Even though my future goal is to become a middle or high school librarian, I am also a certified English teacher (7-12) and ESL teacher (K-12). I have had the opportunity to work with ELLs in a high school setting as well as Adult ELLs in a home setting. During both experiences, technology was used heavily in order to teach basic skills.
In the article “The Word and the World: Technology Aids English-Language Learners,” Maya Payne Smart discusses the value of technology in ELL instruction. She talks about an elementary ELL classroom in California:
“ "Mistakes Welcome Here -- You can't learn without them!" That banner, along with brightly colored posters and an impressive array of computers, digital cameras, scanners, and printers, sets a vibrant scene. But it's the students who bring character and action to the fore with their laughter, curiosity, and multimedia productions” (Smart, 2008, p. 1).
ELLs make up more than half of students in any classroom across the United States. With this in mind, teachers need to find effective means of instruction to teach these students. Smart goes on and suggests that the best way to reach ELLs is by using technology. Smart writes that “ an array of technology helps engage students and provides the structured one-on-one English practice they need” (Smart, 2008, p. 1).
While we focus on technology as a tool to help students learn in meaningful ways, we often forget that certain students, like ELLs, benefit even more from the use of technology. There are programs available that help ELLs develop fluent English by providing images to associate with English words and text-to-speech features. Using technology with ELLs is extremely beneficial due to the fact that it provides individual instruction which is often needed for those with limited-English skills.
The article goes on to talk about the authentic connections that technology provides ELLs which corresponds to the idea of meaningful learning that is discussed in Chapter 1 of Ashburn & Floden. According to Ashburn & Floden (2006) meaningful learning has six attributes: intentionality, content centrality, authentic work, active inquiry, construction of mental models, and collaborative work (p. 9). Because ELLs have limited English skills, the importance of making authentic connections and producing authentic work is even more important for these students.
Often, ELLs are able to talk about things, but they cannot put the same ideas into writing. Technology allows them to put meaning behind their words and allows them to make connections to things in their own lives.
Smart’s article (2008) suggests that “Basic Internet, word processing, and presentation technologies can facilitate authentic connections to the world” (p. 2).
Often, educators will find that while ELLs may not understand English, they will understand the technology they are able to use. The technology is just a tool that allows for the six attributes described in Ashburn & Floden to occur during a meaningful learning lesson with ELLs.
All in all, the benefits that surround technology in education are endless. Not only can technology be used to reach those with disabilities, limited English, and “regular” students, it can also be a means of collaboration and communication between educators, parents, and administrators. Therefore, I believe as a teacher and future librarian that it is my responsibility to be lifelong learner when it comes to staying up-to-date with technology.
Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.
Smart, M. P. (2008). The word and the world: technology aids English-language learners. Retrieved December 8, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-software-english-language-learners
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Unit 9 - Professional Development
Throughout this entire course we have talked about technology and its role in education today. We have discussed new tools that can be beneficial to students in the classroom. In addition, we have also acknowledged the fact that our administrators want to try all of these new tools, but rarely provide training or professional development regarding technology.
Chapter 9 of Ashburn & Floden discusses the need for professional development regarding technology in order for meaningful learning to occur. While professional development may be encouraged and discussed constantly, Ashburn and Floden (2006) state “This has been a goal often stated, but seldom articulated, however, with clarity and detail” (p. 181). They go on to discuss the importance of meaningful learning using technology and point out the fact that the skills educators possess regarding technology are often ignored:
“The discussion seldom progresses to consider what knowledge and skills teacher would need to teach for meaningful learning, much less to teach for meaningful learning using technology. Even more rare is consideration of how teachers might acquire such knowledge and skills. Unless teachers are expected to acquire such knowledge and skills in college or on their own, school systems must begin to offer such professional development in order for their investment in technology to enhance pupils’ understanding of key academic subjects” (Ashburn & Floden, 2006, p. 181).
As I have realized, districts can talk about professional development and actually provide in-service days; however, unless these days actually focus on the needs of the teachers, they are pointless. This has been the case in my school district. Often, the in-service days are a waste of time since they do not focus on topics or training that need to be focused on. So, it truly does come down to whether or not teachers are willing to learn technology in their spare time. With this in mind, I can see why many educators are unwilling to give up any additional time to learn a new technology since trends constantly change. However, I also see the value in meeting student needs by appealing to their likes and skills. In the past, I have allowed students to use new forms of technology in order to complete a project with the stipulation that they show me how to use the tool. This has worked with my honors students, and I have found that I have learned a lot about technology from my students.
However, if professional development is not available, I believe that educators should consult the Internet. There are many useful tutorials, websites, and general information regarding new technology available online. In the article “ProD web sites you might have missed,” Joanne Troutner provides a list of websites that educators should utilize for professional development in technology.
Troutner reviews Route 21, http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21. Here, she says you can find examples of lessons using technology, curriculum surrounding the use of technology, and video examples of projects created using technology.
She also acknowledges the shift to project-based learning and cites the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)Learning Journey site as a tool to reference. (http://www.iste.org/) Here, there is discussion of how to utilize tools such as blogs and wikis in the classroom.
Since my district continues to pay for 12 graduate credits per year, I plan to take courses that focus on technology in order to provide me with training and professional development opportunities. I may have to sacrifice my time during the summer in order to take these courses, however, not only will I be doing what is best to meet the needs of my students, I will also be gaining additional graduate credits which will eventually result in a pay raise!
Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.
Troutner, J. (2008). ProD web sites you may have missed. Teacher Librarian, 35(5), 35-37. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Chapter 9 of Ashburn & Floden discusses the need for professional development regarding technology in order for meaningful learning to occur. While professional development may be encouraged and discussed constantly, Ashburn and Floden (2006) state “This has been a goal often stated, but seldom articulated, however, with clarity and detail” (p. 181). They go on to discuss the importance of meaningful learning using technology and point out the fact that the skills educators possess regarding technology are often ignored:
“The discussion seldom progresses to consider what knowledge and skills teacher would need to teach for meaningful learning, much less to teach for meaningful learning using technology. Even more rare is consideration of how teachers might acquire such knowledge and skills. Unless teachers are expected to acquire such knowledge and skills in college or on their own, school systems must begin to offer such professional development in order for their investment in technology to enhance pupils’ understanding of key academic subjects” (Ashburn & Floden, 2006, p. 181).
As I have realized, districts can talk about professional development and actually provide in-service days; however, unless these days actually focus on the needs of the teachers, they are pointless. This has been the case in my school district. Often, the in-service days are a waste of time since they do not focus on topics or training that need to be focused on. So, it truly does come down to whether or not teachers are willing to learn technology in their spare time. With this in mind, I can see why many educators are unwilling to give up any additional time to learn a new technology since trends constantly change. However, I also see the value in meeting student needs by appealing to their likes and skills. In the past, I have allowed students to use new forms of technology in order to complete a project with the stipulation that they show me how to use the tool. This has worked with my honors students, and I have found that I have learned a lot about technology from my students.
However, if professional development is not available, I believe that educators should consult the Internet. There are many useful tutorials, websites, and general information regarding new technology available online. In the article “ProD web sites you might have missed,” Joanne Troutner provides a list of websites that educators should utilize for professional development in technology.
Troutner reviews Route 21, http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21. Here, she says you can find examples of lessons using technology, curriculum surrounding the use of technology, and video examples of projects created using technology.
She also acknowledges the shift to project-based learning and cites the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)Learning Journey site as a tool to reference. (http://www.iste.org/) Here, there is discussion of how to utilize tools such as blogs and wikis in the classroom.
