Off-loading

In my classroom of 26 students I constantly feel like there is never enough of me to go around! I am always trying to find ways to off-load myself by using technology. It is also very easy for the little ones to become easily distracted and off topic. Using AlphaSmarts in the classroom allows me to off-load myself and give me more time to do other things. The students can type their thoughts on the AlphaSmarts and then send it to my computer for me to print. I could of course extend the time of the project so I could meet with each group, but that would waste way too much time!

In my personal life I am in the process of buying a house. I understand that the process of purchasing a house can be very time consuming and stressful. Anytime that I can off-load something to give me more time to do something else, I do! One example is how I have done most of my searching. I could drive around in my car in search of a house for sale and then hope that someone is home to give me a tour and more information. Instead I off-load that task and use a computer. I use a website that shows me the most recent homes for sale in the area. It also gives a virtual tour and lists many other facts. This saves me an abundance of time and always me more time to wedding plan! J

Design in First Grade

I have learned over the years that when I step into the classroom I am not only a teacher but also a guidance counselor, nurse, mom, dad, friend, professional shoe tier…etc. I had never thought that a designer would be something I would add to my list. After discussing how teachers can plan effective instruction on Wednesday night, I soon realized I have been a designer for many years! When planning instruction teachers need to make sure to have the students search, sort, create and communicate.

In my first grade class we celebrate presidents day by researching the current president. During the third quarter I planned a web quest for my students to complete about Barack Obama. I explained to the students that their task would be to research about our president and create a brochure. This brochure would be shown to a friend who is from another country who did not know much about our president. The students were excited to get a chance to teach someone else something about their president. When we got into the computer lab I first showed the students how to navigate through the website and explained what my expectations were. I showed the students how to get from one step to the next and how to return to the main screen at any point. Once the students were familiar with the web quest they were sent in pairs to the computers. The first step in the web quest allowed the students an opportunity to search through 3 different kid friendly websites that were embedded into the web quest to find out information about Barack Obama. They were looking for specific information that was required along with additional “fun facts” about him.  Embedding the websites into the web quest was helpful for two different reasons. One there are many websites that contain information about the president. It would take too long for the students to sort through the significant amount of information. The second reason being that I did not want to students wandering though different websites that I had not approved. The students had excess to the Read, Write, Gold program during this time. This program allows the students to select text that they would like read to them. This program is helpful for young students when searching on the Internet. The second step in the web quest showed pictures of Barack and his family. Once they had their information they needed to sort through what they had and see if they were ready to create their brochure. Students created their brochure using Pixie 2. After they created their brochure they presented their final product to the class.

Looking back on the design of the lesson I felt like I did have the students search, sort, create and communicate.  When I do this lesson this year I will make sure to break it into three different sessions. The first session I would have the students search and sort their information. The second session is when I would have the students create their brochure.  The last session I would have the students share their barouches.  Explaining this timeline to the students will be helpful and give them a good idea about how much time I would like them to spend on each step.  

As a result of careful planning I feel I was able to plan a lesson that was most effective for my students. 

Reflection from our first class

Tonight’s class provided me with a lot of new information and perspectives about learning and technology. I have a co-worker who has gone through this program but before the class tonight I was feeling uneasy about what I was getting myself into. I felt much better after looking over the syllabus and discussing further projects.

First and foremost I was most eager to meet the people I would be spending my Wednesday nights with! The name game activity was a perfect way for me to learn the names. Hopefully I will remember for next week! I found it interesting discussing the different memory techniques others used to learn the names. I used the association technique. I have done this activity in my own classroom but never thought to ask the students how they remembered the names. This would be a very interesting discussion to have with first graders. It would also be a good opportunity to practice using different techniques and relate it with other concepts. In first grade we give weekly spelling tests. Our goal is for the students to learn the pattern or word family but sometimes we throw in oddball words. These words do not fit the rule and must simply be memorized. The name game activity would be a nice way to relate memorizing classmates names and your oddball words. Some students think of a clever jingle or song to learn the spelling while others learn it a different way. I can’t wait to have this discussion when we start word study tests.

The reading by Bradbury made me think further about society’s view on change and other people’s differences. As Pricilla was reading about how the other students responded to the girl who had seen the sun my mind took me to my students from my class last year. I had a very diverse class and had to spend a lot of time speaking with the students about accepting others differences. There are many great children’s books that have the same underlying theme that we read. I also thought about how people in older generations are responding to the younger’s generation “obsession” with technology. I often hear adults saying that children these days do not socialize enough with their peers and just spend too much time in front of a screen. It made me wonder if these adults really have a point or have not adjusted to the shift in what some children consider “play”.

When Pricilla asked the class what technology was it seemed like an easy question but after trying to find the right words to express what I was thinking I found myself at a loss! I loved the way Pricilla used a visual to explain how technology connects people to the world. The four classifications of technology were physical, social, intellectual, and informational. Separating technology into four different groups helped me think about how each form impacts my life as a teacher. As a teacher I am constantly setting goals as I create my lessons. After our discussion about affordance I started wondering if I am picking the best form of technology to allow my students to perform at their best level and meet the goals I have set. I am interested in learning different modes of technology that I will be able to use with my students. I would like to learn how to set up a WebQuest that is appropriate for first graders. I also would like to see how I could incorporate technology more and more in my classroom.

As I leave class today I am very excited for what the next two years hold! I am looking forward to a great year!

More to come

Reflection will be posted soon!