Reflection 10

Cyber bullying and bullying in person is something that every school deals with whether they won't to or not. Cyber bullying is what takes place online including, cell phones, computers, and tablets, as well as communicating tools like social medias sites, text messages, chat rooms, and websites. Some examples of cyber bullying can include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. Ways to help prevent cyber bullying is being aware of what your kids or doing online, and with that, establish rules about technology being in your household hold. Also understand your child's school rules. Some schools have developed polices on uses of technology that may affect the child's online behavior in and out of the classroom.

Blog article 10

What is Cyber bullying? 

Cyber bullying is a bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communicating tools including social media sites, chat rooms, and websites. 

Why is Cyber bullying different? 

     - it can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

     - these messages can be posted anonymously and distributed quickly to a very wide audience. 

     - deleting inappropriate or harassing messages, texts and pictures is extremely difficult after they have been posted or sent. 

Effects of Cyber bullying 

     Use alcohol and drugs, skip school, experience in-person bullying, unwilling to attend school, poor grades, lower self-esteem, more health problems. 

Help your students prevent cyber bullying. Be aware of what your kids are doling online, and establish rules about technology in your household. 

Reflection 9

From the article I have read recently, it shares information and studies showing that children spending too much time on the computers maybe be something that parents won't need to worry about. Children using the computer for any kind of entertainment, studying or playing games, it will always include problem-soving, reading, and communicating, which are all skills that will help children. A study that was released about this subject linked hours at the computer with achievement test scores and behavior and found little sign of harm for children ages six to twelve as they increased their screen time over a six-year period.

Blog 9 article

Researcher links kids' computer use with test scores, behavior 

A researcher from the University of Maryland tells parents, who worry about their children who spend too much time on computers, to worry not. A study was released saying that linked hours at the computer with achievement test scores and behavior and found little sign of harm for children ages six to twelve as they increased their screen time over a six-year period. There was adolescent achievement shown from the use of computers, and it doesn't have to be studying, it could be playing games. Computer use, overall for child, involves problem-solving, reading, and communicating, and these are skills that help children. 

Entry 5

Don't forget to bring in your signed field trip forms this Friday! Only students with signed field trip forms will be able to get on the bus, and we so not want any students to miss out on this great opportunity to take a private tour of the zoo.
Parents, please make sure your child is wearing cool, comfortable, and appropriate clothing. Summer weather is here!

Entry 4

1st GRADE DRAMA SHOW INVITATION

 Miss. Amanda’s class cordially invites you to attend your student’s 1st Grade Drama Show, "America"!

 The Show will take place at 8:30pm on Thursday, April 3rd, 2014. 

Information on Costumes:

 Please have your student wear bluejeans (with no rips, holes, or tears) & a red, white, or blue shirt of any kind (with no writing on it). Thank you!

Special Request:

 Please work with your student in these remaining days with their preparation for their show. Please help them memorize their lines/blocking by testing them often, it will help them a lot! 

Thank You! 

Entry 3

Progress Reports 

*Progress Reports were sent home in Monday's take home folder. Please sign the top sheet at the bottom verifying that you have viewed your students' grades. Feel free to contact me, Miss. Amanda, with any questions you may have. These grades represent where your student is at the halfway point of the first marking period.

Reflection 8

The article that I have read recently about kindles in the classroom was a great article. It gave many reasons to have a kindle in your classroom, and some reasons maybe to have have a kindle in your classroom. One great reason to have a kindle in your classroom is because they promote readin fluency. The kindle's text-to-speech audio function can help address the challenges of students with vision problems, language Barriers, and lack of reading fluency. Some of the hurdles you might face are if the kindle is durable enough in the student's hands or in their backpacks and there is no output jack to connect to an overhead projector The cost is the major hurdle for having a kindle in a classroom. Most teachers can not afford to buy a kindle.

Blog article 8

Will the Kindle Change Education? 

Amazon's e-book reader is a device more commonly spotted in airport lounges or on commuter trains than in high school classrooms. Chris Edwards, a social studies teacher, says, "I see it as an update, not simply of the book, but of the library." Kindles that are used in the classroom that are stocked with well-chosen e-books would allow the teachers to flex new teaching strategies. The Kindle device also has a text-to-speech audio function that can help address the challenges of students with vision problems, language barriers, and lack of reading fluency. 

But, using kindles, there will be classrooms hurdles. 

1. How durable are the plastic tablets in a student's hands and backpacks?

2. There is no output jack to connect to an overhead projector. 

3. The ability to transfer content from one user to another. 

4. Do not offer enough personalization of learning and differentiated instruction. 

5. Lack video and interactivity 

6. The cost. 

Reflection7

The article that I have read about Differentiated Instruction really gave some great ideas on how to apply technology in your classroom. Students can read books, practice math skills, create videos with a flip cam, contribute to the classroom blog, produce PowerPoints, and review tons of material using an interactive whiteboard. Students that may not like to do the traditional project of writing a computing can use a comic life software to write an exciting comic strip. Also using certain softwares, teachers are able to customize lessons for students. In a math class, one student can be working on basic multiplication tables while another tries three-digit multiplication and another tackles complex word problems.

