Digital Divide

What is Digital Divide?
The digital divide refers to the gap between people with access to technology and those with limited or no access at all. Some people have may have more access to technology like telephones, computers, television and the internet. The type of area (city vs rural) could play an impact on many of these things. It will be harder to get internet and phone services out in the country while in  a city there seems like an unlimited amount of connection.


How are people trying to close the Digital Divide?
Many companies and people are getting together to spread the technology to areas of the country and world that dont have the technology already. I think the technology should be available to all, but the way they use it should be left up to them.

How might Digital Divide show up in your classes? How will you address Digital Divide?
I enjoy doing projects every now and then. I can see myself having my class use the computers to look up information, or even creating their projects on the computers. I will allow for plenty of class time for the students to work as some may not have the technology needed at home. Another way I will avoid the divide is to have the projects be done in groups, hoping that if the students need technology outside of class time that one would have access and they could work on it.

#elemchat

I was planning on participating in the elemchat today, but some other things came up. I still went back and searched the hash tag "elemchat." The people who participated in the talked a lot about refection on their own teaching.

A user by the name of "tcash" made a very good point by saying "Make reflection party of what you do, not something you have to do on top of it all." This quote makes perfect sense and should be taken into consideration by all teachers. You should want to look back and reflect on what went right and what you could fix and make better for next time. She also makes the point of maybe even video taping and going back to reflect that way. The teachers should reflect about their students, how they are doing, what they need, what they said and how the lesson went. Reflection is key to improving and making sure the students are getting what they need out of the lesson plans. 

I plan on participating in the #elemchat next week and will edit and fix this post. 

Apps in the Elementary Classroom

In this article called Apps in the Elementary Classroom, found posted on a blog called Mom's with apps, it talks about the integration of ipads in the classroom and how it all came about. In the reading class, students can listen to audiobooks, read and interact with electronic books and use a reading fluency test app. For those who struggle with basic math, there are apps that allow you to practice the basic math facts and the flash card application. In music class, there are different apps such as the DoReMemory that helped with repetition with the music. There are thousands of apps out there, it is just a matter of exploring and finding the right one for your classroom.

I think that I would be a fan of the flash cards. I found an app that is called "Flashcards Deluxe Lite", which is an app that allows you to make your own flash cards, or you can browse the internet and use a set that has already been created. It has two smart study modes that keep track on the ones that you have missed and focus more on them. You can organize these cards into folders according to whatever categories you would like. Once you have gotten the card right so many times, it will disappear and help you work on the ones that maybe you don't know so well. You can make the flash cards right on the ipod/ipad or you can make them on your computer and upload them to the app. I think this could come in handy in any classroom setting. You can put math problems on one side and the answer on the other or you can use is for basic memorization of facts and important information.

Technology in the Classroom

I am a fan of the Edmodo. This seems like an easy and useful tool in the classroom that is changing with the technology. This site reminds me of the same set up as facebook. It is easy to control and use this site. As a teacher, we can use it for discussions, real-time messaging, assignments and grading, store and share files, class calendar and other notifications. There must be an access code to become a part of the classroom page, this makes the page only accessible to certain students and not the whole public. This allows us as teachers to see when students turn in assignments, and also to comment, post and reply to what the student have wrote.

I think with all the technology advances these days that students are on the web more often and will enjoy interacting on the computer rather then pen/paper assignments. Edmodo allows for students to post things, hand in assignments and see a class calendar. This could also allow students who don't speak up in class an opportunity to express what they feel in words rather then in the classroom.

Technology Integration: Ideas That Work

In this article, Technology Integration: Ideas That Work, it talks about many uses of technology tools for instruction in the classroom. There were many examples used, such as the Web, PowerPoint, Excel, digital photography, SMART boards and more. The article states that the web has many opportunities to integrate into the classroom setting. Teachers all have their preference for sites and how they can be used in their own curriculum. The Web can be used in many useful ways if the teachers can find the appropriate sites to use with their lessons. Mary Kruel uses internet-based activities such as Puzzlemaker, Brainbooster, ePals, blogging, daily weather, and Library of Congress. 

Computers have many programs on them that can be just as useful as text books or anything offered with paper and pencil. By using PowerPoint, students can work on their presentation skills and use it in an interactive way. PowerPoint can replace the posters on the wall, and the children incorporate the use of technology of the present days. Along with PowerPoint, every student should be able to run a basic word processing program. 

From the teachers standpoint, some use the SMART Board. This board allows for easy brainstorming sessions with the student. It has many study tools, tables and charts that allow students to learn in a different way. "This technology gets students excited to come to the front and work through problems," states John Tiffany. 

The use of technology in the classroom is going to change from year to year. Technology is always improving and finding different ways to motivate children to learn. The students may get bored with the technology often so teachers must find ways to keep them involved and interested in the subject being studied. 

WIKI

For our group project we are using the technology of Wiki. It is a website where everyone can look up information, add to any wiki, and it is a way to share information and communicate with others. I think it could be a really useful tool in the classroom for group discussions or you could even make a wiki for the class. You can select different search options including Wikipedia, Indie Wikis, or encyclopedias. When using this for a search tool anything and everything pops up kind of like Google but the top sites usually come up as Wikipedia sites.

CLASSSSSSSSSS

Edu 109... is nothing that I thought it was going to be. It will take some time to get used to using all of these different web applications and what not. I thought that I was better with technology then this. Guess again. "Tweeting" is not my favorite thing to do, nor have I ever done it before. Blogging is right up there with tweeting. This class will open my eyes to many other sides of technology. I hope to figure out how to use these tools and someday use them in my own classroom. BRING IT ON 109! :)