Simulator Link

http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/animations/seasons_ecliptic.swf

"Kam-berry" Juice

If I could make a magical juice, I would make “kam-berry” juice. This would be a magical juice that would give a student the energy to get through the day and complete unnecessary homework. This juice would incorporate many different berries and be very tasty. This juice would help put back sleep that a person missed out on the night before and keep them refreshed.

If I was able to drink “kam-berry” juice, I think that I could do anything! I could finally get all of my homework done, and not feel so overwhelmed by all of the homework that I didn’t “have time to do” before. If I could make this juice, I think I could make millions of dollars from selling it because I think that everyone in the world would want to drink my “kam-berry” juice!

With all the money that I would make from selling “kam-berry” juice I would start a company to endorse other juice makers. If other people have similar ideas that I have and want to get their homework done fast, they can make similar juices. “Kam-berry” juice will benefit all people who drink it!

If I could make a juice, I would make pink juice!

If I could make a magical juice, I would make pink juice. My pink juice would have specials powers in that anyone who drank it would be cheery and happy. People who drink pink juice wouldn’t have a worry in the world for the amount of time that the pink juice is in their system, until it is digested.
Pink juice would also provide the necessary vitamins for people that did not enjoy eating vegetables. The only catch is that if someone eliminated vegetables from their diet completely and only drinks pink juice their skin will turn pink! This juice, although very tasty, prevent people from skipping on their vegetables.
If I could drink pink juice every day I would, but I would still eat my vegetables! Even though I would LOVE to be pink, because I love pink since it’s the most awesome color in the world, I would still eat vegetables because I love veggies just as much as I love pink! But since my ferrets can’t eat veggies, I would feed them pink juice so that I could have pink ferrets even though they’re boys.

Future Juice

If I could make a magical juice I would make future juice. Future juice would help those who drink it to see into their future. This is important because many people worry about the future. I plan on drinking future juice everyday so that I can make wise decisions. I wish I had thought of this idea a long time ago. Things would be much better.
Future juice would allow me to see into my future therefore I would always know what is coming my way. I would always know which days to stay in bed and sleep because I would see that the day ahead of me would not be a good one. Although if I had future juice I don’t know how exciting my life would be because I would always know what lies ahead… Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Future juice or orange juice, it’s up to you to decide. I you spend days wondering what the future holds for you then future juice may be the way to go. Those who are spontaneous , without a care in the world………stick to h2o

Magic Juice!

Magic Juice
If I could make a magical juice, I would make flying juice. When I drink my flying juice, it will make me super light and able to fly up in the air. I can fly anywhere I want after I drink the juice. I could go to my friends’ houses, school, and vacation! This juice would be really delicious and I would use it all the time so I could get places much quicker!
I could make some bird friends up in the sky while flying and I could wave hello to the planes, helicopters, and hot air balloons as I passed them. Flying juice would make me feel like Superman. I would be the thing in the air that people yell; “it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s Chrissy!” The flying juice will be the rave of the town and I’ll be its number one sponsor!
The best thing about my flying juice would be that I could go visit places that I normally wouldn’t be able to. I could go to the beach whenever I wanted or go to places really far away without having to get on an airplane or drive all the way there! I would make plenty of juice so that I could always use it whenever I need to fly somewhere. This would be my new favorite drink!
-Chrissy Cohn

Jen Harlee's Freckle Juice Paragraph!

Magical Juice Story
If I could make a magical juice, I would make straight A juice. When you drink this juice, you will automatically get straight A’s. You won’t have to do any work or study for anything because the juice will guarantee that you will get straight A’s all the time! Who wouldn’t want to drink straight A juice?
I could really use my straight A juice to help me with my math class. I just don’t understand any of the math skills we are learning. Plus, my teacher can be so mean! She doesn’t want me to get an A in that class. I would definitely drink my straight A juice before every math test!
Even though I know I should study and work hard for my grades, I would rather spend my time playing outside with my friends. Being young is hard enough without having to worry about school and getting good grades. After I drink my straight A juice I will never have to hear my mom say, “Jen you need to bring up your grades again.” I will be the smart child and my brother and sister will be so jealous because I’m mom and dad’s favorite for always getting straight A’s. Straight A juice would be the best creation ever!

Thinking Juice Story

If I could make a magical juice, I would make thinking juice. I would make thinking juice because I have always wondered what people are thinking about when I am talking to them. I would want just one day to be able to read people’s minds. It would give me the chance to hear everything that is going through their mind when they are talking to me and other people around.
Thinking juice would be so much fun, because I would be able to read everything smart people and geniuses are thinking. I would be able to know everything and use it to my advantage. To think about all the crazy things really smart people would think about would be weird to know. I think having thinking juice would be cool to use it for that.
Thinking juice would be the one magical juice I would want to make. I would be able to find out what my friends are thinking about me and if they are really my true friends or not. I would be able to find out if people are mad at me. I want to make this magical juice because it was cool to do all of that in just one day.

My pirate juice

If I could make a magical juice, I would make Pirate juice. This type of juice would make you be able to sail the seven seas without a care in the world. It would allow you to fight any monster, villain, or other pirate that came around. With this juice I would quickly become the most powerful girl in the world!

Pirate juice is a top secret juice. It’s important that those who use it keep its powers to themselves. If pirates could use pirate juice, things would be crazy. Once I gained all of the treasures of the sea I would use my treasures to save the world from destruction.

Therefore, I must do everything in my power to keep this magical juice to myself and myself only. Pirate juice would help me be everything I’m not and help me to save the world. I think I would just use my pirate juice for fun because that stuff can be pretty intense.

freckle juice story

If I could make a magical juice, I would make flying juice. I would fly anywhere I wanted to go. I would fly all over the world, without using any energy. I would be able to go on vacations with my friends whenever I wanted because they would come with me. I wouldn’t have to sit in traffic because I could just fly everywhere I wanted to go. I wouldn’t have wings to make me fly, I would have a portable jetpack.
I would fly to Florida any day of the week. I wouldn’t have to sit on an airplane for 5 hours and could get there in 5 minutes. I would fly home when I got homesick and missed my parents. I would go shopping with my mom and never have to wait on lines.
I would really like it if there were a magical flying juice. I would have to pay for airplanes and I would be able to go wherever I wanted. I could jet set around the world and never miss home because I could get there so quickly.

this semester

From this semester i have learned about using technolgies could be used as a reward or to be used in a lesson. I think its important to use technology in the class, because its such an important part of our culture and students need to know about it and how to use it. Im not sure if most of the things that i learned in the class i could use in my classroom, but it was intresting to learn about them. I'm taking away from the course the importance of using technolgy into my classroom. I hope that my school is able to fund and put in grants to get great technolgy in my classroom/school. What i would like to learn more about is how to intergrate technology everyday into my classroom. I wish that i knew how to make it an everyday thing, otherthan to just use a powerpoint to show the students slides.

