Computer Lab Seating Chart

One benefit of using Microsoft Word to create a seating chart is that images or clip art could be used for picture references. All I did was insert a 5 x 5 table and insert images so it was easy for me to do.

One limitation of using Microsoft Word to create a seating chart is that I started with a blank slate, so anything I wanted, such as a chart or table, I had to create myself. If I had used excel, I would already have a chart set up for me to use.

Assignment 5

Jesie Lee
2^nd Grade

Why should we have a computer in each classroom?

Desktop, Monitor, Printer, Mouse, Keyboard: This day and time, computers are used for almost everything. They are especially useful tools in the classroom. Students can play educational games and do research, and teachers can show educational videos, documents can be created and printed, and teachers and students can use the internet. All of the second grade teachers have come to the conclusion that each classroom should have at least one computer in it with necessary accessories. We have researched and found a package on

Internet Source:

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office is also a very useful tool for teachers. The second grade teachers would like to request that each computer include Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Excel. The 2010 version would be enough for our teachers to create spreadsheets that would be useful making rolls or seating charts, regular word documents such as notes home to parents or weekly newsletter, and power points which are great ways to present a lesson to students. A package including all three programs can be found at

Speakers:

Headphones:

Data Projector: Projectors would make teaching easier on teachers, and learning more interesting for students. Teachers can display documents, spreadsheets, videos, pictures, and power points on the data projectors. It would make text large enough for every student in the classroom to see, and let’s face it, students will enjoy looking at a huge computer screen with videos, pictures, and sounds much better than words in a textbook. These are also great alternatives to having a television in the classroom.

Digital Camera:

$1087.93 x 7 second grade classrooms = $7615.51 TOTAL

 Through hard work, patience, and fund raising, I believe the second grade teachers and students can pull together to raise the money to purchase one computer and accessories for each classroom.

Digital cameras can be used in classrooms in many ways. Teachers can take pictures of special activities that students take part in and post them to a blog such as The second grade teachers have come up with the idea to allow students to take turns on the computer one at a time for about 20 minutes each. During this time students can play educational games and exercise math, reading, spelling, and science skills. In order to do this without disturbing the rest of the students, we would need one set of headphones per computer. Students can put the headphones on while it is their turn to be on the computer and engage in learning activities. External speakers would be great for times when teachers would like to show an educational video, for example, from TeacherTube. Internal speakers may not be loud enough for students sitting in the back to hear. It would be more beneficial for the students if we had two external speakers per computer. External speakers can be found at Best Buy stores or Internet access is crucial for our teachers. Each computer should have Mozilla Firefox as an internet source. Why? In my opinion, it is the safest and healthiest choice for computers. It is a free and open source web browser and is the second most widely used browser. It includes tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live bookmarking, download manager, private browsing, and a search system that uses Google service. There is a FREE download at www.bestbuy.com that includes an HP desktop, monitor, wireless printer, mouse, and keyboard for $459.97. These computers have a 4GB memory, Intel Pentium processor, and a widescreen, slim monitor. www.mozilla.com.www.journeyed.com for $99.00.www.bestbuy.com for $19.99 each. www.schooloutfitters.com has wireless USB headphones for $38.99.www.tigerdirect.com has an Optoma ES522 Multimedia DLP Projector that is digital-based and produces a great picture. These projectors are $349.99 each.www.blogger.com, so parents can actually see what their kids are doing in class and how they are learning. It would also be beneficial if the cameras could record videos too so videos can be uploaded to the blog. Another way teachers can use the cameras is to take pictures of students and different activities and have students help put together a classroom scrapbook for art time or free time. The pictures can be used to decorate the classroom too. A camera that fits all of these descriptions can be found at Best Buy stores or www.bestbuy.com. They have a Nikon Coolpix L24, 14.0 Mega pixel digital camera for $119.99.

