Resources for Internet Safety

I was so surprised that there are so many cool tools to use to help teachers teach about internet safety. I was happy to see all the fun games, movies, and information out there for the younger students too. The "bad guy patrol" game looks like so much fun for young students. It's very kid friendly with words that are easy to understand. It has a lot of important questions that will help students learn the do's and dont's of the internet. I also really liked the Ikeepsafe.org website. It had a whole classroom discussion that teachers can use in their elementary classrooms and tests.
The movie "Growing Up Online" showed young kids using the internet for the wrong things and getting in trouble. I was shocked that kids are abusing the internet at such a young age. It was so sad to see that 15 year olds girls were posting sexual pictures of themselves on the internet. Also that children were involved in cyber bullying which I never even thought about it. The internet seemed a lot more dangerous to me after wathching the movie. I'd like to think that I know what is ok and not ok to do on the internet but a lot of these young kids and teenagers might not be so sure. It is up to us as teachers to point out the dangerous and to try and get parents involved as well. It is extremely important that parents know what is going on in their childs life!

So much I didnt know about!

This class is making me realize how much I dont know about technology. haha! I cant believe that there are so many great tools out there that I never heard of. For some reason one website has really stood out. I think it is great that there are tools that teachers can use to help them stay organized and keep everything in one place. Also how teachers can communicate with students and parents all the time through certain websites. I really enjoyed exploring the chalksite website. I think this is a great organizational tool for teachers. It could also be fun for teachers. They can have fun designing their own page that is just for their classroom. Its extremely beneficial for students. They can keep track of what assignments they have and when they are due. And of course its great for parents as well. They can check and see how their children are doing and have a chance to talk with teachers if they have any concerns or questions. I would definitely use this type of tool when I have my own classroom.

Put a little shake, shake, shake in your lessons!

I love music and I love to dance. I enjoy using music to teach. As I mentioned before I work with preschoolers and I find that music is the best way to get them to understand. I think its great to incorporate music into our lessons. If we make learning fun then most likely the students will want to learn. This is most helpful in the younger grades. I went to a Appelbaum training session last saturday in Albany. I learned a lot about how to set up my classroom, ways to engage the little kids, things to do to hold their attention, and ways to calm them down if they are having a hard time controlling their emotions. The presenter put on some music every half hour and had us dance and stretch. She was showing us things that we can and need to do with the younger children so they have a chance to shake their wiggles out. I bought the cd that she used. It is wonderful. I have been using it all week and it is really working. The children love it and its educational. It has songs on it to help them remember their ABC's, theres counting, and even rhyming and word families. The name of the Cd is Exersongs. http://lintel.atiseminars.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=560&zenid=33c6111398afdd3b21efc35838c3e15d&myrand=753
It's also great if anyone is interested in getting it for their own kids at home. It's a fun and interactive way to learn and excercise at the same time!