Blog article 7

Differentiated Instruction: Getting Personal with Technology 

     Using technology in the classroom, students are able to reading books, practice math skills, create videos with a flip cam, contribute to a classroom blog, produce PowerPoints and also use an interactive whiteboard. From one of the interviews in this article talk teacher talks about how one of his students he sees as a disinterested student in reading and writing. This student used a comic life software to make a cartoon about a reptile he calls a bearded dragon, just like the one he has at home. The teacher was very pleased that this students was elected to work on creating comics, where good writing is essential and every word counts. His teacher says if he would have given this student a traditional project he would have been dooming him to be a C or D student. Using this software and allowing the student to do something he enjoys allows him to be better than just a C student. His teacher said "what's neat is that you don't see the disabilities, you see the abilities."  

   How to Differentiate: For starts, you can use software to do much of the basic-skills practice and assassessment that would otherwise take up the teacher's time. The computer programs can identify spectific weaknesses in a child's skills. Teachers can review these outcomes daily, then assign lessons to each student according to their need, so the next time they log in, the program  will give them practice assignments on precisely what they need. 

Reflection 6

     An article I have recently read was about teachers and students getting too social online. This article had some really important information in it about being friends with your students on social media. I am definitely in between the ideas of having or not having students as friends on a social media.
     This article also shares information that was given in a couple interviews about using or not using social media. In some districts I across the country, schools are imposing new guidelines that ban private conversations between teachers and their students on social media. So some teachers do not even have the option to be friends with their students.
     In one of the interviews that was given, this teacher said something that stood out to me, "I think one of the reasons why I use social media is the same reason why everyone else uses it, it works. I think that we would do more good keeping kids safe by teaching them how to use these tools and navigate this online world rather thank looking it down and pretending that it is not in our realm." This statement stuck out to me because most of the incidents that happened could have been preventable if the students or even the teachers were taught the correct way to use the technology.

Blog Article 6

Rules to Stop Pupil and Teacher From Getting Too Social Online 

Schools across the country are imposing strict new guidelines that ban private conversations between teachers and their students on cellphones and other online platforms like facebook and Twitter. These polices starting coming up when some teachers were seen setting poor examples; posting lurid comments or photographs and having inappropriate conversations. School administrators know that the vast majority of teach use social media appropriately. Some school districts have completely banned their teachers from having any kind of social media but some have not. One teacher says "I am against baning it entirely. But I think there is a middle ground that would allow teachers to take advantage of the electronics technology and keep kids safe." Another teacher says, "I think that we would do more good keeping kids safe by teaching them how to use these tools and navigate this online world rather than locking it down and pretending that it is not in our Realm." School administrators are also concerned that teachers may reveal too much information about their private lives. "Keep work work, and keep private your personal life." "For a relationship to start with friending or texting seems to be heading down the wrong oath professionally." 

Reflection 5

The article I have recently read talked about teachers making cell phones work in classrooms. This article interviewed a teacher that  let's his students use their cell phone in his classroom. When they first enter his room, he send out a mass text that ask the students a challenging question about that days topic. He also would use a poll taking application for when his students were going to take a quiz.  Another interview they had in the article was from a teacher that did not use cell phones in his classroom but used 'Poll Everywhere' for both multiple- choice and open- ended exit poll questions. One important thing that we teachers need to do is teach digital citizenship if we are going to incorporate any kind of technology in our classrooms. It is our responsibility as educators to teach students how to interact with the world. 

Blog 5 Article

How teachers make cell phones work in the classroom

There are many ways to incorporate cell phone usage in a classroom. Cell phones can gauge student's understanding of a concept, can capture notes and ideas to be used and studied later, to calculate, to communicate, and to express ideas. Cell phones can be used as a warm up. As the students walk into the classroom, you can send out a mass text asking a challenging question that is related to that day's lesson. Students can also use a poll taking application to take multiple-choice and short-answer quizzes. When using cell phones in a classroom, it is important to remember that all your students may not have a cell phone, and that before using you will need to go over digital citizenship.  

Entry 2

Book Fair!! 
The Scholastic Book Fair will be visiting our library February 24th-28th. Your child will be visiting the book fair during his or her regularly scheduled library time. Be on the lookout for a flier in the "Take Home" pocket in your child's folder that will advertise what books will be on sale. Please send your child to school with the appropriate amount of money on their library day.

