In class we talked about the issue of social skills and the ability to act socially acceptable on a one-to-one basis. We talked about this because the increase in social software on the internet. The first part of the chapter talks about different social software that includes blogs, podcasts, wikis and social networking spaces like Facebook and Myspace. Because of this class I have been able to experience most of these examples. I actually have grown to like the blogging idea. I think that it is a great way to let people know what is going on in my life and more importantly in my classroom in the future. I think that this is a very useful tool to use in the classroom to connect the users (parents and students to the teacher and the class organization).
One thing that the chapter discusses are knowledge base Forums. It is a collaborative database that supports shared process of knowledge building, by defining problems, hypothesizing, researching, collecting information, collaborating and analyzing. There are two important features, they are a special computer program for developing a common information base installed on a local area network or on a remote server accessible through the Internet. The other important feature of the Knowledge based Forums is that it is a systematic model of inquiry based on the scientific method and informed by current research in cognitive psychology. I like the idea of Knowledge based forums. Its another way that students can teach the technologies instead of the other way around. I like that they are all contributors on this website. This kind of site empowers students because their opinion counts. I like this idea too because it is a great way for students to share what they know, I like how they can share notes, questions and ideas. I like how this chapter talks about encouraging students to make school more meaningful by being mindful and goal directed. When they are teaching with the technologies, they are not just sitting behind a screen answering questions in a box or just simply pushing a couple of buttons, they are not going to learn that content.
Wikis are another way to help students connect and make learning meaningful. Before this class I was unaware of what a wiki really was. I knew of Wikipedia like anyone else but I did not know that the term wiki was actually something that was out there on the web for people to use. I really love the concept now. It is a great way to communicate and help keep in touch and organized with class. I see how I can use this in my classroom. Similar to the blog idea in the first paragraph, I could create a class wiki (similar to our in class) and put what we do each day for the parents to access. I really like that idea because I want my parents to be well aware of what we do in class and how they can continue the education at home. I really can see how this can change the way I teach in the future. Before reading and learning about Wikis I had all intentions to send out newsletters each month or something similar but now that I have these different tools that I can use it is really helpful. It provides me with less work and it provides the parents a great way to find out what their students are doing each day. I know when I was young, my mom and dad would ask what I did at school and I would say nothing or I played on the playground. I think that parents will really appreciate the daily schedule to help them feel more confident in my teaching abilities and the content that their students should be learning.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A day in the life of a Technology Student
Today we learned what Rick Rolling is. I had never heard of it before this morning. We learned that it is a phenomenon where people click on something off of a website and they get sent to a different video of a guy singing a very catchy song.
We learned about different ways to model with technology. We learned that it is great to have students to learn with the technologies, we want our students to teach the technologies not the other way around. One of the Mindtool that we discussed were concept maps. Another one that we discussed were spreadsheets. They showed us that we can organize our data with the spreadsheets. It is a very useful thing for teachers to use for grades and keeping track of data. Students can also use it to record data from experiments, which is very useful. It can do calculations that can help us save time and keep our grades accurate. We also went to a website called easy diagnosis, it was interesting. It was an example of modeling with expert systems. One way that we can use this in the classroom is to use it as a research tool and science projects. The next Mindtool that we discussed were databases. We looked at UF's database that we have used in the past. I think that these are very useful tools to help with research and discovery. Another example of a database is Delicious, that we use to bookmark the different websites. We also talked about different ways to use the spreadsheet. We talked about online grade sheets instead of using Excel. We talked about different techniques to use in Excel. We can just click auto sum and it adds up all of your data. Another type of spreadsheet to use in the classroom or anytime is Google docs. It is a great way to help you keep track of data online.
Next we talked about a contemporary issues. We talked about the social effects of technology on children. One difficulty is the inflection that is meant by communicating electronically. I think that I have that issue when I communicate online. I can never tell what they mean by certain things that is written online. I think that people are more inclined to be more open and honest online, that can be a positive and negative aspect of communicating online. The next contemporary issue that we talked about was sexting. I think that this is a major problem that has to be addressed in classrooms of older students. Children do not understand the consequences of sending these out.
