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- Module 1
- Module 2
- Module 3
- Module 4
- Module 5
- Module 6
- Module 7
- Module 8
- Module 9
- Course Reflection
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Module 1
As someone who has been teaching nine years, I am at a good place to be
reflective about not only the teacher education programs as a student, but
also as a teacher and mentor. The fact of the matter is that technology has
forced us to confront issues in our class in a more matter of fact way. Video
conferencing and blogging have revolutionized the way we learn and teach.
Furthermore, it could be argued that technology in a sense has enabled
educators to bring the real world experiences into the classroom, which
requires the higher order thinking that maximizes learning. My experience
with student teachers over the last few years is that many lack the
preparation to move beyond daily classroom management and preparation. They
either lack the historical knowledge necessary to prepare an adequate lesson
or they are intimidated by the students or are too friendly. Even worse is
that the student teacher spends so much time trying to make up for their
weakness that he/she has missed key creative opportunities. I loved they idea
of eliminating the so-called Education major as an undergraduate option to be
replaced by an extended program incorporating intensive technology and real
world experience. The additional requirement of subject mastery in a core
major is vital and I am shocked that not all schools require this from future
educators. As an undergraduate I never dreamt of being a teacher. I received
a BA in Politics and was intent on a career of idealistic change through
public service and policy. The experiences that I found while mastering
politics enabled me to be a better teacher. I came to my Masters program with
a strong technological and professional experience from the business world.
By going out and experiencing a field of study such as teaching, in a more
gradual approach, could enable the potential teacher to discern between the
idealism or teaching versus the daily rigors and realities of teaching.
Website Reflection #1 - Strategies and Applications for the One Computer
Classroom
I guess that I went to this site thinking that I might gain so knowledge but
in all honesty it is not as difficult for me to adjust to this reality in my
classroom as I have just received a Smart Board this year from a grant that I
was awarded last year. I have adequate access to computers in the library as
well as our two computer labs in the Middle and High schools. This website
would be more adequate for a teacher with extremely limited resources or
knowledge.
Website Reflection #2 – Supreme Court of the United States
I guess I am a bit disappointed by the selection in the social studies
section and in fact found myself wanting to peruse the other subjects. I find
that a website like this is really more appropriate for students on an AP
level because it is difficult to sometimes understand that complexity of the
Supreme Courts and this site does an adequate job of explaining that function
but I feel it lacks appealing visuals or interactive learning
Website Reflection #3 – Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Wow what an interesting web site. I like to find these type of historical
gems so that I can find those political cartoons and documents that make the
classroom more hand on and interesting. For instance, I have found that when
my students hear an explanation about the Zimmerman telegraph they are bored.
When I show them a copy of the actual telegram, they are fascinated by the
authenticity.
My experience with technology are interesting in that I was in elementary
school when the first Apple computers came out and I can vividly remember
using them. However, it was at a time where the realities of the technology
had not yet been grasped. So I never really used computers actively as a
student till graduate school. I remember the days of pulling huge volumes
from stacks at the library, yet began to see the influence of photocopying
and online databases as my education furthered. As a student teacher I was
luck to ride a new push for technological integration. I have a Smart Board
and I love it, it has not only changed the way I teach, it has changed the
way I think about teaching. I still utilize the computer lab frequently and
the joke is that it is my second classroom. I plan to continue to incorporate
relevant technology into my courses because this is what will prepare my
students for the realities of our technological world.
