Blog Assignment #7

Instruction is completely different now than it was when I was in elementary and even high school. Many teachers are now utilizing project based learning (PBL) because they can see the benefits it has in student's learning. Before EDM 310, I had never done anything concerning PBL, and I knew very little about it. Every time that I had a project, it always came after the lesson, not during. Another thing that was not utilized while I was in elementary school was technology. The only technology that was ever used at my elementary school was an overhead projector, but it wasn't the nice fancy ones we have today. The overhead projectors we had at my school were the ones that sat on a rolling desk and had to be brought out for every use and put away after every use. Technology is constantly evolving into bigger and better things. As a future educator, I believe that I need to be technologically literate. With all this great technology that is available today, I need to be able to adapt and always be learning how to use current and new technology. In order to prepare myself for my career as an educator, I believe that I will need to become familiar with all the different types of technology from iPads and Macbooks to PCs and other tablets. I will also need to be up to date on the latest educational apps that could further enhance my classroom.



In the video Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library, Dr. Strange has a conversation with Elizabeth Davis from Daphne Elementary and Michele Bennett from Gulf Shores Elementary. Both Elizabeth and Michele are librarians/media specialists at their schools. Michele talks about how kindergartners are using technology in the classroom. She explains that these children know how to use iMovie. I think that is incredible. I had absolutely no idea how to use iMovie before this class. It is very obvious how excited Michele is that these kindergartners are actively learning using this technology. After Michele completes her story about iMovie, Elizabeth continues the conversation about technology in the classroom by talking about the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL). Elizabeth basically describes AVL as being "a great way to teach your students basic research." The AVL is completely free to use for students, teachers, and anyone else in the state of Alabama. You can obtain an AVL card by visiting your local public library or your local public school library if you are a student. At Gulf Shores Elementary, the kindergarten students utilize this program by looking up a list of different animals that they are assigned. Elizabeth also discusses how excited and eager the students are to do this type of research.

We All Become Learners is another video where Dr. Strange, Elizabeth Davis, and Michele Bennett are having a conversation about the use of technology in the classroom. Michele states that using technological devices in the classroom not only allow for teachers to teach students, but it also allows for students to teach students and for students to even teach teachers. With this, everyone becomes not only a learner, but also a teacher. Michele gives an example of a kindergarten student she encountered who taught her how to use the camera feature on an iPad.

The video Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education provides 10 excellent reasons why technology should be utilized in the classroom. The first reason the video provides as to why technology should be used in the classroom is because students love it. The video mentions that many students go home after school and use technology to play video games and watch tv, so why not engage these students through the use of technology in the classroom? The second reason is it engages the four key components to learning. The four key components to learning are active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Third, technology in the classroom allows students to learn different skill sets which help with their professional development. These skills that the students are learning could eventually help them get jobs in the future. Fourth is that technology makes life easier for teachers. Teachers have many jobs outside the classroom such as planning lessons and meeting with parents. With the use of technology, teachers can put tests online that will immediately give students their grades afterward so that teachers do not have to spend their valuable time grading tests. The fifth reason is it improves test scores. When incorporating technology into the classroom, students can learn at their individual pace, and not be held back by students who are progressing at a slower rate. Technology also helps students learn since everyone has a different learning style. Sixth, technology can help students with low attention spans. With the help of technology, teachers can provide engaging activities for students with ADD or ADHD that will keep those students' interest. Seventh, technology can connect you to experts from all around the world. Who wouldn't want that as a resource? Eighth, technology encourages students to do homework. Many educators are finding that a flipped classroom approach is the best model because it allows teachers to help students with homework. A flipped classroom also eliminates lecture time so teachers can focus more on helping students individually. The ninth reason is that technology saves money. While technology is initially expensive, having something such as a tablet computer can increase the number of teachers in the classroom, which allows the real teacher time to answer questions and help students. Lastly, technology removes obstacles. For example, if a teacher has students who have trouble hearing, the teacher can use a classroom amplifier system to amplify their voice so that every student can hear the teacher's voice.

iPads in the Classroom is a video that concentrates on the use of iPads in the Chicago public schools district. Many teachers in these schools are seeing the changes that the iPads are making to education in their classrooms. These teachers also are seeing great benefits to the use of this technology in the classroom. The video also gives an example of how one elementary school uses iPads to help special education students who have trouble speaking. These students were able to take a field trip to a local grocery store and use the iConverse app to help them find the items that they were looking for. At the end of the trip, the students used iConverse to verbally thank the cashier. Every teacher that speaks in the video about the use of iPads says that they can tell a difference in their classrooms. The teachers can tell that the students are engaged, which is helping them to learn.