Annettespace

This week I read an article from NewScientist. The article was Vidoe conditioning spills over into real life.This article has some really interesting findings. Research has found that video games can subconsciously trigger emotions, and condition people to respond to real life and alter our behavior.

Paul Fletcher developed a research project to determine the depth of the effects that video games have on our real lives. He asked volunteers to play a simple cycling game. The subjects were given a sip of juice if a member of their cycling team (shown wearing their teams jersey) passed them in the game. If a member of the opposite team (shown by wearing a different jersey) passed them in the game, they were given a sip of salty tea. The participants were called back and asked to sit in a waiting room were two chairs were available. The first had a towel with the jersey associated with juice, and the second had a towel with the jersey associated with salty tea. The participates overwhelming chose the first chair.

"Our research suggests whatever you've learned in the computer game does have an effect on how you behave toward the stimulus in the real world," Fletcher says. This research supports the idea that violent games can promote people to lash out against specific people, while educational games can promote the learning method.
As a teacher this is very important to know. Teachers must be extremely cautious about the content in the games which they are exposing their students to. The associations that students make while using technology can be good or bad. Teachers must be aware and choose games that promote learning and form positive associations with the real world.

I am currently in a school that has an average amount of technology. There is one computer in each classroom and a computer lab with 20 computers. The computer lab is located in the schools library, so classes which are larger than 20 students can accommodate those who are not able to use a computer, by providing books as resources.
There are 2 laptops for teacher use, 3 projectors for classroom use, and 4 digital cameras for classroom use. There are no smartboards in my school, so I have grown in interest in making a "smartboard" using a Wiimote.
I hope to introduce my kindergarten class to a wide range of technology as I teach them. I think students should be exposed to technology from a young age so they become accustom to the idea of using technology in their daily lives. Technology has become a very important part of society and students need to learn how to use it properly so that they can avoid the dangers associated with some forms of technology. As a teacher who is a technological native I feel that it is my responsibility to help the next generation become fluent and comfortable with technology.

In the article Things You Really Need to Learn by Steve Downes, it is written that teachers teach useless information to students. He writes that students need to learn ten things:

1. How to predict consequences
2. How to read.
3. How to distinguish truth from fiction.
4. How to empathize.
5. How to be creative.
6. How to communicate clearly.
7. How to learn.
8. How to stay healthy.
9. How to value yourself.
10. How to live meaningfully.

Although teachers do not outwardly and explicitly teach these as lesson, but throughout their lessons and day to day interactions with students, teachers do teach these important life skills to students. Through their lessons teachers teach children about empathy, creativity, self value, clear communication, health, predicting consequences for ones actions, and living meaningfully. Teachers do more then just stand up in front of a class and "preach" lessons to students. They support their students and provide the students with a meaningful role model in the class room. I do not agree that teachers provide useless information in schools. Teachers are much more then just a "teacher". They are there to support their students however they are needed.

Here are my SMART goals for this term.

GOAL 1
By January 28th I would like to learn how to make a "SMART board" from a Wii remote. This way I can use this technology in my classroom and have the students interact with technology outside of their alloted computer time. I will start with one remote and see if I need to make another. I will buy a Wiimote and determine how to construct a smart board from resources available online. I believe this is achievable for me and hope to construct this piece of technology by next Wednesday. This sound give me enough time to construct this remote. I am very willing to make this piece of technology and hope that my students will benefit from using it.

Goal 2
By February 11th I would like to find a good program for keeping student marks organized in the Ubuntu operating system. I have yet to find a good freeware program for this purpose. I think by using the correct resources online I will be able to find a suitable program. I believe that it will be much easier for me to keep track of my students grades with this type of software. I feel that this is enough time to search out this program and install it onto my computer.

Goal 3
By March 4th I would like to have a unit planned out that is technology based for Kindergarten students. I hope to use my created Smartboard in this unit. I will include interactive and developmentally appropriate games which the students will enjoy and learn from. I am setting this goal because I want my students to start learning how to use technology from Kindergarten. I will use good resources to help me determine what type of software I can use with my students. I believe that this is enough time to come up with this unit plan. I am willing to work towards making this unit plan because I feel it is important to expose children to technology from a young age. Some students may not have computers at home and this might be their first exposure, so I am hoping to make it a awarding and memorable one. These goals are achievable in this amount of time and I can feel that students will benefit from this unit plan.

Completing the Educational Technology Skills Inventory Survey gave an accurate description of myself as a technology user.

Technology Operations and Concepts
This section summarized me accurately. I am generally comfortable using computers on a day-to-day basis. I am able to solve routine technical problems and make informed choices about the use of a computer. I am comfortable using technology for professional purposes. I like to explore different programs and operating systems to see what they offer. This has lead me to find edubuntu, which has a variety of programs available on it to help teachers in the classroom without costing a penny. I am very interested in the use of freeware and seek out different opportunities to use it and introduce other users to it. I think technology is very important because it makes life simpler.

Planning and Designing Learning Environments
This section describes me fairly accurately as well. I use technology to collate, analyze and present my research findings and I try out available hardware and software for educational purposes, while selecting education-specific resources that meet my needs. I have chosen specific computer programs for my students to use when learning new math skills and I am not afraid to find appropriate websites for my students to explore when studying of playing games.

Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum
Once again, I found that this section of the summary was also accurate. I do use technology to help increase my productivity, creativity and learning. I also try to get my students to use technology for the same purposes. I use technology to expand my own learning and incorporate it into my lessons for my students to benefit from as well. When I prepare or present lessons I use technology to simplify the process. I need to seek out more on line and tech related processes to support problem solving and decision making to maximize my learning. I think technology is an integral part of the education system today and students need constant exposure to it.

Assessment and Evaluation
I use technology for a verity of reasons such as to collect information, evaluate the information I collect and locate where information can be found. I regularly seek out where new information resources and technological innovations which would be appropriate for the use in the classroom or during lesson planning. I need to aim to research and evaluate the electronic sources of information that I use more frequently then I do so now. I need to evaluate the success of technology in my classroom and make sure that students are actively progressing while suing technology. I need to encourage my students to seek out new opportunities for technology in my classroom and provide them with encouragement and reliable information to make informed decisions. I should help students be able to determine and critique which sources of information and which pieces of technology would best be suited to their needs.

Productivity and Professional Practise
I use many technology based resources and tools to help me increase productivity. I must aim to collaborate in constructing technology enhanced models, publications and creative works. I need to have a positive attitude when promoting technology for life-long learning. I must also learn to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate resources for my students. By increasing my knowledge of technology in the professional setting I will be able to participate in technology-based professional collaborations as part of my own personal growth.

Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues
When working with technology is it always best to be fair and ethical in our use of technology's resources. In the classroom I should show awareness of diversity, health, safely and security issues that surround use when using technology. As a teacher I would emphasis how dangerous the use of technology can be and how students must use it with caution by have a strong understanding of how information can affect their privacy and anonymity. As I teacher I will manage a classroom that has a strong sense of diversity and allow all students with the same access to resources. I will model the safe use of technology. I will promote fair and interactive experiences for my students in the "global village" of the Internet. My students will have a Strong sense of morals when it comes to the use of technology.

Overall this summary was accurate in describing me. I think technology is an integral part of the classroom today and hope to learn more about it's use in the classroom. I hope to leave this course with a strong sense of the use of technology for my future students.

Setting up this blog was pretty simple. I really enjoy blogging and have had a livejournal blog in the past. I found that eventually I stopped using it and abandoned it on the web. I think I will be taking it down now and try using this one more then my previous blog.