Since my district continues to pay for 12 graduate credits per year, I plan to take courses that focus on technology in order to provide me with training and professional development opportunities. I may have to sacrifice my time during the summer in order to take these courses, however, not only will I be doing what is best to meet the needs of my students, I will also be gaining additional graduate credits which will eventually result in a pay raise!
Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.
Troutner, J. (2008). ProD web sites you may have missed. Teacher Librarian, 35(5), 35-37. Retrieved December 7, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Unit 8 - Kindle
I have decided to research Amazon’s Kindle for my Wiki project. As an avid reader, I wanted to learn more about e-Readers and eBooks. I was paging through Oprah’s “O Magazine” a few weeks ago and saw an advertisement for Amazon’s Kindle. While I have heard about e-Readers previously, I have to admit this was the first time that I saw what one looked like. I am sure I have seen a picture of one in the past, but the image did not stick with me. Upon first impression, the Kindle reminded me of the first palm pilots that were released years ago. With this in mind, I am not sure that I would enjoy reading from a Kindle. I am the type of person that needs to print everything out even when it is available online so that I have a tangible copy that I can write on. Typically, reading from a computer hurts my eyes, and I find it hard to focus reading in this environment. Also, there is something about being able to turn a page and house a book on a shelf that appeals to me. However, I still wanted to find out more Amazon’s Kindle for my Wiki project.
In my research, I kept coming across the fact that Amazon’s Kindle lacks assistive technology features for those with disabilities. In the article “The E-Book Reader Lacks Features for the Blind and Mobility Impaired,” author Suzanne Robitaille discusses the fact that Amazon failed to include assistive technology in the Kindle 2. Robitaille (2009) shares that while the Kindle 2 does include a text-to-speech function; it is inadequate due to the fact that there are only two voices available, male and female. In addition, the Kindle 2 only includes 6 fonts that go up to 18 points, certainly not a large enough text for those with visual impairments. Robitaille (2009) concludes by stating “Overall, Amazon missed a huge opportunity to market this new device to people with disabilities. Perhaps Amazon doesn't think the disabled can afford the $359 price tag, but people with disabilities are apt to spend twice as much on technology that will improve their lives. Unfortunately the Kindle 2 isn't one of them” (p. 1)
When thinking about technology, it is usually those with disabilities that benefit the most. After all, tools have been developed to aide those with disabilities using technology for years before they were available to the general public. Most of the time, these assistive tools cost more than what we pay for a mediocre computer. So, as a future librarian, it makes me think about whether or not e-Readers are something that I want to include in my library. Or, if I do include them I will need to make sure that I find a comparable tool for those with disabilities to use.
Robitaille, S. (2009). The e-book reader lacks features for the blind and mobility impaired. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://assistivetechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/amazons_new_kindle_isnt_very_accessible
I also researched ways in which different schools are using Kindle in classrooms and libraries. Here is what I found:
Cushing Academy, Massachusetts
Cushing private boarding school has recently picked the Kindle to replace its current 20,000 book traditional library. It has even gone to the extent of turning the old circulation desk into a cafe bar. There has been a lot of controversy over the decision which is mainly focused on loss of intellectual independence. The school is defending this citing most students use currently use the Internet and electronic resources. Consequently, this is the best resource the school can offer. Of the 20,000 books that the library once contained 10,000 now remain, and the rest are due to be donated to other institutions by the end of next year.
Toppo, G. (2009, October 27). School chooses kindle; are libraries for the history ‘books’? USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-26-kindle-school-library_N.htm
University of Wisconsin
Recently the University of Wisconsin - Madison terminated its experiment with the Kindle device. The university stated that the reason for the termination was that the device was not able to be used by blind students. They did say that the device offered text to speech; however, a sighted user was required to select and download literature. Amazon has stated that they are working on problem. The University of Syracuse recently terminated its program for similar reasons.
Graef, J. (2009). University of Wisconsin-madison drops classroom kindles. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/university_of_wisconsin_madison_drops_classroom_kindles_11131252009383/
In my research, I kept coming across the fact that Amazon’s Kindle lacks assistive technology features for those with disabilities. In the article “The E-Book Reader Lacks Features for the Blind and Mobility Impaired,” author Suzanne Robitaille discusses the fact that Amazon failed to include assistive technology in the Kindle 2. Robitaille (2009) shares that while the Kindle 2 does include a text-to-speech function; it is inadequate due to the fact that there are only two voices available, male and female. In addition, the Kindle 2 only includes 6 fonts that go up to 18 points, certainly not a large enough text for those with visual impairments. Robitaille (2009) concludes by stating “Overall, Amazon missed a huge opportunity to market this new device to people with disabilities. Perhaps Amazon doesn't think the disabled can afford the $359 price tag, but people with disabilities are apt to spend twice as much on technology that will improve their lives. Unfortunately the Kindle 2 isn't one of them” (p. 1)
When thinking about technology, it is usually those with disabilities that benefit the most. After all, tools have been developed to aide those with disabilities using technology for years before they were available to the general public. Most of the time, these assistive tools cost more than what we pay for a mediocre computer. So, as a future librarian, it makes me think about whether or not e-Readers are something that I want to include in my library. Or, if I do include them I will need to make sure that I find a comparable tool for those with disabilities to use.
Robitaille, S. (2009). The e-book reader lacks features for the blind and mobility impaired. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://assistivetechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/amazons_new_kindle_isnt_very_accessible
I also researched ways in which different schools are using Kindle in classrooms and libraries. Here is what I found:
Cushing Academy, Massachusetts
Cushing private boarding school has recently picked the Kindle to replace its current 20,000 book traditional library. It has even gone to the extent of turning the old circulation desk into a cafe bar. There has been a lot of controversy over the decision which is mainly focused on loss of intellectual independence. The school is defending this citing most students use currently use the Internet and electronic resources. Consequently, this is the best resource the school can offer. Of the 20,000 books that the library once contained 10,000 now remain, and the rest are due to be donated to other institutions by the end of next year.
Toppo, G. (2009, October 27). School chooses kindle; are libraries for the history ‘books’? USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-10-26-kindle-school-library_N.htm
University of Wisconsin
Recently the University of Wisconsin - Madison terminated its experiment with the Kindle device. The university stated that the reason for the termination was that the device was not able to be used by blind students. They did say that the device offered text to speech; however, a sighted user was required to select and download literature. Amazon has stated that they are working on problem. The University of Syracuse recently terminated its program for similar reasons.
Graef, J. (2009). University of Wisconsin-madison drops classroom kindles. Retrieved November 7, 2009, from
http://www.collegenews.com/index.php?/article/university_of_wisconsin_madison_drops_classroom_kindles_11131252009383/
Unit 7 - Filters & CIPA
The topic of filtering and blocking of certain sites in schools keeps coming up in my reading and discussions with my classmates. I thought it was only in my district that sites such as YouTube , Facebook, MySpace, Skype, etc. were blocked; however, I am finding out that this is the case in many districts. This is very discouraging considering the amount of new technology that is available and beneficial to student and their learning. So, for this week I have decided to focus filtering. One of my classmates mentioned CIPA, Children’s Internet Protection Act, as one reason why schools must filter content and programs available online. Thus, in order to find out more about CIPA, I consulted Wikipedia for a brief overview. Here if what I found:
Background
The CIPA is one of several bills that the U.S. Congress has proposed in order to limit adolescent's exposure to explicit content available online on school and library computers. Senator John McCain was responsible for introducing the bill that would later become CIPA to the U.S. Senate in 1999. President Bill Clinton is credited for signing the bill into law on December 21, 2000 and it was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 23, 2003 (Wikipedia, 2009).
