Technology & Teaching

I have been teaching now for 9 years. Since beginning my career I have already seen great change implemented in the area of technology. I would have never thought 9 years ago that I would be using an interactive white board instead of a chalkboard/whiteboard. My ability to reach the internet at the drop of a hat is remarkable. The ability to do this has allowed me to in an instant pull up wonderful information for my students related to our areas of study. I think that technology will definitily become an even bigger teaching tool in the future. I truly feel that in a few years every child will have a laptop in front of them instead of a notebook. Is this a good thing? Yes, because the jobs of the future are going to require all workers to be tech savvy. However, I wonder sometimes if we need to hold on to some of the old. What if your hard drive dies or a virus attacks your computer. Students need to be well-rounded.

Mashups

My favorite "Mashup" is the Flickr Montager. My friend actually did the same type of picture for her daughter's graduation. She used software to take pictures that she had of her daughter from Pre-K to 12th grade to create a montage. It is so neat to look at the individual pictures that make up the larger picture. On the flickr montager I typed "frog" in the search bar and their were thousands of picture of frogs. I would be a little afraid to do this with kids because you can't see every single picture and I would be skeptical that there might be a few bad ones thrown in the mix.

Flickr Picture

This week I am looking for pictures to show my students various temperatures. I want them to be able to look at a picture and then give an estimate of how warm, cold, or hot it might be. While looking for a picture of winter, this picture of the dog popped up. Not only would the kids love it, but it also shows that animals need to adjust to changing temperatures as well. http://www.flickr.com/photos/blueone/309978409/

7 1/2 Habits of Life Long Learners

Out of the 7 1/2 habits of life long learners the easiest for me would be setting goals. Over the past several years I have set several goals for myself and have worked very hard to accomplish them. These goals have been both small and large. One goal that I accomplished last month was officially earning my Master's Degree in Reading. This year I have set several goals for my classroom. Throughout this year I plan to incorporate more technology and more hands-on learning activities. On a personal level my goal is to begin taking piano lessons and to learn to play the piano.
I think my weakest habit would be viewing problems as challenges. Many times I want to gripe and complain about the problem and not work to solve it. I get aggravated and that makes the problem seem even larger. So, one of my goals from here on out will be to view problems as challenges.

"Did you know 3.0 & 21st Century Learner"

Wow! These two videos bring to light how important technology is to our students! The videos were both frightening and amazing at the same time. The statistics and facts were unbelievable. As a teacher it made me realize that I have to begin to prepare my students technologically for the future. We can no longer place technology at the bottom of our teaching agenda. We must incorporate technology into all parts of our day. The statistics on how far American students are behind is alarming. We must take action to prepare our students for the 21st Century. These videos renewed a fresh determination in myself to become more knowledgeable in all aspects of technology so that I can better educate my students.