Module 5 Blog

Advantages of Integrating Technology into Math and Science

Like all content areas, integrating technology into math and science has many benefits. One major benefit is that it exposes students to technology. It is important for students to get experience with all types of technology because they will need those skills for the rest of their lives. Another advantage is increasing student engagement. By using technology in lessons, students are more likely to be engaged and on task. Teachers also benefit from technology, because there are many resources available to help teachers make lessons more fun and interactive. 

This link takes you to EducationWorld's article "Integrating Technology into Science."

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech233.shtml

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology into Math and Science

Though there are many advantages to integrating technology into math and science, there are also some drawbacks. One of the major issues is monitoring student activity. It is difficult for a teacher to monitor all of the students' computers while she is teaching, so many students will try to play games or be on other websites during instructional time. Students must also be able to determine the credibility of websites for some types of technology integration. There are many sites on the internet that look credible, but may have extreme bias or just inaccurate information. A third disadvantage would be student access to technology. Depending on the type of school you are in, students may or may not have access to technology. If there are students who do not have a personal form of technology, this limits what teachers can do because it wouldn't be fair to give a student an assignment that they can't complete at home. 

This is a link that goes to a video about the benefits and drawbacks of integrating technology in the classroom. It does a really great job of covering most of the common pros and cons associated with technology in the classroom. 

http://study.com/academy/lesson/technology-in-the-classroom-advantages-disadvantages.html

Specific activities, programs, etc. 

Chapter 11 contained a lot of references to really great activities and resources. One of the major resources that would be great for classroom use is virtual manipulatives. Much like physical manipulatives, students are able to see a visual representation of difficult, abstract concepts. Using virtual manipulatives ensures that all students have enough materials, and it allows for more freedom. Another piece of technology that is good for math integration is graphing calculators. These calculators create accurate graphs for students to see based on equations put into the calculator. This is good for when students are learning to graph because it is often times difficult to get the graph exact. One science program the book discussed was the GLOBE program. I thought it was interesting that it was listed in the book, but there are many ways to incorporate technology into GLOBE. However, the GLOBE program is great for science in general because it spans over so many different content areas. 

Module 4 Blog

http://support.prometheanplanet.com/server.php?show=ConResource.12345

I chose this flipchart because it is a great tool for teaching phonics and phonemic awareness. It can be changed to work for any letter or sound, and it provides a variety of activities for students to practice with the particular letter or sound. It is a great way to keep students engaged during reading instruction. 

Hardware/Software:

This flipchart was created to work with a Promethean Board, however, there are programs available that will help you make presentations compatible with other similar hardware. In order to use this flipchart, the user will need to connect the Promethean board to a computer, and display the presentation in the ActiveInspire software. Some of the activities require the user to write, and the Promethean board comes with several pens that the user must use to navigate. Students and teachers will need all of these pieces of software and hardware to successfully interact with the flipchart. 

Technology Use Based Problem Solving

This flipchart has many interactive activities for students to complete. One of the activities is to underline all the words that have a short "a" sound. There is a poem that students can read and use the pen to underline of circle the words. Another activity has a green apple and an apple with a line through it (that means "no"). The students can drag and drop the appropriate apple next to each word on the screen. They should use the green apple to identify words with the short "a" sound. Students can also practice writing their letters, and they can feed the alligator pictures of words that begin with whichever letter or sound they are studying. 

Essential Conditions for Technology Integration

The most essential condition for using this flipchart is for the teacher to be well trained in using the Promethean Board. If the teacher has an in-depth knowledge of the board and its capabilities, the instruction will be more enriching and engaging. If the teacher is constantly struggling to use it and troubleshooting issues, the students will not be engaged and might cause behavior issues. 

Software Support Tools

This flipchart uses graphic tools. These tools allow the user to change the look of their flipchart, as well as create the interactive graphics associated with it. There are tons of software support tools available on the internet. Using these tools will help to create a more engaging lesson for students. 

Module 3 Blog Post

Search Engines

Search engines are very powerful tools. They make life easier by allowing you to search most of the internet for whatever it is you are looking for. By learning how to properly use a search engine, you will get better, more accurate search results. 

Website Evaluation Video

This video about evaluating websites is a great way to demonstrate to students why it is important to make sure a website is credible. It is short and to the point, so students will not be confused or overwhelmed with what to check for. It gives an acronym (C.R.A.A.P.) at the end to remember all of the things to look for on a credible website, however, teachers may want to consider pausing the video before that part if they feel that acronym will not be appropriate for their class. 

