Melissa Blazejak

Therefore, I thought it was imperative that the students have a more in-depth look at the vocabulary.  My lesson plans for this unit (Appendix C) focus on the vocabulary while giving students a hands-on approach. For the final lesson plan, I used the Internet to come up with a fun, creative way to give students an opportunity to understand how blubber works.  I also used an Elmo projector to show pictures of the whales and the vocabulary words that were important.  The final portion of this unit (see image) revolved around the students doing their own research on whales and creating a whale book. The students used the mobile laptop cart to search for information and images of their whales.  I provided the terms they were to look up and a list of approved websites for their research.  The students then copied down facts into their books.  This instance is really the only example I have of applying my knowledge and skills to the classroom environment.  

Hypothetically, I was able to foster learning and creativity through my Teaching with Technology project (Appendix J).  In EDU 553, we learned about using technology and the Internet for learning and teaching.  My unit plan for The Three Little Pigs utilizes web applications such as Storybird and website resources to help students develop their reading skills.  I also incorporate the use of a camcorder, smartboard, and photo scanner into the lesson plan. I feel that the use of multiple technologies helped to engage the students because it provided them with multiple hands-on experiences.