Blog Journal #5

For the ELA technology standards list, I chose Kindergarten too look at. Kindergarten teachers need to use technology in ways that do not overcomplicate things. The standards list suggested collaborative SmartBoard activities, online storybook creators, and programs like Paint. I feel comfortable enough in each of these areas of technology that I would be able to build a lesson plan with these technological tools. In my high school, all the classrooms had SmartBoards and the first thing I ever learned to do on a computer in school was with the Paint program. I have also briefly used storybook creators before and I'm sure with a little effort, I would be able to gain more skill. I think these uses of technology are great for young children to ease them into learning about both technology and ELA materials.

If I were to choose a tool from the CPALMS tools I would probably choose the My Planner application. The My Planner app. is a tool to help educators plan lessons and courses and even build entire curriculum maps that can sink up with the school's schedule. I love to write out my planner by hand but I think this could be a really useful tool to have, especially when trying to keep up with the school calendar and other outside factors. If I were to teach kindergarten, this would just be a tool for me because the children would have no use for it but it could be useful for the parents if they wanted to see the layout of the school year according to my plan. This could allow parents to step in at home and help kids solidify information learned in school.

An interesting web 2.0 tool that I did not yet know about is LiveBinders. This is basically a digital folder where you can upload documents and handouts to the online base and keep them all organized within different tabs, just like a physical binder on a shelf. I think this would be great to have in younger grade levels for the parents. Instead of sending folders with tons of papers back and forth everyday, I could utilize this LiveBinder tool for the parents to ensure they get all the important information they need. This tool could also work great in higher grade levels as a replacement for all the documents that students carry themselves. Assignments, study guides, grades, etc. could all be uploaded neatly onto this LiveBinder tool. Here is a link to someone's example of a LiveBinder: LiveBinder Example

I commented on Morgan and Erika's blogs this week