We also talked about our scratch projects and what makes something interactive. Some characteristics of non-interactivity are that the user has no control, cannot manipulate, not engaging, and no feedback. Some characteristics that of an interactive project is that the user controls ad manipulates the project. Another aspect in an interactive project is lots of feedback. There is a reciprocal relationship between the student and the project. It helps the students understand the content more effectively and helps them know how well they are doing. A couple things that are expected for our Scratch project is to have content based material, developmentally appropriate and it is interactive. We have to tweak our project to make sure that we are making the text and images developmentally appropriate. We should have the text on the screen for us to read it twice, this accommodates the students that do not read as fast as we read. Our goal for this project is not to be a non-example, meaning not on the left side of the spectrum. Our goal is to be somewhere towards the right, more interactive, developmentally appropriate and has good standard based content.
We learned about different ways to model with technology. We learned that it is great to have students to learn with the technologies, we want our students to teach the technologies not the other way around. One of the Mindtool that we discussed were concept maps. Another one that we discussed were spreadsheets. They showed us that we can organize our data with the spreadsheets. It is a very useful thing for teachers to use for grades and keeping track of data. Students can also use it to record data from experiments, which is very useful. It can do calculations that can help us save time and keep our grades accurate. We also went to a website called easy diagnosis, it was interesting. It was an example of modeling with expert systems. One way that we can use this in the classroom is to use it as a research tool and science projects. The next Mindtool that we discussed were databases. We looked at UF's database that we have used in the past. I think that these are very useful tools to help with research and discovery. Another example of a database is Delicious, that we use to bookmark the different websites. We also talked about different ways to use the spreadsheet. We talked about online grade sheets instead of using Excel. We talked about different techniques to use in Excel. We can just click auto sum and it adds up all of your data. Another type of spreadsheet to use in the classroom or anytime is Google docs. It is a great way to help you keep track of data online.
Next we talked about a contemporary issues. We talked about the social effects of technology on children. One difficulty is the inflection that is meant by communicating electronically. I think that I have that issue when I communicate online. I can never tell what they mean by certain things that is written online. I think that people are more inclined to be more open and honest online, that can be a positive and negative aspect of communicating online. The next contemporary issue that we talked about was sexting. I think that this is a major problem that has to be addressed in classrooms of older students. Children do not understand the consequences of sending these out.
We also talked about our scratch projects and what makes something interactive. Some characteristics of non-interactivity are that the user has no control, cannot manipulate, not engaging, and no feedback. Some characteristics that of an interactive project is that the user controls ad manipulates the project. Another aspect in an interactive project is lots of feedback. There is a reciprocal relationship between the student and the project. It helps the students understand the content more effectively and helps them know how well they are doing. A couple things that are expected for our Scratch project is to have content based material, developmentally appropriate and it is interactive. We have to tweak our project to make sure that we are making the text and images developmentally appropriate. We should have the text on the screen for us to read it twice, this accommodates the students that do not read as fast as we read. Our goal for this project is not to be a non-example, meaning not on the left side of the spectrum. Our goal is to be somewhere towards the right, more interactive, developmentally appropriate and has good standard based content.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Modeling with Technologies
I think the first thing that we learned in this class was to make sure that we let the students learn with the technologies and not just to let the technologies teach the students. The first paragraph in this chapter talks about that, how a lot of technologies used in the classroom are simply to teach students. They try to memorize and understand the content that is presented with technology and then they are trying to master the content without much experience. So far in this class we have learned how to use many different technologies for students to use for their real benefit. In this chapter in particular it talks about different technologies that can help students “conceptualize, organize and solve problems” (pg. 82). Some of the tools that are presented are called Mindtools. They include databases, concept mapping, spread sheets, miroworlds, systems modeling tools, expert systems, hyper media construction tools, constraint based discussion boards and visualization tools. Contrary to the way that technologies are usually used Mindtools have students teaching the computer and not the other way around. I intend on using these different tools to help my students learn more effectively in my classroom. I think that I would have been using the technologies negatively like it talked about at the beginning of the chapter if I was not made aware of the other tools.
