I had a few aha moments this semester. I particularly like creating the technology lesson plan. It was nice to put my ideas and beliefs as a teacher into words. I was surprised at how closely my technology philosophy mirrored my general education philosophies. Adding technology didn't really change my focus too much. I still want my classroom to be student-centered and discovery based. I want my students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. All of these things are important with or without technology. So really, my educational technology philosophy didn't change as the course progressed; this class simply reinforced it.
I've managed to stay away from wikis up until now. I thought they were just archaic versions of web sites. Boy was I wrong! Working with the wikis this semester helped me realize how I can use them to work with my web site, not replace it. I plan on trying to incorporate some peer editing using the class wiki.
I was also surprised to find out how easy it is to embed your podcasts into Blogger. I have been using Blogger for three years and just now heard of the enclosure link! It makes embedding things so much faster. I also really enjoyed using JING and plan to use it to provide extra teaching on my class website. I'm even considering using on my next maternity leave (whenever that happens).
This course has given me many ideas that I can't wait to test out on my kiddos!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Week 4 Reflection
Is it Age or IT: First Steps Towards Understanding the Net Generation surprised me with its information on the Net Generation. I was shocked to find out that the older generations are the ones who prefer online courses due to time and availability. The Net Generation actually want more socialization and face-to-face communication! What?! However, after reading the chapter, the reasons for these differences are logical and related to the way the Net Gen students have interacted with technology throughout their lives. They use it as a social tool, where the older generations use technology more for productivity (think MS Office).
I thought about the questions we were asked to answer, and here are my reactions:
· Are you more comfortable composing documents online than longhand? I’m so used to composing documents on the computer that I cringe if I have to write anything longer than a paragraph. In fact, my handwriting is horrible, and I’ve become so dependent on spell check that I don’t trust my own skills. This is particularly embarrassing because I’m an English teacher.
· Have you turned your “remembering” over to a technology device? Yes and no. I use Google calendar for some of my dates-mainly lesson plans. I still keep a written calendar with me for immediate dates. I still find it faster than trying to input it into my phone. I do use my cell phone to “remember” my phone numbers for me. However, I purposefully dial the most important numbers (husband, parents, siblings) on a daily basis so I won’t forget them.
· Do you go to meetings with your laptop or PDA? No, as a teacher that really isn’t necessary.
· Are you constantly connected? No, I often forget to charge my cell phone and let it stay dead for an entire day (this drives my mother crazy!). My home computer is always on along with my Internet. I’m weary of being too connected. When I go to the park and see parents sitting on a bench texting while their kids are playing, I see how much we miss if we are always too connected.
· How many different activities can you effectively engage in at one time? I can surf the Internet and listen to the TV or music at the same time. However, if the Internet in requiring too much of my focus, I have to turn the sound off. It really depends on what I’m doing.
· Do you play video or computer games? I love the games on FaceBook: Café World, Frontierville, etc.) I was also addicted to Sims 2 for quite a while.
According to my birth year, 1979, I’m Generation X. I definitely independent, love to multi-task, and crave a balance in my work and home life. However, I feel like I also identify with the Net Generation, which I think is possible considering I only missed it my three years. I love the latest technologies and lose my mind when things are moving too slowly, not just the Internet but traffic and long lines. When reviewing my answers to the above questions, they seem to reinforce my thinking. Like the Net Generation, I am very technology centered; yet there is still something in me that remains weary about letting technology become to involved in my day-to-day activities.
As educators, we have a lot of changing to do to accommodate our students. First of all, we need to allow our students more time for discovery education. I fully understand why we don’t do this. It is a lengthy and time-consuming process. We are under so much pressure to fit in all our lessons that we often resort to the “sit and get” method of teaching. In secondary education, we need to allow our students to be more active and work with one another. Letting a class of 35 teenagers do group work is not always a comfortable thing for a teacher. However, we need to realize that “organized chaos” can be a good thing. Lastly, we need to start using technology as a tool to gather and produce information. Too many teachers are using it simply because it’s cool and fun. Our kids aren’t nearly as impressed as we are and will get bored if the lesson isn’t meaningful and relevant to their own lives. No matter which generation we belong to, teachers must become more open-minded to using technology in the classroom.
