toilet inside. We did not have a T.V or computer. We did all of our laundry manually. We had a little plot of land on which we grew our food, all of which was done by hand. We had electricity, but the fuses would always blow and we were left powerless. This was only fifteen years ago.
I know that computers and T.V's have been around for much longer than fifteen years, but I've lived a little part of my life with very limited technology, and now I'm completely swarmed with it. I was just thinking how quickly all of these technological advances have progressed. I mean, it has only been fifteen years for me, but in reality it hasn't been that much longer for the rest of the world either. Only fifty or sixty years ago, nobody would have hoped for electric cars, or cellphones with internet on them. Only 100 years ago, the internet itself was not possible.
In the last 100 years technology has advanced very profoundly. We have things that 100 years ago nobody thought was possible. I was just thinking of all the endless possibilities in the next 100 years. We can reach heights that today nobody in their right mind thinks is possible. It's a really exciting world we live in.
I know that computers and T.V's have been around for much longer than fifteen years, but I've lived a little part of my life with very limited technology, and now I'm completely swarmed with it. I was just thinking how quickly all of these technological advances have progressed. I mean, it has only been fifteen years for me, but in reality it hasn't been that much longer for the rest of the world either. Only fifty or sixty years ago, nobody would have hoped for electric cars, or cellphones with internet on them. Only 100 years ago, the internet itself was not possible.
In the last 100 years technology has advanced very profoundly. We have things that 100 years ago nobody thought was possible. I was just thinking of all the endless possibilities in the next 100 years. We can reach heights that today nobody in their right mind thinks is possible. It's a really exciting world we live in.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Week 6
"Generation IM" is quite the insightful article. In many ways it's similar to the articel we read a few week ago: "Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants." It sresses that young people's brains are much different than the previous generations. The younger generation simply will not be able to learn effectively without the use of technology and inovation.
The quote that struck me the most is...
"we need to use technology in compelling and progressive ways, if we fail to do so, kids are going to look at what’s going on in schools and see that it is irrelevant."
I think that this is a real potential. If teachers don't teach their students life skills (a big part of that has to do with technology) then students will simply find school to be useless. If school doesn't help teach them things they will need to survive in the real world, then teachers are not doing their job properly. Students will disengage from school, and focus on things that they think are important if teachers don't implement technology effectively.
I think that science is one of the easiest content areas to incorporate technology into. Teachers can find useful diagrams and virtual videos for any particular science lesson on the internet. For example, if students are learning about muscle systems, then a teacher can find a virtual tour on line and go through it with the students. This will help engage their attention, and help them learn.
The quote that struck me the most is...
"we need to use technology in compelling and progressive ways, if we fail to do so, kids are going to look at what’s going on in schools and see that it is irrelevant."
I think that this is a real potential. If teachers don't teach their students life skills (a big part of that has to do with technology) then students will simply find school to be useless. If school doesn't help teach them things they will need to survive in the real world, then teachers are not doing their job properly. Students will disengage from school, and focus on things that they think are important if teachers don't implement technology effectively.
I think that science is one of the easiest content areas to incorporate technology into. Teachers can find useful diagrams and virtual videos for any particular science lesson on the internet. For example, if students are learning about muscle systems, then a teacher can find a virtual tour on line and go through it with the students. This will help engage their attention, and help them learn.
Assignment 2
1) This is the link to the original lesson that I pulled from.
http://express.smarttech.com/?url=http://exchangedownloads.smarttech.com/public/content/35/35da3367-c7d1-45a6-a614-fda6567995de/Complete%20Sentences.notebook
2) I will use multiple tools on the smart board. The presentation includes
dragging and dropping words, pulling on tabs to reveal hidden
sentences, and using a highlighter.
3) The NETS for students that this lesson addresses is the second one:
Communication and Collaboration.
Students use digital media and environments to communicate
and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support
individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
This NETS fits well in my lesson because the students must
collaborate as a class to answer the questions presented on the board.
Although only one student is up front doing the actual task on the white
board, he/she is encouraged to ask his/her classmates for help. This
fosters student relationships and also helps them learn together.
The NETS for Teachers that is incorporated in my lesson is also the
second one:
Experiences and Assessments.
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning
experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools
and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS
This NETS for teachers is incorporated in my lesson because it says
that a techer should use contemporary tools to enhance learning. I am
using the white board to help students focus.
4) Using the white board can definitely help inprove student learning by
encouraging participation. Kids enjoy using technology, so providing
them with the white board as a learning tool is extremely helpful
because it makes them want to participate in the class lesson, so that
they could use the white board. Participation, in turn, leads to greater
learning. If a student is actively participating in a school lesson, then it
is much more likely that they will retain more information.
http://express.smarttech.com/?url=http://exchangedownloads.smarttech.com/public/content/35/35da3367-c7d1-45a6-a614-fda6567995de/Complete%20Sentences.notebook
2) I will use multiple tools on the smart board. The presentation includes
dragging and dropping words, pulling on tabs to reveal hidden
sentences, and using a highlighter.
