ED636 - Fall 2006

ED636 - Fall 2006

I have learned quite a bit so far, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. Am I discovering that I am not a big fan of technology. I kind of guessed that before, but having online classes has pretty much confirmed it for me. I need to have actual classes. I am very much "old school". It is difficult for me to deal with the freedom, I guess, of having online classes. It is also more difficult when I don't understand something.

I have learned some interesting things about visuals and audio, however. One such interesting thing was that no matter how you prepare there are times that your message isn't getting through. The book called this "noise". The glare on the chalkboard, the buzzing of a fly on the light, the desire to go to the bathroom; any of these can distract a child. Visuals and audio, though, help keep those distractions to a minimum by giving the child something interesting to focus on.

I use visuals a lot in class. Because I deal with second graders they tend to need concrete examples, which I try to provide. While reading the book, however, I realized that the visuals I use might not be enough. I do a lot of drawing on the overhead and the board during class, but I think sometimes I need to spend some extra time ahead of class and find actual pictures. This is especially true when dealing with certain kinds of animals and concepts in social studies. I am not a good enough artist to draw a perfect picture of a badger, for example. My students would benefit seeing a photograph a lot more than my drawings. In social studies, my students have trouble every year with the differences between cities, towns, and farming communities. I think having more pictures of these things, perhaps on a bulletin board, would really help them. I plan to start that soon. That is something that could help my students a lot.

It is my opinion that the technology level of my classroom is fine the way it is. While my kids mainly use technology such as overheads and taking tests on a computer, I don't think it is necessary to add a lot more. I see the benefits of having a lot of technology with older students, but at this age I believe my children need their basics, and most of those can be taught without too much technology.