Teacher Tool Box: Technology!

This teacher tool overwhelms me but greatly excites me at the same time.  Having just recently (in the last 12 months) bought and started using a smartphone, I feel behind the times....already.  I invested in a smartphone and an iPad tablet at the same time.  I decided it was time to join the tech world and why not jump into the deep end?

I am so incredibly intrigued by the iPad and the possibilities it provides in the classroom. There are apps for literally everything and if there isn't one right now, wait just a couple hours or a couple days and it will be there.  No longer is teaching about finding materials and resources to use but rather sorting through the endless ocean of resources and possibilities.  This can be good and bad.  I feel it is my job to find and provide the very best of the best to my students.  This includes resources and materials they will be using but also behind the organizational and classroom management curtain.

Engagement and excitement for learning are big deals to me and I am beginning to see technology as a tool to encourage this kind of passion in the classroom.  Since students will be coming to the classroom with more and more tech knowledge from the outside world, it is my job to provide opportunities to explore tech in the classroom, as well.  Part of my beliefs as a teacher include publishing and creating for an authentic audience.  What could be more authentic than the entire world? The internet is a place these student live and will increasingly spend time inhabiting.  Why not meet them where they are and encourage productive and innovative interactions in cyberspace?

Along with authentic audiences, I am a supporter of (and incredibly passionate about) design education and its implications for developing successful members of an innovative and creation based society.  How can we get students to see that their time in cyberspace is more than just fun and games?  I think by having them create authentic products and sharing them with authentic audiences.  I want students to understand from a very early age, their activities online are not just for them to see but for almost anyone.  Why not harness this capability-instead of scare them, empower them to see technology as a way to make social change?


Technology I am currently crushing on:
Diigo- A place to organize and store all your bookmarks from the web.  Professional readings, activity ideas, etc.  I am still thinking about how I might have students use this resource for themselves.


Twitter- I just signed myself up for a professional twitter account.  I think this has a ton of possiblitieis for my growth as an educator.  I am currently looking for great educators to follow.  Let me know if you have a twitter and I will be sure to look you up.  You call your username a "handle"... right?  I am also seriously considering how I will integrate twitter into my classroom.  I like the idea of tweeting as part of a book group format. Let me know what you think and how you use twitter in your classroom.

KidBlog.com- I recently heard about a Kindergarten teacher using Kidblog in her classroom.  The kids were loving it and were crafting some really amazing posts.  What a cool opportunity for kids and such a great resource for parents to connect with their students education. I am looking forward to exploring more of this website.

Images-
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diigo.svg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twitter_icon.png
http://learningservicesnvsd44.edublogs.org/2012/02/06/primary-students-explore-ipad-technology/