Internet Safety Reflection

I read "Rated A" by Marvin J. Ashton about the ratings put on media and how we need to focus on only those that we can honestly give an "A" rating. Media should be uplifting and provide opportunities for greater learning and sharing of ideas rather than filled with degrading material. I only watched 15 minutes of videos, but the ones I watched showed how violence in schools was caused by bullying and backbiting through online forms of communication. From these videos and all the readings, I think the most important thing I took away from it is the reality that media can be very damaging if used incorrectly. I never knew how seriously people's lives are ruined by misusing media. It makes me much more determined to protect children I interact with from the dangers of media by instructing them on how to use it and how to protect themselves from bad situations.

The person I talked to about media was my mom. She knew that it is important not to share personal information online because of the broad audience of people who have access to it. She is even very leery of Facebook because of the information some people include in their profiles and the accessibility of that information. I shared with her some of the seriously bad situations that people get themselves into that I learned about from the videos. I also shared that there are lots of good things about online forms of communication such as missionary work and spread of other good information. She agreed with what I shared and acknowledged that there is a lot of good to online resources and tools as long as they are used correctly. It didn't surprise her that people found themselves in bad situations from simply innocent ventures into chatrooms and other online communication. I think it was good for her to hear more about the good things that come from media especially in talking about what church leaders have said as far as encouraging us to use it for missionary work. I think she may make more of an effort to use her Facebook for that purpose. It is a GREAT missionary tool! Overall, it was a great conversation about the abundance and variety of pros and cons of media, specifically online communication.

TPACK Report

TPACK Presentation

Reflection on Videos

The most important thing that stood out from the videos was the great value of technology use in the classroom extending beyond simply academic learning. Kindergarten students in inner-city Detroit were able to learn computer skills even though none of them had access to computers outside of school. This will be very beneficial for them not only through their education but well into their future careers. Students developed cooperation skills through group work on the computer and explored their creativity with different resources for information and pictures. The “I love spiders” video showed students sharing information and pictures with a class in a different state through the internet. This encourages branching out and making connections with others through sharing work and learning together. The “Habitats” video showed family and friends coming together to view students’ videos. This fosters relationships in the community and families by involving them in the learning process and the celebration of learning. These ideas opened my eyes to more possibilities of how I could incorporate technology for the benefit my students.

Links to Technology Lesson Plans

Language Arts Lesson Plan

Science Lesson Plan

Math Lesson Plan

Week 9 Post

Initial Technology Observations: It was both encouraging and discouraging to see what technology is available to the teacher with whom I am doing my practicum. She has 4 computers right in her classroom, which is very convenient. There is also a projector that is setup on the ceiling of her classroom to which she can hook up her laptop. There are 2 computer labs right outside her classroom with several computers, and they can be reserved for her class anytime they are not previously scheduled. There is no TV or CD player provided. She has access to them for checkout, but not very many are on hand. She has not used technology for instruction since I've been there, only using her computer to send emails or enter grades. So, there are some good technology tools available, but they are limited.

Yes, I completed parts 1 and 2 of the Week 9 PLE assignment.

Technology and Science Reflection

I viewed Voice Threads by Emily Carr, Rebecca Jaggi, and Julia. Throughout the process of this project, both creating one with Tiffany and viewing others, it is obvious to me that there are some great advantages to using technology with teaching science. The projects that I viewed all used Stelarium to view the phases of the moon. It was clear that this content was learned much easier through the program rather than having to try to look at the moon every night and record its phases that way. Our project with using the digital microscope to view details on rocks definitely enhanced the activity by providing a way for the students to see the rocks in greater detail as well as learn to operate a scientific instrument. Even though it's a little overwelming for me to tackle use of new technology, this project has provided a great deal of motivation to explore what's out there. It seems worthwhile enough to make the effort to bring the technology into the activities since it does greatly enhance students' learning experiences.

Rock Activity VoiceThread

Rock Activity VoiceThread