Assignment #3

Jesie Lee

            A cognitive inventory test tells how people solve problems and tests their mental processes. A learning style inventory test tells how someone takes in and processes information and it helps people discover environments in which it is best for them to learn. The results from my two tests were not surprising to me. I have a sensorial/emotional cognitive style, and a tactile learning style. I am a hands-on learner and I like to see the best in every person I meet.

            Knowing my own cognitive style and learning style is very important; as is knowing the cognitive styles and learning styles of my future students. It may be impossible to know every detail about each student depending upon the size of the class; however, teachers should be very patient and observant with each student and recognize the ways in which each of them learns best. Also, being familiar with my own cognitive and learning styles is important while teaching because I want to present new material to my class in the best ways that I am able to do so. Since I am a hands-on learner, then it would be best for me to do demonstrations while explaining material to the students. For example, if I want to show the class how to solve “3 x 4”, I could use blocks to make a 3 x 4 rectangle to demonstrate how to get the correct answer. Since I have an emotional cognitive style, I like to make a positive impact on other people’s lives, like many other teachers. I am a very organized person and I make at least one list per day because that is the only way I can remember things that I have to do.

            In my opinion, I have very appropriate cognitive and learning styles in order to be an elementary teacher, which is what I plan to be one day. Children love to be hands-on so they do not get bored with me (as the teacher) or themselves. I hope to make an impact on the lives of all of my future students.

Test Results:

Cognitive:   http://tests.infoartperu.com/en/test_cognitivestyles.htm

Learning style:  http://www.personal.psu.edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI.htm

PollEverywhere Poll

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Assignment #1

I would define educational technology as the use of technology in schools and the classroom in a way that will improve the teachers’ teaching strategies and the students’ comprehension of the material being taught. The use of technology in the classroom gives students ample opportunities to show their creativity and learning styles. So technology can be beneficial to both the teachers and the students if it is used in a professional manner. Personally, I believe that the use of technology in classrooms is more beneficial than harmful for students and teachers. Our textbook describes educational technology as “any media that can be used for instruction.” (page 5). This includes computers, DVD players, video conferencing, projectors, and many more; the possibilities are endless.

When I was in high school, I had one class that was very technology-oriented. It was a calculus course, which had a bad reputation for being a difficult course. However, our class was the first to use all of the different technology resources that were made available to us. We had a student join our class via video conference from Hokes Bluff High School because his high school did not offer the course. We were also provided with our own individual electronic notebooks to take notes on, and then at the end of class we would print the notes off and take them home. The notebook included an electronic pen, and we were able to use any color we wanted, which made things a little more interesting in this so-thought dreadful course. I finished the course with an “A” and so did many other students including the one from Hokes Bluff. I believe this was partly due to the use of the technology in the classroom. It not only made learning more interesting for us, but it also made everything easier for us and our teacher.

I may be such a big believer in technology in the classroom due to my positive learning experience in high school; however, some people argue that it is not the best idea. Many teachers and other administrators argue that some students may explore outside of the lesson and become distracted by other activities. Also, technology is expensive, so it may be difficult for some schools to invest in such technological resources. Not only are the resources expensive, but the training required to operate these resources can be expensive too. In my opinion, if a school, teacher, or administrator is considering using more technology in the classroom, students should be carefully monitored and supervised while using resources such as the internet. Teachers can block specific websites in order to keep the students from getting off task. Even if there is only one computer to every 25 students, the students can take turns using the computer. Also, teachers can put all computers together in a room to form a “computer lab”, and classes can take turns visiting the computer lab.

In conclusion, I believe that technology is beneficial to both the students and the teachers in the classroom. Whether it is a projector, computer, or a movie, students are generally more interested in technology because it is something different and fun. Technology is a way for teachers to step out of the normal textbook and chalkboard routine and capture the students’ attention. Overall, I believe that technology in the classroom improves teachers’ organization and teaching techniques, and it will also improve students’ comprehension and attentiveness to the lesson being taught.