Emerging Technology

In the past decade, technology has made overwhelming advances that are allowing educators to expand their creativity in the classroom. Using a variety of emerging technology resources, teachers can further engage their students in their learning. Although there are many emerging technology resources out there, I researched three of them that I found interesting and beneficial to my future as a classroom teacher. iPods, Smart Boards, and ebooks are all great resources that teachers should implement and utilize in their classroom if they have the technology and the finances.

I found a lot of fascinating information about the very popular iPod on http://www.apple.com/itunes/. iPods have been out on the market for several years now, and has monopolized the mp3 player industry. Although most Americans find themselves owning some sort of iPod, it may have never occurred to them how useful iPods could be for classroom teachers. Take the “iPod classic” for example. This iPod has access to music, video, and slide show. This could be very handy for teachers. For example, if a teacher had a video or a slide show at home that they wanted to bring into their class to show to their students to help enhance their lesson, all the teacher would have to do is download this to their iPod and it would be super simple to plug it in and play it on the big screen for their class (assuming that they have the appropriate technology to plug it in and play it on the screen). It is just one more way for teachers to use technology and store a bunch of great resources that is portable and small.

A Smart Board is another great tool to utilize in the classroom, but unfortunately teachers can only get it for a high price. Various types of interactive whiteboards are available in the market today that range from $800 to $10,000 depending on the technology used and the quality of projection surface. I found a lot of great information about the “interactive whiteboard” specifically on http://www.electronicwhiteboardswarehouse.com/interactive_whiteboards.htm. The website described the interactive whiteboard as a resource that allows you to simply touch the board to control the mouse. It explains that this is such a great advantage as you can control all of the computer actions from the front of your classroom. Anything that is on your computer can be controlled from the screen, and can be viewed in a large scale by the entire class. This is great for using technology in a way that everyone can see and be interactive with.

Lastly, ebooks are a great resource for teachers to use in their class. Ebooks are basically books that can be read and accessed online. Wikipedia.com describes ebooks as the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. Ebooks can be a great resource for those students who enjoy reading off the web. If students are interested in the internet, maybe using ebooks will make reading more interesting and fun for them. It is something different than just reading out of a boring textbook.Writers or publishers have the option to provide an ebook version to their book, which I think is valuable and a good idea since more and more, people turn to the web to read, instead of going to the library to pick up a book. Ebooks are beneficial resources because additional information and resources can be hyperlinked to further readings and information. This is a great tool to have, instead of having to do your own research on a further topic; the ebook provides you with the link right from the page. If a school does not have a ton of money for books, it would be smart for a teacher to spend the money to access a book online, and allow the class to view this book online. This is a smart way to be resourceful and a great way to utilize the wonders of technology.

It is valuable to learn about all of these great emerging technology resources for my future classroom. Technology has become such a big part of our world, and it is slowly being incorporated into the classroom. With more young teachers being educated on these emerging technology, like myself, the use of technology in the classroom will only increase, and hopefully students will feel better engaged and excited about their learning.

PowerPoint Kiosk

Using PowerPoint Kiosks, students are given an interactive tool to help encourage their learning in a new and exciting way. For students, this is a great way to expand their learning using technology, but to also explore other resources that were embedded into the kiosk, such as extra websites and information. This is great for those students who are naturally curious and desire to learn about more than what is required to answer a question on a test. I think that Kiosks are a great way for teachers to exercise the multiple methods of technology. There are so many wonderful technology related resources out on the web, it just requires that teachers make the effort to find out how to get them and how to implement them. It can be very helpful for teachers to organize information in the form of a Kiosk, and use the kiosk to implement student assessment in a fun and interesting way.

Even though the Kiosk is a great way for students to learn and review material, only some students may really enjoy it, while others may find it frustrating and uninteresting. The Kiosk is a great tool for those students who enjoy using technology, enjoy reading material offline, and those who enjoy having the option to simply click to learn more on a certain topic. The kiosk would work well with those visual learners, and if audio was implemented into the kiosk, those audio learners as well. Kiosks may be a struggle for those students who are not familiar with technology, or those learners who have difficulty paying attention to a screen for a given amount of time. Those body-kinesthetic learners may not gain very much from a kiosk.

I really liked the Kiosk on the seasons. It showed a really great visual of what each of the four seasons look like. I think it was great how they embedded the tree video of how it “magically” changed. This is something I would most definitely use it if I was teaching a lesson on the four seasons. I also really enjoyed learning about the digestive system, and how the body works to digest food. The visuals were great, since we cannot see inside of our own bodies, it was great to see the visual information on the kiosk.

