A Vision of K-12 Students Today

When I Become a Teacher

Reflections

As a preschool teacher, the tools that I would like to use in my classroom will be the iPods, and the videos (photostory, iMovie) I like to use the flip camera to record the lessons in which students are actively involve, then I use iMovie and finally the iPod where students can observe the lesson over and over, streaming videos are great to complement my science lessons. On the other hand, is amazing to know that I can observe other teachers, and share lessons, and strategies and also I can get training and professional help for other educators.

Our classroom will have a big transformation: I was afraid of the technology, now I feel a little more confident, the last school year my students learned how to use the apps in the iPods, now I not only can offer a demonstration, but there is a technology language students have to be learning since early grades. Also, I would like to teach my students about the responsibilities in the use of the devices that we have in the classroom ( And also the devices that we have at home)

What really surprise me is how easy we can communicate with others around the world using the new technology, I can receive professional training or I can help students after school using a video, I can see my family in Colombia using skype, I can classify my documents using diigo and Delicious...This is phenomenal!

I'm adding some wonderful words to my vocabulary: Diigo, delicious, jing, skype, tags, bookmarks, digital citizen and more...

I really enjoyed working with 11 Tools

Tool #11: Digital Citizen

The three points I would like to discuss with students of all ages including my children (15, 14, and 5 years old) are part of the Use of Technology outside of the school environment. Teachers are concern about the use of devices that our students have access, but what about the parents? Do the parents know what their children are doing, watching, playing, listening or writing when they are using the Internet?

Security and Safety: All students are exposed to hazards with the use of the Internet, they spend to much time playing alone on the computer (navigating). Limit the use of the computer or any other device would be a solution, but it is important to let students know that any Internet web page may contain risks and they can be vulnerable. Students should not use their personal information to communicate with people who they don't know.

Etiquette: Many people can see what we write. When students write on the Internet they need to be respectful, our words show what we are and what we think. Something very important: The effort that others have done to develop a work should be valued, if we want to use what other people have created, we must give them the credit, and sometimes we need to ask permission before using some documents, pictures, videos, images, and music that we can find in the Internet.

Rights and Responsibilities: Sometimes students spend to much time using the computer, they forget the world around them, and they are free to express what they think about others, about the world etc..but they need to know that when they are expressing their thoughts, they should be responsible, remind your students that every body has limits when using the Internet and they need to be worry about the good and the bad things that they can find or they can do .

Digital Citizen helps us :

• To be more responsible when using the Internet (Using the computer or other devices)
• To educate our students and their parents about the use of the Internet

As educators we must set an example for our students, we need to illustrate and demonstrate the use of this new technology, and we must no forget that as adults we also are exposed to dangers when using the Internet.

Tool #10: iPod Touch

The easiest of all tools. During the last school year our school had the opportunity to have more than 40 iPods for our students. Our Principal found apps that were appropriate for our students, they had the opportunity to work with over 100 apps. The apps were grouped into areas in the iPods: LA, Math, Music, Stories etc...some of the apps that we have in the iPods are: Phonics, abc cards, Kids Spanish Words, funny flash, Learn 123, Basic Shapes, number swap, fun time etc... In our class we used Apps for our specific project: Trains, some of these apps that we used were match trains, trains, abc trains, iron horse, train conductor, railroad, tiny trax and monster maker, my students really enjoyed these apps during the developing of our project...iPods helped improve fine motor skills in my studetns. I used iPods to record important lessons , students can watch the lessons and reinforce some concepts. One of the best things: Families had the opportunity to take home the iPods and children were the teachers of their own parents.

Panda Path families began a new era: Pre-kindergarten classrooms with the best in technology.

Tool #9: Jing and Skype

Screencast can be defined as an online education where teachers and students can interact trough the distance. Jing and Skype are educational tools that can be used by students and teachers, students around the world can share their culture and their academic knowledge, teachers can record lessons not only to share with colleagues but with students who need help after the school. As a preschool teacher, I would like to make videos of my students and then share them with parents who do not have the opportunity to visit our classroom, is another way to observe what the children are doing in class, I would also like to make a video to suggest the parents how to work at home with their children.

I would like to use Skype to show how my students can develop projects, I would like to share ideas of how to develop projects with other preschool teachers around the world.

Jing and Skype allow us to connect with others around the world no matter where we are.

Tool #8: Videos are powerful teaching tools

It was really easy to do the tool number 8, I use videos in the classroom to complement my science lessons. The videostreaming are divided into sections, I always look for the section that fits what I'm teaching. The last school year, these videos were a support for all the projects that we did in our class. You can find these videos at: videostreaming in library resources (springbranchisd.com/library) The videos that I'm posting are: The life cycle of a butterfly; Birds building their nests.