I thought about the questions we were asked to answer, and here are my reactions:
· Are you more comfortable composing documents online than longhand? I’m so used to composing documents on the computer that I cringe if I have to write anything longer than a paragraph. In fact, my handwriting is horrible, and I’ve become so dependent on spell check that I don’t trust my own skills. This is particularly embarrassing because I’m an English teacher.
· Have you turned your “remembering” over to a technology device? Yes and no. I use Google calendar for some of my dates-mainly lesson plans. I still keep a written calendar with me for immediate dates. I still find it faster than trying to input it into my phone. I do use my cell phone to “remember” my phone numbers for me. However, I purposefully dial the most important numbers (husband, parents, siblings) on a daily basis so I won’t forget them.
· Do you go to meetings with your laptop or PDA? No, as a teacher that really isn’t necessary.
· Are you constantly connected? No, I often forget to charge my cell phone and let it stay dead for an entire day (this drives my mother crazy!). My home computer is always on along with my Internet. I’m weary of being too connected. When I go to the park and see parents sitting on a bench texting while their kids are playing, I see how much we miss if we are always too connected.
· How many different activities can you effectively engage in at one time? I can surf the Internet and listen to the TV or music at the same time. However, if the Internet in requiring too much of my focus, I have to turn the sound off. It really depends on what I’m doing.
· Do you play video or computer games? I love the games on FaceBook: Café World, Frontierville, etc.) I was also addicted to Sims 2 for quite a while.
According to my birth year, 1979, I’m Generation X. I definitely independent, love to multi-task, and crave a balance in my work and home life. However, I feel like I also identify with the Net Generation, which I think is possible considering I only missed it my three years. I love the latest technologies and lose my mind when things are moving too slowly, not just the Internet but traffic and long lines. When reviewing my answers to the above questions, they seem to reinforce my thinking. Like the Net Generation, I am very technology centered; yet there is still something in me that remains weary about letting technology become to involved in my day-to-day activities.
As educators, we have a lot of changing to do to accommodate our students. First of all, we need to allow our students more time for discovery education. I fully understand why we don’t do this. It is a lengthy and time-consuming process. We are under so much pressure to fit in all our lessons that we often resort to the “sit and get” method of teaching. In secondary education, we need to allow our students to be more active and work with one another. Letting a class of 35 teenagers do group work is not always a comfortable thing for a teacher. However, we need to realize that “organized chaos” can be a good thing. Lastly, we need to start using technology as a tool to gather and produce information. Too many teachers are using it simply because it’s cool and fun. Our kids aren’t nearly as impressed as we are and will get bored if the lesson isn’t meaningful and relevant to their own lives. No matter which generation we belong to, teachers must become more open-minded to using technology in the classroom.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Week 3 Reflection
Assessment for Learning
First of all, I love the idea of assessment "for" learning instead of assessment "of" learning. Why not use our assessment as an opportunity for our students to learn? Too often, we use it as the end result. Our students get little feedback, and it's rarely reflective. The AFL tenet I most relate to is "AFL develops learners' capacity for self-assessment so that they can become reflective and self-managing." Ultimately, I want my students to learn from intrinsic motivation instead of extrinsic pressures. My dream classroom would be very student centered with no grades at all. Students should be given the opportunity to discuss what they've learned with their teacher and show him/her their best representations of their learning through the e-portfolios. If my students were able to manage their own learning and assessment and reflect deeply on what they've learned in my class, I would consider that an amazing success.
Potential for Portfolio Assessment
Although I love the idea of portfolio assessment, I don't see it happening any time soon. First of all, it would cause us to rethink our idea of "grades." Convincing most principals and parents that we won't be giving traditional grades would be a challenging task, so a true portfolio in the place of grades probably won't happen anytime soon. I do think it is possible for teachers to get creative and work the portfolio assessment into the traditional system of grading. For example, instead of a traditional six weeks exam or semester exam, the teacher could require that her students create e-portfolios with reflective pieces describing the assignments they have decided to showcase as their best work. These portfolios could then receive grades according to the traditional grading system.
