Smart Boards in the Classroom

This youtube video discusses how a kindergarten teacher uses the smart board in her room for all subjects. In my TE401 class I am placed in a kindergarten classroom that also has a smart board, which my teacher uses. Both teachers use the smart board for things like morning message, playing games, and math. The teacher in the video has more training than my cooperating teacher, who just got a smart board in her room this year. The teacher in the video also uses her smart board to make movies, test the students for reading comprehension, and correct writing samples. The teacher in the video also mentions that all children can use the smart board, including students with special needs. Since smart boards are accessible to all they are a great resource to use in the classroom. The smart board can be used from kindergarten to college and has benefits in all subjects. The students like how interactive the smart board is and when my coordinating teacher uses it in her classroom the children are more attentive and interested in the lesson. Teachers who have smart boards in there room should be trained to use the board so they can use it to it’s full potential. I think that the smart boards are an excellent resource for teachers to enhance lessons and improve individual student learning.

New Techonology in the Classroom

http://www.isubengal.com/news/a-new-kind-of-technology-in-the-classroom-1.1779557

I was searching the internet for an article about new technology in the classroom and I found an interesting article about an Idaho State University class that is teaching students how to use new technology like I-pads, wiis, I-pods, and pod-cast to enhance the students learning experience. The thing I liked most about this class and article was that the training was focusing on teachers who had limited resources. During the class they discuss how to use one or two computers to the teacher’s advantage by using games and pod-casts. During the class the students were also required to come up with lesson plans that used new technologies like I-pads, I-pods, and wii’s to enhance students learning. I think it is important for teachers to have a forward thinking when it comes to technology. Even though these resources are expensive, if a school can purchase even one or two of them teachers need to think of a way to use them. I also think that the computer lab could be used for more than typing up final drafts and teachers should take time to find websites, articles, and free pod-casts for students to use to explore subjects that they are interested in. When teachers use the technology that they have available to them to its full potential the possibilities in student’s learning is endless.

This video is performed by one of my favorite slam poets, Taylor Mali. This video brings up a lot of good points about what some people in our society think about teachers. When I first watched this video it reminded me of when I would tell people that I was a special education major and they would say, "Wow, good for you," in a condescending tone. I love this video because it sticks up for teachers and reminds the audience that teachers do make a difference!

Twitter in the Classroom

In my technology class I was told I had to make a twitter. I have never used a twitter and I thought it was just a site that had a bunch of status updates on it. Any time I visited a friends twitter it would say “It’s raining outside and I don’t want to go to class,” or “I’m going to the mall today to buy a dress.” I never thought that you could use twitter in the classroom, but I think from reading about it and discussing it in my group I think twitter could be beneficial for students, teachers, and parents. The first benefit of twitter is that the teacher could post homework or major assignments on the twitter so the students and parents can check and see what is due for the upcoming weeks. Another benefit is that the teacher could post a homework or discussion question and the students can have a discussion on the twitter by posting their answers. This twitter strategy could be used for older grades and may also be beneficial for special education classrooms.

The "Books" of the Future

This week I read two readings, Books for All: Accessible Curriculum Materails For Pupils with Additional Support Needs and The Battle to Define the future of the Book in a Digital World by Clifford Lynch. These articles discussed a very relevant topic, especially for teacher's who are going to teach children that have special needs. This topic was how are digital books developing and changing not only reading but how a readers read. I think digital books are the books of the now, this can be seen in how often audio books are used in our society. I think teachers are just now realizing that audio books can be a great resource for students who are struggling with reading. Some people think that by listening to a book you are not reading. This  is not true because you can follow along with the audio and even if you're not you are still getting the exposure to the text and its vocabulary. Audio books help many children who have special needs, like children with learning disabilities, blind children, children with fine motor skills, and many more. Digital books can also aid in the general education classroom because it is a different resource children can use to help them understand a difficult text. Overall I think digital books will continue to expand and be used more often in schools, until it becomes a normal occurrence.