Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

Chapter 14
This chapter talks about the types of multimedia projects that teachers and students can design. These include lessons, research projects, book reports, stories, games, or electronic portfolios. It also talks about the uses for PowerPoint to present these types of multimedia. Chapter 14 also talks about the different types of multimedia such as scanners, cameras, videos, audio programs, and animation programs. All of these can be used to help students design any multimedia project a teacher may want them to design.

Chapter 15
Chapter 15 talks about the different ways you can use technology. For example it can be used to collect data either on student work or on tests. A teacher could also use technology to build tests and quizzes. Technology can also be used as a recording, analysis, and communication tool. This could look like an electronic grade book or attendance tracker.

Chapter 11 Mathematical Modeling AND Chapter 12 Simulations and Data Analysis

• Chapter 11- This chapter discusses mathematical modeling, spreadsheets, and a programming langugage. Mathematical modeling will help students learn the process of in a different way. The book Technology in the Calssroom write the steps for modeling. These steps are: 1) Observing a system ot problem, 2)Constructing a mental image or model, 3)Identifying important variables and constants (parameters), 4)Determining relationships, 5)Developing equation(s) to express relationships, 6)Testing, 7)Revising.  Chapter 11 also discusses the usefulness of spreadsheets. Spreadsheets can help support the modeling process.
• Chapter 12- Chapter 12 discusses how data analysis can support learning activities. In the book the authors write that problem solving activities help students learn how to collect, interpret, and represent data. When a student is allowed to take control of their own learning, they feel more proud. This helps the student want to continue to learn and also helps them hang on to the information they learn. Another thing that helps a student learn is through simulations. There is an 8th grade history teacher in my school district that uses simulations to teach history. You would not beleive how well his students can recall the information that he has taught. Simulations can be done on the computer or just from the student(s). There is a long list of simulation and data resource website on page 315 in the book.

Chapter 8 and 9 Selecting and Integrating World Wide Resources AND Technology Integration in the Content Area

• Chapter 8- In this chapter the authors write about the ten c's to help a person review a websites credibility, many popular educational websites, search engines, distance education, and web design. First thing this chapter discusses is the credibility of websites. The ten c's are the way to decide between a good website and a bad website. The authors of Technology in the Classroom write the ten c's in an easy to read chart. The ten c's are: content, credibility, critical thinking, copyright, citation, continuity, censorship, connectivity, comparability, and context. These ten c's were created to help evaluate the credibility of Internet resources. Chapter 8 also list several educational websites. This chapter lists these website by subject and type of website. It also lists several kid friendly search engines. Chapter 8 then goes into the world of distance education. Distance education, as described in the book, is defined as the delivery of the educational process to receivers who are not in proximity to the person or persons managing or conducting the process. Its just like the classes that I am taking right now. I live in a totally different town but because of distance education it is now possible for me to earn my degree. Chapter 8 also talks about website design. It talks about the development process, how to actually design the website, and also how to maintain the website you create.
• Chapter 9- Chapter 9 in the book Technology in the Classroom  talks about how to actually integrate technology in each content area. It teaches teachers how to formulate subject and age specific lesson that use technology. It gives the teachers a specific guide to follow. It also gives examples of lesson plans for each subject, some you could actually use or change to meet your criteria. Chapter 9 also gives lesson plans for those who struggle with school and lesson plans for those who struggle with life.

Social, Ethical, Legal, and Human Issues AND Learning and Teaching with Technology

