Week 4 of Practicum

This week saw the Elmo used to help the students understand vocabulary words. The teacher brought different objects such as a family picture and a little Christmas tree to help the students understand the definition of a few new vocabulary words.

This week in one of my lessons I used the Elmo to help emphasize the learning in the classroom. The lesson was helping the students identify the digraph sounds ch, sh, tch, and th in different sentences. The students were able to see different pictures as well with these sounds in them with the Elmo, and see how to spell the words correctly. The students were able to participate by coming up and circling the words they could identify has having these sounds in them.

In a math lesson you could use the Elmo in helping the students understand how to use manipulative. This would help the students to enhance their learning, because all students would be able to see the manipulative, as well as help the teacher use them by coming up and explaining how they solved the problem.

Week 3 of Practicum

In the school I am working in, there are not very many things that you can check out, or use as far as technology goes. I did not really see any uses of technology in the classroom other than the students using the CD player for the listening center, and the TV for morning announcements.
Everyday I have been using the Overhead which is part of technology, but it is not considered up to date technology. In the 2nd grade classroom I am, although there is only an overhead we can use, it has helped the students see a bigger picture of different things as well as understand the material better because they can see details of pictures and other thing a lot better.
In a lesson that I taught this week if the classroom had a projector with wireless internet, I could have shown them a clip of a jungle instead of just having them look at different pictures I had printed on the overhead. This would have provided a better image of what a jungle really is, especially for the ELL students in the classroom.

Week 2 of Practicum

In my classroom this week since there are only two computers, they are mostly used for students, especially ELL students to practice learning their sounds and hearing the language. This week they didn't really listen to the CD player, but they did watch a movie about the presidents of the United States on the TV. The students also see the overhead and use the listening center everyday.
I did not use any technology in the classroom yet, because the school does not have a lot of access to a lot of technology. They have one lab in which the students while we have been in the schools have not used. I also found out that a lot of times the reason why I have never seen the use technology is because they do it during their rotation time where they go to the library, have gym and have time in the computer lab. In a lesson you could use technology by showing them different pictures or movie clips of the different topics you are talking about so the students, especially the ELL's will understand more of what the vocabulary means by providing them with a visual picture in their minds.

Week 1 of Practicum

In my classroom this week there are only two computers, an overhead, TV and a tape/CD player. Throughout this week I saw that the kids use a program that allows them to practice their reading skills. They also have a tape and CD player in which they listen to stories on it and they answer questions about the story their heard. They use the computer and CD player daily but there can only be one child on the computer and up to three on the listening center.
I have only seen the overhead being used once in the classroom so far. They don’t have any other things in the classroom that have to do with technology. I did not use any technology in the classroom yet, I did find out that you can get an Elmo from the library, or you can schedule a time in the lab. In a lesson you could use technology by showing a digital storytelling story to the class, instead of just listening to it on the tape player.

Integrating Technology in the classroom

Read Aloud
Critical Attributes: Book at Instructional or frustrational level-student wouldn't be able to read on their own. Teaching fluency-proxity-how to phrasing, pauses etc.
Motivate students to enjoy literature, opening world of books to students
Print concepts
Helps them to focus on context-comprehension

Technology integration: Book Trailer
Elmo
Author studies-google earth
Websites like Peter and the dragon (show how illustrations were made)
Story board about author or concept taught or other books the author
Wrote for author studies

Google Virtual Tours

There are so many ideas on how to use Google Earth to create virtual tours for your students to go on. I have learned so many good ideas for my classroom by watching the virtual tours of some of my classmates. I watched Sarah Kidd’s; she had the idea of going on a tour of different physical land forms. This is a great way for you to show your students what kinds of things are around the world and show them the different areas they are located in. I also watched Devin’s Volcano’s tour. This is a great idea for students because instead of just describing where a volcano is located, you can go on a tour of where they are in the world. This would get kids even more interested in the different subjects you travel to by using Google earth virtual tours.

Architecture through the years virtual tour

For my virtual tour I did architecture through the years. This was based on a sixth grade curriculum of exploring architecture as well as many other things through the years. We start with the Caves in France, then to Pyramids in Egypt, then to Greece, Rome, back to Paris, France for the Notre Dame Cathedral and then finishing with the modern architecture of the tallest skyscraper in the world Taipei 101 located in Taipei, Taiwan.

I can use this virtual tour for a sixth grade class to introduce a unit on architecture through the years. By using my virtual tour to travel around the world and look at how the architecture has dramatically changed over the years all over the world.