Week Eight

LeapFrog

I decided to look at LeapFrog because I have seen commercials and interesting advertisements on tv about it and I wanted to know a little more. So on the cite it says, "LeapFrog is a leading designer, developer and marketer of innovative, technology-based educational products and related proprietary content. LeapFrog is 100% focused on developing products that will provide the most engaging, effective learning experience - for all ages, in school or home, around the world. We put learning first - a philosophy that distinguishes us from our competitors and fuels the entire company." The company creates various apps and games for ages 2-9 years old. The games are also accessible through iphone/ipad apps such as, "Scout's ABC Garden", or "Mr. Pencil".

Under the App Center there is a lost of subjects that are categorized and separated so that subjects can be easy to find. So they are separated by category or skill. If I'm looking for reading and writing I'm going to be looking for the skills games. These include:

• Reading and Writing 
• Mathamatics
• Science and Social Studies
• Creativity and Life Skills

Prices vary from game to game, and App to App... Some are cheap, some are pretty expensive, but I think that this type of education that integrates technology with video games is going to be successful because it makes kids want to learn! 


 

Week Seven

It was fun looking at the "Blogs for Educators". I love the way the learning targets are presented right on Mrs. Adair's Class blog.

• Math- I can show that fractions are equal parts.
• Writing- I can look at an author's writing and use it to help me write.
• Reading- I can find the main idea in a non-fiction text.
• Social Studies-I know the jobs of people who work in city hall.

There was an announcement about "Math Camp" and in the blog post it gave the date, time, details, registration, who to talk to, and things like that. It was more of a post to get kids excited about the event rather then solving a problem.

One thing I couldn't find on the blogs was having math problems on the blog for students to work on. I would try to do one  question of the week with each subject during the week. I am not sure how exactly to do that because I'm not planing on being a math teacher. I think there are other things that I would do to try and use technology as a tool a lot more in the classroom.

Reflection Six

Are kids really motivated by technology?

This article is by a man named Bill Ferriter  who tries to answer the question, "Are kids really motivated by technology?" Ferriter answers this question simply by saying, "My answer often catches participants by surprise: You can’t motivate students with technology because technology alone isn’t motivating." 

So it is important to understand that as a teacher you can involve technology as much as you can in a classroom, but it won't necessarily motivate students because in itself technologist isn't motivating. 

So what Ferriter found was affective about technology was the social aspect of it. Students love to talk about important stuff with their peers and debate about it. 

Ferriter continued by saying, "Technology’s role in today’s classroom, then, isn’t to motivate. It’s to give students opportunities to efficiently and effectively participate in motivating activities built around the individuals and ideas that matter to them." Now it is our responsibility to make sure we help them grasp the information by providing them with the best tools to succeed.  

 

Reflection Five

Do Your Students Know More About Technology Than You Do?

This article brings up the point that technology is used by kids so often outside of the classroom, but very little in the classroom because of the digital divide between teacher and student. The article stated,  "75 percent of teachers say they regularly use technology in their classrooms. However, only 40 percent of students report that technology is used in their classrooms. You have to wonder if “regular tech use” is defined differently by kids and adults." It is interesting so see because research has shown that 94 percent of students outside of the classroom use technology to do their homework, and only 46 percent of all teachers incorporate technology into homework assignments.  

Why are schools so timid about incorporating technology into the classroom? It is because they don't know if technology will be misused or abused in a classroom setting. The article says,  "School days are packed enough without having to police students who are texting when they should be using a math review app or playing a vocabulary game." This is why it is important to make sure that whatever technology is used in the classroom is used as a tool to enhance learning, not to give kids an unfair advantage over someone else or abuse it during a lesson by texting, or playing games.

The question we should be asking is: do teachers need to catch up on their technology in education homework?
The answer is: Yes, they do! But technology should be used as a tool not a toy!
 

Reflection Four

8 Ways Technology Is Improving Education

I thought this article was interesting because it gives some of the main reasons that technology could be used by teachers help their students.
These are some of the ways that technology is improving education:

• Better Simulations and Models- meaning that there will be better ways to demonstrate lessons and examples.
• Global Learning- this will make it easy for kids to learn different languages because they will be interacting with people of the native country they are trying to speak. 
• Visual Manipulatives- are problems that are used on the computer and can be solved and figured out.
• Probes and Sensors- this is showing how things move, it makes it simple to describe things like speed, heat, pH, etc...
• More Efficient Assessment- meaning that there is a quick and easy to assess if kids are understanding the formative assessment part of learning.
• Storytelling and Multimedia- this is an easy way to make kids understand and be engaged in their learning.
• E-Books- are accessible and an easy way to purchase textbooks. This also helps kids who have IEP's for reading because many E-Books are audio books as well.
• Epistemic Games- these games put students in roles such as city planner or journalist and ask them to solve real world problems. 

 I love the way technology is being used because it is taking things that kids already enjoy and integrating them into their learning. 

Reflection Three

Technology In The PE Classroom (XRKADE) 

This video shows the XRKADE interactive video game station. It is comprised of various interactive games that include technology to get students interested in physical education. This is just another example to show that kids love to be active if they are having fun. Why not use video games to make sure kids are being active? Yes, this might seem quite easy for students that are athletic, but as you can see in the video the teacher said this is more focused on the students who have a hard time being active. The students think it is a better, and they seem to enjoy the various games that are offered like:

• A Kick Boxing Station

- This will increase strength, speed, and reaction time, etc...

• A Nascar/Motor Cross Station 

- This is basically an exercise bike hooked up to a video game.

There are also dance pads, and balance video games. Recently kids have started playing the xbox Kinect and the Wii which are both interactive video games. I think this is a great idea that will get kids involved in being active. I do not think it is the best option because I think that there is a time and place to use technology, but I think it is good to try and get kids active, and if it takes an interactive video game to do it then that is great!

Reflection Two

Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers  

I like this video because it gives some good reasons why technology could be used in the classroom.

In the video it gives a quote from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach which said, "Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replaced by those who do." I like that because like we have been learning in class... technology in the classroom should be used as a tool.

there is no rule saying that school should not be fun. Technology makes school work much more fun! I think that is the main thing teachers should be trying to do. They need to create an enviorment in school that makes students want to learn.

These are the ten reasons technology should be used in the classroom are:

1. Students love it
2. It engages the four key components to learning
3. Professional Development
4. Makes life easier for teachers
5. Improves test scores
6. It helps students with low attention spans
7. Learn from the experts
8. Encourages completion of homework
9. Saves money
10. Remove Obstacles