Sunday, June 14, 2009
Vote in my poll!
If you read my blog, scroll all the way down. There is a poll about technology in the classroom. Please, cast your vote!!!
Coming to the end of my technology course...
The first summer session is coming to a close, so I am sitting here reflecting on what I have learned. Throughout this class, I struggled with how much is too much when it comes to technology. To be honest, I haven't found an answer. I think it is a personal choice. While I don't think it is a good thing to go completely "techie" with one's students, I also feel that we can't be stuck back in the days when it was simply a teacher and a chalkboard (although most people have whiteboards now). At the beginning of this course, I felt that I was pretty techologically savvy. I was using computers in my classes and everything was going fine. This class showed me that there is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much more out there. The problem that I continue to face, however, is that I don't just teach the "Net" generation; I teach continuing ed students who are not very computer literate. This puts me at a slight disadvantage in regards to incorporating new technologies. This is not to say that I won't try. It's just going to be more difficult. However, here are some of the things that I learned about that I can definitely see incorporating as early as next semester:
Google Docs
Blogs
Screencast-o-matic
Web 2.0 tools that I have mentioned in previous entries
I already use Angel (a course management software) as well as MathXL (an interactive online math software). Angel allows me to post documents, links, and assignments for the students to access 24/7. It basically takes the place of me having a webpage (although I am not opposed to incorporating one of those either - here's the one I created for this class). MathXL is wonderful for assigning homework for students because they can get immediate feedback and it provides time on task. One can also assign quizzes using MathXL that students can take on their own time and the settings are completely at the discretion of the teacher (how many times to allow students to take it, will they have a time limit, etc.). Both of these tools have proven to be extremely useful and beneficial. But, technology evolves so rapidly and students are using it so extensively in their everyday lives, that this just isn't enough anymore.
I would like to say though that no one has to go crazy integrating technology in their classroom. Ease into it, for the sake of your students' sanity and your own. If you don't feel comfortable with it, they may not feel comfortable with it. It is a myth that they will just know how to use it. Yes, they see it all the time, but have they ever seen it in academia? That is a whole different ball game.
There is a learning curve to incorporating technology and it's slope depends on the individual. Know yourself and start small. Here is an article that may help: http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/7_technology_tips_for_the_classroom
Google Docs
Blogs
Screencast-o-matic
Web 2.0 tools that I have mentioned in previous entries
I already use Angel (a course management software) as well as MathXL (an interactive online math software). Angel allows me to post documents, links, and assignments for the students to access 24/7. It basically takes the place of me having a webpage (although I am not opposed to incorporating one of those either - here's the one I created for this class). MathXL is wonderful for assigning homework for students because they can get immediate feedback and it provides time on task. One can also assign quizzes using MathXL that students can take on their own time and the settings are completely at the discretion of the teacher (how many times to allow students to take it, will they have a time limit, etc.). Both of these tools have proven to be extremely useful and beneficial. But, technology evolves so rapidly and students are using it so extensively in their everyday lives, that this just isn't enough anymore.
I would like to say though that no one has to go crazy integrating technology in their classroom. Ease into it, for the sake of your students' sanity and your own. If you don't feel comfortable with it, they may not feel comfortable with it. It is a myth that they will just know how to use it. Yes, they see it all the time, but have they ever seen it in academia? That is a whole different ball game.
There is a learning curve to incorporating technology and it's slope depends on the individual. Know yourself and start small. Here is an article that may help: http://teachingtechnology.suite101.com/article.cfm/7_technology_tips_for_the_classroom
Some Web 2.0 coolness!
After having to do an assignment of finding Web 2.0 tools and exploring online games and simulations, I have to admit that there is some cool stuff out there! A couple of the ones that I found the most useful were Interactivate and the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. They both have some terrific interactive games and simulations dealing with mathematics (which is what I teach). I highly recommend them and suggest you check them out!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Technology on TV
I was watching the TBS show My Boys the other day and they had an entire episode about Facebook. I felt that I had to mention it here because this is a Web 2.0 tool which we are learning about in my Teaching With Technology class. The show's premise was basically that everyone posts these silly, up-to-the-minute, updates on what they are doing. Who cares if you are going to the bathroom?! It also talked about who to be friends with. If you set your account so that "friends of friends" can see you, sometimes you don't know who has access to your information! On the show, one of the boys was "researching" this woman on her facebook page so that he could come on to her in the bar. She was already a friend of one of his friends, so he could view her page. It also focused on being able to talk to people that you normally wouldn't without the technology, like old boyfriends or girlfriends. The basic conclusion of the "gang" on My Boys was that Facebook was really only a way for people to be nosy. Everyone knows each others' business and it's not always good to be that connected. I think it is all in how you use it. I personally do have a Facebook page and I like to see what friends' birthdays are coming up. I joined mostly to find people that I had lost touch with over the years. I am not one of the super fanatics that posts everything that they are doing or feeling at every moment of the day (which is why I will never get a Twitter account). As I entitled my webpage, everything is OK...in moderation!!!
Technology frustrations!