3) The NETS for students that this lesson addresses is the second one:
Communication and Collaboration.
Students use digital media and environments to communicate
and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support
individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
This NETS fits well in my lesson because the students must
collaborate as a class to answer the questions presented on the board.
Although only one student is up front doing the actual task on the white
board, he/she is encouraged to ask his/her classmates for help. This
fosters student relationships and also helps them learn together.
The NETS for Teachers that is incorporated in my lesson is also the
second one:
Experiences and Assessments.
Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning
experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools
and resources to maximize content learning in context and to
develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS
This NETS for teachers is incorporated in my lesson because it says
that a techer should use contemporary tools to enhance learning. I am
using the white board to help students focus.
4) Using the white board can definitely help inprove student learning by
encouraging participation. Kids enjoy using technology, so providing
them with the white board as a learning tool is extremely helpful
because it makes them want to participate in the class lesson, so that
they could use the white board. Participation, in turn, leads to greater
learning. If a student is actively participating in a school lesson, then it
is much more likely that they will retain more information.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Reflection 2
Oh the shame!
Today my aunt came over with her seven year old son, Jacob. He wanted to watch a T.V. show off of the internet, so I turned it on for him on my laptop. He looked at me like I was crazy and simply asked,
"Why don't you hook it up to the T.V. This screen is too small"
I told him that I didn't know how to do that. So, at this point, mt seven year old nephew gets up, finds the necessary wires, and hooks up the laptop to the T.V. A seven year old was able to do this! I asked his mom if he ever hooked anything like that up before, and she said that he had no, but he watched his father do it once before. I thought that this was remarkable. It's true that young minds are different than ours. I probably would never be able to figure out how to connect the two devices, but my nehew was able to do it at the age of seven from observing his father do it once before. Things are definitely changing at an amazing rate.
Today my aunt came over with her seven year old son, Jacob. He wanted to watch a T.V. show off of the internet, so I turned it on for him on my laptop. He looked at me like I was crazy and simply asked,
"Why don't you hook it up to the T.V. This screen is too small"
I told him that I didn't know how to do that. So, at this point, mt seven year old nephew gets up, finds the necessary wires, and hooks up the laptop to the T.V. A seven year old was able to do this! I asked his mom if he ever hooked anything like that up before, and she said that he had no, but he watched his father do it once before. I thought that this was remarkable. It's true that young minds are different than ours. I probably would never be able to figure out how to connect the two devices, but my nehew was able to do it at the age of seven from observing his father do it once before. Things are definitely changing at an amazing rate.
Week 5
http://www.prometheanworld.com/en-us/education/products/interactive-displays/activboard-300-pro
The Promethean AvtivBoard seems just like the smart board that we were using in class. At least all the information that I could find on it made it seem that way. This board can be used to create lessons, as a white board (you can write things on it), as a projector, and many other things. What I really like about smart boards in general is how easy it is to use them. Maybe I feel that they are easy to use because I've grown up in the "digital age" and I'm just completely used to technology. However, I've never seen technology as a friend. We've always been at odds with each other. I've never been good at anything technological, so the fact that I find smart boards easy to use probably means that they were made so that technologically challenged people could use them too.
My only question is, how can somebody get more educated about smart boards? Do schools offer special training programs for new teachers? I'm only asking because there are so many things that the smart board offers, it would be nice to learn how to use all of them.
The Promethean AvtivBoard seems just like the smart board that we were using in class. At least all the information that I could find on it made it seem that way. This board can be used to create lessons, as a white board (you can write things on it), as a projector, and many other things. What I really like about smart boards in general is how easy it is to use them. Maybe I feel that they are easy to use because I've grown up in the "digital age" and I'm just completely used to technology. However, I've never seen technology as a friend. We've always been at odds with each other. I've never been good at anything technological, so the fact that I find smart boards easy to use probably means that they were made so that technologically challenged people could use them too.
My only question is, how can somebody get more educated about smart boards? Do schools offer special training programs for new teachers? I'm only asking because there are so many things that the smart board offers, it would be nice to learn how to use all of them.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Week 4
This week was mainly focused on the interactive smart board. I have learned a great deal of new things about how the smart board functions. What I thought was the most interesting and practical thing about the white board is how it functions very much like powerpoint from Microsoft. Since I am used to using powerpoint, making the adjustment won't be too big of a change. I think that with enough practice, I might be able to do very well with the smart board. My only worry is that I might plan an entire lesson on the smart board to have it break on me or have some kind of malfunction. Technology isn't always reliable, so I do fear that this would be an issue because then I would have absolutely no idea what to do. It's just too much of a hassle to always think of two different lessons just in case the technology doesn't work. I hope that this doesn't happen very often.
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