Google Earth, iTunes, iPods, Oh My (week 6)

Dr. Alice Christie's Web Site

In her website, Dr. Alice Christie has helpful links and information over different programs that can help teachers in the classroom. One link that I thought to be help as a future teacher is Google Earth. What is Google Earth? It is a program that can be used in the classroom to allow students to be interactive with class lessons and make the lecture more imaginable and fun for children.

My personal reasons to interact Google Earth in my classroom are one; it gives educators support with resources to interpret technology into my classroom. Another reason why I would enjoy using Google Earth is that it can allow my students to learn in a visual experience. This web program allows me to take my lessons and turn them into fun way of interacting students as groups or as individuals. If my students are able to understand information and facts through pictures this is the site to help.

iTunes University

iTunes University is great of students to use because it is free for all to download as much material as they want. It is a resource that can be used by both teachers and students. University is used by the program iTunes that gives free information and resources in the educational field. Books, videos, and podcasts are available and can be accessed in the classroom or at home. The material that can be found ranges from history to math. This gives teachers Varity of different techniques of introducing new subjects to their students.

There are thousands of videocasts /podcasts that illustrate different techniques used by people around the world. Some people add music in their podcast as an extra effect. There are also teachers that post their students podcast for educational purposes. iTunes University is a great resource for teachers to share their ideas to other teachers and find new ways to interact students into groups

iPods

IPods can be useful in education not only in grade schools like middle schools and high school but also in universities to interact technology and academic subjects together. An example university is Duke University. Researchers at Duke University posted an article about iPods in the classroom and how it has increased in just one year. It also said that the university has courses that require the use of iPods. The university’s Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) says that over 1,000 students in 42 courses will use the iPods to expand class materials and lectures.

IPods are also used at Hilton Island Middle School for students who have Learning disabilities with little English comprehension. Teachers at the school interact with the technology device to allow students the ability to learn how to read. Another part of the middle school uses iPods for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Teachers commented that students get excited to use the iPods because they are familiar with the devices.

Wiki

This Wiki space is designed and started by Dr. Strange. Dr. Strange took a question that was asked in 2007 by author Karl Fisch of The Fishbowl ans a director of technology in a high school in Colorade. His question was Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher? An answer that Mr, Fisch said was “If a teacher today is not technologically literate- and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more-it’s equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn’t know how to read and write.”

Dr. Strange also gives his own questions to ask and tries to get a discussion dealing with Mr. Fisch’s question from three years ago. I think this is a great idea to have a place like Wiki that you can go and chat with others about their ideas on the matter