My Beliefs

After watching these video clips and reading the articles I think my beliefs have changed a little bit. I always believed it was important for schools to have access to technology, but I wasn’t aware of, or maybe just didn’t realize the importance of actually integrating technology into our classrooms. These articles and videos helped me to see how we can utilize technology in every classroom, and that when we do that students are more engaged and retain the information they are learning better. I believe that as we integrate technology into our classrooms we can help our students learn at a deeper level and engage them more regularly in higher level thinking and problem solving skills.
I think that every teacher should be trained in integrating technology into their classroom before they enter the field, and have a passion instilled in them that teaching with technology brings countless benefits into their classroom. I believe that when teaching with technology we can help our students have a passion for technology and a passion for utilizing it in a way to benefit their learning.

Lessons Learned

The main thing I learned as I did this assignment is that there is a lot of expected of me that I can’t perform yet. If anything it showed me how much work I have to do to prepare to teach using technology in today’s classroom. I am concerned about not being able to meet the students needs when in comes to technology integration in the classroom. I definitely need to get more creative with my thinking and find interesting, fun, but useful ways for the students to be using technology.

I loved the “Why Integrate?” video. It helped me to see how much can be done with technology in the classroom, and also how we can teach the students with technology using real-world applications more than we could without the use of technology. The “new WWW” was really interesting to me because I never thought about educating students using technology for that reason or in that way. It is a very valid point that is being made that we as teachers should all keep in mind. It will be important to me to allow my students to learn and express themselves using technology in productive ways and create meaningful learning in the classroom.

Strengths & Weaknesses

As I went through the UNI survey and read through the NET standards I realized my biggest strength is that I have an idea of what all of these technologically rich tools are, but my biggest weakness is that I don’t know that much about them. I feel that if these skills will be useful to me in the classroom I will need to understand them completely in order to teach my students how to use the applications. Just knowing about the application will not be enough, my goal is to research the various applications and find ways that it can enhance classroom learning, and help students to more fully understand material that is being studied. I found a series of online workshops at http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/alt/basic/cover.htm that would help me to just understand the basic applications I will be using in my classroom. Once I have learned the basic applications I will be a more effective teacher and also know how those applications can benefit my students in their learning.

Another weakness of mine is that I do not have a very open or creative mind when it comes to incorporating technology in the classroom. As I read through the NET standards I understood how technology would be helpful when used in all of the areas that are talked about, but I was completely lost on how I would incorporate technology to perform those tasks. My goal is to learn how to apply the knowledge that I have about technology in the classroom and to teach effectively using technology. I found a website that is dedicated to just that at http://www.wtvi.com/teks/workshops.html. I think this workshop would be really helpful because it would be giving me examples of how technology can be applied in a real world classroom and help me see how I can integrate the ideas they give me into my own lesson plans.

One of my strengths is that I know how to communicate well using technology which I think will be a huge benefit in my future classroom. I believe that using technology as a communication tool makes me more effective and efficient. I will have to work on using more appropriate computer language though. One of the UNI survey questions was if I knew and used correct computer terminology which is something I could learn more about and practice in my teaching.

Integrating Tech in the Classroom

We have been working in class on preparing our webquest. Our webquest is designed for Kindergartners and focuses on site words. The students go through the webquest and listen to ten different site words we have selected. After they listen to a word, they write down the word they have just heard and draw a picture that illustrates that word. I think this is a great way to utilize technology in a Kindergarten classroom. I didn't really understand before that the point of using a webquest was to have the students use technology in a more interactive way to learn new skills. Once I understood that concept, it was a lot harder for me to come up with ideas for a webquest, but I thought that the webquest ideas were a lot more effective and the students would learn a lot more. The webquest has been easier to assemble than I thought it would be, and I can really see myself using a webquest in the classroom. It is a very practical skill to have as an elementary teacher, and I am glad that I finally understand what a webquest is, how to use one, and why they are useful. The great thing about webquests is that they can be used for anything. They would be a useful tool in math, science, reading, writing, even research projects. I think by using a webquest you are allowing student to familiarize themselves with the technology that is available to us, but it also helps them develop other skills, like time management, and self-motivation. I can't wait to use a webquest in my own classroom.

