Microsoft Office 2007

Although, I had gotten very used to the older versions of Microsoft Office and those programs, I think Microsoft Office 2007 is a change for the better. The newest version has many new features and even different programs that I have never used before. For example, one of the new programs is called OneNote which is a digital notebook that lets people have place to gather notes and information and share that information, which enables people to work together with more efficiency. Even the basic programs like Word and Excel have gotten updated and are easier to use. Word now features a "quick print" button which directly prints to the default printer which saves time in printing, All the programs also has a "ribbon" layout at the top of the page, which groups tools by task making it much easier to edit, design, or insert things into your document. I think Office 2007 is a great tool to use in the classroom. Although it does take a little time getting used to, once you become adjusted it is a lot easier to use than the older versions. I think that schools should update their software to 2007, so that the students will be able to use the latest versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and the other programs. Each program has new features which makes projects easier to create and look more professional. There are endless possibilities of activities teachers can create using Microsoft Office and children in schools should have access to the latest software and technology so that they can learn most effectively. I feel within a few years, most classrooms will have upgraded to Microsoft Office and many homes will have made the upgrade as well.

PDAs in the classroom

PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants could be a very useful tool in the classroom for some grades, but not all. After reading the article http://campustechnology.com/articles/39225_2/, I think that PDAs would be of better us for children in the upper middle school grades like 7th or 8th because I think they would be too hard for younger children to operate. Basically PDAs are little tiny computers that are used to help manage calendars and address books, but can also run certain applications. Newer PDAs run using the Microsoft CE operating system and contain the familiar Microsoft Word and Excel programs. PDAs can be useful in the classroom because they are much smaller compared to regular computer and can perform many of the same functions. PDAs can be used to record data, make calculations or graphs, and even take notes (when paired up with a keyboard). PDAs are also good for classroom use because they can't perform non-educational actions like downloading/listening to music or instant messaging like some other tech tools like the iPod touch can do. The only problems with PDAs are that they can be difficult to use sometimes. For example the Palm PDA has its own language called Graffiti that is difficult for many to understand. The screen is also very tiny so using a PDA could be hard when you are used to programs like Microsoft Word on a full computer screen. Some PDAs also don't even have a print option. I feel like PDAs can be useful for certain tasks in the classroom. They are good for interactive exercises, but I feel that a regular computer would be more useful in general. Since PDAs also can be tricky to use, I don't think they would be of much use for elementary students, but they would work well with middle school students who are more tech savvy.

Graphic Organizers

While doing some research about graphic organizers, I found a website that gives templates for many different types of graphic organizers and gives permission to teachers to print them so that they can use them in the classroom. The website I found is http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/ and it provides many different graphic organizers like a spider map, tree chart, clock, venn diagram, time line, fact and opinion, and flow chart. I think that this website is a great tool for teachers because it provides so many different graphic organizers which opens up many possibilities for teachers to use them to help their students. Graphic organizers can help children in so many ways to organize their thoughts, solve a problem, or just brainstorm ideas. Another great thing about this website is that the graphic organizers are also available in Spanish. This could be helpful in teaching children another language because the children will already know what the organizers look like in English and how they are used. I think that this website is great for teachers who are looking for graphic organizers to use with their students. The graphic organizers are already set up, with a name and date line, and a little explaination on how they can be used, so the only thing the teacher will have to do is print and copy enough for the classroom.

iPods in the Classroom

After doing some research online, I found a good article that talks about the benefits of iPods in the classroom. Although, at first I didn't think iPods would be of much use in the classroom, the article showed me that their are many different uses and benefits that iPods can provide. iPods can be used by students who have trouble understanding a concept, by allowing them to watch a video on that concept several times until it clicks for them. They can also be used to record Podcasts of lessons learned in the week, and even count calories burned during the day when the iPod is paired with the Nike Kit. iPods in the classroom can be programmed with only specific educational information and tools, so that the students will not be tempted to use them to play and listen to music while using them. iPods can also be great for projects. In the article, it talks about children in Orange County who are using the iPods to record a 60-second timed reading which then the teacher uses to create a CD for their parents. I feel that iPods aren't too popular in the classroom right now, at least not in the area where I am from. However, I feel that once teachers see the benefits of iPods in the classroom, they will become much more popular and soon appear in classrooms across the nation. Here is the article link, if you wanted to check it out yourself...http://www.schoolcio.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604276

Smart Boards in the Classroom

The topic I'm choosing to write about is Interactive Whiteboards which are also known as "Smart Boards." Smart Boards are becoming a very useful tool in the classroom and they have many benefits that regular whiteboards or chalkboards can't provide. Smart Boards are so great because they allow the teacher to use many tools to help the lesson get across. For example, the teacher can highlight important information in an already finished powerpoint to enforce the point even more and even add more notes on a presentation that was already completed. The Smart Board can also be a great way to have the students interact with the lessons. Teachers can have students come up and write ideas on the Smart Boards or circle points in a lesson they find most important. The Smart Boards can also be good for group work. Each group could share their ideas using the Smart Boards so everyone will be able to see and share ideas together. I think that Smart Boards have many strengths and that within some time they will become present in every classroom. The new technology that the Smart Boards provide can only aid the teaching process by making things easier for the teacher, which in the end will give them more time to actually interact with the students on the lesson instead of just lecturing all the time. The only weakness that the Smart Boards have is that at first they may be difficult to work with. I think that the teachers will have to become familiar with all the tools Smart Boards provide and become comfortable using them before the benefits are realized. Learning how to use the Smart Boards may take some time, but I think it is all worth it in the end.