Time to apply everything I've learned...

Tomorrow is the last day of my Technology in Education course at National-Louis University.  I can't believe how quickly this quarter went by.  Out of all my classes this quarter, I definitely learned the most applicable skills in Tech in Ed.  As I've said in previous posts, I considered myself to be pretty proficient in technology prior to the course, but now I know so much more about technology and Web 2.0 and how to integrate it into my classroom when I'm a teacher.  I never would have guessed I'd be using online tools so confidently before taking Tech in Ed.

I'm especially proud of the professional website I created for class. It is something I plan to constantly go back to and use in my educational and professional career.  I'm also slowly coming around to using Twitter on a personal level and most definitely see its benefits in a classroom setting.  

I also learned quite a bit about cloud computing since I did a presentation on it for class. Here's the Prezi (another awesome tool I've learned about!) I created.

Cloud Computing on Prezi



If you already think I've learned a lot, there's even more.  I was able to create my own digital story using iMovie on my MacBook Pro.  I had never even opened the app before then.  I had this complicated creative vision of how I wanted my story to be, but my limited movie making/editing skills forced me to keep it simple.  I definitely want to look into more about making digital stories.  Regardless, I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Another fun and useful project I completed in my Tech in Ed class was coming up with three ideas to use different web 2.0 tools in the classroom.  Here's what I came up with.

As you can see, my technological skills have grown so much in the last ten weeks.  I'm excited to use everything I've learned and share it with my future students.  The preK teacher I assist full time is going on maternity leave in March, and a sub and I will be running the classroom.  I've already got some ideas to integrate what I've learned into the children's activities!

OK, maybe Twitter isn't so bad after all...

Our latest assignment in Tech in Ed was to create a PLN (Personal Learning Network) through Twitter or Edmodo.  A PLN is comprised of pretty much anyone you interact and share ideas with: classmates; a group of friends; faculty members; and now, with web 2.0 and modern technology in the mix, communities on social networking sites.  

After gritting my teeth and forcing myself to create a Twitter account, I realized that I can learn a lot by using Twitter as an education tool and resource.  I found great people and organizations to follow simply by searching for #education, #web 2.0 classroom, #teachers, and other relevant keywords.  One of the best resources I discovered is IXL.  I didn't see anyone tweet about it, but I found the company's Twitter in one of my searches.  IXL is a website for grades pre-K to 10.  It's a fun, interactive way for students to practice math skills online.  Unfortunately, you need a paid membership to reap all the benefits of this website.  You can, however, do a limited number of activities for free.  If your school or classroom has the money for it, you can sign up as an educator to get a site license so the whole school can have access to this resource.  

My pre-Kindergarteners practiced a shape identification activity on the SmartBoard and had a blast!

Stages

Reading about the developmental stages that teachers go through was relevant to me because I kept thinking, "Oh, so-and-so is totally at this stage" while I was reading.  I'm not sure what stage I'm at professionally because I'm only an assistant so I technically have no say in what technology (or lack thereof) is used in our classroom. Personally, I'm somewhere between adaptation and appropriation.  I think the hardest stages (in my personal life) were adoption and the beginning of adaption.  When all the new technology started coming out (smartphones and tablets), I felt like it would be a good idea to utilize it but I still had an "old-fashioned" way of thinking.  I felt really iffy about social media sites like facebook and I still to this day refuse to use twitter.  I've definitely come around though and realize that it's important to integrate technology into my life (and into my classroom once I am a certified educator).  The only thing that I don't think I'll ever personally change my mind about is electronic books.  Physically smelling, holding, and turning the pages of a book is immensely pleasing to me.  I see the benefits of Kindles and the like, but I'm a bibliophile at heart.

From what I've observed in the faculty at my school and in my own personal experience, I pretty much agree with Apple's stages as they are.  I might add another stage before the entry stage, though.  My co-teacher, who is great with children and has been teaching early childhood for 13 years, falls somewhere in that category.  What I'd informally call the "technology? you mean email?" stage.  Last year was her first year (and mine) at the school where we work and she had a hard time understanding all of the technology that was expected to be used in our classroom (she still does).  She believes that, because our students are 4-5, they don't need to know how to use  tablets or the Smartboard.  I agree with her that they are young, but I still think they need to learn at this age because technology is all around them.  Their generation will grow up breathing it, so to speak. I don't think that their technological education needs to be very advanced at this point, but it does need to be there on some level.

Research

I thought the information from the Horizon Report was very interesting. Technology and information is so broadly available that it really isn't surprising that future classrooms will include more online or hybrid learning.  What was interesting to me was the fact that educators will have to reflect upon and even revise their roles due to the resources and information available on the Internet. This change in how students access information and even in how they socialize poses some interesting questions. If kids can learn so much on their own, why bother with teachers? If they can connect with and make friends via social media sites, why bother coming to school for social interaction? Although students are and will be able to use the Internet for these things, teachers will still play a vital role in education.  The Internet is a complex thing and teachers will have to be there to show their students how to navigate it.  Instruction will be just as important, but it will have to be tweaked a bit to accomodate new technology in the classroom and at home. 

I think all the information from the research presented in class is helpful.  It's good to know on a broader scale about what kinds of technology students are using today.  Knowing this can help teachers modify the way they go about teaching.  While the findings are useful, I don't think they should be taken as the hard truth. Things can change and not every student has access to all kinds of technology and devices.  Every classroom is different because every student is different. Some students require more personal, one-on-one instructions while others may do better with online or hybrid learning.  We as teachers need to be adaptable in order to accomodate our students.

Introduction

Hey everyone! The last blog I had was my angsty high school Xanga, so this should be fun. My name is Madeline and I'm an Elementary Education major. I'll be 24 in about a week so I'm looking forward to graduating as soon as possible since I've been doing the "college thing" for about 6 years... It's been hard figuring out what I want to do in life, but now I've finally figured it out (though I suppose I may want to do something entirely different after 10 years or so).

My grade and high schools probably had an average amount of technology involved (for the times).  Powerpoint presentations were a common requirement and everyone had student emails.  At the various colleges I've attended there were always online courses available, although I took my first one only a couple quarters ago.  I think the use of technology in the classroom is especially important in today's world.  Digital information and social media is everywhere so it's good for students to become comfortable and well-versed within the online world.  

I currently work at a Catholic elementary school in the suburbs as a teacher's assistant in Junior Kindergarten (ages 4 and 5).  The school is Apple Distinguished so all the students and educators must be familiar with technology.  Using computers and web apps and everything in between seems to come naturally to most of the students.  In PreK, we go to computer class every week and the kids have very little trouble.  The one thing they do have difficulty using is the mouse because their generation is so used to touch screens! 

Although I do think that technology is important, my favorite things to do with the kids are working on projects and reading to them.  I want to teach older kids once I get my degree and certifications and I've been notoriously known for not liking little kids, but they really have grown on me! Here are some pics of my classroom.

Readers are leaders! :)

making pancakes

painting an ocean scene 

I have a lot of fun at work because I get to play and laugh all day, but I still pretty much live for the weekends. My boyfriend and I love to cook.  Both of us are crazy about George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and we recently bought the companion cookbook that came out.  We also love to be outdoors.  We spent a week in Yellowstone this August and it was such an awesome adventure.  

My profile picture is of my cat, Caliban.  He's fluffy and tends to drool when he's getting brushed.  Anyway, I look forward to reading all of your blogs and being in class together!

Thanks for reading.