“In 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor’s SCANS report noted that at least 80% of all jobs in the next two decades would require workers to be technologically fluent. This means if workers are not well prepared in using technology to succeed in the workplace, they will be forced to take low-paying jobs with limited potential for advancement.” (Swain and Edyburn, 2007) As teachers this statistic alone should inspire all teachers to use technology in the classroom. The primary goal for teachers is to prepare our students to be effective members of society. In today’s world if student are not fluent with technology they will not be able to succeed in most careers.
“Even if an incoming freshman is highly gifted, if he or she is not extremely familiar with using technology in the learning environment, that student is at a decided disadvantage the second he or she steps onto the university or college campus.” (Swain and Edyburn, 2007) All teachers promote that their students should continue their education. The first year of college is incredibly overwhelming and many students choose not to return after their freshman year. This might always be a problem that students face, however if middle and high school teachers prepare students not only academically but also technologically, they might increase the odds of those students staying in college.
As a recent college graduate, I faced many battles with technology. I graduated from a small rural high school that did not have the funding to promote technology. Even during my senior year it was still acceptable to turn in final hand written papers because the teachers could not expect that all their students had computer access at home. When I entered college I immediately was faced with teacher websites, WebCT or BlackBoard, online classes and electronically submitted work. I was completely overwhelmed and only survived by making friends with technologically gifted students. If my high school had prepared me for this atmosphere I would have had a more successful freshman year.
However, my high school could not do that. They did not have the funding to equip the school with computer labs or multi-media classrooms. So how can we truly expect teachers to use technology with their students if we cannot guaranty that all school children will be provided equal opportunities to use technology? As a teacher “… you can find out discreetly which of your students do and do not have access to computers and the Internet at home and then point those who lack these resources to places in the community where they can turn to gain better access (e.g., public library, community technology center, Boys and Girls Club).”(Swain and Edyburn, 2007) This is an excellent solution to some children’s lack of technology in the home. However, it still does not provide transportation to and from these locations.
I believe that as future teachers we will see dramatic differences in the use of technology in our careers. We all recognize the importance of technology but it might not be realistic for all of use to have access to the latest and greatest technology in our first teaching position. What we can do is be strong advocates for the use of technology in our schools. We can work on writing technology grants for our schools, but most importantly we can make the best of the resources that we are provided.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Should Cell Phones be Banned in Classrooms?
“Cell phones can be audio recorders, digital video camcorders, still cameras, note-taking devices, calculation devices, scheduling and management tools, phone conferencing devices, Internet researching tools, faxing and scanning devices, blog and Web page editors, or even audio assessment recorders.” said Liz Kolb. Technology is an amazing tool. Most of us have computers that can do almost anything in our pockets or purses, but should they really be used in an educational setting? First off, while almost all school age children have cell phones not all of them can perform the above task. So requiring students to use cell phones in class is still impractical.
While cell phones are incredible little computers they are also great distractions for students. Even if a teacher allowed cell phones in the classroom for school work students would use them to text and surf the web. According to Kolb, “Teachers who are concerned that cell phones will be distracting inside the classroom can set up a social contract with their students defining the structure and rules around cell phone use in the classroom.” Today’s students could not control the temptation that their best friend or boy friend was a few buttons away. I don’t believe that teachers could conduct an effective lesson if students had full access to their cell phones.
“I am all for the proper integration of as much technology as possible into our classrooms. I am, however, absolutely, fully, totally against cell phone use as a teaching tool.” said, Josh Allen. I am one hundred percent on board will Josh Allen’s perspective. The purpose of a cell phone is to be able to be contacted when you are away from home. However, when students are in school their parents can contact them through the school secretary in case of an emergency and students can verbally talk to their friends during passing time and lunch.
“The goal of an educational setting should be to give students the proper tools to succeed once they step into society.” (Allen) Today’s students are practically born with a cell phone in their hand. There is nothing about a cell phone that a teacher is ever going to teach a student. Teachers would have more success if students taught them about cell phones. Due to this factor cell phones have no place in the classroom. “Nothing that you can do on a cell phone will inspire students as they make their way into the world. I cannot think of a job where “cell phone operation” was a skill. Employers are much more concerned about a student’s computing and critical thinking skills than their phone skills.” (Allen) Our purpose as educators is to provide students with the best skills for the future and those skills would only be hindered if cell phones were allowed in the classroom.
