technology helpers

what a great idea to have upper grade students available for a technology consult! Sometimes my second graders even help me, but (finally) I am usually able to stay one step ahead of them. The little boy who lives next door to me has bailed me out many times. I think part of the reason is that kids just aren't afraid of technology. They have grown up with it and they are comfortable experimenting. I am always afraid that I will permanently lose a file or screw something up. I have found that children are much more patient teachers than adults are.

I agree with Emily about typing. That's all we learned in high school: typing, typing, and more typing. It reminds me of round robin reading...there is not much meaning, but a lot of repetition. The class should have been called "Typing 101". I have to say, I did learn how to sit up properly when writing and what fingers to use to type what letters. That helped me build a foundation of some kind, however it was not meaningful to me until instant messaging became so big on AOL. Then it was text messaging from cell phones, and now it is "facebook" and "my space". Wow, how times have changed! I can only imagine what schools will be doing with kids once I have children of my own.
This brings me to my next thought: students teaching teachers. Our assistant principal included something interesting in his Friday Memo. He said a fifth grade student came to a second grade classroom to teach her how to use a technology program. How wonderful would that be for our school to create a list of students who are proficient in technology and which programs they are particularly strong in. I would love to learn directly from children for a change. I learn from children every day, however this would be a unique opportunity and experience to have for a change. Perhaps this is something to mention for resources within our school.

Chapter 4

Chapter four was easier for me to understand. Probably the easiest so far. This probably stems from using so much of this technology frequently. Word processors are used by me EVERY DAY! On the other hand, spreadsheets are not at ALL my favorite. This just goes to show you how intimidating the unknown can often be! I do not expose myself to spreadsheets enough, therefore they continue to keep me scared. I would much rather prefer to enter a table in Microsoft Word. I am much more familiar with manipulating columns and rows that way. I especially LOVE the new version of Microsoft Office. My favorite feature is how you can highlight your work and scroll through your options-it allows you to view your options as you scroll. Furthermore, you are saving time by not having to click back and forth so many times!
I also often use Microsoft Publisher at school to create my monthly calendar that I send home with my children. I like it as well, but have not figured out what features it has that cannot be used in Word. The only parts I can think of are the various wizards containing a wide range of options. For example: business cards, calendars, posters, newsletters, etc. There seem to be more technical options as far as color schemes, trademarks, water marks, arrangements, etc. I most often stick with Microsoft Word, because it is the most commonly used program that I found with parents in my class. This keeps version recognition under way as well! This way all my parents are in the "know" of what we are doing!

posting with the flu

I feel like everytime I post, I am complaining about something. Well, this time(which i hope to be the last complaint) is that I have the flu. That would explain why this message was not posted on Tuesday, but instead Friday. I took my rabbit to the vet Tuesday(who has pneumonia) and then finally got myself to the doctor. I felt pretty yucky, but did NOT AT ALL expect the doctor to diagnose me with the flu. Anyway, today is a much better day. I actually got out of the house this afternoon and went to the post office and cleaners. It felt WONDERFUL to get some fresh air. I am hoping for nice weather this weekend to get out a little more and clear up the congestion going on in my chest!
So, back to the topic of technology. I enjoyed reading the technology affordances from my group. I was amazed to see how a small handful of people would come up with so many different ways to use technology OR not use technology. I have to say, there are ALWAYS pros and cons to both. The one pro I am thinking of right now is that our group was able to communicate about our affordances solely through email and blogging. That is impressive to me, because I am used to being able to talk to people face to face or on the phone. Originally, that is what made me nervous about the class....depending on others to reply promptly or just simaltaneously. I guess it all worked out!

blogging on our group spots

Perhaps I am frustrated today. I like to be organized and on time. This week has not allowed me to follow through with my expectations and goals for myself. I guess I may be a little used to the friendly email reminders at work from various people such as our reading coach, principal, and even co-workers. I went online the other night from my parents' computer to post my assignment and could not do so because the message box would not appear. Computers can be so wonderful and convenient at times and unfortunately they let you down when you need them the most. Needless to say, my assignment was a day late.
On the other hand, I have to say I have enjoyed interacting with others from my group. It is interesting to see how other people use technology in their classroom and what they consider to be a pro and a con. It is often very obvious that we come from different grade levels, because I would not be able to use technology the same way in my kindergarten classroom.
I am excited that Dr. Wang has decided to provide "in person" assistance to us if needed. I think a review and question-answer session would be very beneficial to me! For now, I will keep on truckin'!