Reading Technology Articles

5 effective ways for young children to use technology
1) Collect information, make a graph, and put it onto the computer to display it
2) Investigate with digital technology, such as magnifying images, photographing, video taping
3) Create a digital story
4) Record things they have done digitally and then they can also review it.
5) Share their learning through taking pictures and use it as documentation.
benefits: produces visual representation, helps them be more engaged in learning, and expands their learning comprehension.

Early Technology and Learning:
Several students can collaborate on the project together, helps with social development as they work together in solving problems, the technology needs to be interactive, allow them to discover, and work at their own pace. Students are far more engaged when they are the ones using the technology.

...benefits of using technology in the classroom...

Bookends of War and Inside Kapunahala are two great examples of how to integrate technology into the classroom. I was most impressed by the students and the benefits they felt from having technology in their classroom. Some of the comments students made in Bookends of War about their experiences were that it was FUN, it allowed them to work together with a group, it taught them that even though something is hard, they can keep trying and succeed. One student said "it helps us show what we mean and see," another said, "we get used to doing things that we might have to use or do in our future jobs. The teacher also expressed the benefits she saw, that it made them eager to come to class, they were willing to help, and it galvanized them. I also loved in the second clip, the students' growth from being involved with media literacy. A few of the students said that it helped them really gain knowledge about what they were learning, it gave them confidence, they expressed excitement, they felt that what they were doing was important, it gave them a specific role to fulfill, and it helped them develop their speaking ability which allowed them to participate more in the classroom. There are definitely a lot of benefits I can see from using technology effectively in the class.

Using Technology in the Classroom

I enjoyed watching the videos and seeing the different ways teachers were able to teach a certain curriculum using technology effectively. One thing I recognized with all three of the examples was that the teachers had a clear objective with what they wanted to accomplish through using technology to teach about each subject. In the first example, I loved the various forms of technology used, cameras, Internet, and a web page to communicate with another class in a different state. I though this was a great way for students to learn about other places and have an enriching learning experience. In the second example, I liked how the class was just 4-5 year olds, but the technology was used in a way they would still be comfortable. It also was a great way to communicate to family members who were not very involved in the classroom. The third example showed me a way to teach students how to understand computers and learn how to use them to communicate in society. They were also able to involve their friends and family in the learning process.

Technology Inventory

Mrs. Blanch's 3rd grade classroom at the Noah Webster Academy has:

A digital camera they can check out,a computer, an over head projector, microphones they use with a sound system that the teachers wear all day and it's projected over a sound system connected to the intercom (that's in every classroom), there is also a separate microphone for the students to use when they are reading aloud or doing group work/corrections, a computer projector, access to a classroom set of laptops they can check out, the school is also working on having a computer lab with desk tops. There are VCR/DVD players they can check out as well as a T.V., they also have a wireless network system for the computers, a stereo, a copy machine, and a scanner (for the entire school to use).

She wishes she has "smart boards" in her classroom, which is something every 4th-6th grade classroom has. The reason why is because it is very interactive. It comes with special software, you could disect a frog or do a geometry lesson on it, and you can use it to manipulate things. Another thing is a reading program where the children are to read together in groups, first listening to someone read aloud and then they practice themselves (like a tape player or a disc man). She also thought it would be nice to have an opaque projector so she doesn't have to use transparencies.

She uses the internet A LOT to get ideas and plan. Whether it be teacher websites, or national curriculum posted on line such as the "chore knowledge" website. she also uses the internet to check information and websites like dictionary.com to find definitions of words. She finds a lot of worksheets on the computer for different activities they can use and modifies them to teach the students at their learning level. She also likes to get ideas or lesson plans from other teachers who posted them on line. The curriculum they use is often above age appropriateness so they go online to get ideas to make it DAP. She also does all of her lesson plans on excel and emails them each week. Grades are also accessable online as well as documents they use in the classroom so parents can see them. She can also send out a mass email to the parents using a certain program. Each of her teaching files are saved on her computer, which helps for other teachers coming in as well.

She has taught at three different schools. At the title one school verses your current school (Noah Webster Academy) a charter school, how has the differences in technology helped the kids? Well, you need to prepare the kids for the future, but the technology available is different in each school. Now from 3rd grade and up, kids do end of level testing online. Having technology available opens up your options and allows the students to prepare for the future. It's a lot easier and less expensive to replicate things using technology than doing the actual thing (for example a field trip). It simplifies things and allows her and the students to access a lot more information. Computer literacy is just the same concept as concepts of print and language literacy. At this point, they really need to understand the fundamental principles on how to use technology/ computers so that they can learn from them in the future.

I have completed part 1 & 2 of the PLE assignment for this week.