Assignment #1

I have not been able to observe a classroom yet. But I do know I would like to incorporate technology in my future classroom. I would really like to use a smart board in the classroom. I would have to practice a lot with it, but I think that it will be well worth the practice. I would also use videos or other electronically made visuals.

http://firma.northwestu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.firma.northwestu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ768929&site=ehost-live

The article I read was titled, “May the Force be White Board!” “Lee Bell, David Jones, Julia King, Claire Nicholson and Andrew Pinks describe a themed lesson that made maximum use of an interactive whiteboard” (pg. 1) An interactive whiteboard is very similar to the Smart board. I believe it is also not as expensive.

In this article, these graduating BA students wrote about their experience when teaching children about 2D shapes using an interactive white board (IWB). They initially played a game with the children on the IWB to get them used to it and to capture their attention. Then they went on to show a clip on the IWB that explained what 2D shapes were (something they created). Then they used a “spotlight” program to hide the 2D picture and show only parts of what they wanted the children to see. Then they would have them guess what shape they were looking at.

But they didn’t only use the IWB, they also had the children create 2D shaped aliens with shapes already cut out for them in groups. Then each group would pick one alien that they liked and would come up to the IWB and draw what they decided upon (I think that they could have told the teacher what shapes were needed and in which order they were to be placed so that there is more emphasis on learning the names of the shapes that they’re using).
In order to keep the children on task, they would put a “timer” on the IWB so that the children will know how much more time they have before they have to stop.

The conclusion of this article was really interesting. They noted that just because the children can use the IWB didn’t mean they had to continuously come up and play with it. In fact it was an unwise use of time. Because they realized that as much as the children enjoyed playing with the IWB themselves, they were also really happy just watching the teacher play with the IWB.

I thought it really interesting how this group of students used the IWB as a way to get the children’s attention at the beginning of class. From this article I got the feeling that they used up too much time by having the students continuously come up to the IWB and interact with it. I think it really is important to note that just because the children can use the IWB doesn’t mean that they should only rely on that. And technology shouldn’t be used in a way to entertain the children but to effectively teach students with a greater number of participation.

National Educational Technology (NET) http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=NETS

NET standards for teachers (2008): Important because it helps to capture student’s attention which will help them learn or have the desire to learn. The standards for teachers are:
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility
5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

NET standards for students (2007): Important because students now live in a generation where it’s all about the technology. So, they need to know how to use it, when to use it, and the different ways to use it. The standards for students are:
1. Creativity and Innovation
2. Communication and Collaboration
3. Research and Information Fluency
4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
5. Digital Citizenship
6. Technology Operations and Concepts