Blog Post # 14

I found the resources on Jose Picardo's website"Technology and Education's Box of Tricks" to be extremely helpful. I really enjoyed going through the different tools he has listed on his website, and playing around with them. I think that every school should provide the link to this website to their teachers, because it is a huge help! I really enjoyed the video, Top 10 Tips for Using Technology in the Classroom. There are a few things that he mentioned that I was already planning on incorporating into my own classroom. I want to, first of all, create a class blog. The students will have their own links, and they will have to post blog posts as assignments. I think that this is a great way to incorporate technology, and to also teach English and creative writing. Of course you can use any subject, but these are the ones that I plan on using. Also, I have seen Elementary teachers use internet videos and Interactive whiteboards in their classrooms, and I think that both are great tools. The students really seem to enjoy smartboards, and especially videos (educational of course).

I will be honest, before watching this video I never really thought about using any of the other things that he suggested. Who would have thought about using music, interactive exercises, teleconferences, or their "gadgets", as he called them? He definitely has a great outlook on using technology efficiently in the classrooms. I have thought about using social networks, and I'm just a little Iffy on those. The reason being is that I'm just afraid that they would try to talk to their friends instead of doing what they're supposed to be doing. Many teachers would like to use technology more in their classrooms, and Jose definitely has great suggestions on how to do so.