Tech Task 9- Tapped In

I took part in the professional development session entitled "Social Studies Forum: PBS Teachers." This session dealt with the new features of the PBS teachers website. The leader of this discussion explained some of the interesting things that can be found on this site for different grade levels. Others mentioned blogs that can be accessed from this site. A lot of different subject areas are addressed on this site, but the focus during this session was social studies.

I thought that this was an interesting experience. Many of the participants were from the United States so I ordinarily would not have any interactions with them. They are not teachers who I would usually take part in professional development with. There was also a wide range of experience there, from students like myself to experienced teachers. I think this could be a very useful tool for teachers, especially teachers who are in rural or isolated areas where it is difficult to find such a wide range of professional development opportunities. These sessions really allow teachers to meet with others and learn from them, which may not be so easy without technology.

There were also some things that I found slightly irritating about this experience. For example, every time a useful website was mentioned every participant would type "thank you." It seemed that people kept saying the same thing and reading the word "thanks" twenty times is a little tedious. I also feel that the personal interactions involved with professional development are valuable. However, overall I felt that this could be very useful. It gives teachers who do not have other opportunities the ability to ensure that they are growing. I think if I saw a topic that I was really interested in, I would not hesitate to take part in another session.

As well, the PBS teachers site seems very useful. Feel free to check it out by clicking on the link.
PBS teachers

How Much Is Too Much?

I recently read Sarah G's blog about people who spend all their time on MSN messenger, even when they are visiting other people. I also know people who spend a lot of time using technology to interact even when face to face communication is possible. I enjoy using technology and I use MSN regularly too. However, I don't use it to speak to people who are in the same room as me. I still want to have face to face interactions with people. I have also purchased things online off sites like Amazon. However, I purchase things that I can't find in the store. Other people seem to do all their shopping online and never have to have any face to face interactions to buy the things they need. Is this a good thing? Are people becoming so obsessed with technology that they have to use it all the time or are interactions through technology just as good as face to face interactions? In other words, how much technology is too much? Let me know what you think.

Saskatchewan Science Centre Online

For those of you who don't know, the Saskatchewan Science Centre has lots of great stuff for students and teachers online. There is information about how to plan tours, schedules for the IMAX, scavenger hunt sheets, and more. There are also teacher resources that include science websites and student resources including crafts, family activities and interesting facts. Currently, kids can learn how to make a butterfly garden. Teachers can also go online to order a computer game resource package and science toolkits for the classroom.

You can also sign up for the newsletter and receive regular updates. It's a great way to keep up to date about the kinds of things you can do with your class through the Science Centre.

Check out the site for yourself.
Saskatchewan Science Centre

Mac or PC?

The debate continues to rage when choosing a computer. Should a person get a Mac or a PC? There are several factors to consider, including software availability, ease of use, speed, the look of the computer and more. When working on our major project for this class we tried to use Macs but we found them so different that we got confused and couldn't make anything work the way we wanted it to. He ended up switching back to Windows and everything ran smoothly. This would make me think that Windows was better except that I have heard too many people tell me differently. Everyone who has familiarity with both seems to prefer Macs. My sister used Windows all her life until she got a job where she had to learn how to use a Mac. She found it frustrating at first, but now says she would never buy a PC again. The Macs are so easy to use. I have heard several other people say the same. Therefore, I think when I have the time to learn how to use a Mac I would really like to. I was stressed for time when I tried the Macs for the major project, but if I had more time to practice I think I would really benefit from learning. It seems that Macs really are better.

I also found this website that explains some of the pros and cons of both Macs and PCs. Feel free to check it out and let me know which you prefer.

Macs vs. Windows

Sexism and the Dixie Chicks

I recently watched this video that was created by another education student in my foundations class. In this video she examines the sexism that the Dixie Chicks encountered after making a comment about their disapproval of the president. It is interesting to consider whether or not these women would have had to deal with such an extreme backlash if they had been male. As a society, do we still expect silence from women? Is a man allowed to freely express his opinion while a woman is marginalized for expressing hers? The Dixie Chicks were banned from many stations and had to deal with death threats. Would this have happened to a male?

The creator of this video said that she had received several comments about her video. While many people appreciated it, others were angered by what she presented. Some people expressed that they thought she was making an issue out of nothing. After watching the video, I believe that part of what happened to the Dixie Chicks was the result of sexism. I don't feel that a man would be punished in the same way, for an opinionated woman is still seen as less acceptable than an opinionated man.

Please watch this video and let me know what you think about the issue.

Benefits of Blogs

Over the course of this semester I have come to understand some of the benefits of blogging. They can be used for such a wide variety of purposes. Educational blogs offer great tips for teaching. Blogs about current events can certainly expose us to a wide variety of opinions and help us see other sides of different issues. Blogs are also a great way to keep people informed. Rather than making a lot of phone calls, a person can simply post once and get the same message out to all their friends. For example, a woman I know is keeping a blog to update people on her fight with cancer. She doesn't have the energy to communicate with everyone individually, but by posting a blog all her friends can find out how she is doing. Clearly, there are many benefits of blogs. I recently came across a website that listed more some of them. If you would like to read it, click on the link below.

Real benefits of blogs

Good website for kids

I decided to include a link to this website called FunBrain that I used a few times during my internship. It is a great site for early elementary students. It involves math and reading games that are very interactive and engaging for the students. There are also funny books and stories for the kids to practice reading. My grade ones had computer class and sometimes in the last five minutes my cooperating teacher would give the students free time. They often chose this website so I know that it is very popular with young kids.

I also like this site because there is not a lot of advertising on it. I found that my students were often clicking on ads by accident because they could not read the ads to know that they weren't games. This would take the students to sites that they didn't want to be on. Usually they were sites asking for money. This website did not seem to lead to this problem.

If you would like to check out this website, go to the link:
http://www.funbrain.com/kidscenter.html