Science/Math Technologies Explored

I explored the Virtual Pond Dip in the Simulation resources. This nifty website teaches all about what goes on in a pond and the interactions between all the micro-organisms. It shows all the minuscule things in the pond and their jobs. When you click on one of the micro-organisms it sometimes shows moving pictures of them in real life. It also gives the size, name, classification, and where to find them. I think this would be a useful tool to get children excited about all the things going on within a pond that you can not see with your naked eye. It could supplement and lead into many lessons about organisms, pond life, and so much more.
I also explored Kidsperation. This was even fun for me. It helps children to make webs and uses fun tools while doing so. In the science section it teaches them to plan balanced, healthy meals, how to group different organisms according to their various characteristics, teaches about heredity, clouds and so much more. They are very good with visuals and makes complicated things very simple. In the math section it helps students learn how to make and use bar graphs, how to use and compare decimals, how to do fractions, how to figure out area, how to understand fractions, and more. Again, they use step by step instructions with visual aids to make the idea more concrete. I especially loved this program and plan on using it in my teaching future. It is a program that can help teach and extend ideas, and also to assist them in making their own projects and an organized way to collect their data.

TPACK and its importance

TPACK is a great model to follow to help you integrate technology into your teaching. It explains how 3 different kinds of knowledge combined can help you do this effectively. The three different knowledges being: technological knowledge (knowing how to use different kinds of technology, content knowledge (knowing most everything about a certain domain), and pedagogical knowledge (knowing the skills of how to teach effectively).
Separately, all these knowledges are very important. But if you can combine and intertwine all three (TPACK) you will know your domain very well and know how to teach within that domain through effectively using technology. Some teachers can combine some of the knowledges such as content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge- here they would know very well what they are talking about and know how to teach the students this material.
But if you combine those 2 knowledges with a technological knowledge, then the experience will be more meaninful for your students. It is necessary for teachers to have this knowledge for that exact reason- for experiences that can teach them what they need to know and for it to mean something beyond the classroom.

RSS and Web 2.0 tools

I really enjoyed learning about RSS and Web 2.0 tools. Whenever I log onto my computer I have a typical order in which I check things: first my email, then my facebook, then craiglist, then ksl, then my blogs and my friends blogs. It was nice to see how you can just go to one webstie and check to see if there has been updates on any of them. To use this in my classroom, I would have my students add the school website (RSS) and their website where they access their grades (RSS) to their main website they visit- mainly their emails. That way they can see updates to their grades or to their school and keep updated.

Technology Background and Experience

I don't have much formal technology experience and I have never been taught how to use technology. Most everything I do with technology I have taught myself. I'm pretty much on my laptop all the time because you can do everything on it- check the weather, buy new furniture, sell old stuff, email old friends, add pictures on your facebook, get new recipes, etc. If i ever want to use technology in a way I haven't before, I either google how or mess around with it until I get it. I can do programs like Excell, Powerpoint, Microsoft, and Limewire pretty well, but I've never used programs to make movies or anything hardcore like that. My family thinks I'm good with technology but that's just because they're amazed at how I can burn cds (its really not hard at all). I really like technology and trying to fix things that go wrong with it, especially with computers.