Over the last month I've had the opportunity to learn so much about using technology, and even better, teaching with it. In my other classes this term I've used Powerpoint for presentations. For one, I created a slide show of trees to illustrate a poem I presented to a class in a lesson about similes and metaphors in poetry. In another class, I created a newcast with a slide show for pictures and logos, and as part of the same project I made a Powerpoint version of the game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?". I also created a C-Map to help me get my thoughts organized before writing a paper on No Child Left Behind. I love the C-Map program, it's very neat and easy to use and alter.

I loved the Claymation project! It was so much fun to see the finished project, and I was really happy with it. While working on it, I didn't think it was going to turn out well, but its amazing how easy it is! I think this will be a very effective tool in capturing learners attention on the screen, as well as a great project for older kids to try for themselves. It could be used to illustrate cells, the water cycle, seasons, metamorphosis, etc.

I'm really a sucker for creating good ol' fashion markers-and-stickers-and-photos on poster board visuals, but learning how quick and easy it is to use technology to make an effective and appealing illustration, I may be changing my ways. Pieces created with technology won't just save me a few minutes a time, but I can save a Powerpoint or Claymation video or website forever and use it over and over and over... and I don't have to worry about spilling coffee on it or anything.

Ed/tech had been really frustrating lately...until yesterday! I finally learned how to link pages to my homepage, so I created my Photoshop pages and played around a bit with format and design. Dreamweaver was entirely foreign to me a week ago, but I'm getting very comfortable with it now. It turns out I'm not as computer-literate as I thought I was when I took the survey at the beginning of the term. I have a lot more to learn, because I want to be able to organize information and presentations in graphically interesting forms. I also want to bring something to the class for my students to learn from me, rather than the other way around when it comes to technology. Already my younger siblings and cousins are tutoring me in how to use educational programs and games. My 10-year-old cousin Jackson put me to shame with a few laps on MarioKart this weekend.

I was actually surprised by some of the claims made about video-gaming in the article "Playing With Our Minds". It said roughly half of Americans play video games, but as that statistic includes even those that sneak a quick game of Minesweeper in at work, its not actually as compelling as it was at first blush. It was very disturbing to me to read about popular games and the situations and actions the player experiences through them. A friend of mine used to spend hours playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at my house, but I never really watched or even knew what it was about. Apparently, the gamer assumes the role of an L.A. gang member whose goal is to gain status in criminal organizations by killing drivers (using a varied arsenal) and stealing their cars. I know we see lots of violence on television and in movies, but the people who enact it like I just described are usually the bad guys--not the ones we identify with. Why would you want to put yourself in the shoes of the villain?

The article also described how games can be used to educate, or to teach important real-life skills through simulations, and increase hand-eye coordination and spatial orientation skills. And I agree there are educational games that can expand children's intelligence and imagination. But there's also a lot of garbage that teaches very negative values and behaviors. Plus, I think too much time spent in front of a TV or computer screen for any reason distances a person from the real world, and tangible social interactions. I guess I feel such technology should be closely monitored for children and used in moderation. I was pleased to hear the Army seeks to teach how not to shoot people through some of their games, and weapons skills surely has it's place in the military, but indiscriminate gory killing games just have no place anywhere.

I think the use of technology in our classrooms is incredibly important—for effective teaching and learning of materials, for entertaining and keeping students’ attention, and for bettering students’ own technological skills.

I worked with first grade reading groups at Griffin Creek Elementary, and once a week they got to use online reading programs at individual computers. This was the most coveted 20 minutes of the week. I think it was so exciting for them because it engaged their hearing (through headphones), bright colors danced on the screen, they were able to control the activities with the mouse, and sitting at a computer, they felt like they were completing a more mature task than when reading regular picture books.

A different bunch of first graders, in a slightly higher reading group, had the privilege of taking AR (Accelerated Reading) tests on a computer. Their excitement over this activity sometimes served as a downfall. I saw several children race through a book, not taking the time to carefully read and comprehend it, and thus score poorly on the test.

Still, I think technology serves as a good motivator for students. Though my experience is with lower grades, I know as they mature technology becomes increasingly important. Students need a solid knowledge of basic computer tasks such as typing and word processing as they approach grades that require typed papers. They should know how to use PowerPoint and graph- or chart-making programs to create visual aids for presentations. They must know how to navigate the internet to communicate and research. There is a wealth of knowledge located within the internet if you know how to find it and how to filter through the garbage.
These and so many other technological skills will help students succeed in public school, as well as prepare them for higher education, jobs, and careers.

I’m pretty good with the internet, I can use basic word processing programs and Publisher, and beyond that I don’t have much experience with technology. I can, however, play with a program until it does what I want, and I know how to find help in the program or online. I look forward to learning how to using more graphic-oriented programs like Photoshop, and especially creating a Claymation project! I think it will be a useful and interesting teaching tool.

Technology is constantly and rapidly advancing, so not only do we need to teach and learn skills now, but continually update what we (think we) know.