Internet in the classroom

Assignment:
What are the advantages of using the Internet in our classrooms? In what ways might it be used?  Are there any concerns or problems with using the Internet?  How can these problems be overcome? 

The advantages of Internet in the classroom are its uses.  The internet can be used to research a multitude of subjects.  It would be a hard task for a student to come up with a topic of research that some sort of information could not be found online.  Webquests can be used to direct research.  There is also a vast amount of virtual experience to be had online.  There are virtual dissections, virtual maps, virtually anything... at least, for the most part....  The social networking part of the internet can also be utilized, as discussed in my blog-post about blogs.


The concerns on internet use are: safety, and incorrect use.  Safety concerns would connect to the social networks in relation to internet stalkers, and posting person profiles online.  Safety is also an issue in connecting with websites that are not appropriate for students.  Incorrect use also covers these issues, but goes on to include students using the internet for entertainment while they are supposed to be using it for education, for instance, youtube.  A solution for this could be blocks on the the computer that do not allow certain sites to be opened. 


http://www.webquest.org/ - this site can help one find and create webquests

http://www.uen.org/tours/fieldtrips2.shtml - this site offers virtual field-trips.

Blogs in the world of education

Blog assignment:
Can blogs be beneficial in an elementary/middle/high school setting? How are they being used in these settings? Do you see any problems or concerns with using them in any of these settings? What do schools need to be concerned about? What might parents be concerned about? If the school you work in will allow it, will you use or consider using blogs with your students?


I believe that blogs can be useful in education, but I doubt that I will personally use them.  I think that they are more appropriate for older students, such as high-school and college, but not as aplicable to the younger grades.  Since I wish to teach first or second grade, I doubt I will ever have my students use them.  That being said, here are my thoughts on the uses of blogs, the dangers of blogs, and how they are indeed being used currently.

We were provided with three websites to start our research from that address these issues:
Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson! - explains what blogs are, and how to get started using them in the classroom, as well as some safety tips.

Log On to a Blog- notes from a teacher on the advantages she noticed in her classroom from blogging, including at the end some other sites about blogging.

Dangers of Blogging  - tells how blogging can be dangerous, and gives tips and ideas for staying safe on the internet.

Some teachers use blogs to motivate their students to write their assignments well: after all, anyone in the world might be reading.  They have their students write commentaries, reviews, or papers on their blogs.  The dangers of blogging is that blogs are often a digital diary or journal, and some students may post things that should be kept more private.  A way to overcome this issue would be to have the blog on a setting that the teacher has to give his/her okay for any post to be posted.  Another safety issue is cyberstalking, and it is recommended that students do not post personal profiles on the internet.  Both of these are concerns that the parents might have, and that the teachers and schools must be sure to address.

Learning Theories

Our assignment was to tell what learning theory we most closely identify with.  Personally, I do not think that any of the theories are completely exclusive of the others in reality.  So, to say which I identify with the most, I guess I will have to say which ones I would implement the most, which would probably be behaviorist, cognitive, and constructivist... which is three of the five options that were given to us in the assignment.  If I have to pick just one, I would go with the cognitive theory, as I believe it incorporates some ideas from constructivist and behaviorist.

Good morning!

It is actually evening, but I won't get too technical about this.  Welcome to my blog: for now it is an assignment blog, but eventually it will probably become my blog, if that makes sense.

So, about me.  I am a college student (hence this assignment) getting a degree in elementary education (hence my being in this class).  I'm 20 years old, currently, and gradually becoming older.  Other than school, my life is spent knitting, quilling, reading, spending time with my family, and various other activities (unfortunately including wasting time on the computer).  My family consists of my parents, two brothers and two sisters.  My older brother is married, has three boys, and he and his wife are expecting a girl in August. 

I shall return to this blog when I am in a more loquacious state of mind.