Framework of Integrated Technology Reflection

I put in an appropriate amount of effort into my learning plan for this class. It was nice that the template was already setup for me, as it gave me a place to start from. I also found the screencast on this assignment to be helpful as well.

This assignment made me realize how easy it is to use RTI and Differentiated Instruction in the classroom. I also saw how helpful it was as I had understood this assignment better once I listened to and saw the screencast. Now that I know how helpful screencasts, podcasts and other technologies can be I am more likely to use them in my classroom even if its not being used as a RTI or Di strategy.

Chapter 10 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"We grew up with the idea that learning means taking courses in school.  As we argued throughout the this book, the identification of education with schooling is slowly unraveling, as new technologies move learning outside of the school's walls." (page 129)

I think that it is a good thing learning is moving outside the walls of the school.  We want students to be actively learning all the time.  The internet has made this possible.  The more that our students learn the more well rounded that they will be and the more knowledge they will possess.  The internet allows any student to go home and research what they learned about in class today if they are really interested in it.  It also allows students to spend more time researching what they are interested in, since there are many topics covered in school and the teacher can't possibly go into lots detail about everything that students learn.

"Pushing students to take more control of their learning..." (page 132)

I think that independent study is a good way for students to take control of their learning in high school.  Independent study allows the student to set their own pace and to have a chance to get passionate about their interests.  I still believe that there needs to be guidance from the teacher who in charge of the independent study course, since some students could take advantage of it.  I think that every student should have a chance to do an independent study course.  They will take more ownership since they are the ones in charge of the learning for the independent study course.

"In terms of mathematics, technology can carry out all of the algorithms that students spend so much time learning in school." (page 134)

As a mathematics minor I know the importance of not letting your calculator do all the work for you.  Students need to understand the math before they just start typing numbers into a formula on a calculator   Once students under stand how to do the problem by hand, then they would be allowed to just type the numbers into the formula on their calculator.  Calculators are a great tool for students to use, but they do need to be taught how to use them properly other wise students will no longer be able to calculate basic math problems in their head since the calculator would be doing all of the work for them.

Chapter 9 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"Meanwhile, children who play video games develop sophisticated problem-solving and communication skills in virtual worlds beyond the experience of many parents.  One way to bridge the gap is to extend the idea of reading with your children to playing with your children.  Pick up the controller and take Madden 2005 or Pokemon for a ride; let your children teach you how to play, raise critical questions about strategies and the purpose of game-play." (page 123)

This quote brings me back to childhood and the Nintendo 64.  It was the first game system that my family had gotten and it was quite a big deal.  I remember always asking for my mom to play with us.  My dad always worked long days so it was mom who was always around.  We would constantly ask her to play and she always told us that the graphics hurt her eyes if she was in front of the game to long.  I believe there was some truth to that, but that it was also used as an excuse.  We would watch us play for a little bit but then leave the room once her eyes started to hurt.  I was always disappointed that she never tried to play with us, even when we got a Game Cube and the graphics were better she still wouldn't play with us.  That is why I like this quote since it is telling parents they should play video games with their children.  Not only will they be spending time with their children but they will also get to see the content that is in these video games.  If parents really knew what kinds of games they are buying for their children I think that they would be in for a surprise as to how much violence can be in a game.

"Often children cannot find others locally who share their passions, but the reach of the Internet would allow them to go beyond their neighborhood and school to find like-minded children." (page 123)

I think that it is a good idea for children to find groups on the internet that share their same passions.  I grew up in a neighborhood where the only neighbors my age moved away when I was in first grade.  So I know what it is like to not have any one your age to talk to.  I think that I could have benefited from an online interest group with kids my age.  However, I do question the security of these groups and how would you know if there was a child predator that belonged to the group or not.  So definitely there needs to be parent supervision.

"A common concern expressed by parents and teachers is that time online equals more time that kids aren't reading books." (page 124)

I agree with this quote in that children are spending less time reading books these days and instead spending it glued to their phones and social networking sites.  If parents and teachers want to do anything about this then they need to encourage reading especially parents at home.  Perhaps all of these new e-readers could help kids want to read more since they are using a type of technology to read with.  I also think that reading just doesn't appeal to kids these days either.  I know growing up the last thing I wanted to do was read just because there were other things calling my name, it wasn't that I didn't like to read.  If parents really want their kids to read a lot then they need to start young and encourage them to read daily.

Chapter 8 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"Kids today spend over 6 hours per day interaction with television, video games, the Internet, instant messaging, email, and other media." (page 113)

I would like to know why parents are letting their children spend that much time on some type of technology.  What ever happened to playing out side with your friends or using your imagination while making a fort in the basement.  If a child gets home from school between 3:15-5:30pm and are then spending 6 or more hours at night with some sort of technology, that means that they are not getting to bed till some time after 9:30pm or later.  Children need their sleep and if they don't get any sleep because they are up playing video games or instant messaging all night long then they are going to most likely fall asleep during school the next day.  Parents who let their child(ren) do this need to realize what they are doing and start setting a time limit that the child can play video games, watch TV, use the computer, etc.  Parents should make sure homework is getting done first before anything else and then limiting the time limit some of the activities that child is going to do that night.  Teachers are doing their best, but they can help the child learn even more when the parents are reinforcing good study habits at home.

