Instructional Simulation can be a great tool to use in the classroom for a multiple reasons. Students of all ages can participate in simulations such as the Oregon Trail, which was around when I was in elementary school, Sim City, or Civilization. These types of simulations provide students with tasks and encourage them to strategize as they move through the game. Simulations are a fun and engaging educational tool, that can be used in the classroom.
These types of technologies are also great for distance learning. Students who are not in the classroom can participate and contribute by playing along. Instructional simulations can also be a great tool to teach students time management and how to stay on task in order to reach their goal.
Instructional Simulations are also great tools to prepare medical students for surgery or soldiers for war. Simulations are an important part of our students future and it is important to not only engage them in the classroom, but teach them how these simulations work so they can create more advanced simulations for their future and future generations to come.
Jen Maxfield
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Games in Education
Video games could play a very important role in the classroom if used properly. One study found games to improve students engagement and excitement level for learning in several areas including both letter sounds, etc. and mathematics. Students in today’s world are engaged through the use of multimedia and spend a great deal of time outside of the classroom working with video game programs if they are available to them at home. Knowing that technology is the key to our students’ futures it is crucial for us as educators to prepare students for their future jobs, including many that have yet to be discovered.
Using video games to fine tune students abilities to multi-task, problem solve, create, comprehend, analyze, etc. will keep them engaged in today’s classroom setting. Student’s are no longer interested in reading from a text book, but would be more engaged learning the same material through a simulated computer program. The use of technology would also allow teachers to challenge their students at an independent level, based on their skills without having to reinvent the wheel and create several versions of the same assignment.
Technology should be imbedded into today’s classroom curriculum. Rather than teach literature as a separate piece, why not incorporate the use of technology to make the learning of literature more interesting? With committed teachers and a supportive school system, etc. students could have a greater opportunity of learning the skills they will need for their future jobs and overall success.
Jen Maxfield
Using video games to fine tune students abilities to multi-task, problem solve, create, comprehend, analyze, etc. will keep them engaged in today’s classroom setting. Student’s are no longer interested in reading from a text book, but would be more engaged learning the same material through a simulated computer program. The use of technology would also allow teachers to challenge their students at an independent level, based on their skills without having to reinvent the wheel and create several versions of the same assignment.
Technology should be imbedded into today’s classroom curriculum. Rather than teach literature as a separate piece, why not incorporate the use of technology to make the learning of literature more interesting? With committed teachers and a supportive school system, etc. students could have a greater opportunity of learning the skills they will need for their future jobs and overall success.
Jen Maxfield
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Online Video Resources for Educators
I reviewed the Discovery Education website for teachers. This website is an incredible tool in my kindergarten classroom. I use a great deal of the math videos, Math Monsters and Number Crew videos, to introduce new concepts as well as reinforce the concepts we've learned and applied in class. This video tool keeps my students excited and engaged in their learning! It is very common for my students to suddenly understand a new concept after watching a video demonstrating the new material. I also really like showing my students the Read A Lee Dee videos for learning more about rhyming words in reading.
Typically I show a Discovery Education video after a recess when the students are coming back into the classroom. Seeing the video preped and ready to go, gets my students to come in the room and quickly get settled to see what we are going to watch. I love listening to my students shout out their answers during the math videos and watch how excited they are when they understand!
The pros to the Discovery Education website for my kindergarten classroom is the amount of material covered on this website that directly corresponds to what we are learning and discussing in the classroom. The website is also free to me as an educator. The con would be at times the website does not cooperate and a video will not play, which is somewhat disruptive when I'm trying to teach my students. I would definately recommend educators to use the Discovery Education website.
Typically I show a Discovery Education video after a recess when the students are coming back into the classroom. Seeing the video preped and ready to go, gets my students to come in the room and quickly get settled to see what we are going to watch. I love listening to my students shout out their answers during the math videos and watch how excited they are when they understand!
The pros to the Discovery Education website for my kindergarten classroom is the amount of material covered on this website that directly corresponds to what we are learning and discussing in the classroom. The website is also free to me as an educator. The con would be at times the website does not cooperate and a video will not play, which is somewhat disruptive when I'm trying to teach my students. I would definately recommend educators to use the Discovery Education website.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
21st Century Student
21st Century Classroom Teacher
When you walk into a 21st century kindergarten classroom you would see students engaged and excited to learn about and use the technology that surrounds them. Instead of a chalkboard or a whiteboard, 21st century students use the activboard and document camera to be involved in learning new information, share their ideas, and explore new possibilities. The activboard enables students to interactively learn in a large group setting and allows the teacher to build a file of lessons without being stuck with the traditional pencil and paper method.
