I played on the sites for hours!!!

I had such a great time playing on the kids learning websites posted to this weeks module. Starfall is my absolute favorite. My son and I played together last night. He enjoyed the ABC section of the site. It relates to what he is doing in school right now - learning his alphabet. Actually, one of my sixth grade special ed students wanted to go on that site today. She said that her mom only allows her to go on educational sites when she is home and they found that one together last year and love it. I think I had more fun than my son, but I didn't hog the keyboard (that much). I think these sites are excellent learning tools for some. I definitely would not allow my 8th graders to play on Starfall only because I feel that the websites that they use should be more rigorous and also relate to what they are doing in their lessons, sort of reinforcing what they learned for the day or week.

He's on the computer already...???

Hello All!!!! How is everyone doing out there? Great I hope. I am doing fabulously. I especially enjoyed the videos this week. My favorite was the "Do You Know" video because alot of the information given there I did not know. Actually the best part was the data, I love math and numbers are my absolute favorite. Anywho --- I found it very interesting that children who had never read or picked up a book would be given laptops. But then again with the wealth of information on the internet today, I guess they'll just use the computers to learn to read, write and anything else. Also I agree that it is necessary for our youth today to understand and be able to use this continuously growing tool to be able to compete with our neighboring nations in the unknown job markets that have not yet been established. VERY SCARY!!! How is it that our kids are being taught information that the world has not yet categorized so to speak. When will they use this wealth of knowledge, everyday. In what jobs, all of them, so do we really need to know what it is that we don't know for them to learn. I don't think so. (Did I confuse you because I confused myself a little).

I can agree with the video and I can also relate to the videos.... I have a 3 year old son who is computer literate. He is not expert but he's getting there. At this point in his development, he has not yet mastered the initial login, but after I have loaded up his favorite site, "NOGGIN" (for those of you who don't know, Noggin is the pre-school Nickelodeon) he completely takes over and does not need any help (or so he says). I demonstrated the basics to him, how to move his finger over the mouse area so that the arrow lands on what it is he needs to click. After the first couple of times, he no longer needed me. It scares me because at 3 he is becoming self-reliant but it also makes me very proud to know that my 3 year old is making steps to be better than me. From these experiences, I also know that if he continues on he will become a very productive, competitve member of our society. And make his mother very proud.

Inspiration??

I enjoyed the videos on this program. I believe that all this technology in the classroom is great for our digital kids, but unfortunately the students in the lower economic classes are suffering from lack of technology. They have the outside technology and limited in-school technology. The young lady in the video stated that her 3rd grade class used a smartboard and inspiration everyday for instruction, understanding and collaborative learning. I wish my students were exposed to these instructional materials because it might bring our school's classroom up to the classrooms of tomorrow instead of them still being the classrooms of yester-year. My kids have ipods, cell phones, sidekicks, pda's, etc., but in class they have a whiteboard and a chalkboard and six computers which are barely used. They do go on them but only to appease the Board's required time allotment for computer usage per month. Sad isn't it?? I guess i will have to start finding out now how to get these items donated to my classroom because i dont want to leave my school district but i would love to have some of the newer technology to see if i can't make a difference in the lives of my students through creativity, excitement and technology.

CHATTING OR NETWORKING???

Well, well, well.... long time no speak. Is that correct? Probably not. I am incorrect and so are many of our students - in the way they are learning to socialize and communicate over the globe. Our students are using the social networking sites but not to their optimal potential. They use them to talk, for support, and self-esteem building, as stated on one of the assigned sites states. However, what about for the enhancement of their education? Do they even know about the endless possibilities of the sites they use to talk to their friends and put down those who are different and not in their cliques.

I have a student who lives on myspace. He uses at home, he uses a proxy site to get on the space in school and he also uses his sidekick to chat. All day long he is chatting about things that are not going to help him increase his knowledge or advance his career later on. But could this be a starting place for his networking. He is an aspiring model. Can he meet other teen models on the space that could help point him in the right direction? Probably. Is he? No, not to my knowledge and he texts me alot.

Also another site that we as educators should not text our students individually but mass was okay. I'm confused. Is it only for the legal aspect of it or is it because they believe that the adult is chatting inappropriately with the child? At the middle school I work at, the Teenbiz3000 site is where the students complete online assignments and chat a little. They e-mail me all the time, when they are having problems with other students in the class, problems at home or they are simply having a good day. Am i supposed to cut them off? I have excellent relationships with all 30 of the students i work with on a daily basis. i even speak to them over the weekend. i feel that the extra connection helps me to help them. I have earned their respect and they do the work.

Everytime we make a breakthrough here comes someone saying that it needs to be revised or re-thought. I enjoy chatting with my kids but at the same time i would love for my kids to stop chatting on the space and network. Learn to enhance their knowledge. And so the sun sets on this blogging moment. Later.....