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Module 2
It was fascinating and quite refreshing to read an article on the importance
of information literacy in the digital age in Eduptopia. Since receiving a
Smart board, I have really been inspired to reevaluate my teaching style and
to enhance the strengths I possess with my technological knowledge. What I
have discovered is that not only have I been able to impart my wisdom on
having a critical lens and seeking multiple perspectives on my students, but
have also learned so much from the about the power of technology. We had so
much fun this year creating these really incredible PowerPoint presentations
on Human Rights throughout the world. Normally I struggled with relying on
PowerPoint presentations as I have found that Students tend to do little more
than copy and paste a bunch of pictures and information verbatim from the
Internet really not getting anything from the experience. This year I felt
that the Smart board encouraged the kids to step up there presentations as
they certainly feel more comfortable with the technology then previous
classes. While we researched information on the internet and started to find
some really shocking pictures, factual info, etc., I took the opportunity to
teach them about media and information literacy. We talked about looking for
the obvious signs of bias, reliability, etc. when researching on the internet
and the importance of citing sources correctly. Most of the presentations
exceeded my expectations and it help set the tone for my government class. I
have really made it a mission this year to focus on having students learn the
ethics associated with research and how important it is to respect
intellectual property. In the world of government and politics, it is also
important to be well informed and find multiple perspectives before
formulating arguments. In addition it is important to stay abreast of the
current issues facing the world and the Human Rights projects certainly
helped reach me reach my objectives.
Website #1 – Re: Vietnam – Stories since the War
I am absolutely fascinated with the Vietnam experience and what we as
historians can learn from that war. I really loved this website and think I
could do a fabulous activity with this website. By assigning each group a
story to analyze, I would then assign a reading from the book Letters Home
from Vietnam and have the students recreate a fictious letter back to one of
the soldiers from a family member, including pertinent details from the home
front that they garner through web based research. Although I have to admit
that the website was a little difficult to navigate at first. Also I would
question the accuracy of the stories, can anyone post? I wondered how this
works.
Website #2 – The History Place – The Past into the Future
This website is great for the teacher creating multi-media lesson or for
students doing multi-media projects. It is very easy to navigate and in fact
I found myself downloading a bunch of Lewis Hines photographs for my upcoming
unit on The Progressives. I like that it also has timelines that are
interactive and that it includes audio as well as video clips. I also really
enjoyed the Point of View section, which not only tackles some interesting
questions pertaining to many topics in social studies, including Politics,
but also has material from varying perspectives which is so vital in today’s
growing global community.
Website #3 – Rules in Cyberspace: The Internet: Know Before you go into
Cyberspace
I felt that this website was not really appropriate for the age that I teach
which range from 16 to 18 years of age. I actually was interested the first
three websites on Copyright ethics but the links no longer work. I teach an
entrepreneurship class where we do a unit on protecting your intellectual
property and how vital this is for fair business practice. We also do quite a
bit of work on Ethics not only in my business course but also in my
Government course. I would have loved to also see a web site that explains
how we can distinguish between good sources and bad sources on the internet.
It is so hard to get them to critique a website for accuracy.
Online Assessment Links
As a nine year veteran of teaching and having already received a Masters
degree in Secondary Social Studies I have gained a lot of experience with
incorporating multiple intelligences into the classroom and also into my
assessments. In New York we have Regents standards that really
force/encourage us to cater to varying intelligences. I have used technology
for years to achieve this goal and have discovered even greater ways since
receiving a Smart Board. As I read in our module not only do all people learn
better from a variety of viewpoints, resources and assessments but they also
learn better from hands on real world experience. Using technology we can
cater to these varying styles and get higher results from our assessments. In
addition technology can be used to assess students based on their strengths
which will lead to higher level experiences.
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Module 3
I read the book Punished by Rewards when I was in Grad school and I
immediately bought into the concepts that it implored. I have made great
strides over the years to establish a reputation of clear procedures and
expectations in my classroom, so that children coming in for the first time
know what to expect. The contract that I establish on day one is one of
making responsible choices. I really emphasize respect and maturity and try
to really get my upperclassmen to face choices as adults; therefore, I
involve parents as a last resort when it comes to classroom management. I
certainly have had my occasional problem over the years, but I have found
that by modeling respect by treating them as autonomous adults, I have been
able to build strong relationships and have avoided major problems in class
management. Rewards are rare, genuine and may revolve around a lesson or
particular good behavior, as such, they don't grow accustomed to them. In
addition, extra credit does not exist in my room, as it goes against the
concept of responsibility and encourages privilege and a sense of
entitlement. Choices are made throughout the course of a semester and the
consequences of those choices must be accepted. Life does not give many "get
out of jail free" cards and acceptance of responsibility is the first step
towards adulthood!
