Teachers and Technology

In order to prepare students to be college or career ready, teachers must give them the tools necessary to be successful.  Technology is changing so rapidly that teachers must explore and learn the latest tools and programs.  It takes professional development and sharing of information to keep up with this rapid growth.  Students and teacher will lead and learn together. Real life problems and projects will be the wave of the future classroom.  Technology is here to stay and teachers must get on board.

I Pads, iPhones, active boards, and tablets will be the tools used in the classrooms.  Time is moving on and if teachers are not using all the tools available, they will be left behind and so will their students. 

How Can Technology Improve Student Learning?

Technology alone cannot improve student learning.  Teachers must allow their students to explore through technology and become global peers that solve real world problems.  Teachers must receive the training and professional development that is essential to support the technology or it will be an electronic text book.  Our children must learn to collaborate with peers and teachers to combined ideas explore new paths.  This is an exciting time in education for our students, but can be a scary time for teachers because things continue to grow and change so quickly. 

Project base learning is a very effective way to integrate technology into the classroom.  Students can perform in-depth investigation by creating websites, blogs, videos, and web tools.  Students learn better by experiencing it hands on and technology can increase academic achievement, critical thinking, collaboration, and motivation.  The technology that we are using today will be obsolete in 2-3 years.  Therefore, time is not waiting for education to incorporate technology.  Technology is dictating how students will learn and work and the direction that schools need to take
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Give up Cigarettes and Gain No Weight

According to an article in Good Housekeeping Magazine, June 2010, giving up cigarettes doesn't have to mean gaining weight. Researchers from Northwestern University analyzed 10 studies involving 2,233 smokers, and found that those who watched the scale while quitting put on less weight (about 1.9 fewer pounds) after three months thant those who just cut out the cigarettes. Success in one area encourags more success in the other. So, attempting both at the same time not only could prevent dreaded weight gain, it could also up your chances of stopping smoking once and for all.