Item of interest chapter 8:Teachers Helping Parents

As educators, we can help parents; they look up for advice on whether their child is ready for technology. A child's education can be greatly enhanced by their parents' involvement in the classroom and at home. We can communicate with parents about their child's progress. We’ll find great advice on how parents can support their child's development. Tapping in to the support of parents will enable you to teach more effectively. A good idea is parent-teacher conferences, at an open house, and throughout the school year. When you and parents make things together can help children gain confidence in their technology skills, also talking and listening are a very important part of the learning process; Understanding the right way to teach technology is only a small piece of the puzzle.

Item of interest chapter 7:Video Games - Good or Bad?

Whenever someone mentions the words video games people think of violence shooting and bad influence on children. But that is not true at all people need to embrace upon the idea of video games teach many things. Video games are indeed good for our teens. They are not just acceptable; they are not simply to be tolerated, they are good. Typically, if you do it right, video games will keep your teen off the streets, hopefully further away from drugs, and in your house at night. Is that all bad? If your teen has the right video games he or she is less likely to wander around the house mumbling "There's nothing to do."
I believe video games are good for teens but always pay attention to what your teen is playing and buy games will help your kids. Don't get so uptight about adult themes either. This is cartoons folks, drawings, graphics, animation; not life. Put a little bit of trust in your own child's ability to handle fantasy. They'll be just fine.
Why do we think they will become violent if they watch violence? Why do we, force the connection between video violence and out of control teens but not acknowledge any of the other clearly present potential relationships? I will tell you why, because none of the popular talk show hosts have made that connection yet. We need to trust and also overseeing their video games.

Item of interest chapter 6: Bilingual Education

I feel pretty close to this subject; on the other hand bilingual education continues to receive criticism in the national media. The criticism effects on the public opinion, which often is based on misconceptions about bilingual education's goals and practice. It is a big controversy, but when schools provide children quality education in their primary language, they give them two things: knowledge and literacy. The knowledge that children get through their first language helps make the English they heard and read more comprehensible. Literacy developed in the primary language transfers to the second language. The reason is simple: Because we learn to read by reading, by making sense of what is on the page -it is, easier to learn to read in a language we understand. Once we can read in one language, we can read in general. I believe that being bilingual will help children with this transition to understand a new language.

Item of Interest Chapter 5: Virtual Field trip

I personally love the idea to take a classroom to places like The White House, The Grand Canyon, The San Diego Zoo, Death Valley, Colonial Williamsburg, The Tower of London, Tower Eiffel and The Ruins of Pompeii. Virtual fieldtrips are enriching and exciting internet trips that allow students to visit destinations they might otherwise be unable to tour. Specifically, virtual fieldtrips are changing the way elementary school students explore our world. When I used to be in school my major field trip was to the zoo, now teachers are currently incorporating these virtual fieldtrips into their classrooms to supplement a live upcoming fieldtrip.
So far virtual field trips sound just wonderful, don’t they? These virtual excursions are educational, exciting, and easily accessible! Computers with internet access are the only form of technology needed to take a virtual fieldtrip in the elementary school classroom. How convenient! Some virtual fieldtrips do require additional internet capabilities, such as Java, but are easily downloaded free of charge. For a teacher who has always wanted to take his or her students on a variety of fieldtrips during the school year, the virtual fieldtrip is perfect! The educational possibilities are almost endless when using virtual fieldtrips in the classroom environment! . Some advantages are accessibility, Inexpensive and also safety. The most disadvantage for me is just the lack of sensory experience.

Item of Interest Chapter 4: Computers for All Students

Computers for all Students, before we criticize this idea cause the cost; thinking on the future will help you to understand that is needful. Our goal should be for all students, regardless of income or family background, to have access to a laptop computer for use at both school and home. I believe that individual ownership will help promote concepts of self‐motivation and enthusiastic participation by providing all with access to a powerful technological tool to enhance learning, I also believe school district is able to financially supply each child with their own personal computer during school that it would help the kids to learn the computer and how to work with it. According to some research, in 2007, the school district of the Kansas City High Schools decided to supply all of their 5,550 students with laptop computers which cost the school district about $6.4 million for 4 years. The decision was made to “bridge the technology gap” (2007).

Although there are both pros and cons to almost every situation I believe with preparation and proper training of the schools having every child supplied with a lap top could be an excellent move to prepare that child for the future technology that is to come.
The program One Laptop per Child (OLPC), shouldn’t be limited to only children in developing countries, but it’s a good start .This organization whose mission is to help provide every child in the world with access to a modern education, I think this is the greatest and most human empowerment initiative of this century–to give every single child a laptop. We need to help our children for a better future.

Item of interest chapter 3: Presentation graphics software

I think so is great that we can introduce this technology on our lessons plans. The presentations which you can incorporate images, graphics, sound, and movement, have emerged that can be useful to teach any subject. There some Software has been developed that can make it easier for teachers to find, access and present such information to students. Now this is very important part of the daily lessons plans to provide stimulus material for students to critically analyze or evaluate during class time.
The article shows us there are numbers of presentations software packages available. PowerPoint is perhaps the most common and one of my favorites to show with graphics and pictures you can also animate words and graphics, add sound effects, include a QuickTime movie -- it's just awesome! PowerPoint captures the students' attention and helps keep them interested!” Power point can be incorporated to encourage a teacher to plan in terms of visualizing information, or illustrating ideas or concepts, which can lead to better clarity for students.

Item of interest chapter 2 : Net Censoring

I do some research on this topic and I find interesting different point of view. Internet censorship isn't just a parental or governmental tool, concerns also many schools and we as educators. There are several software products on the consumer market that can limit or block access to specific Web sites. Most people know these programs as Web filters.
First of all, in many public and private schools and in many homes, children are being connected to the Internet. A thought must be paid to the safety of children on the Internet. Children are gaining more access to the Internet and there are some problems that need to be considered, such as the "risk that a child may be exposed to inappropriate material of a sexual or violent nature." Schools needs to try to prevent those exposed.
The Internet should not be a place where children can have easy access to sexually explicate material. After all, movies have ratings and now a television chip is being developed to censor what can be viewed on television by children. Therefore, the Internet should also have a way for censoring the pornography, this is my biggest concern to give students free and unlimited access to internet, I think schools should limit or ban the internet usage.