Virtual Tours

After reading Chapter 12, it made me realize that I have never really thought of using the internet when teaching Social Studies. In the First Grade, Social Studies is one of the subjects that is not given a weighted grade at my school. We give S for Satisfactory, N for Needs Improvement and U for Unsatisfactory. Honestly, it is one of the subjects that usually get cut if we run out of time in the time. I thoroughly enjoy teaching Social Studies and feel the integrating the computer in my lessons would make it more enjoyable. One thing in Chapter 12 that I liked, was taking a virtual trip on internet sites to see places that students could not easily go in real life. Many of my students have never traveled out of the state of Alabama. I feel that taking a virtual trip to places to let them get a better feel for what it is like in other places around the United State or even the world. We do a unit in First Grade called “Christmas Around the World”. Each First Grade Teachers picks a country and teaches students the different customs and traditions of the country. I have used the internet to look up a variety of information on my chosen country. It would be interesting to find a website on my chosen country that was student friendly. That way they could navigate themselves and find out more about that country. The internet is such a useful tool; it is just up to us as teachers to utilize it properly in the classroom.

How to use technology in Mathematics and Science

After reading Chapter 11 on integrating technology into Mathematics and Science, it made me realize how far technology has come since I was in elementary school. We used to play Math games like Number Munchers on the old apple computers with green screens. There was only one computer lab at the school and we were lucky to go once a week. These days computers are used as learning centers in the classroom. Students have easier access to computers and have a greater knowledge of how to use them than I did at their age. Computers can offer students who are struggling in Math a chance to get extra practice on a skill that they need help with. This provides the struggling student not only a learning experience, but entertainment at the same time. One of the Math programs that are popular at my school is called Batter Up. The students can do addition, subtraction and multiplication. They also can pick the level of difficulty from easy, medium, or hard. This allows students to have a chance to play but on their own personal level.
One thing that I like to do with a Science lesson is pull up pictures of animals that the students have never seen before. Another use we have for the computer is using it to look up the weather. We have a calendar that we discuss daily and weather is included on it. Math and Science are two of the easiest subjects I feel to integrate technology into.

Technology for ELL students

Chapter 10 discusses using technology in English Language Learning (ELL). I think this is important because we are having more and more students that speak primarily Spanish, but have English as their second language (ESL). As educators we are required to make sure that we are teaching the Alabama Course of Study standards. With ESL students this can prove to be difficult at times. We have an ELL teacher at my school to help the ESL students’ transition into the English language better. I have had a few ESL students over my years of teaching, but each of them had no problem with the English language. LeapFrog is listed in Chapter 10 as one of the strategies for integrating technology in the classroom for ESL students. I have 2 LeapFrogs in my classroom that my students love. I feel this would be good for ESL students to work with because they are able to hear how the words are pronounced correctly and learn how to read at the same time. I know that my students love to go to the computer center. Chapter 10 lists the top ten strategies for technology in ELL instruction, and it lists websites that offer exercises for students to practice subskills. ELL students are becoming more common in schools today and it is important that they receive the same education and opportunities as the other students.

Litercy and Technology

Chapter 9 discusses the use of technology in English and Language Arts instruction. As a first grade teacher, my student’s are still learning how to use the keyboard and computer. We do literacy centers during our ninety minute reading block. One of the centers that are offered is the computer center. My students are always excited about going to the computer center because it is their favorite. I mainly use two websites that are focused on literacy and phonics at my computer center. The two that I feel are the most successful are starfall.com and pbs.org. Each of these websites offer games and stories that engage the student and make them not feel like they are necessarily learning, but having fun. Another reason that the computer center is very popular is that it enables students who are not as fluent to have a chance to listen to accurate readers. As I have stated in my earlier blogs, students are very knowledgeable about technology these days. I recently got a third computer for my classroom so that more students can have a turn at the computer to learn and expand their knowledge of technology. I know that not every family as access to a computer at home, but between the classroom and computer lab at school the students have opportunity to learn.

Integrating the Internet into the Classroom

I was very excited to read Chapter 8 on Integrating the Internet into the Curriculum. I feel that is important to integrate as much technology into the classroom as possible. I thought the page that listed the Top Ten Strategies for Integrating the Internet into the Curriculum was very helpful. One of the activities and website they suggested was Writing with Writers on the scholastic website. It lets the students work with authors, editors and illustrators to develop their skills. It even allows them to publish their work online! I think this would be such a neat project to work on with your class. Another activity that they mentioned was investigating weather in their area. We teach weather and seasons in First Grade and I feel that this would be a great activity for my class to participate in. My students love looking things up on the internet. The chapter also discusses distance learning and using the internet. If you had a program that you could get involved in and do this with your class it would be a wonderful learning experience. Students could learn so much from another class, even if it is another town in Alabama. This would be a great opportunity to share ideas and activities with each other to use in the classroom.

The Internet

I really enjoyed reading Chapter 7 on the internet and ways to use it in the classroom. The students today know so much more about the internet and the variety of ways that it can be used. I think it can be a very useful resource in the classroom. I am a huge fan of using the internet for research as I discussed in my last blog. One activity that the book discusses is using the internet in the classroom for student research. Students would have access to multiple search engines to look for the information they need. For instance, a student or group needs to look up who was the 29th American President. They would be able to pull the information up within minutes. Yes, they could still look up the information in a book, but students today are used to everything being fast paced and easy to use. I do feel in a sense this has made students lazy, but that is the way that technology has changed the world we live in. I am a firm believer in teaching students how to use the internet in the classroom and to teach them all it has to offer. But at the same time, feel that teaching them the beneficial aspects of textbooks is just as important.

Reference Materials

We use the internet for a variety of things today. One of the main tools that I personally use it for is a reference. I am constantly using search engines to look up information that I do not know. I find using multimedia products very useful in the classroom. My first graders are very curious and are frequently asking me questions. There are many times that I do not know the answer and will use a search engine to look up the information. In the book it states how most of the major encyclopedias are no longer published exclusively in book format. I find this sad, because even though the world today is dominated by technology, I feel students should still learn how to use books as a reference. What happens if the technology is not available? Will the students not know how to use reference materials that are not technology oriented? Students should be taught how to use the online reference materials as well as books. Students need to be taught how to use reference materials appropriately. When I was in school, we learned how to use reference materials in the library. I am not positive they still do this, but it would be very helpful for students. Reference materials are such a wonderful tool that everyone can learn to use.