While cell phones are incredible little computers they are also great distractions for students. Even if a teacher allowed cell phones in the classroom for school work students would use them to text and surf the web. According to Kolb, “Teachers who are concerned that cell phones will be distracting inside the classroom can set up a social contract with their students defining the structure and rules around cell phone use in the classroom.” Today’s students could not control the temptation that their best friend or boy friend was a few buttons away. I don’t believe that teachers could conduct an effective lesson if students had full access to their cell phones.
“I am all for the proper integration of as much technology as possible into our classrooms. I am, however, absolutely, fully, totally against cell phone use as a teaching tool.” said, Josh Allen. I am one hundred percent on board will Josh Allen’s perspective. The purpose of a cell phone is to be able to be contacted when you are away from home. However, when students are in school their parents can contact them through the school secretary in case of an emergency and students can verbally talk to their friends during passing time and lunch.
“The goal of an educational setting should be to give students the proper tools to succeed once they step into society.” (Allen) Today’s students are practically born with a cell phone in their hand. There is nothing about a cell phone that a teacher is ever going to teach a student. Teachers would have more success if students taught them about cell phones. Due to this factor cell phones have no place in the classroom. “Nothing that you can do on a cell phone will inspire students as they make their way into the world. I cannot think of a job where “cell phone operation” was a skill. Employers are much more concerned about a student’s computing and critical thinking skills than their phone skills.” (Allen) Our purpose as educators is to provide students with the best skills for the future and those skills would only be hindered if cell phones were allowed in the classroom.
Is Chatspeak Destroying English?
“A student of mine recently asked via e-mail, “hey, i cant find hw n the conf can u help.” I did. Shortly thereafter, she wrote a lovely paper devoid of chatspeak.” said Greg Monfils, Freshman/Sophomore Academic Dean for the Urban School of San Francisco. This is a very true statement. Student’s today are very capable of switching from “Chatspeak” to English much as a by lingual student switches from one language to another, “After all, we teach them different languages all the time. We don’t fear that a Spanish class will diminish a student’s command of English.” (Monfils)
Young teenage minds are capable of communication in multiple languages; however that is not truly the debate at hand. Are society is not concerned that a student is going to turn in a paper written in grammatically correct Spanish, they are concerned that students are not being taught grammar and spelling. This is completely true. Students are inserting “Chatspeak” in assignments and final papers. As for Mr. Monfils example of the student that e-mailed him in “Chatspeak” and then wrote an excellent paper, I pose the question of, is it appropriate for students to address teachers using this type of language? Any employee would never send their supervisor an e-mail written in “Chatspeak”.
“Every generation has something that is uniquely their own, and that is wonderful; however, a time comes when we all have to grow and evolve into our true character, and many young people will have a difficult time drawing the line between acceptable and unacceptable dialogue in everyday life, especially in written communications.” said, Linda Howard. In academic setting students should address teachers and peers using formal language. Many countries around the world have both formal and informal language. In these countries students would definitely only speak and only use formal language when addressing a teacher.
“We may have different sets of linguistic conventions according to our ethnicity, family, friends, and our work and school communities, but at some point it is time to realize that the English language must be used effectively to understand and to be understood.” (Howard) To appeal to today’s students teachers must example the importance of being understood. All students want to be valued for their thoughts and opinions, however if they are written in a grammatically incorrect and often not understandable form their thought might be disregarded. Teacher’s must create a classroom standard for writing that is professional for their students to follow.
Young teenage minds are capable of communication in multiple languages; however that is not truly the debate at hand. Are society is not concerned that a student is going to turn in a paper written in grammatically correct Spanish, they are concerned that students are not being taught grammar and spelling. This is completely true. Students are inserting “Chatspeak” in assignments and final papers. As for Mr. Monfils example of the student that e-mailed him in “Chatspeak” and then wrote an excellent paper, I pose the question of, is it appropriate for students to address teachers using this type of language? Any employee would never send their supervisor an e-mail written in “Chatspeak”.
“Every generation has something that is uniquely their own, and that is wonderful; however, a time comes when we all have to grow and evolve into our true character, and many young people will have a difficult time drawing the line between acceptable and unacceptable dialogue in everyday life, especially in written communications.” said, Linda Howard. In academic setting students should address teachers and peers using formal language. Many countries around the world have both formal and informal language. In these countries students would definitely only speak and only use formal language when addressing a teacher.