The knowledge and understanding of a 21st century kindergarten student exceeds the knowledge of many adults in the area of technology. While the teacher facilitates new learning, students are eager and excited to use new tools and to problem solve when technology difficulties arise. Rather than teach 21st century students the skills they will need to use new technologies, the teacher facilitates new methods to learn and ways to problem solve. The world of technology is growing at a rate teachers strive to keep up with and work hard to expose students to.
The 21st century kindergarten is as interested in playing baseball as they are about playing the new Wii game or getting their turn to use the activboard. Today’s student is excited to write about what new video game they have at home, rather than their last family outing. The 21st century students are learning in a period of time like no other in the past. Students are going to be expected to understand, comprehend, analyze, and create new technologies in their future. The 21st century teacher must expose students to technologies and allow them to explore and learn at their own rate, even if that exceeds the understanding of the teacher.
Jen Maxfield
When you walk into a 21st century kindergarten classroom you would see students engaged and excited to learn about and use the technology that surrounds them. Instead of a chalkboard or a whiteboard, 21st century students use the activboard and document camera to be involved in learning new information, share their ideas, and explore new possibilities. The activboard enables students to interactively learn in a large group setting and allows the teacher to build a file of lessons without being stuck with the traditional pencil and paper method.
The knowledge and understanding of a 21st century kindergarten student exceeds the knowledge of many adults in the area of technology. While the teacher facilitates new learning, students are eager and excited to use new tools and to problem solve when technology difficulties arise. Rather than teach 21st century students the skills they will need to use new technologies, the teacher facilitates new methods to learn and ways to problem solve. The world of technology is growing at a rate teachers strive to keep up with and work hard to expose students to.
The 21st century kindergarten is as interested in playing baseball as they are about playing the new Wii game or getting their turn to use the activboard. Today’s student is excited to write about what new video game they have at home, rather than their last family outing. The 21st century students are learning in a period of time like no other in the past. Students are going to be expected to understand, comprehend, analyze, and create new technologies in their future. The 21st century teacher must expose students to technologies and allow them to explore and learn at their own rate, even if that exceeds the understanding of the teacher.
Jen Maxfield
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Maxfield_J_Article
Technology looks different in every classroom, but in every classroom technology seems to be the key component to meaningful student learning. Across the board students are more engaged in their learning when technology is involved. In my kindergarten classroom the students are far more engaged in a math lesson when I use a unitedstreaming video, versus when I demonstrate the same lesson with manipulatives, such as cubes or blocks.
Regardless of the demographics in your classroom technology seems to be the heart and soul of getting and keeping students engaged in the classroom. The visual appeal, ability to interact, and hear sounds besides one continuous teacher’s voice, is more meaningful for students in the education system than the traditional styles of teaching from the past. The methods of teaching 10 years ago are not conducive to the needs of students who are currently in the classroom.
Kindergarten students, high school students, special education students, and every student in between, have a great need to be able to utilize technology in the classroom to prepare for their future. It is a teacher’s responsibility to make sure students inside their classroom are surrounded by the tools they will need to be successful in their future. In today’s education system it is never too early to introduce new technology into the classroom, especially when you hear a five year old student talking about an I-Pod.
Regardless of the demographics in your classroom technology seems to be the heart and soul of getting and keeping students engaged in the classroom. The visual appeal, ability to interact, and hear sounds besides one continuous teacher’s voice, is more meaningful for students in the education system than the traditional styles of teaching from the past. The methods of teaching 10 years ago are not conducive to the needs of students who are currently in the classroom.
Kindergarten students, high school students, special education students, and every student in between, have a great need to be able to utilize technology in the classroom to prepare for their future. It is a teacher’s responsibility to make sure students inside their classroom are surrounded by the tools they will need to be successful in their future. In today’s education system it is never too early to introduce new technology into the classroom, especially when you hear a five year old student talking about an I-Pod.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Software and Assessment
I decided to use Google Earth with Shelley for my software. The software allows students to input their address and see where they live from an arial view. When you input the address Google Earth zooms in on the location and you are able to move the screen to view different angles! We are working on an All About Me unit in kindergarten where students are sharing information about themselves and will learn about their community and world around them. This is a great tool to use to show students where they live in comparison to their peers and eventually other places in the world, for example where their families originated. This is a great tool to give students a visual example of where they are in relation to Carson Elementary, where I teach and their home.
