Arcademic Skill Builders

I have never used the specific Arcademic Skill Builder program but have used similar things when tutoring or working with students. I really like the idea of these kinds of things because it makes the child forget that they are learning and makes practicing what they are learning fun. In my classroom, if I am able to have a computer in it, I will definetly encourage my students to use these programs. It really helps in making school more enjoyable, especially for younger kids who get bored or sick of school easily.

National Educational Technology Standards

National Educational Technology Standards is a great and helpful project. It sets reasonable standards for how much technological skills each student should have at various grades/ages. I think its good to have standards, that way both students and teachers can work towards meeting these standards. This project is really going to help the students in their futures.

Virtual Feild Trips Continued

The second webpage I found about virtual field trips was a lot of fun. It was different from the usual museum and zoo trips and offered so many interesting and cool places to explore. What I really liked was the tours about The White House, the various islands and the solar system. Most people will not ever get to see or experience these things in their lifetime so this allows everyone to get insight about the various places. Its an educational and fun way for children to learn and explore.

Virtual Field Trips

The idea of virtual field trips is awesome! It allows students to see and experience things that may not be available to them for certain reasons like location or expense. Schools do not always have enough funding to go on a lot of field trips, therefore the virtual field trips allow children to explore and take a break from their usual studies and see things outside the classroom. It is also helpful for schools because they can use money that may have been used for field trips to fund other necessities in their school.

Internet Safety Continued

The Safekids website I came across was really helpful. I thought it was good how they not only included rules and guidelines for kids, but also gave parents tips and instructions. I believe using internet in classrooms is a great idea, but I also believe that it is not only the teacher's responsibilities to monitor the children, but the parent's as well. All the sites that give useful tips will help in keeping children safe.

Internet Safety

Internet safety is extremely important nowadays. There are an increasing amount of online predators and websites that are not appropiate for all ages of people. You can find anything you want or need to know through the internet, which can lead to a lot of problems. Allowing children to use the internet is very beneficial and will help them in their future but we must educate the children on how to be smart and safe when using the internet.

Nortel LearniT

The Nortel LearniT site sounds great. When coming across the website, I found myself searching all over their site because of all the interesting things they had to offer. This is a really useful program because there are obviously teachers of all ages in the classrooms today and most were not brought up with the same technology privileges as we are. It could really help the older teachers further develop their teaching skills and become more up to date with today's society.

Digital Cameras in Classrooms

I had never thought about using digital cameras in my future classroom until I saw the post on Wikispaces mentioning it. I always thought of using digital cameras as a hobby or to save memories. It never occured to me that digital cameras could be use as an educational tool outside of photography classes. I think the use of digital cameras would be fun for students because it allows them to capture in a picture what they are learning about and would enhance their learning experience. The downfall to using digital cameras would be that I know how expensive they are and know how they can easily break. Therefore I don't know if I would want my 1st or 2nd grade students to be handling them.

Online Learning

I am a big fan of online learning. I found a website that gave the top 15 reasons of why online learning is beneficial and I couldn't agree more. I have a busy schedule between school, work and other activities so it is hard for me to take a lot of credits during the fall and spring semester. Online learning allowed me to meet credentials I needed during this past summer. I was working 40 hours a week, so I obviously did not have time to attend a class. The online learning option explained everything that needed to be done,read or submitted, but allowed me to do the work on my own time when it fit into my schedule. I'm a visual learner so I liked being able to see everything step by step of what I needed to do, or notes that I needed to take.

Interwrite PRS

This year as a sophomore was the first time I used the Interwrite PRS or "clicker" tool and I love it. It has helped me so much in the class because it allows me to test myself and see what I know and what I need to study more. It has also let me see if my other classmates are just as confused as I am or if it's just me. Each class my teacher gives us a couple of these "clicker questions" and gives us participation points for answering them, even if we don't get them correct. After she polls the class and we see the results, she goes through each answer and has people explain why it was correct or incorrect. This really helps me understand the material better. I think it would be great for students in the elementary level because it could easily be turned into a fun game but still promote their learning.

More Benefits

After doing some more research, I came across the point that having technology in schools will no longer put students who have a lower economic status at a disadvantage. I think having a lower economic status puts you at a disadvantage in many situations that go beyond technology so we should work toward lessening the disadvantages for people of this status by offering them the ability to use technology and become efficient in them. Technology and everything that goes along with it can be very expensive, but will be very helpful for the future. I don't think just because people do not have as much money as others or cannot afford things such as computers, they should not be denied the ability to learn technology skills. Having technology in schools will greatly improve the lives of the people with a lower economic status because it will make things fair and will allow them to recieve a better education.
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/overview.html

Technology Benefits

I believe technology is a great way to promote the learning of students. In today's world, technology is become more popular everyday. Almost everything we do now deals with technology. Using various components of technology is great for kids. It will not only increase their technology skills, but I think it would enhance their learning experiences and make school alot more enjoyable. Since technology is expanding to every aspect of life, using technology in schools will not only help with their education but also in the future. There are tons of great webpages and online games available that make learning fun for the students. To learn more see: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/using_tech.phtml