I also believe that teachers need more training and access to materials in order to use portfolios effectively. We've all heard of them and think they are an interesting idea; however, few of us feel we've been given enough information (or support for that matter) to successful implement the portfolio systems into our own classroom.
Ultimately, I view a true portfolio based grading system much like a view a completely student-centered learning environment. They are both wonderful, but until many of the rules and regulations teachers must obey go away, neither of these will ever reach their full potential in the public school environment.
My E-Portfolio
This is the first time I've been asked to create a portfolio for a class. I am excited and anxious to do this. I like the idea of keeping all my work together in a web site. This helps me stay organized and focused. To put all of these assignments together in a neat package will definitely make me prouder and more excited about my work. The most helpful part of the e-portfolio will be the reflections for each assignment. So often, I just do the assignment, turn it in, and leave it at that. The portfolio will help me think about what I've learned and how I will apply it in the future. With a subject like educational technology, it is important to think about how what I am learning now will translate to my teaching. Lastly, when I create/do something new like the e-portfolio as a student in one of my classes, I am much more likely to have my students create something similar in my English classes. It causes me to be more confident with the technology and the e-portfolio system.
First of all, I love the idea of assessment "for" learning instead of assessment "of" learning. Why not use our assessment as an opportunity for our students to learn? Too often, we use it as the end result. Our students get little feedback, and it's rarely reflective. The AFL tenet I most relate to is "AFL develops learners' capacity for self-assessment so that they can become reflective and self-managing." Ultimately, I want my students to learn from intrinsic motivation instead of extrinsic pressures. My dream classroom would be very student centered with no grades at all. Students should be given the opportunity to discuss what they've learned with their teacher and show him/her their best representations of their learning through the e-portfolios. If my students were able to manage their own learning and assessment and reflect deeply on what they've learned in my class, I would consider that an amazing success.
Potential for Portfolio Assessment
Although I love the idea of portfolio assessment, I don't see it happening any time soon. First of all, it would cause us to rethink our idea of "grades." Convincing most principals and parents that we won't be giving traditional grades would be a challenging task, so a true portfolio in the place of grades probably won't happen anytime soon. I do think it is possible for teachers to get creative and work the portfolio assessment into the traditional system of grading. For example, instead of a traditional six weeks exam or semester exam, the teacher could require that her students create e-portfolios with reflective pieces describing the assignments they have decided to showcase as their best work. These portfolios could then receive grades according to the traditional grading system.
I also believe that teachers need more training and access to materials in order to use portfolios effectively. We've all heard of them and think they are an interesting idea; however, few of us feel we've been given enough information (or support for that matter) to successful implement the portfolio systems into our own classroom.
Ultimately, I view a true portfolio based grading system much like a view a completely student-centered learning environment. They are both wonderful, but until many of the rules and regulations teachers must obey go away, neither of these will ever reach their full potential in the public school environment.
My E-Portfolio
This is the first time I've been asked to create a portfolio for a class. I am excited and anxious to do this. I like the idea of keeping all my work together in a web site. This helps me stay organized and focused. To put all of these assignments together in a neat package will definitely make me prouder and more excited about my work. The most helpful part of the e-portfolio will be the reflections for each assignment. So often, I just do the assignment, turn it in, and leave it at that. The portfolio will help me think about what I've learned and how I will apply it in the future. With a subject like educational technology, it is important to think about how what I am learning now will translate to my teaching. Lastly, when I create/do something new like the e-portfolio as a student in one of my classes, I am much more likely to have my students create something similar in my English classes. It causes me to be more confident with the technology and the e-portfolio system.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Week 2 Reflection
MAPping Activity
I chose to investigate the Northwest Tree Octopus. Upon investigating the site, I knew it was a hoax. Personally, I thought the link command was the most helpful. Once I did that, I was taken to several PhotoShop and hoax sites. I also knew to be a bit skeptical since it was a .net and a site called zapatopi, which I’d never heard of before. I chose to search Google, Yahoo, Bing, and HotBot. Google and Yahoo were very disappointing. The main hits were just other informational sites and wikis that couldn’t be trusted. Bing and HotBot, however, were much more likely to bring up hoax websites and Snopes. When I searched for the author, it was a single person named Kevin Fraites, which made me suspicious. The history activity didn’t offer me much information. I’m definitely going to use the link command more often to double-check my sources. To be honest, I’m fairly confident in the sites I’ve used in the past simply because I’m an English teacher and have a good sense of credible websites. I teach my students these skills every year around research time.