CIPA in a Nutshell
CIPA requires schools that receive federal funding from either the E-Rate program or Title III, to enforce Internet safety policies with technology protection measures. Failure to adopt a policy that implements a protection measure on technology could cause a school to lose federal funds. District are free to select filtering or blocking programs, however, there are no specifics about whose access must be filtered and what types of material must be blocked/filtered by schools receiving federal funding (Wikipedia, 2009). In addition, the ALA decided to challenge CIPA in 2001.
While I understand that legally something must be in place in order to protect students and provide guidelines for school districts, CIPA does NOT select which programs and sites must be blocked or filtered. With this in mind, I question why schools are going to the extreme when it comes to blocking and filtering. I understand the need to protect themselves from lawsuits, but having heavy filters and extreme blocking is NOT allowing digital natives to engage in meaningful learning. Consequently, there needs to be an advocate for students in regard to proper Internet use and instruction. To me, this job should be fulfilled by library media specialists.
While it should the job of ALL educators to model and encourage proper Internet use and safety, it is ultimately the role of the library media specialist to TEACH it. In the article “The Library Media Specialist’s Role in Teaching Online Safety” the author suggests that “As a technology leader in the school, the Library Media Specialist must also take a leading role in teaching students and classroom teachers about online safety and privacy issues” (Schmidt, 2009, p. 11). The article goes on to express the notion that librarians must strive to meet the standards set out for 21st century learners including learning how to use information technology responsibility, ethically, and safely (Schmidt, 2009, p. 11). Also, the idea of CIPA is discussed and in regard to that the author writes “If our professional standards state that students need to be able to use technology responsibly and safely, it is our responsibility to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to do so” (Schmidt, 2009, p. 12).
With this in mind, librarians will have a larger role to fulfill as the use of technology increases in school. On one hand this is exciting and a step in the right direction in order to provide meaningful learning to students. On the other hand, this requires additional pressures regarding keeping up-to-date with professional development, resistance from colleagues and administration, as well making sure that Internet guidelines are put in place district-wide, monitored, and followed by both teachers and students.
Children’s Internet Protection Act. (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Internet_Protection_Act
Schmidt, C. M. (2009). The library media specialist’s role in teaching online safety. Library Media Connection. 28(1), 10-13. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Background
The CIPA is one of several bills that the U.S. Congress has proposed in order to limit adolescent's exposure to explicit content available online on school and library computers. Senator John McCain was responsible for introducing the bill that would later become CIPA to the U.S. Senate in 1999. President Bill Clinton is credited for signing the bill into law on December 21, 2000 and it was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 23, 2003 (Wikipedia, 2009).
CIPA in a Nutshell
CIPA requires schools that receive federal funding from either the E-Rate program or Title III, to enforce Internet safety policies with technology protection measures. Failure to adopt a policy that implements a protection measure on technology could cause a school to lose federal funds. District are free to select filtering or blocking programs, however, there are no specifics about whose access must be filtered and what types of material must be blocked/filtered by schools receiving federal funding (Wikipedia, 2009). In addition, the ALA decided to challenge CIPA in 2001.
While I understand that legally something must be in place in order to protect students and provide guidelines for school districts, CIPA does NOT select which programs and sites must be blocked or filtered. With this in mind, I question why schools are going to the extreme when it comes to blocking and filtering. I understand the need to protect themselves from lawsuits, but having heavy filters and extreme blocking is NOT allowing digital natives to engage in meaningful learning. Consequently, there needs to be an advocate for students in regard to proper Internet use and instruction. To me, this job should be fulfilled by library media specialists.
While it should the job of ALL educators to model and encourage proper Internet use and safety, it is ultimately the role of the library media specialist to TEACH it. In the article “The Library Media Specialist’s Role in Teaching Online Safety” the author suggests that “As a technology leader in the school, the Library Media Specialist must also take a leading role in teaching students and classroom teachers about online safety and privacy issues” (Schmidt, 2009, p. 11). The article goes on to express the notion that librarians must strive to meet the standards set out for 21st century learners including learning how to use information technology responsibility, ethically, and safely (Schmidt, 2009, p. 11). Also, the idea of CIPA is discussed and in regard to that the author writes “If our professional standards state that students need to be able to use technology responsibly and safely, it is our responsibility to ensure that students have the knowledge and skills necessary to do so” (Schmidt, 2009, p. 12).
With this in mind, librarians will have a larger role to fulfill as the use of technology increases in school. On one hand this is exciting and a step in the right direction in order to provide meaningful learning to students. On the other hand, this requires additional pressures regarding keeping up-to-date with professional development, resistance from colleagues and administration, as well making sure that Internet guidelines are put in place district-wide, monitored, and followed by both teachers and students.
Children’s Internet Protection Act. (2009). Wikipedia. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children%27s_Internet_Protection_Act
Schmidt, C. M. (2009). The library media specialist’s role in teaching online safety. Library Media Connection. 28(1), 10-13. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Unit 6 - YouTube & Digital Storytelling
In Unit 6 our technology exploration focused on digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is something that I am somewhat familiar with as my students often like to submit their “book talks” in a digital storytelling format. In addition, we were also required to create a YouTube video for a previous course in this program that focused on two books with similar themes. I have to admit that while creating my YouTube video, it seemed as though nothing could go wrong! I created what I had thought was an EXCELLENT book talk that was about 18 minutes long. I tried to upload my video to YouTube only to have it rejected. After some research, I found that videos submitted to YouTube needed to be 10 minutes or less. So, I had to redo my entire project, cutting out many important aspects in order to be able to post the video.
The fact that YouTube would only allow videos that were 10 minutes or less was annoying to me simply because I wanted to have my project finished; however, I started to think about the benefit that this time limit may have with my honors students. For some reason, I have found that honors students believe that the more they submit for a paper or project, the better their grade will be. Perhaps they believe this because if they submit more than the required amount, it shows that they put more effort into their presentation. However, as the teacher, I have found that “more” is not always better. Most of the time the added work takes away from the purpose of the assignment and hurts the final grades assigned. With this in mind, I have recently started putting restrictions on my honor students. I am trying to teach them that “less can be more” and “to make their words count.” For writing assignments, I tell them that the paper must be three pages in length. If it if over three pages, I will not grade it. At first, they didn’t take me seriously. It wasn’t until I handed the papers back and told them three pages or less that they got the point. Doing this truly made them think about their writing and whether or not they were “making their words count.” In reality, it was and editing strategy that I was helping them learn.
Having a limitation of 10 minutes on YouTube is another way to keep students “in check.” Often, I allow students the option of creating a video to go along with their projects and book talks. The majority of the movies are typically 30 minutes or more. Having students submit a project via YouTube would make them revise their projects until they met the 10 minutes or less stipulation. However, I will first have to convince my district to allow access to YouTube if I plan to use digital storytelling in this manner. At this point, all YouTube videos are blocked to teachers and students and cannot be accessed on any computer throughout the high school.
Perhaps presenting success stories from other schools may soften their opinions about YouTube in general. In the article “YouTube Comes to the Classroom,” the authors discuss how students “have a desire to be heard and this site gives them that opportunity” (Adam & Mowers, 2007, p. 22). Interestingly, Adam and Mowers go on to suggest that educators can turn their heads and ignore YouTube or “can use it motivate students” (2007, p. 9). The article goes on to explain that while YouTube may contain inappropriate material, it allows students to explore their creativity and gives them a forum to express their opinions. Finally, the article encourages educators to use YouTube and start by visiting the site’s education group: www.youtube.com/group/K12. Here, in a safe searching and viewing area, videos submitted and created by educators and students can be found. Thus, the entire site does not need to be blocked. Instead, districts need to look at ways to access YouTube and digital storytelling in a manner that is safe and acceptable to district guidelines.
