Starfall.com

The Starfall website is a great source for learning when it comes to the fundamentals of reading. The site is extremely easy to navigate and it provides many helpful activities that teachers can use as reinforcement to the lessons that are taught in class.
The program requires students to sound out letters and words correctly as they progress through different skill levels. It appears to be an appropriate program for grade levels pre - K through 1st/2nd. Starfall can be used with multiple intentions. Teachers can use it to introduce new sounds/skills or to simply review information that was taught earlier in the year.
There are also a large number of additional activites that relate to important subject areas in early childhood education. Students at this age need repetative instruction to ensure that they understand the necessary skills to advance. Prgrams such as this would also be beneficial of used at home along eith the homework that is usually assigned.

http://family.go.com-WebsiteReview:Starfall.com

Rocket Reader Kids

It appears that "Rocket Reader Kids" utilizes a rather thorough approach when teaching fundamental reading skills. The program is effective in how it uses phonics lessons that use strong auditory and visual components. In early stages of cognitive development it is extremely important to include as many of the multiple intelligences as possible.

The software is appropriate for all skill levels because it makes adjustments based on each students' performance. This allow for each student to get a "personalized instructional experience." It's extremely important that students on every academic level are constantly challenged.

When children are given the opportunity to work on such programs, it is not usually considered class work. With the use of positive reinforcement from both teachers and similar computer programs, students will motivated to reach higher scores. Educators must work every angle in order to keep learning fun, especially when dealing with younger students.

Unfortunately I was unable to find any websites that offered any outlooks on this program.  If anyone finds anything let me know.

SuccessMaker

SuccessMaker serves as another form of technological means that a teacher can include into to their daily instruction.  It specializes in major content areas such as English, reading and math.  Students are given a precise number of questions and are required to answer them in a given time frame.  The questions are directly related to the subjects they are learning and fallow content standards of the present curriculum. 

It is a great tool to use at the elementary level.  The program serves as an additional way of assessing students beyond what they accomplish during instructional periods.  Student progress and measurements are constantly tracked so teachers know exactly how each student is doing on an individual level.  Student performance results in appropriate skill level adjustments made by the program so that work is always challenging but not overwhelming.  

Students unfortunately do not usually react to the characters in which the video portrays.  Although the animation does serve as an entertaining gap between problems, most students do not appear to use it as motivation.  The majority of children are concerned with the final percentage that is provided at the end of the lesson.  

Overall, the positive aspects of Successmaker do in fact outweigh the negatives.  Students love to work on interactive programs on the computer which can also contribute to formative assessments in relation to a student's progress.  

  

      

Reading and Video Games ?

Educators constantly try to find new and innovative ways of reaching children.  We tend to develop educational methods and procedures based on prior research and popular trends related to the field.  Students are often expected to mold to the curriculum, where it would be more beneficial for the curriculum to be modified to the needs and comforts of our children.

In recent years, progression has been made by utilizing one of the most influential means of entertainment, interactive video games.  Companies are now developing games that are directly related to popular children’s stories.  With popularity constantly rising in the gaming industry, it only makes sense to use the success as a means of reaching more students. 

Many of the games created with educational interest, require children to fallow a story line and answer questions that directly apply to the story (character development, setting, plot, ect.).  Many will argue that simply playing such a game will make students rely less on the written word.  Through professional development and staff meetings, districts should be able to find a way to utilize such programs.  It would be smart to have students read a story from its original text and then use the program to reinforce/review the material. 

As we continue to move forward in a technological era it is important for students to work with programs that improve on their digital literacy.  It is not only imperative that students learn subjects up to the most recent educational standards, but they must also be familiar with the most modern forms of technology.     

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/books/06games.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

My Access

The My Access program is a helpful tool in relation to the development of one’s writing ability.  The program is available from grades 4 and up which is when they begin to learn concepts and techniques to further their writing capabilities.  As students progress in their education, it is crucial that they develop the skills needed to express themselves in various types subject matter. 

It is a great interactive tool, where students don’t have rely strictly on the feedback from their teacher.  My Access provides guidance that students can constantly work off of.  Allowing students to have such access will allow them to work on compositions when it is more convenient for them.  Here teachers can implement a program, such as this one, that can be used in addition to a particular lesson. 

My Access is another form of technology that should be embraced through all districts to help improve the writing skills of their students.  The use of developmental programs should be encouraged along with the proper professional development necessary to make it as affective as possible.             

Internet Safety

The videos posted on blackboard were all informal in there own way.  The internet is a form of technological means that should be utilized when it comes to student development but at the same time monitored strictly.   

Video 1:  This video does not particularly serve as a means of educating one on new views related to internet safety.  It easily explains the proper steps that should be taken when a internet predator has made possible contact.  Its significance lies in the fact that all children should know these steps when there is a possibility that there personal space is being violated. Children have more than one means to accessing the internet which makes it extremely hard to monitor their use.  This is why it is extremely essential that they know the the dangerous possibilities that exists with the internet along with the best ways to avoid them.    

Video 2: The second video portrays the cruel reality that exists when it comes to preditors on the internet.  The video does not serve as a means to new vision or perspective on this particular topic, but rather reminds us that not all people have the same intentions when it comes to internet activity.  It also shows how children are quite naive when it comes to communicating on the internet, which is why parents have to not only monitor but also teach about the possible dangers. 

Video 3: The last video does a great job of of showing how children use large amounts of technological means through their everyday lives.  With children having such strong dependence on various forms of the media along with technological based electronics, it is extremely important that educational standards include these forms of communication.  Educators are constantly working to find the most effective ways improve cognitive development and motivation with their their students.  Wikis, blogs, podcasts, interactive websites and other programs could all be used to improve student productivity.  With high standards being implemented on the federal and state levels regarding education, it is extremely important that districts use the most effective approaches.  Educators must understand that we are in a technological era that should be embraced and used as a means to reach our children.

Here is a site that has some steps to improving internet safety - http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.html

Technology and education - this site takes a while to search through but has some good info - 

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/technology/front_tech.htm

NJCCCS / NETS

Guidelines in the form of the NJCCCS and NETS are extremely important to the technological development of schools throughout the state.  Similar to other major subject areas, it is crucial that districts  work with the same standards and pace throughout the entire state to ensure that all students are given a similar opportunity for technological growth.  The guidelines serve as the groundwork in which educators build upon when creating basic lesson plans to a year long curriculum.  

The NETS (2008) do in fact set standards when developing technological based lessons.  Technological benchmarks are explained in detail of what should be carried out through a technological curriculum.  The main problem is that the terminology used could be considered confusing and hard to fallow.  It would be understandable if teachers did have difficulty implementing these standards into specific strategies and assessment tools. 

The NJCCCS on the other hand tend to accommodate educators quite a bit more when it comes to terminology and construction.  The NJCCCS standards were created with consideration so that they could easily be applied to lessons regarding all age groups and grade levels.  They include precise instruction on skill levels that should be obtained along with recommended actions that should be taken throughout one's lesson.  This would be a great source of guidance for teachers who are new to using technology in their daily schedules.  

Standards such as these must be created on the state and national level so that students are abbe to keep up with the technological demands of the present day.