Reflection 4

I really enjoyed the recent article that I have read on keeping it simple in the classroom. Snyder talks about how in a social studies classroom, software could set up an international political standoff and the students can role play to various officials. Also in a science classroom you could do more of a "shop-class" approach and the students could learn how to take apart,  rebuild and creat their own software. In a math lesson though, Albrecht would just use a Tupperware full of  dice and base ten blocks. He said he could do more with these kinds of manipulatively than he could with computers. This article very well explained why and how to make technology easy and keeping it simple in the classroom.

Blog 4 Article

Tech Made Easy: Keeping it Simple in the Classroom 

Schools can apply simplicity to technology for an optimum classroom experience in a variety of ways. The following are some examples. 

Complexity- in the right place 

For a social studies lesson, software would set up an international political standoff. Students role-played various officials- the U.S. President, the American Secretary of State, the foreign minister of Israel or Iraq. 

Real computer Science 

Most high-tech schools do not teach true computer science. It would make more sense if schools taught computer skills the way they do every subject. Schools should take a "shop-class" approach to outdated or broken computers. Students would be able to take them apart, rebuild, and create their own software programs. 

Ten-Dollar Technology 

Albrecht says "I do a lot more with blocks and cubes than I do with computers, because they are powerful and cheap. And teachers can leant to use them." His point is that youngsters are fascinated by tools, especially when they're used doe real world projects. In you gets grades, computers usually mean lots of mechanical hassle and wasted time teaching students to do things on a screen they can more easily accomplish with paper, pencil, and crayons. 

Reflection 3

The article I have recently read about assistive technology helped me understand exactly what assistive technology is and how to engage it into my classroom for every student. Assistive technology is a set of mandated services and equipment for students with disabilities. Items such as a triangular pencil grip, a talking calculator, a larger computer monitor, or a voice amplifier can be considered assistive technology. In this article, they also give many examples of assistive technology being used in the classroom. In the examples students are using transparent yellow film to increase the contrast in the print, a black card with a long horizontal window cut to concentrate on a single line, and a computer with headphones that will read the story aloud to them. Assistive technology can be simple things such as the items listed above, and can still have such a major impact on a student to keep them engaged during class.

Blog 3 Article

Assistive Technology: Enhanced Learning for All
Assistive technology includes a set of federally mandated services and equipment for students with disabilities, the term also refers to valuable tools and strategies for including students with a wide range of learning styles in classroom activities. Examples of Assistive technology can be anything from triangular pencil grips, a talking calculator, a larger computer, or a voice amplifier for a teacher with vocal cord strain. A couple of struggles that educators are dealing with are considering each student's need for assistive technology and also the lack of AT-experienced teachers and related personnel, few sources of staff training focusing on education, and the need for additional funding. Even with these barriers, there are many examples of success using assistive technology.

Reflection 2

The article that I have recently read about online safety was very helpful for my household and also in my classroom. The four tips that the article provides are; talk to your children or students, secure your equipment, establish rules, and get online. These tips are very helpful in promoting online safety and in just engaging with your children or students. Talk to your children or students about what they like doing on the computer. Secure your equipment so that the children or students are at their most safe while on the computer. Establish rules at home and in your classroom so the time on the computer does not take the time of other important activities. Also get online to check out what your child or student is up to, and to see what is new.

Blog 2 article

Internet Safety: tips for keeping kids safe online 

1. Talk to your kids: Talk to them about being safe online and ask them about the websites they like visiting. 

2. Secure your equipment: Have the latest security software, web browser, and operating system on your computer. 

3. Establish rules: You should always have rules that you and your child are clear about. Never let the computer or internet take the place of other important activities. 

4. Get online: Become familiar with your kids world on social media. 

Entry 1

Open House

Parents mark your calendars for Friday, January 31, 2014. We will be having our annual Open House from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This is the night where your are able to come and visit your child’s classroom and see what he/she has been up to the past couple months. The kiddos are always way excited about the Open Houses; it’s the night where they get the show off their masterpieces, artwork, and group projects they have worked so hard on. I hope you all are able to join us!

Blog 1 article

A recent article that I have read  “Technology Integration in the Classroom” talks about the integration of technology in the classroom and the instructive approached for technology in the classroom. Incorporating technology in the classroom can and does help students develop all kinds of skills, from the basic thinking skills to the higher-order critical thinking skills. The article also gives two different instructive approaches for teaching and learning in the classroom; directed instruction and constructivism. Directed instruction is grounded primarily in behaviorist learning theory and the information processing branch of the cognitive learning theories. The constructivist instruction view is evolved from other aspects of the cognitive learning theory. This perspective views learners as actively engaged in making meaning, and teaching with that approach looks for what students can analyze, investigate, share, and build based on what they already know, rather than what facts and skills they can parrot.