Exit Slip 10/28/10

From discussion today we learned that you should take the innicitative if you are in the classroom and have a lack of technology.  There are always funds available if you are not in a area witha  lot of technology.  We discussed the webanar in class. This is a good idea and would be a great idea to have for confrences in the classroom.  I think it would also be helpful to help students with problems in homework. 

There are many different steps for pod casts. First pick a topic.  Make sure it is contempory(recent) and relating to technology within PK-12.  Create a script.  Make sure you tell your opinions about what the topic is. 

Chapter 7: What may be gained? What May be lost?

One thing America takes pride in is its great diversity among each other.  Going across the country there are a great amount of different cultures.  As teachers a big part of teaching and classroom management is teaching the acceptance of diversity.  However this concept of teaching different cultures might be challenged with the development of cultural based education systems.  A Hispanic educational system might use Spanish literature however never even cover a different culture.  Teachers have worked hard to have students accept each other for who they are, only to have technology to diminish the progress.  I feel that online schooling which is based culturally should have a set standard to help teach the diversity and pluralism with in other people. 

Schools that jump on to the technology bandwagon, however, have a lot to gain.  For one students will be more engaged in their work.  Technology allows students to choose topics that interest them, and teachers will be able to have a broad topic range to accommodate the interests of every student.  Today teachers are accused of teaching a mile wide and an inch deep.  With the incorporation of technology teachers are able to deepen the depth of their teaching to allow students to use their own interests.  Technology also allows students to become more accountable for their learning.  In the past teachers needed to engage their students but working hard to create lessons that targeted individual students.  

I believe that technology has its pro’s and cons as well.  My biggest fear is that our world will become very individualized that we will not need the help from others in our daily life.  Right now computers are man’s best friend but what happens if the internet is down or your computer breaks.  Students will need to learn how each individual element of technology works as a backup method for technology.  If we have technology does that mean that writing and cursive is going to become outdated.  What about math facts or dictionaries? As long as students are able to use technology and understand the background behind the technology there are many powerful items teachers can use to incorporate technology in their classrooms.  School districts can save money by incorporating online textbooks and printing less paper which allows money to be put into hiring good teachers and allowing technology in the classroom.  Teachers can step out of the box in their teaching methods to provide teaching methods to many different learning styles. 

Podcasting, Video and screencasting, and Live Streaming

Before reading this chapter, I had a vague idea of each concept but really wasn’t sure what each method of technology was, and how to incorporate each into the classroom.  I was familiar with podcasting because I used to listen to different podcasts in high school that incorporated the current books I was reading.   I feel that I can easily incorporate podcasting into the classroom today.  As a teacher I could have a radio show where students tell parents what is all going on in my classroom.  This would be a great method for parents to see what their students are accomplishing at school.  I am an ESL minor and would love to use podcasting as a method of tracking individual improvement in learning English.  I would love to have a poetry unit and have the students create their own podcasts on the different poems they authored.  Podcasting is also an easy way for you to go back as a teacher and reflect on your student’s improvement.  It would also be a good idea if you student will be gone for an extended amount of time to use a pod cast to learn material. I was talking to a teacher who said one of his students was going to miss 3 weeks of school to visit his father in CA.  As a teacher, who are you to tell the parents that your child cannot miss 3 weeks of school. On the other hand, missing three weeks causes traumatic setback to any student.  A teacher could podcast each lesson for the student to listen to. This way, when the student returns they won’t be as far behind.   

Video and screencasting would also be a good way to incorporate learning in the classroom.  When I was in High School, we always made Spanish videos to illustrate our learning of certain material.  Students can create videos to illustrate the plot of a certain book.  Complete different interviews of students.  Teachers could also screencast difficult material on the web.  For example if a student is doing a math problem at home, the teacher could have example problems online and how the teacher worked through them.  I know when I was a child; my parents could never help me with my homework because they didn’t understand the method of solving the problem.  This way parents could see the method the teacher is using to solve the problem and the students can see the screencasting to answer problems independently. 

I have heard of live streaming before on different reality TV shoes.  They had these to allow the viewer to log in at any time and check what is going on inside the show.  However this can be used for educational purposes as well.  When I logged into the live streaming website (http://www.ustream.tv/) I instantly logged into a live streaming video from 60 degrees under the water, close to the Great Barrier Reef.  Students can easily log into different parts of the world and see what is going on.  This method would be great for teaching different cultures to students or even different science material.  How cool would it be to have a live streaming video of a space probe going to a different planet or of different people in china going to work.  This way, students can see a firsthand experience without leaving the comfort of their own home.    

Overall there was a lot of beneficial information in this particular chapter that I can carry out in my classroom. 