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Module 4
In college I was a Politics major and in my masters programs I focused
heavily on history so those areas of my curriculum have always been very
strong. When I was offered a job at Tuckahoe in their Social Studies
Department, I was asked to I teach Economics course, which had always been
one of my major weaknesses in college. The first few years I struggled
teaching the class and the projects I implemented did not transfer well into
real world experience. A colleague hooked me up with a new progressive
economic program that utilizes and caters to the multiple learning styles and
fosters real life experiences in the curriculum. NFTE (National Foundation
for Teaching Entrepreneurship), is designed to promote entrepreneurial
literacy among young people, ages 11 through 18. When young people
participate in this program they begin to unlock their unique entrepreneurial
creativity, have a greater understanding of the free enterprise system,
improve the quality of their lives, and dare to dream for brighter futures.
The seniors in NFTE host an annual NFTE Market. The market operates much like
a flea market and students draw up Marketing Plans for a potential booth and
seek funding on the strength of these plans. NFTE actually supplies the seed
money in the form of a grant and I then take the students to the wholesale
district in Manhattan where they negotiate and buy in bulk. Students then
begin to advertise for the event by hanging flyers in the hallways, making
announcements, and airing ads on the cable station and website.
Ambassadors from the senior class also go to the different grade levels to
explain what will be sold and to answer any questions about this event. In
the second half of the course students complete then complete a business plan
utilizing a multimedia PowerPoint template (supplied by NFTE). The 5
strongest presentations then are judged by local businessmen and women and 3
prizes are awarded. The course has been such a blessing to our school and has
been highlighted several times in the NY Times as the future of
Entrepreneurship literacy. The program reminded me a lot of the Geometry in
the Real world program as we have a lot of participation from the local
business community who come in as judges, speakers, and coaches. I have built
a very strong connection with our local Rotary club and the students get so
pumped about the competition and hands-on approach that NFTE fosters.
Subsequently, I no longer dread teaching this course and the reputation of
the NFTE program at our school has grown really strong among prospective
students and competing schools.
Website #1 – Multimedia Mania 2003 - Judges' Rubric
I tried a few links on Rubrics and some of them did not work. I started using
rubrics a
long time ago and I am always interested in seeing what other teachers look
like. My
rubrics tend to be a little less complicated than this one; however, I feel
that this project may have spanned a semester. I would have loved to seen the
project that was attached to this rubric but I could not find it on the
website.
Website #2 – Project Based Learning Checklists
I really liked this website because I love checklists (in fact I just created
one for my Create a DBQ assignment). These checklists could mimic the
original rubric so that students stay on task and maximize their potential
grades. I never thought to create a checklist instead of giving them the
actual rubric which is what I normally do. You could also use the checklist
for the students to analyze their assignments after so that they can see
where they lost credit and so that they can improve on future assignments.
Website #3 – The National Archives Website
I have always used the Library of Congress for most primary source
reproductions; however, I enjoyed the genealogy section and searching the
records bureau. I could certainly use this to expand an existing project on
family history to kick start my course in the beginning of the year. In
addition, it would help fulfill not only the importance of finding reliable
sources but also how history is literally in our own backyards.
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Module 5
Motivation is really easy to talk about and strategize for, yet it is
certainly the area where most teachers struggle because it is impossible to
motivate all students. I can remember several students that really bought
into my class; they came in absolutely hating social studies! I actually told
them that it is okay not to like a particular subject and in fact high school
is a way of discovering your likes and dislikes so that you can specialize in
college. Sometimes the incentive of college and the freedom they will enjoy
can inspire the most unmotivated child to get through! I am also a big
believer in not only showing a genuine love of your subject but also make
topics personal to the students. I love to see the look on a child’s face
when they get a topic that personally connects to them; they are shocked that
social studies can be fun or related to their lives. Multimedia approaches
that are incorporated into lessons can really foster a practical connection
to all the diverse learners in my classroom and it also allows for these real
world experiences with technology that will transcend into the work world.
