Shein, Esther (October 2008). Making History. The Journal, Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23394
This article is about one teacher from a school in Pennsylvania using the technology of today to teach about the history of yesterday. She integrated the use of podcasts and other audio files to teach her students about WWII. The teacher gave her students days to utilize sources from the internet, library, and other outlets to create a newscast (or ‘oldcast’, as she called it), about events that actually took place in the past. Each group of students would play different roles reporting the information. She would implement these podcast lessons near the end of the school year so that while the students were worried about tests and finals in their other classes, in hers they could be creative and use different outlets to express themselves. This idea has encouraged other teachers to think outside the textbook and utilize new technological advancements that can help make learning fun again.
How effective will the use of technology in classrooms be?
What is so great about the advancements in technology being used in the classrooms are that teachers don’t have to strictly teach by the text book anymore, and can be creative themselves. Using podcasts, the internet, powerpoints, or other tools allows students to take control of their own products, progress and creativity.
How can technology in the classrooms help the classroom community?
By working together for podcasts and in groups for many of these assignments, students can learn from each other as well as individually, and grow as a community.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Journal # 9
Reynard, Ruth (October 2008). Avoiding the 5 most common mistakes in using bogs with Students. The Journal, Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23434
The article is simply about how to use blogs in the classroom environment, and five rules on how they can be ineffective. The five rules are 1) ineffective contextualization. The writer of the article stresses the importance of clear and concise context within which the blog is being used. If it isn’t clear for the students, then they will find the idea confusing and ultimately reject the idea of the blog. The second rule is unclear learning outcomes, which the writer describes as if the teacher is unclear as to what the outcome of the process will be, then the potential of the blog tool may not be maximized. The numbero three rule is misuse of the environment: the writer describes what blogs are NOT, reaffirming that they are self-posts from individual students, and if the teacher or student forgets the intended goal, then all hope is lost. The fourth rule is illusive grading practices, which the writer adds that blog grading rubrics should be very clear, because blogs aren’t as simple to grade as a test. There aren’t always correct or incorrect answers when grading a blog, so the write says to be clear of what you want as a teacher. The final fifth rule is inadequate time allocation, which the writer means as giving the students enough time! Let them maximize the use of their blog, and since it is a self-post, to give them weeks, months, or even the whole semester.
How would a blog help the classroom community?
A blog would help the classroom unite by allowing fellow students to log on to their friend’s blogs, make comments, and read what each other has to say. This would form an online network of the classroom, allowing students to interact outside the classroom.
Are there any other negatives of blogs in a classroom?
Some of the negative could be cyber-bullying and simply writing inappropriate things about other people, but nothing that wouldn’t be said or written if it was in the classroom.
The article is simply about how to use blogs in the classroom environment, and five rules on how they can be ineffective. The five rules are 1) ineffective contextualization. The writer of the article stresses the importance of clear and concise context within which the blog is being used. If it isn’t clear for the students, then they will find the idea confusing and ultimately reject the idea of the blog. The second rule is unclear learning outcomes, which the writer describes as if the teacher is unclear as to what the outcome of the process will be, then the potential of the blog tool may not be maximized. The numbero three rule is misuse of the environment: the writer describes what blogs are NOT, reaffirming that they are self-posts from individual students, and if the teacher or student forgets the intended goal, then all hope is lost. The fourth rule is illusive grading practices, which the writer adds that blog grading rubrics should be very clear, because blogs aren’t as simple to grade as a test. There aren’t always correct or incorrect answers when grading a blog, so the write says to be clear of what you want as a teacher. The final fifth rule is inadequate time allocation, which the writer means as giving the students enough time! Let them maximize the use of their blog, and since it is a self-post, to give them weeks, months, or even the whole semester.
How would a blog help the classroom community?
A blog would help the classroom unite by allowing fellow students to log on to their friend’s blogs, make comments, and read what each other has to say. This would form an online network of the classroom, allowing students to interact outside the classroom.
