Blog #3

The ISTE standard I feel most comfortable with teaching is the SL.5 standard, “Use Digital Media.” I feel so comfortable with this standard because it is the basics. It is teaching kids to do simple technological things like add images and media, creating audio recordings, add sounds, etc. However, the overall purpose of this standard is to strategically use this media so the standard also gets more in depth with things like using media in presentations to help emphasize the point you are trying to display. I feel very comfortable with teaching this because I am very comfortable doing it myself. On standard I don’t feel confident teaching is L.5 “Vocabulary: Use Context Clues.” To be honest, I am not familiar with most of the tasks that fall in this standard, such as tracing the etymology of words and adding reference materials, so I am excited to learn and figure it out. I think it is very important for me to understand this concept first, before I can teach it to students.

In my classroom I would like to use as many technology software and applications as I can. Some in particular I think I will use most frequently are blogs. Blogs are a good way to not only let students voice their opinions but also read the opinions of their fellow students. It also something that is continuous for the year so it is easy to see a student’s progression. Another good tool I want to use is Video. Some students are nervous about presenting in the classroom setting so, using a video can be a good way for them to still present the information without having stage fright. Another tool I want to use is a learning management system. It would just be another source for students to learn in an innovative, new way. The online classroom aspect will teach students in ways that they have never experienced before. The digital citizenship concepts I will need to address include three main points. The first is for students to comport themselves with civility while acting within a community. The second is for them to communicate clearly and precisely without rudeness or inappropriate interaction. The third and final is for them to protect their personal identities and those of others. As technology is a very helpful thing, it comes with a huge responsibility. Students needs to understand that they need to be safe and nice on the internet. Teaching students these points will help them successfully do this.

The newsletter design assignment was a very beneficial project for my future career in teaching. In the past when a teacher would hand me a newsletter to bring home to my parents I would just crinkle it up and put it in my backpack without thought that someone put time into making it. While making my newsletter, I realized how tedious and time consuming the process really was. You want your letter to look perfect to parents and you want what you write to perfectly explain what is going on in the classroom because parents love to know what there kids are learning while they are at work. I learned a lot more about Microsoft word programming that I can use for making future newsletters but also expand into flyers, posters, etc. I also liked this project because it is a very real assignment. It is something I will actually have to create in my career, unlike an essay or something of that nature. However, if I could do this assignment all over again I may change the order in which I did steps. When you don’t go in a specific order it creates more work for you in the end.