Using Educational Technology

Due to snow, we had to miss seminar on Friday, but we were able to share some educational websites and iPad apps with one another which were helpful on Blackboard.

I chose to review an app my second graders play called Math Zombie.  This is a lot for a math station, and it really seems to be helping the chidren with their quick addition and subtraction strategies. The premise of the game is that you click different boxes whose numbers add up to the target number. You get more points for using more numbers, so for instance "1+5+3+3=12" is worth more points than "6+6=12". You can race the clock or do free play, which has no time limit. In second grade, racing the clock is still a bit much, but I think this could be used in third grade or higher with the racing function to continue to cement those basic facts. The zombie theme- there is oozing green stuff and pictures of zombies throughout the game- also makes it more appealing for the boys in the class, which is definitely a plus! The game is written and produced by Felipe Oliveira and is a free iPad app that would be appropriate from 2nd-4th grade.

I am also interested in checking out the ABCya! website and Monkey Lunchbox apps that I read about from others on the discussion board, and I will definitely be returning to the list as I teach to look for more educational technology!

Seminar 2-8: Behavioral Communication

Dr. Showalter returned yesterday to talk to us about behavioral issues in our future classrooms, and strategies to both prevent and deal with these issues.  A few important notes that I plan to use:

1. To collect data easily on one or more students' behavior while moving around the classroom, wear a lanyard with notecards attached to it.
2. Use Dale's Cone of Experience to keep students engaged and thus prevent behavior issues.
3. Do not negotiate with a student once the misbehavior begins- they learn that misbehaving leads to offers of benefits.
4. Get close to a student and talk to them quietly and individually so they know you respect their privacy.
5. "You must feel good about following directions and sitting properly!" NOT "I like how you are sitting now."
6. Sending a child to the office shows them that you don't have the skills or power to handle their misbehavior by yourself.
7. Resources: 'The Tough Kid Book' and 'The Tough Kid Toolbox', Glasser's Control Theory
8. When they walk in the next day after a meltdown: don't bring it up right away ("I hope you have a better day today.")
9. "Wow!  Why do you think you did so well today?" so they can identify why their behavior improved and repeat it
10. Behavior chart: use picture/ symbol they recognize instead of name to respect privacy?
11. "I see many people are doing the right thing and writing their names first." NOT "I love how Kim is writing her name first like I asked." and definitely NOT "I see that Ryan is not writing his name first like I had asked."

Seminar #2

I was absent from seminar when Dr. Showalter came to talk to us about Special Education, so I did my own outside research and wrote a paper on the topic to be used as a study guide.