Blog Post #7

I believe that I will need to expand my knowledge on the technology available to enhance my future classroom. I am learning about many new things in EDM 310 that children in elementary school are already familiar with. I need to further build my PLN in order to find resources that will help me become a better teacher. I plan to keep up with the latest technology so I can help my students learn about it too. 

Using Imovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten

In the video "Using Imovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten" Dr. Strange is having a video conversation with media specialists Elizabeth and Michele who work in the Baldwin county school district. Michele talks about Kindergartners at her school, Daphne Elementary, and describes some of the projects they have done. These five and six year old's are do projects using technology such as iMovie trailer which is a project I just did last week as a junior in college.  They are becoming more familiar with using IPads so just imagine what they will be using when they are in college. I just recently acquired my first IPad and I am feeling behind these kindergartners. Elizabeth gives a brief descriptions of what the Alabama Virtual Library is and how to use it. This is something I personally used some in school so I already had some knowledge on the subject.

We All Become Learners

In the video "We All Become Learners" Dr. Strange again is talking to the media specialist Elizabeth and Michele. The idea is that everyone teaches everyone. The teachers teach the students, the student teach each other, and the students teach the teachers. After hearing Michele talk about some of the things she does as a librarian it made me realize that librarian do so much more than just help students find books. I know that sounds narrow minded but in all honesty I never knew they do so much.  Michele talks about showing students in the library a new technology or skill and challenge them to go show their fellow peers and teachers.

iPads in the Classroom 

IPads in a classroom can immensely enrich both learning for students and teaching for instructors. Using technology such as an IPad gives teachers the ability to share a photo, video, paragraph, or anything to students directly. The example used in the video is if each students has an IPad the teacher can share a photo with every student at the same time. The advantage the students have is the ability to zoom in on the picture and they are able to study it at their own pace.

The results of assessments are almost immediate in lieu of the teacher having to grade every test one by one. Ipads are an incredible tool for students to use but for special ed students, IPads can be much more valuable. Special ed students who are non verbal can learn to use apps on an IPad allowing them to be able to communicate with others. This feature is giving nonverbal special ed student a way to engage with the world around them.

Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education

The argument in this video is that technology is the future of education and teachers who do not get on board with new technology will be replaced by those who do. I do agree with that argument for a number of reasons. One reason is because technology is everywhere in our society, it is almost impossible to avoid. It just makes sense that it will become more predominate in education. Another reason, which is stated in the video, is that students use technology when they go home anyway so why not teach them how to use that technology to learn. No teacher can cater to every students different learning styles but technology can. Student are able to work at their own pace resulting in better test scores. This video gives some great reasons on why you should incorporate technology in to your classroom. Reasons such as students love it, it helps students that have low attention spans, students are able to learn from experts, and it makes life easier for the teacher. I believe every teacher should take advantage of these incredible resources to not only enrich their students education but to become the best teachers they can be.