9-30-10 Exit Post

In class when discussing the technology skeptic’s argument we split into groups according to our beliefs about technology use in education. Professor Boyer again went over how we should “tell what you’re going to tell us, tell us, tell us what you told us.” I thought the group did well presenting equally and giving us their own opinions along with the information being presented. I am not a big fan of us splitting into the three groups because I personally like to hear everyone’s opinion and I don’t like to affiliate with one group over another. I felt uncomfortable when there was a disagreement when a student became offended by a statement made by a presenter. In the classroom teachers need to be cautious about how they phrase things in order to avoid conflict and allow students to have their own ideas. The quotes in the chapter were discussed and how parallel the school’s arguments back in the early 1900’s are the same arguments  being used against technology present day. We also discussed student to student interaction versus teacher facilitated discussion. How can we encourage the student to student discussion? We can build on each other’s input and add things to it. I wasn’t a big fan of discussing everyone’s question in front of the entire class because it made me uncomfortable to be put on the spot. Professor Boyer mentioned that I should narrow my focus from learning disabilities to a more specific issue, so I chose to focus on students with ADD and ADHD in the elementary grades. We discussed making interactive lesson plans which I think will be fun and a valuable experience to learn as a future elementary education teacher.

Rethinking Education Chapter 3 Reflection

The technology skeptic’s argument in chapter 3 was less convincing than the supporter’s chapter. In the beginning of the chapter when the quotes from different decades of teaching were presented I thought that that was only hurting their point. In the 1815 quote when a principal was expressing his dissatisfaction about students not being able to use slates properly and depending too much on paper, I became convinced that technology needs to be applied in classroom settings. The time periods of the quotes show how quickly new items were integrated into classrooms once given an opportunity. If something is beneficial to learning why shouldn’t we apply it in our classroom?  I can’t decide if the chapter was actually skeptics trying to convince people of their point or if it was technology supporters trying to write from a skeptic’s point of view.  

                In the book one particular quote really made me stop and think. “Although computers can open up new ways of teaching and learning, they can also be used to replace typewriters and file cabinets in schools dedicated to preserving a paper-and-text culture.” I never thought that schools were actually using typewriters still! The only time I have ever seen a typewriter is in my grandmother’s basement, and even she is computer literate today. Even if the skeptics think that schooling should “inspire students to understand the great products of human thought, think deeply about issues,” and “consider different viewpoints” who is to say that technology can’t be incorporated into those goals? In my classroom I will not use technology for every topic being taught. I will likely incorporate it into my everyday teachings however as a support for what students will be learning. I see technology as a tool that will be helping support learning rather than replacing it. Every student’s needs may be able to be addressed more effectively by using technology in the classroom.

Exit Post 9-23-10

 In class today the first chapter group presented. I thought it was helpful that we discussed the positives and things we should change after the presentation. I feel like I understand more about what is expected of us in regards to this presentation. I am concerned about my "ums" and "likes" because I do tend to get nervous when presenting in front of large groups of peers. I will also try not to rush and focus on using wait time even if it does feel a little awkward. For the upcoming week we need to develop a question we are interested in researching for the technology wiki assignment focusing on a tool or a population, or both. I think it will be interesting to look at the autistic population finding technology that will help them learn. I know many autistic children and using those relationships when thinking about this assignment will hopefully help me come up with creative ideas. All of the tips when using the Smart Board are greatly appreciated by me because of presentation required in Education 381. I thought the Smart Exchange website was fantastic and would be something that students would be able to get involved in. There was a fun way to take attendance using balloons so when students came to class they could touch and pop their balloon. I am anticipating using the Smart Board more in class especially because it may be something I will us daily in my classroom.

Rethinking Education Chapter 2 Reflection

               The book stated “Basic composition is being replaced by production of multimedia documents, which include text, graphics, photographs, video, animations, simulations, and visual displays of data.” I do not think this is necessarily a positive thing. Not all work should necessarily be replaced by technology as soon as possible. There needs to be a break from technology at some point in the day. When children are always doing writing assignments in Word documents they will be unable to develop writing skills necessary for life skills. With spell check and auto correct features there is less opportunity for learning. I do see the counter argument of students only using Word similar programs in life, but we shouldn’t dumb down learning just because technology may be available. What happens when students have to take assessments that require a writing portion? True they may resort to putting them on computers for students to take, but they would not have a spell check or grammar check included.

                “No one will be able to solve complex problems or think effectively without using digital technologies.” This is supposed to be a good thing? I don’t understand how. We will not be able come up with our own thoughts without technology in the future. Resorting to technology for thinking seems to make us a pathetic world if our thoughts need to be manufactured for us.

                In the chapter computer games were discussed. I completely agree with using certain computer games to assist students with learning. However I would not use all mentioned in the chapter like World of Warcraft or Neopets. I do believe that games such as Math Blaster and typing practice programs are undeniably helpful and students love to use them! I have played similar games and actually looked forward to it. I would definately take the time to find some games that I thought would effectively help my students learn and that they would enjoy as well.

