Reflecting on What I Know pg. 204.

Spreadsheets can be a lot of fun, because you can put so much into them to do basically whatever you want! There are so many formulas and numerical data to put in them for many different outcomes. As it stated in our texts, they are "very versatile tools!" I could not agree more! You could have students collect currency, or dates, or even time and percentages for a lesson to put into spreadsheets and manipulate them however you need them to fit the lesson. In a spreadsheet you can sort and select by adding columns to your table. The thing is you always have to make sure you have the right formula to have the correct outcome or answer in the spreadsheet. Sometimes a spreadsheet could have hard to understand for some students, and even some adults! As the educator it could be a difficult task to teach. The best way to have the student grasp this concept is to possibly have them create several different spreadsheets. This is an excellent tool for problem solving and discovery. This is a great way for the student the manipulate a graph to FIND the answer, so this could be used in Math and Science in a FUN and engaging way. Especially for those students who may not grasp those subjects so well to begin with! Spreadsheets are an essence an easy tool once taught and learned... You can create a simulation and teach it that way as well. You as the educator  can create a template with formulas and graphs that allows your students to simply input the data and they can analyze the results and begin to see the relationships and learn it easier if they are having problems. The results are shown immediately as the values, and changes to graph or chart. As always, make sure you have an up to date lesson plan for a great day or week technology review so that each student can learn to his or her full potential!

Reflecting on what I Know, pg 173

I truly never believe you are a master of anything, no matter how long you stay at it! That includes technology, so why would word processing be "too easy" for our students. In our readings this week, it referred to word processing as an extension of texting for some students, so this way of technology may be fun for some students and great way to tie in learning and technology in the classroom. I think we as educators can always use new ideas to make our classroom more intriguing for students of all ages! Word processing may be a "basic function" for some, but hey we have to start somewhere don't we? If we don't get the basics down how to you move on to the harder stuff, right? Entering and editing text, Organizing information and inserting objects with hyperlinks is part of word processing and its important for ALL to learn! We can use this information and how it relates to texting to engage those higher-level thinking students! This will be the most commonly used application in your classroom for your students more than likely, so the best way to get them to learn it, the better. For high school students and beyond you could definitely challenge them with specific activities when this technology is used.  Working in groups or pairs, have them challenge each other, or one work on the project to make sure they know their skills the other check the others work and vice versa. Always have a specific lesson plan when working with older students and word processing. I believe that as an educator a students individual needs are met every time we meet on a daily basis if we follow our lesson plan. However, when we use technology, you need to make sure that each students grasps the concepts of each thing you are doing. When you are working in a classroom you know that each student will have different levels of needs and some may even have disabilities. You will have to overcome this, and work with each of them to assure they attain the lesson you are teaching on the computer. The use of word processing, because it is basic, is a great way to do this! Students really have a chance to show their creativity and demonstrate that, they get to research and use that information. They will also use their critical thinking and problem solving and decision making skills and lastly get to use their technology operation skills!

Reflecting on What I Know pg 257

The best way to know a student understand a concept is to test right? Well in technology it would be the same, but easier I would imagine. Using software in the classroom, you or I was an educator could walk around and make sure each student was grasping the concept of what we were teaching at that particular moment. That is what I would love about technology. Creating visual tools, linking, graphic organizers, inserting, or audio for example could all be used and and made sure they were being grasped in the classroom before assigning a project "let loose," for lack of better terms! Always make sure besides testing you have outlined exactly what it is you are teaching, by adding text and imaging to make it as easy as possible for your students, no matter their age. Also, you can create links or pages to best express what you are trying to teach or represent. Have the class brainstorm, or work in groups to "teach each other." There is always ways to have students grasp concepts whether in technology or in any other subject they may be having a problem in.
The best way to depict student misconception of key information, is for the student to SHOW you what he or she has learned.. Have them show you what they have learned by letting them discuss their graphic organizer and the key content or concepts and the processes it can produce. This will actually let you know what material he or she knows or does not know. This is not the embarrass a student, but to really allow them to expand their horizon and show what they know! This is only to help them, so they can move on to bigger and better things!
Brainstorming is a GREAT idea in any classroom! It would be so easy to transfer these ideas into written thoughts. Split your class into groups, don't let your class pick groups, YOU as the teacher pick groups. Allow an entire day of instruction for brainstorming ideas and see what they come up with, maybe even two days. At the end of these two days they have to present to the class, with visual, audio and graphic material. You can see what your students have learned and everyone in the group has to present and talk, and has to have added something to the presentation. This way you can see who has learned what they as a group has learned. By you picking groups, friends don't pick friends and its not a gossip session, and no one gets left out, and something gets done. This would be a fun activity with everyone involved!

