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Chapter 9
As we teach 21st century students who will be working in a technology world we need to prepare them for the road ahead of them. When teaching our students we need to make them use technology and software that they will come across in their future. As technology changes we need to prepare our students with the skills to use technology, be flexible with technology and be open to using new tools. When my current fifth graders get out into the working world the tools and software they will be using is not going to be what we are currently using.
Because the standards are stressed so heavily in schools, we need to make sure that we are teaching the content with meaningful lessons WHILE using technology. Our students also need to be using the technology themselves and not just being shown by a teacher. This will help our students gain familiarity with using technology and software.
It will be hard work getting our students technology confident. Money will also be an issue when getting new technology and software for our schools. I do believe that with the hard work and open minds we can get our teachers from teaching in the past to teaching for the future.
Chapter 8
Technology can be used to help many populations in schools. In Stafford we have a large ESL population, students of all income brackets, and a large population of students with learning disabilities. There are so many tools available that our students can use to overcome obstacles. Our students can use blogging to communicate and get feedback with teachers and students. Podcasts would be a great tool for ESL students so they can hear the English being used properly. ESL students as well as students with disabilities can also hear the podcast over and over for better comprehension.
Students with learning disabilities should also have the opportunity to use interactive websites and assistive technology to help them meet the standard. I see some students using these tools but I think there is a larger population that can benefit from these tools.
I know there are some schools in this county that have so many more technology resources than others. I am currently teaching at a school with 3 smart boards, 2 laptop carts and one elmo per grade level. It would be so much easier to integrate technology into the daily routine if we had more of it. There are some schools in the county with smart boards or active boards in every room. If I knew I had it in my room on a daily basis I would be more committed to designing lessons using it.
I know our county is further along regarding technology than some counties but I believe that we do have a lot of room to grow to get technology used in all schools. We also need to take advantage of the technology that is available to help our students with obstacles to overcome.
Chapter 7
As we want our students to use computers/internet more we need to be aware of all that is out there. Currently, our students sign a code of conduct at the beginning of the school year, we have a large number of websites blocked to students and staff and our teachers should be monitoring at all time what their students are doing.
I think the most important thing we need to do is educate ourselves and students on what is out there and how we can stay safe. Supervision is the number one key to keeping our students safe. If teachers are circulating while their students are on the computers the number of issues should decrease.
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to student work is students improperly using work that is not their own. I feel that citations and copyright information should be in the curriculum and taught to all students. Children need to know that they cannot use everything that is out there just because it is available to them. They also need to know that if they do use their information, the original author must be given credit.
I feel that safety and copyright are issues that can easily be taken care of as long as our teachers are educated to teach our students the important aspects of these areas.
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