Donna's Technology Class Blog

Since taking this class entitled “Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society” I have learned how to blog, create a wiki, and create a podcast. I would not have made time to learn these technologies without this class. Reading the 21st century learner expectations and skills necessary for students to succeed in the future has challenged me. Students need to use higher-order thinking skills. Sometimes the students have insights into technology with which I am not familiar. This sharing of the knowledge is the key to learning and development for both the teacher and student. I have become more conscious of being learner-centered in my classroom. I plan to give more collaborative projects. For the collaborative projects, the students will choose from a variety of technology topics to research, rather than the assigned topic. I will give the students opportunities to help each other during class time rather than having them quietly doing independent work. I w...

Subscribe Free    Add to my Page I created a questionnaire to explore the technological demographics of the students in my classes. Most of the students polled have access to computers at home. They all have computer access at school since they are taking a technology class. The students found the following differences in the way they use technology at school and at home. 1. They almost unanimously said that they had more “freedom” at home since the school has filters and limits on what they are allowed to do. 2. They said they were limited as to the amount of time they were allowed on the computers and the Internet. 3. They said that they have faster methods of communications at home with more means of communication. 4. They said that they have faster computers at home. 5. They said they have to “sneak” to use their iPod or text on their cell phones at school, but at home it was allowed. As to the amounts of time students used technology at home, I found that 1. Approximately...

I recently visited http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/ . I found a lot of resources regarding what skills students should be taught in order to succeed in the 21st century. There were also several states listed that have initiatives to implement policies and standards that will ensure students are presented with opportunities to learn these skills. I liked the recent news events of businesses partnering with schools to help further the students' education, but I was disappointed that there were not more states or businesses listed. I was also looking for suggestions as to how to implement teaching these skills in my class, and did not find them. Did anyone else find good ideas here?

Thanks guys, for the great ideas. It looks like I will have to do some preliminary work with the students on what a blog is and how to appropriately respond to someone on the internet (cyber-citizenship and netiquette). I found this great website with worksheets, and interactive internet lessons for several grade levels teaching Internet basics, safety and citizenship. It is www.cybersmart.org . I like the idea of making this a semester-long project, since that's how long my classes are. This project would have to be done primarily after school, since all blogging websites are blocked by our school district's internet filter policy. Any suggestions?

I teach Introduction to Computer Technology in grades 5-8. So using a blog with my classes would be a natural fit. I would have the students blog about ways they use computer technology every day. The students would reply in a post on the blog site. Then, they could return to the blog later to see what the other students had to say in response to their post. In this way, we could have a meaningful class discussion over the internet. This blogging experience would demonstrate to the students the power of a blog and allow them to learn to use a blog.

Welcome to Donna's Blog! I'd like my classmates, and others, too, to chat with me about how technology is affecting the way we communicate as teachers and parents. I'd also like to focus on the way we, as teachers, communicate with the parents and students in our classrooms using technology.For instance, my school district uses the InTouch program. InTouch allows the parents to access their child's grades and homework assignments without calling or emailing me. It also allows them to check those things at any time of the day or night. It also provides a link for the parent to email me. This technology has been a great addition to the communication process.I am excited about taking this class in technology so I can further use technology to enhance the students' opportunities for learning in my classes.