take away

Today in class we saw some examples of the group videos done in the past. Seeing the videos it allowed me to see what my group's video should have and also some tips. We also got into our groups and discussed some topics we could do our video on. Our group chose How to have manners but it's not definite yet. Videos are so powerful in conveying messages especially to digital natives since they're so interested and engaged in visuals so these how to videos will be very effective and teachers could use it in their classrooms.

Blog 5- Ch 7

Chapter 7 talks about how educational software's can support and promote problem solving and inquiry learning for grades K-12. Some of the educational software that teachers use for problem solving and inquiry learning are Kid Pix, Google Earth, Excel, and etc. We talked about Mine Craft in our last lecture and how schools are bringing in computer games as a resource to use for students to interact, go by rules, have a goal and objective and have strategies for the conflicts/challenges they encounter. Some other software that are used in schools for topics in math are Math blaster, Treasure Mathstorm, and Numbers undercover. I didn't know but many schools have a vast selection of educational software, including games, in their libraries or resource centers. So students have easy access to these educational software that have been evaluated. An effective tutoring system is tracking a student's performance in getting the correct answer and then adjusting their teaching approach based on the student's learning needs. A lot of feedback is good for inquiry learning and problem solving.


1. Would you use computer games in your classroom to promote and support problem solving and inquiry learning? Which software would you use?

2. How can educators assess the effectiveness of educational software?

Take away

Today we had a discussion on different types of educational tools that are available online; like Quizlet.com, Vocabulary.com, and Lexipedia.com. We discussed how to integrate non-educational sites such as google maps into our classrooms. Students will be able to collaborate and use problem solving skills when dealing with tools online. Students will have access to different educational sites that will allow them to practice, study, and improve in the areas where they need help in. It was the first time hearing about the game called Minecraft, I don't think I would ever use that site for students to engage in my classroom. I just think that there are other educational games that will be more useful. Minecraft just seems like a game to me...

Blog 4- Ch 4 & 6

On a daily basis students are exposed to technology, they are not digital immigrants. Some students just lack the maturity and sophistication in regards to technology. Teachers can support and contribute wisdom and guidance to these students through everyday learning and learning about how/when/why  to use technology. In chapter 4 it lists the strategies for Single and Multiple Computer Classrooms- how they can be used in a classroom. Computers can be used for information, interaction, presentation, and rotation. All students would be exposed to the computer in their classrooms. As there are less and less classrooms without computers nowadays teachers should be able to incorporate computers into their lessons. I have been observing an Elementary School in the Bronx where the science teacher teaches all  her lessons through the smart board and through presentations. The teacher adds video clips and pictures into power points. The students seem to enjoy the lessons more because of all these visual add ons. I've noticed that teachers use and take advantage of one or more electronic devices in their classrooms, which I think is a good thing.

simple educational game site that I think is a good tool
http://www.funbrain.com


1. Do you think all students should have access to a computer altogether at once? or having one computer in a classroom enough?
2. How might teaching change from what a teacher might do if the technology were not present?

Take away

Knowledge is not static it's on-going and endless. We want to educate our students digitally and this is where digital citizenship comes in play. We want to prepare our students in the digital world by having them move forward, be aware of their information and if its valid by evaluating. Teach them the Three Broad Areas- Respect, Educate, and Protect yourself and others when using the internet or any other digital devices. There are similarities and differences in digital citizenship and what we teach our students in our classrooms. We went over what WebQuest is and concluded that it's a task for students. During our dicussions we talked about China and how the media is so regulated by the Central people. It reminded me again of how we take little things for granted like media, technology, and etc in the US.

Take away

Today in class we went over the pros and the cons of using Wikipedia. Majority of us raised our hands for allowing students to use Wikipedia whereas some said they wouldn't want their students to use it. A lot of the concerns on using Wikipedia was of how reliable it is, who writes for wiki? where are the information coming from? and it's sketchy how someone can edit the page. Through the lecture/lesson I learned that not everybody can edit the information and that there are limitations to who writes for Wikipedia. Wikipedia is still being shaped unlike an encyclopedia so it's actually more current. Things on wikipedia is always being updated and revised. I'll allow my students to use Wikipedia but this should not be their main and only source. Wikipeida is a starting point and from the information they get from this site they'll be able to go more in depth and search other websites that are more legit and check out books on print.

Blog 3- Chapter 5

In chapter 5 it talks about how teachers and students can critically research and evaluate the Internet as a teaching and learning environment. Today we see that the search for education knowledge increasingly features the Internet.  Internet can be used by teachers professionally and service students academically. So it is very important for us to teach the students where to get their information and what sites are safe to use. We can first teach students to recognize the URL- .com, .org, .gov, .net and then give them some educational preselected sites to access. There’s always that concern for plagiarism and it suggests in the chapter for teachers to give assignments that cannot be plagiarized, for example allow students to use the internet to gather information but tell them to produce their own original research that was not copied from online. And also teach them about quoting, to quote correctly and effectively. Skills of locating, evaluating, and using information in a computer environment are defined as information literacy and media literacy. Without us realizing we are constantly analyzing and evaluating the media this includes print.

I always use the Internet to find information almost all the time. I can’t help it; it’s so convenient and fast. I prefer using Google, it’s my main search engine window. I don’t know if it’s just me but I don’t like using other search engines like Internet Explorer, Bing, and etc. because I feel as though Google is more organized and maybe it’s simply because I’m so used to how Google is laid out. Using the Internet can be dangerous because of plagiarism and unsafe sites but for the most part I think it’s so useful. It’s bigger than we can imagine all the information and sources available on the Internet, its actually quite incredible that we live in this generation where we can access information with a click/tap of our fingers.

1.     What do you think about reading online and it’s outcome on students today?

2.     Have you used or suggested educational sites to your students or colleagues? Which ones did you find most useful?