Assignment #1 Technology Literacy

1) Currently I do not have very much knowledge when it comes to technology. I know enough to get by, which I now know is not enough. The technology that I use most often is my laptop. I use it daily for assignments and goofing around on the web, but for nothing big or important. I think I need a lot of work this semester in my technology skills. I would like to see myself more advanced in this area. Looking at the PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION PERFORMANCE PROFILE I can see areas in which I would like to improve on...

• First, I need to be able to identify specific technology applications and resources that maximize students learning, address learner needs, and affirm diversity.
• Second, I need to be able to plan and teach student-centered learning activities and lessons in which students apply technology tools and resources
• Lastly, I need to be able to Identify and engage in technology-based opportunities for professional education and lifelong learning, including the use of distance education.

2) The role that technology has in education is to assist the instructor in teaching the students and make educations fun for them. It should not be the only teacher, it is just a tool for the teacher to use. I believe that technology does in fact aid learning. It engages all learning styles and it makes learning fun for the children to do. If the children are interested they will learn it, and technology is a way to make them interested.

3)Here are some ways that I can help my third grade students meet the NETS standards.

• The first standard that I can meet is research and informations fluency. I can do this by having the students do a project which involves them to research a famous person during a famous even in American History. For instances Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Then have the students create a digital report about the person and what it was like during that time in history and why the person is significant for the period of American History.
• The second standard that I can meet is creativity and innovation. This can be done in several ways using technology. One activity that I can have the children do is to create digital works of art to be presented to parents digitally. These works of art will have a theme such as nature or something like love. Then they will have the freedom to represent that theme in anyway but the only rule is that it will be created digitally.
• The third standard that I could work on to have my students master is critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. One way a child could demonstrate this is to investigate a global issue and then generate possible solutions using digital tools and resources.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to ideas for activities that can be done to meet NETS standard for children.