Tool # 9

1. I feel it's extremely important to tie technology to an educational objective. Regardless of age, we all deal, engage in, and interact with a variety of forms of technology everyday in our society. It's imperative that as educators we tie in technology into objectives in order for students to build their knowledge and skills in our technology dependent society. Students are excited to use various forms of technology and acquire new skills in this area. Sometimes the use of technology in the classroom can help motivate an otherwise unmotivated student to learn. Technology excites kids. They have learned to use technology at a very early age unlike most of us educators. I feel personally that the students have a much easier time learning to use technology than myself. I am learning to overcome my fear and intimidation of using new technology in order to better educate my students in this area. Did I use the word technology enough? LOL

2. I feel that we should hold students accountable at work stations/centers to teach responsibility. I feel as a teacher I need to model this to my young students over and over in order for them to learn this accountability.

3. I have to admit, I feel there are better interactive web sites that are developmentally appropriate for my kindergarten students other than the sites given. I did like IXL. I felt that the math games are very age appropriate for my students. I will definitely use this site during to centers. I plan to take the time to find other sites that the students can use as well at centers.

4. There are so many wonderful apps for the itouch. Several that I found and will download for student use are 123 Animals Counting, A Bee Sight Words, and All About Me. I just scratched the surface in my search. I know I will find and down load many more that my students can use. I am still thinking about how and where I will store the itouches since I will be in a new classroom. I am considering using the zone method regarding centers. The classroom will have 3-4 different zone areas. Each zone will consist of several centers. Students may go to another center in their designated zone after they have cleaned up and put away the materials they used at that center. This would enable more students to use the itouches each day. Students will be at each zone for 20-30 minutes and will visit 2 different zones each day.

5. Students could video tape themselves or take picture using the itouches.