Better Days Ahead

Challenges keep coming in this workshop. My challenges are different now than they were on day one. Now that I know the technology my challenge is to use it and find ways for my students to use it. Working through some of the problems of time, curriculum, and resources are now the challenges I am focusing on.

Teaching Ideas

Teacher created lessons
* As a teacher I would video a science experiment and then have the kids watch the video and narrate the video as to what it was modeling or proving. Example of weathering using the chalk and vinegar. Students would take the experiment and apply to the real world.

Teachers shows the video of an ecosystem and the students have to create a web of all the organisms seen and the interactions seen between the organisms and the other parts of the ecosystem.

Student lessons
*Students take pictures of family members then come class and create a punnet square as to why, what and who (offsprings) received traits from parents.

Students take a science lesson and try to remember a song that relates to the subject matter.

Day two:How can a teacher use technology in teaching tough topics?

Some technology tools that teachers can use in their classrooms are i-pods, digital cameras, storyboarding, movie making, podcasts, and video clips. Teachers are always looking for ways to creatively and effectively teach tough concepts. So a good combination would be lessons that combine curriculum and technology.

One lesson that could combine storyboarding and video clips would be one on changes in the land that occur over time. For example one student might choose an area hit by a tsunami or the Mississippi floods of 1993. They could get news clips of the damage done to the area and possibly videos of the areas before the destruction took place. Then the students can put these into a storyboard movie with audio narration of the sequence of events and the changes the tsunami and the floods created. This would bring real world examples to the vocabulary words of erosion and deposition. It could be an assessment of the unit of study or vocabulary words.

Difficulties using Technology in the Classroom

Using technology in the classroom is becoming a very important aspect of a student's education.

Problems do arise as teachers begin the process of incorportating technology into the classroom.

Teachers need training and time to be famliar with the technology before they teach their students. Also students need training on the programs. These two things are time consuming in the education world. Another problems with the technology is that students think of the programs as fun and play. They need to play awhile then be serious about the educational purpose of using the software and programs.

Technology is a modern 21st century need for the students today. We as teachers must be 21st teachers in order to educate 21st citizens.

For more about the need for technology check out the following video.