The last article that I read regarding YouTube and digital storytelling was entitled “Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs.” Here, authors, Mullen & Wedwick, discuss the use of YouTube, digital storytelling, and blogs in middle school language arts classrooms. They explain that using any of these new technological tools helps minimize the digital divide. Also, they suggest that it is not about the end product, but the process that students use to create their projects using these new technologies. Furthermore, they go on to state “Educators must rise to the challenge of closing the digital divide in education. The resources are available and the information is at our fingertips” (Mullen & Wedwick, 2008, p. 69). As technology increases throughout the world, students must become comfortable using it. What better way to encourage technological growth and exploration than by promoting it and using it within the classroom!
Adam, A., & Mowers, H. (2007). YouTube Comes to the Classroom. School Library Journal, 53(1), 22. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Mullen, R. & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: Getting started in the classroom with YouTube, digital stories and blogs. Clearing House, 82(2), 66-69. Retrieved December 1, 2009, Academic Search Complete database.
The fact that YouTube would only allow videos that were 10 minutes or less was annoying to me simply because I wanted to have my project finished; however, I started to think about the benefit that this time limit may have with my honors students. For some reason, I have found that honors students believe that the more they submit for a paper or project, the better their grade will be. Perhaps they believe this because if they submit more than the required amount, it shows that they put more effort into their presentation. However, as the teacher, I have found that “more” is not always better. Most of the time the added work takes away from the purpose of the assignment and hurts the final grades assigned. With this in mind, I have recently started putting restrictions on my honor students. I am trying to teach them that “less can be more” and “to make their words count.” For writing assignments, I tell them that the paper must be three pages in length. If it if over three pages, I will not grade it. At first, they didn’t take me seriously. It wasn’t until I handed the papers back and told them three pages or less that they got the point. Doing this truly made them think about their writing and whether or not they were “making their words count.” In reality, it was and editing strategy that I was helping them learn.
Having a limitation of 10 minutes on YouTube is another way to keep students “in check.” Often, I allow students the option of creating a video to go along with their projects and book talks. The majority of the movies are typically 30 minutes or more. Having students submit a project via YouTube would make them revise their projects until they met the 10 minutes or less stipulation. However, I will first have to convince my district to allow access to YouTube if I plan to use digital storytelling in this manner. At this point, all YouTube videos are blocked to teachers and students and cannot be accessed on any computer throughout the high school.
Perhaps presenting success stories from other schools may soften their opinions about YouTube in general. In the article “YouTube Comes to the Classroom,” the authors discuss how students “have a desire to be heard and this site gives them that opportunity” (Adam & Mowers, 2007, p. 22). Interestingly, Adam and Mowers go on to suggest that educators can turn their heads and ignore YouTube or “can use it motivate students” (2007, p. 9). The article goes on to explain that while YouTube may contain inappropriate material, it allows students to explore their creativity and gives them a forum to express their opinions. Finally, the article encourages educators to use YouTube and start by visiting the site’s education group: www.youtube.com/group/K12. Here, in a safe searching and viewing area, videos submitted and created by educators and students can be found. Thus, the entire site does not need to be blocked. Instead, districts need to look at ways to access YouTube and digital storytelling in a manner that is safe and acceptable to district guidelines.
The last article that I read regarding YouTube and digital storytelling was entitled “Avoiding the Digital Abyss: Getting Started in the Classroom with YouTube, Digital Stories, and Blogs.” Here, authors, Mullen & Wedwick, discuss the use of YouTube, digital storytelling, and blogs in middle school language arts classrooms. They explain that using any of these new technological tools helps minimize the digital divide. Also, they suggest that it is not about the end product, but the process that students use to create their projects using these new technologies. Furthermore, they go on to state “Educators must rise to the challenge of closing the digital divide in education. The resources are available and the information is at our fingertips” (Mullen & Wedwick, 2008, p. 69). As technology increases throughout the world, students must become comfortable using it. What better way to encourage technological growth and exploration than by promoting it and using it within the classroom!
Adam, A., & Mowers, H. (2007). YouTube Comes to the Classroom. School Library Journal, 53(1), 22. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Mullen, R. & Wedwick, L. (2008). Avoiding the digital abyss: Getting started in the classroom with YouTube, digital stories and blogs. Clearing House, 82(2), 66-69. Retrieved December 1, 2009, Academic Search Complete database.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Unit 5 - Video conferencing, Skype, & Meaningful Learning
For Unit 5 we read about video conferencing in Chapter 4 of Hendron and explored Skype. Thinking about video conferencing took me back to my childhood. I can remember my grandparents ordering two telephones from the Home Shopping Network that allowed the users to see each other during their conversation. Now, the other person had to have a phone that transferred the image as well, but I can remember calling my grandparents and flipping the mini-television screen of the telephone and seeing their faces while talking to them. As a small child, this was simply fascinating to me. Now, 20+ years later, video conferencing and tools like Skype seem second nature.
In Chapter 4 of Hendron the benefits of video conferencing in the classroom are explored. Hendron explains that programs such as Skype can be used in order to have two classrooms “meet” from anywhere in the world using video conferencing. He explains “To connect two classrooms, both need Skype installed on one computer, high-speed Internet connections, a Web video camera, and video projectors with speakers attached to each computer” (Hendron, 2008, p. 82). While this may sound like a lot of required components, the majority of schools already have all of these items, but they are not utilizing them to their best potential.
Hendron goes on to talk about the success video conferencing is having in the classroom with students. He writes “Having an audience and the interaction of peers is, by itself, a great motivational factor in the learning environment that is provided by this new class of easy-to-use video conferencing tools” (Hendron, 2008, p. 84). Imagine being able to have students give speeches not only to their peers, but to students in another classroom from a different country. A collaborative lesson could occur where students critique one another’s presentations via video conferencing.
I simply love the idea that such programs exist for this type of learning to occur. Upon returning to the classroom in the future, I believe that I would like to find another willing teacher from a different state or country in order to create an assignment where video conferencing can take place. Not only will I be able to use Skype to collaborate with that teacher, the students will be able to use Skype to work with students from another classroom. In fact, they could work together on a project and be paired with a student from the other classroom and have to complete the entire assignment by video conferencing!
Which brings me to the idea of meaningful learning that is discussed in Chapter 1 of Ashburn & Floden. According to Ashburn & Floden (2006) meaningful learning has six attributes: intentionality, content centrality, authentic work, active inquiry, construction of mental models, and collaborative work (p. 9). While I believe that all of these aspects are important to learning, it is my belief that “digital natives” need to learn how to work collaboratively and produce pieces of authentic work in today’s learning environments. To me, video conferencing is a grand step in fulfilling these two aspects. Not only are the students learning how to communicate and collaborate in a new way via video conferencing, they are producing something that has purpose to them.
What most lessons lack nowadays are connections to students. Many students are not interested in content because they can’t see the big picture and how the content applies to them. When teachers are able to make those connections and present content in ways that appeal to students, perhaps through new forms of technology, meaningful learning takes place. When meaningful learning occurs, I believe all six attributes described in Ashburn & Floden are present.
All in all, it is hard to walk away from an opportunity that a program like Skype can bring. Not only is the software FREE, it can be accessed from any computer. I find it hard to believe that districts would be willing to turn down FREE tools that enhance the learning environment. As an educator, I look forward to the future of video conferencing in the classroom and the types of lessons and projects that can be shared.
Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
In Chapter 4 of Hendron the benefits of video conferencing in the classroom are explored. Hendron explains that programs such as Skype can be used in order to have two classrooms “meet” from anywhere in the world using video conferencing. He explains “To connect two classrooms, both need Skype installed on one computer, high-speed Internet connections, a Web video camera, and video projectors with speakers attached to each computer” (Hendron, 2008, p. 82). While this may sound like a lot of required components, the majority of schools already have all of these items, but they are not utilizing them to their best potential.
Hendron goes on to talk about the success video conferencing is having in the classroom with students. He writes “Having an audience and the interaction of peers is, by itself, a great motivational factor in the learning environment that is provided by this new class of easy-to-use video conferencing tools” (Hendron, 2008, p. 84). Imagine being able to have students give speeches not only to their peers, but to students in another classroom from a different country. A collaborative lesson could occur where students critique one another’s presentations via video conferencing.
I simply love the idea that such programs exist for this type of learning to occur. Upon returning to the classroom in the future, I believe that I would like to find another willing teacher from a different state or country in order to create an assignment where video conferencing can take place. Not only will I be able to use Skype to collaborate with that teacher, the students will be able to use Skype to work with students from another classroom. In fact, they could work together on a project and be paired with a student from the other classroom and have to complete the entire assignment by video conferencing!
Which brings me to the idea of meaningful learning that is discussed in Chapter 1 of Ashburn & Floden. According to Ashburn & Floden (2006) meaningful learning has six attributes: intentionality, content centrality, authentic work, active inquiry, construction of mental models, and collaborative work (p. 9). While I believe that all of these aspects are important to learning, it is my belief that “digital natives” need to learn how to work collaboratively and produce pieces of authentic work in today’s learning environments. To me, video conferencing is a grand step in fulfilling these two aspects. Not only are the students learning how to communicate and collaborate in a new way via video conferencing, they are producing something that has purpose to them.
What most lessons lack nowadays are connections to students. Many students are not interested in content because they can’t see the big picture and how the content applies to them. When teachers are able to make those connections and present content in ways that appeal to students, perhaps through new forms of technology, meaningful learning takes place. When meaningful learning occurs, I believe all six attributes described in Ashburn & Floden are present.
All in all, it is hard to walk away from an opportunity that a program like Skype can bring. Not only is the software FREE, it can be accessed from any computer. I find it hard to believe that districts would be willing to turn down FREE tools that enhance the learning environment. As an educator, I look forward to the future of video conferencing in the classroom and the types of lessons and projects that can be shared.
Ashburn, E. A. & Floden, R. E. (2006). Meaningful learning using technology: What educators need to know and do. New York: Teachers College Press.
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Unit 4 - Google Docs and Podcasts
In Unit 4, we focused on Google Docs in our technology exploration. I must admit that I am surprised that I have never used Google Docs previously with the vast amount of online courses that I have taken. The GREAT thing about Google Docs is that you can access them anywhere. So, that means, if I am at school and started writing a test the night before but forgot my “jump drive” at home, I would be able to access my work as long as I uploaded it to Google Docs. Using Google Docs would be a simple solution for students who start a paper in the classroom and want to continue editing/writing at home. In the past, I have had to allot too much time in class for students to work on writing assignments based on the fact that their work was saved to the school server and the information could not be accessed from anywhere but the school. Google Docs would allow for writing to start in the classroom and continue at home with specific due dates enforced. Also, I believe that Google Docs would allow for students to work on projects collaboratively without having to “meet” at someone’s home or other location.
After uploading several documents throughout the semester to Google Docs, my only complaint stems from the fact that PowerPoint presentations cannot be uploaded. I was able to create slides within Google Docs; however, I was unable to upload my slides, created in PowerPoint, to my account. This was somewhat disappointing, especially since I planned on having students upload their PowerPoint presentations to Google Docs during a program that I teach in the summer. Perhaps I was doing something wrong, or there is another way to upload PowerPoint to the site. I will continue to research this so that my PFL students can benefit from Google Docs when working on their summer projects all over Millersville campus.
___________________________________________________
Chapter 3 of Herndon focused on Podcasts. I was introduced to the term “podcast” during a graduate course that I was taking during the spring of 2005. It was interesting to find out that podcasting only began in the fall of 2004 (Hendron, 2008, p. 48). At the time, I had no idea what my colleagues were talking about. I assumed that a “podcast” was something that was associated with an iPod. Hendron (2008) explains that “podcasting is a process of publishing/broadcasting on the web that uses Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to deliver multi-media content to end-users” (p.47). Now, that definition did not make perfect sense upon first reading; however, it did make me think of the show “One Tree Hill.” On this show, Peyton Sawyer, often broadcasts events from her life in the form of podcasts and webcasts. Thinking about that show allowed me to have a mental image of podcasting.
Hendron (2008) goes on to talk about the ways in which podcasting can be beneficial in school environments. It can be a means to conduct staff development, school-to-home communication tool, teachers can create podcasts of their lessons for students who are absent, and can be used as a means of assessment with students creating projects. While podcasts can be useful in school settings, one major disadvantage would be the lack of computers/Internet access at home for students and parents. Also, if parents are not familiar with podcasts, they may be reluctant to listen to them. With this in mind, school districts need to provide training to teachers, students, and parents. With proper training, podcasts can be a valuable tool in any educational setting.
Matt Villano talks about the importance of proper planning and research when creating a podcast in the article “Building a Better Podcast.” He suggests that “podcasting is a lot like speechwriting. Educators must train students to know their audience, pick a theme, research talking points, and practice. Organization is key. Like speeches, podcasts require a beginning, middle, and conclusion” (Villano, 2008, p. 30). With this in mind, students will most likely spend time in the library researching topics for podcasts. Villano suggests “In many cases, podcasts are the result of a day or two in the library, where students are encouraged to research a particular subject as they would for a term paper” (2008, p. 31). Thus, here is a prime example of how librarians and educators will work together to use new technology in educational settings. As a former high school English teacher and future librarian, I truly embrace the idea of podcasting. Creating a podcast requires planning, following a process, conducting research, and editing, all of which are similar aspects taught when writing a research paper. Consequently, podcasting may appeal to those students who do not like to write. Instead, they can follow the same process and procedure that would be required of gathering information for a paper, but can present the information in a different format. To me, this is a form of technology that truly speaks to “digital natives.”
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Villano, M. (2008). Building a better podcast. THE Journal, 35(1), 30-37. Retrieved September 27, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
After uploading several documents throughout the semester to Google Docs, my only complaint stems from the fact that PowerPoint presentations cannot be uploaded. I was able to create slides within Google Docs; however, I was unable to upload my slides, created in PowerPoint, to my account. This was somewhat disappointing, especially since I planned on having students upload their PowerPoint presentations to Google Docs during a program that I teach in the summer. Perhaps I was doing something wrong, or there is another way to upload PowerPoint to the site. I will continue to research this so that my PFL students can benefit from Google Docs when working on their summer projects all over Millersville campus.
___________________________________________________
Chapter 3 of Herndon focused on Podcasts. I was introduced to the term “podcast” during a graduate course that I was taking during the spring of 2005. It was interesting to find out that podcasting only began in the fall of 2004 (Hendron, 2008, p. 48). At the time, I had no idea what my colleagues were talking about. I assumed that a “podcast” was something that was associated with an iPod. Hendron (2008) explains that “podcasting is a process of publishing/broadcasting on the web that uses Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to deliver multi-media content to end-users” (p.47). Now, that definition did not make perfect sense upon first reading; however, it did make me think of the show “One Tree Hill.” On this show, Peyton Sawyer, often broadcasts events from her life in the form of podcasts and webcasts. Thinking about that show allowed me to have a mental image of podcasting.