“We may have different sets of linguistic conventions according to our ethnicity, family, friends, and our work and school communities, but at some point it is time to realize that the English language must be used effectively to understand and to be understood.” (Howard) To appeal to today’s students teachers must example the importance of being understood. All students want to be valued for their thoughts and opinions, however if they are written in a grammatically incorrect and often not understandable form their thought might be disregarded. Teacher’s must create a classroom standard for writing that is professional for their students to follow.
Webquest Reviews
Caitlin Mack’s Impressionism Webquest
http://questgarden.com/85/63/1/090729083734/index.htm
In this Webquest students are asked to look at Impressionist painters and how they painted. This webquest is beautiful. Caitlin spent so much time finding examples of these painters art to show students the differences between the artists in the Impressionist movement. This webquest was complete. Every section had great explanations and artwork. I really have no suggestions for Caitlin’s webquest. The background colors are not distracting, the directions are easy to read and the artwork is amazing.
I think that this webquest would be great for a high school art class. High school art students would enjoy the independence of this assignment. Caitlin has give students numerous artist options that they could do their reports on. I believe that artistic students would enjoy finding an impressionist painter that they could imitate and learn from. My only suggestion is that this assignment might take too long for the amount of time a teacher would like to spend on the impressionist movement.
Katie Swanson’s Latin America Traveler Blog
http://questgarden.com/85/81/3/090801195942/
This is webquest is so creative. Even though it was created for a Spanish class it could be used for a geography, social studies or history class. I would even try using it in my health classes as a way for student to explore other counties and the living/health conditions that they face. The directions for this webquest are easy to follow and I appreciated the screen images so that students knew they were on the right track. This webquest was complete and had great illustrations. My only suggestions for this webquest would be to change the background colors to something less vibrant and to use words as hyperlinks instead of listing the entire link on the page.
I think this webquest is exactly what high school language classes should be about. This webquest gives students the opportunity to plan a possible trip to a Spanish speaking country of their choice. They will learn about the country, landmarks, transportation, lodging and food. I think this is a great way to get students comfortable with the idea of traveling or studying abroad.
http://questgarden.com/85/63/1/090729083734/index.htm
In this Webquest students are asked to look at Impressionist painters and how they painted. This webquest is beautiful. Caitlin spent so much time finding examples of these painters art to show students the differences between the artists in the Impressionist movement. This webquest was complete. Every section had great explanations and artwork. I really have no suggestions for Caitlin’s webquest. The background colors are not distracting, the directions are easy to read and the artwork is amazing.
I think that this webquest would be great for a high school art class. High school art students would enjoy the independence of this assignment. Caitlin has give students numerous artist options that they could do their reports on. I believe that artistic students would enjoy finding an impressionist painter that they could imitate and learn from. My only suggestion is that this assignment might take too long for the amount of time a teacher would like to spend on the impressionist movement.
Katie Swanson’s Latin America Traveler Blog
http://questgarden.com/85/81/3/090801195942/
This is webquest is so creative. Even though it was created for a Spanish class it could be used for a geography, social studies or history class. I would even try using it in my health classes as a way for student to explore other counties and the living/health conditions that they face. The directions for this webquest are easy to follow and I appreciated the screen images so that students knew they were on the right track. This webquest was complete and had great illustrations. My only suggestions for this webquest would be to change the background colors to something less vibrant and to use words as hyperlinks instead of listing the entire link on the page.
I think this webquest is exactly what high school language classes should be about. This webquest gives students the opportunity to plan a possible trip to a Spanish speaking country of their choice. They will learn about the country, landmarks, transportation, lodging and food. I think this is a great way to get students comfortable with the idea of traveling or studying abroad.
PowerPoint
PowerPoint presentations are a teacher’s best friend. They allow you to have clear, readable points and they help keep your lesson on track. Some of the things that I enjoyed from my classes PowerPoint presentations were the use of personal pictures. This was incredibly interesting to hear the history behind a location but to also hear what it was like first hand. Obviously, teachers cannot do this for every country or location that they teaching, but if they have visited a location they should definitely use a PowerPoint presentation to talk about their experience. Using PowerPoint to teach language is a very useful tool. It would be great to import real weather station clips and have students try to understand the report based upon the new vocabulary they have just learned.
While PowerPoint is a useful tool in teaching it might be used too much. Teachers should be careful of text heavy slides and reading from the slides. I didn’t notice this much in our classes presentations. My only suggestion for our classes PowerPoint’s would be the use of video. I think short clips are great additions to any presentation, however if they are longer than five minutes I would hesitate showing them. Or, for example, if a clip it too long, start the clip at the point that you feel it should begin to drive home the message.
