Karri


 * What I think about technology:

My Cartoon**

media type="custom" key="4379273" I believe that in today's world, education and technology go hand in hand. Technology is evolving so quickly and can greatly benefit teachers. Teachers need to embrace the new technology and put it to use, but not let it take over what they are in school to accomplish. To me, technology is a part of every day life.


 * Bloom's Taxonomy - Past Analysis**

media type="custom" key="4378937" In elementary school I believe that I most frequently addressed remembering, understanding, and applying. In middle school, high school, and college I began to use these three as well as analyzing, evaluating and creating. In elementary school we focused mostly on remembering, understanding and applying because developmentally we were not ready to begin analyzing, evaluating and creating. As students in elementary school our cognitive development did not allow us to think abstractly or to see other people's perspective which would make it difficult to analyze, evaluate and create.

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In Democracy and Education, Chapter 1, Dewey discussed the need for informal and formal education. Dewey stated that in some communities, children learn from their elders by engaging in 'dramatic play', where they observe and then do what the adults do. This then allows the children to function in their community as they grow older. In more civilized societies, formal education is needed to help children gain knowledge that they will use as adults. Dewey cautioned that in this formal education, teachers need to ensure that their lessons can somehow relate to the students' every day life, otherwise the information will be abstract and meaningless. In my cartoon, I was trying to portray the idea that children today are excited about technology and that technological devices are a big part of their every day life. If teachers could find a way to apply this to their lesson plans, then they may have greater success reaching students.

1) To address multiple types of learning: This is great for enhancing children's understanding if they are visual and/or auditory learners. You can type in most any subject and be supplied with videos and images of the content. Children who are auditory learners may not understand what was taught during the lecture or what the worksheet was really about, but after watching a video, they may gain full understanding of the topic. The still images are good for visual learners who may take in all of the details in the picture to help them remember the facts learned during class.
 * 5 Ways to Utilize Discovery Education - United Streaming as a Teacher:**

2) Additional Curriculum: The videos and images are great visual aids to help emphasize topics. If I were teaching counting, I would teach my class in the normal way, but then show a video of the "Math Monsters" to really emphasize the important points of counting. Plus, the video is geared towards younger children since it is animated, and will help hold their attention longer.

3) To relate subject matter to the real world: If I were teaching students about the rainforest, they may have a picture in their mind of what the rain forest looks like that is completely inaccurate. The videos and images of the rain forest on Discovery Education - United Streaming allow the child to see first hand what the plants and animals look like. There is also an image that shows a boy jumping into the water in the rain forest. This will help students see how other children just like them survive in a different type of world.

4) To teach about other cultures: If as a teacher, I was teaching my students about world cultures, I could use the many videos on festivals, foods, and holidays to show how other cultures live. Some of the videos are also animated, which will grab the students' attention and make learning fun.

5)To gain teaching strategies: There are many teacher resources available besides the videos and images. There is a Professional Development section on the Home page that offers a teaching tips to help in using the videos in a constructive way. Under the Teaching Center section there is a Lesson Plan Library that could be useful in finding activities to add to your own lesson plan on the specific subject.

Reflection: I believe that Discovery Education - United Streaming is easy to use and offers really good information for teachers. The Lesson Plan Library seemed like a good place to get additional ideas, especially for teachers who are just starting out. I realy liked how the lesson plans were split up by grade level. This would help to ensure that you are teaching activities that are at the correct grade level for your students, and also makes it much easier to find the information that will be most beneficial to you.