Hendron (2008) goes on to talk about the ways in which podcasting can be beneficial in school environments. It can be a means to conduct staff development, school-to-home communication tool, teachers can create podcasts of their lessons for students who are absent, and can be used as a means of assessment with students creating projects. While podcasts can be useful in school settings, one major disadvantage would be the lack of computers/Internet access at home for students and parents. Also, if parents are not familiar with podcasts, they may be reluctant to listen to them. With this in mind, school districts need to provide training to teachers, students, and parents. With proper training, podcasts can be a valuable tool in any educational setting.
Matt Villano talks about the importance of proper planning and research when creating a podcast in the article “Building a Better Podcast.” He suggests that “podcasting is a lot like speechwriting. Educators must train students to know their audience, pick a theme, research talking points, and practice. Organization is key. Like speeches, podcasts require a beginning, middle, and conclusion” (Villano, 2008, p. 30). With this in mind, students will most likely spend time in the library researching topics for podcasts. Villano suggests “In many cases, podcasts are the result of a day or two in the library, where students are encouraged to research a particular subject as they would for a term paper” (2008, p. 31). Thus, here is a prime example of how librarians and educators will work together to use new technology in educational settings. As a former high school English teacher and future librarian, I truly embrace the idea of podcasting. Creating a podcast requires planning, following a process, conducting research, and editing, all of which are similar aspects taught when writing a research paper. Consequently, podcasting may appeal to those students who do not like to write. Instead, they can follow the same process and procedure that would be required of gathering information for a paper, but can present the information in a different format. To me, this is a form of technology that truly speaks to “digital natives.”
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Villano, M. (2008). Building a better podcast. THE Journal, 35(1), 30-37. Retrieved September 27, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Unit 3 - Wikis and Learning
This week we looked at the different roles that technology can play in engaged learning models. Part of chapter 2 talked about schools need to move into the information age. "Classrooms function within the school systems of schools and school districts. Therefore, entire schools, not just isolated classrooms with a few techno-constructivist teachers, need to move to the information age." (Johnston & Cooley, 2001, 34) I used to work at a school where only a few "techno-constructivist teachers" moved their units and students into the information age. If an entire school, including teachers and administrators, cannot get behind a new idea then it will not work. Instead, I think it would be more beneficial to implement, monitor, and model a new learning model such as project based learning across a grade level or subject area and document what works and what doesn't work before making it a school wide norm. If a change can be made like this, I believe more teachers and administrators would be more likely to move to the information age based on the fact that they would be able to see the effects of an engaged learning model in action with actual results.
Johnston and Cooley also talk about how engaged learning models require teachers to move from "dispensers of predetermined facts to coaches and guides." (2001, 35) This may cause problems as many "older" teachers are still employed within schools. These individuals did not grow up using technology and, often, have a negative attitude about change. Instead, they would be happier biding their time by lecturing and putting in their last few years before retirement. While they may agree that engaged learning models and technology are beneficial, they may have a hard time with the idea of their role as teachers changing.
The Hendron reading truly cleared up any questions that I had about wikis in regard to creation, format, use, and history. Because I was the discussion leader for this chapter, I spent a good amount of time researching and reading about wikis in order to gain a clear understanding. As an educator, I believe that wikis are user-friendly and can lend themselves to any subject matter, assignment, or grade level. Basic instruction of the technology must be taught, but once students understand how to use wikis, they can be let loose to learn and create.
I see a huge benefit to wikis with regards to group projects, collaboration, and activities that require teamwork. In addition, I believe that since you can see how many times someone has updated/changed information or contributed to a wiki, more accurate grades can be assigned for group projects. Wikis also allow students to work together without having to be in the same classroom. There are no excuses as to why work cannot be accomplished at home. As long as a computer is available, wikis can be updated at any location or time.
Hendron does bring up the fact that Wikipedia, the most well known wiki, has become controversial. Because ANYONE can update a wiki, the information found on this site is not always reliable, accurate, or timely. So, like Hendron suggests, Wikipedia should be viewed as a "tool." (2008, 44-45) When students are taught a process on how to evaluate information, websites, and resources properly, they will view Wikipedia a starting point for gathering information, instead of an end point. I allow my students to use Wikipedia as a way to gather information about a topic/subject, but they are never allowed to cite it. If they find something that believe to be useful/true from Wikipedia that they want to include in a paper/project, they must find another resource that validates the information and cite that source - not Wikipedia!
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Johnston, M. & Cooley, N. (2001). What we know about: Supporting new models of teaching and learning through technology. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.
Johnston and Cooley also talk about how engaged learning models require teachers to move from "dispensers of predetermined facts to coaches and guides." (2001, 35) This may cause problems as many "older" teachers are still employed within schools. These individuals did not grow up using technology and, often, have a negative attitude about change. Instead, they would be happier biding their time by lecturing and putting in their last few years before retirement. While they may agree that engaged learning models and technology are beneficial, they may have a hard time with the idea of their role as teachers changing.
The Hendron reading truly cleared up any questions that I had about wikis in regard to creation, format, use, and history. Because I was the discussion leader for this chapter, I spent a good amount of time researching and reading about wikis in order to gain a clear understanding. As an educator, I believe that wikis are user-friendly and can lend themselves to any subject matter, assignment, or grade level. Basic instruction of the technology must be taught, but once students understand how to use wikis, they can be let loose to learn and create.
I see a huge benefit to wikis with regards to group projects, collaboration, and activities that require teamwork. In addition, I believe that since you can see how many times someone has updated/changed information or contributed to a wiki, more accurate grades can be assigned for group projects. Wikis also allow students to work together without having to be in the same classroom. There are no excuses as to why work cannot be accomplished at home. As long as a computer is available, wikis can be updated at any location or time.
Hendron does bring up the fact that Wikipedia, the most well known wiki, has become controversial. Because ANYONE can update a wiki, the information found on this site is not always reliable, accurate, or timely. So, like Hendron suggests, Wikipedia should be viewed as a "tool." (2008, 44-45) When students are taught a process on how to evaluate information, websites, and resources properly, they will view Wikipedia a starting point for gathering information, instead of an end point. I allow my students to use Wikipedia as a way to gather information about a topic/subject, but they are never allowed to cite it. If they find something that believe to be useful/true from Wikipedia that they want to include in a paper/project, they must find another resource that validates the information and cite that source - not Wikipedia!
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Johnston, M. & Cooley, N. (2001). What we know about: Supporting new models of teaching and learning through technology. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Unit 2 - Technology and Learning
While I was reading Chapter 1 for Unit 2, I could not help but keep coming back to the fact that the school that I used to teach at is now a "Classrooms for the Future" school. What this means is that technology has been installed in certain classrooms for teachers to use in order to incorporate the use of technology into their lessons and teach 21st century skills. Overall, students truly enjoy this added technology simply because it is what they understand and are willing to pay attention to. After all, we are now teaching learners that are considered "digital natives."
On the other hand, it is the staff that is feeling overwhelmed. Even though the majority of the staff would be considered "young," not all of the teachers feel comfortable using this type of technology. Several training sessions have been held for instruction, but the constant demand for more technology in the classroom outweighs the skills that the teachers possess.
