Blog # 7

The key to this chapter is evaluation. A lot of evaluation. The reason this is so important is because it helps the teachers decide if the assignment and the resources used in the assignment are appropriate. Teachers also need to be able to correctly evaluate software that they use when trying to incorparate technology into their daily lesson plans. It is critical that software is relevant to the curriculum. Web resources are the most important to evaluate as we learned through our website evaluation assignment. It is important to check the website's authority, audience, clarity, and if the information on the website is right or not. A helpful tool to do this type of evaluation is a rubric or a checklist.
This chapter also focuses on how to incorporate technology into the classroom which is something the book has failed to address in the previous chapters. The chapter tells about search engines where teachers can look up lesson plans that are tailored to specific curriculum areas. Another problem is funding. Where are schools supposed to get all this money to buy the technology? From three 6 mafia? No, from Grants. The money goes to the grantee, the teacher, school, or organization to which the grant funds or equipment are transferred to. But most importantly remember to evaluate.

Blog # 6

One of the most interesting things that I saw in this chapter was the virtual reality technology that teachers can now incorporate into their classrooms. The 3-D modeling is really unique and I think it would be fun for students to use in the classroom. However, this much technology integration into the classroom may not be possible in many schools because of a lack of funding and resources and the size of the classrooms. Schools with very large class sizes would have a harder time using it.
Another change that integrating technology into the classroom makes is changing the teachers role from the "dispenser of knowledge" to the "facilitator of knowledge". This says that putting technology in the classroom will help children take a more active role in their own learning and the teacher doesn't just pour out information in lectures they actually use different ways of instruction.
Learning centers will be great for classrooms especially in the k-5 grades becasue it allows teachers to break their classrooms into many different stations and so the little kids won't get bored because they have many different learning options.
Ultimately more technology in the classroom will provide more ways of learning to fit students different learnign styles, it will also make learning more fun. All teachers should be trained in how to incorporate technology into their classrooms.

Blog # 5

In this chapter there are many things that will help teachers use technology in education. The first one that I think will help in the field of education is the drill-and-practice, Games, and tutorials. The drill-and-practice were the software first provides factual knowledge and then through repetitive exercises allows the student to continue to work on specific material and remember the information. This type of software will be especially useful in math classes because it gives the students a lot of extra practice with the problems.
Another useful classroom tool is the tutorial. Although the windows and word tutorials we do in education tech are not the most exciting or interactive of the software out there it nonetheless does its job and teaches you how to do specific things within the program.
Another useful tool is the curriculum specific educational software. This provides grade level specific information for the kids to work on which helps them actually learn the material and not just forget how to do it after the test.
Digital media presentations allow the teacher to create interactive digital media presentations that define elements relationships to each other and sequences them in the correct order. Some examples of these types of software are Microsoft powerpoint and Apple iLife. These are widely used today in K-12 schools and in Colleges.
This chapter focuses on digital media. Which not only is fun and entertaining to use in the classroom but also provides an alternative method for students to learn material they might otherwise not have any interest in learning about.

Blog # 4

Chapter 4 is about hardware and the many types of hardware that can help teachers do their job more effciently. Teachers having the knowledge about what hardware can make their job easier is great because it will reduce the stress level and the amount of time they spend on their work. I learned many things that I didn't know about previously from this chapter. The first thing that I thought was interesting was the American Standard Code for Information Interchange also called ASCII. This coding scheme makes it possible for humans to interact with digital computers that recognize only bits. For example, when you press a key on a keyboard the keyboard converts the action into a binary form that the computer understands. It seems simple but without this process no one could communicate with each other through computers.
Another thing in the chapter that many teachers have already taken advantage of is the expansion cards that go into the expansion slots on the computer. With this extra memory teachers can easily transfer files from their classroom computer onto the expansion card and take it home and grade papers from their home computer. Also teachers can make power point presentations at home and store them on the card and present them to their class.
Audio and video input and the flash drive are some other useful pieces of hardware in the classroom. It allows teachers to use more interesting things in their lectures.