Chrissy Cohn-Reflection

I have learned plenty of things in this class that I plan to take with me as I begin teaching. I came into this class thinking that technology was a nice addition to education, but not a necessary part of it. After working with so many different types of technology in the class, I now believe that certain uses of technology are definitley necessary in the classroom. One major thing I learned in the class was all the ways that technology could use used to assist diverse learners or those students with special needs. The assistive technologies helped students with disabilities, but also made it easier for students with certain strengths and weaknesses to accomplish their assignments. There are technologies that allow for bigger print and visual representations (for visual learners), audio components in English and different languages (for audio learners or ESL students), and technologies that make certain skills easier, such as typing, reading, writing, and communicating thoughts. When I have students in my classroom who seem like they could excel at their education with the help of a technology like those, I will know what type of technology to seek out and will get them the assistance they need. I also realized that using technology in the classroom creates motivation for students. As long as it is used for a specific purpose and relates to the knowledge the students should be learning in an engaging way, I will use it in the classroom as a way to encourage students to complete activities.
I would like to learn more about how accesible some of these technologies are so that I can implement them into the classroom. I feel like we learned about many technologies and experienced some in the classroom, but I have no idea how much it costs to get these technologies placed in the school and how hard it is to get them improved. However, the software evaluation project helped me understand this, but I hope to learn more about the technology standards at the school that I begin working at.

What I am taking away with me from this class

I have learned so much about technology and integrating it into the classroom after participating in this class this semester. I used to think that including a technology portion in one of my lessons was such a hassle and I didn't think that it would benefit the students when using the technology. However, now I realize how much of a vital piece that technology really is in the classroom setting. Technology can motivate students, can assist students in learning, assist teachers in instruction, and just be flat out fun and educational at the same time. I will definitely be thinking of new ways to incorporate technologies in my future classroom because this class has totally changed my mind on the subject.

However, I am a little concerned with my lack of knowledge when it comes to the field of technology. I am not the most technology inclined individual and I feel that sometimes I simply cannot bring a technology into my classroom because of my lack of knowledge on it. But, I am very open to taking technology workshops so I can become more familiar with different aspects of it and so that I am able to make technology available to my students. All in all, I feel that technology is so important in a school setting and should be included in every classroom.

Reflection

Throughout the course of the semester this class has presented me with many different ideas regarding the use of technology in the classroom. It is important to know how to incorporate technology because it can make your life as a teacher easier. We also learned when certain types of technology are appropriate or not. Overall, I would say the most enjoyable part of the class so far was having group discussions about our views on technology. One common theme that kept coming up was the fact that some schools/children don't have access to technology because of economic or social reasons. It is important to recognize this because while on one hand technology can be a great teaching and learning tool, it may not available to every child. Other common debate was centered around the actual role of technology in the classroom, how it effects the teachers workload, and benefits students. I would say that my favorite part of the class is when we reviewed web 2.0 sites and talked about them. It was interesting because I could see myself using some of those websites in the future teaching, or even for personal use. Finally, the class allowed us to use technology to express ourselves in the form of the digital story telling project, which I enjoyed also. Moving forward, I would like to learn more about what things the government is doing to make sure that more technology is becoming more prominent in our nations schools. Unrelated to education, I would like to learn more about what common technologies are used to record music and videos, and how to use them.

Reflection of the Semester so far

So, far I think that I have really taken that there are so many different ways and types of technology, and how to incorporate it into the classroom. I really liked the new information that I have learned about assisstive technology. I think that because I am going to be a teacher one day, and I know that many classrooms are becoming inclusion classrooms I want to be as aware as I can about different assisstive technologies that I can use to help students learn more efficiently. I feel that I have also taken away that all students can benefit from the use of technology in the classroom. All students have different learning styles, and technology can really be applied to the different learning styles to help all students learn more efficiently. I feel that I have also taken away that I am going to encounter many struggles in a lot of school when trying to bring in new technology, because of cost issues, and training issues. I think that learning about integrating technology into the classroom has really opened my eyes to teaching to different learning styles, grabbing student attention and peaking their interest, and to the problems I may encounter like money and teaching with technology, and availability of technology to the students at home.

I think in moving forward I would like to learn about free trials of software that may be available for elementary school teachers, or any types of free trial technology that can be used in the classroom. I would also like to use a few more programs so that I can become more familiar with multiple programs. For example, I know that we practiced with Inspiration and I really enjoyed using that program and I would like to use more programs that are similar to familiar myself with.

What I have learned

After this course, I think I am more aware of the resources for using technology along with education, as well as the possible set backs. I learned that there are SO many different types of technologies, and ways of integrating them into a classroom that can be beneficial for the students. I also learned that now a days, with all this new technology happening daily, the younger generation needs to be on top of the new types of technology as well as how to use basic features. In contrast to that, I have also learned that using some types of technology in the classroom can take up too much time, or not be as beneficial. Just like everything else, there is a time and a place to integrate technology into the classroom, and sometimes there is no time or place for it.
This course also made me aware of the tons and tons of games, activities, and resources I can download, join, or view on the internet. It is so easy to find a fun, engaging activity on-line that integrates a type of technology. Other than computer games, students can now use interactive pens and books, like the Tag Pen I researched for the software evaluation project. I am eager to have my own classroom and introduce new, beneficial types of technology to my students. Assistive technology is something I hadn’t really thought of before this class. Now, I feel I am better prepared, even if it is just by being more aware of the fact that I may have a disabled/handicapped student using a type of assistive technology in my classroom. If so, I know that I should take the time to learn how that assistive technology works, to help the student.

Semester Reflection

As I look back on the semester, I think this course that given me a good start on effective ways in which I can reinforce more technology being used in my own classroom. When I think of technology, the first word that comes to mind is computer. Thankfully I have always been given the opportunity to use a computer both in the classroom and at home. It has been a a life savior in so many ways that I could not possibly think about not having access to one all of the time. This course has showed me how important a computer is to a classroom environment and its students. I feel that all software used on the computer should be referred to motivators. I believe that introducing students everyday to new learning styles and software motivates them to want to be in the classroom and want to participate more. From numerous readings, I have gotten the chance to learn more about accommodating children on all learning levels. I have learned that the teachers role in the classroom is extremely important and what the teacher does and says reflects on how the students are going to behave. If teachers are going to introduce new techniques and sources of technology, they need to know what they are talking about in order for student learning to improve. I have gotten the opportunity to learn about different styles of teaching and how to react to different scenarios that take place in the classroom.
As I finish up the course, I feel that the one thing I was not exposed to are student opinions and responses toward integrating technology. Though I am still a student, my opinion and well as my classmates opinions on the subject do not show me what elementary age students are thinking. I have seen many videos that show evidence of student success however, I have not seen actual interviews with students allowing them to share their feelings on the topic. I think it would be beneficial to me because I would then be given the chance to hear both positive and negative things the students say about what goes on in their classrooms. The evidence would then allow me to think about what I will need to do in the future. Learning the facts from readings and videos have always been helpful, but to a point also limit me to actual student record. I think it would be interesting to learn how students feel about assistive technology in the classroom.