"One curriculum design that we favor is using technology to help students focus their learning around their goals and interests.  Such schools would place students in curricula based on their goals and interest, rather than on their  ages or on the prevailing curriculum of their schools." (page 117)

I had never heard of this design till I read this book.  I think that this design would be appropriate for high school and maybe middle school.  I still think that elementary school should be taught the same way with students grouped by their age groups.  I think this would be great for students in high school who know what they want to do and those who do not know what they want to do later in life.  Those who know what career they would like to go into would be able to jump start their college career by possibly taking AP courses during their high school career.  I also see this being beneficial to those who don't know what they want to do for a career, as they could pick a couple areas that they are interested in and take a sampling of those courses that would give them an idea of what kind of career they could choose from.  I don't think that this design would be seen in public schools nation wide, I think that it would be seen in specialty schools.

"Outside the realm of standards-based subject matter, games can also help students develop interpersonal and leadership skills.  Massively multi-player online games, such as World of Warcraft, allow players to solve complex problems involving strategy, logistics, and resource allocation." (page 119)

This quote shows that these games kids play can actually be teaching them something.  There are many games that allow kids to play as a character and they are able to make friends with other characters and some of these friendships spread to real life.  It is just not a good idea for parents to let their child play World of Warcraft or any other video game for a whole entire Saturday.  Children still need to be active and need to use other parts of their brain and body for activities other than playing video games.  Everything is good for you in moderation.

Exit Slip 11-19

The new thinking that I took away from this class was that online educational games are replacing the worksheets in todays classroom.  I think this is a good thing as kids will be more engaged with the games and the games will also help to hold the students attention more.   

 

Online Educational Gaming Activity

http://www.ixl.com/-Place values: Convert between standard and expanded form

1. It does not say exactly who created it.

2. “IXL Learning was founded in 1998 to advance education through Web-based technologies. We create transformative products with an impact that makes them instant classroom essentials.”

3. The games are easy to navigate and are engaging. There aren’t a lot of graphics so this game would be better for middle schoolers.

4. The games aren’t super fun, there is no extra story line to them, and so the students may get bored easily.

5. 3.B.a.1 Recognize and apply place-value concepts to whole numbers less than 1,0003.B.a.2 Read, write, and represent numbers using words, numerals, pictures (e.g. base-ten blocks), number lines, , arrays, expanded forms (24=20+4) and symbolic renaming e.g., 24=30-6.

6. It was easy to find the site.

7. I did not see anywhere to change the language on the website.

8. I think that students could work on the same part of the math in similar form by going to a grade or two below theirs.

 

 

1. Arcademic Skill Builders

2. "Our philosophy is inspired by the intense engagement arcade and video games foster between the player and the game. The Arcademic goal is to make aspects of classroom instruction as effective in creating persistence and involvement as observed in video game players. "

3. It is very easy to use and all the games are catagorized but the subject. All the subjects are on the first page and you can pick which one you would like to play. The graphics are great and there is a lot of color to ge the kids interested in playing.

4. The games are a lot of fun, they incorperate a real life factor such as racing into learning division.

5. Language: K.L.4 & Math: 3.OA.3

6. It was really easy to find it was the second one that popped up in Google.

7. ELL component to find within the websites?

8. No

1. "Family Education Network, a part of Pearson, the education, services and technology company."

2. "Funbrain, created for kids ages preschool through grade 8, offers more than 100 fun, interactive games that develop skills in math, reading, and literacy." "Funbrain's games help students build on what they have learned in class and acquire new skills in reading, math, and problem solving."

3. Yes this is very easy to use and it is graphically appealing. It is very colorful and there are over 100 games to choose from. There are many different catagories and subjects to choose from.

4. I chose to play Math Baseball on the Fun Brain website and it was a lot of fun to play. I think that boys would be most intersted in it because every time they get an addition problem correct they get a run. Every tiem they get one wrong they get an out and when they have reached three outs the game is over,

5. Language and Literacy: 1RL3 & Math: 1.OA.1

6. I was extremly easy to find this site, all I did was type "Educational online games" and it was the first on that popped up.

7. No, the website does not contain an ELL component.

8. RTI & DI-the student can just play the same type of game a grade level down.

1. Learning Games for Kids
2. For educational use.
3. Yes, very easy and engaging.
4. This game is like pacman so I think it will be fun for students to play.
5. 2nd grade Math 2.OA.1, 2.NBT.5, 2.OA.2
6. Easy
7. I cannot find an ELL component to this website.
8. Students could go down a grade level.

1. PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) Published by Tribal Nova
2. To help students learn in a different way.
3. It is easy to navigate and the games and activities look engaging.
4. The games are fun and exciting.
5. Language Arts: 2.RFS.3, 2.RFS.4 & Math: 2. OA.
6. Very easy to find.
7. I cannot find the ELL component of the website.
8. Students could just go up or down a grade level.

 

 

 

 

 

PSA Reflection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8wifKqur18&feature=youtu.be
 
We put a lot of effort into planning and producing our PSA. After brain storming we finally decided to do a PSA on texting and driving. We decided to use a stop motion to communicate our PSA. After we finally got our props for the PSA done we began taking pictures. Taking pictures was easy and then came the task of uploading them. We had close to 100 pictures so it took a little bit to upload. We used Widows Movie Maker to make our stop motion for our PSA. It took us a while to figure out how to use windows movie maker, but once we got the hang of it, it was easy to finish up.

 I have made a stop motion before in high school, so I know how time consuming it can be, especially if you end up taking a lot of pictures. I think that using stop motion is a good way to complete different projects in the classroom. By having students do a PSA it gets them thinking about things that can impact the class and the community.

Chapter 7 Reflection-Rethiking Education

"One of the most serious issues that a diminution of the role of public school portends is the problem of equity of access to learning.  We see this concern in the discussion of the "digital divide": i.e., the difference in access to computers and the web between rich and poor, and white and non-white people." (page 106)

Teachers need to be constantly aware that some of their students may not have access to the Internet at home or they could have a computer that is really old so it takes a long time to load or do anything on the computer.  So unless the school is issuing laptops, students may not be able to work on assignments at home and may need class time instead to work on the computers at school.  Using class time would take away time from other subjects then, but in order to be fair to all students, they need to be given class time to work on their assignment.  I know what it is like to be a student and not have a computer to use to complete my projects with.  I was in 5th grade when my family got out first computer.  So when I had assignments that were suppose to be typed up I had to find a way to do that.  I went over to a friends house a couple of times to use her computer, but otherwise I had to use my moms old typewriter from college.  I bet there are very few of my classmates that can say they used a typewriter but I did and it was not fun when I made a mistake as I had to use white out and hand write my correction.  I understand what it is like to not have the materials necessary to complete a project.  I feel that this experience will help me in my future classroom by not assuming that every students has the materials necessary to do an assignment, especially one that involves a computer, so I will make sure that materials are provided for the class or that there is adequate class time to complete the assignment with the supplies at school.

"One of the most powerful promises offered by technology is that learning will become more engaging. Education will be more toward what people want to learn, and hence, they will be more excited and drawn to learning." (page 109)

I think that students will be excited about using different forms of technology in the classroom at first, but then they will get bored with it, just like anything else.  What about students who are all ready up to date on the newest technology, having an ipad that is given to them by the school to use won't faze them especially if it is an older model than the one they have.  School is always going to be school no matter what kind of technology it has.  There are always going to be the students who like school and the students who don't like school.  I also think that a lot of distraction is going to come from some of the technology that is used in the classrooms.  If kids have access to ipads or are allowed to use their cellphones during class they are going to and will get distracted.  Laptops are also a good way for students to get distracted as they can have multiple tabs open during class and just switch back and fourth between the website they are suppose to be on and the website they want to be on such as Facebook, or a gaming website.

"Technology also can make it possible to access knowledge anytime, anywhere, through the web." (page 110)

This is great for students as they can easily look up word on an online dictionary or they can look up information to anything that they are interested in.  However, this can also be bad as it means students can easily send answers to each other over email or chat and they can also look up answers on the Internet to their homework.  Parents need to monitor what goes on at home and what their students are doing on the computer.  The teacher can only instruct the students so much as to what is appropriate to do on the Internet when it comes to homework.   

Chapter 6 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"We are now entering the lifelong-learning era of education, having experienced the apprenticeship and universal-schooling eras." (page 91)

I never knew that there were three different eras in education.  I like the lifelong-learning era that we are in now.  I think that it is a good thing for everyone to constantly be learning even after their school years are behind them.  There are many older people now a days that are continuing to go to school in their 60s and above.  Many say that it helps to keep them on their feet.  I also think that its great that we have moved onto the era where students can pick what they want to do in life and are no longer limited to what their parent did  for a living.  It has also allowed for men and females to switch the roles around in the job world.

"After the Industrial Revolution, one of the main arguments that Horace Mann made was that education could bring everyone up to a common, high level of success." (page 93)

I agree with this quote that education can help to change the level of success that you grew up in.  Every child has the chance to move up in the social class through education.  Some children will have an easier time at moving up than others, but they all have the chance to.  Even though you can move up, you usually end up making around the same amount of money that your parents make.  So even though children don't have to follow in their parents foots steps job wise, they will usually stay in the same economic bracket as their parents.

