CC-+Marlene

__06/30/09__ Ning is an excellent tool to use in the classroom. It allows for students to set up a network and communicate with each other. Students can use this technology to get ideas from each other and use it when they are working on projects in the future. It can also be used as an exhibit center for students.

__06/29/09 Photostory__ Photostory gives the teacher an opportunity to explore technology in order to aid learning. It is one of those softwares that caters to the needs of those audio-visual learners in the classroom. This software I believe is suitable for all subject areas. The way photostory is prepared, it allows for ideas to flow in a sequence. I think a Language Arts teachers can have field day with this technology as they can use it to create story to help students understand plot.

Mathematicians have a sequence that they follow in helping students to problem - solve. This is an abstract sequence. Pictures are sometimes used to help students to mentally visualize the abstract process. To be more specific, the process involves, understanding the problem, developing a plan to solve the problem, executing the plan, then checking to see if the plan solves the problem. Using Photostory, a math teacher can use the technology to explain this sequence in order to help them to think of this as being less abstract.

__06/25/09 Powerpoint with Audio__ Powerpoint is one of the more frequently used technologies because it easy to prepare. Adding audio is going a little beyond what is generally done. This can be beneficial to the teacher in meeting the students' needs as far as instruction is concerned. Powerpoint with audio allows the teacher to reach those audio-visual learners. In any given classroom, a teacher will have diiferet types of learners and must employ a number of strategies for them to learn. Audio in a powerpoint is good as a teachers can use it explain concepts presented on the powerpoint. Powerpoints with audio do a better job of capturing the attention of the audience. Sometime these presentations get awfully long and people's attention spans run out. Student sometimes are easily distracted hence audio is a good idea to keep them focused.

__06/25/09 Movie Maker__ Technology is now commomplace all around the world. Even though it is, not all children have access to it at home.Movie Maker is an excellent tool to use in the classroom as it exposes students to technology that is seen on the "big screen." It gives them a second hand view of what goes on in the filming industry - a career path that some of them might even choose. In North Carolina, sevnth grade students does a unit on drama. They work with the teleplay Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. In this teleplay they are exposed to many terms that are used in screenplays or teleplays. Working with Movie Maker, students will get a chance play with effects such as fade-in, pan, dissolve, cut to, fade to black etc. Terms that were just merely words to them will now have more meaning as they manipulate this tool.

__06/24/09 Copyright__ The term copyright meant little or nothing to me when I went to school. It is probably safe to make a presumptious assumption and say the same thing about the teachers who taught me. In today's imfomation age, the same does not hold true. Copyright is something that everone needs to be aware of for a number of reasons. Colleagues sometimes have good intentions and might want to share information. Many documents are protected under copyright laws and must not be retrieved, reproduced or copied unless it is bought or permission is granted from the sole owners. If this is done, guilty parties might be faced with issues concerning litigation. All teachers need to become very aware or the implications of violating copyright laws. Simple things such as showing a movie on a school network or copying characters from unauthorized sites to post on websites all constitute copyright violation. As teachers we need to research and become aware or these things, inform our students so that they do not make the same mistakes as copyright infringement can cost people their career.

__06/23/06__ Igoogle is an excellent tool in the classroom. Students can manipulate this tool by setting calendars to keep track of assignments, projects or even important events at school such as an awards ceremony, benckmark dates, and field days. This is one way to foster organizational skills. It is equally important for teacher as it is a place where grades can be kept. It Works as an organizational tool for students and teachers alike. It is quite useful in the classroom since teachers can add links and use it in clas at their disposal as long as they do not violate copyright laws. It serves as a comunication tool inside and outside of the classroom as it can be sourced at home.

__06/22/06 Inspiration__ This software provides students will the opportunity to play with technology. It can be used in an ELA classroom in a number of ways. Students can create web with vocabulary words and their meanings They may also create additional bubbles to show roots and bases. Student can even go further and map out synonyms and antonyms of the vocabulary words studied. When teaching figurative language, Teachers can have students create an organizer to highlight and remember some of the harder types. For example, my experience in teaching figurative language led me to the conclusion that student tend to remember similes and personifiafiction easily. When it comes to hyperbole, oxymoron, idioms and others, students tend to forget. This graphic representation. will help them to remember these terms. Another good way to use Inspiration, is to help students differentiate between fiction and non-fiction. Teacher can have students create an organizer and everytime a selection is read in class or at home; students will determine whether it is fiction or non-fiction and check it on their organizers

__Audacity__ __06/19/09__ The use of Audacity allows students again play with technology and develop confidence in themselves. When working with Audacity, students will record and delete several times to try to get to where they are satisfied with their voices. I see where students can also work in groups on an activity like this and select the most outstanding project for replaying. This an excellent tool to use in the poetry class Also, when students are working on argumentative writing, students can record debates and then replay them. Another bright idea for using Audacity is when doing novel study. Student can be sked to select major events in novel and then prepare a news article for the rdio or television. My seventh graders did a novel study on The Outsiders. They had to do an article for the newspaper on the fire at the chuch. With a software like Audacity, student could record their article.and play it in class. This could be a major project and student could be graded on this. This might be perfect for meeting at least two of the main goals of informational technology-innovativeness and creativity.

Publisher 06/18/09

MS Publisher can be employed in the classroom and help students to acquire technology skills and work on particular units in their subject area. The awarenwess unit that is done in eighth grade lends itself to MS Publisher. In this unit, student work on propoganda techniques, designing brochures, posters etc. Students can work in groups and use MS Publisher to create these. Working in groups on these activities can help students as they can learn from each other. Some students might be more technologically inclined or some might have easier access to computers which might make them more savvy with the computer and it's programs. These students can provide helpf or other students who are less comfortable with computers.

Students can also come up with a business plan and create a poster or a flyer as to how they would market a product. This an area that ELA teachers have to since Business and Marketing teachers are now working with modules and this is no longer taught in their classes. Some schools invite people from industries during their career week to talk to students about the 'work world'. This is an activity that may be done after career week. Activities like these allow students to use their imagination to come with unique business ideas. In the Fiction and Non- Fiction units, students can create pamphlets or brochures to highlight elements of fiction and non-fiction or even compare and contrast both. They can also give examples of these. For instance, the story of the dog who lost his bone in the river because of his reflection would be an example of fiction; while a newspaper article on Lincoln would be non-fiction.

__06/17/09__ Teachers can implement technology in the classroom in a number of ways. __ Wikis __ Wikis are a good source of homework help for students. Teachers can post problematic topics with explanation to the problems. One of the advantages of this is that it can be accessed at anytime. Wikis may also act as a “chatroom” for students and provide peer tutoring.

__ Blogs __ Blogs act as a good source of information. It is particularly meaningful in disciplines related to humanities. For example, you can get ideas from blogs to build essays have meaning debates and discussions related to particular subject matter or topical issues.