Final Entry

I believe it is my responsibility to incorporate technology in the classroom, it is so important.  The benefits to myself and my students are plentiful. 

Technology will make several of my tasks more efficient.  I will be able to analyze scores, compare data and then share this with administration and parents.  I will be able to link to on-line learning sites and share this information with my students on an IWB or classroom computers.  I can expose my students to opportunities via virtual field trips in the classroom instead of all the planning that an actual field trip would require.  I can divide my class into centers, while some students are engaged in computer aided instruction, I am able to work with individuals or small groups on other content areas.  I believe technology will allow me to be more creative with my lessons as well as my students' assignments.  I am convinced that videos and interactive materials will engage my students more and allow them more opportunities to excel and express themselves as learners, this is a benefit to both of us.  I'm a believer that when students are engaged and the learning is varied and fun, there will be less discipline issues in the classroom; technology will help create this learning environment.  Technology will allow students variety.  A shy child may shine when he/she completes an assignment with a flip camera instead of standing in front of the class sharing a report.  In this example, there is more learning going on, it's not just researching a topic and writing a report.  Students will become more familiar with technology and will be better prepared for their future.

Challenges????  Of course there will be some.  I do not know where I will be teaching, perhaps current technology will not be supported.  Funding may not present for IWB's, video cameras, software and tech support.  I need to be able to incorporate technology into my lessons in a balanced way, not just for the sake of throwing in something techy.  A personal challenge is RELAXING, but I think I'm getting there!  I realize that students will push the wrong button or navigate from where they are suppose to be, or a website may be having issues.  I need to become more familiar with the programs and anticipate where students may wander so that I can help keep them on track. 

What lessons will I take with me?  With respect to the Smartboard, I will take advantage of the software, and not just use it as a fancy overhead projector.  I will provide table work while others are at the IWB.  I will keep my digital portfolio current and will also maintain my Diigo social bookmarking site.  I would like to incorporate technology into student assignments, such as creating videos.  I am excited about creating a classroom site for parents and students to visit.  Another important lesson I've learned is that there are great free resources that I can use, especially if my future school does not have funding to purchase certain programs.  Last but not least, there are a lot of great videos on YouTube and the tutorials  have helped me a lot.
 

Week 13 A Reflection On My Classmate's Online Presentations

GREAT job everyone!  I watched/listened to quite a few presentations, they were awesome.  The content and ways in which everyone chose to present their information was great. 

The first presentation I chose to reflect on was Paula's voice blog video.  I thought you did a great job speaking, it was at a great pace to understand what you were talking about.  I loved the article, I can totally see how a voice blog would be effective with foreign languages.  Personally, I did not practice speaking French nearly enough when I was a student.  As a result, I did not have the confidence to carry on a conversation.  I also think my listening skills would have benefited from the voice blog assignment.  This also brings up another point from your presentation, a voice blog will decrease the pressure because you are speaking without an audience, even though your teacher will be hearing your words.  Great job Paula!

I also enjoyed what I learned from Sarah's Skype presentation.  The foreign language video works well with Paula's video presentation.  I think his advice to start across the hall and work from there is good advice.  The idea of having a student Skype from a trip, as long as the student has the ability to do so, would be a neat extension to a classroom activity.  Using skype to present reports and virtual field trips sounds like a great opportunity to expose children to wonderful things without having to leave the classroom.  This is along the same line as my article, Through the Buscope.  I enjoyed it, thanks Sarah!

Julie's presentation about video games was also great.  As a parent, my 7 & 9 year old boys each have a Nintendo DS, my 4 year old has a Leapster.  The learning games are great.  I'm not sure they even think about what skills they're practicing or learning, they're just playing.  Take a look at the Christmas Wish Book's, from little on up, it is full of educational learning games and software.  Like all "good" things, I am a firm believer in balance.  So I appreciated that this article keyed in on the fact that classroom games need to be well constructed and meaningful.  Video games are so important to kids ( and many adults ) so it seems like a great way to engage children.  It totally makes sense that CAI programs can serve to motivate and challenge students while also increasing their curiosity and helping to learn fantasy.  I've heard the reports about physicians before, that's is very interesting!

