How Can Technology Be Beneficial in a Kindergarten Class?

How Can Technology Be Beneficial in a Kindergarten Class?
By: Karen LoBella, Demand Media

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/can-technology-beneficial-kindergarten-class-6647.html

This article discusses how technology is a big part of the school day and Kindergarten is no exception.  Although, students still have the opportunity for developmental play and hands on learning, technology has its own benefits as well.  The article mentioned how technology increases motivation, reinforces skills, differentiates instruction, provides electronic portfolios, and encourages collaboration.  I believe that this is all true, as I witness this everyday in my classroom.  I think that students can use technology and learn just as much as they would with paper and pencil.  I find that using the iPads in my reading and math rotations, the students are reinforcing the skills that we have previously learned at their own level.  The students are also having fun and enjoying their learning time.  

Five Ways Teachers Can Use Technology To Help Students

In today's world, by the time my grandchildren go to school, they won't be carrying textbooks with them. All the information they will need will be on their tablets and the learning they will be doing at school will most likely come from technology in their classroom.

This article had several focuses: Teachers can really accomplish more in less time by using technology to create lesson plan, grade papers, and being able to communicate with their students via the social media networks that continue to thrive. Students are used to being on the internet so why not make this accessible as much as possible in the classroom.
Another focus is the open-source technology. Teachers need to trust that these are safe, secure and compatible. Many districts have wonderful IT support and they are there to help make everything run and transition smoothly.
The last part I took away with me was the portfolio based programs. Not only can teachers use these to create information about themselves and their classrooms, but students can also use them to demonstrate growth in particular areas that may be otherwise difficult to assess other ways.
All in all you are creating wonderful teaching moments!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darrell-west/five-ways-teachers-can-us_b_3228851.html

Technology and Music

Article: Technology and Music

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-m-machine/technology-and-music_b_2769411.html

This article talks about the technology advancement in music and how it has affected some types, specifically dance music.  The article sheds some light on how complicated making music with technology can be.  Although I don’t think making music with technology will ever become the only way of making music, in the article, you can see some of the benefits of making music with technology.  Making music with technology is very mathematical.  This article  shows that there are a lot of steps to putting together a song.  In each step and each individual track there are many adjustments that you can make.  Making a song with technology can take just as much time as practicing a song to perform it.
This would be a good article to go into a GarageBand unit, a unit exploring other music making programs, or a unit exploring different genres and ways that music is made.