Takeaway message 04/14

After looking at voice thread and exploring the site a little, I think that students at the high school level could create some interesting presentations about a topic of their choice.  The site makes it easy to upload photos, to draw, and to incorporate your voice onto whatever presentation you are doing.  Using your voice in a presentation makes it more appealing because you can explain the image or text that is being presented, and this would hold people's attention better rather than just seeing a series of images or text.  I could see breaking students into groups and having them create a voicethread on a topic so that their classmates can learn about it being a valuable use of this resource.  What I found to be a cool feature is that the site has access to the digital photos of the New York public library.  There were over 700 photos to choose from if you were exploring a particular topic that related to their archives.  Over all, I can see it being a valuable tool once you get the hang of it.

Chapters 8 & 9

Chapters 8 and 9 demonstrated to me the various ways that teachers can use technology to get their students actively involved in learning.   Additionally, technology has changed the way that teachers can reach their students even when they are not in the classroom.  Hosting an online discussion about a particular topic allows a teacher to respond in real time to their students commentary.  Using a website or a blog can allow a teacher to communicate changes in assignments, hold online office hours (which I thought was a great idea), publish student work so that they can share it with everyone, and even share information for parents about assignments their children are doing.

Use of e-mail has changed the ways teachers interact with their students as well.  Teachers can now be reached via e-mail if a student has a question about a specific assignment, if they are going to be late handing in an assignment, etc.  E-mail is also a way in which teachers can have online office hours.  However, while reading the chapter I couldn't help but think to myself that there needs to a be a limit somewhere.  Teachers should not be expected to be able to respond to e-mails at every hour of the day and on weekends.  Therefore, the teacher needs to set limits on when they will answer e-mails.  For instance, I teacher can say that they will answer student e-mails at five o'clock on Monday and Wednesday, and any night before exams.  This way, students have a clear idea as to when they should expect their questions to be answered.  Otherwise, they will have to ask them in class.

Reading in chapter 9 about how video is a popular and effective multimedia teaching tool of course made me think of the video I made for this class.  I like the idea of making videos with iMovie and posting them on a teacher website so that my students can get primers on various topics.  Perhaps that is something I will try in my classroom at some point in my career.  I think that video is a great medium for students because it can appeal to both visual and auditory learners depending on how the video is made.  The more students you can reach, the better, and technology can help us teachers do that in an effective way.

I also like the section on PowerPoint because it gave some good ideas on how to make a presentation more interesting.  Instead of just putting what you would write on the board in a PowerPoint format, you can use the program as an additive to your teaching.  That is, simply reading off of a PowerPoint may cause students to tune out.  However, if you use slides as a guideline and use anecdotes and insightful information to add to them, you are more likely to reach your students.

Two questions arose from the readings:

1.  How would you limit the amount of time you spend answering questions online so that you could "leave work at work?"

2.  Do you see yourself using PowerPoint in the future?  Why or why not?

Takeaway message 04/07/2014

Learning about the importance of a digital portfolio made me more enthusiastic about making one.  I think a technologically savvy future employer might be interested in seeing some of the work and progress I have made during my education to become a teacher.  I never thought of a portfolio as an opportunity to reflect on the work we have done as well.  I am getting more and more comfortable with digication as a tool to create an e-portfolio and I think that by the time I graduate I will have on that is thorough and useful.  Seeing Rebecca's e-portfolio was useful for me because I saw what a complete one looked like.  I will look at some of my other classmate's portfolios as well to get an even better idea of what mine should look like.

Takeaway 03/31/2014

Tonight we met with our groups for our group video project and I'm excited by the prospects of where we can go with the video.  I think everyone was very helpful with giving each other ideas which was really nice to see.  I think our topic of internet safety is an important one, but it doesn't mean humor can't be used in our video!  We plan on directing it towards high school aged students, because they will be able to understand the humor and nuances of the video.  We already have several skits in mind, so we have to spend some time fine tuning our ideas. 

