Week 2

After reading chapter 2 in the Pearson text it seems as though technology tools are crucial to support literacy education in this day and age. There are a wide variety of tools available and this chapter looked at some of them more in depth. I find that within my own classroom I am in fact using many of the tools that are currently available. At this point my students use a word processor which is a productivity tool. They also use Accelerated Reader which is a well-known educational software item. My students use a number of internet and communication tools numerous times as day such as Tumblebooks, XtraMath, and Study Island. Not only are my students familiar with internet and communication tools, but they are also accustomed to using multimedia and visualization tools. Some of these tools are the promethean board, a powerpoint presentation, and movie maker. Even though I am incorporating these tools within my classroom I realize that I need to work on integrating more emerging tools within my classroom. One of the tools that I am excited to use is the wiki that I created last semester. My goal is to integrate these emerging tools at a slow and steady pace. I don't want to overwhelm myself and end up overloading my students at the same time. My hope is also to get administrators as well as parents on board with the technology that I will be presenting in the near future. They need to understand that while these "new" ways of learning aren't the "old" paper/pencil ways, they are the current approaches that will allow students to thrive in the current world they are living in.  

Week 1

After reading the assigned texts I realized that the common theme is that we as educators must provide our students with the essential skills and prepare them with the proper tools in order to survive in the digital world. I for one know that I feel more prepared now than ever after taking numerous educational technology courses. However, I am unsure whether the students I teach are prepared enough to survive considering the lack of technology that currently exists within our district. The Pearson text mentions that even though the contructivist theory does not correlate with technology, the theory does remain the foundation for the use of technology. With this constructivist foundation problem solving is the key, students have choice, and the learning is collaborative. I came across an article that questions both teachers and students whether or not they have the necessary skills in order to survive in the 21st century. It was interesting for me to read and hopefully it will be for some of you as well.  My goal for this class is to take away a number of tools to incorporate literacy in my instruction at my current school through the use of technology. I'm hoping that as time goes on I am able to use technology with many aspects of student learning.

Intro

I'm Lindsey Polk and currently a fourth grade teacher in the Fox C-6 School District. I am proud to say that I have officially enrolled in my last four classes leading up to the completion of my Masters in Educational Technology degree through Missouri Baptist University. I have a love for technology in the classroom and hope to learn as much as I can through the MET program. I created this blog as a way to communicate through my course called, EDUC 573: Technology to Enhance Literacy.