This week in my Technology class we were given the scenario, “You are a classroom teacher with one Internet-connected, classroom computer. Your principal has just come to you with the offer to purchase one academic software program for your classroom, and price is not a concern.” (Apparently, the categorical funds are such that only one program per classroom may be purchased, but there is an allocation of up to $1,000 per classroom!)
Before I could determine what software I wanted to purchase, I had to figure out the hardware components of the computer. The computer that I am using is a Macbook. I have been using this computer for about 4 years now. The specs of my current computer are:
2.0 GHz Intel “Core Duo” processor
Mac OS X version 10.6 “snow leopard
512 MB of RAM
60.0 GB Hard drive
4X slot-loading double layer read DVD/CD-RW
Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics processor
1280x800 native resolution
Once I established what my hardware components were for the computer I began looking at software. This was the exciting part. When I initially began looking for software I had to decide what exactly it was that I was looking for in this software. Which software would be most beneficial for my students? The software that I chose was Clicker 5. Click 5 is a software program for students from K-6. This software is beneficial to students reading and writing abilities. The software components needed to run this software are:
Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or above
Power PC or Intel processor
128 MB RAM
400 MB free disk space
Power PC or Intel processor
128 MB RAM
400 MB free disk space
All of the system requirements for this software are met in order for it to run on my computer. It is very easy to install. My only worry is the fact that I do not have a mouse I only have a mouse pad. This may make it difficult for my students to use this program because they may have a hard time using the mouse pad on the Macbook. Something that was talked about in our text book “Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom,”is the wireless mouse. This is something that I am thinking about purchasing for my students to make their use of this software easier.
I am very excited to begin using this program. I believe that this will help with my students reading and writing skills as well as provide a review of materials before they are tested.
Shelly, G. & Gunter, G & Gunter, R. (2010). Teacher Discovering Computers Integrating technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6th Ed.) Cengage Learning
I wouldn't worry so much about a mouse. In my tv studio, I have 3 Pentium III laptops with touchpads. I have purposely left mice off of these computers. The children struggled at first but they are getting the hang of it. The technology is headed toward touch driven periphials anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf you need a mouse, it has been my experience that any two button/scroll wheel mouse that you can plug into your windows based computer can be plugged into a MAC. So don't stress out about having to search for a mouse that is MAC compatible.
Just going off Huebabe's comment, I bought a wireless mouse that I take back and forth from my PC laptop to my desktop MAC. It has a USB connection so it can go either place.
ReplyDeleteI know that students will get used to a touch pad eventually, but when I think about teaching all my first graders at one time, it is much easier to have them all navigate with a mouse. To me, purchasing a wireless mouse would be worth it.
I checked out the Clicker 5 software, and that looks really neat! I could definitely see my students getting completely engulfed in creating a digital book with their own writing and then being able to hear it read back to them and follow along. My students LOVE reading each other's writing, so this would be a great motivation for them to not only write and read, but really become 21st century authors!
ReplyDeleteAlso, on the seemingly popular mouse topic :), I taught technology to K, 1, and 2 grade last year, and every student had a laptop. I started them off with mice, but then one day a few of them were not working so I just left them off. The students used the touchpads and caught on extremely quickly. When they realize the only way they can use the computer is by correctly utilizing the touchpad, they pick it up much faster :) Within 2 classes (I only saw them once a week), all but one or two of the K, 1, and 2 grade students were successfully navigating laptops with a touchpad. And these are students who do not have many computers at home, so have confidence in their digital abilities!!
Good luck :)
Alyssa
I wouldn’t worry too much about your students using the mouse pad on the MacBook. This may actually help with their dexterity plus digital natives are versatile in their use of today’s technology since they’ve literally grown up with technology of various kinds.
ReplyDeleteMore and more students are very used to the Mac products in educational settings thus should be familiar with most aspects of the technology. It is very good however that this program is available both in Mac and Windows environments.
It seems your program you chose for your students will help them learn vocabulary and writing with visual cues. This is very beneficial to young minds and will help them to retain the information quickly and easily.
— Chrystal
On the other side if you buy the mice, you can download a FREE program from Microsoft called multipoint mouse. It works with PowerPoint and you can create specialized slides that the students can interact with.
ReplyDeleteClicker 5 would be a great investment, it is so important for students to be exited about reading and writing. This would be a great program to use with your ESOL and ESE students also, really helping them with scaffolding into the English language.
John