Tech Interview

My partner and I did our tech interview with our cooperating teacher. It was really interesting to see the different technological resources that are available in today's schools. Each teacher has their own computer in their room, with a network drive that they can save all of their documents to. There were two computer labs in the school and a mobile Mac lab that the students could bring into their classrooms to use. Each classroom was equipped with a T.V. where they watched the morning announcements. The school did not have a lot of extra technology applications on their computers, but our cooperating teacher had purchased a few programs he had on his computer that were really interesting and seemed to be very practical for classroom use. The downside was that the students could only interact with it as a class on the Teachers computer, and not every individual student. Our cooperating teacher was talking to my partner and I about their mobile Mac lab and told us that the school had the computers for a year before they were able to use them because the school district did not have anyone that could provide tech support for a Mac computer. I thought that was so sad, and it really helped me understand why as teachers it is so important to know about the current technology and the tools our students are using. If we don't understand how to use them we will never be able to help our students use them effectively for academic purposes.

Technology in the Classroom

This past week in school our server was down and so we couldn't access the computer at all! It was a total nightmare and all of our lessons were planned around being able to use the Internet. We quickly had to make and switch over to a plan B. It made me realize how dependent we are on the technology and how easy it makes our lives! The students were in the middle of doing a research project on current events, and without the Internet they were virtually at a stand still. The students can't go to a encyclopedia to learn about a current event. It is great that students in today's classrooms know about the technology that is available to them and how to utilize it. In class we had a discussion about social studies and technology came up. One of the students suggested it was important for them to know about technology and how it benefits us because one day they will be responsible for creating new technology to aid future generations. I thought this was a profound thought from a 6th grader and it is great to see that they realize how much technology can impact society. Before the computers went down this week we had the chance to bring in the Mac lab and have all the students working on their own computer. Every single student in the classroom was engaged in the lesson and focused on what we were learning. The students were excited to be using the computers and it was amazing to me to see the difference in how focused they could be when they were given that technology to utilize. It made me realize how important it is to teach students using the tools that their generation likes to and are used to using.

Integrating Technology into the Classroom

This past week we haven't used a lot of technology in the classroom. We are preparing the students to do a research project and we will have the Mac lab in our classroom for 2 days next week which I am very excited for. It will be so fun to see the students using the computers and to have them teach us a thing or two. Our cooperating teacher was gone two days this week at a workshop about using technology in the classroom, and said the workshop was awesome. He showed us a few of the really cool and practical tools that they showed him that he felt like could really be used in the classroom. The workshop was through the Jordan District. One website he showed us was www.uen.org/itc. From the main page you go to resources. I have just browsed through there and there are a ton of great things that would be very useful in an elementary classroom. I especially thought the movie maker and imovie tutorials would be really helpful. I also liked that they provided links for places to get free multimedia. As I have been in the classroom I am constantly more aware of all the possibilities there are for integrating technology into the classroom.

Technology in the Classroom

This past week in the classroom has been so fun. It has been great to see all of the technological resources that are available to the students at their school, and the efforts our cooperating teacher has made to integrate technology into his own classroom. In the classroom we are observing in they have a projector that they use for everything! I never knew that the projectors could be so useful. The Daily morning review is projected onto the board for students to work on, a quiz is projected onto the board and students do their work on their own piece of paper. Each student also put together their own PowerPoint presentation and was able to use the projector to present it to the class. The thing that was most amazing to me was that these students were so familiar and comfortable with the different technology tools they used in the classroom. I can definitely see that the students respond really well to the lessons that are given using technology and they really enjoy them. I am getting a lot of ideas for using technology in my own classroom someday. I love that a lot of worksheets that teachers would usually hand out to every student are just projected up onto the board and every student can see it and work on it on their own papers- less copies for the teacher to make!

Integrating Technology in the Classroom

As we are getting ready to go into the classroom and do our field experience next week we have been looking for opportunities to use technology in the classroom. For me, it is very difficult to put into practice the things we have been learning in class and apply them in the classroom. One thing that I would like to learn more about that I think would be really helpful in the lower level elementary grades would be a webquest. I have heard them being talked about in a few of our classes but I have never seen one, or really been explained to what it is. From what I understand about webquests though, they would be great in allowing students to explore and research for an upcoming project or paper that they would be doing in class. I am excited to see how our field teacher uses technology in his classroom. I think it will be extremely helpful to see a teacher in an actual classroom using technology in the classroom, and will probably help me get my ideas flowing on how I can incorporate it. I am also really excited in my field experience to see what kinds of technology is available to students in elementary schools today.

Technology in the Classroom

We have been making websites for our "classrooms" this week and it was so fun to see how I could create my own website and really utilize it in my classroom. I think that if students can be trained from the beginning to check for updates, announcements, assignments, reminders, etc. on the class website everyday it would be an amazing tool! It is definitely a way to get the information out there where it is easily accessible, and they can refer back to it whenever they need to. I think the parents would really appreciate it as well and take comfort in the fact that the teacher is organized and knows what they are doing ahead of time. Using the classroom website is also a fun way for students to get to know a little more about their teacher. A teacher can post pictures from a recent trip she went on, or talk about a play she has seen. Some things that might not normally be shared in the classroom can be shared on the classroom website and the students can really connect to their teacher.

