And the silver goes to?

I am often worried as to how I will go about integrating technologies in the classroom and prac didn’t really ease that worrying. I really hope to teach the infants and that is were my concern lies, how do I integrate technology in a kindergarten classroom when more often than not they take the whole lesson to log on to a computer. Over the last couple of weeks we have been lucky enough to have Glynis Jones speak to us, when I voiced this concern she very wisely told me to wait and see. Later in the class she showed us a video of the Victorian based school: Silverton Primary School, this video opened my eyes and I think most of the class’. I have never before seen a school that has one learning place, I personally don’t know if I would be suited to this type of school but sessions like this I think would be fabulous. The way in which Silverton have integrated technology is amazing students learning is entwined with technology the principal has not opted for just getting each classroom a IWB he has provided the students with a technology rich environment with varying sources of technology. This video I think goes a long way in teaching pre-service teachers such as myself ways in which we can successfully implement technology in our classrooms.

So what would you do?! Copyright ©

Whilst talking about the ethics involved with technologies in schools we were posed with the question:

If you had a fantastic software but only 5 licenses and you had 10 computers would let the children suffer or break the copyright laws?

Well, let me tell you this caused a great discussion in our classroom that is filled with pre-service teachers. There were obvious answers of I would just copy it, others saying I would do what I could to fund the others and if not the children would miss out and lastly there was the group; I wish I wouldn’t but yes I’d copy them.

Copyright laws are often the ones we forget, how many times do you search an image on google and just use it yourself? How many times do you watch a copyrighted dvd. This issue really got my attention as I feel I am a very moral person and would never in a million years dream of shop-lifting. However, if you’ve ever used a copied version of photoshop or others are you really doing the same? In the eyes of the law you are, why does it often not feel like it among our own morals though? Is it because no one can see you doing it or because you feel you paid enough to even get one license?

Why do the generation of today feel that it is ok to steal software when we are completely against stealing physical goods?

Thanks to this flickr'

Is it possible not to divide? + - =

Well after 3 weeks away on prac this morning's lesson was a great way in which we were all able to raise our observations and queries regarding integrating technology into the classroom. I found speaking about the digital divide extremely interesting looking more broadly at the divide in schools between students that have access to a variety of technologies at home and school and those that don't, to the the teachers who want to learn and develop their skills in using technology and those that don't, but even more interestingly looking exclusively within our very own classroom. In an open discussion my peers and I reflected on our individual experiences on prac and using technology, the divide was obvious for example in my own experience I have now been fortunate enough to go to a school that had an IWB and one that didn't this has widen my perspective whereas other students haven't been able to even experience having any technology in their classrooms and the others have only had technology rich experiences. At uni we are all supposed to be learning how to become teachers on an even keel yet in a class of about 30 there was already a digital divide. Is this giving us a little preview into just how easy it is for a digital divide to be created and just how hard it is to avoid?

Thanks to this flickr' 

THE END...

Well the end of prac has arrived and to my disappointment I was unable to implement my new skills of learning technologies. My kindergarten class had not had a lot of experience with technology and were not comfortable even with their regular computer lessons, in the classroom our computers and internet were down for the whole time, which left me solely with a IWB (which as I have mentioned in a previous blog) so I attempted to develop my skills and allow my cooperating teacher and students guide my learning.


This challenging experience allowed me to personal understand the trials and tribulations to integrating learning technologies in the classroom. Ultimately, this encouraged me to devise a plan of how to increase my opportunities to use technologies in my future prac's. I intend to use a new learning technology with each of my coming prac's such as: creating a class blog of our learning experiences together, developing digital stories and using curriculum based software in regular class activities.


Despite not being able to show off my new skills, I had such a fantastic experience on prac that I have organised to return to my class continually throughout the year so who knows I may well be able to show them my skills after all!

Get SMART...

