Holly

2006-08-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

Final Reflection:

Ed Tech has been a stressful but productive class. I have never learned so much new information in four weeks about computers. I feel confident in many more programs such as PowerPoint and Photoshop. As a future educator I am so happy to have had this experience in Ed Tech. I plan on incorporating technology into my future classroom as much as possible. It is so important for teachers today to be able to teach students about today’s technology because our world is becoming more and more dependent on it.
At the beginning of this class I didn’t think that it would be possible to get all of the assignments done in time, but to my surprise it was possible for all of us to complete our tasks. This just went to show me that technology is not as scary as I had once imagined. I really enjoyed the Claymation project. My pod was a great team and we all had some great ideas on what to incorporate into our project. As a team we decided to pick the concept of “safety”. To be specific we illustrated road safety. We showed children listening to the crossing guard, crossing the road safely, and then we showed a squirrel not listening to the crossing guard, and the squirrel gets hit by a car. We just wanted to portray how important it is for children and everyone to look both ways before crossing the road.
Overall I have a new found interest and appreciation for technology. Working with computers can actually be fun, and it’s exciting to be able to master new skills.

2006-08-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Holly Freeman
Blog # 2
Ed Tech

The article titled “Playing with our minds,” by Chris Suellentrop was an interesting piece about the implications of playing video games. This article describes two different aspects about the effects video playing may have on individuals. One view about playing video games is that they may lead to violence and may “turn out mindless killers”. The other view on video games is that they are actually good for individuals to play because; in short games are “teaches”. Some feel that video games are uniquely suited to training individuals how to navigate our modern society.
This article also discusses the use of video games for the military and how some member’s of today’s military do view video games as a means of honoring fighting skills. On the other hand there are also video games the military is developing to train soldiers how not to shoot. In my opinion the games in which the military are using that promote and teach specific skills such as parachuting and critical thinking can be a very beneficial resource for the military. In addition I liked the fact that the military is designing games that teach weapon handling and using games that don’t reward indiscriminate slaughter.
I did agree with the one aspect in the article that discussed the negative implications of children and even adults playing violent games. Children, in my opinion should never be exposed or allowed to play violent video games. By allowing kids to play games that focus on killing, stealing or other violent activities it is almost like we are saying it is ok to do those bad things. I don’t think that these kinds of games are teaching anything valuable. Although games free of violence and sexually explicit material in my opinion can be ok to play moderately, depending strongly on what the game entails. I think that some of the “good games” that are appropriate for children can be fun for them as a once in awhile activity. With obesity on the rise in our country and with so many children overweight the best type of play in my opinion is outdoor activities. Outdoor activities can be just as stimulating if not more so for the mind, than sitting and playing games.
The article also brought up another interesting point, which I had never though of before regarding the structure if video games and how they can teach players the concept that the best course of action is always to accept the system and work to succeed within it. To me this is another disturbing element regarding kids playing video games because like the article states a lot of games do not permit “innovation”.

2006-08-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

It is necessary for any educator to be knowledgeable and understand how to operate technological devices, such as computers. Technological literacy implies a basic understanding of important technologies, and a willingness to accept and adapt to new technological innovations. In the fast-paced world we live in today individuals are becoming more and more dependent on technology. For students to keep up, a general understanding of basic computer skills is necessary. Also the earlier children are exposed to computers the better. It is amazing today how many young children are able to operate a computer. When I was in grade school not as many kids seemed to know how to operate a computer, but now it seems that most young children can manage a least a few skills on a computer. When technology, such as computers is properly integrated into a school program, they can engage young people in highly motivated learning activities that will support the development of sophisticated thinking abilities. In addition technology in the classroom helps prepare students for advanced education, as well as the working world.