Linda+T

Day1Morning I like video games fine. I have not had a lot of experience with them, but my students love to use them when they have the opportunity. My daughter also loves video games at home and at school.

Video games as a learning tool can be great if the students know that they are a learning tool and that they use them as such. I think the students need a consistent access to the games in order to benefit from them.

Midday

What brought me here was the idea of having a new way to introduce,teach and review science topics to my students. I'm excited about learning this new software and having this to offer to my students.

Shutdown/poweroff There were alot of passwords and usernames to remember today. It would have been nice to have had a form to write all these on. If I had known there were going to be several of these I would have written them down more carefully. Looking forward to tomorrow.

I use technology in my room mostly for research. I also use United Streaming for data or material on topics we are covering in class. I also visit Jack Horkheimer to see what astronomical features are visible each week. Email questions to scientist on topics the students have questions about. We also use Virtual fieldtrips such as Estuary Live.

Midday

The technology that I currently use enhances learning and teaching by giving students other resources to enhance what is being used in the classroom. Sometimes it allows them to receive the information in another way that is more understandable to them. It also gives them more areas of opportunity to explore. Students who may not have time at school can go home and investigate the topic we are working on. The way I know it works is when students share with me something that they discovered at school or home. aShutdown/poweroff Today I needed more examples of what we were to practice. Also when our computers crash and we are trying to get them back up we miss the only example. Sometimes the explanations aren't clear. Even though the helpers are great alot of questions are not being answered about the problems we are having. Tomorrow will be better.

The way I teach is always changing. Every year our school population changes. We have a diverse population with a large number of hispanics. Our population comes from mostly a working class group. Sometimes I wonder how many of our parents value education. Because of this I have to use a variety of teaching techniques. My students function best when things are orderly and they know what to expect each day. We work on background information always when starting a unit. We then work on vocabulary and key concepts. I try to use different strategies to get the information across and to see what works best with each group. We do labs to test ideas and to model what we are learning. We do research when needed and students are assigned activites to enhance their learning. They are able to choose their subjects based on their interest in the topic. We use audio visuals as often as they are availabe to enrich what they have not been exposed to. I like for my children to be actively involved in their learning so my goal is to get them to that point each year.

Midday3 My students learn best with alot of practice,review and reinforcement. They also learn by working with a partner or in a small group on activities such as labs and projects. This allows them to bounce off of others.

Morning 4 I listen to my students well. I'm able to understand their needs pretty well. I try to remember what works well with each student. I don't look at my room as a class but as a group of individuals with different needs.

I do not have any concerns about being connected.

Midday My interest in video games is how they will connect to students as a learning tool who respond to this technology.

Shutdown/Poweroff Had some success today with program. I had some kinks such as crashes, not sure how to take things off or add things once started into the game.

Morning 5 I see this helping students connect with the curriculum in a different way. Students like doing things differently to learn and this will be another vehicle to get objectives across. Midday I would like to have a mobile station that we could bring to our rooms when needed. I would also like to have a reliable network that would consistently work and that we could depend on.