Whiteboard App

I was able to create a short instructional video on my tablet using the Lensoo Create app. This app allowed me to insert a background, change the color of my pen, insert shapes, and record a video. My video was How to write a cursive "L". It was extremely easy and fun to make (I think I spent more time messing around with it then actually creating the video). This could be very useful for teachers especially if students need more instructional time but don't have the face-to-face time. Take a look at my video below: 

Educational Apps

• Multiplication Games Math (free) Times Table- This app would be perfect for helping kids learn multiplication. It provides a 'learn' section that shows you the different times tables, a 'practice' section that gives random problems that are missing one number of the equation that the kids have to solve, and there is a 'competition' section where you are challenged with how many problems you can solve within a certain amount of time. This app is perfect for the math curriculum when teaching multiplication. It provides a fun way (it's alien themed!) for kids to work on their multiplication times tables.  

• First Grade Learning Games (free)- This app is full of learning games for young children. Even though it says first grade, I feel that it can be used for second and possible third grade. This app has 3 free games out of the 12 available, in order to unlock the 9 other games, you have to pay for it. But the 3 games they had would be helpful to students. The first game is a pattern game in which it displayed patterns (cow, apple, cow, apple, blank) and you have to figure out what comes next in the pattern. It also had number and shape patterns. The second game is ordering. This game has different size balloons that float around (sometimes with letters or numbers) and the kids have to put them in order, whether by size or number order. The third game is bingo. In this game the student has to listen to what word is spoken and find it on the bingo board, they do this until they reach a bingo. Of course on all these games there is different levels of difficulty. All these games would be beneficial in helping a student count, recognize patterns, and help them recognize words. 

• Kids Logic Land Adventure (free)- This app is full of fun little games that the kids have to do to help the children in the game go on their adventure. It starts out free but  to finish the game, you have to pay for it. For teachers, though, it might be worth it. These fun little games include pattern recognition, and matching similar pictures. The students have to complete these little games to move on to the next level. I think many kids would enjoy this because they would want to actually finish the game by completing the adventure. This would meet the needs of the curriculum by enhancing a student's ability to recognize different patterns and problem solve to figure out how to move on to the next stage in the game. Both of these are important skills for a child to learn. 

No Homework? No Due Dates?

     Chris Haskell created 3DGameLab as a new way for students learn. It includes no homework, no due dates, and the student can choose what he/she wants to learn. Taking a class like this, in my opinion, is awesome! I have been able to do quests that focus on what direction I want to take my career in. I want to be an elementary school teacher and some of my classmates want to do their teaching at the secondary or physical education level. By having these different options, we can all pick different paths to study and still pass the same class; this creates equality and fairness within the course because everyone wins and still passes the class even though we focused on different subjects.
     This course may not work for every class and many people might not be accepting of the change, but I think it could be very beneficial. Students would be able to do work on their own time and not have to stress about due dates. Most importantly, this would teach time management (I know this from experience). You have to force yourself to keep on track with the course so you can finish on time. It is possible to finish early, but I've also learned that it's easy to put it off and then you get behind (again, I know from experience). It would be important for students to learn time management, even starting at a young age.

Netiquette

As kids grow up, I think it's important for them to learn about internet safety. With technology constantly growing, it would be good to incorporate safety rules into the classroom, especially since the kids will, most likely, be using more technology in the classroom. Here is a sample flyer I made for my future classroom about internet safety:

How to Survive My First Year Teaching

     In order to "survive" my first year of teaching, there are a couple tasks Dr. Haskell has recommended doing before hand. To be a successful teacher, one must have a vision in mind and plan for a goal. I need to physically write down what I want to achieve in my classroom such as goals for my students and me, what my vision of the classroom is going to look and feel like, how the experience is going to be for my students, and any other little thing that can help plan for the future of my classroom.  Something to keep in mind, is the look of my classroom and the feeling the students will get when they walk into it (colors and decoration do matter). No matter how nervous I am feeling on my first day as a teacher, having a "game plan" ready beforehand will definitely help me. By being prepared, I will be a more successful teacher.

Creative Technologies

     I really enjoyed looking at all the new technologies Haskell showed in his video. In my future classroom, I would love to use the smart board and the active table. Both of these technologies would be extremely helpful with having the kids actively participate in class and in activities. The smart board allows dual touch which means two children can work on the board at the same time. This could be great for math, spelling, or any kind of engaging activities. I also thought that the active table would be perfect for a classroom. This table allows multiple children to work together on assignments or activities. It reminded me of a tablet or iPad just jumbo sized. Many useful apps can be downloaded onto the table and can be used in a classroom setting.

     I think including more technology in the classroom will make learning more fun for children. Since they are already growing up in a huge tech savvy generation, I don't think it would be hard for the children to learn the technology; in fact, I think they would excel at it. My little brother, who's eight years old, is always using some kind of technology whether it be a tablet or someone's phone, but he is always figuring out new apps and playing all sorts of games. This doesn't quite sound ideal, but I bet many children are like him. So by incorporating technology in their classroom, I think they would find learning more enjoyable and actually have fun while in the classroom. 

Who's Smart and Who's Dumb?

     When we ask ourselves who the smart ones are and who the dumb ones are in the classroom, the answer normally is the smart student is the smart one and the dumb student is the dumb one. But that doesn't make too much sense if you really think about it. The smart students are the ones who utilize their resources to the best of their ability and try and make the best decisions possible. The dumb students are the ones who don't try and use different resources available to them and they make poor decisions (we've all probably been there at some point in our academic career). Sometimes it's hard for a dumb student to become a smart student, but what if the student isn't the problem. What if the teacher is the dumb one? All students learn in different ways so isn't it the teacher's responsibility to make sure every student is learning in a way that benefits their strengths? If teacher's took the time to help the "dumb" students, whether it be teaching them how to study, how to utilize resources, or figuring out the best way to teach the student, I think we would have a lot more "smart" students.