I have to be honest. Most of the classes I have taken during college I found boring. There was no hands on experience. Everything came from a text book and required a paper! However, I learned an immense about of knowledge from Internet Tools. I had no idea how many tools were out there. Most everything we did I have never heard of. Each week I became more excited because I would think about how to use these new tools in my classroom. My favorite tool by far is Jing. Jing has so many possibilities in the classroom. I like to use Jing to make mini tutorials for students who may need a refresher. My students use Jing to display their content knowledge. Finally, my students and I can get away from using a textbook and doing worksheets all the time. By using these various tools, my students have the ability to be creative in the classroom. Also, the level of motivation had definitely been raised. I'm excited to see what else I learn as I finish my journey!
As an educator, I often find myself forgetting about a child's access to technology at home. Most of the projects my students do are completed in class. As Barron, Walter, Martin, and Schatz (2009) summarized, students who create and put a personal effort into a project using technology will gain technological fluency. There is a concern with this. Are children who come from less affluent backgrounds given the opportunities to build technological fluency?
As I was reviewing the article, Barron, Walter, Martin, and Schatz (2009) suggest children are not always getting the opportunities to build this fluency. What can we as educators do? It is important to get to know your students. Many times some students slip through the radar because they are quiet and well behaved. It is important to give each student equal opportunity on all assignments. Additionally, incorporating many different types of technology into the classroom is essential. This exposes students to different things and peeks their interests. Finally, research assignments and projects before assigning them. Try to incorporate aspects of differentiation and technology to help build students interest and technological fluency. While it is virtually impossible to provide all children with every type of technology at home, it is not at school. Children need to be exposed and educated to various types of technology and how to use it. Since using computers, smartphones, and iPads are the way of the world now, it has become part of our job to help our students become better educated with these devices. Resources Barron, B., Walter, S. E., Martin, K. K., & Schatz, C. (2009). Predictors of creative computing participation and profiles of experience in two silicon valley middle schools. Elsevier, (54), 178-189. Retrieved from https://kennesaw.view.usg.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=344434&tId=8592599 In my life, I have been fortunate enough to travel and experience many cultures and places. However, many of my students have not had this opportunity. Living in a small rural area, it is important to expose students to the many faces of the world. This starts with me. It is important for me to determine my feelings and beliefs on other cultures. Many times, these feelings reflect our personal beliefs to our students whether intentional or not. Therefore, I must ensure I have no bias on any cultures. I must evaluate all of my classroom materials to ensure they are culturally sensitive (2013).
Luckily, there are many resources online which can expose students to various cultures. A website called Students Around the World is a great resource and starting place for exposing students. This website gives options for choosing countries, schools, and playing games. Students can become with pen pals with other students around the world. During social studies, this is a great website to show students other countries. By exposing my students to other countries and cultures online, I am helping to develop their sense of cultural and global awareness. As we investigate other countries or other types of students, they develop a sense of excitement to know their are different people in the world. One of the best tools I have used in my class to expose my students is Voki. Voki is a web 2.0 tool where students are able to use avatars to record their voices. My students will get a voice from a country they are unsure about, and we will investigate it. Simple tools like these make incorporating culture into any subject easier. As a teacher, it is not only my job to teach children how to be good students and successful, it is important for me to teach them to be accepting of everyone regardless of their differences. The best way to do this is lead by example. I must first look at myself because they are learning from my actions. In addition to this, using resources at every opportunity to show them places and people that are different peak their curiosity and enhance their understanding for culture. Using technology such as virtual field trips or even Google, my students can travel and explore any place in the world. They can talk or become pen pals with students in the United States or across the world. It is my job to give students these opportunities as a way to prepare them for the future. As Lyn Hilt discussed, the world needs thinkers, innovators, collaborators, and communicators. It is my job to help my students get there. Resources Glencoe/ McGraw-Hill. (2013). Managing a culturally diverse classroom. Retrieved from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/weeklytips.phtml/230 Hilt, L. (2011, October 26). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://plpnetwork.com/2011/10/26/the-case-for-cultivating-cultural-awareness/ According to Richardson (2010), it is becoming the responsibility of educators to teach children how to safely use the internet. There are many ways to keep children safe. The first and easiest is to monitor what students are doing. Be sure students have computers and iPads in the teacher's sight at all times. Additionally, always teach students not to share any personal information or photographs online.
According to Common Sense Media (2013), students should be taught not to share names, ages, schools, phone numbers, or addresses. Common Sense Media (2013) also stresses the importance of never opening strange emails and reporting these occurrences to adults. Also, ensure students do not enter chat rooms. This can open up many dangerous doors. There are websites such as Edmodo which are safe for children to use to connect with others. The FBI (2013) has a very kid friendly page on internet safety. This website has many great tips to share with students. It is also designed so they can read and understand it. One extremely important tip from the FBI (2013) is never try to meet or visit with someone that has been met online. Did you know there are laws in place to protect children on the internet? According to an article from Kids Health (2012), there is a federal law in place called Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This law is in place to ensure no one tries to obtain personal information from a child without a parent's consent. This law also applies to any games which are online. With all of the dangers online, it is part of our jobs as educators to teach our students how to be safe online. Resources Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California:Corwin. Nemours. (2013). Internet safety. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html Common Sense Media. (2013, March 19). Internet safety tips for elementary school kids. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/internet-safety-tips-elementary-school-kids Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2013). Kids safety tips. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/fun-games/kids/kids-safety |
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