Technology Comic

The Auditory-Kinesthetic Learner

Using the Smart board (or Promethean board) to correct grammar in a paragraph for English class, match vocabulary words with their definitions in social studies or science class, or solving problems in a math class are ways to get a Kinesthetic learner involved with technology in the classroom. Also, having the Kinesthetic learner create a podcast or a video about a particular topic being covered in class. For an auditory learner in a foreign language class, Skype could be used to interact with a student from a country that speaks that language who is learning English.

Wordle - Grade Level

Our class seems to be split pretty evenly on whether they want to teach younger kids or older ones. The students who want to teach at the high school level are more open to teaching any grade.

Double Entry Journal #2

"Teachers can use the smart board to support the students’ learning styles." Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Learning Styles. Wikibooks I realize that this quote is very small, but having observed teachers using the smart boards (hers was a Promethean board) and desperately wanting one in my future classroom, I have decided to expand upon this one little sentence. The smart board, like the section said, is in my opinion perfect for all learners. The teacher that I observed who used one was a special education teacher. She also taught classes for students who failed the English portion of the LEAP test (Louisiana's version of high-stakes testing). Not only did the smart board help the different types of learners in her classroom, but most of the students were so excited to use the technology that they didn't mind that they had to do work that they were apathetic about or had difficulty understanding beforehand. She started her LEAP classes by posting a paragraph on the smart board that had grammar issues that needed to be corrected, much like on the tests the students take. She gave them about 15 minutes to work on it and then the students were able to come up and correct the mistakes. These 7th and 8th graders were as excited as little kids getting to play a game on a computer. It was very evident that regardless of the learning disabilities that they had or the apathy towards school, they tried their best to work at their desks to get the correct answers so that they could not be embarrassed in front of their peers if they were chosen to go up and show their work.

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"Simply put, we can’t keep preparing students for a world that doesn’t exist. We can’t keep ignoring the formidable cognitive skills they’re developing on their own."
Heffernan, Virginia. "Education Needs a Digital Upgrade."New York Times 07 Aug 2011, n. pag. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. <http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/education-needs-a-digital-age-upgrade/>.


The first part of this quote made me look back on my previous educational experiences.  The first time I went through college to receive a diploma, most of my fellow students and I were striving for degrees in the usual suspects: Accounting, Law, Teaching, Journalism, etc.  Though each of those careers were changing even then, they were old standbys that were familiar.  Though there were of course the IT students and Computer Programmers, those departments were not as large or popular as the others.  Six years after receiving that degree and reentering college, it is unbelievable how much college life and college course have changed.  Computers are in most classrooms were they were relegated to mostly technology courses before, unless you were one of the lucky few from a well-off family.  Blackboard that we were only just beginning to use and only to record grades is now the primary means of communication, information, and means to turn in assignments.  If all of that can change in just six years, how much different will the world be from when a child begins school until they graduate?
The second part of the quote makes me think of my son.  He'll be four soon and starting Pre-K in the fall.  He also already knows more about computers than I did leaving high school, most of which he figured out on his own.  He doesn't know how to read or even write his name all that well, but he can navigate to the games that he likes to play, find a video that he wants to watch, or find a story program that will read to him.  Everyday he astounds me with some piece of information that he has learned from the computer.  He is thinking in different ways than my brothers did at his age, whether from computers or the change of the times I am not certain.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/113/6/1715.full.pdf

Hi! My name is Suzanne (pronounced soo zahn phonetically) Miller.  I have recently moved to Morgantown, WV from Lafayette, LA.  I grew up right outside of Baton Rouge and received a BS in Communications Studies from LSU.  I went back to school last August to UL-Lafayette to earn another BS, this time in Elementary Education.  After moving in September, I am now attending Fairmont State to finish pursuing my degree.
I believe that children start school excited to learn.  It is especially important for early elementary school teachers to cultivate and inspire this excitement into a love of learning that will last throughout their lifetimes.  I also believe that integration of curriculum is important.  Why should each subject be relegated to it's specific time of day?  When learning about addition, the lesson could begin by reading One More Bunny: Adding from One to Ten by Rick Walton.  A science lesson on seasons could start with an introduction on the artist Claude Monet.  The students would then learn about the seasons and then do a water color project where they could express their knowledge of the four seasons.