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Tuesday November 28, 2006 After all the discussion about types of hardware, it seems only natural to move into the discussion of software. After all, computers are made great only by the programs they can produce. Anyone who has ever tried to wrestle with an outdated computer can testify to this. One issue is how do core teachers integrate software into their classrooms. I think that the key to choosing software for educators is seeing how the individual software can engage students.
I do not consider myself in any way an expert in teaching technology. My specialty is middle grades language arts and social studies, but I have learned so much in this course about the appropriate use of software. There have been several purposes that software can serve that never crossed my mind. For example, I used spreadsheets and databases when teaching about North Carolina Counties. I did this personally because I didn't feel that the students would benefit from making their own spreadsheets. I was completely wrong. When I think of the lost opportunity to engage my students in this level of thinking, I am dismayed. After seeing all of the possibilities for spreadsheets and databases, I have decided to make students design their own about the North Carolina counties. We will focus on competency goal 8 in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. This goal states that the learner will evaluate the impact of demographic, social, economic, political, and technological advances in North Carolina from the 1970s to the present. Students will be required to create a database that includes demographic, economic, technical, and political information about a county. There are a hundred counties in North Carolina, so each student will conceivably have one county. There will be some overlap ,but students might be able to collaborate in teams for this project. The more advanced students will be required to work independently on the larger counties. After students have compiled their databases, we will move to the second phase of our project. Using spreadsheets, students will try to predict economic and political trends in the different voting districts. They will use the information from the databases to create a picture of the different regions of North Carolina. This will then allow for a final report on the regional diversity of North Carolina. During election years, students will write opinions about which candidates are offering the best solutions for each region based on the demographics, economics, and political leanings. Through this lesson, I hope to see my students gain a better understanding about the state of things in North Carolina. I want them to realize the impact of textile mills closing and the return of cotton as a major crop. By allowing them to learn and come to these conclusions on their own, I foresee them becoming better informed citizens in the future. One added benefit of using these software tools is that the eighth grade computer test is basically a test on using spreadsheets, databases, and word processing. While I am certainly not advocating that we teach the test, I think allowing these students to use these tools in a core class will have a positive affect on their ability to do well on this state test. At the very least, it will show them how useful these tools are in reality.
I do not consider myself in any way an expert in teaching technology. My specialty is middle grades language arts and social studies, but I have learned so much in this course about the appropriate use of software. There have been several purposes that software can serve that never crossed my mind. For example, I used spreadsheets and databases when teaching about North Carolina Counties. I did this personally because I didn't feel that the students would benefit from making their own spreadsheets. I was completely wrong. When I think of the lost opportunity to engage my students in this level of thinking, I am dismayed.
After seeing all of the possibilities for spreadsheets and databases, I have decided to make students design their own about the North Carolina counties. We will focus on competency goal 8 in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. This goal states that the learner will evaluate the impact of demographic, social, economic, political, and technological advances in North Carolina from the 1970s to the present. Students will be required to create a database that includes demographic, economic, technical, and political information about a county. There are a hundred counties in North Carolina, so each student will conceivably have one county. There will be some overlap ,but students might be able to collaborate in teams for this project. The more advanced students will be required to work independently on the larger counties.
After students have compiled their databases, we will move to the second phase of our project. Using spreadsheets, students will try to predict economic and political trends in the different voting districts. They will use the information from the databases to create a picture of the different regions of North Carolina. This will then allow for a final report on the regional diversity of North Carolina. During election years, students will write opinions about which candidates are offering the best solutions for each region based on the demographics, economics, and political leanings.
Through this lesson, I hope to see my students gain a better understanding about the state of things in North Carolina. I want them to realize the impact of textile mills closing and the return of cotton as a major crop. By allowing them to learn and come to these conclusions on their own, I foresee them becoming better informed citizens in the future.
One added benefit of using these software tools is that the eighth grade computer test is basically a test on using spreadsheets, databases, and word processing. While I am certainly not advocating that we teach the test, I think allowing these students to use these tools in a core class will have a positive affect on their ability to do well on this state test. At the very least, it will show them how useful these tools are in reality.