                The Just-in-Time learning approach is something I do agree with. In actuality, students do not remember most of what is taught in schools and end up looking it up anyways if it’s needed. I think it would be difficult to determine what will be cut from the curriculum. I like that skills are more important than facts in this approach because it is ultimately the skills that stay with us more so than the facts we learn.

Chapters 1-3 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts Reflection

            When reading the first three chapters I was shocked at how blogs are being integrated into education. I have never heard of this being done before. I think there are so many possibilities with having a blog integrated into a classroom and it sounds like a fantastic idea that students would certainly be interested in. I am however skeptical about school administrations accepting this idea. I think using blogs would take lots of discussion and time to get approval to use them in classrooms. Parental permission would also cause some issues, especially in the elementary grades. I liked how the book explained that many people and organizations are allowing their followers to contribute to blogs or other websites. I think it was a genius decision by President Obama to have a MySpace and Facebook because it puts him into the “real person” category. The author point to an important statistic that 97% of seventh to twelfth graders think that “technology use is important in education.” This speaks volumes about the expectations that students have in regards to technology being integrated into their classroom.  If we as educators are able to bring technology into the classroom we may be able to receive a more enthusiastic group of learners. When the topic of what websites a school should block (if any) comes up I am all for the blocking of websites that could affect a student’s education in a negative way.  I agree that sometimes quality information does get caught by website blocking programs, but there is always an alternative source of information available for use.

            As a teacher I would consider using a blogging program as a means to interact with interested parents. Posting a schedule of what happened that day could allows parents insight to what their child has been up to. I loved the idea of the author, Sue Monk Kidd, being able to respond to the student’s reactions. The interaction between the students and author would be something to be excited about for the students and the teacher!  As far as going to blogs for information I would likely discourage my students from doing so. The author provides good points for this, but I think that the information on blogs is mostly opinions rather than facts. I would not be opposed to students using links that they found on blogs for information. These chapters on blogging were informative and very thought provoking.

"Growing Up Online" Reflection

           The Frontline video “Growing Up Online,” portrays both positives and negatives of technology, but I find the negatives outweighing the positives in this video. Nothing in the video shocked me because I have grown up with the internet and I’m aware of what is out there. Many teens need more attention so they resort to posting pictures and recording videos and others comment on them to give them the attention they crave. The point of the internet assisting with cheating is accurate based on my experiences. In high school and college Sparknotes is a commonly visited website to get of doing an actual reading. I think that students should have the opportunity to express themselves but I am undecided whether the internet is the best place for that. When the video focused on Sara and Ryan it was heartbreaking to see their struggles, but again I’m not surprised. Sara found support for her eating disorder and Ryan found support for his suicide. With Sara she seemed to have identity issues and was just able to be her “real” self online because they “won’t judge” her. She had relationships online with boys she had never actually talked to in person. I never think that socialization online should replace talking to others in person. Many jobs do require social interaction and without it early on it may never develop.

            As a teacher I will do my best to educate my students about the internet and its good and bad qualities. Giving assignments that involves a student teaching something new to a parent or showing them a website they found that they liked would likely be a positive experience. Programs involving internet safety would get my support because it is an important issue that needs to be talked about. Parental involvement may also help the issue as well, even if it didn’t help in Evan Skinner’s situation. I hope my students will feel that I am a safe person to talk to about any troubles they are having and that I will help them in any way I can.

Exit Post 9-16-10

In class when we discussed the statements in our first chapter readings, we were all forced to really consider how we felt about technology incorporated in education. “Technology makes life more difficult for teachers,” is a statement I was in the middle about. When weighing the pros and cons of teaching with technology I think they come out about even. Being a teacher learning new methods of how to teach is an ongoing part of the job. I do think it is important to take the time to consider what tools will be used efficiently in the classroom and which ones will just be a distraction.

The second statement we discussed had discussed is: “If educators cannot successfully integrate new technologies into what it means to be a school, then the long identification of schooling with education, developed over the past 150 years, will dissolve into a world where the students with the means and ability will pursue their learning outside of the public school.” In regards to this statement I was in the middle once again. I think that it is vital to incorporate technology into schools, but I would not say that students will learn outside of school. Students don’t go home and print out math sheets for fun. Students are online with social websites or playing video games. A small percentage may go on the computer to learn more, but they may be curious about things that do not pertain to schooling. For example a student may go online to learn about the legend of Bigfoot because they are curious. They are in fact learning, but the learning is not likely to help them in the school environment. I was in the “no opinion” group for both of these statements but I think that it is a positive thing to be able to see multiple points of view for these statements.

I was glad that we talked about using the SMARTboard in class because I had a presentation to give in Education 381 for my next class.  The tips were useful but I did still have a difficult time using the board.

I was glad that we were introduced to the website Prezi. I thought it was a fun way to steer clear of the typical Power Point presentation that we’ve all become so comfortable with.