I'm the "host" of the discussion question for this week 14. I wanted to share this site with comments and annotations on the significance of that site to you as an Educator! * Below is the checklist "grades" for those who respond to my post(s). 1. Do you think technology is providing greater access to information but becoming a crutch hindering creative problem solving? 2. Do you think exposing children to technology at an early age will help prepare them for college? 3. Where do you stand on the use of technology in the classroom? In Favor or Against?

Yes Albert, technology can work both ways and it has evolved so much that it's amazing what students can do now than what was possible just a few years ago.

Wow, great video! I like the message, "There not one minute to burn!" Technology is moving at a very fast pace and we must ensure that we are kept updated with everything new coming out. One of the things to make sure educators learn and use technology to prepare students for the future is to have learning communities available in our own campuses. Within these learning communities, educators will be trained and updated with the skills needed to adequately and successfully use technology in the classrooms to prepare students for the future. Thanks for sharing.

Sergio this website is very useful. I particularly liked the "4TEACHERS FAMILY OF TOOLS" -Arcademic Skill Builders because it combines both academics and games to build different skills. The only downside to this is that it only goes up to 6 grade but I think it will be very useful for those educators in that level. Another very useful part of this website was the PBL Checklists. I absolutely liked these checklists because it can easily be attached to a PBL lesson to help the students know their responsibilities. Thank you very much for sharing.

Diana, some greats apps for the IPAD include: "Mathboard, Math bingo, and Britannica-kids..."

Nora, this is a great website and resource to share with other teachers because their are numerous educational games that can used to reinforce a lesson taught. Great Resource!

Joshua, "The Nerdy Teacher" is an awesome blog where many ideas and things to think about are discussed. I really liked the most current blog posted titled, "The First Five Minutes". In this short blog, the educator makes a interesting discovery about allowing the first five minutes of class for students to "chat" and "catch-up", it helps with students getting ready to learn. This is so true, because we as adults do the same thing when we're getting ready to start a staff development meeting. We first "chat" for a little while and then we seem to ready to begin learning after that. As for another blog that would be great to add to the PLN, here is one I suggest: http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/blogs/index.html It has a more than 40 blog links of everything an educator may possibly want to know and comment about! Check it out for yourself!

I found this article very interesting and it can be giving to first new teachers who have never used technology in the classroom. I liked how he printed the basic first page of the syllabus and then how he explained on useing the wiki for the complete syllabus, calendar, and other information relating to the class. This is a very good article to show how one teacher is incorporating technology in his classroom. Thank you for sharing Rene!

I know that it's not my turn to host this week but after seeing Tania's great website that she shared, I just had to share this! Check it out!

No software download needed! It's all within the website.

Tania, I must say that teaching phonics using this collection of word searches can be a lot of fun. It's not only educational but it is also very fun to do. I can see how students who are struggling with their reading skills can benefit from this. I really like the other resources at the top of the page. Especially the "Lesson Plans" tab resource. Thank you very much for hosting and sharing this great website!

IMPORTANT!!!!! Phonics Word Searches Worksheets was shared by Tania Lopez Delgado and I just commented on it and I don't know why it says "Shared by R. Palomares about 6 hours ago". It was Tania who shared it she is the host. I shared "Free printable English worksheets, wordsearches, crosswords, board games, grammar works... " after seeing this awesome website that Tania hosted. I'm not a host this week so nobody has to comment on it but I thought it was good to share since it goes right in hand with what Tania hosted this week.