Kera's Semester Reflection

After taking this class, I feel more knowledgeable about integrating technology into the everyday classroom. I am walking away from this class with many new ideas and experiences with educational technology. Before this class, I was only aware of very few pieces of technology such as PowerPoint, search engines, youtube, and some online games. This class has introduced many new pieces of software that I will be using in my future classroom. I enjoyed learning about moviemaker, wikis, and Inspiration. These few technologies are great assistants when it comes to delivering fun lessons to children. After all of our class discussions, I see now how important it really is to teach our students how to use technology at a young age. Their future will be loaded with technology, and it is our responsibility to teach them everything we know about technology. Not only did I learn about new technologies, but I taught about different approaches of teaching, and different learning theories that will come in handy when I have a classroom of my own.

I will always be interested in learning about new technologies that I can integrate into my classroom. Each student is different, so it will be important to learn many technologies so I will know what will fit each individual's learning style best. Over time, I will enjoy learning ways to make myself more advanced in technology, as well as learning new technologies and softwares to use in my classroom.

Semester Reflection

Throughout this semester, I have learned a variety of information concerning the integration of technology in a classroom. Before taking this class, the only technologies that I really considered were the obvious such as computers and Microsoft Office, which I didn’t really see as technologies, but more as necessities. As a future educator, most of my classes focus on the content knowledge that I will be expected to teach, and the skills needed in order to properly teach this information. Because of this, I began to think that it was not as important how a lesson was given, just as long as the information was provided to the students and they gained an understanding. Upon entering this class, I learned a variety of new options toward delivering a lesson that teaches content while implementing technology. Along with this, I have recognized the benefits that it can provide to children if implemented correctly. This includes finding technologies that are appropriate for a particular content area and grade level. As society becomes more and more revolved around technology, it is essential for children to keep up with the knowledge. For example, it would be virtually impossible for a student to go through college without the ability to use a computer. Aside from the possible technologies viewed throughout the semester, I have also gained knowledge about the Maryland state curriculum focusing on technology. As I continue forward toward becoming an educator, I hope to gain actual experience with the knowledge I have gained. Currently in my internship, I am teaching science in second grade. Since each lesson is set in stone, I do not have the freedom to integrate technology. Next year, I will be student teaching full time. At that point, I will have the opportunity to construct lesson plans that involve the integration of a certain piece of technology. This experience will allow me to become comfortable with balancing the task of teaching students while integrating technology. Until that time, I hope to gain more ideas of different technologies that will enhance specific lessons in order to present the best learning experiences.
Gina Pagliaccetti

Semester Reflection

Before taking this course, I had only considered the most obvious technology—computers—to integrate in my future classroom. I will work in a school library, and computers may eventually be used more than the books on the shelves. Now that I’m better informed by this course, I know there are many more uses for a variety of technologies for instruction and education as a whole.

From this course, I’m taking away broader knowledge of the types of technology that are worth considering for the classroom, and why. The technology I’ll use should meet lesson objectives, be appropriate for the intended users, and have appropriate, grade-level content. I hadn’t considered using blogs, wikis, or podcasts in a library, for example, but they might be appropriate, depending on the age group I work with. I'll consider integrating technologies that enhance student learning, facilitate collaboration with colleagues, and improve communication with parents. With technology, I will help students develop information literacy skills in addition to reading literacy skills.

From this course, I’m also taking away new skills and computer experiences. Prior to this class, I had only been a reader of blogs, never a participant. I had not used wikis, and now I see how I might apply them as a school librarian. The readings were useful and led me to search for other articles on topics such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and assistive technology. Using MS MovieMaker and SharePoint Designer was also a new experience for me. I was glad to get some presentation experience too.

I’m at the beginning of my coursework in Towson’s SLM program, and this class was a great foundation. I would like to continue learning about integrating technology specifically in a school library. UDL is another concept I want to keep following. I knew about universal design in architecture, but I did not realize how the idea can be applied to education. I’ll be able to apply what I’ve learned in this course to my remaining SLM coursework and beyond.

Reflections on the semester By: Meghan Wilson

Before taking this ISTC course, I often thought of incorporating technology as using the same old PowerPoint presentation or showing a video or website to my students. While all of this can still be beneficial uses of technology, I have found that there are many other ways to think about incorporating technology as well. I think the most important concept that I'm taking away from this course is that, as a teacher, my focus shouldn't be "oh God, what technology will I try to incorporate this week and in which lesson" but to instead plan my lessons accordingly and when I see a situation where technology will actually enhance my students' learning experience, then incorporate it. Otherwise, it defeats the purpose of effective teaching with technology. I feel as though that is where I was falling short in my thinking prior to this course.
As far as where I would like to go from here...I really hope to learn more about the assistive technologies that are available to students. After watching the AT videos with Albano and the other students, I realized that there are so many AT out there that I would have never guessed even existed. I know that many teachers have to become advocates for students with different needs when those students aren't receiving the supports that they deserve in order to have the same learning opportunities as their typical peers. I feel that the more educated I am about assistive technologies that are available to my students, the better the chances are of me being able to get those technologies for them.
This course gave me a good head start in really understanding the full benefit of integrating technology into my classroom instruction, it's pros along with its cons, as well as what I still feel like I need to learn more about. It's been very helpful and I know I will use what I've learned from this class to make myself a better teacher. -Meghan Wilson

Pam's Reflection on the Semester

I feel like there are a few things that I’m really taking away from this course. One of the main things I think is that I’ve gained is this new understanding about how children think and learn and how it’s important to use technology in the classroom not only because it can be fun and exciting, but because it reaches children on a level which they can really understand from being born into a generation where technology is easily accessible at their fingertips. Before taking this course, I thought of technology only as a way to spice up a boring lecture lesson, but now I see that it’s actually really important to use in order to engage the students’ learning and reach their level of understanding. I’ve found that because of the conversations held in class, and the readings we’ve read and discussed, that I now always try to find ways that I can incorporate technology into my lessons. I even wrote a lesson the other day that involved a digital camera and a photo printer, which I don’t think I would have ever thought about using in the classroom, just because I’ve always thought of things like that as a personal technology, not something that can be used educationally. Considering that, I’ve learned that there are fun or “personal” technologies that really can be used well in the classroom, such as blogging, wikis, YouTube, Inspiration, digital storytelling and so forth. I feel like I have learned many new ways to make ordinary lessons more intriguing and exciting, which the students can really get into because they will involve things that, really, they probably use on a daily basis. I feel like I would definitely like to learn more about how I can use technology more in the classroom for organizing things, like we read in one of our articles. I liked the ideas of keeping class rosters, notes about kids, their work and grades, and everything on the computer, but now that I know it’s possible to do all of those things, I would like to learn how. I would also like to gain more experience using the technologies that we used/talked about in class so that I will feel more comfortable using them in my own classroom some day. I would also like to learn the best way to incorporate technology into those classrooms that are less fortunate and don’t have access to such technologies.I also wanted to mention that from this course, I got this inspiration to get back into website designing and design my own website where I can organize all of the lesson plans that I have written throughout the past year and the years to come, so that I can use technology to really organize all of the hard work that I’ve put forth into my teaching career, because I’m realizing how unreliable my binder portfolios are since they’re so bulky and time consuming to go through. I think it’ll be really nice to have a place where all of my lesson plan ideas are compiled together for easy access if I ever need an idea, or to give other teachers and colleagues ideas, as well.