Favorite Website 

http://www.turtlediary.com

One website I plan to use in my classroom in the future is TurtleDiary.Com. This website has (literally) thousands of games for pre-k through 5th grade. There are activities for math, science, and language arts. The website also has lesson plans, age appropriate math videos, worksheets, online practice, and so many other features. It can be projected onto a SmartBoard as a center rotation, or used independently on a device. 

Favorite Wiki

http://ig5thgrade.pbworks.com/w/page/4619994/FrontPage

This 5th grade class used a wiki as a class dictionary. Each time they discussed a vocabulary word, or just an unfamiliar word, they recorded it in their wiki. It is organized so that you can click each letter on the right hand side of the page and it will take you to the list of words for that particular letter. It is also cool that all students can access this from any device, as long as they save the web address. This example is not as neat as I would want my class' to be, however the idea is really good. 

Module 2 Blog

Commercial Hypermedia Product

http://www.mightybook.com/story_books.html

MightyBook is an interactive storybook product. This could be a really helpful resource in my future classroom. The website is really kid-friendly, and there are many stories available for free. There are subscriptions available to unlock around 600 more books for about $30.00 per year. These interactive stories are great for building fluency, because there is an option to have the book read out loud to students and highlight words as they are read aloud. The stories are divided into different reading levels and age groups, so children will be able to read something that is at their independent or instructional level. This tool would also be beneficial with ELL students, so that they can bridge the language gap easier. Another greate feature of this product is the actual experience during the book. Instead of showing different stationary pictures throughout the book, the story has been animated into a short cartoon. This tool will be useful for fun or instructional purposes in the future.

Chosen Multimedia Authoring Tool

My favorite multimedia-authoring tool would definitely be the virtual environment-authoring tool. The main reason I really want to use this in my future classroom is so that students can take virtual field trips to the places they learn about. I think that learning works so much better when students have as much information about a topic as possible, including some type of visual representation. Many large organizations such as History.com and Education World have free virtual field trips available on their websites. This link contains information about virtual environments in the classroom. 

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S2212017314000231/1-s2.0-S2212017314000231-main.pdf?_tid=b2db5212-6331-11e5-8532-00000aab0f02&acdnat=1443150261_5a9419bae7fe4bb3373793bffe5fc07d

This video is a how-to video on how to make any children’s book into an interactive storybook using the TINE app. In order to use the interactive storybook, the students will need to have access to a device with this app on it. The app uses tags on each page of the book to match the voice recording to the correct page. Students simply scan the tag and it will begin to read to them. This ensures that students are reading the correct words with the correct audio clip.

Module One Blog Post

Word Processing Software

Word processing software is used by teachers and students to create documents consisting of words and pictures.  Teachers use word processors because they save time, enhance document appearance, allow for sharing of documents, and they allow collaboration on documents. Research shows that these software programs improve writing and attitudes toward writing, they allow for more revision and fewer mechanical errors, and they increase sharing and feed back between teachers and students. One issue that arises when dealing with word processing software is the decision on when to introduce these programs to students. These programs require that students have a basic set of computer skills to operate them. Another issue is the effect word processors have on handwriting. When students type more, they are naturally handwriting less. Teachers should be sure to use a good balance of typing and writing.

Spreadsheet Software

Spreadsheet software programs are designed to organize and manipulate numerical data. These programs include formulas or command calculations and they can display information in a variety of ways. Teachers use spreadsheets to organize displays of information, save time, support “what if” questions and increase student motivation to work with math. Research shows that spreadsheets are useful for teaching concepts in many areas such as: problem solving, statistical analysis, and others. One issue regarding the use of spreadsheets in classrooms is many students fear using these programs because of math fears they may already have.

Presentation Software

Presentation software is used to display information in a slide show using various formats including text, images, and videos. Teachers use presentation software to enhance the impact of spoken information, collaborate on presentations, and organize thinking about a topic. One issue with presentation software is some teachers do not use them effectively, and they end up taking away from the learning experience. If a teacher reads the slides word for word while students copy down notes, they are not actively engaged and are not likely to be learning.

Classroom Use

In my future classroom I would like to use presentation software to create interactive SmartBoard lessons. These lessons, about any topic, can become an active learning tool by providing simple games or activities that students can come up to the board to complete themselves.