Journal 4

Twitter 

My experience with Twitter so far has been minimal as I need to begin incorporating tweeting into my daily routine. Interacting with classmates on Twitter is proven beneficial, especially in college life. In the Twitter app I have both the opportunity to share my own thoughts and questions while also reflecting and responding to other peoples comments. This sharing mechanism can be helpful in the classroom setting as a teacher because information can be spread in a relatively quick manner and others can comment back. So, as a teacher if I have a parents twitter page that would be a great way to keep them in line with whats going on in class while offering them a window of speaking opportunity with any questions or concerns. 

Digital Divide 

The digital divide references the gap between individuals who have access to technology and those who do not. People typically talk about the digital divide in the education system as it causes a lack technological equipment and skills that come with using that technology. The digital divide is typically caused income, race, and educational point. For example, an impoverished family would not have enough income to send their students to a school which provides ample opportunity, but rather they are sent to a less developed school with minimal technological resources. As a teacher I may experience this very same situation and in order to address this I need to remain sensitive to issues related to this divide and support children's educational learning with or without technology as a primary tool.

Academic Software 

Software for students in the classroom serves as a benefit to all the children in practice and has also become a teaching tool for teachers. In my classroom I would make use of the smart board technology where I could display notes, classroom assignments, announcements, and all the students to come up to the board and interact hands on. I would use this tool as both a platform for building technological skills and a way of interacting with the school environment hands on. I would also use online gaming technology for educational games whether that be: math, english, science, or history. From this online gaming, students could develop a conceptual understanding of the subject matter in an engaging way. 

Newsletter

Journal 3

ELA Tech Standards 

I explored the ELA standards common in elementary classrooms, like Kindergarten and 1st grade as those grade levels are my area of interest. As an individual, I feel like I am best prepared to allow the children to explore a variety of digital tools which can be done through the process of hands on learning. Using SmartBoard technology would be an aid to this hands on learning system as students will be able to engage with the material first hand, providing a tactual method of learning. However, using tech features to locate important information would require more skill on my part as I do not think that this skill will be used often in elementary classrooms. But, I can familiarize myself with this method of learning and try it out to benefit the students learning experience in class. 

CPALMS 

I explored the Kindergarten educator toolkit as in the future I hope to teach this area. I first noticed a planner from iCPALMS which makes lesson planning easy by recommending teaching resources for a variety of subjects, in different age categories. Under the math category I found an interactive learning activity which allows children to recognize rectangles, squares, hexagons, and other shapes necessary for development. I found this activity to be engaging for young students as it first reviewed what should already be known before starting the lesson and then branched out and provided a broader explanation as to what will be learned. I think this online framework will be effective in a Kindergarten classroom as young students are drawn to colors, characters, and interactive learning methods, that of which is supported in this activity. 

Newsletter Design 

The newsletter assignment was a great way to build skills in Microsoft Word, but was not without difficulty. When I first began to construct the newsletter I was confused as how to add a boarder and banner overhead but through research and google I developed a polished finish project. However, I think that I could have used more meaningful graphics to complement the text and overall make the page more visually appealing. Looking forward, this assignment offered me new insight into format in Word that I will be using for lesson plans, class announcements, and educational planning as a teacher. Overall, this project taught me to explore new options, experiment with new texts, fonts, and colors, to showcase personal style, and was in return a good opening project to build Microsoft Skills. 

Journal 2

MS Word

As a student, I have used MS Word for note taking as the convenient format options have allowed me to take notes in a time efficient and effective manner. I have also used Word to design campaign posters for SGA elections and generate simple posters or ads for class as necessary. I have seen teachers use word for project planning as they have taught students how to use different graphics, text, and formats to present an assigned project. In the classroom teachers usually use Word to teach different skills which will be necessary for the students to utilize in classroom assignments. So, Word is a tool used to teach a variety of necessary project skills. 

Fair Material Use 

In this day and age being mindful of copyright is necessary. In the classroom, originality is key, whether that originality be from a teachers perspective or students. As a teacher developing instructional materials, I can see myself looking at different lesson plans from other teachers, but ultimately taking that idea and making my own unique set of instructions. Thus, I can use my inspiration from different works and channel my own expressive goals for the students. In order to ensure students create their own works, I would plan to do a lesson at the beginning of the school year on originality so that from the beginning the expectations are outlined, providing no reason for the students to rebel and if they choose to do so, students should be aware of the consequences.  

Tech Implementation Issues

In today's society cyberbullying and decreased productivity are two common issues most notably seen in classrooms. Cyberbullying refers to bullying through electronic means. Yet, although this form of bullying is detrimental, there are a few ways this problem can be mitigated. The key in responding to cyberbullying is if you are a victim, never respond to the threat and instead go to a teacher, talk about what is going on, and outline a plan of action to reduce future instances. Another issue in the classroom is decreased productivity of students which occurs when students have no motivation to preform or do not wish to at all. Dealing with this may be difficult but incorporating hands on classroom activities is a good alternative where children can engage with the classroom in a different manner. The most important thing to remember when dealing with these classroom issues, is that the role of a teacher is to solve these problems and the kids should trust the teacher enough to be able to communicate what's going on.

Journal 1

Why Technology?

The evolution of technology has been one of the best moves for teachers to instruct and students to collaboratively learn. Outside influences have most defiantly encouraged technology in classrooms as it supports team building and accommodates different styles of learning. Technology offers many benefits for students as they are able to both build their tech skills while simultaneously learning educational information in an interesting manner. Overall, teachers choose technology in the classroom as a means of engagement and likewise students conform to this expectation to add purpose to their education.

ISTE Standards

The ISTE standards have been incorporated to provide students with their own individual voice while focusing on the student driven learning process. These standards advocate for teachers to be a leader, learner, citizen, collaborator, designer, facilitator, and analyst. In my view, being a leader is defiantly something that I am confident about because I think that through my experiences in high school and past events, I have learned that it is necessary to empower others, a skill which I hope to incorporate into my classroom in the future years. However, I think being a citizen is out of reach for me currently because as of now I do not fully know a way that I would inspire students to engage in the digital world where I am not fully engaged personally. Yet, observing the teacher and student learning ISTE standards it is quite notable that teachers are meant to be learners just like their students and learn from student insight. 

Digital Native? 

A digital native refers to a person who is brought up during the age of technological advancements and is therefore familiar with all types of technology. Growing up as a digital native, I have seen many differences between students my age and the way teachers use technology. While teachers sometimes cannot figure out how to use the smart board or projector they rely on us, students who were raised in this digital culture. Although teachers cannot always operate new technologies I would not say it has altered my educational experience, just encouraged team building between student and teacher. Looking forward a couple years when I am a teacher I would see myself as being limited technologically and the new generation of students correcting me, as technology will most likely flourish in the years to come.