When I started out teaching I relied heavily on using PowerPoint
presentations and I found that without the proper structure, many of my
students were just copying and pasting words into their presentations and
retaining very little. Now most of my multimedia projects are very structured
yet they have many options that will appeal to the multiple intelligences in
my classes. With structure they can learn the material in new and exciting
ways; hopefully this changes the traditional perceptions of social studies. I
have also worked very hard to try and become more personal with my students
as I have struggled with letting my guard down over the years. It is amazing
how much a student can be motivated by the teacher’s demeanor. I always felt
that I had to be tough and in charge at all times, I find that as I open up
and be more of myself, I have better, more motivated students. I also found
that it enables me to make fun of myself and to be more open minded when
dealing with difficult students.
Part B
I guess a lot of the topics that we have been covering are not new to me. I
have been using rubrics and multimedia projects for quite along time,
however, I guess I have gotten some positive feedback about how I can alter
and improve my practices with technology. I have in the last few years also
changed the way I communicate with students and parents by utilizing email
and I have a teacher website running on Teacher Web that you can access
through my schools website
http://teacherweb.com/NY/TuckahoeHighSchool/Heinsohn/
My hopes for the rest of the course are to have more interaction with my
classmates so that I can get some new ideas for software and technology that
I am not familiar with.
Website #1 – The Poets Corner
I not only love multimedia options in the classroom but I also like to
incorporate differentiate learning styles and cross curricular activities
into certain units. Last year I did a Harlem Renaissance Poetry Festival and
had the students find poems and analyze them. We then presented the poems and
analysis to the class and had a Soul food feast, I did this in honor of Black
History Month and I can certainly use this website.
Website #2 – A Practical Experiment in Colonization
I checked out this website because I created a similar assignment where the
students acted as a travel agent for a very rich Englishman and his family
who were seeking to relocate to America. They had to research and create
travel brochure for the colony and include a letter convincing them to move
to that particular colony. I could use this website to alter my original
assignment and expand their knowledge base.
Website #3 – Hyper History
Wow this website is overwhelming but extremely useful. It has so many
wonderful links and resources but it is pretty difficult to navigate. I think
that I would use this to create a hotlist for the students but I would
probably not actually send them to the website because it would confuse the
students.
Software
http://www.ewhitgames.com/MCJeopardy/Overview.html
I use all sorts of software in the classroom MS Publisher and PowerPoint are
the ones that I use most frequently but I also use exam software for creating
my exams. Several of my colleagues have suggested that I start to use Fire
fox but I have not had the opportunity to do this yet. I have found that the
Smart Board notebook software is similar to PowerPoint but I feel that it is
a bit easier to use and way more interactive. The website that I found a free
software download is listed above and it allows you to create an interactive
jeopardy game, I have software that I use that is similar to this one through
Smart Software that came with my new board. I like to use these as a review
for an exam and you can use multimedia approaches such as video jeopardy. You
can also have the students create a jeopardy game so that they can study
while they create.
Multimedia Lesson
http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/experience/
This website had an interactive lesson that uses galleries to share the story
of the nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans who lived in detention camps during
WWII. I would use this to have students work in groups creating personal
journals of an American Citizen of Japanese decent who endured 4 long years
of internment. The students would have to create the journals from real
accounts and bring their “character” from the beginning of WWII to Koramatsu
v US (1944) and the end of internment. The students become part of the
process because in order to create journal entries they will need the
knowledge which this website does a fabulous job covering.
