The Internet is a powerful tool. It can open new worlds, build new relationships, and inspire creativity in students. However, the Internet can also be intimidating. When teaching Kindergarten students how to research on the internet, it is very important that we lay the foundation now and peak their interest in the world wide web. The success of even our youngest students has become dependent on their ability to successfully search, navigate, and employ the Internet to fulfill a purpose.
In this course I explored a new, expanded definition of literacy for the 21st century. I evaluated my own 21st century literacy skills and determined how I can infuse the teaching of these skills into my content area curriculum.
Through the implementation of small lessons, the students can practice the necessary skills through the curriculum objectives. Although my students already have the opportunity to use multimedia in the classroom, I have not tried to research anything on the internet with them. I am enthusiastic about the modeling the use of the tools that I have discovered through this program. I will be making our classroom my newsletter into a wiki as well as publishing a book for our room that we can enhance by creating a voice thread with.
It is my hope that by laying the necessary foundation to these new literacy skills that my students as well as their parents will develop and interest in the internet and the great potential it has for enhancing the education of us all.
Internet in the Classroom
The internet is such a rich tool for teaching. Webquests, I-Searches, Class Newsletter, Blogs etc.. all enhance learning. The reason why teachers tend to shy away from the internet as a teaching tool is because of their insecurity and confidence about how to use it effectively. I speak from experience. :) After I tool several classes about how to use the internet in the classroom I was excited and energized to carry out what I had learned. I've used it in my classrooms as well as with my tutoring students. Tutoring one-on-one as well as the classroom are both great arenas for utilizing the internet as a tool for teaching specific skills and making learning fun. It's our future and our responsibility as educators to implement it.
Have fun with it!
Prospective Teacher
As a prospective teacher, I am currently in a class learning about the importance of integrating technology and the internet. Most people shy away from that which they are not comfortable. Some teachers are still operating on the theory that the teacher is supposed to know everything. Who knows everything about technology or the internet? Therein lies the discomfort! When teachers really become facilitators of learning, we will understand that there is so much that we can learn from children. Some teachers are missing the most valueable resource that they have for learning about technology sitting right there in the classroom with them. Our continued learning will help us in our journey to help other children. Classroom newsleters, blogs, discussion forums, and other web tools allow for student engagement and parental involvement which are both essential to the learning process. Thank you for your experience. I take very seriously my pledge to become a 21st century teacher and to utilize the technology that is available to ehance the teaching and learning process.
Classroom Software
I am a parent of three wonderful and innocent children ages 10, 9, and 4. Great is my concern allowing use of the internet. I would never leave my children at any age to use the internet even with some sort of filters that could possibly be bypassed with the right knowledge. We only allow them internet use with us being directly involved. This will continue throughout their primary education years. Computers and their use are an intregal part of life today, but children need to be nurtured along while online. A high school student showed me recently that www.netnanny.com can be hacked and overridden easily. If our kids, want to play educational games. they learn using software programs that we purchase at places such as www.childrenssoftwareonline.com.
Even though it may cost us to have to purchase software, we have complete control over what they are engaged in. Cost is not a factor in the innocence of their minds. Even at about $15 per cd, they use them for years (with more kids coming along). Hopefully when they are adults they will have hold true to the values that they were taught and resist the temptations that are constantly faced with especially in this fast paced electronic world we live in.
Internet has become the
Internet has become the world's most helpful media, one proof of technology growth. However, with this innovation, there are some negative effects to the children. For instance in in their studies, many children have become addicted to video games that sometimes they don't want to study anymore. And this reflects to their grades. It's going to come up. Moms and dads are likely to have to determine whether to pay their kids for good grades. Some look at a little cash as an extra incentive to excel, while others believe that it sends the wrong message to children about the value of both money and education. But studies of pay for grades systems in various public schools suggest that so long as parents are involved in teaching their kids the value of money, the rewards could be palpable. Here is the proof: Paying kids for grades: Capitalism in action.