Final Project

Here is a link to my final project
http://gmontcri.wikispaces.com/

AR#7 Rubric

Activity Reflection # 7

Rubric

The last activity reflection in my EME 5050 graduate class asked us to design and complete an evaluation rubric.  This rubric is to be used with our digital project that we have been working on for the past couple of weeks.  It is designed to be an authentic assessment which “can be formal or informal and aims to present students with tasks that mirror the objectives and challenges typical of their instructional activities” (Gunter 2010).  To me, this is a more effective means of letting the students know how the content of the project will be graded, instead of just saying that the project will be based on 100 points.  This way the students know up front how much each part of the project is worth and the breakdown of how it will be graded.

As a math teacher who has been out of the classroom for a few years, I have never completed a rubric before.  So, after reading all the information for week 12 and visiting the websites, I decided to use iRubric to help me.  After getting familiar with the software and visiting completed rubric by others, I decided to get started.  I found the website very user friendly.  Before long I was quickly on my way to producing my first rubric.   

I found it pretty simple to list the criteria for 3 levels of grading; superior, good and fair.  I ran into trouble dividing the grading levels down into 5 categories.  I really had to stop and think about how to break each item down farther. 

I feel that authentic assessment works well with a project based assignment.   As a former and hopefully future middle/high school math teacher, I don’t see my- self using rubric authentic assessment very often.  I don’t feel it would be a useful tool to grade homework, class work, math pages or even quizzes & tests.  I definitely will use it for the few times a year that I assign a project in my math classes.

Here is a link to my rubric.

Works Cited:

Gunter, Glenda. (2010) Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6^th Ed.)Boston MA.    

AR 6, Digital Story

Activity Reflection #6

Sample Project

During the last couple of weeks in our graduate class we have been working on sections of a web quest for our future class.  The first week we “dreamed” about what our project would be about.  The next week, we wrote a curriculum page for the project.  Finally, this week our assignment was to complete a sample project using presentational software to show our students. 

Let’s start with my sample project.  The first step was to decide on a presentation application to use for my project.  After working with the various tools over the course of this project, I decided that I would use Prezi to present my digital story.  I enjoyed working with the software during week eight and figured that would be the best way to proceed.  I had no trouble using Prezi to put together my sample project.  I can positively say that I will use Prezi in my future classes. 

For my project, I chose to model a 7^th grade geography class taking a trip with a partner to several European countries, and compile a digital scrapbook of their journey to share with the class.  Originally, on my curriculum page, each person would travel to 3 countries collecting 13 pieces of data.  In addition they would visit 2 points of interest in each country collecting 7 pieces on data.  My first belief was that this project would be a project that could be completed in just a week.  However, it quickly became apparent that it would be better as a semester project.  As I started to complete my sample project, I realized that it was huge, and way too much for me to expect from my students.  I decided to scale back the project by having the students only visit 4 countries (2 each) and only collect 10 facts from each.  They would still visit 2 points of interest in each country but only be required to collect 5 facts from each. 

When you view my sample project, you will notice that I only included 2 countries with 2 points of interest from each to give the students an understanding what I was looking for.  When the students view their sample project using my wiki they will see a note about the information in the sample project and what is required in their final project.  Hopefully my future students will understand what I’m looking for.

I love the way that all the small pieces of this course have come together.  As I started this course I was apprehensive about the technology.  I can confidently say today, that I feel comfortable with making a web quest and using a wiki.  I know I have a lot more to learn but I feel that I’m moving in the right direction.

My last thought, hopefully as you view my sample project and wiki you find that I have linked everything together correctly.  I must say, I had no trouble linking my wiki to my sample project, and finally to my blog.  I must be getting a good grasp on this technology!

Activity Reaction 5

Curriculum Page

Click above to see my curriculum page

     This week in EME 5050 we were asked to create a curriculum page using the wiki we created last week.  When I thought about a curriculum page, the first thought that came to mind was a lesson plan.  According to our textbook, a curriculum page is a “teacher created document containing hyperlinks to teacher selected web sites that assist in teaching content-specific standards and objectives” (Gunter 2010).  After reviewing the samples in the textbook, I came to the conclusion that a curriculum page is very similar to what a lesson plan use to be when I was teaching.  A curriculum page involves the integration of a lesson plan with technology.

