Global Kids

Many kids these days are into technology. It is the age they are growing up in. Many are like Nafiza and from the moment they wake up to the time they go to bed they are using technology in someway. When technology can be used to educate it is a good thing, such as how Nafiza is using technology to teach other children about important world issues. I do think kids these days are too into technology. When students are communicating through technology they become use to it and lose social skills. Such as a story my Aunt told about my cousin who had a friend over to his house and they were both on computers and just sitting there. She said the only noise she heard was the occasional laugh. Technology can widen their understanding about the world, but it can also make them shut out the world. It is important to find a balance.

Geo-Literacy

What - Students came up with their own projects and did their own research. They were involved in history, becoming local historians. 3D images created by pictures they took.

So What - Students can taste the joy of life-long learning.

Now What - Students are able to connect with other students to learn more from each other. They create a website to publish their findings.

Geocaching

Geocaching is a fun way for students to learn and exercise at the same time. They are able to go on hunts for caches that are left with items from the last person who found it. It is very exciting and gets students involved.

Educational Board Games

Putting together my board game this week I have come to see the importance of having good educational games in the classroom. Students will become engaged having fun and learning at the same time. I could see myself using educational board games as a way to reward students for their hard work and also have them continue learning. It's awesome! Plus you learn more by doing, which is what these games allow for. They are especially helpful when students do not especially enjoy a particular subject, such as math. When they are playing a game that incorporates math they have more incentive to do the math.

All-in-all, educational board games rock!

Physical Education and Technology

4 new ideas:
1. Physical Education has many advancements in technology coming out to help people live healthier lifestyles.
2. 10,000 steps a day can help you stay healthy and lose weight
3. The activity that was done with the pedometer where they measured the man's stride can be used in math class. We can find each students stride then have students discover how many steps they would take to walk a mile, and so forth.
4. Having students do activities like the above will show them that being healthy is important!

1 thing I already knew:
1. Teaching students to be healthy is important.

1 call to action
1. Go get a pedometer and use it to motivate your daily exercise. I know I want to get one! And getting one will help me become familiar with how they work so that I will be able to bring them into my classroom.

4-1-1 on this class

4 new ideas

• I have really learned some new ways to use technology in the classroom. Our TIPP website, what a great resource to make for students to use! Although I would have a lot less "stuff" on it than everything we need for our project, it's just too much.
• Discovering google docs was awesome! It was a great resource to use the class Shannae was sick, we were able to be on our google doc at the same time and get a lot done!
• Photostory 3 is a neat program. I know it will come in handy the next time I want to make a video.
• Google sites is a great resource to create a website for my future classes. It's a good place to keep class information at that will be easy for students and parents to find.
  

1 thing I already knew

• Students today are living in a technology world. It is all around them. Teachers need to make use of the technology around them.

1 call to action

• All teachers should incorporate technology into their teaching. Students work best when they have differentiated instruction, and technology is one tool that will help with this very much. Teachers should also keep themselves knowledgeable about the new technology that is available to them and to use in the classroom to help their students learning process.
  

Assessment

The activity we did in class was very interesting. It was hard for those who were students to understand why their balloons were being popped. Not knowing the criteria for a balloon being accepted really put them at a disadvantage. In regards to the difference between grades and assessments, when you assess a student you are looking to see what they know and what they are capable of complete, grades on the other hand are given after an assessment when needed and also are a way to show a students ability, they are just not as specific as looking at the actual assessment. Grades show to parents and students where they are at in the class and assessment shows more specifically what areas the student needs to work on. Many evaluation tools can be used to reach students, I believe having assignments for students to complete and turn in is a great way to make sure they are prepared before a test. Tests are helpful to have at the end of a unit to evaluate what the students have learned.