Yael's Course Reflection

The one thing I feel that I really gained from this class is that there are many ways to incorporate technology in the classroom, and that there are many different types of technology that can be used in a classroom. I also learned a new appreciation for why technology in the classroom is a good thing, and more so why it is important, because it really is the wave of the present and the future. Even the technologies that we find standard or even those that we use for entertainment, all of these types of technologies can be used to really enhance the way lessons are taught, and they are beneficial because students are gaining new and varied experiences using these technologies. Two specific types of technologies that I learned about and really have enjoyed in this class would be the wiki and the digital storytelling software. I think a class wiki would be a fantastic thing to have in any classroom as it is fun, relatively easy, and a great interactive way to keep in touch within the classroom. I like the idea of having students create a digital story in place of the many papers and written work they need to complete. Digital storytelling is more hands on, personal and creative, and will allow students with different talents to shine.
In the future I hope to really just learn more about the different softwares and technologies out there. I think it will be key to find technologies that will benefit children with special needs and/ or multiple intelligences.

Course Reflection/Lisa Wojcik

I am 31 years old and have been in and out of school since I can remember. I earned my Associates in Psychology at Harford Community College and then transferred to Towson University to pursue my degree in teaching English. In all honesty, I have never really taken anything away from the classes I have been required to take over the years. I have merely taken them to earn the credits I need to graduate. Most of the classes are review for me and quite boring to sit through. In my opinion, I feel like I am just paying the government to allow me to get the job I was born to do.
I am not going to lie and say that I always enjoy coming to the ISTC 301 class. I don't really know very many people that want to go to class, when they could be doing something more enjoyable somewhere else. But, there is one thing that is different about this class in comparison to others I have taken so far. I am actually learning things that I didn't know before. I know it sounds odd, but like I said in the first paragraph I haven't really taken any classes that taught me anything new.
So far this semester I have learned things about technology that I never knew before. Before I came to this class I knew about technologies like cell phones, facebook, myspace, the internet and computers in general. Since the beginning of teh semester I have learned about new technologies such as Inspiration, web page development and many others. What is great about these technologies is that I can use them when I finally become a teacher and have my own classroom. For example, being a teacher of English I will be able to use the software called Inspiration to help my students brainstorm and develop their ideas into their own essays and creative writing papers.
When thinking about what I have already learned, it brings to mind what I might want to learn more about as the semester continues or even later in the future. I would love to learn more about developing my own web pages. I know that we have learned a little bit so far in relation to making web pages because of our online portfolio project, but that isn't enough for me. It is really confusing and new for me to understand, but with a great deal of practice I think I could learn how to develop my own web pages to advertise my skills online. I have always wanted to open my own business and knowing how to develop my own web pages would be extremely helpful. I know it seems like a long shot and I am probably never going to fully understand the way it works, but I would love to give it shot.
-Lisa Wojcik :)

Reflection on this semester by Jenna Simmonds

From this course I am going to be taking away the new knowledge of how to incorporate technology into the classroom. I have learned that it is a requirement for teachers to find beneficial and interesting ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I have also learned the importance of introducing and encouraging students to use technology. It is imperative that students be well rounded in all types of education, including technological education. Students will be ready for the upper levels of school if they have been taught many different types of technologies and how to use them both in and out of the classroom. By teaching students how to be technologically literate it is preparing them for what they are going to be experiencing as they get older. If we teach them now, at a young age, they will consume the knowledge we want them too and be able to have their skills grow the more technology is brought into their classrooms. I am also going to be taking away being exposed to some new technologies that I have never heard of or dealt with before. Some of these new technologies are Inspiration, digital storytelling, sharepoint designer in Microsoft, web making and many more. With these technologies students are able to express themselves in a creative way while still performing the tasks we need them to that directly correspond with the curriculum.
Going forward, I would like to learn more about time management when using these particular technologies. I would like to know how teachers fit in the time to introduce these technologies to the classroom while still teaching their students every subject. I would also like to know how to incorporate “teaching to the test” into technology because let’s face it, no matter how much we don’t want to “teach to the test,” at some point it all comes down to whether my students will know that information or not. I would like to find a way to incorporate the Standardized testing information into technology in the classroom. Overall, I have learned just how important it is for students to have their dose of “good” technology incorporated into their classroom activities and when I have my future classroom, I will find a way to make that happen.

Personal Technology- Yellow Group

When I think about using technology in a classroom cell phones, ipods, and social networking sites aren't the first to come to mind. When I think of integrating technology in the classroom I automatically think of computers, Powerpoint, Microsoft, things along that line. I think this is because I use my cell phone, facebook, myspace, email, ect. for personal reasons. I can't think of an appropriate use of these technologies in the classrooms for educational purposes. If I integrated social networking sites into a lesson, students could get off track and not concentrate on the assignment. The same goes for cell phones. I would be very interested in seeing a lesson plan for integrating facebook or cell phones because I know I can't think of any. However, I feel as though Youtube could go both ways. If the teacher is using the site to show the class videos, then that would be acceptable. I, as a teacher would not want my students searching on Youtube for videos. Even though some videos may be very beneficial, there are a lot of inappropriate videos that I would not want to be held responsible for having my students view it.

After taking this class, I can now see how a blog or wiki can be used appropriately, but only for older grades. Younger children may not understand the concepts of it, but maybe with parent cooperation it could possibly go alright. I feel some technology is simply for personal use only, that shouldn't be brought into the classroom unless there's a lesson where it's very appropriate. There's other technologies that could be used for personal use, as well as educational and those are the ones that should be integrated into your classrooms [blogs, powerpoint, microsoft, cd players/ipods].

