#3 Blog

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The ELA technology standard I feel most prepared to teach with my existing knowledge is W/WHST.6 "Use Technology- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others." This tool is a great thing for collaboration, which is a main point that I want to emphasize in my classrooms for young children. The earlier they learn to collaborate with technology, the more advanced they will become with the constantly new technology. RHST.7 "Multimedia: History/Social Studies" is the ELA technology standard that I would require more preparation on. I have never been strong in this subject area, so it would be hard for me to teach this specific standard to my students.

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There are certain technology softwares that I plan to use with my future students. These include the Internet, videos, and a specific website called GoNoodle. GoNoodle specifically is a website that gives young students the opportunity to learn in a fun way, such as dancing while spelling words. These technology softwares need to be age appropriate and helpful toward each student's learning skills. Because I plan on teaching kindergarten through second grade, it is harder to teach these students about digital citizen concepts. Although they are young, I will still make sure they know the basics toward copyrighting and why they should be careful.

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After designing my Newsletter, I have realized many different techniques on Word that I did not know even existed. I loved being able to individually work out some of my problems I experienced while creating this, such as borders and columns. I personally did not like that there was not much instruction on how to do certain things and the instructions were not very specific. I could improve my newsletter if I had the opportunity to learn more techniques that are given in Word. This assignment helped me struggle through problems and also it was helpful to see what Word really can do and how I can make my own newsletters for my future classroom.

#2 Blog

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I have used MS Word since I was a young student. This system has been my best friend, from making "menus" with friends to writing papers. Even when I received my Macbook Air, I went ahead and downloaded MS Word because I am so accustomed to the way things work on there, compared to Pages. MS Word also helped me create different projects, such as calendars, brochures, and flyers. My teachers have used it to create tests and quizzes, calendars of the academic schedule for the class, and even posters of inspirational quotes. 

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My teachers have always been very strict when it comes to papers and copyrighting. I think it should be mandatory that students start at a young age with citing the sources, in order for it to be easier when they get to high school and college and they have papers with a large number of sources. Middle school teachers should teach their students about how to correctly cite information and further explain the consequences for plagiarizing someone's work because college punishments are extreme. From the podcast, the lady talked about what copyright does for a specific work. As an elementary education major, it would be hard for me to teach first grade students what copyright means, but I will make it clear that cheating is not allowed. With testing mostly on the computers now, I will make sure to be constantly walking around the room to make sure students are not looking at each others monitors for answers. 

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After the presentation on Twitter and PLNs, I have realized how many different educational accounts post different techniques for future and current teachers to try in the classroom. I did not realize how helpful these accounts can be, since social media usually receives negative reputations. These PLNs can be used in my future to show students the positives of social media and how I can stay up-to-date with the most recent teaching techniques. 

#1 Blog

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Computers are the new norm for the educational system, giving the teachers and staff easy access to  the standards they must meet for that particular grade in the local, state, and national educational systems. One of the main concerns for teachers and technology is that the children in neighborhoods in poverty are not as experienced in technology, so teachers need to have backup plans, in order to teach students in other ways besides using technology. Another main concern for teachers is that technology is taking over teachers, in that students are having a hard time not having the one-on-one personal interactions with teachers anymore. I do agree with the issues raised in the first two chapters because it is a hard transition for both teachers and students to become more technologically advanced. With the educational systems changing, we, as future educators, need to be able to constantly be up-to-date with the new technology and be able to teach it to our students in a timely manner.

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The ISTE standard that gladdens my heart is "Design and Development Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments." This standard really stood out to me because it gives each individual student a way to set their own educational goals and be able to see their progress throughout the school year. The standard that seems to be outside my current skill set is "Model Digital Age Work and Learning." Because of my current skill level, I do not believe I have learned enough about the different techniques to communicate with the parents, besides the typical email. I observed a teacher last year that used a system that sent certain results directly to the parents, which I would love to learn for easy access to the parents.

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The label "digital native", a person born with technology easily accessible, can be processed as being positive or negative towards today's youth. I do agree with the label because, like the podcast said, the K-12 students rely heavily on technology in the educational system and they honestly do not know other ways of learning in today's technologically advanced society. I have seen differences in the educational systems with some of my more "digital immigrant" teachers, such as using chalk boards and white boards instead of SmartBoards or insisting that students still handwrite notes instead of typing them. Even though SmartBoards are the new technology, I still enjoyed when my teachers used white boards because there were never any technical problems. Also, projectors were used in elementary school, which was great because teachers were able to write straight on the paper and we would be able to see every step. A difference I anticipate between myself and my future students is trying to make sure I am informed in the best technology that will help my students stay focused and wanting to learn.