Week 5 Already!

   iffany

I have learned a lot of new tools and tricks in the last week and a half. While doing my come to the edge project, I learned about a ton of websites that let offer amazing tools, for free that would be fun for students of all ages. I learned how to create a story bird, and how to make a QR code! I liked making the QR code because, even though it only took about 2 seconds, you can make it link to anything and I think that is really cool. I also found out that they were first invented by Toyota to track the cars they made back in the 90s.

Another tool I learned how to use was wordle, I like the idea of introducing students to Wordle because it could be a good way of having them come up with words or phrases about themselves to get to know each other better.

I am also getting more and more comfortable using taskstream, which is good, because I need it until I graduate.

My group also learned how to use a bunch of tools on the smartboard when we were creating our lesson for Project 6. We found out some ways to paste an item a bunch of times without having to hit copy and paste all those times, which saved us a lot of work!

I'm sure that as the weeks go on and we have more projects, I will learn about a lot more tools and tricks.

First Week into the Future

When I become a teacher/ Digital Natives

The youtube video was a nice insight to what type of attitude Not to have when becoming a teacher. Unfortunately, there are some teachers who, perharps without realizing it fill the shoes of the people in that short video. Their stress, or other circumstances take precedent over the reason they became a teacher in the first place, and they don't see that they are letting that show to thier students.

Hopefully that never happens to any of us :)

The article about the Digital Natives was interesting. I do agree that students now are growing up with all of the technology and are mastering it at age six, when my father who is 61 cannot remember which remote changes the channel, and which one turns on the dvd player. There are some teachers, who often will admitt to it, that are not technoloigcally savy. It is not there fault, they are just, as the article said, Digital Immagrants. Whether it is fair to teacher or student to make one of them change, I would have to say no. I think that students that are growing up in a digival age, need a lot more stimluation, that even we did as children, and especially as our teachers did when they were in school. The constant stimulation children get at home from the television, computer, video game, ect. simply cannot measure up to a lecture out of a text book and these students are getting bored, which leads to goofing off, which leads to being sent out of the room and getting into trouble.

Finding a way to integrate the two words and teach students the "old ways" of learning while also having teachers adapt to new ways of teaching these new types of students is the key to success. Unfortuantely that key is probably burried at the bottom of the dump underneath, all of the first generation iPads, early ipod nanos, PS 1's, desktop computers, and rear projection televisions. We will find it someday, however, and take the pieces of the thrown out technology, and create a studnet centered classroom, where they are stimulated as much as they would be in a first person shooter video game, while not making the teachers go grey beause they can't find the zoom button on internet explorer 32 because their windows just updated. :) 

I fear that some of this Go forth with technology attitude and leave the "old world" behind is going to lead to an illiterate society. Even when I was in high school, there were students that would write papers as if they were sending a text. (idk, U, w/, w/e, etc) were found in English papers that were getting turned into teachers. If we do not find a common ground of new and old I do not think students of the future will be as well off as we hope. Watching a youtube video instead of reading a book, texting instead of writing, etc. are good tools to know how to use and are quick and easy versions of the real thing, but are not the real thing.

About me

ABOUT ME

• Your First name - Tiffany
• Four adjectives that describe you - Outgoing, Competitive, Compassionate, Hard worker 
• Siblings - I have 2 brothers (one older - Steven, one younger - Shaun) and 4 sisters ( in order in age Wendy, Amber, Jodie, and my Twin sister Megan.)
• Lover of .. my home, my family, and my Fiance.
• Who feels .. Tired!
• Who fears Hieghts, drowning, and mice.
• Who would like to see.. My degree, My wedding, and my first classroom!
• Resident of Welton Street, Harpursville, New York
• Your profession -  I work at a convenient store called the Bread 'N' Butter, I am a nanny for 3 year old triplets, who I also teach Pre-K to.
• Your last name - SWEET
(Credits: Thank Dr. Lin for sharing this activity)

Blog #1 Week 3

1.1 Technology Skills:
         Well, I learned how to set up this blog. :)

1.2 Field Experience:
       Since we haven't been in our host classroom yet, I cannot answer these questions yet. Perhaps in my next blog I will be able to answer the questions about my host classroom and teacher.

1.3 Weekly Reading:
       I subscribed to both Classroom 2.0 and eSchoolnews. These should be good tools to look back on for the semester.




 :)