-Kera Valentin

Personal Technology- Yellow Group

It's actually quite funny that you bring this topic up because personally I know that I use personal types of technologies way more than any other technology there is. For example, I know that I use my cell phone, radio, Facebook, and Myspace more then I use Microsoft PowerPoint, yet I say that PowerPoint would be a beneficial technology to use in the classroom. I think the personal technology often bypasses our thoughts when we think about the proper types of technologies to incorporate into the classroom. The reason why I feel this way is because I am not so sure that facebook or cell phones would be appropriate to use in the classroom. Although, I know that the older students would be able to relate better to these types of technologies in the classroom because just like me, they probably use these technologies all day, every day. Despite this idea, I know that it would be inappropriate to incorporate technology in the classroom through the use of facebook and cell phones. I would not use my personal technologies in the classroom to help me teach because not only is it not the correct form of technology that should be presented to the students, but it could cause a lot of trouble with the student's parents, the other teachers, the principal and more. I think it's safe to say that I am going to keep my personal technology personal and the proper type of technology, such as PowerPoint and Assistive teaching websites, in the classroom.
- Jenna Simmonds

Personal Technology in the Classroom

It is quite funny, but I haven't even thought about using everyday technology in the classroom. I use my cell phone twenty million times a day, either talking, texting or sending pics to my friends. I sit in front of my computer at least two times per day and television is my main squeeze. I guess that I have been looking at technology for the classroom as being something different than what I use on a daily basis. When I look at the different types of technology that I use in my personal life, I can now see the opportunities for teaching that they can help me with. For example, I use my Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends that I don't get to see very often. Everyone is using it! As a teacher, I could set up a Facebook page for our class and set the students up for chatting about particular topics or writing about what they think on the wall. In addition to writing about how they feel or what they think, I could have the students gather photos about certain things that they are learning and post them on the site for others to view. Not only would the page encourage my students to learn more efficiently, but it would also give their parents the ability to see what is happening in one of their child's classes at school. I would even encourage parents to post things in relation to the class on the wall as well. The email on Facebook would also be great for parents to write to me privately about something they may want to ask about their particular child without anyone else being able to see.
-Lisa Wojcik :)

Yellow Group - Pam's Blog

I think the reason that I don’t typically think of technologies such as cell phones, video games, social network sites, and blogs as ways to incorporate technology into the classroom, just because when I use these technologies, it’s for personal uses, not for schoolwork. For example, I use my cell phone to keep in contact with friends and family, I play video games to relax and relieve stress, I use social network sites like Myspace and Facebook to keep in contact with friends that I can’t see every day, and I use blogs like a diary/journal, which no one is supposed to read anyway. I feel like video games have the potential to become useful just because we already use computer software games, such as Oregon Trail, for incorporating technology. I definitely don’t think all video games could be used, just like all computer software games can’t be used. I can now see how blogs could be useful to use in my teaching, because exhibit A, that’s what I’m doing right now! I definitely feel like a class blog could be useful in my classroom either for class/home work, or maybe to use as a way to get help from peers. As of now, I definitely don’t feel like a cell phone could prove to be useful in the classroom, just because I don’t see a way of using it that you couldn’t use a monitored Instant Messaging service for, which by the way, might be a neat idea to use in the classroom to talk to students from another country! How cool would that be? I’ve written quite a few lesson plans where I’ve used the viewing of a YouTube video as an engage for a science or math lesson, so I feel like YouTube or TeacherTube could definitely be great ways to incorporate technology into the classroom. I almost feel like there are ways to use all sorts of technologies in the classroom, but I just need to find appropriate ways of using those technologies. One of our last articles stated how students learn and think differently than we do, just because they’ve been born into this century that is filled with all sorts of technologies easily accessible at their fingertips; therefore, it’s important that us teachers meet their needs as students by using technologies that they’e used to using on a daily basis, because their learning will probably benefit the best in that way than by reading a textbook or doing pencil and paper worksheets. So as of now, I don’t see any uses for using a cell phone or social network sites, but I know it’s probably possible to find some use for them in the classroom.

Yellow Blog group 2-Meghan Wilson

Although I use things like facebook, myspace, and my cell phone on a daily basis, I don't see myself ever using them in an educational setting. I don't feel as though these types of personal technology are used in educational integration because they are not specifically educational. If I were to ask students to call up their facebook during a lesson, I feel as though this would become a distraction. Perhaps I want to ask them to look at how many friends they have compared to their neighbor and find the difference...I feel like students would end up looking at pictures or checking their updates instead, which would detract from my goal of them understanding an important mathematical concept. I feel as though this would be similar with a cell phone or with myspace. Many cell phones have calculators and I can even think of a few activities that could potentially be educational by using a cell phone. However, I still wouldn't do it because I think students would be tempted to text or share picture messages, etc. I do see social networking technologies such as a blog being useful for journaling or communication between students for group projects and things like that, however, I still think similar issues could come up if these things are not closely monitored.

Technology Integration

I definitely see a disconnect between my personal technology use and technologies that I would consider using in my teaching. Most of the personal technologies that we use in our everyday lives are generally seen as a distraction in the classroom. Things such as cell phones, video games, social network sites, and twitter can be seen as entertainment or something you use to contact your friends. However, I can see how You Tube and blogs could be useful in a classroom scenario. Youtube has a lot of instructional material on it such as documentaries or how to do something. So I can see that being useful espically in a history class I will be teaching. On the other hand Blogs can be useful as well. For example, the majority of the pictures I got for my digital story telling project came from blogs, which can prove to be a good source for specific information, thoughts, or opinions.

Personal Technologies in the Classroom

When I think of technology those devices do come to mind. However, when I think about technology and academics technologies seem some what distracting. I believe that it was stated in one of the required readings that technology should not take away from the academic portion of the lesson. Using technologies such as Twitter, cell phones, etc can in some ways cause students to be off task and lose focus. However, I have seen YouTube used in a classroom, but the teacher used it to show a video. Im not sure that students would be responsible enough to use it independently, and not search out content that did not have to do with the lesson. I found the blogging used in the class to be interested , and possibly if students are trained properly this may be a useful tool in the classroom. I believe that I first distinguish between personal and academic time, which causes me to use this same distinction when considering my personal technology use and technology that I would use in my teaching. Overall, I believe that some personal technologies such as blogs, and video hosting sites can be used in the classroom when monitored wisely, but for them most part I feel that personal technologies would distract students from the main purpose of the lesson which would be to learn.

Technology Intergration Green Group 4/6

I think that I have separated my ideas of technology into two (min) different groups. professional technology and personal technology. The reason I feel that I may have left out many of what i would deem personal technologies (cell phones, facebook...) from my thought processes in this class is because I do not think that those sorts of technologies are ones I would incorporate into a classroom. While I feel that those technologies are valuable, and most kids would need to know how to use them for their own future success, I think there is a line that needs to be drawn about teachers teaching and parents teaching. I think that personal technologies need parental input and supervision, because there are too many conflicting views and ideas about those technologies. I also feel that, gee, if we consider that books are technologies, I would definitely choose to use certain books in my classroom over the typical books I may read in my spare time, because there is definitely a difference in the genres and I need to draw a line of what I put out there in my classroom.