Technology Notebook Project

Hello all!!!  If you would like to view my notebook presentation, please navigate to our Moodle page and click on the link.  Josh's notebook project is there as well.

Week 12 Interactive White Boards

I like the IWB for classroom instruction.  It is a great tool, with nice software functions as well as the ability to link to your pc so you can utilize other software and online supplements to your lesson.  I've had the opportunity to observe a 4th grade teacher tap into the potential of the IWB in her classroom.  She utilized the capabilities so effortlessly, it truely looked like an extension of her and the focus was on what she was teaching, not this cool board in front of the class.  The students used the IWB with ease as well.  The students really enjoyed going to the IWB and participating.  After seeing this, I was surprised that my first encounter did not go as easily as I had expected it to.  There is a learning curve and I will definitely need to practice so that the focus is on my content, not on the IWB. 

I don't like the set up in our classroom, the projector can be blinding and I was surprised how differently the screen looked when I was using it as a teacher versus viewing it as a student.  I liked having the screens that I planned visible, it helped me as a teacher to make sure I was covering what I had planned.  I felt a bit anxious moving around between screens and links to videos and songs however.  I imagine that with practice this feeling will subside and I'll be able to tap into more of what the IWB has to offer. 

I would definitely welcome one in my future classroom. I believe it provides one more tool in my tool belt to help my students learn and excel.  I like the interactive functions. I see the IWB making classroom functions more efficient.  For example, as a class, we could take notes or complete a diagram and then take a picture of it and print it out for later reference.  The IWB is a tool and if used when appropriate, I believe students will benefit as well.   I would not solely use the IWB, like many great tools, it has its place and it should be used to complement instruction.  I believe students will be more engaged.  There are many interactive possibilities that I don't see how a student wouldn't be more engaged.    It's new and exciting, kids love that.

Week 8 Video Project and Video in the Classroom

Through out the entire PSA project, I was pretty excited.  During the prep class, I was fascinated with all the cool ways you could manipulate video and sound.  At the same time, I was suprised with the amount of work that goes into editing.  Our group worked really well together.  Prior to the filming & editing class, we communicated real well and constructed a strategy.  Initially I was hesitant of the storyboards, I questioned how useful they would be, but while filming and editing, I found them to be VERY valuable.  Our initial planning and preparing of our storyboards helped us to stay on track, take specific video & to focus on our message.  During filming, our individual personalities complimented one another, from our actress, to our videographer and the producer.  The software was completely new to 2 members of our group, and yet we all had an opportunity to edit and work our video into the great finished project that we envisioned.  I think one could spend a ton of time playing and tweaking in Moviemaker, in that respect it's kind fun but kind of challenging since the goal was to finish the project in 1 class.  We had a great piece of music at our disposal, in just a few minutes time we used Audacity to speed it up to match our video, a little repeat at the end and viola...good java tunes.  If only the music would have imported into our video without frustration, I'd say there were no issues.  I'm excited to see the complete finished project.

With respect to video in the classroom, I do think it has value.  There is value in making learning fun, and children LOVE to see themselves in video.  Creating a video also teaches responsibility to portray the facts accurately & it can serve as a motivator to conduct research prior to creating a video.  Furthermore, through video, a shy child can gain confidence and can shine in the classroom. 

What does it teach students?  I think for students creating a video, they see a different avenue for learning and documenting information other than paper and pencil.  I think it encourages interaction and engagement in the subject at hand.  It also allows them to showcase their creativity.  Also, when I reflect on the Educause readings, specifically, the part about kids believing what they read on the internet even if it's not from a creditable source, I also think kids believe what they see in video and on tv.  When students create a video, they can see how you can be truthful, and well informed and create a video that is factual, and on the flip side, they can see how you could do just the opposite.  Perhaps, in doing so, students would start to question the validity of what they see and read.