Our curriculum page is based on the digital story project we created in week 9.  Since I’m currently teaching out of field, I went with the 7^th grade Geography class. My classes’ assignment will be to create a digital scrapbook of a European vacation. 

 Since I have never worked with a wiki before, I was apprehensive about this hands-on assignment.   I set up my wiki very easily with PBWorks for Educators and then proceeded to use the One-page WebQuest Template provided by our instructor to set up the curriculum page.  When I looked at the template, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the parts that we needed to complete. The template included several sections like introduction, task, process, evaluation and conclusion.  After going back and rereading our task for this week, I saw we only needed to complete the curriculum page and the rest will be finished in the weeks to come.

 I used Microsoft Word to help jot down my ideas and keep my ideas in order. After I had an outline of my curriculum page I added color and some clip-art.  My next step was to paste into my wiki.  This is where I ran into trouble.  I tried several times to cut and paste from my word document into my PBWorks wiki.  The text would show up but the clip art kept being left behind.  I looked for an easy insert tab for clip art and tired to upload into a file but everything I tried ran into problems.  At this point I was frustrated, and a friend mentioned another wiki site called WikiSpaces.  After a bit of explaining what my trouble was, she thought that this would be a much easier solution to work with.

 I went to their website and immediately liked the layout better than PBWorks.  After working with the help section, I was able to paste my curriculum page and upload the clipart with very little trouble.  My curriculum page is separated into several pages by using the links I provided.  Hopefully, you can easily navigate between the pages. I created a home page and an evaluation pages for assignments to come. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of using a wiki in my classroom.

Works Cited:

Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 6th Ed., Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. Course Technology - Thompson Publishing (2010).

Travel to Europe- RR5

Reading Reaction 5

For my masters class EME 5050 this week we have been asked to reflect about a digital storytelling project assignment that we would give our class.  I’m certified in Math 6-12 grade and have taught math in middle and high school.  Currently I’m part-time teaching, out of field, in three separate classes; an 8^th grade science, a 6^th grade science and a 7^th grade geography class.  It is pretty easy for me to choose the grade and subject I would prepare this project.  I’m going to use the 7^th grade geography class.

I would start this project by discussing what is a digital story is.  I would explain to my class that it is a way to use technology to help tell a story. I would show them the U-Tube video Digital Storytelling in Plain English.  I feel this video is a great, straight-forward tutorial.  Next, I would discuss with them the variety of digital presentation packages that are available for their use.  We would talk about PowerPoint presentations, and then I would show them Prezi and Slideshare.  I would let them see digital storytelling presentations in both of the free online software.  The students would be free to choose the software that they would like to use to prepare the project.

After they have a good foundation about what a digital story is, I would explain their assignment using an instructional model.  In Seminole County, 7^th grade Geography classes study Europe, Russia, Latin and North America.  For their project they would need to complete a travel video, in the form of a digital story, for a European country that they would like to visit. 

They would need to use a search engine (Google, Yahoo) to research their country.  I would have them include certain items like location of their country, surrounding countries, capital, language, currency, and religion.  Their project would need to consist of several pictures highlighting their country and why they would chose to travel there.  The students should also include the history of their chosen country, along with the type of government. 

Most of the time, the students are required to write a report on a topic.  Sure they use the internet to compile their research, but I feel by having the student prepare and share a digital story is a great way to explore a new country.  The students are still doing research, organizing their data, and putting it all together in a final presentation. According to out textbook, “when a student can hear, see, and interact with learning, they can retain as much as 80% of the material” (Gunter 2010). 

After all, isn’t that the goal of every teacher?

Works Cited:

Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 6th Ed., Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. Course Technology - Thompson Publishing (2010).

Digital Storytelling - Activity Reflection 4

AR 4 Online Presentation on Prezi

Activity Reflection 4

This week in our master class, EME5050, we were asked to complete a hands-on activity.  This activity asked us to explore the world of digital media and its applications in the classroom.  We took a look at two free software presentation tools, and used one of them to put together a presentation about digital storytelling.  Being a perspicacious PowerPoint user, I had created a few presentations in the past and have seen quite a few more done by others, so I was energized to get started.  I’m a hands-on learner, and prefer to do a project than write a paper, so this was right up my alley.