Technology IntegrationGreen Group 4/6

When I think about using technology in the classroom, the obvious answers always seem to slip my mind. My first instinct isn’t to try and incorporate something I use everyday such as you tube, cell phones, etc. I think that because I am so used to using them daily, I don’t realize it is in fact an example of technology that may be beneficial in the classroom. Just because I personally have not used any of these as an example in this ISTC class, does not mean that I haven’t used them outside of this class, or seen other teachers use them. Actually, last week when creating a lesson on the Sun for the 3rd grade science class I intern for, I got two or three you tube videos that were great simulations and examples of what the sun looks like close up. Unfortunately, the BCPS school computer I was provided, would not allow me to access these videos due to a block, or filter in the system. Since only specific computers are connected to the projector, I was forced to use that computer, and I was unable to show the class these videos, which would have been great resources! The videos would have been excellent for the students to view in order to gain a better understanding of what the sun is really like. Because of the filters Baltimore County puts on the computers, that are intended to block unwanted websites, the students weren’t able to view an educational video.

Also, when interning in my second grade math class, my mentor teacher uses her cell phone as a motivation or punishment. If a certain student is behaving badly, the teacher takes out her cell phone and threatens to call or text that students’ parent. Since that student does not want a phone call home, he/she sits down and seems to some-what improve his/her behavior. Using the cell phone as technology in this type of setting, where is becomes a threat to the students, is not really how I viewed incorporating technology. Of course, if it works as a resource to get more students behaving better than it is very useful, but I can’t see myself ever taking out my cell phone and threatening a student to call his/her parents because of their bad behavior.
All of these everyday technologies can be incorporated into any classroom just as easily as anything else we have used for examples in this class. Using things such as cell phones, and/or social networking sites may cross that barrier between your personal life and your teacher life, but it also may increase communication among the teacher and the students, or the teacher and the parents. When asked about integrating technology into the classroom, I would use any of these examples as a possible method, as long as I keep the separation between my personal technology use, and my professional technology use.

Technology Integration

When discussing the integration of technology for a classroom, I tend to think of more “professional” technologies. For example, many people have different views on cell phone use. To use these in a classroom, would each child have to bring their own cell phone? Since I am in elementary education, this would cause a problem. If parents did not want their child to use a cell phone, what would that child do? Also, as far as the school systems that I have attended, we were not allowed to bring cell phones to school. Wouldn’t that send mixed messages? For the same reasons, I feel parents might have an issue with social networking sites at such a young age. Recently in my current biology class, we discussed the use of ‘YouTube’ at our grade levels. We came to the consensus that we believed if ‘YouTube’ is used, it should be first previewed by the teacher, and then displayed using only the teacher’s computer on a main screen. We feel if students had personal access to ‘YouTube’, they might get off track. While I believe all of these technologies are extremely useful and beneficial, I feel there is a certain time and place for each. For example, cell phones for communication with friends and family outside of school. While implementing any technology into a classroom, the students are always the number one priority. I feel providing students with technologies that are both beneficial and professional is the best approach. This is why I have left out certain technologies throughout this class.
Gina Pagliaccetti

Everyday technolgy

I feel that i dont think of cell phones, videos, and games as technology to be used in the classroom, because most school do not even allow such things to be taken out in school. I think that for a school to allow students to go on social network sites would be pretty strange to me. I think that there is a time and place for such technologies, but not in the school setting should they be used. I think that blogs could be something that would be useful for the weekends for students to communicate with their teacher and class about any questions on assignments (or to even ask their own peers for help). As well, i think that educational games are appropriate to be used in the classroom as reward or for instruction a certain times. I also think that things like youtube would be effective to show students examples of such things. I jsut think that as a teacher you have to be careful to not allow your students too much technology freedom, because they might step their boundry and become too comfortable and think that they can use a cell phone or play with a game during class. Technologies should be up to date in the classroom, but not something that is personal technology to use while teaching.

Jen Locascio- Personal Technology Use

I think one of the main reasons we do not incorporate technologies such as cell phones, blogger, facebook, video games, utube, etc. is because most students use these types of technology for social interaction purposes with other friends and family. These technologies are often also used as well as for enjoyment during their spare time. Though, some may think we do not learn from these technologies, I think that even though they all do not necessarily serve for educational purposes, you still get the opportunity to learn a little something from each. For example, if a teacher is introducing new material in the classroom and wants to show an example to his or her students, he or she may use utube to find short video clips that are educational and will help the students understand the concepts a little bit better. Blogger for example, is a good way for students within a classroom to communicate with each other and discuss opinions on certain topics. Though most of these technologies is for personal use, I still think that to some extent teachers do incorportate some of them in the classroom. However, the only technology I do not feel should be incorporated in the classroom is the cell phone. Being a student myself, I still use my cell phone in class usually to text my friends, which I do feel is a very bad but extremely addicting habit. Knowing that it is distracting to teachers and may be distracting to other classmates, I feel that cell phones should be kept in the student's bags throughout the day and only used for emergencies.
If I were to use some of these technologies in my classroom, I think I would use social network sights, blogger and utube the most. I think each can help serve a purpose when teaching material in the classroom. If it takes those technologies to get the students to understand the material more easily being that they can make personal connections, then I think incorporating those technologies within the classroom will be beneficial.

I think that technologies such as facebook, cellphones, and others are not used in the classroom setting because they are used so frequently for enjoyment. Also there isn't any real reason for the use of such technologies in the classroom. There isn't any educational value that could benefit both teachers and students. However, I believe that a technology such as youtube can be helpful and educational for students if used appropriately. I had a teacher my first semester here at Towson who used youtube along with instruction and I loved her class. It was just so interesting and I was motivated to learn. I also believe that facebook or an even more child friendly social network site could be used in a classroom for communication purposes. All in all, I feel that some technologies that are so widely used outside of the classroom could be beneficial in the classroom; but only if that technology is used appropriately.

Red Group: Integrating “Everyday” Technologies

When I think of “everyday” technologies such as cell phones, You Tube, Facebook, LinkedIn, iPods, BlackBerry, and the like, using them in classrooms does not automatically pop into my mind. One reason is that those technologies are not everyday ones for me. Another reason is that I think of many everyday technologies as more for entertainment than for education. There is a distinction for me between how they are used at home versus at school. However, for today's children (my future students) and their parents, these personal technologies are very likely a part of their everyday lives.

For me right now, there is a definite disconnect between the technologies I personally use and the ones I expect to incorporate as a school librarian. Is that disconnect acceptable? I think it is. My future job will include knowing about information sources and technologies, but I believe I can integrate them successfully in my work life even if I don’t ardently use them in my personal life.