Before I commence with this blog I would like to clarify that I do understand that a SMART board is not the end all and be all of technology in a classroom however it is a way in which to show technologies and share them within the class. Anywho I had my last day of prac today, which was very upsetting, I became very attached to my class, however the point of this blog is not my emotions it is in fact to let all of those who read this blog know that the staff at my prac school were very helpful and provided me with two great documents today the first was

o   Great Sites for using the SMART board

and the next was

o   Integrated Technology Lessons (for a year 2 class)

I have not yet had a chance to go through all of the websites but as soon as I do I will but them up on my blog, I was just a bit excited to let you know I had them.

As for the Integrated Technology Lessons, it is unit of work aimed at slowly and efficiently integrated technology in the computer classes; it aims to develop the students understanding of technology by using programs such as:

o   Word

o   Kidpix

o   MSDino

and several more, it has been a great support and I think will come in handy in the future. 

Thanks to this flickr'

You can walk the walk but can you talk the talk?

Whilst running around trying to find the big book version of The Gingerbread Man that I had been working on with my kindergarten class, another member of staff suggested looking at Talking Books on Youtube and said that she uses it with her kindergarten class. I didn't use the gingerbread talking books as the questions I had created were based on the version we had been reading, however I did take a look at the talking books which were great. At the present time kindergarten at my prac school have begun a unit on fairytales, among the staff the school pretty much has a big book version of the majority of traditional fairytales yet I thought that talking books might be a good way to finish off one of these stories to allow the children to see there are sometimes two or more versions of any one story I intend on showing my class the gingerbread talking book in tomorrows class I will let you know how it goes.


On a side note I have thoroughly enjoyed prac and am sad to be leaving!

It's Story Time

I know that using technology in the classroom is not just about the IWB but I still am amazed at just how well it is used within primary schools! Having had a blackboard at my last prac school going to a school with an IWB in every classroom was a bit of a surprise. Within my kindergarten classroom the IWB is used nearly everyday for our phonics lessons, handwriting lessons, maths and well everything! I am going to see if I can get hold of SMART notebook to see if I can compose a lesson of my own to use on the SMART board. 


I thought I should fill all my readers out there (i know who you are) what my class has been using the interactive white board for:


abc reading eggs (great phonics and sentences)


Letterland (phonics and handwriting: this does have a website but we are using the bought program)


Johnnie's Maths page (for simple maths games)


But the one that I most enjoyed may not be the most innovative or interactive use of technology but both me and the children loved it. It had been a bit of a crazy day and the children had just come back in from lunch as kindergartens they were wriggling all over the place so my teacher settled them down and went to Storyline Online. This is a site by Screen Actors Guild Foundation and is simply famous actors reading wonderful picture books, the class was captivated we then incorporated a bit of comprehension and phonics into the lesson, but this was definitely a crowd pleaser.


Enjoy all and I hope prac is going well for everyone!

Thanks to this flickr'

It's all systems...CHANGE!

I found it a challenge integrating technology in my prac as the school I am teaching at has recently changed their system and is of course having a few teething problems however I am trying to get what I can out of it. Today I went along to a computer lesson which was interesting due to changing over to the det system the kindergartens all had a new and confusing login...it took the whole lesson just to log on. This allowed me to witness first hand the challenges of one fitting in a computer lesson but two actually achieving in the computer lesson as this kindergarten class was confused in finding the @ symbol and understanding the the keys are capitals but the teacher wanted them to type lower case, I am hoping to see a lot more in my next class as I am sure this lesson was a challenge due to the recent changes!

Thanks to this flickr'

PRAC!!!!

The first day of prac exciting, I couldn't wait to meet the little kindergartens that I would teaching for the next three weeks and just as expected they were delightful! 


The thought of using technology in a kindergarten classroom had seemed daunting at the beginning of the semester however as the weeks have gone on I feel much more confident. When I arrived in my classroom I was surprised to see an IWB and asked the teacher if all the classrooms had them and yup they sure did, considering at my last prac all I had was a blackboard, this was a good start to a technology based practicum. The teacher used the IWB with nearly every lesson the students were engaged through phonic songs and games and I will be using letterland in my first class which I am looking forward to. I am a bit wary of conducting a whole ICT lesson (my co operating teacher has suggested) however I will give it a go and let you know how I get on! 

Thanks to this flickr'