What do you think your classroom will look like in 5 years?

In 5 years I am sure things will change. Things have changed so much already, I am not quite sure what they will come up with next. I heard they have hand held smart boards for students which can communicate with the main board. Hopefully in 5 years those boards will be more accessible for schools and students. That would be great!! I would love to be able to have more opportunities to post things online for younger kids. I am hoping in 5 years that younger students will be able to access things online with more safely, that would be really useful for me as a teacher and for students. I am exited to see what they come up with and hope that all the new technology so far will only be better and easier to use!

Mrs. Wilson's Class Website- Assignment #5

Class Website

While creating this web page I did not run into too many obstacles. It was interesting learning how to link separate pages I had created to my web page. The most challenging was creating the charts and calendars. I used word to create most of them. I am still working on creating a volunteer calendar on Google Calendar. Google Page creator makes it pretty easy for you to figure out how to create a page, you don't have to know any html codes or anything challenging like that. I really enjoyed making this website, I am hopefully going to attach some more pictures as well. I got most of my ideas from other teacher websites, as well as knowing what would be most useful for my students. I also created a wiki the Parent's in my class to use to sign up for volunteer dates. The wiki is attached to my Volunteer Calendar page. After creating the Volunteer Calendar I realized I have to stay logged on for the parents to be able to read what is going on. I am not sure google calendars is made for public view, you have to be a member to view a public calendar. It works well for what I need right now, but in the future I am going to try to find a more effective calendar!

I feel I have become alot more knowledgeable of technology lately. By utilizing all the tools available in technology I am no longer nervous to use it. I was a little skeptical of using technology in the classroom, but I can see all the major advantages. I am now sure I can add Google Page Creator to my expert list as well as blogger. I am still learning about wikispaces and Google Calendar but I feel I will be an expert soon. This project helped me learn alot because I got hands on experience in utilizing these resources. I am no longer scared to try new things in technology, I am interested in learning more about it!

A story from the classroom

A little girl decided she was a hairstylist in class. During an art lesson she took her child size scissors and cut her hair. She was mortified that she had ruined her hair. That is probably the funniest thing that has happened this year! I am looking forward to experiencing more with these students!

Questions for Panel Members

1. How has your classroom benefited by using technology?

2. In which ways do you use technology in the classroom?

3. Do your students respond well to technology? Do they know how to use it?

Assignment #4- SMART Board Activity

Preparation for lesson:

To prepare for this lesson I went on SMART board.com and found a lesson plan that was age level appropriate. I made a few minor adjustments by adding in the correct answers after each slide, as wells as adding a link to a useful website at the end of the lesson. I also put together a lesson plan to organize my lesson.

Instructional Plan for: Harvest Festival
Grade Level: 1
Subject: Social Studies

NETs
1. Basic operations and concepts
• Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
• Students are proficient in the use of technology.
2. Social, ethical, and human issues
• Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information and software.
Objective:
I will give direct instruction and guided practice of how to use a SMART board while teaching about harvest time. Students, as a class, will join me in learning about harvest time by hands on interaction with the material. Students may volunteer to come up and answer questions concerning harvest time, as well as call out answers.

Introduction/ Anticipatory Set:• Introduce what class will be learning.
• Ask questions about what we do during harvest time. What is it for? Does it have anything to do with thanksgiving?

Teaching Steps:• I will present a smart board lesson on the subject of harvest time.
• I will go through the slides and ask students to participate in answering questions.
• Students will come up and answer questions by hands on interaction with the smart board.
• Once students have answered questions I will check for understand by providing the correct answers after each slide.

Closure:
I will close by allowing questions and open discussion about the lesson.

Discussion on Interactive board use in the classroom:

I feel my students would benefit by using a SMART board. The SMART board creates a fun, interactive learning environment. The SMART board provides a way for the students to participate in the lesson. Students are able to visually see the information as well as participating in a hands on way. For auditory learners the teacher can read the lesson aloud or add sound/music to aid in the learning process. The SMART board allows the teacher to meet the diverse needs of all students. Like I said before, each learning style can benefit from the smart board. The SMART board can easily accommodate to the needs of students. For example, if you have a shorter student in your class you can change the heights. If you have a blind student in your class you can add audio. There are many possibilities with this tool!

Harvest Festival SMART Board lesson- Grade 1