Implications
If we fail to teach these skills to our students, the implications could be enormous. Think of all the evil that has happened in our history due to false propaganda. If our students can’t determine the credibility of websites that are intentionally designed to sway their opinions, they could be in a lot of trouble. With the popularity of wikis and personal websites, students must be aware of the information they are viewing. Just imagine what a student could find on a search of Barack Obama if he didn’t know which sources had factual information! In elementary and secondary schools, we monitor our students’ research and keep them on safe sites. We are also more forgiving if they steer off course. In college, they will be expected to do almost all their research on their own. And trust me, if they even mention Wikipedia in their research paper, their professor will butcher their grade.
Delicious
Although I’ve known about Delicious for a while, I haven’t used it until now. I like that you can access your bookmarks from any computer, but I already had that with Google. The network feature is interesting, and I’d like to look into that more. I was considering having my students use Delicious during research projects to share information they find. They would also be able to access a list of sites that I’ve arranged for them. If each student were to contribute two bookmarks about the information we were studying, it would be quite a collection.
Google Reader
Google Reader is amazing! I especially like that you can embed the blogs you follow into your own blog and have everything on one page! It saves so much time. A few years ago, I had my students create blogs for characters in literature. I used a similar site called BlogRoll to keep up with my students’ posts. I was able to check the blogs the minute they were updated. I plan on using Google Reader to do this with my students’ blogs this coming school year.
Wikis
I created my wiki as an addition to my class website. I prefer to keep my class site on Google because I feel I can personalize it a bit more. I do like the idea of the wiki to collaborate with my students. I plan on my students’ using it to post their writings and complete peer editing. I did that a bit in one of my other ETEC class last semester and enjoyed the outcome. I was also thinking it would be a great place for students to share and organize group projects, i.e. to do lists, helpful sites, assignments, etc. I’ve started creating my pages, but I won’t be able to try anything out until the coming school year.
Wikis-Pros and Cons
Advantages to using wikis would be sharing ideas, collaborating, and organizing information. Digital natives would appreciate the ease of the edit tab that looks similar to a word processor. They would appreciate the simplicity of updating the wiki instead of sending out mass emails. The one disadvantage I see is that it is easy to accidentally erase or change others’ work on a wiki and this aspect may make digital natives nervous. Heck, it makes me nervous whenever I edit our ETEC 524 wiki. Also, others may not appreciate their ideas or input being editing or erased completely. You definitely have to set ground rules on wiki etiquette before you get started.
ELearning Tools Wiki
To be honest, I’d heard of most of these sites already and have used several of them. I noticed some of the categories hadn’t been update in almost two years, and there are a few really great sites that should be added like Glogster. I did think that Gabbly, an embeddable chat box for your website, looked interesting. I was thinking it may be a neat way to discuss things with my students on the website without worrying about log-ins, etc. I also liked Dipity, an interactive timeline maker. You can add photos and links to other sites. This would be great for mapping out literary periods or even the plot of a novel.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Week 1 Reflection
I must admit this was a difficult assignment for me, and I'm still not entirely happy with my philosophy. The difficult part for me was incorporating my own teaching philosophies with my objectives when it comes to technology. It was a good exercise, however, because for the first time I was made to actually put my goals and objectives into writing. This gave me much food for thought and acutally caused me to rethink some of my previous goals. Firstly, my educational technology philosophy is helpful because it reminds me of what is really important when it comes to integrating technology into my classroom. I tend to get too excited in using the technology just because it's cool. This assignment reminds me to keep the information first and use the technology as a tool to access and produce that information. My goal in the future is to think first about what I want my students to learn, i.e. the end result, and then figure out what (or if) technology can help me achieve those goals in a meaningful way.