"With the advent of universal schooling, children and their teachers only meet one another on the first day of class.  They are strangers at the outset.  Though many teachers develop bonds with their students  they do not have the time parents have to develop a deep understanding of their students' personal needs and abilities." (page 102)

This quote shows how important it is for teachers to also form a good relationship with their student's parents.  Parents can provide the needed insight as to why a child may be acting out so, which could be from a new baby being born and all of the attention going to the baby and not the older sibling   Parents can also alert teachers about circumstances that could cause a child to be upset or with drawn from the class; a pet or close relative dying could be affecting the behavior.  It is also extremely important for teachers to be in contact with the parents of children of special needs.  These parents can give so much helpful information to the teacher since they know everything about their child.  Teachers need to do their best to form positive bonds with all the parents of their students.

Chapter 5 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"Home schooling has been burgeoning in America over the last 25 years. Based on a survey in 2003, the U.S. Department of Education estimated there were 1.1 million children being home schooled, and that the number had increased by 29% in 4 years." (page 67)

I think that more parents are homeschooling because they want to protect their children from bullying and other instances that may happen at school.  There are also many more programs out there these days that support parents who home school and have activities and field trips that all home schooled kids apart of the program can take part in.  I think that homeschooling is good and can even help students easily focus on the subject they like a lot more than a traditional school can.  However, I think that children should at least attend high school if they plan to go onto college, as high school will help to prepare them for what college will be like.

"The University of Phoenix is the most successful online university in America." (page 75)

With how successful the University of Phoenix is, I think that it will be more common for students to start choosing online colleges in seated of the traditional college.  This allows students who have to pay their way through school to easily work during the day and then work on their college classes at night or on the weekends.  This would also allow students to take a variety of credits that fit with their schedule   I really enjoy online classes and even hybrid classes, so I can see why so many have opted for the online university.

"Privately owned learning centers are growing to fill gaps in the existing education system." (page 79)

I think that these learning centers are a good thing for all parents to use during the summer for their children to help them from forgetting a lot of what they learned last year over summer vacation.  I would also hope that the school is providing some sort of tutoring program during the school year so that parents don't have to pay for these services during the school year.  

Chapter 4 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"Until the 19th century, education was largely the responsibility of parents.  Most people were farmers, and children learned the skills they needed, whether it was reading and counting or plowing and sewing, from their parents or other kin." (page 50)

I think that parents need to revert back to taking responsibility for their children's education by making sure their children are doing their best in school.  Most parents do make sure that there children do their best in school, but there are parents out there that do not care about their children's schooling.  The student suffers a lot and does not learn how to take responsibility for themselves.  Its sad to see those students suffer, no matter how hard the teacher tries, just because the parent(s) don't care.

"..."we are no loner satisfied with vague arguments about what this or that system of administration or method of teaching does, but demand exact measurements of the achievement of any system or method or person." Soon statistical measures were developed to assess intelligence, learning, efficiency, teaching, and leadership." (page 59)

I think that standardized tests are a good way to measure whether or not a teacher is teaching well as well as whether or not a student is learning.  I think that the tests should be given in the spring instead of the fall because then the tests will actually reflect the current teacher instead of the previous teacher from the previous grade.  Having standardized tests in the spring would also allow for students to actually use the knowledge that they have learned this school year.

"The exponential growth of knowledge has also put increasing stress on the schools.  It is said that there are as many scientists, researchers, and authors alive today as lived in human history up through 1950." (page 64)

This quote points out how much information is really out there and how much information we are expecting our students to learn.  Every year there is more information out there for students to learn, yet there is no way that students can keep learning all of the new information and all of the old information.  Teachers really need to take the time to go through the text books and pick out the important information to ensure that the students are not being overloaded with too much information.

Exit Slip 11-5

The new thinking that I took away from this class was how easy it would be for students to make a stop motion animation. It could also be used for a variety of projects.

Chapter 3 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"It is not that schools never change. It's that schools chance very slowly!" (page 30)

This quote shows how much the schools are hurt when funding is cut, they can't afford to change the technology that they have since they still have to worry about buying textbooks and other resources for the school.  In order to get a new technology into the school, the school needs the money to come from somewhere.  Even if the the new technology is funded by someone the school would still have to pay for someone to install it as well as possible updating the servers or electricity in the room if the school were receiving computers.  Its sad that many other business have up to date electronics while the schools are still stuck with technology that is 5-10 years in the past.

"Taking students to the computer lab takes more time. And unless the tasks are short ones, such as drill and practice systems provide, it is difficult to get much done in the allotted time." (page 39)

I think that it is important for students to get into the computer lab a few times during every month.  Doing work on the computer usually gets students excited and it also allows students to get out of the classroom and into a change of environment.  Even though it may take 5-10 minutes of class time to go to the computer lab and log on it is worth it for the students.  To avoid some of the time that is lost at the beginning of class the teacher can have instructions on the board and also have printed out instructions for each student to follow.