Teacher Web Blog

I really like that Teacher Web is a place where all of my students could go to locate any classroom information. If my students want to learn about their homework, class events, take a test, or even just learn about me, they can simply go to my teacher web. It is also a really great for the parents of my students to utilize. As a future parent myself, I know that I am going to want to know what is going on in my student’s class. If their teacher had something similar to Teacher Web, I could see what was going on in my child’s classroom from the comfort of my own home. I think that it is a great idea, and something that more teachers should use.

I would like see a place where students could talk to other students in their class. Possibly like an online chat room just for my class, where they could discuss projects, confusion on homework, and other school related topics. It would also be neat if I could log into chat room a couple times a week, and answer any questions from parents, students, or just be available to my class.

As I said earlier, Teacher Web would be very beneficial in the classroom setting. One specific thing that is very helpful is that my students would be able to take tests on the Teacher Web. This would be very nice as a teacher because the Teacher Web would grade the tests, and simply send them to me. This would save me a lot of time, and be a great tool to use.

If the student’s were taking test online at home, I could foresee some problems occurring. If they are in the comfort of their own home, they can use the internet, books, or their family members to help them answer the test questions. This could be a problem, and create an unfair advantage.

Concept Mapping

You can utilize concept mapping in many ways. Five of those ways consist of:
1. Using concept mapping to help students explore the four seasons. Having them create pictures that symbolize each of the seasons and clumping them together with similar symbols. This is a great way for young learners to understand the four seasons.
2. Using concept mapping while learning the “Base Ten” unit may be helpful to some students. Creating base ten blocks in each of the thousands, hundreds, tens and ones place, and allowing students the opportunity to draw blocks in each of the place values.
3. Using concept mapping anytime you want your students to categorize a group of something like fruit, trees, the different senses, and vegetables, having them draw and categorize these items is a great way for them to have a further understanding of the categories.
4. Using concept mapping when students are learning the many sources of energy. Once a student realizes that energy comes from a variety of sources like from the sun, they can create a concept map that extends their understanding of all of the places that energy come from.
5. Using concept mapping when learning new concepts in math. This can be done while learning addition. A student could create a concept map that displayed all the number combinations that added up to 45.


1. Having Concept mapping software available for my students would be a great thing to have in the classroom when teaching content. As we have been learning, students learn in a variety of ways. Some are audio learners, while others are very visual learners. Utilizing concept mapping would be very helpful for these visual learners. It allows them to process their thoughts and ideas through a visual method. They are able to see what their thinking process is, and therefore, are more likely to be able to clearly convey their thoughts. Also, utilizing technology in the classroom is a great way for teachers to get their students excited about learning, and allow their students time to interact with technology in an academic environment.

2. I do believe that anytime you introduce something into your classroom that it is vital to be completely comfortable in teaching it to your students, so that you do not confuse them in the process. As a future teacher, I would love to integrate this software into my classroom, because I think it would be helpful. The problem is, I also know how technologically challenged I am, and I am worried that I would not be able to understand it well enough for myself. I think I could learn how to use if efficiently in about a week if someone were to sit down with me and show me how to use it. If not, I think I would get overwhelmed and just end up not using it.