I can see creating lessons or developing assignments that incorporate everyday technologies appropriately. I could help students make video book recommendations for a school website. I could use a digital camera to film student reenactments of scenes from a book. I could use blogs to conduct a book club. I could manage wikis for group research and reporting assignments. Students could “meet” authors or illustrators by listening to podcasts or watching You Tube interviews with them. For students’ parents, I could communicate by cell phone, email, or a dedicated page on the school website. There are many ways to incorporate “everyday” technologies as a school librarian, and I’ll pursue appropriate ones when the opportunity arises.

Blog 2

I think one main reason why most people do not include any of those types of technologies such as "cell phones, video games, You Tube, social network sites, maybe Twitter, blogs..." is because most of those technologies have little education merit. I do not see any type of education benefits coming from a cell phone, or a social networking site, and I think it is unprofessional. I do think that sites such as Youtube can be a great asset in the classroom because it provides students with an extension of a lesson. There is a lot that can be learned from the videos on Youtube, if used correctly. I also see some educational merit in video games, but the game must have some sort of link to a lesson, and would also be worthwhile. As to why most people didn't include as an integrated technology, I think it is that there is not many ties from those technologies to education.

Blue Group Blog March 25

I think that we don't tend to think of those types of technologies when we are asked to incorporate technologies because of all the social networking that occurs with those type of technologies. I feel that teachers are afraid that the students will not gain the knowledge intended from the lesson by using those specific technologies. If a teacher assigns something like a communication group assignment that requires the students to converse back and forth using blogs, or cell phones there is the fear the students will use the technologies not for the intended purpose but for personal purposes. Although, I do think that it could be possible to incorporate those types of technologies in the classroom for learning, it may also be useful to use these technologies in the classroom to promote future jobs strategies for the students. The students may need to know these types of technologies for their future job placements, and the use of them in schools can help prepare the students.

I also can see some disconnect between personal use technologies and technologies that are going to be utilized in the classroom. For example, if the teacher uses certain technologies like blogs to keep in touch with friends or families, it would probably be wise to set up a separate blog for the classroom to not confuse the two, or to involve students in the personal life of the teacher. I can also see the teacher's opinion in not wanting to use personal use technologies in the classroom because it can get student's off topic because it may be something that they already know and use, and may want to do their own thing, without paying attention to the actual classroom reason for use of the technology.

In my personal opinion I think that personal use technologies can and should be used in the classroom because they can get the students prepared for future careers and jobs. I also think these types of technologies can be motivators for the students because they are getting to use technology that they may already have experience with and like using. I just think that the teacher needs to be the facilitator when it comes to using the personal technologies for personal uses while doing the classroom work and put a stop to that kind of activity from the start.
-Kami Bowman

Blue Blog #2 - Chrissy Cohn

I agree that there is a disconnect between technologies that we used in our everyday life for socialization and entertainment and the technologies we see in the classroom. I think this happens because of the misconception that technologies used primarily for non-educational purposes cannot be beneficial classroom, which is not true. Of course communicational technologies, such as facebook, e-mail, and the internet help with collaboration, research, and group projects. YouTube can be used to show videos relating to a wide variety of topics, and some video games incorporate academic subjects either through direct instruction of them or by including them in the background of the game. I think that these technologies could definitley be used in the classroom, if intergrated correctly. Collaboration should be encouraged through the use of communcative devices that the students are familiar with. This may encourage them to work together on a project more so than another method of communication. One problem I see with this would be students using e-mails or facebook groups to list ideas when the teacher requires an explanation of the students' plans. I don't see any problem with the students primarily communicating through facebook, blogs, e-mail, etc. and then turning in a written copy of what their main ideas are. This will help them organize their thoughts, so it would be helpful in the end. As for videos and games, I think that if they are teaching the lesson and main ideas just as well or better than traditional instruction would allow, then they are definitley suitable for use in the classroom.

I do think there is one main problem with using these technologies in the classroom, mostly with older students but recently with younger ones also. Many students abuse the opportunity to use facebook, video games, cell phones, etc. in class by using them for non-educational purposes during class. This can definitley be stressful for teachers who must monitor their students' actions while using these technologies. Another problem with my content area (elementary education) is that not all students have access to these technologies or are old enough to use them. However, if the technology is age-appropriate and is provided for use in class, then the students could definitley learn from them, and I think it would be helpful to investigate the misconception that "fun" technologies used at home cannot be beneficial in the classroom.
-Chrissy Cohn

Yellow Blog - Pamela Sorge

I feel that my experiences with technology definitely have a huge impact on what I feel is appropriate/inappropriate uses of technology. From my experiences, there have been teachers who have used the same types of technology but in different ways. Some ways were actually beneficial to my learning and some ways made me dread going to certain classes. For starters, I feel like I’ve had quite a few teachers who have used a television in some way to enhance instruction. My English teacher in high school used it to show us different movie versions of Romeo and Juliet after we had read the story. I feel that this was an appropriate use of technology just because she had us watch the movies after we had read and tried to understand the story ourselves, which really helped to clear up any misconceptions we may have had after reading the story since Shakespeare is sometimes hard to understand. I’ve also had teachers who used a television in inappropriate ways. My History teacher in high school would record shows from the history channel and then play these shows every Friday. He would have us take notes, but he wouldn’t check our notes to make sure we understood what we watched, nor did he discuss anything from the show after it was over. I feel like it was a complete waste of time and it felt like he used it as a way to give himself a break from lecturing since that’s all he ever did. I never learned anything from those history shows, and his class actually made me hate history because it seemed so boring the way that he lectured it. On the other hand, like I discussed in my technobiography, I’ve had a teacher who completed reversed what my high school teacher did and changed my views on history by his unique use of technology. Although this professor lectured during the entire 2-week cram course, he lectured using PowerPoint to enhance his lecture. Instead of using PowerPoint for notes, he used it to display hundreds of pictures to give some type of visual to what he was lecturing. Again, as a visual learner, this really helped me to make connections and finally understand and appreciate history. I feel like this professor’s use of PowerPoint was the best that I have seen throughout my college experiences. Most professors use PowerPoint in their lectures, but most of them don’t even know how to appropriately use PowerPoint. For example, I have had teachers whose PowerPoints consist of all words and LOTS of words. This is one thing I’ve been taught that you’re not supposed to do when using a PowerPoint for presentations, yet, most professors do this. By having a lot of words, it makes it hard for me to concentrate on what the professor is saying because I’m trying to write down whatever is written on the PowerPoint. I feel that my experiences in the past with technology, as a student, have really helped me realize what appropriate/inappropriate uses of technology are. I feel like I can learn from my teachers’ mistakes of using technology in inappropriate ways by finding ways to use these technologies in appropriate ways. Fortunately, no teacher/professor has made me despise and not want to use a type of technology. I’m definitely open to the idea of trying my own ways of using technology to enhance my instruction, regardless of whether my experiences with that piece of technology were good or bad.