I also have been thinking about the use of digital cameras in the classroom and think that they can be a great tool when used in the right way. As a teacher I would just have to be sure that students only have access to them when they are being supervised and doing structured activities. They would be great especially in Science to record observations they made.

Technology in the Classroom

I can't say there has been a lot this past week I have seen that I can do to incorporate technology into my classroom. One thing that I did discover was a small portable digital recorder that my mother in law has that you can record things onto and then upload them onto your computer. I didn't know that a tool like that was available and I think it will be great to use in the classroom. There are so many things that you could do with it. Each week as we learn new things in each of our classes I feel like I get a better idea about how I can incorporate technology into my classroom and almost into every single lesson plan. There is always some way that technology can be utilized in the classroom to help students learn.

Technology in the Classroom

This past week we have been focused on storyboarding and preparing our digital story. I think it has been a great experience because this is a skill I know I will be using in the classroom. As we have been putting together this digital story I have been able to learn about and use so many resources that will be helpful to me in the classroom. I know it is important for me to be learning these skills because this is the way that my students are going to be communicating.

One thing that I love is that we can get a hold of Sandie through facebook or gmail and chat with her. I know I will not be using those tools necessarily in a first grade classroom, but I can make myself available that way for parents to contact me. One of the greatest things about technology and using it in the classroom I think is that is more fully opens the lines of communication between me and the students, and me and the parents. There will be multiple ways that a parent can contact me if they need to ask a question or have a concern, and I will be able to get back to them quickly and efficiently. I know that is something that will be very much appreciated by the parents.

I am excited to be able to teach my future students the new things that I have learned about technology and the tools that will be useful for them to learn as they grow up in this ever increasing world of technology.

Technology in the Classroom

As I have been making my digital story and searching on-line to find video clips and sound clips to go on my digital story I realized how much educational resources we have at our disposal. This class has been so great for me to open my eyes and see how many places I can go to find information and tools to teach my class more effectively. I feel like I can utilize so much of what is out there and instruct using technology in my classroom everyday!


I was on an elementary school's website this week and loved how they laid it out. I felt like if I was a parent that website would have been so beneficial to me. I really felt like the Principal and the teachers were all on top of their game. On the front page there was a weekly newsletter from the principal indicating any important school activities that were coming up that would need to be remembered. Each grade and classroom also had their own sub-page where information can be found. I thought the idea was so fabulous, and I think it is something I will definitely want to use in my classroom to communicate with the parents of my students.

We talked a little bit about webquests in class recently and I think those are such a great idea! I don't know a lot about them but I am definitely interested in learning more. I think they are great because it gives the student some independence in doing their own research, but they still receive guidance on where good information can be found. I also like that it lets students use the computer to do the research independently and helps them get familiar with the resources they can utilize. I think that doing webquests will help students realize how much information they have at their disposal and hopefully encourage them to research about other things in their life they are interested in.

Technology in the Classroom

I am loving putting together this digital story. It was definitely hard for me to narrow down a topic because I had so many ideas of what great topics would be for storyboards. I think this is such a great tool to use in our classroom! I really like them because I am a visual person and when I can get an image in my mind to go along with information I am being taught I am able to remember it a lot longer. I think this concept is also true for many students. I am hoping that I will be able to make storyboards for a lot of different topics in my class that will peak students interest and help them retain information longer. I think storyboards could be effective in almost every topic, and would be especially good in the introduction of a topic.

I didn't really like the website digitalstories.org. I would have liked it better if there were more digital story examples from teachers. I did enjoy a few of the digital stories from the students and found them very informational. I liked the ideas and being able to look at a representation of what I am trying to create. I also liked seeing the variety of digital stories. It just shows me that they can be used for ANYTHING! The possibilities are definitely endless. I also think this would be a good website to show students if you were asking them to create a digital story of their own.

Students creating their own digital story is a great idea as well! I could definitely see myself using them as a sort of assessment in my classroom. If students create a digital story of their own they will be able to use the computer and become more familiar with more complicated tasks on the computer. They will at the same time be gathering information and organizing it in order to present the most important information in their digital stories.

Integrating Technology into my Classroom

Today I created a site using Google sites. This site would be so useful in the classroom. It is a lot like blogging, and maybe even easier than blogging but it allows you to create an actual website and sub-pages within a website. There are also a lot of different tools available on Google sites that we could teach the students about that would be helpful to them as well as helpful to myself in keeping organized.

