Equal Access to the Digital World!

Equal access to internet and current technologies need to be a priority in education. Students that come from a lower economic status, who live in rural areas and or have limited access to technology will constantly be an issue. It is the ultimately the school's responsibility to initiate this change so that every student will have access to technology as necessary. One of the ways teachers can implement this change is to make families aware of the community resources that are available including what is available within the school. Maybe the school library has extended hours or by using the community library, students will have access to technology to complete their assignments.

"Technology cannot become a useful support for students' work if they have access to it for only a few minutes a week. Technology-supported, project-based instruction requires a high degree of access to the tools of technology and to communication systems. Schools are faced with reality of a limited budget for equipment, telecommunications, and software, and they must make hard choices about how to get the most out of what they have." (p. 71)

Ultimately, the teacher's role is to include as many technology experiences so that every student has access to this means of educational learning experiences. In order to have students know how to use it on their own and to use it correctly, we must implement it into our curriculum. As technology advances, districts must find ways to fund this and implement it across the board so that students all have equal access.

Resources

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm

Educational Value of Social Media

Social media is a scary thing to think about when exposing our youth to it, but in this case we will be using it as an educational tool and as a way to communicate with families about what is happening within our classroom. The following link will bring you to our classroom's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004817296858

Our classroom facebook page will provide you with some important information about what is happening at school along with a great way for students and families to connect with one another. "Social media technologies have the potential to support and enhance teaching and learning in higher education (Ajjan and Hartshorne, 2008) providing learners with a chance to manipulate their learning environment and to participate actively in the learning process (Hrastinski, 2009)." (Heavin & Neville 2012)Social media will enhance the learning experiences of my students and will encourage constant communication amongst our learning community!






Resources

Heavin, C., & Neville, K. (2012). Using social media technology as an educational tool. Paper presented at the 194-XVI. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1326330124?accountid=3783

What is a WebQuest?

A WebQuest is a creative way for you to learn! WebQuests are a classroom based lesson except all of the information you will be learning about will be on the web or internet. I will be putting resources on our WebQuest for you to use to learn about the Very Hungry Caterpillar, the transformations along with many other activities that we will be learning on based on the book. You will begin working in groups in the classroom and you will also have the ability to continue your learning at home. On our WebQuest page you will not have to worry about finding information or being confused because I have put all the information you will need right on there so that you do not have to go searching. It is an interactive and creative way of learning. This will be a fun learning experience!

Educational Value Animato

http://animoto.com/play/PKUG8W7Wb5zohAnOUvbRsQ

There is a high educational value to animato. It is simple to use and it provides a great learning tool, especially for young children. It is fun and it provides them with realistic pictures of the concepts you are teaching. I plan on doing my webquest on the book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". The main purpose is to have children understand the life cycle. This is a wonderful way to expose them to realistic pictures and facts in a creative way that will extend their learning experiences.

Educational Value of Wordle

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Above you will notice what we call a word cloud that is produced by Wordle. What do you think of when you see the word reading? This year we will be using technology to extend our learning and to also complete activities and assignments, especially in the area of literacy. I hope you are as excited as I am to take advantage of the use of technology in our learning.