Blog Journal #4

     After looking at the ELA Technology Standards for grades K-2, I chose to focus in on Benchmark SC.K2.CS-CP.3.1 To describe it in my own words, it means showing that you, meaning the student, is capable of making digital visuals, presentations, etc. alongside help from those in the classroom and at home, whether teachers, parents an guardians, or peers. I feel that I will be able to teach and uphold this standard in my classroom as a teacher for a couple of reasons. Firstly, as the benchmark outlines, students are expected to create things that are "developmentally appropriate", meaning that they are only expected to create something that is on par with their grade level. Thus, if working with a class of first graders, I do not need to need to be able to get them to understand how to make, say an iMovie, on their own. Rather, they may only need to know how to type information that they learned from their research in a few slides and add in a few pictures, and chose a font that they like for the title and the text. The way I see it, whatever you as the teacher are expected to get your students to learn how to do using digital tools, is going to be on a level that the students are ready for and capable of achieving. So really, it becomes more about being able to break up the processes into manageable steps, and giving opportunities to practice, ask questions, be creative, and work with others.

    Using the CPALMS website to look at approved educator resources for the classroom, I found a 6th grade gifted lesson plan to help students learn about how water, temperature, and relative humidity affect one another and work in relationship with one another in the context of an "artificial habitat of a hermit crab." The means of doing so, is through analyzing data, and getting students to really think about the connections between these independent factors. Though I could not access this lesson plan directly, I know from the resource information section that it aligns with Standard SC.6.E.7.3 "Describe how global patterns such as the jet stream and ocean currents influence local weather in measurable..." This seems like a great lesson idea and resource because it incorporates multiple concepts into one activity, gives students a chance to practice their data gathering and analytical skills, as well as a chance to engage in critical thinking to draw conclusions and make connections. 

    Lastly, considering the role of internet searching as teaching, and why it is important to become proficient at doing so, I have a few thoughts. Firstly, though I have not ever formally taught in a classroom, I understand how busy and full a teacher's life is. Between preparing resources, attending meetings, creating lesson plans, hosting teacher-parent meetings, and more, even second counts. Being able to search things and find resources, images, and tools in a proficient manner allows you as the teacher to get through your work more efficiently. It means being able to make the most of your time and avoid the stress and frustration that can come when internet searching if you do not know the best ways to get to what you are looking for when you need it. Just like teachers need to know how to plan a lesson to do their job to the best of their ability, teachers also need to be able to search well and in a timely fashion so that they can get to doing what matters most, spending time with the students and helping them to learn and develop.