After reading chapters 23 through 25, I decided to create two avatars. I chose to use Voki for mine because I was able to deliver short snippets about Oregon Geography by typing in text related to the avatars I created. It also said only a basic level of expertise was needed by teacher and student! I think my fourth graders will enjoy these and I didn't feel the social networking was an option for use in my class.
After finding out how easy it was to create the avatars using Voki, I think I will probably use them in my classroom. They are a creative way to present short bits of information, definitions, and the kids will love them. Using the animated characters brings a more personal touch to virtual teaching, but it can also add spice to regular classroom teaching.
I think it would even be fun to let my students create a Voki to communicate something to the class!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Response to Oregon Standards (5A, B and C)
I like the term 'digital citizenship' and plan to use it in my classroom. Every year, before setting foot in the computer lab, we talk about appropriate use of not only the computers, but also the internet. The students are well aware of which web sites they can visit, but there are always a few who want to 'test the water' and go to banned sites. PPS is pretty good about using a firewall, but they are able to get to you tube and access videos.
Practicing safe, legal and responsible use of technology will be a good focus for my class. It's so important for each student to show personal responsibility when using digital technology because part of our job, as teachers, is building strong citizens of the future. I talk to my students about having integrity regarding plagiarism and actions to one another, but I think I'll talk to them about kindness in using social media. At age ten many of them have facebook pages, so we talk about appropriate use of it (and that it's not okay to access at school!)
So many things we think are common sense, and common courtesy, need to be taught to our students. We need to prepare them for the next stage of their education and give them the tools needed to be successful in our technological age.
Practicing safe, legal and responsible use of technology will be a good focus for my class. It's so important for each student to show personal responsibility when using digital technology because part of our job, as teachers, is building strong citizens of the future. I talk to my students about having integrity regarding plagiarism and actions to one another, but I think I'll talk to them about kindness in using social media. At age ten many of them have facebook pages, so we talk about appropriate use of it (and that it's not okay to access at school!)
So many things we think are common sense, and common courtesy, need to be taught to our students. We need to prepare them for the next stage of their education and give them the tools needed to be successful in our technological age.
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