Keeping Safe in Blogs

Hey Guys,

I found a important article that caught my attention. It is about the overall safety of students inside and outside of the classroom over the Internet. The article talks about some websites that student use when they are not in class. These websites are becoming a threat to students. The article states, "In some social studies classrooms, teachers are using blogs to supplement classroom instruction and facilitate discussion among students. Through classroom blogging, students can grow accustomed to sharing creative ideas, chronicling experiences, and articulating points of view. They can reflect on current events or interact with other students in distant schools to share views on a range of topics, such as racism, citizenship, poverty, and politics." Students can use this type of technology safely within a classroom environment, with careful moderation. Students must learn not to give out any personal information. This is so important in today's world because of all of the kidnappings that have happened in the past ten years. Blogs are becoming more and more popular in the classrooms today. Teachers are closely monitoring this blogs to make sure that no one gets hurt. The article states, "In order to create a more protective blogging experience, many teachers actively manage postings prior to publication on the web. Some educators choose to use password-protected blogs, therefore restricting access to a limited audience. Privacy protections, such as blogging under a pseudonym, using only the child's first name, or including just initials as an identifier, are other strategies to help students avoid the risk for victimization." I am glad that so many teachers are taking action in the safety of their students. If I was a parent, I would be glad to know that my son or daughter's teacher watched out for them in the classroom.

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Technology in early childhood settings

Hey Guys,
I found an article online called "Technology in early childhood settings", by Linda Bennett. The article expresses the point about how technology is very important in the classroom environment. Bennett explains how there are different steps that can be taken to make sure that technology is used in the classroom. She made a list of ten different skills that teachers and students should know buy heart. Her first step was: "Students will use input devices (e.g., mouse, keyboard, remote control) and output devices (e.g., monitor, printer) to successfully operate computers, VCRs, and other technologies." She then gives an example of a few websites that offer students this opportunity. They can also communicate with other students in other states, or even countries. Her second skill was, "Students will use a variety of media and technology resources for directed and independent learning activities." This skill can be used in Social Studies classes to help then learn about government and history. Her third skill was, "Students will communicate about technology using developmentally appropriate and accurate terminology." She gives an example of how to do this by showing the students the current time and weather in other countries. Her fourth skill was: " Students will use developmentally appropriate multimedia resources (e.g., interactive books, educational software, elementary multimedia encyclopedias) to support learning." Ebooks could be used in the classroom to help students understand the subject matter better. Her fifth skill was, "Students will work cooperatively and collaboratively with peers, family members, and others when using technology in the classroom." Students need to work with others in order to understand the subject correctly. A student, for example, might think that he or she understands the Civil War, but they might have a few facts wrong. Peers and parents can help in this situation. Her sixth skill was, "Students will demonstrate positive social and ethical behaviors when using technology." Her seventh skill talks again about how important technology is. Her eighth skills is , "Students will create developmentally appropriate multimedia products with support from teachers, family members, or student partners." Her last two skills have to deal with sharing information with other students. I think that this is a really great article. It puts everything in perspective for teachers and parents. I think that Bennett did a great job describing in detail the positive outcomes and positives of technology. I hope to incorporate all of these things in my future classroom. I have become more and more aware over the course of the semester about how much technology is needed in schools.

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Observations in 5th grade

Hey Guys,
Last semester I went to a local elementary school to watch how the teachers in the public schools taught these days. I was happy to find out that there were many classrooms that had many new technologies in them. One classroom even had a Karaoke machine and the students would go up to the microphone and read what they had written in their journals the previous morning. Some teachers even used video clips to catch the students' attention. During a Language Arts section of a class, the teacher showed a clip of a tornado. The students had to watch the clip and write down what some good sentences would be. They then stood up in front of the class and read their sentences out loud. Boy, kids have some wild imaginations.