The first program I looked at was Slideshare. I took the opportunity to watch the Slideshare tour to get more acquainted with the software.  I found this program to be very similar in nature to PowerPoint.  When working with Slideshare, you setup several slides that present your material. Sticking with Slideshare would have been an easy way to complete the assignment but I wanted something different, so I moved on to the next application.

So the next program I explored was Prezi.  From the first presentation that I watched, I was hooked.  I thought this was an incredibly new and innovative way to create a presentation to give to a group of students; the same students who have probably been watching and making PowerPoint presentations of their own since first grade. 

After making my decision on which online software tool I was going to use, the very first thing I did was to watch several different completed sample projects on Prezi.  I must say that I was impressed with the final projects.  Next, I signed up for the free license and watched the very informative short video.  The video was a step by step explanation of how to use all the tools to make a Prezi.  So, I rolled up my shirt sleeves and dove right in.  I was amazed at how easy it was to input all my information.  It was almost second-nature to edit it, requiring only a couple clicks of the mouse.  I liked that the circle tool is easily available to you in the upper left-hand corner.  I even added some free clipart just for fun!

As I was completing my Prezi assignment for class, I was thinking of all the wonderful ways I would incorporate this into a classroom.  I could put together a short teacher introduction to be used for an open house for the parents.  Or, I could use it to show a step-by-step concept in Algebra.  Better yet, it’s simple enough to have the students create their own Prezi using a topic in Geometry.  The possibilities seem endless. I think my first Prezi isn’t perfect but I’m looking forward to become more familiar with the program, and incorporating it into my classroom in the future.

About Me

Activity Reflection 3

Our assignment for class this week was to complete an “About Me” page that would be connected to our blog. First we needed to decide who are audience would be; other educators, or parents/students. Since I’m currently not teaching I decided that mine would be geared towards other educators.

I had never done anything like this before so I was a little apprehensive in how I was going to complete this assignment.  I never even gave my online identity any thought; for that matter I didn’t know if I even had an online identity.  But I took to this assignment with an open mind.

I started with a link given to us by our instructor, called Online Identity Calculator. This website allows you to find out information about your online identity; who the rest of the online world sees you as.  This site takes into account the amount of information that is found about you on Google.  Your results are displayed on a bar graph with four areas; Digitally Disastrous, Digitally Distinct, Digitally Dissed, or Digitally Dabbling.  When I filled out the information, I wasn’t surprised to find out that I was Digitally Disastrous.  I really haven’t made that much of a digital impression on the world.

I found this statement in our reading of The Future of Reputation by Daniel J. Solove, and it really made an impression on me.  It goes, “the information that emerges in a Google search of a person’s name might not all relate to that person—it could pertain to other people with the same name. Or it could be spoofed.” (Solove 2007).  I found this to be accurate when I used Google to search for my name. I was surprised to find that my name yielded 10 results.  But what was even more surprising to me, is that some of them weren’t even about me.  I had truly not expected my name to pop up anywhere on the internet.

To start building my teacher’s profile page, I decided to use Google Profile, the only reason why I choose this is because I like the way it looked.  Using Google Profile was pretty straight forward, I had very little trouble following the about page instructions given to us.  We needed to fill in pieces of information about ourselves.  This included personal information from our name, our teaching philosophy, and even inserting a picture.  The next step was to link our new “About Me” page to my blog.  This gave me no trouble at all, as I added the link to my Blogger page with ease.

However, I had some difficulty linking my Blog to my “About Me” profile in Google Profiles.  My Blogger home page wouldn’t allow me to remove the link to my Blogger Profile and replace it with the link to my Google Profile.  So, I decided to create my “About Me” page using Blogger Profiles as well.  That way, I’d have both bases covered.  Unfortunately, I ran into yet another problem when trying to write the “About Me” section in Blogger.  Apparently you can only have a maximum 1200 characters, and my post was a bit longer than that.  So, I fell back and wrote it in Google Profile.

To sum things up, this assignment taught me about my online identity as a professional educator.  In this case, I didn’t have much (if any) of one.  I did find it interesting that my leave of absence from the Seminole County School System from 1997 did show up in my search results.

According to our reading this week, our reputation is one of our most cherished assets (Solove 2007).  I have always believed this to be true, but never stopped to realize how the digital age has changed the landscape of our lives.

