Kindle in the Classroom

The Kindle is a wireless piece of technology that is used for reading books, magazines, and so much more! Not only is it appropriate for your own personal use, but it is an excellent piece of technology to use in the elementary classroom, as well! Since I want to be an elementary teacher, I am always trying to think of ways to make my classroom better than what I had growing up. That being said, I think the Kindle would be a great thing to use in my classroom.

There are so many opportunities with the Kindle that you would not have with regular books. For example, it can be a great way to preview books for a lot less money than it would be to purchase a hard copy of the book. Another great way that a Kindle can be used in the classroom is when you need multiple copies of a book. If Kindles are available for student use, necessary stories can be added to the Kindles for the students to read. These stories will not have to be replaced ever because they won't go through the wear and tear of a hard copy book. Another way the Kindle can be used in the classroom is when the teacher needs to send a number of books home with a student. The teacher can just put all of these books on the Kindle and the student will just have to carry around that, rather than a number of heavy books. One final reason I think the Kindle should be used in the elementary classroom is because it has the text-to-speech audio function. This function is great for those students who lack reading fluency, have vision problems, or for those with language barriers.

The Kindle would be a great asset to any elementary classroom. It's lightweight, convenient, and can be an excellent way to meet the needs of a variety of students.

For more information about the Kindle, please visit http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3752572 or http://www.ehow.com/how_5257013_use-kindle-ebook-reader-classroom.html.

Image used with permission from www.flickr.com

Kidspiration Software

For one of my projects in my Educational Technology and Design class, I used the Kidspiration software. Before this class, I had never heard of Kidspiration. It is a wonderful tool to enhance students’ learning and it is great for the visual learners in a classroom. The software is intended for students in grades K-5 and there are a variety of ways it can be used for each subject. According to the Kidspiration website listed below, “Kidspiration helps students: develop strong thinking skills, strengthen reading and writing skills, and build conceptual understanding in math.” This tool is easily accessible for young students, but also great for teachers. Teachers can use already made templates and lesson plans for their students or they can create their own. The software gives students a variety of activities in order to learn concepts, as well as to practice them. Kidspiration is a great tool to use in any classroom. The activities can be adapted to each individual learner and they give students the opportunity to learn in multiple ways.

For more information, please visit the Kidspiration website.

Image used with permission from www.flickr.com

SMART Boards in the Classroom

SMART boards are a great new technology that I feel should be implemented into every classroom. One of the reasons that I think the SMART board should be in every classroom is because using these boards is a great way to involve the students. Students can interact with each other, as well as the teacher. They will learn how to collaborate with each other and be able to play a part in their education. By using the SMART board, students will stay engaged in the lesson because they can play an active role in the lesson instead of just listening to the teacher. SMART boards are a great tool to use to enhance every type of lesson, even math lessons. They can also be used for students with special needs and are great for visual learners.

To find out more about SMART boards in education, check out the following links: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/reviews/9759.aspx or
http://education.smarttech.com/ste/en-us/

Learn ways you could use SMART boards in the classroom by watching this YouTube video!


Photo: http://www.flickr.com/

Digital Kids Ruling the Classroom

“Teachers may be the masters in the classroom, but when it comes to mastering technology, a growing number of schools are turning to students.” This is a quote from an article I read entitled “When Digital Kids Rule the Classroom.”  This article talks about the importance of allowing kids to use technology in the classroom, and also the importance of allowing the students to teach the teachers some technology. The article also discussed how important it is to let kids use many types of technology instead of restricting them because using the technology will be a great aid in their education. I think that it is so important that we allow students to use many different types of technology in the classroom. The technology in the world is ever-changing and it is so important that students are exposed to this in school. This exposure will not only help the students, but it will help the teachers as well. Teachers will gain a better understanding of the technology and in turn will be able to come up with different methods of teaching using this technology.

To read more about digital kids ruling the classroom, please follow this link: http://news.cnet.com/2009-1041_3-6065108.html

Photo: iowaaeaonline.org/

Blog Day 1

Welcome to my new blog! I am really excited to share my ideas about education and technology! Check back often because I plan to post again soon!