I must admit, that if I was still teaching right now and was required to use this new technology, I would also feel overwhelmed. Collaboration and instructional time is not set aside for teachers in order to learn how to use this new technology. In addition, there are many different formats available that would be beneficial to classroom instruction like YouTube, blogging, etc., but these features and sites are currently blocked. So, my questions remains...How can school districts expect us to have a "classroom for the future" when they do not provide the resources, time, and training needed to accomplish this?
On another note, after reading Hendron's Introduction I finally understand what RSS stands for and the its basic concept (2008, 2-3) I liked how the chapter went on to explain the "jargon" used with creating blogs and wikis. I found it interesting that the term wiki comes from the Hawaiian "wiki-wiki" which means "quick" or "fast" (Hendron, 2008, 6-7). Hendron goes on to state that wikis are considered "quick and dirty" types of web pages (2008, 7). After using a wiki for another course, I do not consider them to be "fast" by any means. While they can easily be updated and can be accessed by several people when working in groups, creating our wiki was never "fast." Perhaps this comes with practice. At times, I feel like learning all of the tech terms and procedures is a major within itself!
Chapter 1 of the textbook discussed engaged learning. From both a teacher's and student's perspective, I support this type of instruction/learning. I had the opportunity to work with problem-based learning this summer. In project-based learning, students are involved with "hands-on experience with real-life tasks." (Johnston & Cooley, 2001, 12) The students really seemed to enjoy learning in a way that made the content applicable to their lives and future. They were able to make real-life connections which directly impacted their attitudes toward learning in general and made the experience more meaningful.
Problem-based learning is a model that allows and encourages the use of technology. Not only do students need to find data about their specific topics, they need to use technology in order to document their process whether it is through blogging, creating a webpage, etc. Hendron goes on to talk about blogging in Chapter 1. I liked the connection that was made about blogging with administrators. "My superintendent practices what he asks his teachers to do," meaning that he maintains a blog. (Hendron, 2008, 26) The rest of this section goes on to talk about how one district encourages teachers to maintain a blog to keep both students and parents up-to-date with teaching practices, homework, field trips, etc. Here is a school that actually practices what they preach and leads by example. I find it refreshing that there are some individuals out there that take the time to learn new technology and model it in order to promote its use to the staff. Perhaps teachers would be more likely to embrace new forms of technology if they witnessed their superiors using these forms. After all, aren't we as teachers taught to be models to our students? If we want them to do something, we are encouraged to model the behavior.
Finally, what I think really hit home for me throughout the readings is the fact that in today's classroom, teachers are currently instructing "digital natives." These students have always been around and used technology and will continue to use it in their future. As a teacher, it is my goal to prepare students for the "real world" and for future jobs: "preparing for future work, however, is the job of educators now" (Hendron, 2008, 10). I am completely onboard with allowing students to explore all types of technology that currently exists based on the fact that probably 90% of the students we teach are going to pursue jobs that have not even been created or exist at this point. I really wish that administrators would keep that in mind. If we continue to use archaic methods of instruction and do not stay up-to-date with what is available, we are doing the students a disservice and putting them at a disadvantage for their future jobs.
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Johnston, M. & Cooley, N. (2001). What we know about: Supporting new models of teaching and learning through technology. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.
On the other hand, it is the staff that is feeling overwhelmed. Even though the majority of the staff would be considered "young," not all of the teachers feel comfortable using this type of technology. Several training sessions have been held for instruction, but the constant demand for more technology in the classroom outweighs the skills that the teachers possess.
I must admit, that if I was still teaching right now and was required to use this new technology, I would also feel overwhelmed. Collaboration and instructional time is not set aside for teachers in order to learn how to use this new technology. In addition, there are many different formats available that would be beneficial to classroom instruction like YouTube, blogging, etc., but these features and sites are currently blocked. So, my questions remains...How can school districts expect us to have a "classroom for the future" when they do not provide the resources, time, and training needed to accomplish this?
On another note, after reading Hendron's Introduction I finally understand what RSS stands for and the its basic concept (2008, 2-3) I liked how the chapter went on to explain the "jargon" used with creating blogs and wikis. I found it interesting that the term wiki comes from the Hawaiian "wiki-wiki" which means "quick" or "fast" (Hendron, 2008, 6-7). Hendron goes on to state that wikis are considered "quick and dirty" types of web pages (2008, 7). After using a wiki for another course, I do not consider them to be "fast" by any means. While they can easily be updated and can be accessed by several people when working in groups, creating our wiki was never "fast." Perhaps this comes with practice. At times, I feel like learning all of the tech terms and procedures is a major within itself!
Chapter 1 of the textbook discussed engaged learning. From both a teacher's and student's perspective, I support this type of instruction/learning. I had the opportunity to work with problem-based learning this summer. In project-based learning, students are involved with "hands-on experience with real-life tasks." (Johnston & Cooley, 2001, 12) The students really seemed to enjoy learning in a way that made the content applicable to their lives and future. They were able to make real-life connections which directly impacted their attitudes toward learning in general and made the experience more meaningful.
Problem-based learning is a model that allows and encourages the use of technology. Not only do students need to find data about their specific topics, they need to use technology in order to document their process whether it is through blogging, creating a webpage, etc. Hendron goes on to talk about blogging in Chapter 1. I liked the connection that was made about blogging with administrators. "My superintendent practices what he asks his teachers to do," meaning that he maintains a blog. (Hendron, 2008, 26) The rest of this section goes on to talk about how one district encourages teachers to maintain a blog to keep both students and parents up-to-date with teaching practices, homework, field trips, etc. Here is a school that actually practices what they preach and leads by example. I find it refreshing that there are some individuals out there that take the time to learn new technology and model it in order to promote its use to the staff. Perhaps teachers would be more likely to embrace new forms of technology if they witnessed their superiors using these forms. After all, aren't we as teachers taught to be models to our students? If we want them to do something, we are encouraged to model the behavior.
Finally, what I think really hit home for me throughout the readings is the fact that in today's classroom, teachers are currently instructing "digital natives." These students have always been around and used technology and will continue to use it in their future. As a teacher, it is my goal to prepare students for the "real world" and for future jobs: "preparing for future work, however, is the job of educators now" (Hendron, 2008, 10). I am completely onboard with allowing students to explore all types of technology that currently exists based on the fact that probably 90% of the students we teach are going to pursue jobs that have not even been created or exist at this point. I really wish that administrators would keep that in mind. If we continue to use archaic methods of instruction and do not stay up-to-date with what is available, we are doing the students a disservice and putting them at a disadvantage for their future jobs.
Hendron, J. (2008). RSS for educators: Blogs, newsfeeds, podcasts, and wikis in the classroom. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
Johnston, M. & Cooley, N. (2001). What we know about: Supporting new models of teaching and learning through technology. Arlington, VA: Educational Research Service.
Unit 1 - My history with technology...
Since there was no required reading assigned for Unit 1, I have decided to reflect upon my personal journey with technology throughout my educational career for my first blog entry.
The first time that I can remember using a computer during my school years was in 6th grade. That was the year that I entered middle school and had to take a typing class. Basically, all we learned was the layout of a keyboard, "remember to keep your fingers on the home row," and constantly typed words and sentences in order to see how many words we could type per minute.
In 8th grade, I became editor of the middle school newspaper and had to learn how to use a computer in order to configure the layout of the paper each month. At this time, I can remember my English teacher lugging in a large computer that he purchased with his own money so that we could use it for newspaper. Even at this point (1996), the school district that I attended did not have a computer in every room.
When I entered high school, there was finally a computer in every room. Still, our essays were not required to be typed and computer labs were not available for our use. It was during my 9th grade year that my middle sister started graduate school. I remember having a word processor at home and thought it was the greatest thing! It wasn't until 10th grade that I had another computer course where I learned to save documents to a disc in 1998. During my last few years of high school, my school actually had three classrooms that had a computer at every station. However, two of these classrooms held business courses and the other was a math classroom.