Are there any other negatives of blogs in a classroom?
Some of the negative could be cyber-bullying and simply writing inappropriate things about other people, but nothing that wouldn’t be said or written if it was in the classroom.
Journal #8
Curtis, Diane (2002, October, 1). A '"fantastic super" use of technology: Closing the digital divide. Edutopia, Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://www.edutopia.org/fantastic-super-use-technology
The “Fantastic super” article I read was about how Mary Scroggs Elementary School is implementing tons of new technology into its classrooms and curriculum. The article described plenty of technological tools that the school uses and that it was able to afford them due to a grant. Some of the tech-tools are using the Internet, wireless laptops, computers in every classroom, Inspiration and HyperStudio, all in a kindergarten through 5th grade setting. One way the technology is helping is by getting parents involved. The school has a web page for every classroom so that teachers can make daily or weekly newsletters, informing student’s parents of what exactly is happening in the school. Also, the school stresses the use of email, but not just between teachers, peers, and the principal, but with parents as well. By using emails, it allows an informal setting for teachers and parents to communicate about anything from how well their student is doing in the class to what the curriculum might be in the next coming months.
What would be the pros and cons of a classroom web page?
I think the biggest pros are keeping kids and parents informed. Parents can check on curriculum and their kid’s grades, and also keep the teachers accountable. I think a con may be if you get an overly aggressive parent, they may be too controlling and the web page would be an outlet for them to use against the teacher.
What would be the most fun kind of technology used in the classroom?
I think the most fun would be the quizzes/polls on a classroom blog. Although they would not necessarily be used for teaching something, they would serve the classroom community better, so that every student has a chance at being involved and voicing their own opinion.
The “Fantastic super” article I read was about how Mary Scroggs Elementary School is implementing tons of new technology into its classrooms and curriculum. The article described plenty of technological tools that the school uses and that it was able to afford them due to a grant. Some of the tech-tools are using the Internet, wireless laptops, computers in every classroom, Inspiration and HyperStudio, all in a kindergarten through 5th grade setting. One way the technology is helping is by getting parents involved. The school has a web page for every classroom so that teachers can make daily or weekly newsletters, informing student’s parents of what exactly is happening in the school. Also, the school stresses the use of email, but not just between teachers, peers, and the principal, but with parents as well. By using emails, it allows an informal setting for teachers and parents to communicate about anything from how well their student is doing in the class to what the curriculum might be in the next coming months.
What would be the pros and cons of a classroom web page?
I think the biggest pros are keeping kids and parents informed. Parents can check on curriculum and their kid’s grades, and also keep the teachers accountable. I think a con may be if you get an overly aggressive parent, they may be too controlling and the web page would be an outlet for them to use against the teacher.
What would be the most fun kind of technology used in the classroom?
I think the most fun would be the quizzes/polls on a classroom blog. Although they would not necessarily be used for teaching something, they would serve the classroom community better, so that every student has a chance at being involved and voicing their own opinion.
Journal # 7: Gooooogle Earth
Google Earth is the coolest thing to happen to cartography since they found out the earth was round! It is such an interesting tool that you could get lost for hours in. What Google Earth is, is a program that lets you explore the entire globe in a 3 dimensional way. You can use your mouse to view the entire globe, then zoom in and out of the maps and take closer looks at the earth from a view as if you were a bird! The photos come from an actual satellite camera, so it’s the real deal! The discussion I read was about using Google Earth to teach math in middle school classrooms. The person posting talks about how they used place marks, created paths, and measured with the rulers on Google Earth in order to teach mathematic skills. They talked about measuring someone’s house to a famous city, like Paris, and figuring out how many miles it was. Also, the poster writes about how Google Earth can be implemented to teach geography (obviously) and even branched off on more creative lessons where their 8th grade students played the role of the Coast Guard and had to conduct search and rescue operations! It wasn’t just geography, but science, because the teacher gave them wind conditions, ocean currents, and other parameters to devise a search plan. The students are learning without it seeming boring, and the teachers continue to be more and more creative!