I leave you with this last thought as you work, play, and post items on the internet.  “The Internet, however, makes gossip a permanent reputational stain; one that never fades. It is available around the world and with Google it can be readily found in less than a second” (Solove 2007).

Works Citied:

• Solove, Daniel J. (2007). The Future of Reputation. New Haven and London: Yale University Press

Links to Web Sites:

• Online Identity Calculator
• Google Profiles
• You can find my full profile on Google Profiles here.

Excel

Activity Reflection 2

I want to start off by saying I enjoyed working with Excel this week.  I used Excel many years ago when I was teaching to keep track of my student’s averages.  That being said, Excel is a “software application spreadsheet which allows you to organize numeric data in rows and columns” (Gunter 2010).   I feel it is a fantastic tool in a teacher’s toolbox.

Our instructor gave us a real world assignment that evolved completing several task using Excel.   The goal seemed to relate to how Excel could be used to put together a teacher’s grade book.  To start, we used color formatting of the cells to help distinguish columns of homework and test grades for each student.  Instead of choosing random colors, I decided to make all the test score in shades of pink/purple and the homework in blues.  I feel this makes it easier for a teacher when looking for or comparing grades in a large class.

Another objective taught us how to add a new column to the spreadsheet.  We were asked to add new columns to hold each student’s test average and homework average.  We had to add Excel’s formula functions to each cell to compute those same averages.  In order for this to work you need to select the cells you would like to average together and also the cell where you would like the average to be placed in your spreadsheet.  We used this same technique to compute and display the final grade for each student.  I had used all these functions before and was familiar with how to use them, so these steps were pretty straight forward.

We where then asked to sort the students and grades by the final grade we just computed.  This was done to make it easier to identify which students where in trouble, having a grade of a D or lower.  We used our syllabus for EME 5050’s grading guide, which identified what a D or lower was (69.99 or below).  This was a very interesting exercise as I had never sorted by grade before.  The only type of sorting I had done in the past was alphabetical by students last or first name. 

Another new task I learned was the ability to have the names dynamically appear on all worksheets in the spreadsheet when you changed them on the first one.  This was a very powerful feature that I plan to use in the future when I go back to teaching.   Before I added this feature to my tool chest, I use to cut and paste the names to all the pages for each 9 weeks; a much more laborious process if you ask me.

Overall, this was my favorite assignment, so far, for the class.  I’m a hands-on learner.  So, when I went to school you were given a task, asked to complete it and turn it in for a grade.  We were never asked to reflect on our assignments.  But, I have found this to be a very effective learning tool that helps me understand not only the assignment, but the process by which I go through to solve the assignment.  I might take aspects of this process to use in my classroom in the future.

Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom, 6th Ed., Shelly, Cashman, Gunter, and Gunter. Course Technology - Thompson Publishing (2010).

Ethics

Reading Reaction #3

Our reading assignment for this week in class we will be looking at the question “Is it more unethical to allow threats to students/schools (see list above) or to deny students/teachers access to instructionally-relevant Web-based tools and content?”  My initial reaction was oh my yes; schools need to block objectionable material from the students.  I feel if the schools allow the students to search online then it is the schools responsibility to make sure the material the students are looking at is safe and appropriate.  As a teacher is it our responsibility to offer guidance to all the wonderful technology that is available to our students.  At the same time there are plenty of safe and appropriate sites to find the information on whatever the subject you are working on with your class.

After I thought about the question some more, I believe that there is not a black or white answer but rather it lies some where in the middle, in the shades of gray. It is my belief that teachers should have access to relevant content on the web.  However, at the same time they still need to remember that they are the adults and if you give students free rein some will take advantage.  

I believe we need to also look at the question from the perspective of age appropriate material; for example in elementary, middle and high school.  I don’t feel that elementary and middle school aged students are mature enough to handle some sites on the web.  For example; Web 2.0 or participatory web “is a site that allows user to modify web content, provide a means for users to share personal information (social networking), and have application software built into the site for visitors to use” (Gunter 2010). 

However, I can see Web 2.0 being used at a high school level.  To provide this access to their students a high school in Australia has put some of the responsibility on the students and parents by having them sign an Information Technology Access Policy. “This policy is important to the safe operation of information technology at our school for staff, students, and the community. Independent student use of telecommunications and electronic information resources will only be permitted where students and their parents or guardians provide written acknowledgement that students agree to act in accordance with the standards of conduct established in this policy document”(Scribd 2008).