Downes’ article brought up some interesting points that I hadn’t considered before. If we treat the blog as a personal journal where we share our thoughts, interests, and other information we find from the web, then on a personal level I believe we have met the potential of a blog. Particularly when one considers the advancements made in blogging, like embedded applications from other sites we use to manage our interests, i.e. photo sharing, graphics, calendars, etc. In fact, new sites like Twitter and FaceBook have taken blogging to a new level, allowing us to have instant access to our friends’ information and vice versa. This is truly becoming the social networking Downes envisions. However, I still feel that we’ve missed the purpose of true blogging according to Downes when it comes to education. As digital immigrants, many of us are still using the blog as a “cooler” way to do the same old thing, like assign writing prompts and conduct class discussions. This still has its advantages, particularly in the way of access and motivation. We aren’t, however, letting out students take full ownership of the blog and post things that interest them. We are still creating restrictions with assignments, grades, etc. Honestly, I don’t know the best way to get around this. Particularly when you consider just the fact that the teacher will be reading the blog might be enough to hinder many of our students’ creativity. I would love to see a teacher who is using a class blog in a less restrictive way where students are genuine, active participants…other than participating because they simply have to.
I identify the most with November’s point that we need to tell our stories. I agree that we have a very isolated profession. In fact, if you do not seek out the information and connections yourself, you will be very lonely. No one stops by our rooms and says “Hey, I have some wonderful information I’d just love to share with you.” Over the past two years I have worked hard on increasing technology into my own curriculum. This past year, I’ve made it a goal to share what I’ve been doing with my colleagues through email, informal conversations, and staff development. Incorporating technology into your classroom can be a very daunting experience, particularly when you don’t feel you have the technical savvy to troubleshoot basic problems that may arise. Sharing lesson plans, rubrics, successes, and (yes) failures helps boost our confidence. I feel the only way we will get our reluctant teachers on board is to give them the resources and support they need. This belief is one of the main reasons I am working to be a library media specialist, because this will provide me the venue and the time to help teachers be confident digital immigrants willing to face the digital natives head on.
Downes’ article brought up some interesting points that I hadn’t considered before. If we treat the blog as a personal journal where we share our thoughts, interests, and other information we find from the web, then on a personal level I believe we have met the potential of a blog. Particularly when one considers the advancements made in blogging, like embedded applications from other sites we use to manage our interests, i.e. photo sharing, graphics, calendars, etc. In fact, new sites like Twitter and FaceBook have taken blogging to a new level, allowing us to have instant access to our friends’ information and vice versa. This is truly becoming the social networking Downes envisions. However, I still feel that we’ve missed the purpose of true blogging according to Downes when it comes to education. As digital immigrants, many of us are still using the blog as a “cooler” way to do the same old thing, like assign writing prompts and conduct class discussions. This still has its advantages, particularly in the way of access and motivation. We aren’t, however, letting out students take full ownership of the blog and post things that interest them. We are still creating restrictions with assignments, grades, etc. Honestly, I don’t know the best way to get around this. Particularly when you consider just the fact that the teacher will be reading the blog might be enough to hinder many of our students’ creativity. I would love to see a teacher who is using a class blog in a less restrictive way where students are genuine, active participants…other than participating because they simply have to.
I identify the most with November’s point that we need to tell our stories. I agree that we have a very isolated profession. In fact, if you do not seek out the information and connections yourself, you will be very lonely. No one stops by our rooms and says “Hey, I have some wonderful information I’d just love to share with you.” Over the past two years I have worked hard on increasing technology into my own curriculum. This past year, I’ve made it a goal to share what I’ve been doing with my colleagues through email, informal conversations, and staff development. Incorporating technology into your classroom can be a very daunting experience, particularly when you don’t feel you have the technical savvy to troubleshoot basic problems that may arise. Sharing lesson plans, rubrics, successes, and (yes) failures helps boost our confidence. I feel the only way we will get our reluctant teachers on board is to give them the resources and support they need. This belief is one of the main reasons I am working to be a library media specialist, because this will provide me the venue and the time to help teachers be confident digital immigrants willing to face the digital natives head on.
Educational Technology Philosophy
Educational technology is an ever growing and changing field in education. It is important for teachers to develop their own philosophy concerning the use of technology in their professions. Before one can successfully use technology as tool for learning, one has to determine his/her approach, objectives, and roles in this area.
