Privileges, Privacy, and Protectionof Youth Bloggers in the Social Studies Classroom

I just read an article about blogging and how teachers are implementing blogs as a way to enhance classroom instruction. Blogging has become a popular method of online communication. Many blogs are created in a format similar to a journal and figures show that a new blog is created every second.
Using blogs in the classroom is just another way to engage students in learning. They are a great way to keep the parents up to date on what is happening in the classroom and the are an excellent tool that teachers can use to have their students reflect on their learning and practice their writing skills. They can also create a sense of community by allowing the members of the class to share their thoughts and feelings through discussion.
When submitting information online it is always important to discuss privacy and protection with your students. It is important that students learn how to use technology in a safe and appropriate manner. When using blogging as a method of classroom instruction students are not only sharing their thoughts and feelings in a discussion/journal format they are also learning the importance of cybersafety.
Privelages, Privacy, and Protection of Youth Bloggers in the Social Studies Classroom was written by Ilene R. Berson and Michael J. Berson. It can be found in Social Education (70(3) p. 124-128. 2006 National Council for the Social Studies.

My New Thoughts on Technology

I'm a college student and therefore I rely heavily on technology. This past weekend technology was not a friend of mine. I was working on assignments for this class and as I was ready to submit them in the dropbox I realized that I was unable to access D2L or my campus email. It told me to call the help desk, which I did and wouldn't you know that nobody answers on the weekends. Not that this was a big problem but it was frustrating to me because I was in the homework zone and wanted it done. So I called the help desk and they gave me the run around and asked if I changed my password when it was suggested that I do so. I told him yes and he told me to go back and use my student ID as my password. That's what I ended up doing and it got me into D2L, however, I am still unable to get into my email.
On the flipside to that I spent sometime today at work creating a video slideshow of the children in my classroom for the parents at Christmas. I'm very excited about how it looks and can't wait to show it at our Christmas program.
So in the end I have mixed feelings about technology today. Some days I love it and think that it makes my life easier and other days I want to throw my laptop out the window.

Computers & Young Children

In an article titled "Computers and Young Children" many factors are discussed such as wen to introduce computers, activities that are considered "developmentally appropriate", benefits of computer use and teacher training. The article suggests that computers are inappropriate for children under the age of 3 because it does not suit their learning. At an early age children learn primarily through their body by crawling, walking, talking and socializing with others. Therefore, the article did not support the idea of children under the age of 3 using a computer.
When it comes to whether or not computer usage is developmentally appropriate for young children the article feels that the way that 3 and 4 year old children use computers is different than the way kindergarten and elementary school children use computers. Many times young children sit down at the computer to play games when their learning should provide concrete experiences.
Some of the benefits to computer use with 3 and 4 year olds are gains in "intelligence, nonverbal skills, structural knowledge, long-term memory, manual dexterity, verbal skills, problem solving, abstraction, and conceptual skills. (Haugland, 1992)
If computers are to be an effective lea ring tool, teachers should be trained to maximize the potential of technology in the classroom. Teachers should do various things before allowing their students to explore on a computer. Some things that teachers should do are; preview software and make sure that it is age appropriate and discuss objectives with the students.
If you would like to check this article out you can find it at:
www.kidsource.com/education/computers.html

What Research Says About Technology & Child Development

I found an article titled, "Technology in Early Childhood Education; Finding the Balance" and it the article it discussed that from birth to age 8 there are 5 essential areas of development. These being: 1. social and emotional, 2. language, 3. motor/large muscle, 4. cognitive, 5. learning approach. This particular article looks at how technology ties into the key areas of a child's development. One thing that the article stated that I agree with is that the use of technology allows children the opportunity to increase their language and promote literacy. The use of technology also provides children an addtional method to their learning. All children learn differently and many children enjoy exploring on a computer. Using a computer as a teaching method is just one way to teach to your students strenghts. A couple of the downsides to the use of technology and early childhood are the lack of excercise it provides. Another being that the use of technology can create a decrease in creativity if children aren't using the appropriate software.
I thought that it was a interesting article and I liked the way that it pointed out not only the positive aspects of this topic but that it also provided some concerns with children and technology. The thing that I really took from this article is that the use of technology can provide some wonderful experiences for children and in the classroom it is up to us as teachers to provide appropriate software and monitor the length of time the children are spending on the computer.
If you would like to view this article check it out at
www.nwrel.org/request/june01/child.html

Introduction

Hi Fellow Bloggers,
My name is Laura Reinke. I am currently attending the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, majoring in Elementary Education. My anticipated graduation date is May, 2009 and I can't wait. I go to school at night because during the day I work as an early childhood teacher teaching 2 year olds. I enjoy reading, traveling, spending time with family and friends and I'm also trying to get back into running.

My feelings on technology vary, depending on what it is I'm doing. I like to pretend that I'm technology savvy but the truth is I have so much going on that it's hard to keep up. I know the basics but with technology always changing there is always so much to learn. I love the fact that I am able to communicate with my family and friends via technology. My brother and sister both live out of state and email helps keep us all in touch. I use technology in my everyday life. This spring I had to send my laptop in for maintenance and it was a struggle not to have it for 3 days. In today's society we all tend to rely heavily on many technological devices, which is wonderful but it can be extremely frustrating when things aren't working or when we don't know what we're doing.
Thanks for checking out my blog, watch for more to come!