More Field

So this past week we taught a media enriched lesson.  It went really well.  We had the students use the computers to go onto pilgrim.org to learn about the First Thanksgiving and what life was like in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621.  The students had fun exploring the site and learning about different things.  The only thing we would change was have enough headphones for each student so that they could listen and read at the same time.  If we couldn't get headphones we would have them turn the volume completely off so that we didn't have to listen to the annoying sounds in some of the games.  Next week we are going to play Jeopardy as review of the unit.  There is a great website (jeopardylabs.com) that can be used  to create a Jeopardy game.  It keeps track of the scores and teams for you.  You can return to edit any games that you create but no one else can have access to them without a password.

More Field

This past week has gone by so fast.  I have learned a lot from field and there is a lot more that I want to learn.  Vineyard has Apple computers in there computer labs, the library, and the teacher each have an Apple laptop.  The students use these computers to take math tests.  Their scores are recorded and the teacher can access the whole classes scores at see what progress they have made and who needs more improvement.  Our cooperating teacher also has a smart board that she uses every week.  Yesterday we watched a live broadcast from Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts.  It was cool to see how technology is used in schools and how I will be able to use it.  Today we also began to teach our teacher about Digital Stories.  She likes the idea of using them to strengthen a unit or lesson.

Field Experience

This past week in field we have had the experience to see how a smart board is used and the opportunity to watch the students use Mac computers.  I learned how to use the copy machine and how to use a machine that can kick out a lot of copies in seconds but that costs a lot to operate.  It has been fun to see exactly how much technology is used in the classroom each day and how much the students know about it.