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 offers a lot of information about educational software.  I found the section on educational games to be the most interesting, due to the fact that video games are extremely popular and I think students could benefit greatly by playing these games.  I grew up playing video games.  While I loved being outside, when it got dark I would come inside and play video games for several hours.  Educational video games were not very commonplace back when I was young, but I can only imagine how involved I would have become if I had the opportunity to play a game that would help me with math, or science, or English.

If we as future teachers are honest with ourselves, we will realize that holding a student's attention can become quite difficult at times.  Students often have other things on their mind, and their attention my wander to things outside of the classroom.  However, I feel that if students had an opportunity during a portion of the school day to play an interactive game that helped them to learn a certain skill or set of skills, they would benefit from it greatly because their attention would be focused on the game.  They would actually be learning without feeling like they were putting in immense effort.

The game that we covered in class the other day offers a good example of this.  Students will spend a lot of time playing it and having fun, without realizing that they are increasing their knowledge or reasoning skills.  A lot of teaching has to do with how we present the information being learned.  As we know, a teacher who is enthusiastic and comes up with creative ways to teach their students will engage more of their students than a teacher who uses "chalk and talk."  Games take on the role of (but of course do not replace) an educator who uses fun and innovative ways of teaching.  I think the possibilities for this are nearly limitless, and the future will reveal where educational games progress to.

Questions:

1.  How can teachers persuade parents that a video game might actually be helping their child learn something?

2.  Who should be responsible for "vetting" a video game (i.e. making sure it is appropriate).  Can you foresee some parents having problems with video game content, such as killing monsters like we saw in the video game in class?

Takeaway message 03/24/2014

Tonight's class led to some very interesting discussions.  One particular topic was the videogame "minecraft."  Minecraft was touted by its creators as a game that is fun but which also helps kids learn.  What they weren't exactly clear on is, well, what does it help them learn?  We interviewed one of our classmate's siblings and they said that the game really doesn't help them learn all that much, but that it is certainly fun.  What is the role of these videogames in classrooms?  If they indeed are teaching our students, what is the limit on how much they should use or rely on them?  These are questions that will have to be examined and answered in the years to come.

Chapters 4 & 6

Chapter 4 explained many of the benefits, and obstacles, to implementing technology in the classroom.  I particularly appreciated the discussion of how technology can be used by teachers to make their classrooms more interactive and how they can extend the walls of their classroom.  For instance, the chapter mentions that homework is often an individual activity.  However, a teacher can make homework more interactive and collaborative by posting a discussion topic on the class website and having students respond to what they read, as well as having them respond to each other.  

I also liked the idea of technology enabling teachers to spend more time with their students and increasing the individuality of learning.  For instance, if a teacher has several computers in their room, the students can be divided up into groups where some students are engaged with the computers, some students are working individually, and some students are receiving small-group instruction from the teacher.  Students who may be lagging behind may find this approach very helpful and increase their competence in the classroom.  

Finally, the importance of teachers using technology for developing lesson plans, keeping attendance, keeping grades, and measuring progress in areas like homework cannot be overstated.  The use of these tools to help us, as teachers, keep better track of our students progress will not only save time, but decrease the likelihood that students will fall behind because of an oversight by the teacher.  

The increased interaction, cooperation, convenience, and attention to detail that technology gives us opens up many opportunities as educators and, perhaps even more importantly, helps our students learn better.

Chapter 6 was filled with exciting examples of interactive resources and technology based lessons and activities.  Of course, I paid special attention to the WebQuest, however there were a myriad of other useful tools presented in the chapter.  Student-to-expert communication sites, real-time and recorded data websites, and skill-practice websites offer very unique opportunities to students and teachers alike.  By using some of these sites, students can see how what they are learning in the classroom applies in the real world.  Additionally, the interactive component of all of these tools must be emphasized.  For instance, videoconferencing brings forth many possibilities for student interaction with people and places that would have previously been inaccessible.  Other interesting sites that offer unique activities such as the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives help students to further to connect with their subject.  

Essentially, the sheer amount of resources available to teachers and students is encouraging, despite sometimes being a bit overwhelming!