Journal #6
Inspiration
1. I did not like inspiration! I’m sorry, but I found it confusing, and wasn’t sure as to what the purpose of this spider-webbed cluster was for. I found the program to be easy to use, but don’t see why it wouldn’t be easier to simply write everything on a piece of paper, rather than draggin and clicking, typing and scrolling. I didn’t like it.
2. How could I incorporate this software into my classroom? I guess by showing what a digital brainstorm would look like, as opposed to a messy one drawn by hand. I guess I could see young students using inspiration to write out their ideas, though I reaffirm it would be easier on a piece of paper.
3. I did not use the Atomic Learning, but instead learned from trial and error (and believe me, there were a lot of errors!). I messed up a lot, but learned from my mistakes, and in the end, I basically understood how to use the program. It isn’t a difficult program to learn exactly, after you get over the question of what you’re using it for (which I still don’t really understand what the point of inspiration is for).
iMovie
1. At first I was very apprehensive at the thought of using iMovie. I was never very good with techno-tools or other widgets, gadgets, or whatever you wanna call them. But once I spent a few minutes exploring the iMovie features, I found it was actually very easy to use! And once I quickly realized that it wasn’t just simple, but fun, I was eager to experiment and learn more about it. I think it is a very beneficial and fun way for teachers to teach and students to learn, and I think students would love it just as much as the teachers!
2. I think it would be easy to incorporate the iMovie feature into the classroom to make mini-documentaries, lesson plans, or just teach a specific topic in a fun way. I was always making movies with my friends when I was younger, and I think as a teacher utilizing the iMovie feature would be another outlet for creative teaching.
3. I learned how to use the program of iMovie first off from listening to the instructor, Jeff. But after his demonstration, he let us experiment, which is the best way to learn! I simply began clicking here and there and seeing what different buttons would do. I learned pretty quickly the basics, though if I wanted to become an expert I think I’d need a more in-depth tutorial. But Apple does make iMovie so easy so that anyone, from teacher to student, can learn quickly ad thoroughly.
1. I did not like inspiration! I’m sorry, but I found it confusing, and wasn’t sure as to what the purpose of this spider-webbed cluster was for. I found the program to be easy to use, but don’t see why it wouldn’t be easier to simply write everything on a piece of paper, rather than draggin and clicking, typing and scrolling. I didn’t like it.
2. How could I incorporate this software into my classroom? I guess by showing what a digital brainstorm would look like, as opposed to a messy one drawn by hand. I guess I could see young students using inspiration to write out their ideas, though I reaffirm it would be easier on a piece of paper.
3. I did not use the Atomic Learning, but instead learned from trial and error (and believe me, there were a lot of errors!). I messed up a lot, but learned from my mistakes, and in the end, I basically understood how to use the program. It isn’t a difficult program to learn exactly, after you get over the question of what you’re using it for (which I still don’t really understand what the point of inspiration is for).
iMovie
1. At first I was very apprehensive at the thought of using iMovie. I was never very good with techno-tools or other widgets, gadgets, or whatever you wanna call them. But once I spent a few minutes exploring the iMovie features, I found it was actually very easy to use! And once I quickly realized that it wasn’t just simple, but fun, I was eager to experiment and learn more about it. I think it is a very beneficial and fun way for teachers to teach and students to learn, and I think students would love it just as much as the teachers!
2. I think it would be easy to incorporate the iMovie feature into the classroom to make mini-documentaries, lesson plans, or just teach a specific topic in a fun way. I was always making movies with my friends when I was younger, and I think as a teacher utilizing the iMovie feature would be another outlet for creative teaching.