The improvements that I would make to my own PowerPoint are that I would have picked a shorter topic. I thought that nutrient absorption would be a good topic because it has five major components, however I felt like I could not spend enough time on each nutrient to highlight the differences between them. But, overall I felt like I did while explaining how the body breaks down food.
Personally I love using PowerPoint in the classroom as both a teacher and a student. I remember in high school how hard it was to see and read what the teacher was writing on the board. I also remember that teachers would often tell one class one thing and not the other classes and wonder why students missed questions on test. PowerPoint removes all of these problems. It is clear and readable. It keeps the teacher on track and makes sure that every class receives the same information. Some teacher might say that creating a PowerPoint takes too long but if you consider that you would only have to write the information once rather than six times a day, it is a time saver. I think that all teachers should use PowerPoint if they are able to in their classroom.
While PowerPoint is a useful tool in teaching it might be used too much. Teachers should be careful of text heavy slides and reading from the slides. I didn’t notice this much in our classes presentations. My only suggestion for our classes PowerPoint’s would be the use of video. I think short clips are great additions to any presentation, however if they are longer than five minutes I would hesitate showing them. Or, for example, if a clip it too long, start the clip at the point that you feel it should begin to drive home the message.
The improvements that I would make to my own PowerPoint are that I would have picked a shorter topic. I thought that nutrient absorption would be a good topic because it has five major components, however I felt like I could not spend enough time on each nutrient to highlight the differences between them. But, overall I felt like I did while explaining how the body breaks down food.
Personally I love using PowerPoint in the classroom as both a teacher and a student. I remember in high school how hard it was to see and read what the teacher was writing on the board. I also remember that teachers would often tell one class one thing and not the other classes and wonder why students missed questions on test. PowerPoint removes all of these problems. It is clear and readable. It keeps the teacher on track and makes sure that every class receives the same information. Some teacher might say that creating a PowerPoint takes too long but if you consider that you would only have to write the information once rather than six times a day, it is a time saver. I think that all teachers should use PowerPoint if they are able to in their classroom.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Is Educational Technology Shortening Students Attention Spans?
In the article Is Educational Technology Shortening Student Attention Spans? David M. Marcovitz argues that “Life moves fast, and if you don’t multitask, you can’t keep up with it. There’s no time to focus too much attention on one thing”. In schools students are suppose to be able to experiment with new ideas and take the time they need as individuals to grasp new concepts. In today’s world some students can be skipped over by the wave of technology or use it to imitate learning. With the vast amount of information on the internet it is so easy for students to pass off someone else’s work or knowledge as their own.
On the other side of this argument John David Son promotes the use of technology in the classroom. Son states that technology “…allow students to explore rich worlds, growing generations of plants and animals in an instant, watching them die, changing the parameters, and then doing it all over again”. Technology brings a whole new element to learning. It allows students to access information at the touch of a button, but it is what they do with that information that really counts. Are they able to understand it? Are they able to analysis it? These are the important questions and why old school methods are still so important. However to reach our students “we as educators must change the way we teach and how we teach”.
I agree with both sides of this argument. However, technology is a difficult media to integrate into schools. First, many teachers and administrators do not feel comfortable using technology in the classroom. A simple solution to this problem is to send them to technology courses, however these are expensive and time consuming. Another difficult obstacle schools face with technology is providing computer and internet access to all classroom and all students. Until these two issues are solved it is impossible for us as a society to expect technology to be used in all classrooms.
On the other side of this argument John David Son promotes the use of technology in the classroom. Son states that technology “…allow students to explore rich worlds, growing generations of plants and animals in an instant, watching them die, changing the parameters, and then doing it all over again”. Technology brings a whole new element to learning. It allows students to access information at the touch of a button, but it is what they do with that information that really counts. Are they able to understand it? Are they able to analysis it? These are the important questions and why old school methods are still so important. However to reach our students “we as educators must change the way we teach and how we teach”.
I agree with both sides of this argument. However, technology is a difficult media to integrate into schools. First, many teachers and administrators do not feel comfortable using technology in the classroom. A simple solution to this problem is to send them to technology courses, however these are expensive and time consuming. Another difficult obstacle schools face with technology is providing computer and internet access to all classroom and all students. Until these two issues are solved it is impossible for us as a society to expect technology to be used in all classrooms.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a growing epidemic in our society. Cyberbullying is bullying using technology, cell phones, computer and the internet. This can be done in numerous ways, text messaging, instant messaging, or through social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook. Cyberbullying was not present when I was going through middle school or high school. Even though I only graduated six years ago not everyone in my high school had cell phones or computers. I group up in a small rural community with only dial up internet so most kids did not spend much time online.
