PLE 14

I posted the internet safety assignment already.
I compeleted the course evaluation on route y and I completed the course feedback survey.
I checked my grades on Moodle.

Internet Safety Reflection

1. For my article of choice, I read "Tangled in the Web" from the August 2001 Ensign.

2. I watched the Netsmartz videos, the Faux Pas video, and the Frontline PBS documentary. I also explored some of the websites listed.

3. A lot of the stuff in the videos I had heard about before, but I am still amazed at all the scary things that can happen on the internet. I think one important thing is that parents need to have open communication with their kids. The two girls who ran away with men from the internet in the videos both said that they felt they had no one to talk to, they they turned to chat rooms. I think this happens a lot more than people think. Parents also need to talk to their kids about the internet and set reasonable guidelines. Cyberbullying can be very harmful, and any child facing that needs to have a parent to talk to about it. I have never experienced cyber bullying, and this opened my eyes to how scary and dangerous it can be.

4. I talked to my mom about internet safety. She has had experiences with the internet and children with me and all my siblings, so she knows a lot about keeping safe on the internet. She is aware of the dangers. I shared with her what I learned about teaching kids to be safe on the internet and that it is important to be an informed parent. She agreed with me, and mentioned how much time can be wasted on the internet, and I completely agree with that. She says to keep her kids safe she keeps our home computers in open areas, and is aware when anyone is on the computer. She makes sure everyone knows what is and is not appropriate to do on the internet. She also tries to put a limit on computer time, so my siblings are not sitting on it all day. I think she is really keeping my family safe by doing those things. I was surprised how prepared and informed she is, and I think that is a really good thing. We also talked about how teachers can help their students on the internet, like teaching them the dangers, and also all the good things.

TPACK Report

Here is the link to my presentation:

http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgx86zmc_5gfw3tbcw

My Three Lesson Plans

Language Arts Lesson:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcfkk7sx_1ftbgx6ck

Math Lesson:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcfkk7sx_2fbxqs5f9

Science Lesson:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcfkk7sx_3hqvjkngw

Week 10 PLE

These videos were great examples of how to use technology in a real classroom. The teachers were able to use technology when teaching language arts, reading, and science. One very important thing I realized from the videos is that you have to keep the students engaged. Technology should not be used just for the sake of using technology, but should be used when it can enhance a lesson to the children’s benefit. In the lesson with the spiders, it worked really well to have the kids go out and find spiders and take pictures of them. It was also really neat when the kids went on the website and were able to communicate with students from other places. The students are experiencing both science and technology. It is also important to keep in mind the needs of the students and to be flexible. Sometimes it is hard to fit in technology due to time constraints, so you have to take things slowly. The one teacher in the videos worked with the students individually on their projects--not every student is at the same level.

Week 9

I completed both the midcourse evaluation and the consent form.

In my classroom, there is not very much technology being used. There is an overhead projector and the teacher has a laptop, but that is all there is. I noticed that the teacher has to send the attendance to the office over the laptop, but I'm not sure what else she uses the laptop for. The projector is used on a daily basis.

The students also go to the computer lab several times a week, but all they do there is typing practice. The teacher said sometimes they do other projects, but the school wants them to learn to type before doing other projects.

I definitely think technology could be used more in the classroom, but there is just not very many resources available to the teacher.

Science Challenge Reflection

I watched Sam, Robin, and Nancy's projects and they were all wonderful.

There really are so many different things you can do with science because it is so hands on. The nice thing is that a lot of these projects were based on programs that are completely FREE. There is no fancy equipment required, just computers. These projects also showed me that they are pretty easy and they match up with a lot of the state core, so that makes it simple. Science tools and hands on activities makes lessons much more exciting and I think the students would really appreciate these experiences. I would love to use a digital microscope in my classroom, that would be awesome. They are so much easier than the old school microscopes.