Another area to think about is who is making the decision to block sites, and how are they making that decision? Is the decision made at a school, district or state level? Too much censorship is never a good thing, but where do we draw the line?

I spoke with a 7^th  grade computer technology teacher in Seminole County, where they do block some sites with the use of a filtering software program “which prevents the browser from accepting material from targeted sites or material that contains keywords or phrases”(Gunter 2010).  She, personally, is thankful that they do have a filter in place because she has 35 students in a class and doesn’t have the ability to watch each student all the time.  But she notes that even with the filters in place, the students still find unsuitable material to view on their computers. 

One interesting note was that when she was going through the Master’s Program at UCF she was for 100% for the uncensored usage of technology in the classroom.  Now that she is responsible for 195 kids in her technology classroom, she is 100% for putting some restrictions in place.  It just becomes too difficult to have eyes on all 35 computer screens at the same time.  Having the content filter as that extra little helper makes her feel so much more in control.

As a parent, I monitor very closely what websites my daughters visit.  We have had and will continue to have several talks about what sites are appropriate for them and why I feel some sites aren’t.  I have their Google search settings on “strict filtering” which filter both explicit text and explicit images. Even though they are restricted to what sites they may visit; they have always been able to find material that they need for school.

There are several programs on the market that help you limit the amount of inappropriate material that your children have access to.  One site I found is CyberSafeFamily “recommends using parental controls that filter out inappropriate material and allow you to monitor your kid’s online activities. Filtering programs allow you to manage the content that comes through the internet into your home. In addition, it narrows down your search results and gives you more appropriate results.”(Cyber Safe)

Another product, Norton Online Family (which we use), provides not only the ability to filter content, but provides a slew of other features.  It’s designed to be used by parents to provide assistance in controlling, monitoring and limiting access to inappropriate material and activities.  For example, it provides web site tracking, computer usage, social networking activities, instant messaging, what they search for, and notification directly to the parents when any inappropriate activity is detected (Norton).

To sum up, if everyone would follow computer ethics “the moral guidelines that govern the use of computers, networks, and information systems” (Gunter 2010), we wouldn’t even be having this debate.  Of course, we know that isn’t always the case.  I think the use of strict filters to keep inappropriate material from our elementary students and a little more liberty for middle school students is the best choice.  However, I feel that it’s important to loosen those filter restrictions for the high school students, with the permission of their parents and following school guidelines, allowing them more freedom in the material that they are exposed to.  I believe that this provides a valid middle ground between complete censorship and full access.  After all, what parent wants to hear from their child over the dinner table, “Guess what Johnny showed me today in computer class?”

 

Works Cited:

Gunter, Glenda. (2010) Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6^th Ed.)Boston MA.    

Scribd. January 4, 2008. Parramatta Marist High School, September 20, 2010

http://www.scribd.com/doc/7571227/Acceptable-Use-Policy-for-High-School-IT-Web20

Cybersafamily.com, Cyber Safe Family, September 21, 2010  http://www.cybersafefamily.com/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-inappropriate-material-on-the-internet/

Norton Online Family, Symantec Corporation,  September 21, 2010

http://onlinefamilyinfo.norton.com/

Networked

Reading Reaction #2

Our assignment for this week was to reflect on the video "The Networked Student" by Florida classroom teacher (and University of Florida doctoral student) Wendy Drexler.  As I watched this video all I could think about is how the role of the classroom teacher and the classroom student has changed.  The classroom has changed from a teacher centered to a student center learning environment.

The video explained how a networked student who is taking an online class doesn’t have a book.  They have a teacher who they don’t see and who doesn’t lecture to them. They use email to communicate with the teacher and professionals in the field.   This student learns through a theory called Connectivism.  “Connectivism presumes learning occurs as part of a social network of many diverse connections and ties.” (Drexler 2008)

These 21^st century networked students take control of their learning by using many diverse forms of technology.  They use personal websites, Google Scholar and social networking sites to name a few.  They use weblogs “an informal web site consisting of time-stamped articles, in a diary or journal format” (Gunter 2010) to keep track of their information.  The student builds a knowledge base of his subject by using blog entries where his classmates or anyone on-line can read and comment on.  This is an on going learning project that can be updated as new information becomes available.

