Chapter 7

Chapter 7 illustrates that planning is the name of the game when trying to make teaching with technology effective. Just as with any other lesson plan you would begin with applying the subject at hand then an evaluation/assessment to be certain that your students are grasping the concept. Instruction on how to use the technology at hand is important. Technology can be used to convey the lesson like using a power point presentation. You can also grab the attention of the uninterested students by using multimedia. Also, the students that need visual aid to comprehend the subject would go great with using technology.

Chapter 10 & Course Pack 6

         Chapter ten covers the evolution of gaming. Gaming was introduced in the 1970’s with the basic concept of point-and-click with the game of PONG. By the late 90’s gaming has progressed to 3D simulations and physical interactions. Attempting to apply gaming into education seems like an awesome idea to me because I believe it is safe to say that all children like games. You just have to find the right game for each student. There are many different types of educational games for the many different types of student for example, repetitive drill-and-practice, simulation, tutorials and content instruction. In course pack six it states that educational gaming can only progress with the collaboration of educators and game designers. I totally agree because without the other educational gaming wouldn’t be as effective and might lack one out of the two aspects (gaming or education). Orson Scott Cards novel shows how students gain critical thinking skills while trying to master game. It also shows how collaboration between students are promoted.

Chapter 9

Chapter nine showed how to intergrate technology into all curriculums; mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies and even provided a sample lesson to display how to do so. The same factors that take play in creating a traditional lesson plan applies as well. For example; age, purpose, procedure, and assesment. Many practical websites and software are cited to aid you in conjouring up some lesson plans like KidPix and http://www.gsn.org/ . I found this website to be extremely useful to teachers by teachers from all over contributing and bettering each others ideas. One of the great programs that they have is the International CyberFair which is endored by The White House. It is similar to the average fair excepty more widely base, it is world wide. The children create virtual exhibits and are even evaluated by their peers from over 115 different countries.

Chapter 6 & 8

         Chapter six speaks on how technology and traditional educational practices are clashing. The debate wether this incorportion of technology and education is effective for our students is endless. I believe that technology alone without any guidance from a teacher isn't too great for our children. But if the teacher and students are as engaged as they would be in a traditional educational setting then that would be swell ! This ties into the theory of Engaged Learning and Scaffolding where social interactions promote the learning experience.

          Chapter eight introduces the world wide web as resource. The ten C's came in handy in the assesment of the many online resources;Content, critical thinking, citation, continuity, censorship, conectivity, comparability, and context. This chapter also promotes the contribution of the students ideas. I love this because children are more likey to grasp the concept of something by learning it from their peers.

Chapter 4 & 5

            Chapter 4 speaks on the way technology will emerge in today’s society. It’s amazing how all the predictions made are a reality today! “In the future, more people will be using a variety of information appliances…computers will be physically smaller and less expensive, have greater memory capacity, be able to recognize and produce speech…” most cellular devices are a prime example of this. They are much smaller, can carry more than 32 gigabytes of data and are even voice activated. This chapter moreover touches base on how technology ministers to students with disabilities. For example, screen magnifiers, digital texts and screen readers.

            Chapter 5 covers the exploitation of technology. The way many use the computer and internet to conduct an unethical action is cybercrime. In the classroom this can be brought up in discussion considering cyber bullying, plagiarizing and even the means of downloading music online is wrong. This chapter also touches base on securing yourself while on the internet from viruses and other types of malware. And how to protect your child from gaining access to material that is detrimental to them.

Chapter 1 to 3

 

Chapter 1 speaks on the progression of technology throughout our society. This constant change has a great affect on our education system. Technology has now become a necessity in our traditional education experience in order for today’s student to be properly prepared to go into our technology enhanced workforce. This chapter also speaks on the creation of the first computer systems and its essential parts. Having knowledge of the basic parts and functions helps you understand the way it functions as a whole.

Chapter 2 shows many different applications and software’s can be incorporated into the classroom. Such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases. I think these applications do aid in executing a lesson in the classroom but also can be a bit detrimental. I think these softwares contribute to laziness at such an early stage. Students should master penmanship and spelling in early education first.

Chapter 3 explores the internet. This chapter can be extremely helpful to those of us who are technology illiterate, like some of those who weren’t born into the age of modern technology. Basic concepts are explained such as email and how to use search engines such as www.google.com . Social networks on the internet are now a very popular means of communication. I believe it can inhibit a more personal contact between people rather than bring them closer together.