Once concern I have about incorporating video in the classroom is the editing component.  There's a lot of work that goes into editing such a small clip.  I'm wondering how possible it is to have students produce and edit video, with the time constraints that exist in the curriculum.  Perhaps I will need to do most of the editing or the degree to which their videos are edited will be different from what we did in our PSA project.  I guess this would be the challenge I may face in doing the video project.  In my classroom I would use video to make the learning authentic.  For example, if we're discussing seasons and changes in fall, I could have students capture video of a change they witness.  Perhaps a student would film some Canadian Geese.  That student could then find some interesting facts about that animal and create a video.  He/she may address migration, the resident population, geography and temperature changes etc, these would be the learner outcomes.  These videos could be used as a learning center, so all students would circulate through and learn how other students captured the changes in the season.   Multiple disciplines, intelligences and levels of thinking would be incorporated into this project.  The student will work on language arts skills (researching, reading, writing, speaking), science (habitat, adaptations, migration, temperature), technology (filming and editing), social sciences etc.

Week 6: Educause Reading

On one hand, I thought the Net Geners would really embrace a lot of technology in their learning environment.  However, when given more thought, I was not surprised by some of the data.   Specifically the Net Gen's requirements for tech in the classroom;  technology needs to be engaging and applicable, not just "be there".  Also, I constantly have the social nature of the Net Geners in my thoughts.  We have read that this generation is very social, they don't view technology as technology, but rather a way of doing things and communicating.  For that reason, if technology enhances their learning experience, then that is great.  If the technology does not enhance their learning experience, their attention is lost.  The learning experience takes advantage of the professor and his/her level of expertise.  It makes sense that certain majors would expect more technology in their classroom than others, such as engineering.  What did surprise me however was the "underrating" of skills.  The reading suggested that although students believe themselves to be skilled in certain applications, in fact, they have just basic skills.  They do not utilize the advanced functions of their applications, and therefore, more IT skills need to be developed at the university level.  In addition, the expectations of technology may hinder the Net Geners ability to methodically work through challenges and thus affect their problem solving abilities.  Additional questions I would include in the survey...good question.  I guess I 'd be interested to know what types of learning experiences they think they would benefit from that incorporated technology. 

Week 6 Copyright

Copyright for teachers??? It seems a bit scary to me, because it is so grey & so very new to me.  It also pushes me outside of my comfort zone because legal writing can be so difficult to understand, and when consequences are attached to "not knowing" it is a scary thing.  I will absolutly need to become more educated and more aware of materials that I am choosing to use.  When I completed my undergrad. I do not ever recall hearing about copyright infringement in the classroom, we simply attached a works cited document, used materials we needed in class and went on with it.  What I have walked away with is a greater appreciation and respect for copyrighted materials.  I cannot copy something without permission and use it over a long term period.  I need to be deligent of fair use, watch how much of the copyrighted material I use and how I use it.  I need to be aware of changes that I make, and how much choices affect the market place.  It appears that "for educational purposes"  lessens the stress level somewhat but not totally. 
I don't know ways that copyright laws have been violated in schools, I know movies are shown, but I don't know if permission was requested prior to the showing.  I would imagine if a substitute pops in a movie, permission likely was not requested.  Perhaps modifying the lyrics to a popular tune, to aid in the learning/memory process, would have been an infringement.  Out of schools, again, I don't know if permission was requested, but I've been in churches that also show movies for kid's night or show clips during Sunday school. 
I absolutly believe it is my job to teach copyright respect to my students and I think the best way to do that is to lead by example.  This could be sticky at times.  It's like telling your toddler to never lie to mommy, but then you get caught in a white lie...life is not always black and white, so why do I wish copyright was a little less grey ?!?!?!  I would not teach my students copyright respect by pointing out everytime I use something that is or is not copyright protected, but rather on occassion toss it out there and remind them to also be respectful.  When addressing assessments, part of the rubric could specifically address copyrighted material.  Researching materials, and creating presentations would be a good time to work with students on copyrighted materials that they may wish to incorporate into their graded projects.  NET-S standard Digital Citizenship addressess copyright issues, specificially 5.a. "Students advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology."