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Module 6
Project based learning is essentially how I run my senior courses. In the
government course I often utilize project based learning to present them with
real world problems facing our political future such as human rights abuses
and it allows them to not only hone their technological skills but to also
give more individualized instruction. As they work at tackling the project as
a group I can walk around the room or computer lab and give more one on one
feedback. Students learn topics that are applicable to the real world in many
ways, technological skills are strengthened, interpersonal skills develop
through group involvement and you can cater to the different strengths in the
groups. I have found it quite easy to incorporate these projects into my
senior courses because we do not have the stress of State exams. In fact I
have found that the students in 12th grade retain more information and have
higher achievement levels without the pressure of the dreaded “exam”. Years
ago I stopped teaching to the test and my results are pretty much the same,
as long as you cover the material you can still be innovative and creative in
the classroom. This year I have been really trying to apply more project
based learning to junior course in United States History that has a pretty
rigorous state exam in June. I have a particularly tough group both socially
and academically, so some of the traditional lessons needed to be revamped to
cater more to their unique learning styles. For one project we looked at six
poems from the Harlem Renaissance and the students worked in groups analyzing
the poems with guided questions that I created for better comprehension and
understanding. In the end the students worked together to make a
group “found” poem where you take key phrases and words from the various poem
and piece them together to create a “found” poem. The poetry lesson was a
huge success as it forced them to use their various strengths to create a
poetry project based on the historical ideals the Harlem Renaissance
embodies.
Website #1 – Educating for Freedom – 1st Amendment
This is a great website for my senior course in Government. Not only do I
love to teach this unit but my students as teenagers on the verge of
adulthood really enjoy exercising and analyzing their rights. I like the
links that they have to places like the Southern Poverty Law Center and other
valuable resources. I have found other websites that are similar and equally
as valauble, one is the firstamendmentcenter.org and it is excellent.
Website #2 – Smart Ideas Website for Graphic Organizers
I went to the website because I have just received my Smart Board and I still
have not maximized its full potential. I knew that the board comes with quite
a few essentials for educators, yet I have really not had a chance to toy
around with them. I just love this technology so much and it is changing my
whole way of teaching. However I feel this website is just a tease for those
poor teachers who do not have the technology.
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Module 7
Emotions inform our logic. Emotion helps us connect to a memory for faster
and more consistent recall of information. Emotions also allow the
development of values and student’s that are emotionally neglected may have
problems with motivation, as they are emotionally underdeveloped. I found
this correlation when taking the Effects of Poverty on Education course last
year, it is essential for teachers to develop awareness of the factors
influencing our learners. Emotional state of our learners is a very
important; always create an environment where all emotions are dealt with
appropriately. Fostering this type of environment helps build trust and will
allow students to feel safe to express emotions correctly. As a model in the
classroom it is important to be honest about your emotions, admit failure,
get fired up about a topic, laugh at yourself, this shows your humanity and
allows for more complex and challenging activities. As I discussed in early
modules, meaningful assessments can still be incorporated into our lessons
without risking the results on standardized tests. Brains cannot absorb
material that is isolated or without joy or meaning. Relevance to their lives
helps make the connection more permanent. Give your student time to see the
relevance don’t impose it on them. Nothing in this chapter was terribly
surprising, it just reinforces and inspires me to continue trying to find
relevant ways to connect concepts to my students on a personal level. My
government class requires students to take complex issues and find the
relevance in their lives or future. I find this course not only gives me the
freedom to take advantage of more advanced technology but being free from the
state exams allows for greater impact on their lives as students feel that
what they are learning will have a direct impact on their future.
Website #1 - Ten Great Activities: Teaching With the Newspaper
I went right to this website because I am fortunate enough to get a class set
of two separate papers everyday including The New York Times. I incorporate
them in various ways and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. I liked
the suggestion about clipping the headlines and having students match them to
the story but I was hoping for some technological use.
Website #2 – Ancient Greek Gods
This was a really cool website although Mythology is usually taught mostly in
English departments at most high schools, theoretically it could easily be
incorporated into a World history course. Greek and Roman culture is
fascinating and even minored in Art History but I have no way of
incorporating it into my US History courses.
Website #3 How to write a good essay
I immediately went to this website because I try to make it my mission to
improve my students writing since most of them will be attending college the
next year. Each year I have my seniors complete a major research project that
culminates with a 5 page research paper and I require that they complete the
project in stages with me in the lab, this may be useful in keeping them on
task.