After looking for awhile for an appropriate assessment online tool I decided to use Survey Monkey. I like the idea of being able to create a simple survey to see if my students are able to learn/memorize their address and hopefully they already know the name of the school they attend, etc.
I am very excited to integrate Google Earth into my lesson for All About Me!
Jen Maxfield
After looking for awhile for an appropriate assessment online tool I decided to use Survey Monkey. I like the idea of being able to create a simple survey to see if my students are able to learn/memorize their address and hopefully they already know the name of the school they attend, etc.
I am very excited to integrate Google Earth into my lesson for All About Me!
Jen Maxfield
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Netiquette and Cyberbullying
Netiquette and Cyberbullying go hand in hand.
Netiquette, a portmanteau of "network etiquette", is a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from Usenet and mailing lists to blogs and forums. These rules were described in IETF RFC 1855.[1] However, like many Internet phenomena, the concept and its application remain in a state of flux, and vary from community to community. The points most strongly emphasized about USENET netiquette often include using simple electronic signatures, and avoiding multiposting, cross-posting, thread hijacking, and other techniques used to minimize the effort required to read a post or a thread. Netiquette guidelines posted by IBM for employees utilizing Second Life in an official capacity, however, focus on basic professionalism, maintaining a tenable work environment, and protecting IBM's intellectual property.[2] Similarly, some Usenet guidelines call for use of unabbreviated English[3][4] while users of online chat protocols like IRC and instant messaging protocols like SMS often encourage trends in the opposite direction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette
Netiquette is a brand new "life skill" for the online generation of students who are currently using the internet. Cnn.com has a list of example "signatures" someone would use for example :) a smile to show you are happy or LOL for laughing out loud. There are also inappropriate signatures students use and it seems they are surprised if a teacher or parent actually knows what it means. Netiquette is important for teachers and parents to be aware of to discuss some of the appropriate and inappropriate uses, so the technology gap between generations doesn't increase at and get out of hand. Netiquette is a new term since people are communicating more with each other online during their personal time than perhaps even spending face to face time together. Writing a class blog would be a great way to demonstrate to students the use of netiquette. Parents could even take an opportunity through a classroom blog to use netiquette for reinforcement.
http://edition.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/07/21/netiquette.tools/
Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.[1]
Cyberbullying is a very real issue/problem in our society. It is never to soon to start discussing with students the importance of treating others with respect and preventing cyberbullying. It can be difficult for a school district to get involved with a case where students are cyberbullying each other, especially when it is done off of school property, however, more needs to be done for administrators and authorities to prevent and put an end to cyberbullying when it occurs! This is such a new form of harassment for officials to figure out how to handle legally that it seems more and more kids are getting away with cyberbullying and are even posting it on YouTube. The link below is an example of cyberbullying from YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE5yINOn4N4
The link below will bring you to examples of how community leaders are attempting to prevent cyberbullying. It is crucial that we as educators teach our kids that bullying someone is never okay and that they won't get away with it! If a fight were to break out on school campus those students would face consequences, so why are kids getting away with fighting on the internet and posting the evidence?
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=teaching+about+cyberbullying&search_type=&aq=f
On the wikipedia website the below statistics were listed for cyberbullying. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberbullying
Surveys and statistics
The National Crime Prevention Council reports cyber-bullying is a problem that affects almost half of all American teens.[9]
In 2007, Debbie Heimowitz a Stanford University Master's student created Adina's Deck, a film based on Stanford accredited research. She worked in focus groups for ten weeks in three different schools to learn about the problem of cyber-bullying in Northern CA. The findings determined that over 60% of students had been cyber-bullied and were victims of cyber-bullying. The film is now being used in classrooms nationwide as it was designed around learning goals pertaining to problems students had understanding the topic. The middle school of Megan Meier is reportedly using the film as a solution to the crisis in their town.
In September 2006, ABC News reported on a survey prepared by I-Safe.Org. This 2004 survey of 1,500 students between grades 4-8 reported:
42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once.
35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once.
21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages.
58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once.
58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.
A 2006 survey by Harris Interactive[10] reported:
43% of U.S. teens having experienced some form of cyberbullying in the past year.
