Unit 1

Reflecting on What I Know
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As I began to read chapter one and I looked at the question on reflecting what I know, I really had no idea about any of them. I was unsure what an inquiry-based learning approach was and I did not know what would fall under the category of drill-and practice software (I am thinking possibly a typing program in which you type the same sequence over and over until you know where the keys are located). I could guess that since this is a book about integrating technology and the way the question was worded that the answer to number three would be "No!, it will not take long, and any time spent on it will be well worth the time!" And as for number four, I would have to say that no, not every student would need a computer, I'm sure it would be great to be in a classroom where every student had access to their own personal computer, but I have never heard of such a thing. Most of my ceaselessness comes from the fact that I am not a teacher yet, and aside from the basic computer science class I took in my undergrad, this is the fist technology class I will be participating in.

Looking back on my own educational career I cannot ever remember actually having computers in my classroom, except those that were on the teacher's desk. In elementary school we had those old tan colored macs in the computer lab, in middle school we got the cool colored macs, and then most likely after that we used PCs in the computer labs in high school. I can operate PowerPoint, Word, the internet and am somewhat proficient in Exel, but I have never been able to use a SmartBoard, or any new cool technology like that.
1. Must I use an inquiry-based learning approach in my classroom to use computers as a tool? 2. Can I still use tutorials and drill-and-practice software? 3.Won't I have to have to spend a great deal of time to develop these units of instruction? 4. Won't every student need a computer to use it as a tool?

It absolutely makes sense that in order for students to succeed in the job market that they get the instruction they need in 21st century skills and information, media and technology skills. It make me wonder if it is possible to get this information to every single student in the US, when some schools cannot even afford new text books. I have worked as an after school teacher and done many volunteer hours in elementary schools for my undergrad, and most of what I saw was kids just playing games during their computer lab time. I did a lesson for a group of 5th graders to make a PowerPoint presentation, and most of them had never used it before. The NTeQ philosophy was very interesting to me, and I can relate it to what I have been learning in my reading classes, in that the student is the center as opposed to the teacher or the lesson.

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Again, I have no firm answers for the questions before I read the chapter...I am feeling more and more technologically held back as I go along. Although my lesson plan writing is not extensive I do know that you always need an objective; a learning outcome that is measurable (I think)? I would also venture to say that you do not need a new lesson plan if you want to use computers, that you would just need to integrate the computers into the existing lesson plan. I am sure if you wanted to you could use a computer for every lesson, but my question is, would you want to? Would the repetitiveness of always using a computer benefit your students or hinder them?

The cognitive objectives seem to mesh well with the idea of the open ended learning environment. This chapter was s great resource for me as I mentioned before my lesson plan writing history is not extensive, so seeing the lesson plans laid out is extremely helpful, and makes the task seem a little less daunting. As I read through the chapters, I still can't stop thinking about the schools that are completely underfunded, and how they can incorporate technology into the classroom when they cannot afford what many would see as basic and necessary tools. This text emphasizes that computers and technology are both basic and necessary tools in today's world, but still many students do not have access in or outside of school.


1. How do I plan an integrated lesson that will work with my students?
1. Specify objectives
2. Computer functions
3. Specify problem
4. Research and analysis
5.Results presentation
6. Activities during computer use
7. Activities before computer use
8. Activities after computer use
9. Supporting activities
10. Assessment
2. Why do I need objectives to help with my planning and lesson development?
Objectives are needed to ensure that students will be learning what they need to learn from the lesson as well as making sure that they understand everything that they need to complete in order to finish the lesson.
3. How can I encourage my students to engage in the processing of information?
Give them something that peaks their interest, something that they are involved in or something that is going on at the time, such as the election example at the beginning of the chapter.
4. Do I have to use a different lesson plan when I want my students to use computers?
No, you can use a pre existing lesson plan and use the steps to integrate computers as a component into it.
5. What is the relationship between objectives and computer functions?
Once you have established your objectives you nee to find a function on the computer that will help to complete these objectives, such as using spreadsheet to calculate the are of a rectangle, or using a drawing program to create a map.
6. Can you use a computer for every objective or lesson?
You can use a computer for every objective if it is relevant to the lesson but you should not use computers for every lesson and every objective all the time. You should also use activities before, during and after computer use to support the objectives such as newspaper clippings, relevant articles, pen and paper and any other methods of gathering information or writing information.

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1. Now that I have access to the web how can I sure it effectively?
Search engines- Research- Finding , locating
Email- Communication- Typing, sending, recieving
Instant messages- Communicating- Talking, typing, sending
Blogs- Journaling- Typing, recording
2. How do I manage students' use of the Web in my class?
The first example comes from when I was actually in high school. Often times when we would be in the computer lab we would be shopping online instead of what we were supposed to be doing. In order to control this I would make sure that students only have access to websites that are appropriate during school settings, if the school allows access to certain sites that I do not want my student's on I would change the settings on the computers themselves (I think you can do that). Also I would have a list of questions or a check list that students could refer to if they ever unsure if a website was OK.
As an after school teacher we offered a computer class, most of the time they would have assigned tasks to complete but once a week we allowed free time. The school had a policy in place and a list of appropriate websites. Many of these sites were gaming sites, that only had a few games they were allowed to play, often times we would find students on websites that were approved, but games that were not. To take care of this issue I was constantly walking around the room monitoring what the students were doing, I had an idea of the students who would do things they were not supposed to and I would keep an extra eye on the. To start the groundwork for the beginning of the year I would explain what appropriate games are. If they are unsure I would have them ask themselves questions such as am I learning anything from this game, does it have anything to do with what we are doing in class, etc.
Another thing I have experienced is google searches for things like "Britney Spears", or I'm sure now Justin Bieber is a big one. This was another one I just had to monitor and keep a close eye on.
3. Which features of the web do I use?
Classroom website- Getting parents involved, bring school home
Blogs- Using online blogging or journaling sites for students reading and writing journals
Instant classroom messages- Students can communicate while researching on the computer
Search engines- Research projects