Things I Learned About Integrating Technology

It is amazing how useful and versatile technology can be in the classroom. It was so cool to see how a smart board can be used for every aspect of a lesson. It was used to look at pictures, search for important information, fill in a worksheet as a class, and show a video. It was also interesting to see that you can use all kinds of technology to teach the same lesson. I used a digital storybook to lead into my lesson about water, but another girl in my group used Kidspiration to teach about the water cycle.

Talk About Internet Safety

I talked with a 13 year old about internet safety. It was interesting because she was actually discussing a lot of the things we learned at her school. She knows what cyber bullying is, but said it is not something that she has come in contact with. She never gives personal information out on the internet. She has a facebook account, but it is blocked to everyone but the friends she adds. She said that she only adds friends that she knows well. I told her how important this is and that people on the internet aren't always who they say they are. It sounded like they've been taught all of this in school which I think is really important. It is especially important to present information like this in a way that will get the point across to kids, not to scare them, but to make sure they don't try to push the limits. I think the youth I interviewed was very receptive and will continue to do what she is doing.

Media Article Reflection

1. I chose to read "The Message: Mushrooms, Music, Movies, and Magazines" by Elder Spencer J. Condie of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
2. I thought it was really interesting that he related listening to, viewing, and reading all kinds of media to mushrooms. He talked about how some media, like some mushrooms, are good and beneficial. Others he called "doubtfuls," meaning that we may not be able to tell if they will be good for us or bad for us. In these cases, it is better to stay clear of doubtful media, rather than get into something that we will regret later. Still other media and mushrooms he called "look-alikes," these were things that look like the good, beneficial media, but are actually poisonous. Elder Condie then provided a checklist to use to help determine if something is good or bad. We are to ask ourselves if the media: a. Is virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, b. Allows you to stand in holy places, c. Does not take the place of your desire to seek first the kingdom of God, d. Does not keep you from striving to deny yourselves of all ungodlines, and e. Helps you to abstain from all appearance of evil.
3. I think it is important to teach children right from wrong and how to determine what media is uplifting and good for them, and what pulls them down and takes away the spirit. Parents should discuss with their children the way they feel when they read or watch or listen to something good, and how their mood changes if they are exposed to something bad.
4. I will try to make a better effort of watching only uplifting things, sometimes I fall into midless TV watching or computer game playing when I should be doing something more productive such as serving others. I am going to try to be better about this.
   

My Technology Project Presentation

What a Wonderful World

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Using Technology in the Classroom

This week I was able to present a digital storybook to my class. The pictures were all drawn by the class, and set to the song "What a Wonderful World." This was part of a unit on the 5 senses, in the song, Louis Armstrong sings about seeing trees, hearing babies, etc. It was so fun to see the kids react when they saw their pictures come up on the big screen. This was a good way of ending the unit because the kids felt like they had accomplished something and learned something. They especially loved seeing their names in the credits at the end of the video. I think this was a really fun way to use technology in the classroom, and got the kids really excited about the subject.

Technology Lesson Idea

In the 1st grade class I am working in right now, we are learning about the 5 senses. The students listened to the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and then each student drew a picture to correspond with a line from the song. I think it would be fun to create a digital storybook using the students' pictures to show to the class as a final activity in the senses unit.

Classroom Technology Inventory

I thought it was really interesting to see how technology in the classroom has changed since I was in school. When I was in Elementary school, we had an overhead projector, a TV, and a couple of computers with really old games and word processors on them. In the classroom I am working in, they have access to projectors, wireless internet, and laptops.

My teacher does not use a ton of technology in her classroom (from what I've seen the last 4 days), but the kids go to the computer lab to do word processing, and to supplement some of the things they've been learning in class. I am excited to use some technology in my lesson, I think the kids will really enjoy it and learn from it.