Similarly, a Canadian study found:
23% of middle-schoolers surveyed had been bullied by e-mail
35% in chat rooms
41% by text messages on their cell phones
Fully 41% did not know the identity of the perpetrators.
http://news.cnet.com/A-new-sort-of-online-protocol/2100-1023_3-261391.html
Teacher, Parents, and authorities need to work together to change laws and enforce consequences for cyberbullying. It is important we learn about Netiquette to teach our students from day one what is expected fact to face with someone and what is expected online of them. There should be a zero tolerance and although the legal system is attempting to put a stop to cyberbullying it is our job as role models and leaders in the community to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Jen Maxfield
Netiquette, a portmanteau of "network etiquette", is a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from Usenet and mailing lists to blogs and forums. These rules were described in IETF RFC 1855.[1] However, like many Internet phenomena, the concept and its application remain in a state of flux, and vary from community to community. The points most strongly emphasized about USENET netiquette often include using simple electronic signatures, and avoiding multiposting, cross-posting, thread hijacking, and other techniques used to minimize the effort required to read a post or a thread. Netiquette guidelines posted by IBM for employees utilizing Second Life in an official capacity, however, focus on basic professionalism, maintaining a tenable work environment, and protecting IBM's intellectual property.[2] Similarly, some Usenet guidelines call for use of unabbreviated English[3][4] while users of online chat protocols like IRC and instant messaging protocols like SMS often encourage trends in the opposite direction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette
Netiquette is a brand new "life skill" for the online generation of students who are currently using the internet. Cnn.com has a list of example "signatures" someone would use for example :) a smile to show you are happy or LOL for laughing out loud. There are also inappropriate signatures students use and it seems they are surprised if a teacher or parent actually knows what it means. Netiquette is important for teachers and parents to be aware of to discuss some of the appropriate and inappropriate uses, so the technology gap between generations doesn't increase at and get out of hand. Netiquette is a new term since people are communicating more with each other online during their personal time than perhaps even spending face to face time together. Writing a class blog would be a great way to demonstrate to students the use of netiquette. Parents could even take an opportunity through a classroom blog to use netiquette for reinforcement.
http://edition.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/07/21/netiquette.tools/
Cyber-bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others.[1]
Cyberbullying is a very real issue/problem in our society. It is never to soon to start discussing with students the importance of treating others with respect and preventing cyberbullying. It can be difficult for a school district to get involved with a case where students are cyberbullying each other, especially when it is done off of school property, however, more needs to be done for administrators and authorities to prevent and put an end to cyberbullying when it occurs! This is such a new form of harassment for officials to figure out how to handle legally that it seems more and more kids are getting away with cyberbullying and are even posting it on YouTube. The link below is an example of cyberbullying from YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE5yINOn4N4
The link below will bring you to examples of how community leaders are attempting to prevent cyberbullying. It is crucial that we as educators teach our kids that bullying someone is never okay and that they won't get away with it! If a fight were to break out on school campus those students would face consequences, so why are kids getting away with fighting on the internet and posting the evidence?
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=teaching+about+cyberbullying&search_type=&aq=f
On the wikipedia website the below statistics were listed for cyberbullying. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberbullying
Surveys and statistics
The National Crime Prevention Council reports cyber-bullying is a problem that affects almost half of all American teens.[9]
In 2007, Debbie Heimowitz a Stanford University Master's student created Adina's Deck, a film based on Stanford accredited research. She worked in focus groups for ten weeks in three different schools to learn about the problem of cyber-bullying in Northern CA. The findings determined that over 60% of students had been cyber-bullied and were victims of cyber-bullying. The film is now being used in classrooms nationwide as it was designed around learning goals pertaining to problems students had understanding the topic. The middle school of Megan Meier is reportedly using the film as a solution to the crisis in their town.
In September 2006, ABC News reported on a survey prepared by I-Safe.Org. This 2004 survey of 1,500 students between grades 4-8 reported:
42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once.
35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once.
21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages.
58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once.
58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.
A 2006 survey by Harris Interactive[10] reported:
43% of U.S. teens having experienced some form of cyberbullying in the past year.
Similarly, a Canadian study found:
23% of middle-schoolers surveyed had been bullied by e-mail
35% in chat rooms
41% by text messages on their cell phones
Fully 41% did not know the identity of the perpetrators.
http://news.cnet.com/A-new-sort-of-online-protocol/2100-1023_3-261391.html
Teacher, Parents, and authorities need to work together to change laws and enforce consequences for cyberbullying. It is important we learn about Netiquette to teach our students from day one what is expected fact to face with someone and what is expected online of them. There should be a zero tolerance and although the legal system is attempting to put a stop to cyberbullying it is our job as role models and leaders in the community to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Jen Maxfield
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