Cool Tools for School

For my tool, I chose one called "Invention at Play". It has a ton of fun games for children to play, but also have different things they learn while playing, such as problem solving, collaboration, etc. I think this would be very good for kindergarten because they would enjoy the playing, but also get a lot out of it by learning new skills as well.

http://www.inventionatplay.org/

Week 5

This week was GREAT! I emailed a teacher that writes a blog that I follow, and she also wrote a book. Her book is honestly what made me want to become a teacher. Everyone should check out her blog, It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. I emailed her and asked her if she would like to Skype with our class, and SHE SAID YES! I am so excited. She was so nice, and I hope we can set something up with her. We also did a lot in class this week. We discussed hardware of computers this week...not the most exciting thing in the world, but still something we need to know for sure. I am also excited about Drop Box. I can't count how many times I have had a computer crash and lost all of my stuff after I was forced to get a new one. It has been an awesome week, and I am looking forward to this week too! :)

Week 4

This week was SO much fun! I loved loved loved adding widgets to our blogs. So cool! I feel so tech savy now :) I also loved the Skype talk with Ira Socol. It really made me think about children with learning disabilities, and how they are often judged, and it is so sad. We recently ordered his book, and I am excited to read it. I am sure I will learn a lot from it. I loved the Skype chat, and I think it would be fun to have others.

Third Week

I am actually really excited that Mr. Chamberlain has asked me to start thinking about technology for younger students, because I never really thought about the adaptations that will include for my classroom until now. Just because kindergarteners are young does not mean they cannot benefit from technology. I really enjoyed this week of class. The video we watched with the young girl discussing children and the future really interested me. It was interesting that someone that young is so insightful, but also interesting because almost everything she said is so true. I love when we watch videos, and I love hearing other people's opinions on controversial topics, such as school killing creativity. This class is turning out to be more fun than I thought :)

Second Week of Class

This week, the lesson really gave me a lot to think about. Talking about being a teacher that is not up to date on technology really made me consider the disadvantages those students have. Technology is such a wonderful resource that anyone can benefit from, and using the excuse "I don't know how to use it" is just simply, for lack of a better word, lame. Anyone can learn if they are willing to put in the time and effort. If you think about, almost all professions are careers must at some point advance their skills and techniques, whether it's a doctor learning more modern procedures, or a cosmetologist being up to date on the latest hairstyles. Times change. We have to be willing to conform to these changes in order to be the best and most efficient teachers we can be for our students.