Post #9

I feel it is super important to tie the objective to technology.  I want to make my classroom align with the experiences and environment of modern society.  Too often, kids feel stifled by the antiquities in the classroom (pen and paper, pen and paper, pen and paper)  when they can use technology as a platform to make the content connect to their lives and more meaningful.

However, never should kids see technology as a cop out for doing actual work.  They will have rubrics, objectives, and specific goals for each lesson so students have CLEAR expectations at all times. 

I explored Studyladder and Thinkfinity.  There are a ton of activities that I could use in my classroom for SS and LA.  I love that I can get lost looking for lessons and ideas for centers/stations- these are valuable resources!!  I know that I want to buy some itunes cards to load some apps, but I really won't have to in order to get quality material for my itouches.  Whichever game/activity I use, I will make sure that the students have some proof to show what they did with their time.  Certainly, I will monitor their use while on devices. 

I foresee using the itouches for the students to make short instructional videos as minilessons.  They would have a lot of fun creating and teaching others. . . and that is an excellent way to reflect what you have learned.