Questions:

1.  Do you think homework would have been less tedious for you if it enabled you to interact with peers?

2.  What are some online resources that you would like to use for your subject?

Takeaway message 03/17: Digital citizenship

Today's discussion was interesting because we explored a variety of topics regarding what it means to be a "digital citizen."  It is our responsibility as teachers to demonstrate to our students the importance of accurately analyzing information online, as well as using the internet responsibly (i.e. not using it for nefarious purposes such as bullying, stealing, etc). 

I was also very interested by our discussion about the differences between media in our country and other countries, where access is more restricted and citizens cannot reach information instantaneously like we can here. 

The digital world is indeed world unto itself, populated by faceless users who hold a lot of power in their fingertips.  It is very important to navigate it carefully, so as to enjoy all that it has to offer. 

Takeaway message 03/10

Wikipedia can be a good starting off point for basic research and cross-referencing.  Some of the pages are pretty reputable when compared to other more prestigious references, and some of them are lackluster.  In the classroom I think students should be able to use Wikipedia, but should not rely on it exclusively or put too much creedence in every article they read.  Students need to be taught how to recognize information that is potentially misleading, whether it is deliberate or not.  I would, of course, prefer my students to use more scholarly reputable websites managed by universities or the governemtn (e.g. nyu.edu or library of congress).  This way, they can be more assured that the information is more accurate.

Chapter 5 is replete with concepts and examples that demonstrate how valuable, but also how tricky, the internet can be for students.  As the author states, in 2011 there were 14.71 billion web pages.  The sheer vastness of how much information is present on the internet is nearly unfathomable, which is why the authors did well to compare it to the Library of Congress.  So with all of this information literally at our fingertips, how can we ensure that our students are choosing information that is valuable and useful, and not "misinformation, malinformation, messed-up information, or mostly useless information?"  How can we help our students navigate the ocean-like vastness that is the internet?

To start, students need to understand that not all information that is retrieved from the internet is reliable. Students need to understand, with our help, that information searched for on Google will produce some valuable sites, but will also produce some sites that are not applicable to what they are learning and may even be detrimental to their learning.   This is why the author recommends using government databases, websites that provide research articles from scholarly sources, and reputable online encyclopedias as methods of finding reliable information. Students need to be able to determine the accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage of a website on their own.  For instance, if a student does a search for the civil war, and a site comes up that is run by a radical political group, they need to be able to determine that that may not be the best representation of that information.  Instead, they should cross-reference information on sites from universities or government institutions who have a vested interest in providing reliable information.  This is why digital literacy is so important:  much like students need to be able to read a book and choose valuable information, they need to also be able to use the internet and find sources for valuable information.

As citizens that are using the internet, there are expectations that we should have of our students. Namely, they should be responsible in their use of the internet and not use it as a tool for tormenting others, spreading malicious information, and plagiarizing.  There are indeed ethics for using the internet, just like there are ethics in how we are supposed to behave in larger society.  This is a point that I feel needs to be emphasized in the classroom.

I found David Jonassen's article to be a valuable source of information.  Particularly the section on problem manipulation, which posits that students need to be able to experiment with and manipulate information in order to learn.  That is, they should produce something or make decisions that actually result in taking ownership of a problem.  Generating hypotheses and arguing for them in a coherent manner are examples of active learning, rather than passive absorption of information.

Two questions arose from my reading:

1.  How can we let students know that the internet can be an empowering tool when it is used correctly, and can be a damaging tool when used for negative purposes like cyberbullying without them turning a deaf ear?

2.  I believe it is also important  to emphasize the fact that text books and books in general are still valuable tools for learning despite the amount of information on the internet.  Do you agree?

Take away message 02/24

I have to say that I am impressed by the videos that we saw tonight.  If anyone ever doubted that teenagers are capable of intelligently, and even eloquently, expressing themselves through media they are mistaken.  Creativity often requires a medium through which it can be demonstrated, and allowing students to come up with projects that express their opinions and ideas can yield excellent results.  The enthusiasm in the videos really came through, and it was obvious that they took pride in their videos judging by the way they were edited, their choices in music, etc.  Hopefully I'll be able to make something that, if I were to show it in my classroom, would generate interest among my students. 

WebQuest Idea

Students in my 9th grade living environment class will research Watson and Crick's discovery of DNA and detail how it changed science and our world in general.