The student has many ways to gather information.  I think one great example is the use of an MP3 player to listen to a pod cast; a “free video or audio series that you download and play on your computer, iPod, or  iphone,” (Gunter 2010).  The student can download recorded lectures from professionals all over the world to obtain the information that they need.  They no longer have that dependency of having to have an instructor in the room with them.

I had to stop and think about the role that the teacher takes in this new type of learning environment, particularly when your students might have a better understanding of technology than you do.  I see the teacher as a facilitator of the learning process. The teacher in the 21^st century no longer needs to stand at the front of the class and lecture to the students.  They, instead, can provide the students guidance when needed.  The teachers are there for support to help the student build their learning networks so they can in turn direct their own learning process.

Works Cited

Drexler, W. (2008, November 26). The Networked Student.

Gunter, Glenda. (2010) Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6^th Ed.)Boston MA.    

Searching

Activity Reflection #1

My first activity reflection assignment was to search for online resources that contained educationally relevant materials.  I found out there is a lot of information out there on the internet.  The process of narrowing the search to find correct and appropriate information can take a little more time than expected. 

I have always used Google anytime that I’m looking for a topic on the web.  Google seems able to find anything I’m looking for with very little effort on my part.  I never stopped to think if the information was correct.   I decided to try Google for Educators.  This site contains tools for your classroom, activities, and even classroom posters.  One thing I found on this site a Google for Educations discussion group where you can post questions to other educators around the world.

While using Google, modifying the parameters provided for search criteria can reduce the amount of information you receive.  Using the special characters that are on page 131 in our textbook, Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom (Gunter 2010) when using Yahoo can help limit your search, and I found this to be extremely useful. 

I began my search for educationally relevant materials in math, the field in which I teach.  I started on a quest for “math work sheets”, something every math teacher would have in their classroom.  I would have expected this search to yield a high number of hits, but I never expected this many.  The first search provided over 2,290,000 results.  It quickly became apparent that I needed to narrow the search criteria a tad.  So, I searched using “algebra + worksheets + free +printable - algebra 2”, and the results were a little more reasonable.  I received 465,000 results.  That is 1,825,000 less sites! 

To help me qualify the results of my search, I asked myself some basic questions.  If I was teaching, how would I integrate technology into my classroom today? What would I have available to me that I didn’t have 12 years ago when I taught?  When I was first teaching; the technology that we used was an overhead projector.  Today there is an abundance of integrating technology into all subjects on the web.  These are some of the results that I found.

One of the first things I would set up for my classroom would be a class-dedicated web page.  This page would include all class work and homework assignments, projects, and all information about the class.  I found this free site that allows you to set up your own web page http://www.thehomeworkzone.com/index.php?keywords=websites-for-teachers

I was able to find from the results another site to help integrate technology into your everyday classroom. http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml .  This site provides 20 different ideas to incorporate technology; some of the ideas are online SAT practice, online math problems, online logic games, provide a URL of the day, and a link to a joke of the week.

Yet another fantastic site was http://www.teachnology.com. This site provides teacher resources, lesson plans, and worksheets for the four academic classes.  I would take advantage of these materials to help supplement my lesson plans, projects and work from my current text book.

I also visited the Florida Department of Education website and found that it has many links for students, parents, educators, and even administrators. There was a lot of information about the rules, policies, and standards for each subject.  However, I didn’t see much information for the classroom teacher, and it didn’t yield any valuable resources for me to include into my classroom.  

After visiting FDOE, I wanted to dive deeper into my local education resources.  So, I went to the site for the specific county that I live in; for me it was Seminole county.  I found the county site had links to several items from Class Size, Employment, Dividends, Certification, all the way down to Where Do I Catch My Bus? 

Finally, I needed a way to keep all the great web sites I found together in one convenient   location so I could return to them later.  So, I set up a Diigo account and bookmarked the above mentioned sites for future use in my classes. 

So in conclusion, depending on what type of educational relevant material you are looking for, there are an over abundance of sites ready and willing to provide that information to you. Using simple techniques like asking basic directed questions about the content, choosing a good search engine, and providing additional search options can help in narrowing your search to appropriate sites to use in your classroom.