"School pursues the goal of covering all the important knowledge that people might need in the rest of their life. As knowledge has grown exponentially, textbooks have grown fatter and fatter. It has become more difficult to cover all the important material, and so curricula have become "a mile wide and an inch deep."" (page 46)

A lot of the information that students learn in school is forgotten by the time they reach adulthood.  Which is demonstrated on the show "Are you smarter than a fifth Grader".  If you have ever seen the show you know that many times the contestant struggles with some of the harder questions.  Perhaps if the information was shortened that students are expected to learn they would retain more of it and actually be able to use it later in life.

Chapter 2 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"Yet schools are stuck using 19th-century technology, such as books, black-boards, paper, and pencils.  Computers are not at the core of schools.  They are used mainly for special courses in schools,..." (page 9)

I think that books, paper, and pencils all still have a place in schools still, but there needs to be more assignments that try to incorporate technology into the classroom.  The students today are doing everything while they are connected to some form of technology, that is where their focus is.  That is why it is hard for some students to come to school and be asked to disconnect for 6-7 hours and try to focus on lots of different textbooks and work sheets.  Students need some sort of technology in front of them to help keep them engaged.  Smart boards can help with this as there are many different things that can be done with them from taking attendance and lunch count at the beginning of class to having students taking turns interacting with the smart board during the lesson.  Teachers need to remember that many of their students are addicted to technology and the more they can incorporate technology into their classroom during the day the more their students will pay attention to the lesson.

"Once technologies become commonplace in schools, teachers can build on interventions like the IEP to bring customized learning to more students." (page 17)

Would it really be possible for each student to have their own version of an IEP?  I can't imagine having a class of 22 students and being asked to make an IEP for every single one of them.  I just don't think its possible.  Basically the authors of the book are suggesting that every student has an IEP that would start when they end school and end once they graduate high school.  I would envision it to work like homeschooling where the student completes everything they are required to but focuses on the subject or subjects that they like.  I just don't think that its possible to do that for an entire school of any size.  I think that things are fine how they are being run and students that need IEPs receive them, while others learn in the classroom like everyone else.  Perhaps I could be wrong and bringing customize learning to more students would be a good idea.

"Technology enthusiasts believe that when learners are given immediate feedback on their actions they are much more likely to learn what to do correctly." (page 19)

I agree and disagree with this quote.  The part that I disagree with is the immediate feedback that students receive when spelling words on the computer.  Students usually know right away whether or not a word is spelled wrong because it will have a red zig-zag line under it.  Once students see that line they click on the word to spell it correctly and continue writing or they just leave it and do spell check at the end.  If students are doing spell check at the end of the assignment they are most likely ready to be done and quickly speed through the spell check without making a mental note of how to spell the word correctly.  However I do agree that students learn from other immediate feedback they receive such as typing a word into an online dictionary and finding out what it means.  I also think that students learn when they get immediate feedback from online educational games.  Look at it from the students point of view, is it important I lean how to spell a word or is it more important to get the assignment done so that I can play video games.

Exit Slip 10/29

Yes the template for the A contract clears up stuff about the project.  My only concerns are the amount of work that I still have to do for this class, but I have been taking it week by week and so far it is going good.

Podcast Reflection

 

I put a lot of effort into creating this podcast.  A lot of that effort was used in learning how to use audacity.  I had to google many things about how to use audacity, but I was able to find some helpful sites that guided me through the process.

By Creating a podcast I realized that it is really easy to do once you understand how to use the software.  I'm not entirely sure how I would use this in my future teacher.  Some ideas that I have are to use podcasts for students who can't see easily, I could record directions for an assignment into a podcast for them.  Podcasts could also be used for students to turn in as part of a project they were assigned to do.  I could also put weekly announcements into a podcast and upload onto the class website.  There are probably many more things that I can do with podcasts, I just have to take the time to research it.

Here is the article that I used for my podcast http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/40065842.html

Chapter 1 Reflection-Rethinking Education

"People around the world are taking their education out of school into homes, libraries, Internet cafes, and workplaces, where they can decide what they want to learn, when they want lean, and how they want to learn." (page 3)

The quote above summarizes how far our technology has come and how it has impacted learning.  Teachers are no longer the only ones doing the teaching.  People of all races and ages are teaching each other through the internet in one way or another.  I think that it is important for teachers to realize this, especially when students are allowed to use internet sources on a project.  Teachers need to be aware that students could be finding false information that they get from others over the internet.  So it is very important for teachers to teach their students how to find reliable sources on the internet.  Teachers also need to do their best to keep the students interested in class as students can easily just decide that they aren't going to pay attention and will just look up the answers to their homework on the internet.