Cyberbullying is something that I have only been aware of for the last three years or so. The first time I was presented with it was when my mother, a teacher, had a student post inappropriate pictures on her MySpace page. This turned into a problem in the classroom because students could not stop talking about it and making fun of her. Before this scenario I did not realize the amount of social networking that was happening with students at home on the internet.
In this situation it became a school problem because there were behavioral issues that were happening in the classroom. So, my mother, the teacher, had to deal with face to face bullying but she had a limited impact on the amount of cyberbullying that occurred through MySpace after that posting. The problem of cyberbullying is an incredibly difficult problem for schools to address. Usually cyberbullying occurs in the home after school an hours, which technically means that it is no longer a problem that the school must address. However, now cyberbullying gets brought into the school to be finished. Verbal and physical fights occur in schools because of something that was said online or texted the night before.
Teachers can address cyberbullying when it is presented to them. Many students will show visible signs of emotion and they will possibly confide in the teacher. Teachers that are aware that cyberbullying is happening must address the problem, by speaking to the administration and parents. I think teachers are limited in what they can prevent in the homes, however if it enters the classroom they have every right to address the issues, even if it is only occurring at home after school hours.
As a future Health teacher I plan on having a cyberbullying unit in my classroom. I would like the opportunity to address this issue in the classroom and hear what students are dealing with. I would present hypothetically situations to the group, however I would address actual situation with the individuals that were involved. I believe that the school should take a stand on all types of bullying. The school should have bullying awareness weeks and set discipline standards for bullying.
Cyberbullying is something that I have only been aware of for the last three years or so. The first time I was presented with it was when my mother, a teacher, had a student post inappropriate pictures on her MySpace page. This turned into a problem in the classroom because students could not stop talking about it and making fun of her. Before this scenario I did not realize the amount of social networking that was happening with students at home on the internet.
In this situation it became a school problem because there were behavioral issues that were happening in the classroom. So, my mother, the teacher, had to deal with face to face bullying but she had a limited impact on the amount of cyberbullying that occurred through MySpace after that posting. The problem of cyberbullying is an incredibly difficult problem for schools to address. Usually cyberbullying occurs in the home after school an hours, which technically means that it is no longer a problem that the school must address. However, now cyberbullying gets brought into the school to be finished. Verbal and physical fights occur in schools because of something that was said online or texted the night before.
Teachers can address cyberbullying when it is presented to them. Many students will show visible signs of emotion and they will possibly confide in the teacher. Teachers that are aware that cyberbullying is happening must address the problem, by speaking to the administration and parents. I think teachers are limited in what they can prevent in the homes, however if it enters the classroom they have every right to address the issues, even if it is only occurring at home after school hours.
As a future Health teacher I plan on having a cyberbullying unit in my classroom. I would like the opportunity to address this issue in the classroom and hear what students are dealing with. I would present hypothetically situations to the group, however I would address actual situation with the individuals that were involved. I believe that the school should take a stand on all types of bullying. The school should have bullying awareness weeks and set discipline standards for bullying.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Copyright Laws
Before today I never considered the difference between plagiarism and copyright laws. Know that I have looked at the differences it is easy for educators to violate copyright laws. Some interesting loopholes that I discovered were that teachers can use materials from deceased authors without worrying about copyright laws. Teacher can also make up to seventy copies of legally obtained material to share with their classrooms.
The grey area of copyright that I discover involves motion pictures. After group and class discussion I decided is that under “Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following: To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending”. This statement means that if a teacher obtained the material legally (thought personal purchase or on loan from a public library) that they have the right to show the content of that film in their classroom, as long as it has been approved by the Principal, District and parents.
As a future educator I understand the temptation to use copyrighted materials, however I believe that the creators of that material deserve create for their work. I believe that it is important that teachers understand and value copyright laws and try to abide to them to the best of their ability. If a teacher ever worried about using material in their classroom they should try to consult the publishers of that material.
My understanding of Fair Use laws is that using materials for educational purposes usually falls under Fair Use protection. However, after reading about Fair Use protection it seems that the creators of copyrighted material do not support this protection. As a future teacher I would be wiry of using this as my only protection in the classroom. I would still try to abide by Copyrights Laws to the best of my ability.
