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This is interesting....

Going along with what I am researching, I found a lesson plan for a kindergarten class. The teacher is working to improve tactile skills. The got a box and put ordinary objects in it: pencils, erasers and so on. The children would feel and try to figure out what object it was without seeing it.

This is very important to my point. There are many skills that you can not teach or learn through the use of computers. Children learn so much better when they are able to physically touch an object.

Another site I found suggested key tactile skills are being able to tell the difference in textures... to learn this there must be hands on teaching involved.

As technology develops and becomes more prominant in the classroom, I hope time alotted for tactile teaching is not taken away from.

I did a little research about tactile skills and different things about them. One thing that is very important is that children have the ability to learn with their hands and eyes. Children love to explore and create. This can occur with technology, but I find it extremely important to be independent of technology. It is great that it is available to us to use, however we should not be all consumed by it. Children must be children learning, making mud pies, and exploring.

Children must use pencils, paper, they must draw with crayons, and not just type and paint on Paint.... there is learning to be had with technology, but is important to stay with nostalgia.

Tactile skills vs. technology

Tactile skills are everything from differentiating textures, to searching skills. Skills of this nature are learned and taught hands on.

With computer games to help with math, reading, learning to problem solve and many others students are almost consumed with technology.

My fear an concern is that schools will leave the nostalgia of learning hands on.

I feel as though with too much technology used children will be at a disatvantage.

Technology is great, but I don't want to use it too much.

The issue I want to talk about in relation to technology in the classroom is the loss of tactile skills becasue of gained knowledge on the computer. Tactile skills are skills learned from hands on learning with games, being active, and engagement. When learning on the computer or incorporating a lot of technology you loose a lot of the time that would be otherwise used for tactile learning. My concern is not whether or not tactile learning will occur, becasue clearly it would never be removed from a classroom. My concern, however, is that there will be too little tactile learning and teaching occuring with the growing use of technology.

I am really excited to incorporate all that we are learning in Instructional Design into my teaching. I feel like it will capture the attention of my students and draw them in. Technology in the classroom is such a good way to merge fun with creative learning. I believe that my students and even parents can greatly bennefit from the use of interactive technology.

Just recently I was teaching my friend how to make a blog. I was so excited that I actually knew what to tell her and how to make it. It was very impowering and useful.

With knowledge like this it will be so easy and wonderful to be able to share it with friends, co-workers, students and parents.

Currently, Rachel and I are working on our video project. It has been a challenge already to get everything together, from getting a schools promission to videotape their students to coming up with the right punch line. It has been a fun and interesting proccess. I really enjoy projects like this and I really like working with Rachel. The point of our video is to promote creativity in the classroom. When I am learning I always have to have my hands busy doodling or playing with play-doh(which I have done many times). So the point of are video is for teachers to understand that all students learn differently and to promote those who dream and draw to learn in their own unique ways. I really love this project.