Blogs In Education Project

After searching for “Educational Blogs,” on google, yahoo, and msn.com, I found that my results were fairly similar. The first several sites appeared to be exactly the same on each of the search engines. This is most likely due to either the high amounts of “hits” the first several websites received, or because those specific sites had spent large sums of money to have their site show up first, in order to catch the searcher’s eye.
1. Today, blogs are being utilized in education in several different ways. As I began searching these educational blogs, I found interesting information on www.weblogg-ed.com. This was a blog that was an interactive site for teachers. The teachers were utilizing this blog to discuss a current issue that was frustrating to them. By blogging, they were allowed the opportunity to discuss their frustration, and share their thoughts with other teachers. Another way that educational blogs are being utilized is what I found when searching budtheteacher.typepad.com. This site was filled with blogs from multiple days that displayed links to technology that the teacher had utilized recently in his classroom. The purpose was to provide other teachers with current information that he was using, that they could later use in their classroom. Lastly, I visited educational.blogs.com/edbloggerpraxis/. This was a site displayed by a teacher named Tom Barrett from England, who created a page to have teachers subscribe to an integrated ICT, similar to what we have in this class, the teacher WebQuest. But Barrett offers more than what is offered in our WebQuest, for you can create tests and grade books, but then have people go in and change or refine your work.
2. While searching RSS readers and aggregators, I found that both are rather similar in that they both provide information concerning recent topics or issues in a collaborative manner. The difference between a RSS reader and an aggregator is that an aggregator may provide more links or information from a variety of sources. It is more of a collection of all sorts of information. I think I would rather use an aggregator because it provides more of a variety of sites and sources that I can utilize. I may use both of these in a classroom setting in order to gain knowledge. Using a RSS reader or an aggregator, I can gain knowledge from a variety of sources while just going to one site. This will be helpful to me as a teacher because I need to continuously be informed and have a clear understanding of what is important in the world of education.
3. I think it is really important for students to have to opportunity to share their ideas, and be exposed to the ideas of others. Blogging is a great opportunity to do this. Blogging allows students the opportunity to write their thoughts and ideas similar to a journal entry, but it also allows the opportunity for others to comment, agree, or disagree with their writing. It also allows the student to comment on other’s blogs. This idea of sharing and comparing thoughts and ideas is extremely beneficial to the developing mind of students. Also, using a RSS reader can be beneficial for students to allow them exposure to current information. Here, the students can go to one page to locate current information for a project of topic.
4. There are both pros and cons to using blogs and RSS readers in the classroom. I would consider two pros to be that using blogs and RSS readers may enhance the student’s understanding of a variety of opinions, ideas, or topics. Another pro could be that allowing students the opportunity to blog, is a way to allow them to express their opinions through writing, therefore, enhancing their writing skills. Two cons could be that blogging could be dangerous, as it is utilizing integrated technology. This could be unsafe because today, everyone is on the web, which could be risky when discussing the safety of your students, and exactly who is talking with your students. Also, when using a RSS reader, the validly of the information presented could be an issue. The accessibility of the internet allows anyone to post anything on the web, and therefore, the information presented may not always be accurate and beneficial for a student.

Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

After taking the Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Quiz, I scored extremely high, showing my strengths in Musical, Kinesthetic, and Intrapersonal Intelligences. As I reviewed what each of these strengths included, I saw that they truly did ring true to my actual learning style. The website described being a musical learner as someone who has a heightened listening ability, and someone who often thinks musically rather than verbally. I find this relevant to my learning as I think about my ability to hear sounds that others may not. This becomes a problem sometimes as I will concentrate on background noise during class, which often distracts me. Also, when studying for an exam, I will often think of how to formulate information into a musical song or pattern, rather than simply memorizing facts. This is relevant as the website states musical learners enjoy moving to rhythms. As a strong Kinesthetic learner, the website described these learners as those who enjoy hands-on tasks, and who strive to learn by doing. I find this very relevant as I consider myself as a learner in the classroom. I have trouble sitting for extended periods of time simply taking notes or listening to a lecture. I would much rather being fully engaged while actively moving or involving myself in a hands-on activity. I also remember the material presented better when I am able to act or move about. Also, while remembering information for tests, I will make up hand motions or symbols with my body to help me study. I also have found that I thoroughly enjoy sign language, and I can remember information easier if I can remember the sign for it. As an Intrapersonal learner, I am someone who is able to monitor my thoughts, actions, and behaviors, and I am also very aware of my thought process. Intrapersonal learners are comfortable with themselves, show confidence in their abilities, set realistic goals, make appropriate choices, and have a good sense of their own strengths and weaknesses. I feel as if out of all the multiple intelligences, I am strongest as an Intrapersonal learner. The website described many things that were extremely relevant to my learning and thought process.

Students who are Musical learners enjoy drawing visual patterns, learning to read music, and working with pattern blocks. Students who are Kinesthetic learners enjoy continuous movement throughout the school day, engaging in hands-on science experiments, and involving in interactive games while reviewing content. Students who are Intrapersonal learners enjoy having set goals for themselves, allowing opportunities for expressing their feelings about a topic, and providing activities which offers learner choices.

I can support all these different kinds of learners by using a variety of instruction, activities, and technologies that adhere to the variety of learning styles in the classroom. For students who are Musical learners, it may be helpful to include digital sounds, pattern blocks, and puzzles in my lesson plans. For the Kinesthetic learner, it may be helpful to include construction tools, wheel and axle, and manipulative tools in my lessons. Lastly, for the Intrapersonal learners, it may be helpful to include diaries, journals, and online surveys in my lessons.

Knowing about my student’s multiple intelligences is very important as I begin thinking about how I am going to construct my lesson plans to accommodate all of the various learners in my classroom. Realizing that it is necessary to include many different types of activities and learning strategies, in order to help all of my students reach the learning objectives. If I understand my student’s strengths and weaknesses according to their multiple intelligences, I can better understand how to accommodate their preference of learning styles in the classroom.

Day One

I am really excited to learn all of the interesting technology in this class. I think it will be extremely beneficial to me as a future teacher. I hope that I am able to learn a lot, and continue to utilize technology in my future classroom daily.