Reflections

Have your opinions about technology integration in education changed since the beginning of the term? Why or why not?

Yes, I do believe they have.  Before the start of the term, I was hesitant on the reliability of technology in the classroom, and if the pros really did out-weight the cons.  Now I see that as we are rapidly becoming even more technologically dependent, it is critical to have technology in a class.

Identify one or more programs/web apps introduced this term you believe you'll use in your future classroom. Why will you use these programs/apps?

I have been using blogger now for nearly two years.  It is a quick and easy way to put work together and edit with ease.  I will continue using it.  As well as blogger, I find that I love neatchat.  I have started using it already now for group projects in other classes.

Wordle: Enable Education

A Website for a Classroom?

In so many classrooms across America, it seems like getting students involved and active while using technology is becoming a more daunting challenge with every technological leap.  There is one website though that aims to teach and involve students at the same time.

aslpro.com is a website dedicated to teaching sign language.  It allows teachers to post quizzes, as well at allows students to access an array of new words, phrases and activities.  This free site is a great way to let students actually view the language they are learning in action, and is a great visual resource.

ASL is a visual language, so reading and looking at all of the words and phrases in a book is nearly pointless.  In action,  the signs look much different then they would on paper. 

This site allows students to look up almost any word they could need, as well as how to properly phrase the language.  Not only that, but it can be utilized in the home, and accessed anywhere.

PBL - A Lesson in Health

The "My Healthy Self Project" that was conducted by a classroom of first graders was absolutely ingenious!  The project itself posed the question of "what makes us sick?" to a group of young learners.  Children are some of the most likely to catch the common cold or bug, and are often the culprit of their own misfortunes, due to a lack of understanding in how to properly care for their bodies so early on in life.  With this project, kids were able to get a better understanding of not only what they need to do to keep themselves healthy, but what measures combined lead to good health.  They looked a nutritional labels, analyzed good health habits versus the bad, and noticed the benefits of being active in life.

The class utilized the most umportatn of upper level thinking skills from Bloom's taxonomy - evaluation.  This is the most upper division of thinking skills.  When evaluating, a student is looking at how something works as a whole, not only on one level, but with everything it can be combined with.  They learned how to judge good health habits, and how best to initiate them, by even creating a class health center.  

The only way that this project might be improved would be to integrate ideas relating to it in their future education.  Yes, they did continue to have good, enduring health habits through the year, but keeping a focus on it, if not even just a thought in the back of the mind about it, would help to keep them healthy all their lives, as well as pass on vital knowledge to those around them, for a healthier community.