Website Evaluation

It took me a lot of effort to finish my website. Finally, it is complete. I have definitely enjoyed doing my first website and learned a lot in this class. Please take a look at my website and projects I have made throughout this course. I would love to hear comments from you to make it even better. Thank you for taking your time to evaluate my work.

Please, click here to get to my Educational Technology website. 

Connecticut Research Engine iCONN

I heard of iCONN before, but I did not know what it was exactly and what to do with it.  In class I found out what a great service it is, as it provides access to licensed database for everyone in Connecticut. You can get articles from magazines, newspapers, educational journals, and many more. There is no need to drive to the library or search in Google to find valuable information. No matter how affluent or poor school districts in CT are, qualitative materials are available to all for free through iCONN.

As I will be an elementary school teacher, I looked through “Kids InfoBits” database.  It offers developmentally appropriate and visually appealing materials on different school subjects including art, health, people, history, geography, science, and more that are retrieved from popular magazines and newspapers. It would be so expansive to buy Kids Discovery, Time for Kids, or any other magazine in a bookstore. From “Kids InfoBits” a student can access to free and get up-to-date materials. It also has an Elementary dictionary to look up at unfamiliar words without going to a separate web page. In addition, there are tools for educators to teach how to write a research paper. I will definitely encourage students to use iCONN  to look for reliable and updated materials.

The Computer Delusion

We live in a high-tech world. But must computers be a priority in school? Numerous studies are done and proved that computers improve student learning. But are the results reliable? Now throughout the country, spending on technology increases. Schools cut on teachers and programs such as art, history, physical education and spend millions of dollars on computers. By replacing teachers with computers in a classroom we do more harm than good to our students. I believe there is no either/or solution. Learning computer skills is essential in the twenty first century. I believe computer use improves teaching, makes lessons more engaging. Work with computers brings students valuable connection with teachers, other schools, and students around the world. We just need to make sure to use computers properly and train teachers to enable full use of technology. Technology should be viewed as a facilitator of learning, not a substitute for live instruction. It is not enough to put a computer in front of student, a teacher needs to educate students to use a computer in a way that promotes learning.