Google maps for teachers and students

This week we were asked to create a google map to use with our students. In kindergarten, one of our big focuses for the school year is on community. We study the parts of a community and discuss community helpers. We also take field trips to explore important places and the people that work there.

This is a map that ties with the idea of community. I would use this map in coordination with our field trips, to discuss the different places we are going to (and did) visit.

View Our Community in a larger map

In my classroom, I would update the locations with photos and videos taken during our field trip so that students could recall what we saw and who we met during our visit. 

We were also asked to develop an idea for students to use google maps independently. I really like the idea of using a google map over breaks to show where families went during their vacation time. Parents could log into a classroom map with their kindergartner and create a pin of where they were during break. They could also add photos and videos of their time together. After break, we could use our maps to share what kindergartners did with their families and where they traveled to. This would be a great activity used to encourage kids to share their experiences, but also a meaningful way to discuss different cities and states. My kindergartners cannot work google maps alone, but with parent support they would be able to successfully use the program in a relevant and meaningful way. 

Exploring podcasts

This week we were asked to find  an interesting podcast to listen to and review in our blogs. I was able to find a great technology podcast called Teaching with Technology. 

This podcasts discusses ways to implement technology in the classroom. From blogs to e-books and everything in between, this blog covers it all. It is informational and entertaining. A podcast I would recommend to all teachers looking for inspiring ways to integrate and utilize technology in their classrooms.

I especially found this podcast especially useful. It discusses what the "ideal" day of an elementary age student could look like at a school where technology is fully integrated into all areas.
A day in the life

Since this post is specifically about podcasts, here is a podcast that explains how to create podcasts:
Podcasting for beginners

Linking material in Blogs

This week we have been asked to update our blogs with videos, maps and photos that link to relevant information. For this assignment, I decided to research a few examples of why educational technology is relevant and important in today's classrooms.

Let's start with a cartoon:

For today's students, technology is more relevant than it has ever been. It is how they learn, understand and relate to material and eachother. Teachers need to respond to this interest if they are going to be successful in reaching their students. 

Throughout history, people have worked to be more effective. They have developed tools to help them accomplish this goal. The following video is an example of how technology has changed throughout history:

As time changes, people must change and adapt to be more successful. If you would like to learn more about educational technology, I suggest you attend this conference. (That is, if you can make it to Florida!) Click the photo for information about the 2014 FetC conference, offered next January.

Here is how you get there:

View Larger Map

At this conference you will learn new ways to integrate technology in your classroom to meet all of your learners diverse needs. I would hope to learn new ways to reach all of my students and to expand my current use of technology which is: 

I truly believe that technology is an important tool educators can utilize to expand their students learning and meet all of their unique learning needs. 

Successfully implementing technology

First off, I would like to say "yay!" because I already utilize photo sharing in my classroom on a regular basis with my students’ parents. I find it a very good way to document learning and growth throughout the school year and to get parents involved in their student’s learning. I also have parents that take part in uploading and sharing pictures they take when they volunteer in the classroom, which establishes and maintains a sense of community among the adults as well. Here are some pictures I compiled for this assignment. Check them out.

In regards to the reading, I find the study listed to be interesting, mostly because I have worked at schools moving towards a one-to-one ratio of laptops to students. For many years I taught at a private school that implemented a 5 year plan to introduce laptops to all students k-12. They began at the high school and then slowly worked through the grades a few at a time. It was very successful for the students and school. They found it to be a worthwhile return on their investment because student engagement and performance increased dramatically.

I think the reason the initiative listed in the book was not successful is due to many factors including teacher resistance to “top down” change, poor instructional quality of software and the failure to teach teachers how to implement the technology in the classroom.

• ·         Top down change – there isn’t any evidence that teachers wanted to change to the laptop system or had any desire to change their current teaching methods. For teachers to be successful in implementing new methods, they need to see the need that they are meeting. If teachers are not on board, the program cannot be successful.
• ·         Poor software – the book mentions that curriculum guides and worksheets were installed, but that does not mean that the computers were teaching material in a meaningful way. For students and teachers to find a purpose for the laptops, they need to meet a specific need or introduce (or reinforce) material in a different way. Simply replacing pen and paper with a computer is not a beneficial use of technology.
• ·         Failure to teach implementation – the example does not mention if the teachers had any training on how to use the computers to enhance their teaching. It reminds me of the adage “give a man a fish he can eat for a day.” Giving a teacher a laptop does not mean that he/she will know how to use it to teach effectively.

In my experience, successful implementation of laptops begins with training, not only the teachers and the students, but the families as well. At the school I mentioned above, parents were invited to workshops on how to utilize and support their children at home. The face of homework would be vastly different and the school wanted parents to be prepared for that as well as the teachers (who of course attended many workshops and trainings on how to maximize student learning with technology.)

Teachers also need to be a driving force of change. These decisions cannot be mandated and carried out without feedback from those at the front of the instruction. The decision needs to come out of collaboration between the school and the faculty, with a strong commitment on behalf of the teachers to use the new technology to better instruction.

This is a good example of how technology needs to be thoughtfully chosen and carefully implemented to be successful for those using it. Simply providing it is not enough to increase student learning.