Teachers should educate their students about both plagiarism and copyright infringement laws. I have been in school for over sixteen years and the first time the differences were taught to me was in graduate school. Middle school and high school students should be taught about these laws so that they can learn to abide by them.
The grey area of copyright that I discover involves motion pictures. After group and class discussion I decided is that under “Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do and to authorize others to do the following: To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending”. This statement means that if a teacher obtained the material legally (thought personal purchase or on loan from a public library) that they have the right to show the content of that film in their classroom, as long as it has been approved by the Principal, District and parents.
As a future educator I understand the temptation to use copyrighted materials, however I believe that the creators of that material deserve create for their work. I believe that it is important that teachers understand and value copyright laws and try to abide to them to the best of their ability. If a teacher ever worried about using material in their classroom they should try to consult the publishers of that material.
My understanding of Fair Use laws is that using materials for educational purposes usually falls under Fair Use protection. However, after reading about Fair Use protection it seems that the creators of copyrighted material do not support this protection. As a future teacher I would be wiry of using this as my only protection in the classroom. I would still try to abide by Copyrights Laws to the best of my ability.
Teachers should educate their students about both plagiarism and copyright infringement laws. I have been in school for over sixteen years and the first time the differences were taught to me was in graduate school. Middle school and high school students should be taught about these laws so that they can learn to abide by them.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wikipedia Ban it - Boost it?
Usually most of my research is done for school purposes. So my primary source of information comes from the EBSCO Host because it is reliable, peer reviewed information. I have never used Wikipedia for reliable information. The only time I use Wikipedia is for a definition or brief overview of a topic. I do this to narrow my search so I can make my research more accurate. Wikipedia is never a site that I reference in my papers because I feel that most people would doubt the content of my paper if Wikipedia was a primary source for my research.
One of the strengths that the article “Wikipedia – Ban it or Boost it” claims is that Wikipedia is a great resource for current or ongoing events. I would have to agree with this statement, because books are easily outdated. However, since Wikipedia can be edited by anyone it is easy to slip in biases that might be difficult for students to see. As a teacher I would allow my students to use Wikipedia as a starting point. It would be a motivational tool to get them started on the research. However, I would not accept it as a final reference in a formal research paper.
As teachers we must teacher our students to do what we want them to do. Research is no different. As a future health and science teacher I will spend time teaching my students how to search the web for reliable facts. Since both health and science can be overwhelming to students, I will provide them with websites that will expand their knowledge. This will also help to prevent plagerism. It is my opinion that students often plageris because they do not understand the content that they are researching and they don’t have the tools to put the information in their own words.
One of the strengths that the article “Wikipedia – Ban it or Boost it” claims is that Wikipedia is a great resource for current or ongoing events. I would have to agree with this statement, because books are easily outdated. However, since Wikipedia can be edited by anyone it is easy to slip in biases that might be difficult for students to see. As a teacher I would allow my students to use Wikipedia as a starting point. It would be a motivational tool to get them started on the research. However, I would not accept it as a final reference in a formal research paper.
As teachers we must teacher our students to do what we want them to do. Research is no different. As a future health and science teacher I will spend time teaching my students how to search the web for reliable facts. Since both health and science can be overwhelming to students, I will provide them with websites that will expand their knowledge. This will also help to prevent plagerism. It is my opinion that students often plageris because they do not understand the content that they are researching and they don’t have the tools to put the information in their own words.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Using Blogs in the Classroom
I think that integrating technology in the classroom is an amazing tool. As Mr. Harbeck’s blog showed, teachers can use blogs for assignments, online tutorials, and calendars of upcoming events. By doing this he has given students almost 24 hour access to his class. He can respond to their questions after hours and give students additional information outside of class. This blog solves many classroom problems such as “I forgot what my assignment in math was” when a student is at home.
The downfall of requiring online work as “Don’t feed the Trolls” discusses is that teachers must teach our students how to be responsible and respectful even on a cyber worksite. Teacher must make sure that students are staying on task and not using the internet inappropriately. The teacher must also make sure that their blog is a safe place for students to visit. Children need not to discuss other students or teachers on this blog.
As a future teacher I see the pros and cons of having a blog for my classroom. Some of the pros include; shy students being more active in an online setting, and students that need a quite place to do their homework would do well with a blog. However, teachers can’t assume that all students have internet access at home and if they don’t, how will a teacher provide the same resources to these students? Overall, I do feel that having an internet based site where students can communicate after hours about class out ways the possible negative implications that a blog could have on a classroom.
