Philosophy of Technology in Education

PHILOSOPHY OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

        When used WISELY and EFFECTIVELY, technology is a GIFT and useful TOOL to teachers and students. 

~Using technology to enhance learning was once a dream, but it is now becoming more and more a reality as advancements in technology continues to increase. Increase in technological advancement and production causes devices and programs to be more accessible than ever.~

 As an educator, I believe that teachers have a great range of tools to now use to enhance learning for students and to meet the needs of each and every learner.

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        I will effectively use the technology accessible to me in my classroom to make learning come alive and fun while fulfilling the greater purpose of meeting the needs of every unique learner in my class. 

• I will integrate a form of technology into every subject and will make times for every student to utilize the technology to complete assignments and to further instill the concepts that are being taught. 
• I will integrate apps to enhance my lessons and to increase comprehension and retention.
• I will assign students to complete a variety of assignments using technology such as: digital story-telling, blogging, and research papers. 
• I will create a website where the students can safely blog and where parents can interact with me, see classroom news, and view their children’s work.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^         Technology is very useful; however, it must be used wisely. 

  ~I will teach my students to be responsible digital citizens in being careful what they put online about themselves and others. I will teach them that what they post online is on there forever; consequently, they need to be careful with what they say and how they treat others. In teaching them how to be respectful digital citizens, will teach them how to deal with cyber-bullying and to be respectful of others.~

           

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When used WISELY and EFFECTIVELY, technology is a GIFT and useful TOOL to teachers and students.  

~I will use whatever resources are provided to me to enhance the learning of my students in order to prepare them for other grades and for their adult life. Creating a good learning environment does more than instill concepts and give students a fun learning experience; it sets them up to be good learners and to be successful in the future.~

    {It is in my hands to help set my students up for success, and I will do whatever I can with the resources I have at my disposal to launch them to success for a better future.}

            

~Importance of Having a Parent Contact Log~

Hi Everyone!

For my Technology in Education class, I was assigned to make a mock parent/guardian-teacher contact log. We learned the importance of keeping such a log. It is important for many reasons. 

One reason for keeping a contact log is so you know what you have discussed with parents and what solution was agreed upon. This will keep conversations with parents progressing instead of always going back over and over the same thing with no real solution. You will have a reference point and notes of what was discussed and what will be done. 

It is important because it shows the parents and the school and the students that you are actively involved and that you do care and that you do want great communication between you and the parents. Keeping a log will help you track the improvement of students. 

Most importantly, it is your job as a teacher to keep in contact with parents. 

{It is a document that shows proof that you are doing your job as a teacher in helping a student succeed in school and setting them up to succeed in life!}

~Click HERE to view my example of a parent/guardian contact log!~

Take Care Everyone!

-Morgan

~Three Useful Classroom Apps~

Hello Everyone!
I would like to share 3 free apps that are useful to use in the classroom!

1. Gtimer Free
                           
Gtimer free is a great app to use when timing younger children. It could be used during free play time when children need to take turns playing with something. It would be useful for them to see during a timed assignment so they know how much time they have. Gtimer has a digital stop watch in the middle of a circle. As the time begins the circle turns white in sections (similar to a pie chart). You can have a ringer go off when time is up.


2. Teacher Assist
Teacher Assist is an app that can help you randomly select students for activities. For example, if you have a physical education class, you can put the kids into groups for activities. You can enter in how many groups you have and press "go." It will randomly pic numbers. You can enter in the names of your students and it will select names at random as well. Another feature this app has is that you can get quiz or homework comprehension questions if you are stumped on questions to ask students.

3. EvoBooks: Bio Anatomy Demo
This app is super awesome! I love it! Unfortunately, the full version is $20; however, it is really useful when teaching anatomy. The free version offers a 3D experience with the circulatory system and the digestive system. You can write notes on certain things, circle an area you want to discuss or demonstrate how something flows. It also will demonstrate the function (i.e. how the heart beats). You can go all around the body as well. Like I said before, IT IS SUPER COOL!

BUT WAIT! THAT'S NOT ALL!!!

[I'm just going to throw in a freebee ;)]

4. American TESOL
This app is a really useful resource for teachers who teach English as a second language. It has all kinds of helpful articles and videos to inspire and challenge you as a teacher. We all should take an opportunity to grow and learn and this app offers people those opportunities.

I hope you all found this useful! Happy Teaching!

Until next time! Take Care!

-Morgan