Doing

For the "doing" part of my Internet safety assignment, I decided to talk to my mother, because I know that she worries about the safety on the computer a lot. Since I am the second youngest, she just has one child, my 17 year old sister, still at home. She is the mother of five girls, the oldest being 28 years old. Although my father is very tech-savvy because he works with computers, my mother is not as comfortable with technology and so we discussed safety precautions that can be taken. My dad has put all sorts of filtering systems on the computer to prevent pop ups and other thing that may have inappropriate or dangerous information on them. My mom decided a few years ago that the computer should be moved from the secluded basement area it used to be in to the upstairs family room right next to the kitchen, a nice open area. I told her that this was an excellent idea, and we discussed what else can be done to make sure the computer is used in a positive manner. I talked to her about the timing, about not wasting time on the computer, and she said that she wants to set time limits for my little sister, but just has not gotten around to enforcing it. She told me that she always sets a time limit for herself when she gets on the computer though, which I thought was setting a great example for her kids. We also discussed the fact that she cannot enforce too much though, because my little sister is older, and needs to make many of her own decisions. We talked about the good things about the Internet, and how you just need to be careful when you use it. I think it was a very positive experience to discuss these things with my mom, and I think it helped her to feel good about what she has done to make sure the computer is safe for her kids.

Other's Presentations

I learned that there is so much you can really do with technology!! I think that you just have to get creative and really think about how technology would enhance the curriculum standard you are working towards. People came up with so many good ideas that I don't think I would have ever thought of, but which really helped to effectively teach what they were trying to teach with their objective! Watching other's presentations definitely helped me get the wheels turning in my head as to what I can do in the future!

Internet Safety Readings

I thought that these articles were really interesting, and they made me feel better about using technology with kids, even with all the bad stuff out there.

1. What article did you choose to read for your fourth article? I chose to read the article entitled "I Have A Question" from the Internet topic tab. I was interested in reading this article because I thought that it would give a more personal answer to the technology question, and I felt that it did--it explained filtering and other important principles of Internet safety in a thorough manner so that I understood exactly how to go about taking those safety precautions.

2. What were the most important things you learned from your readings? I think that I learned that the most that while there are bad things out there, you can take precautions and be safe about the Internet and media use. The articles talked a lot about having open communication--like if something pops up or someone they don't know tries to email them, they tell you about it. I think this is such a great idea! Pornography and other addictions that happen with the media are usually kept personal and private, and so if we keep those communication lines open, they are less likely to occur. I also thought it was interesting that the McKay Today Magazine article pointed out to set a positive example for your children of using technology--to show them how to use it in a good way, and not to model overuse or negative use of the media. For example, watching trashy reality television is probably not setting the best example for children of positive technology use.

3. How will what you read influence your actions as a parent/teacher of children and youth? I think that these articles helped me to see that a lot of times, I don't use technology in the best ways, and children would not glean the best example from me! I waste a lot of time watching TV or on the computer or on Facebook that I could be doing something else. While these are positive things, I need to realize now that I should be setting a positive example of technology and media use. I also think that something I learned that I can use particularly as a teacher is to raise awareness about positive technology use, and to speak out against the negative use of the media and technology.

4. How can you use what you have learned from your reading to have a positive influence on family and friends? I think that I can help my friends to be aware of the dangers of the media, and just to speak up about these dangers and issues. I also can set a positive example for them by using the media and technology in a positive manner--not to waste time--and so that they will see that technology should be used for good and not for all the bad things there are out there.

Technology SlideShare

Practicum Project

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My Read Aloud Technology Lesson

I have not had the opportunity to teach my technology lesson yet, but I will be teaching it on Friday morning right before my class goes off to lunch. I plan on introducing the comprehension strategy, just as I would right before I read a book aloud. Then, instead of reading a book aloud, I will play the Photo Story that I have prepared and have the students watch it. After the reading, we will do a post-reading activity to make sure they understood how the comprehension strategy works in the book. The Photo Story would have my voice recorded reading with expression. The comprehension strategy that my lesson will target is sequencing the events in the story. We will start off reviewing putting things in sequential order, watch the Photo Story, and then put the Photo Story in sequential order. I think that this technology will help students to have a highly visual picture in their minds in order to better remember the sequence of events.

Technology Lesson Ideas

To be honest, I have had a little bit of trouble thinking of ideas that I could use technology with the lessons which my teacher and I have planned out to teach for the rest of this month. However, as I was contemplating further on the topic today, I was thinking that using a Photo Story could make a shared reading or read aloud a lot more exciting for the kids. I think that listening and watching the story could help the students to remember it better, as well as the fact that it is something a little different so that could be way fun for them. I think that doing a Photo Story is probably my best idea that I have so far. I would prepare the students for the Photo Story just like I would to read a book, introducing them to a comprehension strategy we are working on, and then we would listen and watch the Photo Story, and then afterward, we would discuss how the comprehension strategy worked in the Photo Story. My classroom has a computer projector available so the Photo Story would definitely be a feasible idea!

Classroom Inventory

In my classroom, there isn't a whole lot of technology available to the students. The teacher has a computer at her desk which she does grades and attendance on, and there is an overhead projector, but other than that, the students do not interact with technology a whole lot. They go to the computer lab every Monday and seem to enjoy that, but there is not a whole lot of technology to evaluate. One cool thing though is that the three ELL's in the classroom are set up on a program called Imagine Learning which helps them to learn more effectively in the classroom. I thought it was pretty cool that they had access to this resource to help them to learn and to accommodate their hindrances in their learning.