Chapter 5 and Chapter 6

• Chapter 5 covers the social, ethical, legal, and human issues with technology. Chepter 5 talks about the many problems with computer like misuse and fraud, viruses, scams, and how to maintain a secure network while using your computer. We have to be really careful when it comes to using our computer, especially nowdays. In the book, Using Technology In the Classroom, the author write that computer-related crimes cost the US businesses $67.2 billion a year. "Hackers" have become more and more prominant. Identify-theft is just one of the numerous crimes that these hackers commit. Another issue with computers is malware. Malware is, as the books states, any software which is created to attack, infect, or damage a computer system without the owner's approval. Malware can attack a single computer or a whole network of computers. Malware includes viruses, spam, email scams, spyware, and phishing. Placing a security system on your home computer or your business network can help minimize the chance of having a malware attack.
• Chapter 6 in Technology In the Classroom is about learning and teaching with technology. Technology is very important for students to learn especially with the growing society. Now days if a person graduates from High School without knowing technology they chance of them getting and keeping a job is slim to none. I really like how the authors of this book write "Rather than asking questiong like "Should technology be used in education?" eduators must now ask themselves, "How should technology be used to help students achieve higher levels?" This is a very important and very true statement. To be able to teach students how to use technology, teachers must now how to use technology. Teachers need to go through trainings at least once a year to help keep up with the growing technology. The problem that I see with this is that your 'old timey' teachers are going to have a lot of difficulty not only learning this technology but also implementing it. It is very easy for some like me who grew up with computers to learn new technology but I know that it is a lot harder for someone who did not grow up with computers to learn new technology. Technology has a lot of effects on each subject in school. Technology helps students improve language, reading skills, and writing skills. It also helps improve math skill, science skills, an history skills. When you have a technology centered curiculum you are more likely to have more cooperation. Technology allows the kids to learn using a different method that they actually enjoy.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In chapter 3, Bitter and Legacy focus on the subject of the World Wide Web. I use the web everyday so this chapter was very easy to read and very easy to understand. Bitter and Legacy write about the many things that are made possible because of the web. They write about what actually helps you connect to the web, who helped start the web, and the many things that can be done with the web. They are write about web lingo and they explain what things like hyperlinks, hypertext, and web browsers are. They teach you how to search the web and the many different types of search engines available . Bitter and Legacy write about email and all the different things you need to know about email such as, sending, receiving, composing a message, attaching files, etc. They also write about Blog sites like this one. Another popular one would be www.xanga.com. I really like the fact that Bitter and Legacy give you a reference guide for popular and safe websites. They also included websites that are good for kids to use. This is a really good chapter to read if you are not comfortable using the web. The authors explain all the vocabulary and all the safety  and privacy to help any person learn how to use the World Wide Web.

Chapter 2

        

Chapter 2 in the book Using Technology in the Classroom by Bitter and Legacy is entitled Productivity Tool and Application Software. This chapter starts out describing different programs that can be found on the computer and some common tools or elements that go with it. For example the first thing Bitter and Legacy write about is about word and works documents. On page 39 table 2.1 they show some available tools that can be used when using these programs. I really like how Bitter and Legacy put in little tables that show how this technology can be used in the classroom. They lay out what it might look like if you were observing these types of technology being put to use. This helps me, as an educator, bring this technology into the classroom. They write about the importance of spreadsheets, and how spreadsheets can be used to compile data and analyze data while doing research projects. They also explain how I, as a teacher, could use spreadsheets in the classroom. Right now, I use a spreadsheet for grades and also to help me organize my own lesson plans. My favorite thing out of this chapter is the discussion about Inspiration and Kidspiration. It is very important to me that my students know how to use graphic organizers, especially how to apply them to the TAKS test, and this website gives you a ton of graphic organizers that I can put into my SmartBoard and the students can use them in an interactive way.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 in Using Technology in the Classroom by Bitter and Legacy discusses the importance on teaching technology to our students. This chapter discusses changes in information age trends. Some of these trends include (1) a shift in demographics, (2) an acceleration of technology, and (3) an ever expanding base of available data through which to search, sift, sort, and select. The most interesting fact that I read out of this chapter is that the amount of information in the world doubles every 900 days. So by the time you learn the new technology, even newer technology is being developed. This proves that us, as educators, need to be continuing to attend workshops and trainings to help up keep up with the ever expanding technology. This chapter also goes into detail about the technology standards. Our state standard, the TEKS, have technology standards for every grade that we must make sure that our students are taught and also that they master. I like to use the SmartBoard technology in my classroom. The students have learned to use it and it makes learning a little more fun. It reminds me of a big iPad, which of course is big right now. This chapter also discusses how the technology standards came alive with the No Child Left Behind Act. The No Child Left Behind Act addresses technology specifically in the Enhancing Education Through Technology Act of 2001. This act basically states that all technology resources mist be aligned to state standards. Towards the end of the chapter, Bitter and Legacy discuss the break down of the computer and its components. They discuss the generations and developments of computer systems and they also give the public an idea of what a computer is made up of and how the operating system works.