Reply to Sarah -- I consider the computer to be an essential
tool for writing activities in today's society. For my special education students,
the computer allows them the freedom to write without worrying about illegible
handwriting, and poor spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills. I try to
teach my students to use the spell/grammar check features properly to monitor
their own writing activities. This helps them to become aware of the "rules",
and how to apply them, but does not force students to remember all of them.
These tools are a great help, when they are used properly. I attended a workshop
on PLATO earlier this year. Though my Superintendent decided not to pursue
the opportunity, it appears to be a wonderful program (that originated at
the U of I). The practice test and supplemental curriculum features appear
to be a great asset to the educational community.
Reply to Annette -- I also see teachers not taking advantage of the technological
resources available. Most of our teachers, especially the elementary teachers,
only use the lab for AR testing and to play games. I also understand that
teachers learn about all of these wonderful resources, spend money and time
at conferences viewing them, but then do not have time to implement them.
As a teacher, I know that I have lots of "great" ideas of new things
to try, but very rarely have the time to devote to developing and implementing
the ideas. Some of our teachers complain that they learn about these things
at conferences, but then don't have time to go back and review what they have
learned. By the time they get a chance to get back to it, they have forgotten
how to use the resource.
Reply to Sheree B. -- Java
Applets are great inventions. They allow students to manipulate objects, or
simulate events to facilitate learning. The Cuisenaire Rods activity looks
wonderful. We have created all of these excellent manipulatives to aid mathematics
education. But...most schools cannot afford to buy all of these things. The
Java Applets allow students the experience of the manipulatives free of charge.
Reply to Karin -- Scavenger Hunts
are a great way to get kids looking things up on the internet. It is an activity
that allows for self-learning through exploration. Our science teacher uses
them on a regular basis. I could be mistaken, but I think they are some that
she made up years ago, maybe originally used with encyclopedias. The kids
enjoy them, but some struggle to find answers. I think the step that is often
left out, is teaching kids how to go about searching the internet, what keywords
they should be using, how to narrow down searches, etc. It also becomes difficult,
when students' searches bring up inappropriate hits. I think that your site
is probably a much more efficient (and safer) way for students to complete
scavenger hunts.
