Take a moment to reflect on the project/post that you found to be the most useful. Let us know what it is an why you found it useful.
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I listen to NPR in the car on the way to and from work. Last Tuesday on All Things Considered they did a story about using technology to teach poor children in Kenya. Listen to the story and leave your reflections about the use of technology.
I am going to say that I don't necessary think that the educational model they use is the best but found they way the used the technology interesting. I also feel there is a huge conversation about educational theory that could be had. Do For-Profit Schools Give Poor Kenyans A Real Choice? We talked about APPs for ed last week. This came across on one of my favorite ed tech blogs. This is a program that would work for any student with unlimited text or an internet connection. Does this sound like a product you would use? I think I am going to look into it a bit more and think about its application to middle school vocal music.
Studying Through Text Messages When I got my undergrad I did not even have to take a computer class to get my BME. We did use computer for papers and music notation. There was a SMART Board in T.Berry 209 but we never got to touch it (and my Professors used it as a projector screen for notes on Power Point) . We were not prepared for the world of Technology that was out there then and there is no way we could be ready for what we have today. This brings me to this weeks question....Are teacher education programs preparing teachers for the 21st centenary classroom?
We are now living in a world where tablets are becoming a part of the classroom and as schools go to 1 to 1 computing tablets will become more the norm.
There are many education related apps. Find one free app and one app that you have to pay for that would be beneficial to a classroom. Here are two apps that I love. Planbook $9.99 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/planbook-touch/id387115895?mt=8 This is the best lesson plan book I have ever used. I hate making lesson plans but when you have 13 elementary preps and 10 high school preps a week you have to have something to keep your head together! You can use the program on line and on the iPad but only use it on the iPad. You can email a weeks worth of lesson plans. Love this because my elm principal wants lesson plans the week before you teach them. My students also think it is very cool that my plan book is on my iPad. McGraw Hill Free https://www.mheonline.com/apps/ This link has all of the McGraw Hill app. I do not use them in my classroom but my kids use them at home. They also use them at my daughters school. It is nice that they have a fun way to practice math at home and my daughter is able to work ahead and my son is getting a head start. (I guess it is homeschooling and that is education). I just noticed that they have flash cards for music. I have not seen them before so I am going to check them out. My daughter may use them too because she takes piano lessons. There are lots of things online that can be harmful to our students if they are not informed. There are many ways that people can get personal information from our students that can be used to harm them and the growing use of cyber bulling is something that we have to deal with. One question that gets asked a lot is who should teach our students about internet safety? Some people think it is the parents and others the teachers. Even teachers can't decided on what teacher should teach the kids about internet safety Some think just the computer teacher. In an ideal world how should we be teaching internet safety? If this is a topic that you do not have much back ground knowledge on I would suggest doing a bit of reading on the topic. If we are asking or students to use technology then we should make sure we know what then need to do to be safe. (I can tell you from personal experience many kids are TOTALLY clueless when it comes to their safety on the web).
Find an article about E Textbooks and share the link. Also give your opinion.
Something to ponder.....even if a large group of students say they rather have a real textbook is it what they are going to buy? What if you can get the E text cheaper what would you get? I heard this story on NPR. It talks about if the cost of technology. It s about a year old so the numbers may be a bit of but I feel it still makes some good points. Listen to the story and leave your reflections.
Teaching 2.0: Is Tech In The Classroom Worth The Cost? When was the last time you Googled your self? What did you find? Would you want an employer to see it? Would you want a student or their parents to see it? As educators your digital footprint is extremely important. Your online presents is available to anyone. Some forms of social media have safeguards so that we can keep people out. Others, like Twitter and Pintrest, are open so any member can see your activity. So that Tweet about the party you went to the other night anyone on Twitter can see that. Not only is it important for you to build a positive footprint it is important for our students to build a positive footprint. Below are somel links that will give you more information about the importance of your digital footprint. Read the post below and find one other article about digital footprints. Post your thoughts about digital footprints and the link to the article you read.
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Class BlogThis blog is for class conversations for Ed 514 at Central Methodist University. We invite input form other teachers about how they use technology in their classrooms. Archives
March 2015
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