"Home computers are almost as popular as microwaves and televisions, and in many homes children lead the way, showing their parents how to use computers for gaming, research, and networking." (page 5-6)

While the quote points out that home computers are very popular in student's homes today, as a teacher you have to remember that not all students will have a computer and they all might not have an internet connection either.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to find out at the beginning of the year who has a computer and an internet connection.  That way the teacher would know ahead of time when it comes to assigning projects who has what resources.  Since children are teaching their parents how to use the computer, there may be some parents who are not comfortable communicating via email with the teacher.  In order to communicate the teacher may have to send a note home or call the parents instead of sending an email.  Just another thing for teachers to remember.

"Teachers who embrace new technologies in their practice are regarded as as mavericks, and are often left to seek out professional and curricular support on their own." (page 6)

I want to be a teacher that uses a couple forms of technology in some way in my classroom.  I also want to grow my knowledge of the different technologies out there.  No teacher should have to find the support on their own, especially one that has never any kind of technology at all.  That is why I want to be a support person in my future school for teachers who need help with using technology in their classrooms.  I want to provide them with the knowledge that I have so that way they can help their students learn in a new way by using this new technology in the classroom.  The quote also means though that I will probably need to do a lot of digging on my own learning how to use a new technology.  I am okay with that and I am usually able to play around with different programs and figure it out on my own.

Credibility of Websites Reflection

Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

The first thing that told me this site was not reliable was the fact that it was talking about an octopus that apparently does not need water to survive and was living in a tree.  When I clicked on other research links from the octopus tree website, the link did not take me to a new website, but instead took me to another part of the website that I was already on.  Also if it was a real website, the octopus would the first part of the web address not the second part.  I also goggled the tree octopus and found out that it was a hoax, so that also explains why the site isn't reliable.

Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination

As I started to read what was on the site, I found negative and misleading information about Martin Luther King.  So I then proceeded to look up the domain of the website and found that Stormfront was in charge of the site.  Next I goggled Stormfornt and found that they are a white pride organization who basically created this site as a hate site.  That is how I know the site is not reliable.

All About Explorers

This is also not a reliable site.  One reason is that I read so on the teachers page saying this is used to teach students how to find good sources on the web.  If you take the time to read the biographies about the explorers some of the stuff they say isn't true and wasn't even possible back in the explorers time.  The following quote from the website is an example of this.

“Columbus knew he had to make this idea of sailing, using a western route, more popular. So, he produced and appeared on infomercials which aired four times daily. Finally, the King and Queen of Spain called his toll-free number and agreed to help Columbus.”

First of all there was no TV back in Columbus’s time so there is no way to for there to be infomercials.  Also there were no telephones back then either.

Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division

One thing that told me that this was an unreliable site was that none of the external links took me to a site that talked about Dihydrogen Monoxide; they were just general sites about cancer or acid rain.  I also found out that this was another hoax by goggling it.

Exit Slip 10/22

What items, projects, procedures, and other issues are causing you concern?

The PLC is the only thing causing me concern.  It seems like there is a lot of work involved in it.  It also means that a time needs to be set up on the weekend to complete it.

Screencast Reflection

 

Here is the link to my screen cast: http://screencast.com/t/PtSyU1jvUV

I put a lot of effort into preparing for my screen cast.  I started out by listing things for each part of the SWOT analysis.  I then preceded to type out what I would say.  It took me an hour before I successfully had a screen cast that was ready to be turned in.

Screen casts allow us to see how different websites are used when all of the screen casts are shared.  The pros and cons are also listed in that screen cast so it is very easy to know how to incorporate it into your classroom then.  The screen casts are short which is great for us future teachers to sample each website with a screen cast instead of having to do this research on our own.

Chapter 10 & Epilogue Reflection

After reading the epilogue I think that a lot of classrooms will be mostly digital in the next couple of years. One nice thing about being digital is that it will help the teacher to stay more organized and the teacher will no longer have to take all of those papers home to grade at night. I also think that it will give the teacher more time to do things since he will be able to quickly do things on the computer. I also think that it is great for parents to be more involved with their students school life with technology. Not only can parents get emails about what their child has for homework that night but they can also go online to see examples of student work. Going digital also means that there will no longer be the excuse of the dog ate my homework, but instead the excuse that my Internet didn't work last night.

As a future teacher I would definitely like to create a page for parents to see student work showcased. I think this will cause the students to do better work knowing that theirs could possibly be put up on this page and it also might help parents connect to their child's school life. I look forward to the digital shift as a future teacher and the knew ways of learning that it brings with it. I am going to do my best to bring in as much technology as possible since my students will be able to relate much more than if I used the traditional textbook approach.

Exit Slip 10/15

The thing that I took away from todays class is that it is very important to spend a good amount of time in the pre-production part of the PSA.  In order for the PSA to be successful, all of the pre-production stuff like a script and story board is very important.