Exit Slip 10-21-10

Today in class we discussed the book chapter.  The group did a great job putting the class in different groups.  We talked about smart boards and how we should lock our images into place.  Accidents happen, and kids will move items out of place by accident.  It’s better to take the steps to prevent problems than deal with them while teaching. It was helpful because Professor Boyer discussed how to group objects together.  This is something that I need to do in my IWB lesson.  We should be paying attention to color choices and size of font.  You would want to make sure you can see the screen once projected.  We need to make sure that we don't put too much text on the screen. 

We talked about the benefits of using Skype to talk with problems.  This would be a good tool to use to for busy parents to communicate with parents.  You could even have students troubleshoot you if they are working on a project and help them virtually. 

I think the swat analysis is a good idea, because we will be able to familiarize yourself with different tools to use in the classroom.  I think it will be a good way to see all these tools and pick and choose the ones we can use in our own classroom.   

We need to make an annotative bibliography for class next week.  I am a little scared to create my own wiki because I have never needed to make one.  I think this will be a learning experience. 

Chapter 6: The 3 Eras of Education

Chapter 6 of the book talks about the different eras of education.  The reason schools are the way they are today is because immigrants from various countries were entering the country at an alarming rate during the Industrial Revolution.  Before this rise in immigration, the majority of the education was done by apprenticeships. Children would learn the family trade from their parents.  They would learn how to read and write basically to succeed in their family business.  Women would learn how to cook and clean, if they were farmers they would learn specific farming tasks.  If I was born back then I would have hated having to clean and take care of the house for the rest of my life.  If students did go to school, it would be for 1-2 years in order to read and write. 

The reason this system changed is because immigrants were arriving and were unable to apprentice to find work.  These people who were new to the country needed to be educated to find a job and survive in the new country.  Schools popped up to educate children on reading and writing.  Eventually states mandated all children to attend schools taking the responsibility off parents and placing responsibility on the state government. 

Today we are on the front of a new wave of education. The responsibly is taken off the states and returning to the parents and students.  For the first time in centuries students are able to learn the information they feel is necessary for success.  Virtual schools are the a huge tool for allowing students to pick their education. While virtual schools are paving the way for lifelong learning I feel it may hinder students.  When students attend schools they are socially interactive through out the entire day.  They learn how to work through problems and deal with other students.  Students attending schools also have instant feedback from teachers.  Students are also monitored by the teachers for different learning problems and other disorders.  I would be worried if a student was in a virtual school and struggling because the teacher was unable to find a learning disorder. 

I feel that I am more of an advocate for technology in schools rather than virtual schools mostly because I feel that I wouldn't do well in a virtual school.  However for certain students, this type of education is the best method for them.  I feel that students should find what ever works as an individual.  This may be using technology in the classroom, or attending an online school. 

Fun with flicker

This chapter gives proof that a picture is worth a thousand words. The one thing I liked about flicker is that students can upload anyone's picture as long as it isn't copyrighted. As a teacher I would love to have my students go on virtual field-trips all around the world. Flicker is one online tool that would allow this to happen. Students could pick their own places to travel to or study as a class. If students are doing reports on different countries they can use flicker to illustrate the facts they learned.

Flicker would also be a powerful tool to keep parents in the loop of their child's progress in school. Parents can visually see different activities the students are performing. Also if a student is away on a vacation you could log into flicker and have students see what they are missing at school. Students would be less lost when returning back to school.

I like how the text linked flicker to Google earth. Students can follow people as they travel around the world and see progress digitally. They gave the example if following a sailor around the world. Students could track the progress along with seeing through pictures how the world changes as you change longitudinally and longitudinally.

Overall flicker is just another powerful tool to use in the classroom. However like the text mentions needs to be closely monitored because contains some inappropriate material.

Exit slip 10/14/10

The group that discussed today did a very good job presenting.  They were organized and had a good idea to split the group up by different colored squares.  They spoke loudly and created an organized method for designing classroom discussion.  One thing they could work on is creating a more generalized discussion so that everyone is involved in every aspect of the discussion.  The second half of class we discussed how to use scratch.  I feel better about using scratch inside the classroom and to use it for making my iRLO.

Chapter 5: The Seeds of a New System of Education

          This chapter really made me think about the nontraditional school.  The chapter started off talking about the benefits of home schooling and virtual classrooms.  The chapter gave an example of two Hispanic sisters in California whose parents work full time and send their school to a Hispanic virtual school.  These students, because their parents are motivated to give their children a good education, are going on quality field trips and learning many different things if they were stuck in a general school.  The students are able to socialize with other children their age by going to the local YMCA.  Before reading this chapter I felt that online schools left out some valuable parts of the education system.  However, whether we would like to admit it or not, a few students get left behind in public schools.  In this case it might be alright to have the students take learning into their own hands by attending virtual schools. 

