Any tech tools, resources, recommendations, including the vast world of online learning.
Technology Integration
The kids are all but unfamiliar with technology. These days this is what they love. Why not incorporate into your lesson. Makes it easier for you and the students.
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Incorporating technology into K-6 lessons
Hi Shamina -
Thanks for your post. I (and others, I'm sure) would love to hear some specifics on how you incorporate technology into your lessons. Anything you can share?
thanks!
betty
The way I incorporate
The way I incorporate technology into my lessons are to create lesson plans that will have the students to use powrpoint or windows movie maker to do their assignments. Most students are familiar with the applications and some are not which means that you will have to do a brief lesson on the application of choice. Once that is done the students can begin on their projects.
I also like to use this website called pppst.com (pete's powerpoint station). This is the best thing since sliced bread. It is a site that has pre-made powerpoint lessons created by other teachers that you can use in class and saves you a lot of time.
We use smartboards in the class and there are a plethora of interative websites that you can use in the classroom with the students as a learning tool. The students absolutely love it and so do I.
I would love to branch out more and incorporate more technology like using the IPODs for pod casts however, everyone is not fortunate to have one but, maybe in the near future schools will realize the importance of using or including the technology that the children utilize at home. That way the students are not penalized for bringing them to school. We could use them as an educational tool.
Technology is not going anywhere at all. On the contrary, it is becoming more and more vast. So we all need to embrace the fact that in the 21st century, this is what our children of tomorrow are going to need skills in. If not, we are putting them at a big disadvantage.
Incorporating technology into K-6 lessons
Thanks for elaborating, Shamina. These are great. Would love to hear other examples of how folks are doing this.
Used Discovery education for
Used Discovery education for Martin Luther King Day-watched "I have a dream speech." The children wrote what Martin Luther King's dream was and how they could keep it alive.... This also led to a discussion about history--Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln etc....
Great examples, Shamina! I am
Great examples, Shamina! I am also a fan of pppst.com. I use their foreign language presentations to teach K-6th Spanish.
Since I have a Smartboard, I also love to download video streams from DiscoveryEducation.com. I have found some wonderful clips that illustrate the history and culture of various Spanish-speaking countries. Since these clips are all in English, they can be easily incorporated into a social studies curriculum.
In my experience with technology, I have also found that once you teach students how to use a specific program and its applications, you can integrate technology into most assignments. I am a huge proponent of project based learning, where my students can create products to illustrate what they have learned. As a final project for a family unit, I had students create a digital photo album and label pictures they brought from home in Spanish. They were also required to present their album in the target language. My students prefer these kinds of projects and I am looking for new ways to utilize technology. My next major project is to organize an e-pal project where my students can electronically correspond with students in a Spanish-speaking countries and to video conference with that group students. Can anyone recommend reliable e-pal sites?
Blogging
I think there are so many ways to get students involved in the technology use. I, too, have a SmartBoard and I create and use a lot of lessons. But the ultimate goal for me is to have the students doing the creating. I have used VoiceThread and Blogging with my first and second graders to great success. They do the planning and they create the product for our use.
Thank you for your input,
Thank you for your input, Karen. I like how you put students in charge of managing and creating products. Can you be more specific about what kinds of topics your students blog about and what kinds of activities/products they have created with VoiceThread? I haven't had any experience with either of these applications in the classroom setting.
J. Lance, I love how your
J. Lance,
I love how your activity led to another discussion of other great leaders. I frequently use that site and feel that tools such as video streams help bring history and other topics to life. Thank you for sharing.
WOW!!! Those are awesome
WOW!!! Those are awesome assignments. Maybe we can bounce some iedas off of each other. I was recently moved to another school which has some technology but, not the technology that I am used to. Now I have no smartboard and i am so lost because I used my smartboard everyday at my old school. Anyway, I would love hear some more ideas as to what you are doing and I will give myou some ideas as well.
Classroom websites
Is there anyone on here that created a classroom webpage? I would like to know whats the best hosting site and which ones are the most inexpensive ones to use. Classroom websites are a great tool as well so that students always stay abreast and can communicate with you as well as always knowing what to do and when it's due. So, please let me know what you know.