Friday, March 21, 2008
Midterm
Our midterm covered just about what I thought it would. I missed the margins and text box and both items were due to lack of paying attention. I need to read the directions more closely. But I feel that our teacher properly prepared us for the test. She gave us clues this semester as to what to review and I did that. I feel that the assignments were very useful in studying for the test as well. I just went over past assignments and class notes and I feel that I did pretty well on the test.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Blog #8
Reading 1
The World Wide Web: Databases
Using a database to assist your classroom can be very helpful. In this article it talks about how you can use them to post homework questions to a database that is similar to a discussion board. I have used a system similar to this in one of my classes where we were required to summaries our readings each weekend. I think that this helped to ensure that the students were completing their reading assignment and also sometimes the discussions would go beyond the original question and this would show extended learning on the subject. Being able to communicate with your students from a computer allows more of a connection between teachers and students. If a student is sick or misses school they can still get the information that they missed by going to the classroom website. Security is always a question for these sites but if you are careful as to what information you include and do not post any identifying item online (use a pin name instead of a students real name) than you should be able to avoid and compromising of the site.
Reading 2
Database can be used in every subject that is taught. Any collection of data can be organized and put into a database. Depending on what kind of database you use will determine what the child can get with the information. If you use a classroom database in your science class the students would be able to see what results the other students got from their experiments as well as their own. When writing a paper you can use a database to organize facts that you come across in your readings. You can also have the students work as a group to complete the information for their database. This can teach them how to collaborate with their fellow students.
Reading 3
One thing about databases is that you can enter all your information and then have the computer manipulate it into very different conclusions. A lot of the time you will see connections that might of otherwise gone unnoticed. It is almost like you are working with the words best organizer as your work partner. You figure out what questions to ask and which ones are relevant and the computer organizes the information for you in a split second. Databases help students realize what information is important to a particular assignment. It helps them begin to sort information and pick out key points when they are gathering information.
Databases
When you look at the possibilities for using databases in a classroom they are endless. Not only can you track each current student you can also track how you are doing as a teacher year after year. Databases organize information that in the past would have taken hours or even days of work. You can even see how other teachers are doing in comparison to your class if they also post their databases. It is wonderful for collecting information on students before a parent conference or a meeting with principal for your review. Understanding that each year will be different when you teach, databases can help you see when you need to change your teaching strategies. You can keep track of the types of learners in your classroom and make sure you car using techniques that will create a community-learning environment for each student. Mainly a database will keep you organized so you and mineralize the time you spend on paper work. Any time that you are able to free up to spend with your students is necessary to try to accomplish. Databases also make it easy to learn about your students. You can look at their personal habits to see if there is any correlation between their work progress and say their sleeping habits or possibly the time of day they are in your class, and even medication the child is taking. You can make whatever alterations necessary to help insure the success of your classroom. You can be sure I will be using databases in my classroom to help me manage all my information.
The World Wide Web: Databases
Using a database to assist your classroom can be very helpful. In this article it talks about how you can use them to post homework questions to a database that is similar to a discussion board. I have used a system similar to this in one of my classes where we were required to summaries our readings each weekend. I think that this helped to ensure that the students were completing their reading assignment and also sometimes the discussions would go beyond the original question and this would show extended learning on the subject. Being able to communicate with your students from a computer allows more of a connection between teachers and students. If a student is sick or misses school they can still get the information that they missed by going to the classroom website. Security is always a question for these sites but if you are careful as to what information you include and do not post any identifying item online (use a pin name instead of a students real name) than you should be able to avoid and compromising of the site.
Reading 2
Database can be used in every subject that is taught. Any collection of data can be organized and put into a database. Depending on what kind of database you use will determine what the child can get with the information. If you use a classroom database in your science class the students would be able to see what results the other students got from their experiments as well as their own. When writing a paper you can use a database to organize facts that you come across in your readings. You can also have the students work as a group to complete the information for their database. This can teach them how to collaborate with their fellow students.
Reading 3
One thing about databases is that you can enter all your information and then have the computer manipulate it into very different conclusions. A lot of the time you will see connections that might of otherwise gone unnoticed. It is almost like you are working with the words best organizer as your work partner. You figure out what questions to ask and which ones are relevant and the computer organizes the information for you in a split second. Databases help students realize what information is important to a particular assignment. It helps them begin to sort information and pick out key points when they are gathering information.