"Digital Nation" video Response

This video makes me think that almost everything will be apart of a digital life in the future. Technology is moving very fast and soon students will no longer be printing out assignments, everything will be digital. I also think that it will be very hard for students to connect to something that isn't digital. For example math is easier to write down than if you were to try to type your answers out to a problem. So its possible that students will take less interest in math, as it isn't as digital as other subjects can be and requires you to think more and problem solve with pencil and paper, not a controller or keyboard.

As a future teacher I will have to make sure that I am able to keep the students interest for the whole day of school which can seem extremely long at times. This may mean doing the harder thinking stuff in the morning and planing to do the lessons that involve technology later in the day to help keep the students attention. I will also try to keep my students focused on only one task at a time, since its proven that multitasking doesn't work as it actually slows you down. So perhaps I only give students instruction as we progress through the lesson, instead of giving the directions and the homework at the beginning of the lesson, this should help to keep them on task.

Reading Reflection on Chapters 7 & 9

After reading chapters 7 and 9 I have once again been enlightened about even more programs that you can use in the classroom that are online and free.  Before this reading I was under the influence that Facebook should not be used in the schools in any way.  I like the idea of having a private classroom page, like the one that Jim Meredith created that was mentioned in the book.  I realize that children are going on the internet at young ages these days but I think that a Facebook page would be appropriate for grades 4^th and up.  If the Facebook page is going to be used to discuss different things then you want to make sure that the students are ready for in depth discussions and that is why it would probably be best in 4^th grade and up.  As for being a future teacher I would like to use a Facebook page or some other type of technology as a homework page where students can find out what’s due for the next day and at the same time post questions about homework on the page where I could then answer those questions then.

        Flicker was also part of the reading that I did.  Before reading this I had only heard of flicker, but never really understood what it truly was.  There are so many different things that you can have students do with flicker, the possibilities are endless.  Having students take photos is just another way to get them engaged in their school work, and it’s exciting at the same time.  One thing that I would like to do as a future teacher would be to have a flicker page to document what goes on in the classroom throughout the week and then at the end of the week post photos and call it “Week 2 Review”.  This would allow the parents to see what their son or daughter has done or learned this week.  Some weeks there may be lots of pictures if the class had taken a field trip or done an experiment in science class, while other weeks there may just be highlights of student work that was done.  This would allow parents who are busy a lot to still be involved with their child’s school life.  Taking photos over the weekend and then having students upload them before they come to school on Monday would be a great way to start a discussion of a new topic.  For instance if you were going to start a botany unit in biology, students would be assigned to take photos of different plants and flowers around their house.

        Ning was the last piece of technology that I read about.  I had never heard about Ning before reading this.  The best thing about Ning is that it’s a site that allows you to connect with others who have the same passion that you do.  This allows me as a future educator to capitalize on the subject that my students are really interested in.  Ning will also connect my class page then with professionals in that subject area who are also on Ning.  I think that would be the best thing for students to interact with a professional who is just a passionate as they are about the subject, it may even inspire some of them to choose that profession for their career some day.  I think this would be a great group activity where there would groups of three to five students who all share the same passion.   Each group could have their own Ning page and engage in discussions about their topic and complete different assignments with the use of Ning.  

Chapter 8 Reflection

This reading just reinforces the fact that technology should be used a lot in my future class room.  Working with podcasts, screencasts, and video in the class room can potentially be the new way that students complete certain assignments in class.  I believe that Skype or another program similar to that that may come out in the future will be the new way that students help each other with their home work.  It would even be possible for the teacher to set aside a specific time that students will be able to Skype with them so that they can get questions answered or just ask the teacher to briefly review something with them.  Parents could also use Skype to ask questions if they do not have time to stop in the classroom before or after school.

I would like to encourage my students to all set up Skype accounts and use that as a way to get homework help.  Making a FAQ podcast for a big project and having it available on the school website would allow students and/or parents to go there first to possibly get immediate help with their project instead of having to wait to the next day.  I also would like to incorporate short videos as part of my student’s homework assignment for whatever subject I would find if most beneficial at the time.  Chapter 8 once again points out how much of a variety of technology that I have access to and will be able to use in my classroom someday.

Exit Slip 9/24/12

I took away from class today that there are many options that you can use in your lessons with an interactive white board.  I thought it was really cool that the students can play various games on the white board.  So it would be really easy to make the white board part of rotating stations.

I would like to learn  more about how to link the tablet with the white board.  It gives the teacher the opportunity to do so much more in the class.  So it would be nice to this demonstrated.

Chapter 4 & 5 Reflection

        After reading about wikis I now understand what they are.  Technology plays a big role in easily providing sources for students who are writing papers.  Now within seconds of typing their topic into Google, thousands of websites come up offering all sorts of information about their topic.  Wikipedia is one of the first sources that come up for students and a lot of times students usually end up using Wikipedia. 

