Web-Based Educational Resources

Considering that most students are so technologically fluid in using the computers and the Internet, what a wonderful tool computers are in learning. I feel in this day and age, our roll is as facilitators and we should encourage our students and our administrators to really adapt more technology into every day teaching. I loved the "Education in Second Life". I only wish I had this resource and this type of technology when I was a student. The possibilities are endless. What a wonderful way to encourage originality, creativity, and critical thinking skills, which are really falling by the wayside as we have to tailor our teaching to standardized test. What child would not want to come to class each day to work on a SIM? I can't think of any.
Another site, though most of them really did impress me, was the Rocket readerkids software. What a fabulous way to teach young children to love to read. Excellent site if you teach younger students. There is nothing better to teach a child to read than to have the words pronounced so the student can hear it. This would really be an asset for ESL learners. It can aso help parents that can not read or speak the English language and I would think that if it we set up at home this site could help the adults learn to read english as well.
I have used puzzlemaker .com before and it was always a great tool. I am a big fan of brainpop, and now that I have been exposed to other sites. I can see where districts that use technology and allow it in there every day teaching, will be at an advantage. I hope I can encourage my students to be able to use certain sites at home since time and computer availability in my school are limited. I am so excited to think that the future of teaching this way has endless possibilites. Let's get kids engaged and excited about school! If this is the future of teaching, I am equally excited to be part of this.

Blogging

I like the idea of blogging and I enjoy reading and commenting on other students blogs as well as reading the comments left on my blog. It appears that this is a very contemporary concept that is accepted world wide. The articles and videos on blogging were very interesting and I must admit that by reading other blogs we can all benefit from resources and discussions that take place. Though I was unfamiliar with posting blogs before I took this course I was aware of what blogging was, I had not participated in the activity until this course. I do enjoy blogging and reading other teachers opinions of things and I find it a valuable tool. I must say that I really approve of Mike's idea of having his high school students blog to express their opinions and general knowledge of the subject matter. Great idea Mike!

Inspiration

After downloading Inspiration on my computer I had a little trouble accessing the help feature to demonstrate how to use it. I did, however watch the video segments that Dr. Luongo had suggested. I feel that the webs that can be created to help with writing skills will be beneficial and I was happy to see all the different kinds of outlines, etc that are available. As someone who encourages the use of webs when I teach writing skills, I was pleased to see how different techniques can be applied to other subjects as well. This can help tie into the cross curriculum core standards that many districts are now promoting.
I think this is a very good site for teachers to access. My first thought was that it would really benefit the students with learning disabilities to be able to structure their assignment. Looking further I feel all students can benefit from the organizational ability it affords them. I feel this is a useful site and I will try to implement it in my curriculum.

Make a Difference Movie

Having just watched this movie that Dr. Loungo has sent us, and after I wiped the tear from my eye, it occurs to me that this is very true. We don't always know the circumstances that our children go through. I am not given the student folders until the first day of school, however I have learned to make sure that even if I have to stay after school just to do this , I read each folder before the end of the first week. I have discovered some students who do not know where their Mom is, I have discovered that some students are "wards of the state." Students do have parents that are ill and some, like Teddy have lost a parent of other beloved member of the family.
I only wish I were given access to the folders before the school year begins, this would better prepare me for certain behaviors . Having the information ahead of time can as help me as a teacher. I am not going to do a take home gift project for Mother's day this year. Also, I sometimes have to dig for this information, I do not feel that the information folders given to us are as complete as I would like.
Getting back to the movie, I thought this was inspiring and I enjoyed it. Many students with a little understanding from a teacher , will rise to meet their potential. I hope I can inspire one of my students to remember me as a favorite teacher. However more than that I just want all of them to access me as a caring individual that they happened upon early in their life. My personal feeling is that every child has the potential for greatness, there are different levels of greatness depending upon the child. Teachers have such an impact on students and I really believe that we all forget that from time to time. We should all remember that we too have a favorite teacher and can remember the ones that truly cared. We must all strive to accomplish that very ideal.

You are not alone!

I have read many of my fellow classmates blogs regarding the WebQuest and I agree with the statements they make about actually making one as being a very overwhelming project. It seems that the hardest part is getting started, and after one does , having never done one before the process seems like a never ending task. I also, like many of you, began and then scrap my idea and will begin again tomorrow. I wanted to say Thank you to Dr. Luongo, for extending the due date. I'm sure I can speak for a lot of us , who will get it done and have already spent a great deal of time on it. I still believe it is an excellent way to teach and I only hope most districts will incorporate the amount of technology needed to use them in the future.
In closing I just want to wish my fellow classmates good luck with the assignment. Just know you are not alone in feeling the way you do. I am certain we will all get the job done!

Webquest

I have viewed the many webquest articles and video's in module 3. I must say that I like the idea of webquests. My only regret is that I know some schools do not have the technology available or the time allotted during the day for the students to work on them. As an at home project for students, though excellent, I fear that some inner city students may not have access to computers or the internet. They could however do the assignments at the library and should be encouraged to do that. I have not established the subject or the project I will be doing my webquest on. Though I would love to have my students do this, I am certain that because and only because of the financial situation of some, it will not be sanctioned by my district. I will make it an optional assignment perhaps.
I watch my students in the computer room when they have computers once a week, and I am just blown away by the speed and accuracy by which they can maneuver the websites they are allowed to go into. What a wonderful group to watch. They are never confused by the multimedia that surrounds them and I am sure they would love to have all subjects and assignments done by webquests! It does promote a higher order of thinking and I just wish we were given the opportunity to dispose of most of the ancient text books that we have and incorporate newer books with on line instruction. I just wish all school would step into the current time and realize what a disservice they are doing to some children.

Internet Safety

Internet safety is essential and I think these videos and others like them are very important. They must be shown to all children, and they must be shown the videos at a very early age. I thought the second one was a little dull and boring and since children today are so used to fast paced everything I especially liked the third one, with the character, Clickie. I feel children today can relate to the fast pace and the message would stick . The video for older children should be shown in schools every year and I feel that it is also the responsibility of parents to not only educate their children on the dangers but establish rules and controls on computer use.
There have been children that have committed suicide due to cyber bullying and of course we are all aware of children who have gone missing because of run aways who think they are meeting other children. We do live in a scary world but I feel as teachers, parents and good members of society, it is essential to teach our children about these dangers. If children , though naturally curious and some with a propensity to get into mischief truly understood the dangers from an early age, would realize that the internet for all it's multitude of good should be used correctly for their own protection.