As discussed in class, we as future educators should be doing all we can to engage the minds of our students. Word processing tools and databases are yet another tool to accomplish this in the classroom. Teachers need to be alert for all forms of technology that can be used to further accomodate students of all different learning styles. Spreadsheets and databases are especially helpful for visual learners. Also, using tools like online thesaurus’ and “spell check” allows students to check their own work. Technology is so important in the classroom and it is so exciting to be teaching in an age where the realm of possibility regarding technology is expanding so quickly.
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Spreadsheets can be used in classrooms to address different learning goals by creating one that show all the progress that the students in the class can make. If you create a spreadsheet that has all the students’ goals at the end and have all the students use it as a check list it will become fun for them, because they are moving around the classroom and also gives them a little competition. Children love competition. In addition to the goal reaching, children can use the technology of spreadsheets for research projects. Ultimately children will need to use spreadsheets and databases for real world experiences, and if you start them young with all the work they need, then they will benefit in the future. Teachers can use spreadsheets and databases for keeping track of children’s grades, their progress, and also use them as a way of communicating with the parents, or showing how their child is doing.
Focus Question 3 (Page 38)
There are many ways in which content mapping can be used to address different learning styles. For example, a content map would be extremely useful for students who are visual learners. Whether using content-mapping for writing, studying, or thinking children can produce their ideas in an organized manner.
For example, programs such as Inspiration and Kidspiration are great ways to help children comprehend subjects in the classroom. Teachers and students can customize their maps with pictures and words that provide a unique form of personalized instruction. Students are then able to link certain ideas with their visual creation which will make memorization and learning more effective.
In today’s society technology is rapidly changing and I feel it is important for teachers to take advantage of the many electronic tools that are available. Concept-mapping tools can excite and engage students on various levels. I want to help students get the big picture by utilizing content-mapping in place of textual and verbal instruction.
As we proceed into the future i believe that more and more schools will be able to use technology in there classroom. as a result of this we as teachers need to be prepared by being able to use and keep up with the new software that is coming out in tomorrows classrooms. i personally think that in the future we will be using more Mac’s instead of P.C.’s because they seem to be much more user friendly. Also i have noticed that i don’t seem to get any viruses on my Mac, which used to be a problem with my old P.C.. Another big thing we need to know how to do as teachers is to use power point. It seems that every year in every class i seem to be doing at least one power point and I think it is important for teachers to be able to use that software as well.
In fact, the productivity software is used in the business and industry first, and later people found that it can help educators as well, so it was introduced into education area. This is a normal phenomenon, another example is that a lot of software were first designed for business or industry purpose, and were introduced to some other areas later on. So generally speaking, the office productivity software that has facilitated business operations can oftentimes be used to serve educators as well for their administrative and educational tasks. For the educators that teaching is not the only thing that they need to do, as it said on the book that much of their time is consumed in completing the many administrative tasks necessary to prepare and maintain an effective learning environment and to meet the record-keeping demands of the typical school system. This is the needs and also the reason that the productivity software was introduced into education area.
This kind of soft ware typically designed for ease of use and most of this kind of software programs have similar looks and feel, so that it is easy for the users to know other productivity software from the same vendor if they already knew how to use one of them. This is a good feature that benefits all the users, and it also benefits the software itself in the way that it can be spread wildly and quickly.
How can productivity software be used for teaching and learning?
Productivity software is a vital tool for teachers to help their students learn. The most common productivity software used by teachers in the classroom is word processing software. It is easy to use, and can be updated through internet downloads quickly. It also comes with spelling checker, which gives students immediate feedback on their typing progress. The student can also use the thesaurus tool to figure out different words that have the same meaning as those they usually use. This feature gives the students the ability to vary their writing, along with adding those new words to their everyday vocabulary.
The use of word processor also helps the teacher in reading and grading papers. No longer do teachers have to squint trying to figure out what the students handwriting says. Type is far easier to read, and makes for neater rough drafts. It also makes life easier on the student because they don’t have to rewrite the whole paper just to make corrections. All they have to do is go back into their saved paper to revise their mistakes!
The program also allows teachers to make copy of their own notes to handout to students who missed class due to illness, or even handout notes to the whole class so that the students pay more attention to the lecture than trying to get all the notes written. It also allows teachers to type up their tests, and make easy to follow lesson plans. I feel that with this program students can not only learn, but helps teachers make learning easier for the students.
How can productivity software be used for teaching and learning? Productivity software can be used in many different ways while either teaching or learning. In today’s society one of the most popular types of software is the Word Processor. This software can be such a great help in the classroom no matter what age group is being taught. The word processor can be very useful when writing papers, it can easily be saved and gone back to when the paper needs to be revised. This software can be a great tool when it comes to spelling; the spell check tells you when a word is spelled incorrectly. Word has a built in thesaurus which works well when you need to find another word with the same meaning. Teachers find the word processor to be convenient when they need to make up a work sheet or just type out some questions related to the lesson. The word processor can be used in many different ways for teaching and learning. It is a great tool that every teacher should use.
How can productivity software be used for teaching and learning? I suppose the first type of productivity software that comes to mind is word processing software. This software is a great tool for teachers and students alike in many subject areas. For instance, foreign language students use word processors to write assignments in other languages. A quick downloadable modification, and your word processor’s capabilities encompass other languages. Say you want your creative writing students to spend twenty minutes a class writing in free form. Assure them that they don’t have to worry about spelling or grammar, those things can be fixed later. Just write from the heart! They can save their documents and come back to them at a later date. I can definitely see the potential that word processing programs have in a well-funded classroom.
How can productivity software be used for teaching and learning? Productivity software, such as Word Processing, can be used for teaching because it can quickly improve over time. It also helps younger children (kindergartners and first graders) improve their computer knowledge and ability. Students can also produce real, professional documents in the classroom, whereas before this technology came about they could not. Spellcheck and the thesaurus application also help students expand their vocabulary and help their spelling abilities. Other productivity software, like spreadsheets can also be helpful. Spreadsheets are great for manipulating math and science problems and understanding formulas. The spreadsheet application can also easily do decimals, percentages, and interest problems. But spreadsheets are not just for math and science, students can easily use them for social studies as well. For example, they could catalog population growth through the use of spreadsheets. Databases have been instrumental in education. Databases allow the user to compile, store, and manipulate huge amounts of statistics. I think technology is truly incredible and the more ways we can use it in our classrooms, the better.