 

Here are the websites that I used:

http://www.google.com

http://www.google.com/educators/index.html

http://www.thehomeworkzone.com/index.php?keywords=websites-for-teachers

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml

http://www.teachnology.com

http://www.fldoe.org

http://www.scps.k12.fl.us

 Gunter, Glenda. (2010) Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6^th Ed.)Boston MA.    

Technology vs. Convenience

Reading Reaction #1

 

The video “Did You Know” by Karl Fisch and Dr. Scott McLeod was pretty amazing.  He presented several facts about how technology is changing our lives.  I knew that technology changes the way we do things, but seeing all the data points in one presentation was incredible; from simple things like reading a newspaper or magazine to how we communicate with each other on a daily basis. Times are changing, and we as a society need to accept the change, keep up, or be left behind.

 

Dr. McLeod poses the simple question, “Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?”  I feel I can best answer this by providing a little insight to what I had experienced as a first-year teacher, and what the experience left with me. 

 

When I graduated from college, I was offered a position teaching Algebra at the high school level.  I was fresh out of college with all these wonderful and exciting new ideas to bring into the classroom.  My mentoring teacher, who had been teaching Algebra for 15 years the exact same way, wasn’t interested in looking at anything new.  He told me, “I’ve been teaching for a long time without changing anything, and it seems to work.  So why try something different!”  I can honestly say, this didn’t sit well with me.  I did what I could, but felt pressured to go with the flow.  But, in my opinion, the old ways just weren’t working!  Technology was everywhere.  It oozed out of every pore of our lives.  But the schools seemed reluctant to bring it in.  The schools and teachers weren’t prepared when it started to enter in through the students themselves.

 

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the task of being an educator in a modern world; especially in the complex environment that the teacher is in today.  From FCAT, teaching to a standardized test, focusing on the numbers and not the individual student, to just making sure your students are getting enough to eat everyday can be exhausting by itself.  Teachers often don’t have the extra time to implement technology into their curriculum.  But that’s still no excuse.

 

Schools are slow to adopt to change due to many reasons.  They themselves get stuck in a routine, and tend to do what feels comfortable; what they know best.  It can be seen practically everywhere from resource/equipment shortages & lack of funding to conflicts with simply booking the computer lab for a project.  Add to that mix the complex interpersonal issues, such as teachers not feeling adequately prepared to bring the technology into the classroom, or not being comfortable when their students come in knowing more about the technology than they do. 

 

For these reasons, you can see how it’s easy for both the schools and the teachers to fall back into their comfort zones, where everything is best if it follows the path of least resistance.  Without proper training and guidance, this can be a recipe for disaster.  We are all human.  We tend to fall back to doing what is required; what is easiest.  But we have to resist that temptation.   

 

It’s time to be proactive!  I feel that our students and teachers need to be introduced to technology at a very early age.  But it is our duty as educators to help show them the responsible way to use it.  They need to understand the moral and ethical issues that come with technology. Too often, students are exposed to and know a little about several types of technology for their immediate gratification, but they aren’t prepared to fully utilize this technology to their long term benefit.

 

Today’s students learn differently. They are bombarded with technology in their everyday lives.  They don’t look information up in an encyclopedia or talk on the phone, they use the internet, they text their friends, or they use social networking sites to keep in touch.  Technology isn’t new to them, it is second nature.  I look at my daughters, and they have no fear of technology.  They jump in head-first without being afraid to push all the buttons to see what works.  They can multi-task with several different forms of technology and still get their homework completed at the same time.  These are the things that I was not exposed to as a child, but I am prepared to take on as an adult. 

 

We need to resist the temptation to go with the flow; to do only what is convenient for us.  We need to embrace technology, and be prepared to use every aspect of it in the classroom as a teaching tool.  It is our responsibility to help teach the next generation and prepare them to use every tool at their disposal.  Our students should be able to live and play in a connected world.

 

I will leave you with this last thought about how technology has changed our lives.  My husband and I were talking about something, and we mentioned the word “payphone”.  Our daughter, who was 8 at the time, overheard and asked, “Mommy, what is a payphone?”

I think I got It! Here is my blog link http:\\gmontcri.blogspot.com

I hope I have connected HootCourse, twitter, and my blog page together.