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Module 8
As we have spoken about in prior assignments it is very important to
personalize and build relationships in the classroom as well as in the
community. We all want to feel a sense of belonging and as we get older
sometimes we tend to forget how strong that sense of belonging is for
children. Adults still strive for belonging and we certainly compete to feel
accomplished, we have to live in the right neighborhood and drive the right
car, so in a sense we are no different than our students except hopefully
through maturity we have found a source of strength and fulfillment in our
lives that helps us rise above the materialism and consumerism of our
culture. The breakdown of the family has had such a significant impact on the
socialization of our children with so many feeling isolated from one of their
parents due to the high prevalence of divorce. Therefore it is so important
to help our children build stronger relationships with their parents and
foster a school environment where community can participate and technology
has made this easier for even the busiest parent. Email is the simplest way
to stay connected although parents can also be included in blogging, video
clips, etc. Belonging is not just rough for the Columbine type of outcasts,
sometimes our students who seem like they have it all suffer from the
pressure of being popular or getting into the right college. The type A
personality may have two parents and a beautiful home but maybe the parents
place unduly pressure on their child or they work a lot and are emotional
disconnected from their child. So the bottom line is to look for the signs in
all of our children, notice them, talk to them, they will amaze you often and
are more likely to share problems in the future. Schools have gotten too big,
too efficient and less personal at a time when our children need more
attention and support than ever!! The beauty of my school is that it is an
oasis, community and microcosm of the real world. Coming from a much larger
school, I was somewhat reluctant to teach in a high school with a population
of only 300 students. Nine years later, not only have I come to embrace the
benefits of being in a small school, I have come to embrace our strong sense
of community not found in bigger districts.
Website #1 – Blogging across the Curriculum
This is very useful for teachers looking to not only create a blog but also
for those looking for new ways to implement it into the classroom and across
varying curriculums. The process of keeping a regularly updated website is
excellent interactive design experience. Blogging also provides experience in
writing and reflection. I already have a website but I feel this is more
interactive and this is what I am working on for module 10.
Website #2 – Memories of the 1940's (1996-1998 archive) by thread
I am going be honest and say that this website is not at all what I expected.
It is really hard to follow and pretty archaic. I would love to see this
converted into an easier format plus the reliability of these accounts cannot
be verified and as a history teacher I would have a hard time using this with
a clear conscience.
.
Website #3 – EPals Classroom Exchange
I am really interested in using this in my Politics course! I would love to
add this element to my human rights project but also because it is so
important to emphasize our place within the greater global community. In
addition I cover a topic about how the rest of the world views Americans and
this may be a good opportunity to actually talk with others about the
preconceived notion about Americans.
Online Tools Critique
Flashcard exchange was interesting yet I feel that it can be easily
replicated for free using Microsoft programs. Flashcards in this manner can
be more effective with special needs students and can include pictures for
our visual learners. I have to say that to pay for this service would be a
waste of money when there are so many other alternatives available. As for
the Java website, it seemed to be very math centric and it lacked anything
useful for my social studies classes. The survey monkey was the one website
that would be extremely useful for my curriculum as I can utilize it for my
politics course and my entrepreneurship course.
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Module 9
The digital divide is a very real reality in today’s technological world.
Students in poverty are at a severe disadvantage when they compete for higher
education and employment opportunities against children who have access to
technology from a very young age. I have not only worked really hard to help
incorporate technology literacy in my everyday classes but also allow ample
opportunity for students who have limited access to take advantage of the
technology available. In addition I have found websites that encourage the
donation of used computer equipment and have even connected friends looking
to get rid of old computers with students of mine who I knew had no computer
access in the home. Ultimately I am lucky in that not only does my school
have ample computer space but we also have worked through local charities to
find grant money for twelve new Smart Boards this year, including the one I
received. Our technology coordinator has also stay abreast of the latest
tools out there and she often is able to get much of this free through grants
and donations. Recently we have received the web conferencing technology as
well as jeopardy software that even comes with handheld buzzers. I am proud
to work in a diverse school that not only promises to prepare our students
for tomorrow but also puts their money where their mouth is and funds and
trains our staff.
Part B
I have to say that some of this scavenger hunt is down right insulting? Did I
seriously just take a quiz asking me what a monitor is? I would never use
this scavenger hunt in my upper level history courses. I feel that this
course in some ways is really out of touch and in fact our students are far
more literate than we are. If anything I would have them create a webquest
for teacher’s showing how they get around the filtering technology and
safeguards in place that clearly don’t work.
