11-18-10 Exit Post

Today in class the presenters focused on the last chapter in the Rethinking Education book. The group used the jigsaw method of discussion so we each got to meet and discuss with different people. I liked the way that the group divide out the class with the colors and shapes of cut outs. Professor Boyer went over how a Smartboard is a brand name for an interactive whiteboard and how an ELMO is a specific brand of document camera. We went over again how important it is to avoid saying “um” in presentations. When I looked at my screencast evaluation it was mentioned that used an “um.” We talked about the three R’s of Education which are: relevence, rigor, and relationships. Professor Boyer stressed that simply using technology in a classroom is not enough. It is the way that the technology is used to aid the teacher and engaging students. We then searched for media items that apply to a grade level or content area and post them on our delicious account.  The purpose of this assignment was so we all saw how simple it was to find specific materials that we can use in our classroom.

11-11-10 Exit Post

                Today in class the group presenting discussed Chapter 9 from Rethinking Education. I was excited when we were going to use Scriblink to talk about our questions. I had mine all ready but others computers were not working with the programs so we had to just verbally discuss. Professor Boyer gave the class the opportunity to use part of the class period to get things done. I thought this was great and it came at the right time. With all of the projects and assignments being due within the next few weeks I was glad to have the opportunity to complete things that I would have had to focus on after class. In this worktime I was able to get my podcast reflection completed and my exit post for the day. I think we should have worktime more often in this class!

Contemporary Issues Podcast Reflection

                When creating the contemporary issues podcast this week I feel as though I produced the best podcast to my capabilities. The most difficult part of the process for me was creating a script and editing the podcast using Audacity. It turns out that I downloaded the wrong application for converting the Audacity file to the mp3 file, so I wasted lots of time trying to figure that out. I also experienced difficulty finding an appropriate sound effect that I was able to include into the presentation. Using the plug-in microphone with my computer was difficult at first with changing sound settings. During this project I realized that my computer does not function well with certain technologies. If I am going to produce more podcasts, screencasts, iRLO’s, etc. I should invest in a higher quality computer.

                Podcasts would effective in the classroom especially with students who own iPods or mp3 devices. I would use these with an older audience because as an elementary educator I do not plan on giving many lectures that would be recorded as a podcast. I do think that podcasts are a useful tool for educators because of easy access to current topics discussed. And they are free! I looked on iTunes at podcasts that are available and there are thousands of options and types. Being able to listen to a podcast when working out for example would be a way to get multiple things done at once.

Rethinking Education Chapter 10 Reflection

The last chapter in Rethinking Education focused on its title name. The chapter provided conclusions and things to think about after reading this book. The author claims that technology is leveling out the playing field as far as careers as concerned on the first page of the chapter. I would agree more with this statement if it was the case that everyone had access to all the same technology and could all afford it. This not being the case, I would not claim that we are all going to be at the same level anytime soon. I thought the book did do a sufficient job pointing out that educators need to reconsider the learning process. If all different kinds of beneficial technological tools are available for us as teachers, why are we ignoring that? I do not think that there is any excuse why educators are not incorporating more technology into the classroom. I would recommend this book to any of my future colleagues who are stubborn to changing their methods of instruction.  The whole life-long learning concept brought up numerous times in this book is something that we as teachers also need to consider.  How are we preparing our students for the real world? I was glad that the book also mentioned that technology has been a tool that some people are using to escape from poverty. I am thrilled about this advancement because it means this will hopefully help some of my future student’s have a better life provided for them.

                Under the “Rethinking Motivation” section in the last chapter, some disturbing statistics were brought to attention. 50% of high school students are bored in their everyday classes. I have to admit that I was part of the half that was bored in class. The majority of my teachers in high school were older and I think had more traditional ways of how they thought students should be educated. Thinking back, my teachers that were more engaging were my business and marketing teachers, whose classes were held in computer labs. Also with this study I think that high school students especially feel as though they can’t take enjoyment in their classes because that is not socially acceptable. By using not just technology but other creative teaching methods, we can increase the level of interest in our classrooms. I loved the idea of including fantasy sports in math class because that is something many students participate in and do in their own time anyways.

