Final Thoughts on PLE's

I did like blogging but I'm the type of person that with be very good about posting for a while then forget about it once and stop doing it until I can get back on track. The thing I like most about it the amount of information and how easy it is to send it to a mass amount of people. I don't like how complicated it is to put other things besides text in the places you want. I had a lot of trouble with that in some of my posting. It think having a class blog is a great idea for my classroom. A posting every week about what we did and covered and what parents can do to help. I think it is also good for the older grades so the students have a reminder about what is due this week and what it coming up. In summery I would like to use it and hopefully my students and their parents will like it too.

Internet Safety Doing

I talked to my brother and sister (14 and 12) about internet safety. They didn't seem to keen on talking about it. I asked what they should do to be safe on the internet and their response was don't be stupid. Further questioning revealed that the do know the basics and what could happen if they don't follow the guidelines. They are both smart kids and I don't really worry about them. They both told me they have never been in a chat room, but I do know that on some online games they play with others, they (my brother) do talk. They know not to share their names or personal info. I hope they will be able to give their peers good advice.

Internet Safety Watching

I spent a lot of time on the sites designed for kids. While there are some amazing and attractive resources out there, I couldn't help but think if the kids ever use them out side of school. One of the games, Clicky's Quest, was familiar to me because I had seen my 1st graders play it after they were done with their computer testing. I hope that the kids that are playing these games are not just playing them, but also understanding the purpose behind it. This skill seems to be at a 2nd or 3rd grade level to me.
There are also many great sources for parents who are wondering how to approach this topic with the children. These would be great references to give parents when they ask me as a teacher. I did find of site I really like that was designed for teens. After a short cartoon clip then asked related questions to real teens facing real problems. It is a great connection tool.

Internet Safety Reading

• For my fourth article I read this one:
  
• "The Message: Mushrooms, Music, Movies, and Magazines"

  Spencer J. Condie, New Era, Feb. 1990, 4–6
  Just as there are different kinds of poisonous mushrooms, so are there different kinds of music, movies, and magazines that poison the spirits of men and women.

• I picked this article because it caught my eye, and because it was in the New Era and is aimed towards youth.
• As I read all of the readings and was amazed at how fast all of these problems have come about. As a child, my parents were not really concerned about internet use in our house because we didn't have any connection until I was 9. I don't really remember starting to use the internet. I didn't have a desire to sit at the computer for hours so I wasn't exposed to many things that we are trying to protect our youth from today.
• I have a 12 year old sister and a 14 year old brother. They were the first things I thought about when we watched the informational presentation in class. It the youth these days like them that get caught in these traps. All of the articles gave suggestions for usage of the computer and TV as prevention strategies. I've heard all of them before and try to use them. I think of my home and what we have and we could always do more.
• The impact these articles and the in class presentation have had on me is that you can never start too early in teaching children and youth these things. Many youth are more computer savvy than the majority of adults, and that is a scary position for many parents. I hope I can teach my students about these dangers in a way that is sensitive and strong.
  

Reflections on technology used in my classroom and school

I am in a 1st grade classroom in Copperview Elemetary in Midvale. This school was just remodeled the past year and has some very nice up-to-date technology. Every classroom has a digital projector. This is used a lot so all the students can see they text being studied. We have used it in our introductions to the students. It is really nice and I already have plans to use it in many of my lessons. The digital projector also has TV, DVD, VHS, and computer hook-ups so the students can all see any media version.
Other technology I've seen, is a computer lab that the teacher's can schedule. Each computer in this lab has a program called Yearly Personal Progress (YPP). This program tests the students periodicaly through the year mostly on their math skills but also on reading and comprehension skills.
Each room is also set up with a microphone system. The teachers wear a mic around their necks that they can turn off an on fast, with a switch and it projects all around the classroom. It works wonderfully because even if the teacher is turned around, the class can still hear her. If the teachers need to talk to a student but doesn't want the whole class to hear, she can turn it off and then back on easily.
All of these things are going to be a great resourse for the classroom. I'm excited to use them.

Google Earth report

I watched the 5 American Explorers tour, the Fossil tour, and the Castle Tour. They were all very well done. I liked how they all had something about the place or event and an interactive activity to do that went along with it. I know any age students will love Google Earth, and I hope I will be able to make productive tours with it to help my students learn about the world and history.

Reflection on Google Earth

I've always thought Google Earth was cool and fun to play with, but I hadn't thought of it as an educational tool. I think its great for learning about Geography, History, Literature, and many other topics. You can do almost anything with it (except see the breathtaking views of mountains and water from the top of a hill). It cannot replace the real thing but it can get pretty close. The site that I found had many different tours in many different topics and places. I hope I can use them and any others that I find.