Emma Thompson's EME2040 Blog

 Blog Journal #9     My main experience with distance learning in K-12 was during the COVID-19 outbreak. We used technologies such as Zoom, Google Classroom, and online math resources. These resources were useful, but I learned better in person since the teachers were not experienced with online teaching. I haven't experienced a fully online class, though, but I will take one next semester.     Open educational resources (OER) are free resources for teachers to use in their own classes. These resources can help to standardize education across distances, ensuring that students receive the same essential information. I found a page of OER resources and clicked on the "games" tab to explore. There are hundreds of educational games for different subjects to support students' understanding.  OER Games     I learned many PowerPoint skills from doing Assignment 4. I did not previously know how to record myself on PowerPoint, but it was fairly self-explan...

 Blog Journal #8     I learned a lot of new skills while designing my website. One of the main things I had to learn was how to arrange the elements within the website. I figured out how to use spacing, sections, and much more. I wish that the website designer allowed you to move elements more freely, but other than that, I thought it was pretty user-friendly. I can use this to make a future classroom website.     QR codes make websites easily accessible without having to type in a URL. I have had teachers use QR codes as links to quick quizzes or websites. I could use something along those lines in my classroom. I think that QR codes could be useful for quick games or check-in quizzes where I want rapid results. Ethical Case: “The AI Writing Buddy” Scenario: Ms. Rivera, a 4th-grade teacher, introduces a generative AI tool called WordPal to help students with creative writing. The tool can suggest ideas, improve word choice, and correct grammar. Her goal is to m...

 Blog Journal #6     There are specific CPALMS standards put into place to start technology education in all grades. One standard for third graders is  SC.3.CC.1.3, which teaches kids to refine searches using descriptive criteria. This uses basic computer skills and understanding of descriptive language. For this reason, I think I would be very comfortable implementing this standard in my classroom.     CPALMS also offers lots of teacher resources that correlate with the standards. One resource that I found was "Part-Part-Whole." This lesson is designed for kindergarten math, teaching that a whole can be split into parts. It provides a graphic organizer to help students visualize. I could utilize this tool when talking about addition or subtraction.      It is important to be a proficient internet searcher as a teacher in order to find reliable and specific tools online. As a teacher, you will often need to find resources online, and narrowin...

 Blog Post #5          I have gained some experience with blogging over the past few weeks. I appreciate it as a valuable tool that I can use for my teaching PLN. I now feel comfortable with the blogging process and using functions like adding photos. I enjoy using this format to share and read ideas.     I think that AI can be a valuable tool in education, but it needs to be closely monitored. AI can be used for lesson planning, brainstorming, and many other useful purposes. I think that these functions can be helpful, but they need to be regulated. Students should not be given total freedom in AI usage, and teachers should make sure to be mindful of what students are using these tools for.     Generative AI seems to be getting smarter and smarter. When I used it to make a lesson plan, I made sure to give very specific guidelines for it to follow. It followed these closely and ended up providing what I think is a proficient lesson plan ...

 Blog Post #4         I followed five elementary school teachers on Instagram and five teaching Pinterest boards. They have been giving me inspiration for future classroom setup, games, outfits, and much more. I have also started making my own teaching Pinterest board, saving inspiration for my future classrooms. Using social media to expand my PLN has already proven to be very useful.         In all of my schooling, but high school especially, I have gone to very digitally rich schools. We were all given laptops, and most of us knew how to use them well. This has prepared me to use a lot of the college technology. These early experiences in digitally rich schools helped me to feel comfortable in the digital world, and I don't really think there's much that my schools could've done to better that.          If I teach any older elementary schoolers, I will implement collaborative writing and social annotation. They can...

  Blog Post #3     Cyberbullying is a major issue in technology use, especially among kids. Since I want to teach younger ages, I will need to ensure that technology is used very carefully within my classroom. I never want my future students to be vulnerable to cyberbullying, so I will closely monitor their technology use. We can utilize technology as a mostly class-wide tool, instead of doing a lot of personal activities. Since my future students will be young, their tech will probably be minimized and proctored by the school, so they will only have access to a few pre-approved resources. This close monitoring will lower the chances that cyberbullying will occur in the classroom.     Copyright and fair use are important topics for both users and creators. As a user of other people's materials, I need to be sure to give credit correctly. If I, as a teacher, decide to publish instructional or other materials, I will want to make sure that others are using them in...