HeatherLynch@EDIT4300

    The first topic we explored in this module is new directions in education regarding advances in technology. One resource I enjoyed learning about and exploring was the Google Arts and Culture site. I did not know about this site previously and I am amazed at how much there is to discover. I spent some time looking through the Arts page, and then looked through the Games page as well. I am excited by the possibilities of enrichment and knowledge building this could bring to my first grade classroom. I would also love to have my class take virtual field trips with Google Expeditions and the cardboard VR attachment for the phone. This class has helped me understand what kinds of technology students in other places are already using, and has me thinking about how I can bring some of it to my own school.      The audio podcasting, Youtube, and assistive technology resources were really helpful to me. I have struggled to create audio and videos easily in the past,...

    I truly can't believe we are half-way through the course already. Each week I have enjoyed researching new topics related to instructional technology in the classroom. The two topics that stand out to me as being crucial to integrate into my own teaching are computational thinking and the ISTE standards. Learning about the significance of computational thinking has helped me reflect on how I am already integrating these thinking skills in my classroom. I can start naming these skills for my students, so they know what they are, their importance, and how to continue using them in the future. One example I'm thinking of is when we solve multi-step story problems. I can name that we need to use the "decomposition" thinking skill, by breaking down the problem step-by-step, and that this is an important way of thinking that mathematicians use to solve complex problems. Reading all about the ISTE Standards was also a key learning for me in this course. I was truly inspi...

     In this module, I first had the opportunity to explore the topic of social media and social sites in education. I have not done much research about the possible benefits of this topic because I teach such a young grade (first grade) and I just couldn't see how using social media would benefit my students. After reviewing all of the articles and resources I still need to do some more thinking on how I could use it with my students, but I see the benefit of using it for connecting with my students' families. My school (and region) already uses the ParentSquare app for all school and regional communication, but it gets really hard to wade through all the general regional and school posts to find just posts from my class because they all go on one main feed. I can see how having an X account just for my class, could help have more efficient communication all in one place. Also, social sites have made it so easy for me to connect with my classmates in this master's progra...