Reflecting on What I Know pg. 234. Ch.9

Using multimedia in the classroom can be interpreted many ways. It depends on what grade level you teach, what discipline and what level the child is on. I myself will be teaching Special Education and I think the use of multimedia, by the child themselves will depend solely on the fact of the level of SPED I am in, the grade level etc. I feel that, I as the educator will be the one using most of the multimedia. However, if we are speaking in terms of the general education, multimedia can be used for several projects, that will help boost children's knowledge and interest in any subject. As stated in our text, the use of technology is just a way to provide us and our students a better way to communicate through computers! Using multimedia for projects is easy, students can use photographs, graphics, clipart, video sound, animation, and hyperlinks all for projects that would be included as multimedia projects.
 Applications that would be included for this type of work would be things such as PowerPoint, which could be used as early as sixth grade. My son had a project due last week in Science. His teacher gave six ways in which to present the project, and he chose to do his in PowerPoint. I was very excited. He knew nothing of PowerPoint, but I was happy to work with him and show him the way this technology worked, and how it could make his "Grassland Biome" come to life in more ways than he could ever imagine! Adding photos, adding sounds of the running Buffalo that live in his biome, the sound of grass that sway in his Biome, in the sound of rain that falls in his Biome, the pictures of sunflower that grow in his Biome. The only thing missing was the smell of clover that also grow in his Biome! He was amazed at how PowerPoint made his project come to life! No wonder he received a B+.
You can also use Digital Video presentations, but this would really be for older groups of children, maybe 8-12th grade. This requires production, script and storyboard.  This is just like telling a story, however and can be very fun for every student involved.  iMovie is needed as well, or Windows movie Maker.
Limiting what your students can do when using multimedia is always a good idea, and say that because of this, it depends on the age group, their development level and what you know they are capable of.  Sometimes, it may be great just to have a CLASS multimedia project, to get them started, or to see how they handle the task. Mutilmedia is a great idea to keep children interested, for great research and development, but giving a child more than they can handle can also be a problem. I would make sure to have proper lesson plans on teaching the subject before "letting the children go on their own." Making sure to have properly integrated lesson plans is must when teaching multimedia.

Copyright Issues in the Classroom

There are so many issues we are educators are going to face in our classrooms, did you ever think one of them would be Copyright Issues? Well they very well could be if you are not careful. Things from movies you show, to printed off paper's you give your children, to things to pull off the Internet to post on your walls to decorate your room. All of these things could violate Fair Use Laws.

I found this wonderful website about Myths and Copy write material and us as Educators.
http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/staffdev/Copyright.html.
There are things on here such as; Just because something is on the Internet, and its on an educational website doesn't mean, we as teachers are free to print it, and use it. We still need to get permission to use it. Here are a few more examples:

Internet Myth #1: If I find something on the Net, it s okay to copy it and use it without getting permission.While you are free to copy public domain material that you find on the Net, generally you should not copy copyrighted material without getting permission from the copyright owner whether you find the material on the Net or in a more traditional medium (book, music CD, software disk, etc.). (http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/library/wwwcitation2.pdf)

Internet Myth #2: Anyone who puts material on a Web server wants people to use that material, so I can do anything I want with material that I get from a Web server.Individuals and organizations put material on a Web server to make it accessible by others. They do not give up their copyright rights by putting material on a Web server. Also, the person who posted the material may not own it.(http://www6.district125.k12.il.us/library/wwwcitation2.pdf)

They said to always say one thing to yourself: "You see it, you use it, you site it!"
In other words, get permission and avoid the copy write police! (http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/posting.html)

I believe there are so many other issues we will face as teachers, don't let something like this stand in the way of you being a GREAT educator.  Research, get permission, and cite your sources. Avoid simple destruction that could not only get you in trouble but your school and your district. Be the example for your students in every possible way!

Reflections of What I think I Know :) pg 92 Ch.4

This Chapter was a little more difficult than the others we have read. Not quite sure why... but maybe because software is not my thing. I use Word. When it comes to Spreadsheets, databases, etc I don't like them. Anyway, the first question was this, because there are so many different types of software which ones should be included in my lesson? I felt this was a great question. The software that should be included should have to do with your audience. If you are teaching high school, then of course you are going to use a much more wide variety of software than if you were in an elementary setting.

This takes us into the next question of why should fourth graders be using or learning spreadsheets, databases and video editing software? Many different classes are equipped with different types of computers and software. It probably would be imperative for students to learn whatever they could in order to keep on top of things as much as they can. Technology is integrated into our teaching and activities all the time, why not teach our students how to use them as well? Get them out of the textbooks and into and beyond the classroom!

Software is pretty much our tests! So teaching our students different types of software to help improve scores can only help them. how to read a spreadsheet and sorting functions,  excel for math functions, search engines, plug-ins for downloads and many more can only help when taking test for school. Why not teach them all!

Reflecting on What I Know pg 58. CH 3

It is so important to keep up with the changing times... because they are doing just that... CHANGING! You go and get the new device, and the next day it's upgraded! Ever see that commercial? Our classroom's will be that same way I am afraid. However, with budget restraint's we may not be able to keep up with the ever so changing times... No MACs, and iPADS, I am thinking. I wish.. I think it would make for a more fun learning environment, but not this time folks! However, when things are changing on the outside it may be smart for us as educators to keep abreast with those things changing around us, and our students.

I feel as a teacher it is important to backup our backup! So use your desktop ALL the time right? Sure, use it in the classroom, but your not taking it home are you? So use your mobile device to make it easier on yourself when you get you home, for grading, planning and what ever else you may need for the next day or week in the classroom! We always need both. Even far into our teaching career we will be "checked-up" on by principals, people outside of the school even to make sure we are doing our job, and being able to pull up on your desk top computer on your desk, lesson plans, etc and not being caught off guard is always an A+ in my book.

The cost of digital devices are often times NOT going to be justified in most school districts. As I mentioned before, we are budget restricted with many, many things and mobile devices are going to be on the TOP of many schools list. However, there are many things you do as a teacher to justify their use. Overhead projectors are one, they are very useful for ALL students to be able to see when chalk or white boards are not. Computers are a must in today's society, maybe not top notch ones, but a one computer class room is just not going to cut it in today's world. Even have your students come up with devices, and reasons why they should be used and present them to the principal and the school board. Have fund raisers to help come up with money for purchase if necessary.