EDT+674+Discussion+Page

**__Discussion Question 1 __**
What do you know about using technology with students? What do you want to know about using technology with students?

I use technology quite a bit with my students. We have a classroom website that has a bulletin board/blog. They respond to this regularly. It has links to educational games so that they can use it at home. They are very comfortable in the lab for about an hour per week, and I have a smartboard in my classroom. My dream would be to have some sort of mobile lab but unfortunately that seems to be tied to money.

What I want to know is how to get past my school district's filters on a lot of these awesome resources. Many web based (especially Web 2.0) sorts of activities are blocked with our filter. It can be extremely frustrating to get these great ideas in class, and then go back to school to find things blocked. I am hoping to find ways to use programs that we have installed at school more regularly and creatively.

I would also like to find ways to assess their growth with technology. I would love to do a pre-test in the beginning of the year and a post test at the end to somehow measure growth.

__Discussion Question 2__
Look at the Essential 21st Century Skills List - Select one skill and discuss how you already meet this skill via your current instruction. Select another Essential 21st Century Skill that you may NOT already touch upon and project how you might be able to meet that need in future instruction.

One skill that I believe I am very strong with is creativity and intellectual curiosity. In math I created "The Great Air and Water Craft Extravaganza", which is to be held on March 12th. They are to design a craft that can sail quickly and also float into the air with as little helium balloons as possible. It needs to meet certain measurements and will require much testing and critical thinking. My students are super excited about it and can't wait to get started.

One skill I want to target more is Communication, specifically communicating with writing. At times I feel that I am not a strong writer, or a strong writing teacher. I want to think of ways I can have students use different forms to effectively communicate their thoughts through writing.

==** __Discussion Question 3 - to be completed one week after the Weekend One__ ** ==

Find a TeacherTube/YouTube video that you could use for instructional purposes and copy and paste the address of the video for others to view. Explain how you would use this with your students.

NOTE: Since there are so many videos to choose from, please avoid any repeats.

View two other students’ videos.

I wrote a grant this year that focuses on living "green". As part of our grant we are composting food with a compost machine. It has been a very enlightening experience! We have been composting for a few months now. In this video, women in Kenya (in the slums) have started a compound where they go to a garbage dump, collect biodegradeable items and compost them. They sell the fertilizer to make money for their nursery school. It is a pretty incredible story, helping students become more global.I am going to show this to my students and talk about the differences between why we are composting as compared to why these women are composting.

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==**__Discussion Question 4 - to be completed Saturday/Weekend Two__ ** ==

To complete the KWHL- what have you learned from the readings, activities and discussions from this course about using technology with your students?

I have learned that it is important to integrate it, not teach it separately as it's own entity. I have also learned how to use short video clips within a lecture or activity to help peak interest. I have also been much more comfortable letting students work at their own pace. I can't wait to use windows movie maker and to try claymation. It may be tricky but I am sure it will be a learning process.

I also joined an educator discussion group with Google. I hope to check in often to see if I can get new ideas. I also found a part of google that will help me teach summer school to keep my materials organized.

I have not yet figured out how to get past our district's filters yet!