First, explain how (or whether) you think technology might contribute to teaching and learning at a particular grade/age level. If you have any concerns about the use of technology, discuss those issues also.

I have been considering how technology could be used at a 3rd or 4th grade level. There are strengths and weaknesses to using technology in a classroom or school setting. I think the most valid strength of technology in a classroom is that as teachers, we must prepare students for a world where technology is all around us. By providing students with the tools to use technology efficiently and appropriately, we are laying the foundation for success in technology. If technology is used effectively, it can be a huge source of insight and facilitate a vast variety of higher order thinking processes. Technology would be helpful in many areas of a classroom. Instructionally, teachers can differentiate teaching styles with the use of various technologies. For example, a teacher could use an interactive whiteboard to get students multi-sensually involved in a lesson. A teacher could also use a program like Inspiration to facilitate students to brainstorm and connect ideas. I do have a couple of concerns with the use of technology in the classroom. I would hope that digital technology does not take over a classroom. There is still so much inherent value to a book, a handwritten journal, or artwork. While these are also forms of technology, they are now seen as old fashioned. I hope that classrooms don't lose respect for older forms of technology. I also am concerned that technology could detract from students social interaction skills. If students become so wrapped up in digital technology that they begin to lose the skills to connect and communicate with other human beings, than this is a major problem. I was happy when we discussed and researched Webquests in IT 442 class, to see that many Webquests facilitate student interaction and collaboration!

2. Now consider what technology skills and knowledge the National Educational Technology Standards say your students will need to have. Besides looking carefully at the overall standards, please also examine the Student Profiles for a grade you hope to teach to see what students are expected to be able to do at that level. Do you consider these targeted outcomes to be appropriate and achievable?

I felt very pleased when reading the NETS. The NETS seem to encompass all of the areas of technology and its application. I was very happy to see the NETS # 2. "Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others." If students seem technology as a tool to communicate with others, than technology is an appropriate piece of a classroom. I hadn't really considered how important it would be for students to learn how to communicate with others even at a long distance! This could be very valuable for our global society. It would be great for students to learn how to use email, blogging, and Wiki functions effectively, appropriately, and safely.
I was also pleased with NETS #1 "Creativity and Innovation." I feel that this standard encourages students to not just go out and memorize facts from the internet. The ability to regurgitate information will do a student no good in the long run. But if students can use technology to generate new ideas and discussions, than technology is a wonderful resource.
Going along with this, I was so glad that the NETS emphasized critical thinking. Under standards 3 and 4, students are asked to consider which sources are valid, what questions are worthwhile, and look at the big picture of how technology is helping them to learn. This is so extremely important.

I explored the NETS website further and look at the student profiles of grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11). I think the idea of having students identify and discuss biases of technology of particular sources is very key to students being effective users of technology. By grades 3-5, students have begun developing their critical thinking skills. If students are urged to ask questions and not blindly accept information, than technology can be a valuable tool. I enjoyed the ideas of using technology in the classroom for social studies, science, or humanities projects (to mention just a few.) I think that there is an effective balance to using technology to help with school projects. In my practicum class last quarter, the students were researching animals for non-fiction books that they were creating. Students were allowed to research on the computer in some educational search engines. I found this to be problematic as I observed this process. I was frustrated by the fact that students were simply finding information and then spitting it back out into their own projects. The students did not question the information for validity or reliability, nor did they generate many new ideas or questions. The students were told not to plagiarize, and while they weren't directly, I still did not feel that they were using any out of the box or higher level thinking. When we looked at Webquests in IT 442 class, I was blown away by some of the quests strategies of learning. Students used technology to guide discussion and collaboration. Students didn't become stuck in repeating facts, and instead were challenged to wonder and discover. These grade specific standards would be extremely helpful to guide students through the use of technology in the classroom. This can be a tricky process, and hopefully with the use of the NETS and the grade levels standards, the benefits of technology can be highlighted, while the weaknesses are pushed out.

3. What kinds of learning activities might you plan for your classroom to help your students achieve the kinds of competencies identified in the NETS for students?

After reading through the NETS website and being involved in some IT 442 class discussions, I already feel much more comfortable with the use of technology in classrooms. One of my main goals as a teacher is to provide students with out of the box, non-linear types of instruction which will hopefully facilitate higher level thinking and creative expression. I am so excited to use experiential learning as a tool in classrooms. While it would be wonderful to take students on copious amounts of field trips and give them real world experiences, this is also time-consuming, very expensive, and not very feasible. I am discovering that by using technology in classrooms, students can have interactive and engaging experiences, even if the school or district doesn't have very much technology available. As a future teacher, I hope that I can use technology and the wonderful NETS to bring interactive projects and creative and critical thinking into my classroom. I have already found some learning activities related to technology that I am eager to use in my future classroom. The Inspiration software is one tool I would love to use in my classroom. It would beautifully encourage students to be creative, innovative, and also provide them with a foundation to be an effective learner and researcher. I also am definitely going to use Webquests in my future classroom. I am thrilled by this technology. It will be an ingenious way to guide students through interactive projects. Webquests will facilitate critical thinking, evaluation, and higher level thinking.

The more I learn about technology in the classroom, the options, the standards, and the strengths, the more comfortable I feel with using it in my future classroom. I feel that through IT 442, I will continue to discover and explore, and that I will leave with a tool packed full with ideas and applications for technology.