Education should be meaningful to all students. In order to do this, teachers must connect the curriculum to students’ lives. Students must be able to see how the technology they are using will help them beyond school. Teachers should mold their students so that when they leave school they have a stronger sense of their place in the world. Education should help students develop their strengths and passions before going to college. Using critical thinking and strong problem solving skills is also necessary for our students. The increasing amount of information available on the Internet means that our students will need these skills more now than ever before.
In the area of educational technology, teachers must be students. Technology is constantly changing and teachers must keep-up in order to stay up-to-date with their students. Teachers using old, outdated technology will quickly lose their students’ interest and motivation. Teachers also have to see technology as a tool to teach lessons and not as the lesson itself. Too often, they get caught-up in using a new software program because it’s fun and cool, but what are the students actually learning? Teachers have to be automators of technology. Instead of asking, “What cool new gadgets can I buy for my classroom?” they need to be thinking, “What information do I want my students to learn and how do I want them to access that information? Is there any technology that can help us with that goal?”
When teaching with technology, teachers need to be facilitators, not dictators. They may provide guidelines and criteria, but ultimately, they should allow their students enough freedom to discovery information and create products themselves. Our students’ relationship with technology is one of discovery. Teachers must realize our students are much more comfortable with trial and error learning then their teachers. As previously stated, teachers should be concerned with the information students are finding, but let the students figure out how to find that information and how to produce it for the class.
As an English teacher, my ultimate goals are to have students who can read a piece of literature and discuss it in a meaningful way and express their opinions well when writing. Technology can help me achieve these goals. Blogging and social networking are great tools to help my students express opinions and share feedback. There are also peer editing and presentation tools to help students share information. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to help students determine credible information from misleading information. Students must also be taught safety when it comes to communicating on the Internet.
School districts and individual schools should offer teachers ample opportunities to learn how to incorporate technology into their curriculum. Teachers should also form a network to share curriculum, successes, and even failures in order to help each other with educational technology.
With the right vision, teachers, including myself, can successfully implement technology as a tool for motivation, engaging, and educating our students in the 21st century.
Education should be meaningful to all students. In order to do this, teachers must connect the curriculum to students’ lives. Students must be able to see how the technology they are using will help them beyond school. Teachers should mold their students so that when they leave school they have a stronger sense of their place in the world. Education should help students develop their strengths and passions before going to college. Using critical thinking and strong problem solving skills is also necessary for our students. The increasing amount of information available on the Internet means that our students will need these skills more now than ever before.
In the area of educational technology, teachers must be students. Technology is constantly changing and teachers must keep-up in order to stay up-to-date with their students. Teachers using old, outdated technology will quickly lose their students’ interest and motivation. Teachers also have to see technology as a tool to teach lessons and not as the lesson itself. Too often, they get caught-up in using a new software program because it’s fun and cool, but what are the students actually learning? Teachers have to be automators of technology. Instead of asking, “What cool new gadgets can I buy for my classroom?” they need to be thinking, “What information do I want my students to learn and how do I want them to access that information? Is there any technology that can help us with that goal?”
When teaching with technology, teachers need to be facilitators, not dictators. They may provide guidelines and criteria, but ultimately, they should allow their students enough freedom to discovery information and create products themselves. Our students’ relationship with technology is one of discovery. Teachers must realize our students are much more comfortable with trial and error learning then their teachers. As previously stated, teachers should be concerned with the information students are finding, but let the students figure out how to find that information and how to produce it for the class.
As an English teacher, my ultimate goals are to have students who can read a piece of literature and discuss it in a meaningful way and express their opinions well when writing. Technology can help me achieve these goals. Blogging and social networking are great tools to help my students express opinions and share feedback. There are also peer editing and presentation tools to help students share information. As a teacher, it is my responsibility to help students determine credible information from misleading information. Students must also be taught safety when it comes to communicating on the Internet.
School districts and individual schools should offer teachers ample opportunities to learn how to incorporate technology into their curriculum. Teachers should also form a network to share curriculum, successes, and even failures in order to help each other with educational technology.
With the right vision, teachers, including myself, can successfully implement technology as a tool for motivation, engaging, and educating our students in the 21st century.
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