Week 4: Excel Reflection

5 ways to incorporate Excel into the curriculum into your school. 
1.  Excel could be used in language arts class as a prompt to telling a story.  Charts, graphs, and data all tell a story, you could ask students to write a story based on data on a chart or analyze a pie graph, telling a story from what they see, kind of like a wordless book. 
2.  While observing in a 5th grade classroom, the teacher shared with me the concern his students had regarding their time limitations specifically, they did not think they had enough time to read all the pages that were required of them.  Students could use Excel to track how many minutes they spend doing x,y & z (predetermined activities for each child) through out their day.  They could take the math farther and see how many minutes they read, how many minutes it takes to read a page, and then realize they can accomplish the reading requirements of 5th grade.  By creating a pie chart, students may realize some time management opportunities that they did not know existed for other activities as well. 
3.  Excel could be used for streamlining or analyzing classroom housekeeping/management.  (For example: the teacher could get to know his/her students literary preferences more by collecting data on their book selections from the classroom library, or perhaps assign duties to the "job squad" aka classroom helpers)
4.  An Excel spreadsheet could have color coded columns and could be set up as a homework planner sheet for students to refer to and for the teacher to enter info on.  This could be posted on the classroom web site for parents to also refer to.
5.  Students could enter data from inquiry investigations in science class into a spreadsheet and then graph their data to make connections.  For example, if students were studying evaporation, they would record temperature and liquid level and plot it on a chart.   Does temperature affect the level of the water?  What evidence do you have to support this? 
 

Week 4 Stay with Microsoft Word & Excel or Switch to google docs????

I believe I would ask my principle to stay with Microsoft Word & Excel although I definitely see benefits to google docs.  Microsoft Word & Excel allow the user more functions and in my opinion, less frustration and ease of use.  Both of these benefits of the Microsoft products and limitations of google docs have been experienced through our class assignments.  But, perhaps the main reason behind my recommendation  is growth of knowledge.  Elementary students will continue to grow and challenge their learning, they will need software that can allow them to perform the tasks they need to execute and eventually compete in their future endeavors.  After witnessing some of the awesome things Microsoft products can do, I believe the students, in upper grades, will benefit from the Word and Excel software.  I'm not so sure the limitations of google docs would be felt with the early elementary students.  With that being said, why not expose the early elementary students to Word and Excel from the start, thus allowing them to become familiar with the basics.  The students will grow with the software and will not be limited to what the software can do, which I believe is the case with google docs.  Furthermore, if students understand how to use the Microsoft software, they will be able to transition into google docs with ease, and will be able to tap into the positive aspects that google docs can provide. Since google docs is free, the students will get the best of both worlds, Microsoft and google docs.  The sticky side of the equation is the cost. Could more harm be done to the overall program if funding is used for Word and Excel?  If that is the case, I would support google docs and make the best with what I had for my students; it is still a great product.  

Week 3: Social Bookmarking

The concept of social bookmarking, like many we're discussing in class, was totally new to me.  I am pretty excited about it now!  Social bookmarking will allow me to compile a list of my favorite sites and store them on a public web space.  This will allow me access to them when I am not at my computer.  But there's more, I can organize them by providing descriptions of the sites, so I'll be able to reference them later, and easier.   This feature will be a great asset as a student and teacher, no longer will I have to go through lists to find what I want.  I think this will also be an asset as a parent; since we like to do seasonal activities, perhaps I'll make seasonal headings and bookmark sites with fun fall events, places to visit, crafts to do, fall recipes etc.  Furthermore, this system will also allow others to view what I've bookmarked, and in doing so, I can then see what they have bookmarked.  This will also help me as a student and a teacher.  Through social bookmarking, I can function more efficiently and learn from others by visiting sites that they have bookmarked.   I'm looking forward to trying this out.