                An important thing for educators to think about is that with technology, the level of challenge is set to the individual. It is impossible for one teacher in a classroom of 25+ students to address every student’s level of capability. By giving them each a level to work at that challenges the individual, no student will be bored because of being under stimulated.  

Rethinking Education Chapter 9 Reflection

                Chapter 9 was a relatively short chapter that focuses on the meaning of everything presented in the book thus far. In the beginning of the chapter the author mentions the use of video games and how as teachers we should keep up with what student’s are doing outside of the classroom. A large issue with integrating video game play into a classroom would be the argument about how children become violent and are wasting their time. In response to this, there are many alternative games to play that are not violent. Some games may be violent, but are suited to teach about historical events and wars. The game called Making History which is a WWII strategy game. The game comes with a curriculum, supporting materials and tools that allow teachers to customize the game to their lesson plans. I would definitely consider using this video game in my classroom, but I would want to of course play the game first. Another thing I would check for when bringing a video game into the classroom is its appeal to both sexes. If a game is important enough to bring into the classroom, it should be a learning experience for everyone.

                The book brings up the point about how parents express concern that their children are not spending time reading books. This is something that I hope to address in my future classroom. I love books and love to read, so I admit that with this topic I may be a little biased because of that fact. I strongly believe that reading is something that should be done by students on a daily basis. I am uneasy about allowing students to use video games for reading practice because although most games do include text, most include audible directions so students are not even paying attention to what the text says. I would be more comfortable providing a broad range of books that would appeal to any interests, or be willing to suggest books that students may be interested in.  When playing video games the focus is on progress made in the game rather than reading skills. If a video game was designed for the sole purpose for students to engage in reading I would be more willing to integrate it into my classroom.

                A third point I would like to address from the chapter is the topic of budgets being cut. With all the funding for schools on the decrease it will be more difficult to bring the best technology into the classroom. I will apply for any grants that I can, but there are only so many grants available to apply for. I am optimistic that funding will be able to be raised in order to bring more effective teaching practices into place for our future generations.

Chapter 10 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts

                The final chapter of blogs, wikis, and podcasts sums up everything that was said throughout the book. I thought the point made on the first page of the chapter about how collaborative technology is being used in the vast majority of jobs so why not expose our students to similar technology? I plan on introducing these different forms of technology to my students so that they are comfortable using it and can figure out how it works. The chapter also talks about the “Big Shifts.” The first shift rang true to some of my experiences in school about how students had limited access to more information about what they were discussing in class. In elementary school if I found something to be interesting and I wanted to read more about it I had to go to the library and look up information in the card catalog. I did not have the time during or after school to tediously go over all the cards that I could dig up related to the information I was looking for. This is an enormously positive change that technology has brought us. Now when I see a topic that interests me I can look it up by simply typing the subject in on Google and have thousands of results at my fingertips in a matter of seconds. The second shift intrigued me as a future educator. The thought of interacting with other figures that children may be studying is just fascinating to me. In my classroom I would love to talk to an author of a book we are reading in my class and let the children ask questions. What an opportunity! Including the third shift in with this idea, having students receive input from other people in the world and not just their teachers would be incredibly valuable. In the past student work has seemed to be for the teacher’s eyes only, but now with the chance of having work put on the internet student’s will likely take more pride in their work. Big Shift number 6 brings up the point about reading on the internet. The author points out the fact that readers are unable to assume that all the information they are receiving is correct. I am unsure if this is a positive or negative.  Should students have to wonder whether the information they are reading is correct? The eighth Big Shift is a bit controversial for me. It involves the forms that writing can take. I agree that writing is now able to take different forms, but in my classroom I will include some of those new forms along with “old-fashion” writing skills. Writing is essential to a student’s future! Even if a student is using audio and video to write, the basic skills are still necessary.