3. I learned how to use the program of iMovie first off from listening to the instructor, Jeff. But after his demonstration, he let us experiment, which is the best way to learn! I simply began clicking here and there and seeing what different buttons would do. I learned pretty quickly the basics, though if I wanted to become an expert I think I’d need a more in-depth tutorial. But Apple does make iMovie so easy so that anyone, from teacher to student, can learn quickly ad thoroughly.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Journal # THREE
Greenhow, C (2008). Who are today's learners?. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved October 8, 2008
This article focuses on knowing what kinds of technologies many students today are proficient with, addressing the notion that as educators, we need to know this information in order to efficiently teach them via these technologies. Our society stresses the idea that so many young people these days are techno-savvy, despite being from low-income or rural homes. Many studies done found that no matter the background, most young students use computers around the same amount of time, which is potentially intimidating to educators, who do not always keep up with the wave of technology. Also, since so many students use computers outside the classroom, they feel that it should be implement inside the classroom as well, with more interactive and digital curriculum.
How could you implement technologies that the students already know (such as Powerpoint) with technologies with students don’t necessarily know (such as web page creation)?
I would hope that either the teacher becomes proficient in the techno-education in order to implement new techno-teaching tools into the classroom. Or have some sort of tech support expert come into the classroom once every few months in order to help educate the students on new tools like web page design.
How would you approach the student recommendations of “engage us” and “prepare us”?
I would have a very open-door policy as learners, teaching new tools such as web page design in an environment where we can all learn together. As a teacher, I would address to the class in a professional way that I wasn’t necessarily proficient in some of the technological tools we’d all be attempting to learn together, with myself asking questions to certain students who understood it better, and vice versa.
This article focuses on knowing what kinds of technologies many students today are proficient with, addressing the notion that as educators, we need to know this information in order to efficiently teach them via these technologies. Our society stresses the idea that so many young people these days are techno-savvy, despite being from low-income or rural homes. Many studies done found that no matter the background, most young students use computers around the same amount of time, which is potentially intimidating to educators, who do not always keep up with the wave of technology. Also, since so many students use computers outside the classroom, they feel that it should be implement inside the classroom as well, with more interactive and digital curriculum.
How could you implement technologies that the students already know (such as Powerpoint) with technologies with students don’t necessarily know (such as web page creation)?
I would hope that either the teacher becomes proficient in the techno-education in order to implement new techno-teaching tools into the classroom. Or have some sort of tech support expert come into the classroom once every few months in order to help educate the students on new tools like web page design.
How would you approach the student recommendations of “engage us” and “prepare us”?
I would have a very open-door policy as learners, teaching new tools such as web page design in an environment where we can all learn together. As a teacher, I would address to the class in a professional way that I wasn’t necessarily proficient in some of the technological tools we’d all be attempting to learn together, with myself asking questions to certain students who understood it better, and vice versa.
Journal # TWO
Groff, J, & Haas, J (2008). Web 2.0: Today's Technology, Tomorrow's Learning. Learning & Leading with Technology , Retrieved October 8, 2008, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3620082009/SeptemberOctoberNo2/36212g.pdf.
This article first addresses the prominence of social networking sights for younger children, mainly under 18. The writers talk about facebook, Second Life, and World of Warcraft as ways for young people to communicate on the internet, and suggests for teachers to implement that style of teaching into the classroom, such as more private social networking sights, such as Ning. Teachers can exclusively invite only their classroom into their Ning online clubs, allowing for more cohesive classroom communication, inside and outside the school walls. The article also suggests digital simulations that the students can participate in, such as StarLogo: The Next Generation can simulate experiences such as forest fires or exploring the human circulatory system with the help of this free program, built by students at MIT. Though many of these technological tools come in handy with educators, there are problems, or “bumps in the road”, such as the obvious fact that many schools can’t afford these types of advanced resources. Another snag, is the lack of knowledge that many teachers have towards technology, not clearly understanding many of the advancements made in recent years. And with technology moving so much faster these days, with a teacher attempting to teach a class while having hang-ups on technical problems, the students with their hands on knowledge of this material first hand, may inevitably end up teaching the teachers.
Question 1: With the apparent threat of online predators, how would certain social networking sites such as Facebook or Ning protect from innocent students?