Week 2: "Language" and perspectives

I find it interesting that today's learners only view technology as what is new.  From my perspective, it's all technology:  email, texting, IM's etc, it does not matter how new it is.  The Net Gen views these means of "communicating and doing" as just a way of life, it is basic and standard to their functioning.  Furthermore they are compelled to keep trying the newest invention.  Perhaps I am not compelled to try the next greatest thing because I am "out of the technology loop".  The Educause readings this week discussed college learners and their preferences.  Suprisingly, my generation prefers blended and online courses, where as the Net Gen learners who are so comfortable with technology do not.  After further reading, I now understand what that is.  When I reflect on my own education adventure, the convenience of a blended or on line course sounds great.  Although I have not had a blended course at this stage of my learning adventure, the thought of taking one seems convenient and wonderful to me.  I commute roughly 45 minutes (one way) to class, I have 3 children, 2 of which are involved in multiple activities, my youngest is still at home.  The logistics of taking a class from my home are great.  These are characteristics of my generation of learners.  However, I enjoy hearing what my classmates have to say, I like the face to face interaction with them and my professor, which is a characteristic of Net Gen learners.  Perhaps because  of my learning style and my current job (stay at home parent), I really enjoy the adult interaction and conversation.  I am social,  but not as socially connected as I believe the Net Gen is, according to the Educause readings.  I cannot process information with tv noise or music playing, nor could I stay engaged if I were opening up message window etc, also a characteristic of a Net Gen learner.   This ability to multitask like a Net Gener would serve me well.  Furthermore, my learning style is not through trial and error or tinkering, like that of a Net Gen learner.  I have more of a rule-based approach, and I most always read directions. 

Class 2 9/8/10 Using google docs

I found google doc to be pretty straight forward, it is very similar to word.   However, since I am more familiar with word, I'm more comfortable using it.   I did encounter an issue when I tried to copy/paste a particular lesson plan, it didn't paste the way it appear in the site.  When I copied/pasted the lesson plan to word and then from word to google doc, it turned out ok.  That added another step however and therefore that would have been the equivalent of sending an email with the lesson plan attachment.  Perhaps there was a way to work around it, but I didn't know how.  I liked how it automatically saved itself periodically.  I'd try it again.

Digital Natives and the Net Gen/21st century learner

I truely feel enlightened after reading the posted articles for this week.  I feel that I've gained great insight into today's students.  It makes sense that children today (digital natives) would be learning differently due to the influence of technology in their lives.  As one of the articles stated, we are influence by our environment.  I grew up in a much different environment, I am very much so a digital immigrant, and it concerned me that I may not be as effective as I'd like to be in teaching digital natives.  However, as I read on, and as I reflected on my teacher preparatory classes, I now feel empowered.  I do feel learning should be fun and authentic, and if technology can further enhance my lessons, then that is great.  I was suprised to read that the Net Gen students are very social on a face to face level, so much so that they rank the teacher's presence, knowledge and passion for the subject matter very high, and that technology should only be used to effectively relay the teacher's knowledge and to customize the learning experience for the students, not just used for the sake of using technology.  A misconception I had was that because students converse so much with texting, myspace etc, that they would lack the desire or the skills to have social face to face interaction.  That is not the understanding I have gained from the Net Gen readings.  The concepts of allowing students to learn in a way most productive tor them is a good concept, of course within reason.  Several of my classes have discussed this point. I feel this plays into Howard Gardner's theory on multiple intelligences.  My professors have talked about stations, and cooperative group work etc.  I love that technology can be used to help the introvert, through messaging boards.  I like the cooperative group work approach, which plays into the  social learning preferences of this group.   These articles talked a lot about allowing learning preferences, students do not like to be talked at.  This too makes sense, the approach I learned to teaching science is through inquiry investigations, where after great deal of behind the scenes preparation on behalf of the teacher, students are guided to learn and make discoveries on their own.  I absolutly feel that more learning is taking place and retention is far greater, boredome is lessened and therefore students stay engaged.  Furthermore this approach is in a social group setting.  A great teacher should also strive to make learning meaningful and authentic to the learner, here again, this would decrease boredom and therefore increase the amount of time students are engaged.  One article said we should respect and listen to kids opinion on how they want to learn.  If our goal is for our students to learn, then we should as educators assess our methods as well, and not just student peformance, so by listening to their opinion on how they want to learn and then reflecting on what they did learn and what part of the learning process was most effective, seems to be a win win situation.  I believe these concepts will help to develop independent learners and technology in the classroom can further enhance discovery and the learning process. 

practice post

Ok, so I see that this could be pretty neat, but boy have I got a lot to learn.