Assignment 1

I read the article entitled, "Learning with Loggerheads." The article deals with a science project that was done in a classroom. It was on a unit that dealt with the migration patterns of sea turtles. The teacher uses several websites to follow/ track the movement of the turtles. The science project not only integrates technology but it also uses the skills of writing, reading, analyzing information, math to create an enjoyable project that students felt comfortable participating in. They used tracking maps to plot the movement of the turtles. The maps taught the students the importance of plotting the dots sequentially. I felt the article was relevant, however because it was written in 2007 some alterations could be made to provide an even more interactive study of underwater turtles. The teacher could find clips of the turtles, could also plot the movement on a Smart Board. Regardless of some irrelevant information, I felt the Unit taught would be a great addition for a third grade classroom. It introduces students to several important skills that will carry over in the upper grades.

Nets for Students:
The National Educational Technology Standard I will be focusing on is "Research and Information Fluency." Under this category, students learn how to plan strategies to guide inquiry. They also acquire, evaluate, organize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources. Another key aspect is processing data and reporting results. These are all very valuable skills for students of all ages. If this is taught in primary grades, students will be better equipped when asked to do reports and other projects. There are several projects a teacher could use to help students gain the much-needed skills. One project could be a research project. The teacher could have students write a short paragraph on the different types of media available. The teacher could set up several stations allowing students to look at newspaper articles, periodicals, websites, and text books. The second project that would build these skills would be to have the students create a video (depending on the availability of the equipment), and have them present their book report. By having them create a video, technology is incorporated. Having them present the book report on tape allows students the opportunity to show the knowledge they received from the book.
Nets for Teachers:
The Nets that I chose to focus on this semester is "Facilitate and Inspire Students Learning and Creativity." This standard includes, promoting, supporting, and modeling creative thinking. It also engages students to explore real-world issues using digital tools and resources. Currently, I am not in a classroom therefore I do not have "students." However, I hope to help inspire my peers to think outside of the box. There are several ways I hope to accomplish this standard. The first way is to be more familiar with the Smart Board. I recently downloaded it on my computer, and I am going to try to utilize it as much as possible. Secondly, I am going to try to be more involved with world politics by accessing news articles online and watching video clips. Lastly, I hope to promote learning with my siblings by teaching them how to use the Smart Board on my computer.