What is your state's law on Internet filtering software?
Living in a state that respects the rights of free speech, New York requires
a internet policy that states appropriate use but does not require internet
filtering software.
Does your school use filtering software? Yes.
What is your opinion of Internet filtering software?
My opinion is that they do not work and they only impede teachers and
students doing legitimate research. My senior course deals with quite a
number of controversial topics that are often blocked by our filter.
Ironically the students have shown me several ways to get around the
software, including going through the same websites in other countries.
Proper monitoring by the teacher and staff can control usage better with
students that violate this should be punished by eliminating their access,
rather than hurting the whole school with technology that clearly does not
work!
Also locate and share at least 3 resources that relate to grants, technology
funding, or one of the ideas in your reading.
Network For Good: How Can I Find Technology Funding?
http://www.networkforgood.org/npo/technology/answer4.aspx
Imagine what the world would be like if every time you were inspired to help
someone or something, you could -- with just a few clicks of a mouse,
anywhere online. That’s the mission of Network for Good. We make it as easy
to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online, and we make it simple
and affordable for all nonprofits, of any size, to recruit donors and
volunteers via the Internet.
Computers4Kids – A Non-Profit Org
http://www.c4k.org/
Computers 4 Kids helps students of all ages acquire the technology and
technology skills they need to succeed in the future by providing equitable
access to technology resources in homes, schools and communities.
Project Tomorrow
http://www.tomorrow.org/index.html
A national and educational nonprofit organization. Our vision is to insure
that today’s students are well prepared to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders
and engaged citizens of the world. We believe that by supporting the
innovative uses of science, math and technology resources in our K-12 schools
and communities, students will develop the critical thinking, problem solving
and creativity skills needed to compete and thrive in the 21st century
Module 9 – Extracurricular Links – Atleast 4 of these links that I have
looked at are no longer valid, really this is unacceptable in a course on
incorporating cutting edge technology into the classroom
Social Studies WebQuests - Berks County Intermediate Unit compiled a group of
social studies WebQuests for middle and high school students.
Computer Crimes WebQuest - Students research computer viruses and determine
how to identify and punish virus creators.
How Not To Get Hooked By A Phishing Scam - The Federal Trade Commission
offers suggestions to keep you safe from a scam.
Website #1 - Playing It Safe - Students present their point of view to
convince parents and teachers to allow the Internet in school.
Certainly not for my grade level at all but it gave me some ideas for my
politics class. Have the class take surveys to target how students abuse the
Internet in school so that effective technology usage can be implemented. In
addition I would have them address how their lives in school may be different
without technology or internet access.
Website #2 - Grants and Contests - TechLearning offers a searchable grant
database for technology related grants.
I love to use government and private money to enhance our schools. Our
Government can always find money to fund wars but they still don’t properly
fund education in this country. Searching for grants and other contests can
help us bridge the digital divide.
Website #3 - Internet Fraud Complaint Center - If you are a victim of
Internet fraud, te FBI can help.
Unfortunately I was a recent victim of internet fraud and just last night had
to fill out a form on this website. I would incorporate this as part of my
Economics curriculum.
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Course Reflection
I think I have been pretty honest that this class has been a big
disappointment. Please don't take this personally as I blame the content that
TEI has chosen as well as the textbook, it is ridiculous and really meant for
brand new teachers. Not only that but the modules are full of useless busy
work, I am not adverse to hard work in fact I am currently taking a European
History graduate class that is far more work but fruitful and enjoyable. Most
of the work that I have done will never be used again and was certainly not
new to me, for example hot lists, web quests, etc. are concepts I learned a
long time ago. The one part of the course that I am most excited to work on,
the Wiki or blog should have been started weeks ago, instead I have been
wasting time on the other time consuming assignments and now I feel rushed to
throw something together. I feel TEI are the ones at fault as they have
created this course and I have been telling my colleagues to avoid taking it
in the future, Quite honestly I look forward to the day I send in my last
assignment.
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