Prompt # 10

Chapter 8- English/Language arts
There are many different sources online that you can incorporate into your classroom to help learn and practice concepts in English/Language Arts. I tunes can be used to show different genres of music and how every song is a poem. Students could work on their public speaking skills by creating podcasts. Not only do they have to have knowledge about what they are speaking about, but they must concentrate on the type of language they are using, their audience, and also their voice and speed. Google docs could be a useful tool when working on writing group papers. Wikipedia could also be used as a useful tool in English/Language arts. Students could choose a topic that interests them, print off the page, and then they could mark any grammatical errors they find on that page.

Prompt #9

Issue #7- Facebook Ettiquette   (Should you "friend" your students)
I agree 100% that students and teachers should not become "friends" on Facebook. I agree with the fact that it blurs the line between teacher and friend. Once a student sees you as their friend you become an equal to them rather than an authority figure. You are on the same playing field as they are and then they feel they don't have to listen to you anymore. The relationships between teachers and students should always be strictly professional. It is a teachers job to teach students not become buddies. I think that there is a gray area when it comes to friending former students because they may also be friends with your current students.

Prompt #8

Issue #16-Is it time to switch to digital textbooks?
I personally can't stand digital textbooks. I find it hard to stare at a computer screen in order to read the information and it gives myself an excuse to not read. Textbooks are boring wether they are in print or on the computer. I prefer to have the book in my hand and to be able to flip through the pages and go back and forth without getting a headache from my computer screen moving too fast. Although e-textbooks can have links that take you to different places that can teach you more about a topic printed textbooks can do the same. They can lead you to another book or a previous owner could have written in the margins are made notes on the reading that you can learn from as well.  I also find it very interesting that issue #15 talked about too much screen time yet they are pushing e-textbooks which would include more screen time.

Prompt #7

I think that game-based learning is the concept to get behind. When teaching students a new concept or idea it's all about getting them to learn something without them even realizing it. Everything is supposed to be fun. Students tend to pay attention more and are more likely to be engaged when something fun is going on or they are out of their seats. I think that game-based learning is already starting to take over classrooms. Rather than regurgitating information from books students immerse themselves into the topics being covered, when they play games to learn, without even knowing it.

Prompt #6

The amount that technology has advanced in my lifetime alone is astounding to me. Cell phones alone have come along way since my very first cell phone. I had a tiny little track phone. I used to have to push the number buttons more than once to get to the letter I wanted to type next. Now whenever I am holding my cell phone I am holding a small computer, gps, camera, mp3 player, gaming device, and most importantly a phone that I can make calls with. Texting has also become very popular in my lifetime and has in a way destroyed sentence structure and proper grammar. Computers are no longer connected to your home phone and the internet has been forced to speed up with the demand for information NOW! Computers can store and calculate things never dreamt of before. We are able to create a "greener" environment with the use a technology. The contributions and advances in technology are huge and they will continue to grow at outrageous rates.

Prompt #5

Teachers can help to facilitate and inspire student creativity and learning by using technology in many ways. They can use the internet to connect anything they are learning in the classroom to real-world situations. Technology can also be used to help create games or other interesting ways to help students learn. in order to create "digital age learning experiences" in the classroom teachers can do simple things such as using the smart board rather than just a whiteboard for a science lesson. It's a change of pace from the same old science lesson and students can do much more with an electronic whiteboard than they can with a marker and a traditional whiteboard. Teachers showcase standard three when they use and type of technology with proficiency. Standard four deals with teaching students responsibility of technology. This can be done when explaining how to cite information from a website in order to follow copyright laws. Lastly standard six talks about using technology to help yourself grow professionally. As a future teacher technology plays an extensive role in organizing my portfolio that will one day help me get a job.

Prompt #4

There are a total of six ISTE National Educational Technology Standards. These standards are used to measure each students individual capabilities when using technology. The first standard is creativity and innovation. This standard can be incorporated into the classroom by having students create flyers or posters, using programs of the computer,  for student government or other activities they participate in. There are endless possibilities for incorporating communication and collaboration. Technology makes it so easy to talk to people from all over the world (Pen Pals). Social media sites can also be useful for this. Students can learn many things by communicating with other students that come from many different backgrounds. Research and information fluency are also simplified by using technology. You can combine standards two and three by having students work on a research project with a partner or in small groups. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making are the fourth standard. Technology can be used to more easily organize information into charts, graphs, categories, etc. in order to help organize thought process and make more well informed decisions. Digital citizenship is the fifth standard. It is important that anyone who uses technology does so in a responsible manner. Students should be taught that even though technology can be useful it can also be harmful when used inappropriately. The last of the standards is understanding the operations and concepts of how to use technology. I think that this happens most naturally when students use technology on a regular basis. Students should share their new discoveries with their class.

Prompt #3

For students who have grown up completely surrounded by technology it can be difficult for them to complete many school related tasks without it. In my classroom I plan on using powerpoint slide shows and prezi presentations in order to vary the presentation of my lessons. I also think that the internet and computers are also very important in researching and looking for information on a wide variety of topics as long as students can be guided to stay on task. I haven't used much of the smart board technology, but I feel that once I become more familiar it can also become a very useful tool as a teaching aid. I expect that I will try to incorporate many different forms of technology in my classroom to the best of my ability in order to engage my students in the subject areas we are studying. I have much to learn about many of these technological tools, but I think that like everything else with the proper knowledge on how to use each device I will become very accustomed and comfortable with using technology in my classroom.

Prompt #2

The revised version of Bloom's Taxonomy is greatly different from the original. The original order of thinking emphasized the recollection of facts, checked for understanding, and then moved into application, analysis, and reflection of the ideas and concepts they were being dealt with. Bloom's Digital Taxonomy seems to focus mainly on the idea of being able to find information. I think that having the vast number of resources at each individuals disposal is a very useful tool. However, I still think that it is just as important for students to remember information as well as knowing how to find it. For that reason I think that the digital version of Bloom's Taxonomy may be outdated. Students should be able to use technology along with classic methods of learning and not depend solely of technology alone for their answers to questions.

Prompt # 1

The amount that technology is incorporated in everyday life is crazy to me. I have very mixed feelings about technology. The videos "Did You Know" and "Pay Attention" showed me the actual statistics about how much technology is intertwined into the normal routines of people. These videos put actual number values on the amount of technology that I see others and also myself using every single day. I can only speak for myself, but I know that if I don't have my cell phone in my hand whether I'm using it or not, I feel a little lost. It's like I am missing a limb or a part of myself. That quite honestly scares me. I think that technology can be very important and useful in many ways, but I also think that from personal experience it is hard to function without it, and I don't like that feeling. I will one day use technology in a classroom of my own. That is a given, but it will be a difficult portion of teaching for me because I can do the basics of what I need to do and that's about it.