Reaction to Oppenheimer

I thought that Todd Oppenheimer's article was really informative, but i cannot say that i completely agree with him. I was taken back when he made the statements about most teachers not embracing technology and trying to eliminate some classes so students can have more time with computers.
I will start with his idea about teachers not embracing the new technology. I would agree with him to some extent, but at the same time i disagree. He seems to forget that a lot of schools do not have the appropriate funding to have advanced technology in their schools. He also seems to forget that most teachers have been teaching for a long time and it would be hard for them to readjust their teaching methods. Technology is called user friendly, but it is still not easy for a user who is not familiar with technology. Personally, i spend a lot of time learning how to use new technology, but i find myself in a bind because my school does not have the funds for advanced technology so we are just stuck with old computers in a computer lab. I also know how to use a smart board, but yet again i am caught up because my school only has two and they are not in a room where i can use them frequently.
Oppenheimer also talked about getting rid of classes like wood working and shop class so students can spend more time on a computer. I totally disagree because students should be able to have the opportunity to have a choice of what they want to take when they come of age. I took shop class and really enjoyed it. Most students would rather be working with their hands rather than a computer. I understand that students need to know how to use a computer, but they also need to have other skills as well because although the world is turning to the computer and technology, we still need those who can fix our cars and build our buildings and things like that.
There was a lot of things i agreed with Todd Oppenheimer about, but i found some of his ideas and opinions hard to read. I liked the article because i took a lot of it to heart and felt upset when i did not agree with him. I think these are some of the best articles to read.

Thoughts so far...

So far this semester i have learned a lot about different types of technology. I have used a lot of technology in my own classroom like a smart board, computer lab, and power point, but i have learned a lot of tools thus far that i would really like to try next year.

I think this is a great course because we are not just learning about the applications and the programs, but we are actually using them by creating our own things. Next year i know i am going to digitally change pictures for my fifth graders and have them write about what they see in the drawing. These pictures will help me help students bring out their creative side and write stories. Feeling comfortable with technology is the most important and i feel like this class is going to help me prepare myself and allow me to feel comfortable with the technology i am using.

As of right now the website is challenging for me because i had to leave the last class a few minutes early. I am attending class early today so i can hopefully have some help catching up with the rest of the class. What has also been challenging is the lingo of technology. I feel i am lost sometimes during the lectures in class because i have no idea what some of the things mean that we are talking about. Maybe showing us how to do the activity first without explaining it will make it easier for us to understand when the lecture is occurring. This is probably just me because i find hands on experience the most helpful.

Anyways i feel this class is a huge help for all teachers and that i am going to learn a ton from the hands on projects and instruction.

What are the implications of copyright issues for educators?

Most of the implications for educators comes into effect from the copyright laws. As teachers it is difficult to know all of the rules and regulations of the copyright laws. Personally, whenever i try and use technology whether a book, picture, DVD, CD, or website i always do my best to cite the author or give them credit for the work they have already completed. There was actually a professional development segment this year about copyright and stealing other people's work. It is actually really scary because the littlest things can be considered illegal in the copyright laws.

I guess the biggest problem or implications with technology for educators is that it can be really time consuming. Teachers already have a full load and when they have to ask for permission or be absolutely sure they have given credit to someone for their picture of Mark Twain can be really annoying. Having to contact another scholar is nerve wreaking too. My principal had me call to check to see if it would be okay if i showed a short clip of The Westing Game on my computer to the students. Like i said, although it is frustrating, it is always better to be safe than sorry. The last thing any teacher needs is to be bothered by copyright laws when trying to teach their students as much as they can!

Inspiration

word file. I was lucky to find that the picture of my web/diagram was automatically converted to a I was able to post my work from the article "Teaching Every Student" by first working in inspiration. Once i completed my work i saved the file to my flash drive. Unfortunately my computer at home would not let me save the work as a JEG so i saved it as a Microsoft word file. I was lucky because when i exported the file to Micrcosoft word they converted it into a JEG I then copy and saved the picture to my flash drive. From my flash drive i was able to load it onto my blog. This exercise was confusing, but it helped me at the same time learn how to use another aspect of technology. I actually found it fun after i was finished being confused because the inspiration is an excellent way to be organized and being able to use the technology effectively is always exciting.

Out in the mountains

In this picture a young lady is standing with her cat-man as they take a picture in the snowy mountains. Their photographer was extremely cold, but they bought him a hot chocolate.