The first Mindtool that is presented in the chapter are concept maps. We briefly learned about them last week, I think it is a great tool to use for organizing thoughts. I think that it can be used in my classroom because they can use these technological concept maps to help them organize even better than a paper version can. I did not think that the computer ones were that much more effective than paper versions but now I believe that the computer based concept maps are more effective. One reason that I think that these are better for students to use is that the students are able to reorganize their thoughts as many times as they want. They are able to add text and delete tax without making their concept maps messy or unorganized or confusing. I think that the technological concept maps are also prone to becoming messy and confusing but students can play around with them and make them work for themselves. I think this a great example of how students can begin to teach the computer rather than having the computer teach them.
The first Mindtool that is presented in the chapter are concept maps. We briefly learned about them last week, I think it is a great tool to use for organizing thoughts. I think that it can be used in my classroom because they can use these technological concept maps to help them organize even better than a paper version can. I did not think that the computer ones were that much more effective than paper versions but now I believe that the computer based concept maps are more effective. One reason that I think that these are better for students to use is that the students are able to reorganize their thoughts as many times as they want. They are able to add text and delete tax without making their concept maps messy or unorganized or confusing. I think that the technological concept maps are also prone to becoming messy and confusing but students can play around with them and make them work for themselves. I think this a great example of how students can begin to teach the computer rather than having the computer teach them.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Just another day in Technology-February 18, 2010
Today we talked about chapter 4. Amanda and Kelsey did the chapter presentation and I thought they did really well. I really liked the presentation tool that they used. They used Prezi which I thought was confusing to make presentations but they made a really great presentation! I think that I would use this presentation in the future now, whereas a few weeks ago I would have steered away from it. I really liked this chapter content because it was more relevant to the other classes and learning. I love writing so learning how you can incorporate technology into writing was great to learn about. I also liked how they gave us several resources that we can use in the future. I think that they are useful for early education which was great.
Next we talked about other resources that we can use to incorporate technology into writing. We talked about many different tools that we can use to create concept maps. I think that this is a great thing to use to plan and organize their writing. Next we talked about student publishing on the internet. We talked about several sites such as readwritethink.org. It is a website that helps students write more effectively. It was a fun interactive website for teachers and students. We talked about another resource for online publishing by Google called Google docs. It is meant to be a collaborative writing tool.
Next we talked about some cool tools. We talked about BrainPop. We have seen a lot about BrainPop in our other classes. We also talked about Dweeber. It is a social networking site for children which is nice for them. We also talked about Skype. It is a video conferencing site, it is not geared towards children but it is nice for distance learning. She talked about how you can talk to people in different places or have "guest speakers" from other places talk to your class from their home. We also talked about ePals.com, it is a learge global community of connected classrooms. Teachingdegree.org is a resource that gives examples of how Skype can be used to enhance learning. It also has a getting started links to help if you are not familiar with Skype.
We also talked about different contemporary issues. One of the issues that was addressed was CyberBullying, it was very useful and relevant to talk about this issue because it is a big issue when it comes to students being online. We were introduced to many resources that we can read up on the subject. The next issue that the class talked about is obesity and video games. I am very surprised about the impact that video games have on a child's weight. We talked about some things that we can do to promote activity while using video games. We also talked about the issue of the time spent in school. Students only spend 14% of their year in school. So we talked about how short of a time children are really in school.
Next we talked about other resources that we can use to incorporate technology into writing. We talked about many different tools that we can use to create concept maps. I think that this is a great thing to use to plan and organize their writing. Next we talked about student publishing on the internet. We talked about several sites such as readwritethink.org. It is a website that helps students write more effectively. It was a fun interactive website for teachers and students. We talked about another resource for online publishing by Google called Google docs. It is meant to be a collaborative writing tool.
Next we talked about some cool tools. We talked about BrainPop. We have seen a lot about BrainPop in our other classes. We also talked about Dweeber. It is a social networking site for children which is nice for them. We also talked about Skype. It is a video conferencing site, it is not geared towards children but it is nice for distance learning. She talked about how you can talk to people in different places or have "guest speakers" from other places talk to your class from their home. We also talked about ePals.com, it is a learge global community of connected classrooms. Teachingdegree.org is a resource that gives examples of how Skype can be used to enhance learning. It also has a getting started links to help if you are not familiar with Skype.