As you would tell any young person who freely surfs the internet, just reiterate the threat of strangers on the web. Most social networking sites now offer settings where you can create private and exclusive clubs, without the dangers of strangers attempting to interact with students. Also as you would say to any student in any situation, just say no to strangers!
Question 2: How would you “combat” elder teacher’s lack of knowledge with technology, so that they could utilize these advanced tools to further effect their beneficial teaching?
Seminars and lectures would need to be held for some of the not-so-tech-savvy educators to gain them up to speed in order for them to implement these tools in their classrooms. Also I would have tech support on hand with any questions in the school.
This article first addresses the prominence of social networking sights for younger children, mainly under 18. The writers talk about facebook, Second Life, and World of Warcraft as ways for young people to communicate on the internet, and suggests for teachers to implement that style of teaching into the classroom, such as more private social networking sights, such as Ning. Teachers can exclusively invite only their classroom into their Ning online clubs, allowing for more cohesive classroom communication, inside and outside the school walls. The article also suggests digital simulations that the students can participate in, such as StarLogo: The Next Generation can simulate experiences such as forest fires or exploring the human circulatory system with the help of this free program, built by students at MIT. Though many of these technological tools come in handy with educators, there are problems, or “bumps in the road”, such as the obvious fact that many schools can’t afford these types of advanced resources. Another snag, is the lack of knowledge that many teachers have towards technology, not clearly understanding many of the advancements made in recent years. And with technology moving so much faster these days, with a teacher attempting to teach a class while having hang-ups on technical problems, the students with their hands on knowledge of this material first hand, may inevitably end up teaching the teachers.
Question 1: With the apparent threat of online predators, how would certain social networking sites such as Facebook or Ning protect from innocent students?
As you would tell any young person who freely surfs the internet, just reiterate the threat of strangers on the web. Most social networking sites now offer settings where you can create private and exclusive clubs, without the dangers of strangers attempting to interact with students. Also as you would say to any student in any situation, just say no to strangers!
Question 2: How would you “combat” elder teacher’s lack of knowledge with technology, so that they could utilize these advanced tools to further effect their beneficial teaching?
Seminars and lectures would need to be held for some of the not-so-tech-savvy educators to gain them up to speed in order for them to implement these tools in their classrooms. Also I would have tech support on hand with any questions in the school.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Introducing.... Paul Wysocki
I am Paul Wysocki, and I'm currently a super senior here at Cal State San Marcos. For those of you who don't know what a super senior is, then I shall explain: I've just begun my 2nd year as a senior, and my 6th year as a college student (I started at Palomar Community College my senior year of high school). I've lived in Oceanside for the last 18 years, spending most of those years in the Oceanside school district in elementary school, Jr. High, and High School. After that I went to Palomar for a whopping three years, then transfered to CSUSM where I've been for the last 3 years.
My entire family has been a "Macintosh" family since as long as I can remember, though beyond using the internet and opening new files, my computer expertise is proficiently lacking. I do use the computer everyday, though usually just to go on facebook, check the news, write about the news on facebook, and then check the news again. Besides being able to go online, which is a highly impressive skill in of itself, I'm somewhat of an old-timer when it comes to technology: I refuse to use online banking and still prefer to physically go to the bank instead, it takes me hours to make any sort of powerpoint presentations, and I still get so frustrated at Microsoft Word that I scream profanities that no schoolchildren should hear. Though I am prone to purchase plenty of random items on Amazon.com whenever I get the urge. I don't know what type of Microsoft Office I use most. Sorry.
After having read the COE Mission Statement, I think something that jumped out at me was "life-long learning", mostly due to only being 22 years old, and having spent almost my entire life learning in a public school system. But besides being in school or not, we as people are always and will always learn something new. An obvious reference right now would be to quote the old cliche "You learn something new everyday". This is true because no matter how old we are, and whether we're still in school or not, we're always learning. We learn from anyone and everyone, anything and everything, from our teachers, our peers, and our family. Oh, and television.
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