I am just finishing my online class and there were so many technology problems!!! That is one downside to technology that I can't believe I haven't mentioned yet! What happens when it fails?! I think it is extremely dangerous to depend on technology for exactly this reason. Computers freeze, websites go down, people get viruses... There are just so many things that can go wrong! I still keep paper copies of things as well as copies on my computer because it just can't be trusted. It is extremely frustrating when this happens too because technology has made most people want everything at their fingertips in a split second so, when it shuts down or takes forever to load, it just adds more stress to our already stressful lives!!! I don't know about you, but I can do without more stress. Ugh....as you can tell, this entry is really more of a venting process. I am just so full of rage right now! Yes, it can really get me THAT annoyed.
Monday, June 1, 2009
More good uses for technology
I am currently observing a 7th grade special education science class for another course I am taking called Applied Research in Behavior Management. The teacher makes use of the Smart Board, which I have never used. It is pretty neat because when she is showing the students the Power Point, the students have a worksheet that correlates DIRECTLY to what she is presenting. She can also have the same worksheets that the students are doing up on the screen and have members of the class give the answer and then come up and physically "drag and drop" the answer into the appropriate space on the worksheet. This works extremely well for special education students because they do not have to copy the notes of the board themselves. They are guided through it with the aid of technology. That is pretty cool.
If my college ever gets Smart Boards, I would definitely try them out!
I also want to put in a "plug" for visualizers and something called TI-Smartview. Visualizers are basically like live cameras. They allow the user to project whatever is placed on the visualizer's base. This is excellent for a "show and tell" kind of lesson when students would benefit from looking at an object, but it is not feasible to pass it around or hold it up because everyone will need to see it at the same time. Now, TI-Smartview is a program that basically has the TI-34 screen and will allow you to record the key strokes so that students can see EXACTLY what was pressed. You can also see all different screens at the same time (the graph, the table, and the function). I have used both the visualizer and TI-Smartview to show my classes the calculator so that everyone can see exactly what was entered and how we got to the next screen.
I'm sure I have many other praises of technology. Keep on the look out for them!
If my college ever gets Smart Boards, I would definitely try them out!
I also want to put in a "plug" for visualizers and something called TI-Smartview. Visualizers are basically like live cameras. They allow the user to project whatever is placed on the visualizer's base. This is excellent for a "show and tell" kind of lesson when students would benefit from looking at an object, but it is not feasible to pass it around or hold it up because everyone will need to see it at the same time. Now, TI-Smartview is a program that basically has the TI-34 screen and will allow you to record the key strokes so that students can see EXACTLY what was pressed. You can also see all different screens at the same time (the graph, the table, and the function). I have used both the visualizer and TI-Smartview to show my classes the calculator so that everyone can see exactly what was entered and how we got to the next screen.
I'm sure I have many other praises of technology. Keep on the look out for them!
Web 3.0 and my feelings on Internet safety
Wouldn't you know it? Technology is evolving so fast that, when I am just now learning about Web 2.0 in my Teaching with Technology class, I find a posting on Web 3.0! Here is the link:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/web-3-concepts-explained/8908/
I found it on one of the blogs that I am currently following called Jane's E-learning Pick of the Day. I think there is really only a subtle difference between 2.0 and 3.0, but then again, when the tiniest little change is made to a software package, they change the number also!
In the class I am taking, one of our assignments was to create a lesson plan on Internet use and safety. Mine was created for older students. I would say 10th grade and up would be appropriate. I basically created the entire lesson with different websites that had the exact content I wanted to showcase. As many educators say, why reinvent the wheel? There is such good information out there! I am pretty proud of my lesson plan. I put a lot of thought into it and incorporated about 7 different websites. (If you would like to know what they are, I can share them.) I really liked the assignment because it had us explore the Internet for information and allowed us to think about how to get our students thinking about what "appropriate use" is.
We also had to create personal pages on the class wiki. I had never done anything with wikis before, so this was totally new to me. I consider myself pretty Internet savvy though, so I was able to create a basic page with links to my blog and my website. I also created my group's page which just contains our name, our motto, and our logo. I have to say, I am kind of enjoying this class (although it's a LOT of work). It is really making me think of different ways that I can incorporate technology into my classroom withOUT letting it take over. I know, I know, I still threw that in there. : )
http://www.labnol.org/internet/web-3-concepts-explained/8908/
I found it on one of the blogs that I am currently following called Jane's E-learning Pick of the Day. I think there is really only a subtle difference between 2.0 and 3.0, but then again, when the tiniest little change is made to a software package, they change the number also!
In the class I am taking, one of our assignments was to create a lesson plan on Internet use and safety. Mine was created for older students. I would say 10th grade and up would be appropriate. I basically created the entire lesson with different websites that had the exact content I wanted to showcase. As many educators say, why reinvent the wheel? There is such good information out there! I am pretty proud of my lesson plan. I put a lot of thought into it and incorporated about 7 different websites. (If you would like to know what they are, I can share them.) I really liked the assignment because it had us explore the Internet for information and allowed us to think about how to get our students thinking about what "appropriate use" is.
We also had to create personal pages on the class wiki. I had never done anything with wikis before, so this was totally new to me. I consider myself pretty Internet savvy though, so I was able to create a basic page with links to my blog and my website. I also created my group's page which just contains our name, our motto, and our logo. I have to say, I am kind of enjoying this class (although it's a LOT of work). It is really making me think of different ways that I can incorporate technology into my classroom withOUT letting it take over. I know, I know, I still threw that in there. : )
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