Blog 4!

    I chose the standard LAFS.5.W.2.6 which is in grade 5. It essentially states that students will be able to use technology to create writing pieces and work together. Students should also show that they have improved their typing or use of keyboarding skills as well as be able to type two pages of writing content in one sitting. I do feel prepared to implement this standard based on my current skill set because I have been using technology to collaborate and write since I was in elementary school, but I have gotten much better over time. Especially since the shift to technology assignments or websites such as Canvas and Google Classroom and the use of Chromebooks in school happened while I was in middle school. However, I do believe it is odd to have a standard that states that a student in 5th grade should be able to type a MINIMUM of two pages in one sitting. I think that is a little overboard. I definitely didn't have that attention span in 5th grade especially when it came to writing. I barely type two pages in one sitting now because I get burnt out from writing very easily so I have to portion my assignments out over a couple days or so.

    I chose to look at 5th-grade mathematics tool kits. One that I found very interesting was virtual manipulatives. They are replicating handheld manipulatives such as coins, 10 blocks, fraction pieces, and clocks online. I would definitely use these in my classroom from time to time. I am sure they have been very helpful over the course of this pandemic because they avoided parents having to buy them or buy a class set and send them to each student. Hopefully, by the time I might become a teacher, I won't have to worry about that though. I would use these tools in my classroom in the event that I don't have enough for everyone to have their own set. I would also use this because some students feel more comfortable with technology than with hands-on items. Technology also activates a different part of the brain. Students could also think that using technology in this sense is fun. These all are reasons I would implement virtual manipulatives in my classroom because it would tailor the assignment to different students and help them learn the material in a different way to get a better understanding of the concept.

    It is important to be a proficient internet searcher as a teacher because they need to be able to find resources and materials that will work best for their pool of students. Different years of students may find resources unhelpful that other years thought were helpful. So it is almost like you are needing to tailor your findings to how your students learn best and what they struggle with every year. Of the internet skills that were introduced this week, I think I will be using Google Advanced Search more often to find resources to help me out with my geology courses. I am not sure if this tool is considered a skill, but I enjoy using Google Scholars for my geologic papers and references. Most of the resources that come up with your search are peer-reviewed and it has been really helpful during my college career.