Wikis are just another way that I can have students participate in the classroom that will hopefully engage them more since it would be an assignment that uses the computer to complete it.  Working with wikis in class will help my students learn to collaborate together on assignments and to understand that they can always make their assignments better if they continue to work on them.

One thing that I will do differently as a future teacher is allow my students to use Wikipedia as a starting point for their assignments that cause them to do research.  If you look at the bottom of a Wikipedia page there are small numbers with links after them that correspond to items in the text above, saying that this is the website where this information came from.  I would ask that my students use the credible links by the numbers for the sources for their assignment.  I will also start using a RSS feed to help filter things.  I have heard the term RSS feed used before but never really understood it till I read chapter 5.  Using the RSS feed would make it really easy for me to pull up current articles for class time when we talk about current events.

"Growing up Online" video reflection

The video made me realize how plugged-in today’s young people really are.  Watching the video also made me aware of how much young people are looking for acceptance and will do anything to get it.  The influence that technology has on young learners worries me, but at the same time I know that it allows a lot of good things to come of it that will be good for my students, so it just comes down to me educating them about the right way to use the internet. 

As a future teacher I will definitely include technology into my lessons somehow because it will keep the students focus better than if I were to just lecture to them.  I will also try to find activities that don’t take that long to complete since children lose focus easily.  I think that one of the best things I can do for my students is to have them complete projects with different computer programs instead of making a poster to go along with their report.  As I stated above I will also make sure I educate my students about the dangers of the internet and how to protect themselves on there. 

Exit Slip 9/17/12

One new thing that I will take away from this class is that students will write better things when they are done online in a blog form where it is possible for other people to see it.  It was also suggested to do away with paper and pencil and to do a lot of things on the computer.  I had never thought of that before, but understand it quite well.  Last week I was answering questions for another class and was hand writing my responses.  While writing my responses I was thinking to my self how much faster I could be completing my responses had I been typing them.  So it makes sense to do a lot of classroom things on the computer as it is not only faster, but it is also what my future students will be custom to.  I also understand the A, B, and C contracts better.  I am going to do my best to get an A in this class.

Digital Autobiography Reflection

My link to my digital autobiography: http://www.vuvox.com/collage/detail/05db3d6489

I exerted a lot of effort into this project. This is my first time using Vuvox so it took me a little bit to figure everything out. I then went through the pictures on my computer and made a separate folder for my ten pictures to be saved into. I spent about 20 minutes going through the pictures because it was hard to decide on only ten pictures. After uploading the pictures into Vuvox I put them in chronological order and added text to explain each picture. I then struggled for a little bit trying to figure out how to upload music into Vuvox. I did figure it out eventually and previewed my presentation before publishing it.

One thing of value in completing my autobiography using Vuvox is that I learned how to do something new. I have only worked with power point before this. I actually found it easier to use Vuvox than power point. Another thing of value from doing this assignment is that I am keeping myself up to date with the newest forms of technology out there that are for creating presentations like this.

Completing this course task impacts my future teaching by helping me to realize that there are many different programs out there that my students can use for when they need to make some kind of presentation. As I mentioned above, I had some trouble with some aspects of Vuvox, knowing that I can give my students a brief overview of how the program works before they use it, or I could also send home a sheet of FAQs for students to consult when they are completing their projects.

Reflection on Ch. 1-3 & 6 of Blogs, Wiki, Podcasts

The readings about technologies role in the classroom has opened my eyes as to what kind of technology can really be used in the classroom. Before this reading I thought that using technology in the classroom meant that computers or laptops would be used and for schools that had enough funding those students might be able to have the use of iPads and Smart boards in their classrooms. In no way had I thought before that blogs would be used as the journal time in today’s classroom. I was also surprised that parents were using twitter along with the teacher and the students in order to keep up to date as to what was happening in the classroom. After reading this I think that using blogs in the classroom is going to be the norm someday soon. It has proven to be a great thing as it is actually getting the students to want to do their homework and go into more depth with their responses to each other’s blogs posts. One thing that I will do differently as a future teacher, after reading, is to set up some kind of assignment that involves blogs for my students. After reading how successful it is in classrooms, this should be used in every classroom across America. I would also like to split the assignments up for the year by having half of them be completed online in one way or another and then having the half of assignments be traditionally done in class. So it would end up being a hybrid class. However, if my students were doing better with the assignments online, I would find a way to make most of the assignments that way then.

What role will technology play for you and your students in your future classroom? I think that technology will play a big role in the classroom. First of all its going to be a big distraction for students as most of them will have cell phones or iPods. Technology will also be good though as it will allow the students do learn in ways that I wasn’t able to as a student. If there is a smart board in the classroom, I can just pull the maps up on their for the geography lesson, instead of having to use a map that pulls down from the board. Technology may also allow for assignments to be posted on a web page so that students can access them at home if they forget to write them down.