Good EDUC 311 Prezi Presentation

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blog post #3

Technology Reflection Assignment

Description/Experience
This week we discussed how interactive whiteboards can be incorporated into our classrooms. These boards can be used both by teacher and student throughout the lesson. There is a plethora of online games that teachers can use to help strengthen their lessons if it helps students understand the material better.

Application
I am placed in a kindergarten class and my teacher likes to use interactive games on computers to help them learn. When my class goes to the computer lab, they usually use the StarFall site to work on reading and spelling. Instead of going to the computer lab, she could bring up this site on her smart board and have the class participate as a whole rather than individually. This activity would be primarily for first or second grade. When students finish this activity, they should have a better knowledge of how to read since they were able to work with one another.

• Students would sit at their desks so they weren’t directly in front of the smart board.
• Bring up StarFall and go to the ABC’s activities
• Select any of the games to play where the words rhyme.
• As you go through each activity, call for volunteers to come up and play. They can use the other students as the audience to call on if they get stuck and can’t figure out which letter to use.
• Play as many levels as you feel necessary.

Reflection

As mentioned above, I would use full class instruction in order to do this activity. This activity isn’t completely new to them considering they have done it on their own in the computer lab. This would be appropriate for them because it allows the students to work as a whole. One of the activities includes completing the word on the screen. There will be a picture of a cat and the letters A and T will be shown under the picture. Students are required to select which letter will complete the word “cat”. A lot of students will plug in letters without thinking what sounds go with which letters and therefore they don’t learn. If they are working together in one setting, students can help explain which letter completes the word. Students have more of an influence on each others' learning than people know. They are more inclined to listen to what their neighbor has to say than to what the teacher has to say.

--Technological-Pedagogical:

This technology allows them to have a visual rather than just having to imagine what the teacher is talking about. Showing a student how to spell “Cat” is much more effective than just telling them “you spell it c, a, t.” Students get really excited when you use something fun in a lesson. Unless the students were already somewhat used to the teacher using the smart board, the kids might get too excited and not pay attention to what you are trying to teach. The teacher must set rules before the activities begin so students know what is expected of them. For example; “We are going to play a game on the smart board. In order to keep playing the game and not put it away, you all need to use your inside voices and be on your best behavior.” Students need to earn the right to use fun things in class so they don’t think you are rewarding bad behavior. If the students got too out of hand, the game would need to be removed from the lesson until they were under control again.

--Technological Pedagogical Content:

As mentioned before, this activity presents the students with a visual rather than having to imagine what the teacher is saying. This method allows them to work as a group and voice their opinions so you know exactly how they are coming up with their solutions to the questions. Involvement as a whole helps them learn and understand more than sitting at their desks doing individual work. Without this technology, they wouldn’t be able to be as involved in the class activity and work as a team. Individual work separates the students. Some students can’t think as well this way. I want to encourage them to work with a partner to solve problems. Students would be able to use this site outside of school if they wanted extra practice. They couldn’t do that if I was only working with flashcards or the chalkboard. Practice makes perfect, so they need to be able to use these resources whenever they want and in a way that is convenient for them.