I started by picking the landscape and i randomly found the picture of the cat with the frog head. Then i went onto facebook and took a picture of my girlfriend and I. First i dissected the bodies from the facebook picture and the head from the cat. I dragged the two into the horizon. After making each small i layered the cat head over the bodies and Whala! girl and cat-man standing in the snowy mountains.

My first attempt at photo shop and i created a half moose half kangaroo!!

Content Standard Focus

My Standard:

Reading and Responding:

Content Standard 1:

Students will read and respond in individual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary, informational and persuasive tests.

I believe we can incorporate digital imagery and inspiration into the content standard in many ways. When the students are using digital imagery, students will be able to manipulate a photo and be able to write a short essay based on the picture. While using the pictures, the students writing can be done in groups or individually, plus they can be critical or evaluate the photos which will create a text. Like we did in class the other day; students can also take pictures and create a story with the pictures they take based on a text. It will be evaluated by the way the students have analyzed the text.

As for inspiration, students can create a web based on their knowledge or ideas of their topic. It will help keep students focused and on task as they can view their outline while writing their paper. It is always a good idea to create a web or outline when writing a persuasive paper and inspiration allows us to use both!

Both inspiration and digital images would be a great visual link for the students because all of the information would be laid out in front on them which will allow each student to see the work they have completed in a neat eye catching way.

Dexter Article

While reading the Dexter article i began to think of the many reasons why technology is so important in schools. First of all technology is what our students are use to. They are so involved with technology that they don't even realize that technology is everywhere and especially for them. After thinking about how important technology is to our school systems I evaluated my progress as a teacher so far and my use of technology to the article.

First of all, my school does not have adequate funds like other schools do so as a school we have less technology than a public school in Fairfield. Even though my school does not have the funds to have excellent technology, we still have enough to motivate the students and have a more responsive classroom. Having technology also allows teachers to have individualized instruction for different students. The reason we are able to have an individualized instruction is because a web quest or a video clip can keep the attention of the other students while we can help individuals or groups of students.

The technology can also aid the students learning because it is a new way for them to learn. The use of the technology can help the students gain meaning of a concept we are learning and help them scaffold, which helps students build their own meaning for the different concepts. The nice thing about using the computer is that they have different headings and different aspects that will spark students interest and keep their focus longer.

During the school year I went to the computer lab at least once a week for web quests and typing activities. It is really important for students to learn from technology because it can be very helpful when completing drills and activities. The drills and activities can be exciting and fun, plus students can start on different levels based on their ability and the activity the students are working on.

In overall I found this article pretty helpful because gave me more information that would help me when I am working with technology in the future. The only negative about the article was that it does not give you many examples of the different activities one could use while working with technology.

Response about Technology

This year at school i have used a lot of different types of technology. I am really glad we have learned how to blog because i definitely see myself using this next year with my class. Anyways this year i have used three different types of technology. The first is the computer lab where i take my students to type and complete web quests. While doing these types of activities i am comfortable because i am pretty good on word and web quests are basically drawn out for the user. The only step to using the web quest is to follow the directions carefully.

Another type of technology i have used this year is the smart board. I think this is one of the greatest inventions because it allows us teachers to teach a lesson where the students can be involved by touching the screen. I have used the board for all different types of websites, but i do feel the greatest success on the board was my unit about galaxies. All the students really enjoyed the use of the technology involved with the unit and their projects.

Finally i used my laptop and a connection cable up to the television in my room to show my students a few pictures and power points. Although i do not know power point as well as i would like to know it, i do think i am comfortable enough to create a successful lesson.

In general i am nervous about the work load in this class. I know i am capable of doing it and learning how to use the technology we learn in class, but i am concerned about the class only lasting three weeks. I do expect to learn a few new ideas about technology and how to incorporate it into my classroom on a more regular basis. From my one year of experience in the classroom i have found that wherever i use technology in my class the students immediately become more focused and involved. Maybe it is a comfort for them, but as a teacher we have to take every advantage we can get. Basically, i hope to take as much as i can back to my classroom next year so i can become stronger with technology and use different aspects of my teaching throughout the entire year.

Always need a picture with the significant other :)

Some fun on a saturday

Having some fun hanging out with some friends

The First Class

Read the Dexter Article, post two pictures on the blog, write a response to how comfortable i am with technology, and read "Teddy Bears go Blogging"

Just to remember:
My Standard: Reading and Responding: Content Standard 1: Students will read and respond in individual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary, informational and persuasive tests.

My Focus is my 5th grade class...