There really aren’t any similarities from my technobiography and my classroom post. When I wrote my technobiography, I discussed items that I use on a daily basis, such as the computer and internet, T.V., cell phone, game consoles, PDA, iPod, and etc. For my classroom post, I talked more about overhead projectors, televisions, computers and PowerPoint. There’s probably this difference because sometimes I don’t really think of using everyday technologies that I use on a regular basis in the classroom, or because my experience with technology in the classroom really haven’t included technologies that I use on a regular basis. The only similarities were the computer and internet, and television. Honestly, I don’t really see how things I listed as being used on a regular basis could be integrated into classroom instruction. I don’t feel that cell phones, game consoles, PDAs, or iPods could really enhance classroom instruction. If they can, then that’s something new to me! However, although I didn’t really list it, I do sometimes play computer games and I’ve had teachers in the past who used computer games like Oregon Trail for instruction. I don’t really remember what I learned by playing that game.. but for a good while, we played it every time we went to our computer class in elementary school. Just like we’re currently discussing, I feel that there are software games that can really enhance instruction and allow students to have fun while learning. Maybe someday there will be ways to use the other technologies I discussed in the classroom to enhance instruction in new and intriguing ways!

Lisa's Yellow Group Blog Post

My attitude towards what I consider to be appropriate or inappropriate uses of technology in the classroom largely revolves around the experiences I have had while using the Internet. The internet is a vast place, filled with information that I would never have been able to just Google and instantly know during the times I was growing up in, which happen to be the 1980’s and 90’s. I have learned things since I have started surfing the Internet that I could never have imagined before. Also, I have been given more knowledge about things I couldn’t have learned in school, good and bad.
One of the good things that I have learned while being able to surf the internet is that no matter what it is that I want to know, I can find it somewhere on the internet. The only bad thing about that is that how do I know the information I find is accurate? Without knowing how to spot the fakes from the real information, I could be learning something that is completely incorrect and then start sharing it with other people.
Another good thing that I found while surfing the internet is that if I type something in the search engine box in the appropriate manner, I will instantly view a great number of links to find the exact piece of information that I want. The bad thing about that though, is that if I don’t know how to type what information I am looking for in the exact manner that it needs to be, I will end up looking at links that take me to places on the net that not only lead me away from the information I was looking for, but also to places I may not want to go, such as pornographic sights containing the same type of wording I typed into the search box. These types of experiences that I have had while surfing the net, give me some insight about using the Internet in my own classroom.
Being an English major, using the Internet to find information is something I am continually being expected to do. I have to find information for papers involving research on a particular topic that I am writing about, background and historical information about pieces I am given to read and evaluate and many other things. It is my assumption that I will be also expecting my high school students, and even middle school students, to utilize the Internet for particular topics that we are learning about in class. Since using the Internet is so important for my field of study, I believe that it will also be important for me to have the ability to access the Internet in my classroom, so that my students can learn how to use it as well.
When it comes to the question of technology that is appropriate or inappropriate in the classroom, the Internet remains a touchy subject. I personally believe that the Internet is not only appropriate in the classroom, but also completely necessary. It will only become inappropriate if it is not used properly. As a teacher, I will need to teach my students the proper ways to search for information and make sure that they understand how to be safe on the Internet. I will also need to make sure that there is proper security installed into the computer so that curious students are unable to fulfill their temptations of finding inappropriate material to look at.
When it comes to similarities and differences in my techno biography and my classroom post, I guess that I would say that they are completely different from one another for the main reason that I know so much more now about technology now than I did when I wrote my techno biography. I didn’t know much about different types of software that I could use as a teacher in my classroom let alone how to obtain them other then purchasing them myself. I did understand a little bit about teaching students about Internet safety, but I didn’t know much on how to go about making sure that curious students weren’t able to access inappropriate material. If you look at both posts, you can see that my classroom post is pretty much the beginning of a new era for me. An era filled with the prospects of technology in my classroom.
-Lisa Wojcik :)

Yellow Blog - Jenna Simmonds

Looking back on my last post on technology in the classroom I have realized that while I agree with what I have said, I also feel as if my opinions on technology in the classroom may have changed a little bit. After reading many articles on technology in the classroom and how it affects the way teachers educate their students I feel as if too much attention is being paid to incorporating technology into the classroom. I think that some teachers may spend too much of their time trying to incorporate technology that they may lose sight of the more important learning goals set for students. Although, don't get me wrong, I still feel that technology in the classroom is important, but it should be presented in a less forceful way. For example I feel that teachers should motivate their students to type their papers before they turn them in, but they shouldn't make it mandatory. Some student's and their families cannot afford a computer or other technology. I truly believe that it is important for students to be able to use a computer and other forms of technologies so I think it is important that schools present different types of technologies to their students.
There are both similarities and differences between my techno biography and my classroom technology post. In many ways it is similar because I still believe that technology has made a big impact on my educational and personal life. Without technology I would have lost touch with friends, been unable to present information, not have an immediate source to conduct research and much more. I feel that it is extremely important for children to be aware of how to use technology and how helpful it is. Technology makes student's lives much easier now then even 10 years ago. When we need a quick answer that is credible and legitimate all someone has to do is log on to the Internet and google the answer. Although it is so easy to find a good source of information, I think students should be taught the difference between credible and not credible sources. I think teachers should take a little bit of time out of their instruction to show students how to pick and choose a proper website for research, as well as how to quote the website to lessen plagiarism. A difference that I see between my first post and this one is that I feel some time should be taken out of lessons to show students the different types of technologies, but not too much. I deem that teachers feel the pressure of teaching student's technology and this affectts the way they instruct their classroom. I think technology is an extremely important tool for everyone, but when it comes to education in the classroom it should not be the most important topic taught.

Yellow Blog group 1-Meghan Wilson

My experiences with technology have definitely shaped what I think is an appropriate versus an inappropriate use for technology. I feel as though the best types of learning with technology take place when you don't realize you're learning as with my experience playing the game "Oregon Trail" in my elementary school days. I really enjoyed this game, I was getting hands-on experience with a computer for the first time, and was learning at the same time without actually realizing it. I see certain technology as beneficial in my life, such as my cell phone, my computer, the internet, and my GPS, all of which I use weekly if not daily. My overall experiences with technology in everyday life shape how I think technology should be used in the classroom in that I see the importance and growing need for technology in the classroom as it is being used more and more in everyday life throughout the world. I also view technology as something that can enhance a classroom as it can "enhance" life or at least make it easier. Technology can do many things within a classroom such as save time, reach different types of learners, create a more engaging lesson or atmosphere, and "make the impossible, possible." Technology also does much of the same thing for us in our daily lives. If our car breaks down and we become stranded, we have a cell phone to call for help (or if you have a fancy car, you might have onstar), or if we are lost we can count on our GPS system to get us back home safely. I think if we can have our students make these connections between life and technology as well as education and technology, it will become more successfully integrated within the