            This chapter also reminded me a lot of my dad as well.  When I lived at home, we would come home and see my dad tuned into the PBS channel watching his nature shows.  Me and my sister (who had been at school all day) would get annoyed with him because we were already learning for 8 hours at school and the last thing we wanted to do when we got home, was to sit and watch more educational shows.  However he was at work for 8 hours at a factory where little thinking was done.  This just proves that as humans our learning is never done and we are always yearning to learn more.  Maybe this is why many years after a student graduates from high school they return back to college for more education. 

                After reading this chapter it is hard how I would implement my new found knowledge into an elementary school classroom.  The chapter talked about video games that represent stimulation for children that would enhance learning for children. I myself played SIMS when I was a child, however I don’t feel that I learned anything from the game.  Maybe if the game was played by a child of a younger age there might be more learning involved.  While reading this part, I kept thinking of girls playing with barbies.  Aren’t these children simulating different situations and outcomes that may or may not happen.  Instead of having the computer generate out possible outcomes the child must be creative about the different possibilities of each situation.  Sims could also be used for a history class or science class where cause and effect are prevalent to learning.  Today I was in a classroom where the students were learning about the cause of planting sugar cane in Australia which effected the destruction of the great coral reef.  To learn about this teacher could create a Sims where they learn the outcome of their actions. 

               

Chapter 6 The Social Web: Learning Together

Reading these chapters has become bitter sweet for me.  First of all I love all the new information I find while reading each chapter.  However I need to devote a large chunk of time to reading each chapter, not because I am a slow reader, but because I find many new information about the web and am very eager to try them out.  For example I was almost done reading The Social Web: Learning Together and then I saw the social networking sight listed in the second last paragraph.  Shelfari.com is a social booking site devoted to people who love to read.  I instantly fell in love with the site.  I could use this site to promote good books to students who are struggling with finding a good book to read.  With this site students could each have their own account and recommend different books to the class.  Students can complete book reports and book discussions online. 

The chapter also discussed using Microblogging such as a website like twitter.  As a member of StWEA I know that networking with teachers is very important.  If a problem arises inside the classroom it is better to get advice from many different experienced teachers rather than handle the situation by yourself, risking the possibility of the situation escalating further.  Twitter would be an excellent tool for social networking.  You can post a problem and have many different teachers in your network help out.  This would also be a great way to communicate with parents.  Teachers can update parents about news in the classroom, inform about different projects and homework assignments that are due or comment on classroom behavior.  

The Chapter also mentioned the Delicious account we have been using for a while.  I think this would be a powerful tool to use to collaborate with fellow teachers.  As teachers we need to learn that coping someone’s idea is not cheating.  It’s ok to use others ideas to benefit your classroom.  Social Blogging is a powerful tool because teachers can share useful resources with each other.  

Overall this chapter opened my eyes, even more, to using technology in the classroom

Exit Slip 10/7

After this lesson I am a little scared to work towards an A in the class.  In the past I have always believed that computers break when ever I am near them.  And now we are making an iRLO using scratch.  It seems a little  intimidating. I liked the presentation on the chapter however didn't like how students needed to write on the Smart Board.  It took up a lot of classroom time.  I wonder if there would be a way to use cell phones in the classroom?

We learned about scratch, and I should not be that scared of it because it is used mostly by children that are age 10.  The examples were pretty cool and could easily be implemented in the classroom. 

Chapter 3 Rethinking EducationChapter 3 Rethinking Education

Last week I read a chapter ahead so this week I am catching up on the week that I skipped.  Reading through this chapter there are parts that I agree with and there are parts that I disagree with.  Of course with every subject there are going to be optimists and skeptics.  However I have always been the type of person who can never make a solid decision.  This is mostly because I usually always see multiple points of view and can see both ways.  On that note I believe that people who see technology as a method that is just a phase may be outdated in their views of reality.  Reading this chapter made me think of Regis Phillman who on his morning TV show continues to tell his audience that the Internet will someday dye.  This acquisition seems almost ridiculous. I thought it funny that some people thought that students were lazy because they didn’t make their own ink, the decided to buy it at the store instead.

However there are something’s the chapter has a little wrong.  The book keeps mentioning how schools are on the brink of changing.  Everything we know about schools is about to reformulate to meet the new needs of the students.  However I believe that the school system that we have in place works as long as schools make small adjustments.  Technology is important in the classroom, however I don’t think it is necessary to rebuild schools to change.  Schools could easily add laptops to their curriculum to help students adjust to the needs. This goes back to the quote that if a teacher can be replaced by a computer it should be.  If computers can do a better job at teaching children than humans teachers are doing something wrong to reach out to their students. 

What I really thought was interesting was that teachers in the past taught students everything they possibly needed to know so that students were prepared for adulthood. Today technology is so advanced at gaining more information; it is not possible to learn all the necessary information.  Textbook are getting bigger and more responsibility is put on the teachers to teach more information in the course of a year.   When I am a teacher I don’t think its necessarily important to learn and retain all the information they learned.  However it is important for students to learn how to find the information when they need it.