The downfall of requiring online work as “Don’t feed the Trolls” discusses is that teachers must teach our students how to be responsible and respectful even on a cyber worksite. Teacher must make sure that students are staying on task and not using the internet inappropriately. The teacher must also make sure that their blog is a safe place for students to visit. Children need not to discuss other students or teachers on this blog.
As a future teacher I see the pros and cons of having a blog for my classroom. Some of the pros include; shy students being more active in an online setting, and students that need a quite place to do their homework would do well with a blog. However, teachers can’t assume that all students have internet access at home and if they don’t, how will a teacher provide the same resources to these students? Overall, I do feel that having an internet based site where students can communicate after hours about class out ways the possible negative implications that a blog could have on a classroom.
"Have you googled your teacher lately?"
“Have you googled yourself lately?” I did and I did not find myself online. This was not surprising to me because I do not have a myspace or facebook account. I have always thought of my future teaching career and made sure that nothing inappropriate has been posted.
“While judgments about whether or not personal information should be publicly displayed cannot be based on personal feelings or underlying moral or religious beliefs,' predictable legal interpretations have not, yet been firmly established. Moreover, the choices teachers make about what to post must be influenced by the context of the, diverse communities in which they work”.(Carter, Foulger, Ewbank, 2008)
Teachers should be advocates of free speech however teachers should realize that they are role models for their community. Teachers have the right to a personal life but, once they have posted blogs or social networking pages they have placed their personal information in a public space. Many teachers many disagree that they should be able to post anything to the web, but they must realize that their actions implicate all teachers. When teachers are using social networking sites they have the options to set those sites to private, which still allows them the ability to communicate with their family and friends. As for blogging, teachers my find this an excellent outlet to raise community awareness or advocate for education. However, they should keep in mind that their students or their parents might stumble across their pages. If teachers consciencely keep in mind who might see their posting, they might be more apt to post community acceptable items.
“No matter how significant the outcome, these cases create lasting opinions about individuals and affect the entire profession.” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank, 2008)
Teachers are a community. One teacher’s action has an effect on a communities respect for other teachers. Being a teacher is a powerful position that impacts children’s lives. As teachers we should value this opportunity. An unspoken assumption is that all teachers should hold a certain level of moral standards and never fall prey to inappropriate behavior. This is an unrealistic expectation, but teachers should strive to be positive influences in their community. The importance of education should be valued by a community and teachers must realize that their inappropriate actions might degrade a whole community’s respect for all teachers and education.
As a teacher I am going to be aware that I am under the public’s microscope. I have already chosen not to use social networking sites and I have asked friends and family to be cautious when posting a picture of myself on their pages. When I am at school I plan to only use school computers and school email for work purposes. As a future health teacher I also plan on doing all my research from my home computer, because when you are searching health related material it is easy to end up on an inappropriate websites. By using these precautions I hope that I am able to keep myself out of trouble.
“While judgments about whether or not personal information should be publicly displayed cannot be based on personal feelings or underlying moral or religious beliefs,' predictable legal interpretations have not, yet been firmly established. Moreover, the choices teachers make about what to post must be influenced by the context of the, diverse communities in which they work”.(Carter, Foulger, Ewbank, 2008)
Teachers should be advocates of free speech however teachers should realize that they are role models for their community. Teachers have the right to a personal life but, once they have posted blogs or social networking pages they have placed their personal information in a public space. Many teachers many disagree that they should be able to post anything to the web, but they must realize that their actions implicate all teachers. When teachers are using social networking sites they have the options to set those sites to private, which still allows them the ability to communicate with their family and friends. As for blogging, teachers my find this an excellent outlet to raise community awareness or advocate for education. However, they should keep in mind that their students or their parents might stumble across their pages. If teachers consciencely keep in mind who might see their posting, they might be more apt to post community acceptable items.
“No matter how significant the outcome, these cases create lasting opinions about individuals and affect the entire profession.” (Carter, Foulger, Ewbank, 2008)
Teachers are a community. One teacher’s action has an effect on a communities respect for other teachers. Being a teacher is a powerful position that impacts children’s lives. As teachers we should value this opportunity. An unspoken assumption is that all teachers should hold a certain level of moral standards and never fall prey to inappropriate behavior. This is an unrealistic expectation, but teachers should strive to be positive influences in their community. The importance of education should be valued by a community and teachers must realize that their inappropriate actions might degrade a whole community’s respect for all teachers and education.
