Creative Technologies

After watching the video on creative technologies I began to think about how I could use this technology in a kindergarten classroom.  Out of everything that I saw I believe that the smart table would be very beneficial to a young classroom.  This table would allow the students to be hands on with the activities which I think is important for that age.  In my job as a nanny I've learned that small children seem to learn better when they are able to be more hands on than just being told what to do.  By using this table I would be able to interact with the kids in a way that would be better for their learning styles.  I would be able to customize this table to include activities to help with learning the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, and matching.  The kids could do these fun activities while I supervised to make sure they were understanding the concept.

Video Intro

Realm of Creativity

Chapter 1 in Guide to Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse or Your First Year of Teaching, gave me some great insight on how to prepare for my first year of being an educator.  The tips he provided on creating a vision then pursuing that vision by setting a goal and objectives were very beneficial.  Thinking about the look, feel, and presence of my classroom has helped me to better understand what kind of setup I want in for my students.  After reading this chapter it has inspired me to start on my vision for my classroom.  I might not be prepared for a zombie apocalypse but I feel prepared for my first year of teaching.

Elementary Apps Explorer

After searching and playing around with a handful of educational apps I was able to find a few that I thought would be beneficial to a Kindergarten classroom.  These apps focused on learning letters, colors, shapes, numbers, and also helped on memory.  The three apps that I chose to focus on were Kindergarten Kids Learning, Kids University, and Kindergarten Activities.  I chose these apps because they focused on the main criteria that Kindergartners should be learning.

The first app I will start with is Kindergarten Kids Learning which I found on Google Play.  I enjoyed this app because it focused on numbers, alphabet, painting, rhymes, charts, and educational games.  The cheerful music plus fun features made this app an ideal candidate for classroom use.  The second app, Kids University, was a fun app to explore.  With 5 different areas of learning this app creates a fun and entertaining learning experience.  Lastly, Kindergarten Activities, was a great app that provided activities for the students to practice what they have been learning.

My students could use these apps for a handful of purposes.  From learning new items to refreshing on items they have already learned.  By giving each student an Ipad they could work on the different activities that each of these apps offer.  These apps could support my lessons on learning what sound each letter makes, learning colors, shapes, and numbers, and even matching.  I believe they fit the curriculum because they cover what a Kindergartner should be learning.

Everything Worth Kowing

How can we tell who is smart or dumb?

Categorizing a person as smart or dumb to me isn't correct.  Some people learn at a different pace than others which might put them ahead but it doesn't mean the others that are behind are dumb.  Each individual is smart in their own way and has different skills that contribute to their intelligence.  Just because one person is struggling in lets say math doesn't mean that person is unintelligent.  It just means that they have a harder time with it than others.

The Future of Education

Technology has been growing for quite some time now and has changed the way we function from day to day.  It's growth has been beneficial to a number of people from CEO's to stay at home moms.  It has even made it's way into the classroom.  Teachers have been able to use technology to help with their teaching.  I was able to watch three videos that were made in 1987 describing what the future of technology in the classroom would be like.  In these videos the teacher was able to interact with a student who was at home with a severe leg injury that didn't allow for him to attend school.  Using technology the teacher was able to interact with the student while he couldn't attend school.  While watching the videos I noticed some similarities and differences of what they predicted technology would be like today. 

One similarity that I noticed from the video that we have today is video chatting.  By using a number of devices we are now able to communicate through video chat which makes the scenario in the videos easier in today's world.  Face-time, Skype, and Google Hangout, just to name a few, give students and teachers the ability to interact with one another if the student or teacher isn't able to be in the classroom.  Allowing teachers and students to have this option makes it beneficial so that no one has to miss a day of class.  One difference that I noticed while watching the videos was that our technology hasn't quite hit Artificial Intelligence.  The closest I would consider might be Siri with Apple devices.  

Blowing up the Gradebook?

In his lecture about Blowing up the Gradebook, Chris Haskell, discusses the advantages of having no homework and due dates.  I am not sure if I agree 100% or not due to my performance with this system.  I definitely like the idea but without due dates how do you get your students to get their assignments done and not procrastinate?  The idea of having due dates is so that your students can learn to do their work on time instead of waiting until the last minute.  I do like his idea of no homework though.  Students have so much going on outside of school that it is sometimes hard for them to get their work done on their own.  By eliminating homework you create a better chance for your student to succeed in school.  I think that you should give your students an allotted amount of time in class to get homework done.  My reasoning behind this is so that if they have questions they can ask and so they wouldn't have to worry about finding time to get it done. I believe that Chris Haskell's idea with making it into a game is a very good idea.  Students will have fun getting the quests done and will learn better from it as well.