Twitter

So I am going to be honest here, I don't really like Twitter. I think it is redundant. There are already so many applications, or networks that essentially do the same thing. For example, there are status posts on Facebook, blogs are essentially really long status updates. So really, you could also us a blog as a twitter, and end up getting more information. I can see how you might want to use it in the classroom, but in my opinion, it would be more efficient to just have a blog.

Not that I don't like, technology, because I do! I think email and the internet has changed the way people are able to communicate and made it much easier and quicker to get in touch. However, sometimes I wonder if there will ever come a time when we never meet face to face anymore. There is so much to do on the internet, and a lot of it is redundant...but we do it because all our friends are doing it, or because it is new. I think Twitter is one of those things. I think it would be more time efficient to just embed the twitter mechanisms in other applications, for example like they have on Facebook. That way we can do all our networking in one place without having to find yet another network to put it all together, like iGoogle.

Rock Star Activity

So I actually really liked the Rock-Star Activity. I don't necessarily think that it a lot different from the Webquest activities, however. In fact, I feel as if it was more of a less structured webquest. I guess when I think of what a webquest is, it is using the web to find information and colate that data in some way to hand in for a grade. Now the webgarden quests where very structured, with given websites, helpful because the teacher knows from where the the information is coming. It has set guidelines, a rubric, and detailed instructions on how to go about the activity. The rock star activity was similar, but less structured. There was an assignment that needed to be carried out using the web. The differences arise when the student has free reign to find whatever they want wherever they want to find it. I think this is good because it allows the students more room for creativity and individuality. It also, however, might cause difficulties in keeping track of what the students are doing, or where they are getting their materials. Are the websites reliable. So I feel as if there are strengths and weaknesses to both forms of internet activity, and I do feel as if they are similar in form.

Webquests

So we have been working with Webquests and I find them very interesting. I like that thy are something different to use in the classroom. It is an option that is both creative and productive that students can do. We often want to engage our students and these not only help do that, but they also help apply the principles being learned to real life. I have never really done a webquest myself, except for the one we did in class, but I still think students will enjoy them. I definitely think this is something I can integrate into my own teaching. I also really liked the webquest I found today because it applied more than one mathematical concept. It used both geometry and algebra, and it also had different parts for students, so they could work with their strengths to help the group. Another reason why I think webquests are good is because they allow students to work on their own to get their answers and work at their own pace. That is something we strive for as teachers.

Webquest: Magical Popsicle House

Smartboards

So this weekend I was at my boyfriend's house and I was going to help his sister with some of her algebra homework. She had notes she had taken in class...but the coolest part was that her teacher has a smartboard. Therefore, all the notes from class were available online. It was really neat that she, or her parents, could get on the internet and remember what was said, or if she missed class, what was covered that day. It is neat to see the technology in an actual classroom, not just theoretical.

Reflections

Ever since I started this class I have been thinking a lot about using technology in the classroom, a no brainer, I know, since that is what this class is all about. Anyway, my mother use to teach fourth grade, although she is now working as an Assistant Principle, and won a grant at the time to have her classroom be a 21st Century classroom. It must have been around 1994 or thereabouts, and then it was a big deal. Having 21 computers in a classroom was very different from the norm.

However, I remember really loving it, and the other kids loving it (yes, I was actually in my mother's 4th grade class). It brought a completely different way of thinking to us, and it provided a plethora of new and exciting ways to learn. I imagine it might be a little different today since most kids use computers at home, as well as ipods, phones and whatever else that has games and entertainment. But I think using technology in the classroom helps the students now relate better because they understand computers. It is something familiar that might even help give them more confidence in what they are doing.

Anyway, the point I am actually trying to get across with this little bit of rambling is that I hadn't necessarily thought of using a lot of technology in the classroom, besides a calculator, but I do think it could be a great resource. I do believe I might be coming out of my apathetic attitude a bit about it.