Thursday, September 22, 2011

Sharewith911

I found this blog that lists some great educational technology websites. One of them I chose to read was this http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/09/mobile-phones-in-schools-as-lifesaving.html?showComment=1316734486784#c3685837517615893014

It talks about using mobile phones in schools to help save lives! The example is using your phone to take a pictures of what is happening in a school during a school shooting. While this is one of the extreme examples it could be very beneficial to law enforcement and first responders! Be sure to check it out.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Technology: Home and School

Technology at Home:

In our home we have a desktop, laptop, iPod touch, iPod nano, PS3, and 2 Plasma TV's with Netflix streaming and the ability to connect to the internet. We also have cell phones, but we don't have a texting plan so that puts us a little behind the generation that we currently teach. For me I feel we have plenty of technology in our home! My husband would disagree since he loves to have the latest and greatest of things. He is currently dreaming of a projection TV system for the basement along with an iPad.

I currently teach at a preschool and we have hardly any technology. There is one student computer in the Pre-K classroom and it currently doesn't work. In my classroom I bring the iPod touch and connect it to a speaker doc. I use it a lot to play movement songs, relaxing songs for nap/rest time, and songs to bring the students together when they aren't following directions! I think that having more technology would be amazing in preschool. These children can't write yet so they only have their words to express themselves. How cool would it be to have a webchat with another classroom! Pen pals for 3 year olds via Skype.

When I worked in the middle school setting technology was always being talked about. How can we get easy to use technology that's free into the classroom so that teachers can use it! Our technology teacher taught us after school about virtual field trips, how to navigate and search for ones that are free, as well as how to set them up in his classroom. I think that as teachers we need to think about how the technology works to engage our students. We don't want to use it just to use it. How can we use it to get our students excited about the more boring topics??

I would hope that with greater opportunities with technology in the classroom that my students would benefit from it. Would they be able to learn more about different cultures by taking a virtual field trip to another country? Then could we work to set up a Skype session where the students could do a Q and A to learn more about what its like to be a child in another country. Facebook has really opened up the opportunities to meet and stay connected to others around the world. We just have to take advantage of it and bring it into the classroom and have administrators and technology directors that agree with it!

I hope that this class will introduce me to different ideas about technology, new ways to use technology and the different successes and struggles in school districts across Michigan!

Have a great week!

-Amy Miles

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

It's been a long time!

It's been too long my friends!

Abby is getting big (2 years old now) and Luke ( 5 months old) are doing great. I also started taking classes towards my masters and will be posting here for one of my classes!

-Amy