UEN page with Videos and Technological Articles

By having this page available to my students on my classroom website, I am providing a means by which they can access fun educational videos that will catch and keep their attention. Students today are bombarded with many different possibilities of technology. They have devices at their immediate disposal for communicating and entertainment. If we expect them to learn with the methods of our own education, we will most likely lose them because they may become bored. By offering such videos, and other technological opportunities, we will more likely engage them. They will be able to more effectively collaborate with their peers on various subjects and objectives and thus more effectivley learn what we are hoping to teach them. Students of todays technology will be our future leaders, and we as teachers must do our part to prepare them for their world.

A Vision of K-12 Students Today Reflection

After viewing this video, I am even more convinced that preparing teachers for tomorrow's students of technology is of upmost importance. If we do not keep up with this rising generation of technology, we will surely be holding our students back. It is eye opening to realize how much these young students already use technology. They will most certainly continue to advance in their knowledge and use of it, and we must therefore keep up with them. This is the way they communicate, socialize, relax and collaborate, why not then should it be a way for them to learn and grow. This vision of our future students must lead the way for us to prepare to teach them, and help them reach their full potential.

My use of facebook and google groups in the classroom.

I have a friend who also teaches 5th grade in another state and we are both teaching our students about American History. We have collaborated and decided to have our students make facebook pages and write and share about some of the facts that they have learned about American History. They will each be assigned a history buddy from the other classroom who they do not know. We have chosen facebook as a tool for this project for a few reasons. It is a fun means of communication for this age group to participate in. They will have fun putting together their profiles and building their pages, all the while learning about valuable technological tools. During this project they will be able to study facts that they have learned and then share them with their buddy, as well as other students. Face book also offers a chat window in order for them to share information instantaneously, as well as a means of posting information on their wall for others to access and learn from. We both feel like this opportunity will both help our students learn and share American history, but will also introduce them to a world of technology. We also feel like this will enhance their learning experience and entice them to want to learn more. Likely they will be eagar to discuss history with fellow students and will probably be eager to learn and share other subject areas as well. Some concerns that we have discussed will be internet safety and privacy of these students. We plan to explain to their parents that this is a project that needs to be somewhat monitored by their parents, and we will of course be helping students implement safety awareness by teaching that they must not invite unknown friends to join. Regular checking of their facebook accounts will also be a top priority in order to protect the students.



Another objective that I plan to implement technology in my classroom is by using google groups. I am having my students divide into several groups and work on a group project for science. Each group will be given a different science concept and together present their discoveries to the classroom. I want them to be able to communicate about their science topic both in and out of the classroom. I will give them plenty of direction in how to go about this. They will be required to do some research about it, and then collaborate about possible solutions that may come up, during their research. They will need to prepare a poster, experiment, hypothesis and then teach the other students about what they discovered in this research. By being able to discuss various things outside the classroom they will also be learning and using google groups to communicate. This way they can each add, edit and communicate about each of their findings and then share with other group members. I will then be added to the group so I can then evaluate as to who participated and provided information for the project. I feel like this tool can be very beneficial for my students to learn to cooperate as a team as well as learn a valuable communication tool for future group projects. I realize that these young students will need a lot of guidance and I will communicate with them regularly in order to assist them. I will also be communicating with parents and informing them of what we are trying to accomplish. I will send home information about the research and how to help their student succeed. I feel when we introduce students to such valuable tools in the world of technology we are enhancing their educational experience. They will be much better off in our modern society if they are required to use these types of tools at such a young and impressionable age.

Millenial Generation

This video was somewhat informational but not quite as in depth or intriguing. It opened my mind up to the possibilities and benefit of a better mobile communication possibility, but was not as attention grabbing as other videos so far. I feel like if we were able to more effectively use our technology to communicate in a more mobile fashion, it would definately be beneficial. One student brought up the idea that we still aren't ablt to use our cell phones during a flight. You would think that with all our avanced technological capabilities, that this would be now available.

Did You Know? Video Reflection

WOW, its hard to comprehend just how fast this world of technology is rapidly shifting. We have all been told that just after we purchase a new and exciting computer that it is already a dinosaur. Unless we buy the newest hottest items every month or so, we can't keep up with it all. The video included some very interesting facts about language, education as well as technology in our world today. Sometimes it makes my head swim to even try to understand a small fraction of what is available to us, and I can't even comprehend what might be in store for us in the coming years. Just when I figure out how to navigate my new cell phone, or figure out how to run a program, its already been replaced with the newest model. I guess I will just have to remain a bit ignorant about it all, but will certainly enjoy the ride.

Microsoft Word

I have been using microsoft word for several years and am very satisfied with it and what it has to offer me as an professional teacher. I feel like it offers a great means of communication for my students as well as parents and colleagues. I am able to create notes, calendars, letters and many other tools that I can then attach to an email and send to anyone with an email account. We live in a day and technological age where just about everyone has access to the internet and an email account. My students feel very important to recieve mail from me and not just junk mail from unknown companies. Most of them are excited to go home and see if I have sent them mail about upcoming classroom projects and home work assingments. Even though I can and do communicate with them through my classroom website, they feel it is a little bit more personal when I send them each reminders through word documents.

"Pay Attention" video reflection

I thought the video was exceptionally "eye-catching" even though it was only written messages played to music. Nothing was new information to me, but it really opened my mind to just how much technology our children have been exposed to in their short lives. This is the language that they speak. Why do we expect them to try to learn without their native tongue. Instead of embracing certain apsects of their technological world, we ban them from it and expect them to learn the old fashioned way, the way we did. Not to say that it is bad or unimportant, just that with these technological advances, we have the opportunity to enhance their learning experiences. We all know that almost every aspect of our lives has been greatly enhanced with technology. I mean where would we be if we have to stop and use a pay phone on the way to work, or actually have to run in and pay the gas attendant for our gas. What about writing a letter on a peice of paper with a pen, how old fashioned is that? Well not to say that it would be inappropriate, it is still fun to get a letter from a friend in the mail. It's just that our young people don't know that world, so it isn't fair to expect them to learn the way we did. They have been privilidged to have been born in a time with so much technology, I feel like their learning experience will be so much better if we embrace this instead of fighting it.

Classroom Website

This week I created a classroom website in order to be able to better communicate with my students and their parents. With so much advancement in technology developement, it is important that we utilize this opportunity for enhanced communication. By offering this type of communication level, I feel like my students and their parents will benefit.
At the click of a button, they can access information about me personally, as well as other imforation pertaining to our classroom and curriculum. Thc website includes important announcements and dates, a calender in which they can plan and prepare for upcoming important dates and projects, informs and reminds students and their parents of daily and weekly homework assignments, makes them aware of technological tools we use in the classroom and also highlites our students of the week, with special recognition. I feel like such a website can offer a cohesive unity for our classroom. As long as they do their part and utilize this opportunity, they will always be aware of important dates and information. Their parents will always be able to access important due dates and keep up to date with special events and projects. I feel that by spotlighting students who have performed at an notable level should be recognized for their fellow students and parents to see. This might help them to feel special and encourage positive behavior.
I am excited to be able to implement this website and look forward to the positive outcome of such commication tools we have at our fingertips.