Sunday, August 26, 2012

Welcome to Education 570, Computers in the Classroom

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rameshng/5930493923/
Welcome to class! We will use this blog to share ideas specifically related to our course. To get started, let's introduce ourselves to one another. Tell us a little about yourself. If you're teaching, what grade level or subject area? Why are you taking this course? How do you see this course as relating to your professional goals? What is your comfort level with technology tools? What digital tools do you use often? How do you incorporate technology into your professional work? What are some of your goals for this course? What would you like to learn in the course? What other information do you want to share to help us get to know you? When responding, be sure to start off by telling us your name. (When ready to post, you can select the option, Open, and also add your name there.)

10 comments:

  1. Hello! My name is Christina and I teach 6th and 7th grade mathematics! I am hoping that through this course I will be able to build on my Google site and use web2.0 technology to create videos to flip my classroom. I am very comfortable with technology but new Web2.0 applications are being invented always, and there are many that I am unaware of! I am hoping that this school year I can integrate more technology into my classroom like web quests. I can't wait to learn more!

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  2. My name is Brianna, I am certified k-6 classroom-less teacher. I will be taking a maternity position by October in a grade 5 classroom. I wanted to take this class to round out my technology coursework and stay up to date with what my students are knowledgeable or capable of. Students are very exposed to and proficient in technology and I want to utilize their interests and skills in the classroom to capture their attention. After last semester, I am much more comfortable with technology and figuring out new applications. I would like to take my blogging website to a higher level, perhaps creating a google site. I am still in vacation mode after a long summer of moving to MA and adjusting to a big career and schedule change with my boyfriend. Things are chaotic but exciting.

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  3. My name is Jon Bishop. I am a happy father of two great kids and a wonderful wife. We love going to Maine during the summer to work at a traditional summer camp for kids. It is a great way to spend the summer.
    During the school year I am the Assistant Director of The Middle School at The Master's School in West Simsbury where I have been for the past 5 years.
    I am also teaching three Middle School Technology Courses which range in topics from office and productivity applications to digital citizenship to programming.
    I am taking this course because I love technology and the possibilities it holds as a tool to leverage deeper understanding for my students.
    Our school is in the process of a major infrastructural and pedagogical technology refresh. As the more tech savvy of the administrators of our school part of my responsibility is to identify excellent resources and train our staff in their utilization. This course seems to be a logical fit for that.
    I love technology and am happy to have it as an integrated part of my life. When you ask about what digital tools I use it is honestly hard to remember because a lot of that usage has become automatic. I am a frequent web surfer, emailer, dabbler in programming, reviewer of ed tech and 2.0 resources, etc.
    I try to incorporate tech in my presentation to my students, in connection with parents, and work to develop my teachers in their own competencies as well.
    I would love to learn about some additional options for teacher connection with students. With that, though, I would like to see tools that retain a personal connection feel to them which continues the strong teacher/student relationship. I would also like to dig deeper in to the licensing agreements of some of the sources as well in order to better understand what can be used effectively and safely with students.

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  4. Hi! My name is Rachael. I did my undergraduate at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI, where I recieved my Bachelor's in Elementary and Special Ed. I'm certified in CT and RI for SPED K-12 and Elem. K-6. Last year I moved back to CT and began my teaching experience as a T.A. at an Elementary School in West Hartford. At Smith School, I was a 1:1 for a Kidnergartener with Autism. Through working with him, I fell in love with K! It would be my dream to have my own Kindergarten classroom, but I love all elementary grades for different reasons. This year I returned to Smith as a T.A. until my long-term sub position there comes up. I am pretty comfortable with computers and technology but took this course to broaden my knowledge of different tools and resources. I regularly use computers, iPads, and SMARTboards with my students. I would love to learn about new websites, tools, and technologies that I can incorperate into my teaching, especially since my school is now a STEM school with a strong emphasis on technology. I hope that this course will help give me knowledge and skills that will make me a more competitive candidate in the process of becomming a classroom teacher!

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    Replies
    1. Rachel, you might want to check this post about 10- Must-Download STEM iPad apps: http://www.burnsmcdblog.com/2012/06/06/10-must-download-stem-ipad-apps-for-kids/

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  5. My overall goal is to be able to facilitate somewhat of a paper-free classroom. Since I intend to teach English, I want to be able to allow my students to have access to their documents from anywhere by incorporating Google Docs as the tool we use to share most of our long writing samples. I also want to operate a classroom blog that allows students to feel comfort with discussions (especially those who are not comfortable speaking in the classroom). I want to be comfortable with blogging so that my future students will feel the same comfort and excitement when sharing their ideas online. I also want to use blogs to welcome parents into our classroom community and include some sample projects and presentations of their children. This paper-free component of my classroom will also provide accessibility to assignments, since I want to operate a class website where students can locate notes and assignments. I know that there are plenty of online tools that I am not aware of, so I hope that in this course I can learn about more tools that will allow me to create an efficient smooth operating paper-free English classroom.

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  6. Hi everyone!
    My name is Christina and I teach 7th and 8th grade art. I decided to take this class because I want learn more about how to incorporate technology in the classroom. While, I do not have easy access to a computer lab, nor do I have a Mimio or Smartboard in my room, I have wanted to try to build a website for my students to access interesting art resources. I am pretty comfortable with technology, however, I am on low end of the spectrum of using social media or technology on a daily basis. My biggest goal for this course is to learn how to create a website.

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  7. Hello all,

    My name is Danielle Norden (formerly Herbette, still getting used to the married name change) and I currently teach 4th grade at Bugbee Elementary School here in West Hartford. I began my career teaching 6th grade at West Woods Upper Elementary School in Farmington and have also taught 3rd grade at my present school, Bugbee. This is my fifth year of teaching. I have 15 credits completed towards my Masters and am taking this course as an elective. I am interested in learning more ways that I can use technology to deliver curriculum, engage students, and also stay "in touch" with current and future generations. I am familiar with what most people would probably call the basics of technology use (if there is such thing anymore). I mostly use my Mac laptop, work desktop, iPad, and iPhone in my daily life. I incorporate technology into my classroom using my Smartboard as much as possible for information presentation but also as a means to connect to websites, picture files, sound files, and video clips. I assist the Library Media specialist in teaching my kids researching skills as well as Internet safety. On a daily basis, my students use computers for word processing, math practice, assessments/activities related to our reading curriculum, research, and general entertainment and exploring during free time. I hope to learn and become familiar with new sites and tools that I can use frequently with students and also teach them to use to meet objectives and increase engagement. I hope to also share my learning with team members and colleagues to enhance their classrooms as well.

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  8. I just realized I didn't quite introduce myself. My name if Felicia, and I completed my undergraduate studies at Delaware State University. I have a 6 year old daughter who is starting first grade. She is very excited about technology, and she has recently began designing her own website using Weebly. Her idea is to design a website where you can dress up an avatar, but I am not that advanced in technology to create that kind of site, but we are starting at the basics. I have been a coordinator for an after school program in Bloomfield for 4 years, but last year I piloted a literacy program with students in K-3. This semester I am taking three courses this semester, and two are about technology on the same day. I am hoping the assignments won't be due on the same day.

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  9. Hi, my name is Mary Beth. I am a certified secondary English teacher who is looking for my first teaching job. I just got a job in the meantime as a building substitute in Windsor. I am in my last semester of my graduate degree and I am taking this course as an elective for my curriculum and instruction focus. I do not have a whole lot of experience with computers and technology in the classroom, but I am excited to learn! I would like to get more comfortable with technology and come out of this class with a few tools that I can incorporate in meaningful lessons for my students.

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