As a teacher I am going to be aware that I am under the public’s microscope. I have already chosen not to use social networking sites and I have asked friends and family to be cautious when posting a picture of myself on their pages. When I am at school I plan to only use school computers and school email for work purposes. As a future health teacher I also plan on doing all my research from my home computer, because when you are searching health related material it is easy to end up on an inappropriate websites. By using these precautions I hope that I am able to keep myself out of trouble.
Introduction
My name is Morgan MacGregor. My endorsement areas are Health and Integrated Science. My favorite animals are horses.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Digital Native or Immigrant?
I consider myself in the first wave of digital natives. The reason I say this is because computers, video games, cell phones, CDs and then mp3s and ipods were all made available to the public throughout my life. My generation easily grasped these new technologies versus older generations that had to learn about each of these items. However, I believe the true digital natives are the children of today. They will have never lived without a computer. They will all have cell phone before they leave elementary school, which are more powerful then many computers. They will be able to text faster than they can talk, while downloading music and studying for a history quiz all while watching TV.
Computers were introduced in my elementary school and that is when my family bought our first home computer. Every year in school we took computer classes, all of our papers had to be typed and research was to be done through the internet. The reason that I say that I was in the first wave of digital natives is because teachers were not using technology in the classroom until I entered college. College was the first time teachers used power point presentation and had all classrooms equipped with technology podiums. In college teachers had websites, they podcasted of lectures and classes we offered entirely online. This improved my leaning tremendously. We were able to contact teachers quickly. Exchange papers online and create group projects without ever meeting outside of class.
“…no matter how much the Immigrants may wish it, it is highly unlikely the Digital Natives will go backwards.” (Marc Prensky, 2001)“As educators, we need to be thinking about how to teach both Legacy and Future content in the language of the Digital Natives.” (Marc Prensky, 2001)
As a teacher I will use PowerPoint presentations to clearly state the important facts that I will be covering in class.Having a PowerPoint will keep my on track and also give me the option of integrating quick movies, diagrams or models. PowerPoint’s are easy to read and can be given to students that need assistance with note taking. I will also have a website for parents and students to visit. It will have all assignments with descriptions and due dates. It will create an easily accessible tool for parent to use to check in with their students’ progress. Students and parents will also be able to email me with any questions that I will check after hours to make sure no student is struggling with homework. Adding these elements to the classroom will help stimulate the high speed brains of today's digital native children.
“They have been adjusting or programming their brains to the speed, interactivity, and other factors in the games, much as boomers’ brains were programmed to accommodate television, and literate man’s brains were reprogrammed to deal with the invention of written language and reading (where the brain had to be retrained to deal with things in a highly linear way.)” (Marc Prensky, 2001)
Computers were introduced in my elementary school and that is when my family bought our first home computer. Every year in school we took computer classes, all of our papers had to be typed and research was to be done through the internet. The reason that I say that I was in the first wave of digital natives is because teachers were not using technology in the classroom until I entered college. College was the first time teachers used power point presentation and had all classrooms equipped with technology podiums. In college teachers had websites, they podcasted of lectures and classes we offered entirely online. This improved my leaning tremendously. We were able to contact teachers quickly. Exchange papers online and create group projects without ever meeting outside of class.
“…no matter how much the Immigrants may wish it, it is highly unlikely the Digital Natives will go backwards.” (Marc Prensky, 2001)“As educators, we need to be thinking about how to teach both Legacy and Future content in the language of the Digital Natives.” (Marc Prensky, 2001)
As a teacher I will use PowerPoint presentations to clearly state the important facts that I will be covering in class.Having a PowerPoint will keep my on track and also give me the option of integrating quick movies, diagrams or models. PowerPoint’s are easy to read and can be given to students that need assistance with note taking. I will also have a website for parents and students to visit. It will have all assignments with descriptions and due dates. It will create an easily accessible tool for parent to use to check in with their students’ progress. Students and parents will also be able to email me with any questions that I will check after hours to make sure no student is struggling with homework. Adding these elements to the classroom will help stimulate the high speed brains of today's digital native children.
“They have been adjusting or programming their brains to the speed, interactivity, and other factors in the games, much as boomers’ brains were programmed to accommodate television, and literate man’s brains were reprogrammed to deal with the invention of written language and reading (where the brain had to be retrained to deal with things in a highly linear way.)” (Marc Prensky, 2001)
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