                Near the end of the chapter it is mentioned that educators need to become skilled with these tools if they are requiring their students to use them. I know that when including different forms of technology in my classroom I would master the tool before introducing it to my students so that I would be more capable of dealing with any issues that may arise. It goes back to the saying “practice what you preach.”

11-4-10 Exit Post

Today in class the class group presented the last chapter. Something Professor Boyer stressed about the presentation is that when dividing groups it is important to assign what groups should discuss before groups gather. Expectations should come first followed by dividing into groups. Another thing to keep in mind is the sizes of groups in order to provide opportunities for everyone to participate in the discussions.

After the presentation we read an article from Professor Boyer’s Twitter account. The article discussed a charter school that has no designated classes and surprisingly functions without teachers. I am worried about this type of schooling because that means that I will be out of a job in the future.  Looking past the fact that this could potentially limit my opportunities for employment, I think this idea is well thought out and is obviously successful. I think that the school day should not be 100% on computers. Students need to have hands on activities and physical movement during their school day. The health of America’s youth seems to be declining rapidly and if in school students are only sitting on computers for their entire school day this would increase the severity of health issues.

We talked about Scratch and how we need to improve our iRLO for our final products. Professor Boyer went over common problems that he saw in everyone’s iRLO. We discussed how long the text on the screen should be visible, and it should be visible for the time it takes you to read through it twice. We discussed how our peers are a great resource to use. If we see something we think is neat and would like to add into our iRLO we should download their project and see how they did it, or just ask them.

I was glad that we talked about our technology inquiry wiki in class because there are lots of things that I realize I need to work on and improve.  I need to add more to my annotations when describing what the source is focused on and why it is applicable to my wiki. Of all the projects so far this technology wiki is becoming my least favorite.

Rethinking Education Chapter 8 Reflection

In Chapter 8 of Rethinking Education the chapter determined three categories that are driving the technological revolution in schools. They are: customization, interaction, and learner control. The chapter talked about how progress is usually measured by standardized tests. I was also surprised that teachers can “game” the system and cause results without making a difference in student learning. I am uneasy about this and the fact that teachers would actually consider doing this. “…Schools need to embody more individual support and choice in how and what students learn.” This statement causes many concerns with my view of teaching. I do believe that students should have some control over what they are able to learn about, but if we give too much power over to the students how do we know that we are helping children become well-rounded with knowledge in more than one subject? If students are allowed to choose what they want to learn, those who dislike reading or math would likely not choose to learn further about those subjects. I do not think that is an acceptable approach to learning. Another statement the book makes in this chapter bothered me. “Kids today spend over 6 hours per day interacting with television, video games, the Internet, instant messaging, email, and other media. This is more time than they spend in school or with friends, and almost as much time as they spend sleeping.” I thought this statement was NOT supporting technology being integrated into schools. If students are already spending that much time using different forms of media, then why should we encourage that they use more? If anything that statement would convince me to incorporate less technology into my students learning than more because of all the time they already spend using it.

                A credentialing system was also discussed in this chapter and would be divided into three categories: academic, generic, and technical skills. I think that this system would help for focusing on skills required for certain career plans, but most middle school and high school students are still in the process of finding what they want to do with the rest of their lives. High school is already stressful enough and throwing in job training certifications may be too much. If this was more of an option rather than a requirement I think it would be successful and is overall a great idea.

                Under the new curriculum design section the authors bring up the point of self paced learning. They propose the fact that some students may attend college at age 15 or 16. I think there are many different things to consider when looking at this prospect. On one hand this would allow students that are more advanced to move at their own pace, rather than being bored and stuck in one grade for a year. Alternatively, should students as young as 15 be exposed to the college environment? There are multiple pros and cons to all of these issues and it’s difficult to make the decisions that will be the best for all students.