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?