Alligators are very interesting reptiles. They lay about
60 eggs, and only 1 or 2 live to be a adult. They can pretend they are
a log so they can catch their prey. If an alligator chases you, you
should zig zag because they can't turn very well. That is why I think
they are such interesting reptiles.
--Caitlin
More examples of student work
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Technology
& Curriculum
For young learners, technology
is part of their everyday lives. Computers and other technology are
tools to use when appropriate and effective. Their use in the classroom
can range from short and simple lessons to being an integral part
of long-term projects. Including technology
as a part of classroom activities can be motivating, and allows students
to learn, communicate, and share their knowledge and understanding
in a wide variety of ways.
Children
receive the greatest benefits from technology when these elements
are present:
- The lesson or project
is directly connected to the curriculum
- The technology allows
for active learning, with students making decisions
- The software is interactive
or discovery based
- The lesson or project
is open-ended, allowing learners
to proceed at their own pace
- Technology is applied
to real problems with a real-life connection
- The setting is designed
to allow children to interact while working at the computer
- Computers are included
in the curriculum within the classroom rather than set apart in
a separate room or lab
Adding
Technology to Lessons
In the primary grades, children
and teachers focus especially on readiness skills, literacy, and mathematics.
Classroom instruction is guided by the curriculum goals of the school
or district, and the content standards in place in most states. Technology
can support these lessons and educational goals when used in a planned
and guided manner.
Language
Development and Emerging Literacy
As children talk together,
share their writing, or lean over to read another's words on the
screen, they use language to communicate. Computers and other forms
of technology support literacy and encourage speaking, reading,
writing, and listening, through formal and informal language opportunities.
Technology can:
-
Provide children
with ways to express themselves
- Young students can
present or represent their learning in ways that make sense
to them, using tools such as digital cameras, scanners, and
computer software to show information, create pictures, build
graphs, and share ideas.
- Children make up
stories as they play, and frequently tell stories about the
pictures they create. Technology offers a variety of ways for
children to weave together words and pictures to tell their
stories, then display them on the screen or print them.
-
Offer support for
young learners
- Writing and revising can be difficult as children struggle with letter formation and fine motor skills. Word processors let them focus on the ideas, and more easily compose and revise text. This encourages children to view writing as a process, and to refine their work.
- Speech synthesizers read aloud the text on the screen, and allow children experience with both oral and written language. "Talking books" use synthesized speech to read aloud a story as the child listens and follows along with the highlighted words on the screen.
- This same technology reads back a child's own words. Because the digital voice reads exactly what was written, and not what the writer meant to say, it provides the immediate, focused feedback helpful for learning. For example, when reading aloud a series of words without capitals or ending punctuation, the voice does not stop at the end of the idea. The importance of punctuation and capitals soon becomes clear.
-
Encourage reading and writing
- Seeing text on the screen encourages students to read their own and others' writing as they work at the computer. Research confirms what common sense tells us - the more time children spend reading the better readers they become.
- Technology in its many forms increases the options available for children to explore, create, and communicate and provides additional ways to interact with and experience literacy.
- Classroom printers allow children to write for and reach a larger audience, and e-mail allows children to correspond with distant pen pals electronically. Both provide motivation for children to write well because they know that others will read their work.
Examples of student work
Mathematics
-
Many
classrooms have a daily calendar. Make a calendar on the computer
as well to help children learn and understand how we organize
information. Children's software may include a template to create
calendars easily.
-
Children
can take digital photos of completed tangram puzzles or patterns
they have constructed. They can display the photos, add them
to portfolios, or insert them into learning logs with explanations
of how they solved the challenge. As children organize thoughts
to express them clearly, they better understand their own thinking.
-
Build
a graph with objects, such as shoes or candy wrappers, then
transfer the information into a spreadsheet or graphing program.
Having both the physical objects and the two-dimensional graph
demonstrates that graphing is a way to show and see information
mathematically.
More information
on using projects in the curriculum.
Resources
contains links to sites that provide additional information on using
technology in lessons.
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