I really liked the idea of having each student create their own website through Google sites and post a picture, and tell a little bit about themselves, and make a list of their top 10 dreams. I think this would allow me as the teacher to get to know my students a lot better and be able to know some of the things that they might be interested in doing this in the classroom. I think the students would also be motivated to do this activity because they would want to tell information about themselves, they want their teacher to be interested in them, and I think that they would like it when a teacher shows interest in their personal life, not just their school life. I also think it would be beneficial for the students to just get familiar with the website and learn how to use the tools that are available through Google sites. Those tools would be useful to students in the future. All of this technology that we are learning about is helpful in everyday life, in school, and especially in work. Students would go into the workforce with a knowledge that a lot of other people entering the workforce don't have. If we can equip our students with skills that will make them stand out when they go out in the world and try and find a job, I think that is the best thing we can do for them.

I also think it is a great way for students to present information they have put together for a group project. We could assemble one site as a class and then have different sections for different topics the students have covered. Once the site is complete students could use it as a study guide or for preparation for tests. For example, if we were doing a unit on World War II in class. We could create a World War II Website, and on the website have different sections for different points of view of the different people involved in the website. We could have one section for the Jews, one for the Americans, one for the Nazis, etc. Under each section students would be able to post information that they have found in their preparation and share it with the class through the website. I think that since this is a tool that the students can use and understand they would be more willing to study from information that they have compiled and think to be important than just a boring worksheet that the teacher might hand them. Using technology this way makes things exciting for students. They will engage in the work they are doing, and since they are engaged and interested they will REMEMBER what they are reading or studying! If we can use technology in our classroom in a way that it is interesting to our students I know that they will perform better.

This would be a great tool as a teacher to keep parents informed on what is going on in the classroom. As students are becoming tech savvy, so are their parents. I think I would rather use a blog than this to keep parents up to date on what is going on, and send out announcements, or what homework their student should be working on. I do think that Google sites does have a more professional "website" look to it, but I think the blog is easier to just once over and be able to get the information that you need. On a blog the most recent information is on top, you can place a new heading for what information you are trying to convey. With Google Sites I feel like some of the parents who are not as tech savvy would kind of get lost, and give up using the site all together.

Integrating Technology into my Classroom

This week in class we were able to work in groups creating our own "Wiki" through Google. It was definitely an experience, and quite confusing at first. I think that using wikis in the classroom in the future is a great way to get all students involved, working together as a team. Using the wiki was confusing for our group because we were all trying to use it at the same time, if we assigned students a weekend or week long project to use the wiki and collaborate on a project together it would be a great tool for them to use. Students could post pictures, videos, games, and websites found online that would help them with their assigned project to be shared with group members. Another great feature about the wiki is that it would allow students to work on their language arts as well. Students would be able to read their group members work, edit it, help write better structured sentences and paragraphs, etc.

As I was working on the wiki project I had the opportunity to look on the Internet for different ideas to incorporate technology into the classroom. My group and I mainly focused on finding tools that would help us teach math, but it really opened my eyes to how much there is out there! Every website I looked on there was a new great tool I could use in the classroom to help illustrate ideas, practice problems, and teach with. I especially enjoyed the University of Utah's website with it's applets. The different tools I found there could be used in so many ways! I was working with a graph making application. I would graph points on the graph and using that information I could see trends, correlations, outliers, etc. The possibilities are endless with a tool like this. One idea I had for using this tool was integrating math and science together. As a class we could look at the number of boys vs. number of girls. Which number is the most popular favorite number, which color is the most popular. We could also use things outside of the classroom where students need to gather data and bring it to class the next day to share. From the data gathered we would be able to make a graph and discuss it as a class. And this is just one of the tools I found on the Internet today!

Today I definitely learned that integrating technology into the classroom is easier than I think it is. There is so much information out there for us to use, as long as we take the time to prepare and search for material we will be able to use technology in our own classrooms that will be engaging and interesting for our students.

Integrating Technology into my Classroom

This is probably going to be one area in which I struggle. I am not what you would call "technologically savvy" so I know incorporating technology into my classroom will be something I will have to consciously work on.

One idea that came up as we talked in class was using a blog to promote better communication in the parent/teacher relationship. I think a blog is a great way I could stay connected to my students parents that would also allow them to see what is going on in the classroom, what upcoming events we are planning for, what I would like their child to be doing at home, what a parent can do at home to help their children succeed in school, etc.

I think as I enter the classroom as a teacher in the next year probably 3/4 of the students will know more about technology than I do. The students in elementary schools today have grown up learning to count from computer and video games, and I think it is important that we utilize the skill sets they have already developed technologically to help increase their knowledge in other areas. I am excited for this next year and the chance I will have to learn new ideas, and new ways to teach in the classroom using technology.