In 1998, my parents bought their first computer. I learned how to navigate the Internet by trial and error. We thought it was a major accomplishment when we were able to set up an e-mail account! IM became my best friend and caused me to stay up late talking with friends. There was also a chat room named mIRC that my friends and I used to have "group" discussions.
In 2000, I entered college. I thought I was really cutting-edge as I purchased a laptop to take with me. The only problem was that I only knew how to use Word, e-mail, and chat on IM. Beyond that, I was clueless!
What am I getting at? Even though many people would consider me to be a part of the "younger" generation, I do not consider myself a digital native. It wasn't until I started teaching in 2004, that I learned how to use PowerPoint because my students wanted to submit projects this way! Now, in 2009, many hours of my week are filled by constantly checking Facebook, logging in to my online courses, searching the Internet to meet my information needs, blogging about my son as he grows, and working as an Independent Longaberger consultant by submitting all orders online. While I still do not consider myself a digital native, I do consider myself to be much more technological savvy than I was ten years ago. For me, learning technology as it evolves will be a lifelong process.
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Facebook and Educators
Other assignments for this week included signing up for a Facebook account and Listserv. I decided to subscribe to eSchool News. Interestingly, there was an article available regarding educators and librarians with Facebook accounts entitled “School Librarians Lead Social Networking Pack Among Educators. The article discusses a survey that was conducted among librarians, educators, and principals regarding their attitudes toward social networking sites. A significance difference was found with “70 percent of media specialists, 62 percent of teachers, and 54 percent of administrators saying they’ve joined a social network” (Lau Whelan, 2009, p.1) The article goes on to discuss that librarians are “are most positive about the value of social networking in education, but they’re frustrated with their school districts blocking access to Web sites like YouTube and Facebook” (Lau Whelan, 2009, p.1).
The articles continues and discusses the fact that educators do see the importance of technology and social networking sites, like Facebook, but continue to stand on the side of caution as they believe student should know the difference between personal and professional/educational communications. Librarians, on the other hand, see technology and social networking sites as something that students are using every day. Therefore, their belief is that we should find ways to incorporate these new technologies into the classroom in order to get students interested in content.
I have to agree with the librarians surveyed in this article regarding the heavy restrictions imposed by school district to certain technologies and websites. There are so many valuable clips available on YouTube that correspond to many English lessons that I teach, yet my school district restricts access to this site. Perhaps a certain type of filter would be more appropriate instead of outright restriction. Regardless of what type of policies school districts have in place, I believe they need to re-evaluated due to the fact that we are teaching “digital natives” and we need to be utilizing all available resources to enhance instruction and learning.
In addition, I believe that it is our responsibility to provide guidelines for technology use, in general, in school environments. After all, “educating students about Facebook is our priority now” (Lupsa, 2006, p. 1). We push for sex education, alternative teachings to creation in science, the right to read banned books, etc. Why should we not take the responsibility of properly training our students how to use technology and social networking sites so they know how to approach them in their future endeavors?
Lau Whelan, D. (2009, November 9). School librarians lead the social networking pack among educators. School Library Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6705646.html
Lupsa, C. (2006, December 13). Facebook: a campus fad becomes a campus fact. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1213/p13s01-legn.html?s=hns
The first time that I can remember using a computer during my school years was in 6th grade. That was the year that I entered middle school and had to take a typing class. Basically, all we learned was the layout of a keyboard, "remember to keep your fingers on the home row," and constantly typed words and sentences in order to see how many words we could type per minute.
In 8th grade, I became editor of the middle school newspaper and had to learn how to use a computer in order to configure the layout of the paper each month. At this time, I can remember my English teacher lugging in a large computer that he purchased with his own money so that we could use it for newspaper. Even at this point (1996), the school district that I attended did not have a computer in every room.
When I entered high school, there was finally a computer in every room. Still, our essays were not required to be typed and computer labs were not available for our use. It was during my 9th grade year that my middle sister started graduate school. I remember having a word processor at home and thought it was the greatest thing! It wasn't until 10th grade that I had another computer course where I learned to save documents to a disc in 1998. During my last few years of high school, my school actually had three classrooms that had a computer at every station. However, two of these classrooms held business courses and the other was a math classroom.
In 1998, my parents bought their first computer. I learned how to navigate the Internet by trial and error. We thought it was a major accomplishment when we were able to set up an e-mail account! IM became my best friend and caused me to stay up late talking with friends. There was also a chat room named mIRC that my friends and I used to have "group" discussions.
In 2000, I entered college. I thought I was really cutting-edge as I purchased a laptop to take with me. The only problem was that I only knew how to use Word, e-mail, and chat on IM. Beyond that, I was clueless!
What am I getting at? Even though many people would consider me to be a part of the "younger" generation, I do not consider myself a digital native. It wasn't until I started teaching in 2004, that I learned how to use PowerPoint because my students wanted to submit projects this way! Now, in 2009, many hours of my week are filled by constantly checking Facebook, logging in to my online courses, searching the Internet to meet my information needs, blogging about my son as he grows, and working as an Independent Longaberger consultant by submitting all orders online. While I still do not consider myself a digital native, I do consider myself to be much more technological savvy than I was ten years ago. For me, learning technology as it evolves will be a lifelong process.
____________________________________________
Facebook and Educators
Other assignments for this week included signing up for a Facebook account and Listserv. I decided to subscribe to eSchool News. Interestingly, there was an article available regarding educators and librarians with Facebook accounts entitled “School Librarians Lead Social Networking Pack Among Educators. The article discusses a survey that was conducted among librarians, educators, and principals regarding their attitudes toward social networking sites. A significance difference was found with “70 percent of media specialists, 62 percent of teachers, and 54 percent of administrators saying they’ve joined a social network” (Lau Whelan, 2009, p.1) The article goes on to discuss that librarians are “are most positive about the value of social networking in education, but they’re frustrated with their school districts blocking access to Web sites like YouTube and Facebook” (Lau Whelan, 2009, p.1).
The articles continues and discusses the fact that educators do see the importance of technology and social networking sites, like Facebook, but continue to stand on the side of caution as they believe student should know the difference between personal and professional/educational communications. Librarians, on the other hand, see technology and social networking sites as something that students are using every day. Therefore, their belief is that we should find ways to incorporate these new technologies into the classroom in order to get students interested in content.
I have to agree with the librarians surveyed in this article regarding the heavy restrictions imposed by school district to certain technologies and websites. There are so many valuable clips available on YouTube that correspond to many English lessons that I teach, yet my school district restricts access to this site. Perhaps a certain type of filter would be more appropriate instead of outright restriction. Regardless of what type of policies school districts have in place, I believe they need to re-evaluated due to the fact that we are teaching “digital natives” and we need to be utilizing all available resources to enhance instruction and learning.
In addition, I believe that it is our responsibility to provide guidelines for technology use, in general, in school environments. After all, “educating students about Facebook is our priority now” (Lupsa, 2006, p. 1). We push for sex education, alternative teachings to creation in science, the right to read banned books, etc. Why should we not take the responsibility of properly training our students how to use technology and social networking sites so they know how to approach them in their future endeavors?
Lau Whelan, D. (2009, November 9). School librarians lead the social networking pack among educators. School Library Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6705646.html
Lupsa, C. (2006, December 13). Facebook: a campus fad becomes a campus fact. The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1213/p13s01-legn.html?s=hns
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