Lesson Plan Critique

Tonight I did a first! I located a lesson plan on the ALEX website! I had never been to that particular website before. I was working on the assignment for class (Late because I went out of town) and just pulled that site right up! What a great place to look and find new ideas to use in my classroom. I only spent a few minutes looking up that one particular activity, but I plan to go there and visit often. Isn't it wonderful that we have resources available to help us out with lesson planning! And to think, I have been sitting up nights all by myself to come up with original lessons for my students. This is a very sad statement.

I took this class because it was a requirement to get my degree. I have been kicking and screaming the whole time. I need to have an attitude adjustment and just relax and go with the flow. If I quit putting up such a fuss, I may actually learn something that I can take back to my class and use. There is certainly lots of useful information out there for me to find. I just have to take the time to look around on the internet and find it. I have to get over the "time" thing. I need to stop thinking of time spent in front of the computer as wasted time. The more I make use if the internet, the more comfortable I will become. No wonder all of these young teachers have such great ideas! They just know where to go look for them!

Computers for Students

Today in the Birmingham News, there was an article about the students in Birmingham City receiving computers through a grant provided by the One Laptop Per Child Foundation. According to the article, each student will receive a laptop to use. Each laptop will cost $200. The remaining amount not spent on the actual computers will be spent on the training, upkeep and support. I think this is a great opportunity for the students of Birmingham City Schools. By having these computers, the students will have access to technology. I don't believe all students have internet access in the home, so they will be putting wireless internet in all schools. This is great for the students during school hours, but will it help with homework? I wonder if the "powers that be" have thought about the problems with theft, and vandalism? What happens if these problems pop up? Maybe since there will be so many computers around, no one will be interested in stealing them. As a teacher, I would love to have the opportunity to purchase a $200 computer for myself. Is there such a thing as One Laptop Per Teacher? I know I could keep up with my computer and take good care of it!

I want to vent about a problem I has making corrections on Blackboard a couple of nights ago. Early last week, I posted the affordance assignment. I posted a rough draft, knowing that I was going to change the looks when my peers commented on the contents. Before the 2nd deadline, I went in to clean it up and when I did, I deleted the original entry. I knew as soon as I did it that I had hit the wrong button, but of course, by then, it was gone. Now I have no proof that I posted the thing early, had comments and made the corrections. This is one major issue I have with technology. Sometimes you know just enough to be dangerous and you end up getting yourself into a big mess. Hopefully, my cohorts will back me up if there is a problem woth the grade, but I keep thinking, it would be so nice just to get the paper out of the trashcan and uncrumple it! I guess the studetns with the new computers in Birmihgham will get to use with the homework excuse, "I hit the wrong button and my homework is out there in cyberspace."

Technology in 2008

While reading about the many types of technology that are available for our students to use, I was impressed with the sheer number of various tools there are now. For our students to be competent in the future, we will need to begin now to allow them to use as many different types as there are available. While looking at the comparisons on our last assignment, it fascinated me that there was virtually something for everyone. While I, myself, am becoming more comfortable with allowing my students to use technology in the classroom, it seems that more and more teachers have already begun. I use, what I call technology (...internet, games, email, blogs, research, etc.) at home more often than I do in the classroom. I assign projects for the students to complete at home with the help of their families. They are given instructions to use the internet to assist them with their research. They must type their projects and use a printer to produce their work. The students learn how to insert pictures. They use Google and other search engines to assist in their research. At the end of the project, they must share their findings with the class. This year, I will suggest that a slideshow or PowerPoint may help them with their presentation. This is a wonderful way for the parents to help the students. In class, I pull up references online and do activities large group with the students, but do not have the resources in the classroom for the students to use these tools at will. I look forward to the day when I can make assignments and allow the students to go to the computer station and browse the internet for help with their projects. Technology must become a top priority in the education of today's students. I am willing to learn but still need the technical support of the system to make this a reality.