Last Post!

This is my last post!!!!!

Summer!!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer, and I hope to see you all again next semester!!!!

I must say I have learned so much in this class that I will be able to take with me to the classroom. I have learned how important and beneficial technology in the classroom really is, and how to use different strategies to ensure that my students are provided with the best education. I have enjoyed working with everyone in my class...especially Melanie Wacker, who sits beside me each week, and Joy Lofton, who helps me out when I miss something!!! I hope everyone enjoyed the class this semester and I hope to see many of you again next semester!!

Just a Post

Hey!! This is just a post...I am running out of things to talk about! The past two weeks have been so hectic, and I am just ready for the semester to be over! I hope everyone is doing great in his/her classes, and I wish you all good luck on all of your exams!!

*Spreadsheet*

I learned how to create a spreadsheet last week. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, and I can see now how it can be beneficial in the classroom.

*Computers in the Classroom*

Computers are a wonderful addition to learning in the classroom, but they can often be distracting if not monitored correctly. I have encountered certain classrooms in schools that did not monitor their students' access to the Internet, and some students found themselves entertained by X-rated web-sites. This is a terrible incident to occur in the classroom, and all teachers must be sure that these types of web-sites are restricted from student access. However, if used correctly, computers and the Internet can be extremely beneficial to students' learning and gaining experience with research and web-browsing.

~Audio Learning~

I have always considered technology in the classroom to be very beneficial for the students as well as the teachers. Another memory I have from my high school French class is our use of the stereo for audio learning. Instead of always hearing our professor speak French to us and reading the text from the book, we were able to here actual conversations from French people through learning disks. We often took our tests in this manner as well. I found this strategy to be very helpful because not everyone is a visual learner. Many of us benefit more from audio, or from both. Therefore, this technique can be used in other classes as well--not only foreign language courses.

*Letters to France*

I know this probably wouldn't count as technology, but I remember in my high school French class we were required to choose a pen pal from France, and we would exchange letters each week. I found this to be extremely interesting, because not only was I learning the language in a more hands-on and fun way, but I was also building a friendship with someone from another country. Through our letters, we exchanged interesting information and answered each other's questions regarding our own countries, which allowed us to teach each other. I found this experience to be an unforgettable one, and I just thought I would share the idea, because I think it is wonderful to allow students to engage in this type of communication and learning.

Preschool Education

The other night at work, I happened to be discussing several issues with a co-worker. During the conversation, we shifted to the subject of her three year old son. She started telling me how she placed her son in a preschool for two year olds; I had never heard of that. I knew of daycares that simply care for the children and allow them to play together and learn their manners, but I was not aware that children of such an early age were provided with such an advanced education. At age two, her son is already working with computers! I remember the first time I was introduced to a computer was in at least the second or third grade. I was just amazed that the opportunities are so much wider and more advanced now. This puts me at ease to know that my children will definitely have the chance at a better education than I have, and I have been blessed!

♥My Website♥

Well, I finally finished my website, most of which I owe to Cody....so thank you!!! For the longest time, I had no clue what I was doing, but I finally got the hang of it. From then on, it was actually kind of fun! I never realized how difficult it was to create a website, but I actually enjoyed learning how. Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great week so far, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well!!
~Lindsay♥

Web Sites

I know that this has been said a thousand times but I will say it again... There are some great web sites that are geared towards education and kids! There I said it... Now I want to tell you about a few, first there is a site that is a kid friendly search engine called Dibdabdoo. Check it out if you get a chance. Also there are tons of web sites dedicated to lesson plans and helping teachers. Check these out...
Cyber Bee
Braille Bug The Braille Bug Web site for children was developed by the American Foundation for the Blind with the hope that children will not only learn about Braille but also increase their understanding of people with disabilities.
Education World This site has tons of information and lists of good web sites.

"Best of the Education Blog" Awards

Awards are now being given to students and educators for their blogs.
This article discusses the affects of blogging for educators and students. This is extremely relevant to what we are doing in this class. Read about it here.

Speech-to-Text Translation Technology

A fast developing technology to help deaf students in lectures is a computer aided speech-to-text translation. Basically a trained person types the teachers lecture and comments into a laptop using a shorthand code. Then the special software translates the code and text appears on the screen or on the students personal laptop. This process takes about 3 seconds. These notes can be saved so they can be studied in the future. Click
here to learn more about it.

Electronic Whiteboards

When I was searching the internet for new technology that is being used in the classroom I came across an electronic whiteboard. This product is like a huge touch screen monitor. Students or teachers can use their fingers or a special pen to write lessons or problems. These can be saved and used later for review. Check out this website for more info. Smart Tech

My Space

I know that I am behind the times when I comes to this, but I visited MySpace for the first time yesterday. I have a friend that let me get on her account and browse. It was crazy. Before I realized it, I had let an hour go by. After this experience I began to think about MySpace. One alarming thing I noticed was the amount of information someone could gather through someone's page. Almost all of my friends pages had most of their personal info right out there for all to see. For example the city they lived in, what school they go to, their birthday and their picture. It's crazy that we are ok with giving out so much information about ourselves. There have been many cases of abductions that prove this dangerous. With all that said, I do think that this technology could be used to benefit teachers. They could keep up with their students outside of the classroom, see who their students say they are, and also encourage their students towards the creative side of MySpace. But I think that we need to warn them not to give out all their information.