Blog 8- Youtube Video

This video is about how in this day and age students have become digital learners. It brings up points about how teachers should be more accepting of using technology in their classroom since their students are willing.

Blog 7- Half Way

Hard to believe that it is already half way. My thoughts on using technology in early education are still mixed. I can see how it can be really good for my students but I still have a lot of apprehension about it. I don’t want to rely on technology too much in my future classroom. Mostly because if I feel apprehensive and unsure about using technology I do not want to pass that on to the children. However I do see the positive uses of using technology. I can see how it might help my children learn how to collaborate. I also see how it can open so many new doors for them, take them to places that they may not have thought possible. I can see myself using digital cameras, computers, the Internet, certain software, and maybe even spreadsheets in my classroom. I just have to learn and be comfortable with things before bringing it before my children.

Blog 6- Internet Use

There are a lot of advantages of using the Internet in an early elementary classroom. The Internet provides a wide array of resources that may not be available otherwise. Children can have diversity in the material that is presented to them. Instead of maybe a collection of books by one author, they can browse to see other books on the same subject by different authors. Then if it is a library book they can get it through interlibrary loan thanks to the Internet. Another pro is that children can now go on field trips to anywhere in the world. The virtual world allows for kids to discovery far away places through the Internet and digital video. Another pro for the Internet is that it plays into Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Most every intelligence can benefit from a number of Internet services. Interpersonal people can work together on projects whereas intrapersonal people can work only. There can be graphics for visual people and words for linguistic people.
There can also be a lot of disadvantages to using the Internet in the early elementary classroom. The big con is that there are a lot of untrustworthy websites out there. Filters can help but not all the time. It can expose our young children to things that they should not be seeing just yet. Another con is the social aspect. Young children are spending a lot more time on the Internet and not socializing as much. If it is an individual Internet project kids will not get the socialization that they may need. Another con that using the Internet too much in the classroom may take away from book reading.
Personally, I think the pros of using the Internet in the classroom can outweigh the cons. I think it puts a lot of information at the tips of my children’s fingers, information that they may not have access to otherwise. It can bring them so many new images, videos, and information. Also, it can bring in a world of cultural and diversity that may again not be readily available. I can take them on field trips that they may not ever be able to go on.
My favorite educational website of all time is A to Z Teacher Stuff. To me this site has it all. There are lesson plans for everything. All grade levels and subjects are present. It even has different lesson plans that deal with computer and technology. You can also look at different themes. There are printables and generators to make your own worksheets. They have an article section that talks about every subject a teacher can encounter. My favorite part of the website is the forum. It allows any user (signing up is free) to ask questions whether you are a pre-service teacher or a retired one.

Blog 5- Kate Grossman's article

My reactions to Kate Grossman’s article are kind of mixed. I can see how the guidelines could do good in the classroom but there are parts I don’t agree with. Kate’s article mentioned how teachers needed the guidelines because they did not know what was expected between preschool and first grade. I think this helps teachers be on the same level as to what kids should be learning in their classrooms. Ideally, it would not matter who taught you in kindergarten because you would be ready for first grade. It would also help teachers become better organized. That is something all teachers strive to maintain in their individual classrooms. The article mentions that there are 172 benchmarks that range from writing the alphabet to understanding that hurting others is wrong. I kind of have mixed reactions about making teachers responsible for things such as social/emotional development. I know as teachers we have a responsibility to help children with these things but back when I was little it really was all about my parents teaching me the social/emotional rights and wrongs. I just don’t know if I agree with putting things like as benchmarks but I guess it shows a sign of the times. Overall, I do agree with the need for benchmarks but they just have to be handled right.