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant togrades 9–10 texts and topics.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.5 Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).

Chapter 2 & 3 Reflection

I found Chapter 2 to be especially valuable because it seemed to emphasize some student centered approaches that I will be able to use in my classroom.  For instance, the 'active methods to engage students' section highlights ideas such as forming learning groups, using inquiry learning, and using the concept of metacognitive thinking so that students can use self-explanation and self-examination.  All of these things can be significantly augmented by using technology in the classroom in my opinion.

Some of the student centered approaches almost seem tailor made to use with technology.  For instance, students can utilize the unparalleled access to information that the internet provides them to do collaborative inquiry learning projects or web quests. Or how about tapping into your students' creativity by having them create an animation on a topic of interest to them that has to do with your course?  Allowing students to discover for themselves what interests them and simultaneously allowing them to express their creativity regarding these interests is perhaps the greatest use for technology in the classroom.

Chapter 3 discusses the ever important topic of lesson planning and development.  Teachers cannot enter the classroom and teach off-the-cuff, they need a solid plan that encompasses all of the concepts they want their students to learn.  However, the interesting thing that caught my eye in chapter 3 was not only how to plan lessons, but how to measure student progress using technology.  I think an excellent way to do this is portfolios or exhibitions.  Students can then see themselves how much they have progressed instead of just receiving a letter grade.

Two questions come to mind after finishing these readings.

1.  Do you think that computer based testing is the future of testing?  That is, will students one day take tests on computers that provide them with immediate feedback on their knowledge level?  How would this hinder or help teachers in a traditional classroom environment?

2.  How do you foresee yourself using technology to plan lessons?

Takeaway message 2 10

Today I learned that applying technology to the classroom can augment a teacher's ability to reach his or her students.  The number of applications that are available allow teachers to not simply use technology as a time filler or a crutch, but as valuable learning tools.  Interaction among students can actually be strengthened instead of stifled through the use of technology.  Being technologically savvy is only going to help students in their future endeavors, which is an additional reason to implement technology in the classroom.  Creativity is often missing from the classroom.  Absorbing and repeating information is all too often the mode of instruction.  Creativity is a vital quality to have, and fostering this quality in your students through the use of technology will generate positive results. 

An introductory post on technology and learning.

Technological changes in our society have rapidly advanced our ability to create, store, retrieve, and disseminate information.  The impact of technology in education cannot be understated.  When reading the first chapter, I came to realize how multidimensional teaching with technology can be, and how I would like to use it in my classroom.

Specifically, the chapter mentions a variety of ways to use technology both inside and outside the classroom.  As a biology teacher, I feel animations and videos can be extremely helpful in facilitating the learning of complex concepts, such as the transcription and translation of DNA.  I may very well set up a blog such as this one just for my students so that they can browse helpful animations and videos. As the chapter discusses, students learn in different ways, and technology can appeal to a variety of learning styles.  Additionally, with the widespread use of social media by many students, use of twitter to post assignments or discussions can be an exciting and different way for learning to occur.  

From a practical standpoint, technology is a reality in our every day lives that cannot be avoided. Students need to, for their future careers, and for their future lives in general, learn how to use technology.  As chapter 1 states, however, some students do not have as much access to technology as others.  For this reason, it is important for teachers to help students during learn how to use technology during class time.  This may seem like it will interfere with a lesson, however it is of vital importance, and combining technology with subject learning will maximize efficiency.  

In conclusion, I feel that the use of technology as a learning tool is of paramount importance.  I want to be an "early adopter" of technology so that I can present new concepts and techniques to my students when they are first available.  I don't want them to lag behind in the world of technology, in other words.  I hope to reach as many students as possible, no matter what their preferred learning modality, with exciting lessons that give them a sense of accomplishment.  Technology is an excellent way to accomplish this goal.

Question 1.

How can we help students from low-income households/neighborhoods to access technology outside of the classroom?

Question 2.

How can we help students stay on task while using technology?  There are myriad distractions at the waiting when they go online, particularly outside of the classroom.  Is this an obstacle that anyone has faced?

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