Web-based Educational Resources

There are many educational resources out there on the internet for teachers to utilize in their classrooms to make learning exciting and fun.  Technology is a must in todays classrooms.  I have had personal experience using many interactive websites, as well as many of the listed sites for this weeks examining.  My school district also holds accounts with many other educational resources like A-Z books, Tumblebooks, United Streaming, Kidspiration, Nettrecker, etc.  By being allowed to incorporate these types of resources into my lessons my students have many opportunities to learn the topics that we discuss in a variety of ways.  By using computers and technology learning seems more fun and less like work.  In fact though they are learning and will probably have a better chance of retaining the information for longer since they are doing it in a fun way.  Learning straight out of the textbook and doing workbook pages is a way of the past the future is really in technology.  

Kidspiration Video

Here is another video I had found on using Kidspiration using a MAC computer.  Hope you find it helpful!

Kidspiration & Inspiration

My school has an account with Kidspiration so I already knew what that was all about.  I was unaware though that there was Inspiration for students in the older grades.  I think this is a wonderful program that teachers and students can utilize to great creative with their thinking and putting together projects. I have used Kidspiration with our 6+1 Traits writing program in school. It was nice that one of those videos got to show how it can be used if someone has not seen it before.  This program can be used in a variety of ways, for example, whole group instruction, group work, pair work, or individual usage on a laptop/computer lab.  It can be used by students of all ages and of all different learning abilities.  It is a great program to be used for all different subjects in a variety of different ways.  I would definitely recommend using it if you have never done so before.   

Blogging

I think that blogging is a great idea to reach kids in a fun way.  I had taken online courses before but I have to say even though a discussion board on blackboard has the same idea as blogging there are so many extras that come along with using this type of format over the regular just blackboard.  I didn't realize how many educational blog spots there really are out there but it is amazing what you can find on the internet.  Between myspace, facebook, and this new thing I keep hearing about Twitter blogging is the new thing to do on the internet.  It is a great tool to keep in touch with friends or just to have a conversation/discussion on and find out new information from people all around the world.  Being a second grade teacher I was really trying to come up with a way to start using a blog type application in my classroom because I think that by starting my students early using this type of technology it can only benefit them in the long run.  I just opened my first account with WikiSpace.  It is another type of blogging outlet but I think it would be easier to use with students of their ages.  It will be an ongoing process and I am sure there are tons of other blogs that I can use with my student that I just haven't found out about yet.  I am going to give this one a try and see how it goes.  If I taught students in the upper grades I would probably use this application since it is so super easy to use.  I just think overall it is a fun way to teach and have all involved in the blog learning from each other.

Webquests

At first when I looked at this assignment I was completely unsure what a webquest was and not really looking forward to creating one.  After viewing all of the videos and examining the other materials on what webquests are and how to create them my overwhelmed feelings started to ease.  I had heard of them before but as far as seeing what one actually was or thinking about creating one well that was far from ever happening to me.  I have found a couple of really great webquests on quest garden though and actually am incorporating them into my lesson plans for the next week.  I think this will help me get more familiar with them and they seem very fun that I think my students will really enjoy them.  Thank you Dr. Luongo for the extension though this really helps.  

NJCCCS & NETS

When looking at the assignment about the  NJCCCS it was not a new topic for me.  My district is very strick when it comes to lesson planning and we include at least 2 standards in every lesson plan that we do in each course everyday.  My students use technology all day long whether it be using our SMARTboard or the MacBooks or the regular PCs in our classroom but one thing that I have never heard of are the NETS.  I think that it is very important that students use technology as much as possible to learn.  We are in an age where everything is at the tip of our fingers all we have to do is press a button and information is right there.  These students will only be moving forward as technology keeps on advancing.  Teaching with just paper and pencil is great but it is not going to really be making them any smarter.  When we teach students using technology we will only be helping them move forward.  For my students benefits I plan on implementing more of the technology standards from the NJCCCS and the NETS into my lesson plans. By doing this I will be able to monitor my progress on how well I am incorporating technology into my curriculum. 

Internet Safety

Today my school sent out a paper informing parents how important internet safety is and how it should not be overlooked.  Sometimes young children trust people they do not know very easily and with all of the different internet sites out there today that are so popular like myspace and facebook it is very easy for younger students to be tricked by adults.  Parental controls are very important to have in place on a home computer and in schools.  I know in our school almost everything is blocked but if you give the technology department enough time they can unblock a site so that it can be used for a class.  I was shocked, since I teach the second grade, when one of my students said that they have a myspace after seeing the internet safety paper I had them put in their folders.  It just goes to show how parents need to pay more attention to what their children are doing on the internet and what better way to rest assure that your child is safe then by choosing what they are allowed and not allowed to access on the internet.  The internet can be a great tool when used properly but children need to be taught just like not to take candy from a stranger to not talk to someone on the internet that they do not know.