Databases
When you look at the possibilities for using databases in a classroom they are endless. Not only can you track each current student you can also track how you are doing as a teacher year after year. Databases organize information that in the past would have taken hours or even days of work. You can even see how other teachers are doing in comparison to your class if they also post their databases. It is wonderful for collecting information on students before a parent conference or a meeting with principal for your review. Understanding that each year will be different when you teach, databases can help you see when you need to change your teaching strategies. You can keep track of the types of learners in your classroom and make sure you car using techniques that will create a community-learning environment for each student. Mainly a database will keep you organized so you and mineralize the time you spend on paper work. Any time that you are able to free up to spend with your students is necessary to try to accomplish. Databases also make it easy to learn about your students. You can look at their personal habits to see if there is any correlation between their work progress and say their sleeping habits or possibly the time of day they are in your class, and even medication the child is taking. You can make whatever alterations necessary to help insure the success of your classroom. You can be sure I will be using databases in my classroom to help me manage all my information.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Assignment #7
I learned a lot about the website and tool called Wiki. I can see how it can be a useful tool for students, teacher, and schools. The only problem is that there are a lot of places to leave a message for the other members on the site so communication can become muddled. Other than that it is great for editing papers that are written in a group format and setting up information websites. It has a user friendly format that I was able to understand very quickly.
Bridging the Digital Divide: A Building Block for Teachers By Colleen Swain and Tamara Pearson
Making sure technology is apart of student learning is a challenge that every teacher faces. Where to place the computers, when to use them, and how to get them are some of the main questions on everyone’s mind. Children are growing up with more computer knowledge than when I was a child. They can access computers in kindergarten and begin to use them for all kinds of learning experiences. From games on math to organizing your thoughts about something you learned, computers play an important role in out education system. Each school district has different obstacles to overcome. But the main one for most schools is insuring that there are enough computers and equal assess to them. In this article I thought it was a good idea to keep the computer labs open before and after school to allot more time for the children to use them. Especially in low income schools where many of the families do not have a computer at home for the children to use. School can be the only place for them to become familiar with technology. Getting parents involved in learning about computers with their children is another wonderful idea. Many parents do not use computers in their daily lives or understand how much can really be done on a computer. It is no longer just an office tool for bookkeeping it is an educational tool for life long learners.
Bridging the Digital Divide: A Building Block for Teachers By Colleen Swain and Tamara Pearson
Making sure technology is apart of student learning is a challenge that every teacher faces. Where to place the computers, when to use them, and how to get them are some of the main questions on everyone’s mind. Children are growing up with more computer knowledge than when I was a child. They can access computers in kindergarten and begin to use them for all kinds of learning experiences. From games on math to organizing your thoughts about something you learned, computers play an important role in out education system. Each school district has different obstacles to overcome. But the main one for most schools is insuring that there are enough computers and equal assess to them. In this article I thought it was a good idea to keep the computer labs open before and after school to allot more time for the children to use them. Especially in low income schools where many of the families do not have a computer at home for the children to use. School can be the only place for them to become familiar with technology. Getting parents involved in learning about computers with their children is another wonderful idea. Many parents do not use computers in their daily lives or understand how much can really be done on a computer. It is no longer just an office tool for bookkeeping it is an educational tool for life long learners.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Assignment #6
Once the initial fear of using Excel passed I found that I really liked it. It is easy to use and overall is a very organized program. I can see where Excel will assist me when it comes time to record my student’s grades. It will keep all their information current will minimal effort on my part. After completing the spread sheet you can change test scores without having to recalculate grades each time. The formulas are easy to remember and use. The Excel quiz was helpful and it gave me confidence that I do understand the basic knowledge of the program. I missed two on the test but went back and looked at what went wrong and now understand a little bit more. I look forward to using Excel in my classroom to help keep me organized.
Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool
Learning how to search the web effectively is important to everyone who has a computer. Especially if you completely trust the sites you look up. Too many people do not understand how to make sure a site is trustworthy and they acquire misinformation. Using search engines that are unreliable is a common mistake many people make. A directory sounds like a good way to help students insure reliable resources when searching the web. Also, knowing how to read the URLs of any website is very important so you can see where your information is coming from. Using library resources and backing up claims with hard copy resources is always a good idea. When children complete research reports I will probably require some along with websites.
Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool
Learning how to search the web effectively is important to everyone who has a computer. Especially if you completely trust the sites you look up. Too many people do not understand how to make sure a site is trustworthy and they acquire misinformation. Using search engines that are unreliable is a common mistake many people make. A directory sounds like a good way to help students insure reliable resources when searching the web. Also, knowing how to read the URLs of any website is very important so you can see where your information is coming from. Using library resources and backing up claims with hard copy resources is always a good idea. When children complete research reports I will probably require some along with websites.
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