What do I think about using thinking visual thinking software in the classroom? What about the SMART board? What will they do for students and for me?

I think that it is great and absolutely beneficial to use visual thinking software in the classroom. It has been proven to be an effective means of helping students understand and recall what they have been taught. It also makes things far more interesting than reading straight from the book or sitting and listening to someone lecture, which will help to keep the student's attention.

I wish that I would have had the chance to use programs like Kidspiration or Inspiration when I was in school. It helps to visually connect ideas and organize information in very easy to use programs. I think that Kidspiration is beneficial because it is very child-friendly and easy to navigate, which will get children in the younger grades comfortable using the computer early on. For students in the older grade levels, Inspiration could be helpful to organize and make sense of very complex ideas and visually see how the concepts are all interconnected or it could be used to organize points to write an essay.

I think that SMART boards are another very helpful educational tool. As a high school art teacher, I really couldn't see a SMART board in my classroom, but for other classes I think that they would be very beneficial. Having a SMART board in the classroom is a good way to present notes to the class. Teachers can include typed text and then later during the presentation write more about a point or have students come up to the board and fill in the answers. It is very interactive for students to be able to come and directly write or draw on the board or move things with their fingers. For teachers it is a way to transfer notes that they had hand-written into a text format and pass out to students. I think that that would help students pay closer attention to the lesson because they would be able to pay more attention to the lesson if they aren't struggling to keep up with writing their own hand-written notes.

What do you think about using geospatial tools in the classroom?

I think that geospatial tools are a great addition to the standard classroom tools that are used. There are many student benefits such as learning to use a new type technology, improving their geographic skills, and providing a way for students to gather their own information using GPS devices to problem solve. Using geospatial tools is a great example of using constructivism in the classroom, it allows student to build a strong understanding using their own experiences.
There are a few ways that art teachers can use geospatial tools in their lesson plans. The first was is to use the Google Earth program to design a 1-point or 2-point perspective drawing project. This would allow students to find interesting structures or building from all over the world to make an exciting composition. Another way that geospatial tools could be used is by using a GPS for a photography class. The teacher could find a beautiful location and challenge the class to find the location and take pictures of the area in an interesting way. Later the students could compare their pictures to other students and critique. I think that I will use geospatial tools in the above mentioned ways in my class room to change things up and keep things interesting!

How can technology help me improve my teaching practices?

Technology can help me improve my teaching practices in many ways. I think one of the most important uses for technology as a teacher is to stay organized. The computer is a great way to keep track of the grades and attendence of students. It also is a convient way to store worksheets, handouts, and things of that nature instead of using bulky filing cabnits. Technology can help teachers re-enforce the lesson they just taught to students and keep their attention. These two factors can help the students ultimately succeed. Technology allows oppertunities that otherwise would not be avaliable. Students can use features such as message boards, videos, games, and communication with other teachers and professionals around the world. Lastly, technology is a easy way to keep up with new approaches to teaching that would help to improve my lesson plans.

What I am learning and what I am feeling...

I like this class *(especially because it is not math). I feel like I am learning a lot; especially since this is my first "teacher class". In the beginning I felt really nervous because I am really bad at using computers, but now I am already feeling better about it. I really liked making the newsletter, I used Word many times but I have never used it in that way. It was fun working to make it look good and learn how to incorporate so many different elements that I had no idea you could even do with the program. I am actually hoping that using the computer this much will help me learn how to type. I also hope to get some original ideas that would really make my art class fun and beneficial to students by incorporating some different uses of technology that maybe they would not thought of doing on their own.

Considering the reading and technology skills I've learned so far, what do I know are some good reasons to use technology in the classroom?

Good reasons to use technology in the classroom:
*Allows students to expand their research
*Easy access to current information
*Quick and convient communication and way to share information
*Works as a tool to reinforce what you have taught students
*Teach students new approaches to solving problems or doing projects
*Using a different approach may help keep student's attention
*Gets students ready for the career world that uses countless forms of technology

Van Gogh Slideshow

What do I need to know about technology integration before I become a teacher?

I think that the main thing that I need to learn about technology before I become a teacher is what my options are. As of now I have very few ideas on how to incorporate technology into an art class to optimize the student's experiences. Once I learn what some of my options are I need to learn how to incorporate my lesson plan goals with that available technology. I also need to learn about what type of methods dealing with technology have been proved successful so that students actually learn from the experience. There are a lot things that I do not know how to do, some of these things include making spread sheets, setting up a class room, creating lesson plans, or using a smart board.