We also talked about different contemporary issues. One of the issues that was addressed was CyberBullying, it was very useful and relevant to talk about this issue because it is a big issue when it comes to students being online. We were introduced to many resources that we can read up on the subject. The next issue that the class talked about is obesity and video games. I am very surprised about the impact that video games have on a child's weight. We talked about some things that we can do to promote activity while using video games. We also talked about the issue of the time spent in school. Students only spend 14% of their year in school. So we talked about how short of a time children are really in school.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Supporting Writing with Technology
When I first started reading this chapter I did not understand how technology could be used to help students write. When I think about writing I often think about a pencil and a paper, writing down your most inner thoughts and drawing doodles around the edges. Using your creativity to create a narrative essay or using books and the internet to write research papers. I now understand many different tools that can assist students in writing and helping to make writing a more enjoyable task. The chapter describes many different components of writing. The five components are setting goals, planning, idea organization, composition of text and editing.
The first tool that the chapter describes are concept maps. I have been taught since a young age to make concept maps to plan my papers and organize my thoughts (two of the components right there) but I have always done them the traditional way with pencil and paper. The chapter introduces many different technological alternatives to the traditional way. This semester I have had the opportunity to use one of these technological concept maps for our science class. It is a great way to organize and plan because it was easy to move around the different subjects and make different connections. I plan on using this specific tool in my classroom by having my students plan their writing with the option of the technology tool rather than the traditional model. I really like how the chapter gives us different sites that we can find the different concept maps. That is a great resource that I can use in my future classroom.
Another tool that the chapter describes is Microsoft PowerPoint. I never thought about this tool as a writing technique. I agree with the chapter that it can be very distracting when making a presentation. I think that we get too caught up with the fun aspects and lack in the actual writing. I like how our class has also given us other options to present material like Prezi and Glogster. I think that this helps keep students involved and engaged because it is a good change from the traditional PowerPoint. They are also more interactive than PowerPoints, because students have access to them on the web and during presentations. I think that these different presentation tools also can be distracting because students can get caught up in pressing all the buttons and focus less on the content that it is presenting. I can use these different tools in my classroom to help my students develop their presentation skills. We all know that I have to work on my own presentation skills, so I look forward to helping my students develop speech skills and presentations using the different tools.
Another way to incorporate technology into writing is to publish writing on the web. The chapter discusses how this can help students to become more motivated and inspired if they get to publish their paper. They are getting a sense of authorship. I think that this is a great idea, especially that the chapter provides children friendly forums. Another thing that the chapter suggests is to read this book called The Pigman, and the students get to write the “last chapter” and publish it online. This is a great way to help students feel good about their writing. I can use this to keep my students excited about their writing. I do have the concern of safety with this tool. It think that most of the parents of my students will not agree to let their children publish their work online. I like that there is a child friendly website in the chapter but I am still cautious about having my students publish their work online.
I think that all of these tools will be helpful for my students to engage and look forward to writing. This chapter has opened my eyes to many different writing styles, like the presentations. It has also given me many resources to use in my classroom, like the concept mapping tools. I think using technology will help some of my students better develop their writing and create a sense of authorship.
The first tool that the chapter describes are concept maps. I have been taught since a young age to make concept maps to plan my papers and organize my thoughts (two of the components right there) but I have always done them the traditional way with pencil and paper. The chapter introduces many different technological alternatives to the traditional way. This semester I have had the opportunity to use one of these technological concept maps for our science class. It is a great way to organize and plan because it was easy to move around the different subjects and make different connections. I plan on using this specific tool in my classroom by having my students plan their writing with the option of the technology tool rather than the traditional model. I really like how the chapter gives us different sites that we can find the different concept maps. That is a great resource that I can use in my future classroom.
Another tool that the chapter describes is Microsoft PowerPoint. I never thought about this tool as a writing technique. I agree with the chapter that it can be very distracting when making a presentation. I think that we get too caught up with the fun aspects and lack in the actual writing. I like how our class has also given us other options to present material like Prezi and Glogster. I think that this helps keep students involved and engaged because it is a good change from the traditional PowerPoint. They are also more interactive than PowerPoints, because students have access to them on the web and during presentations. I think that these different presentation tools also can be distracting because students can get caught up in pressing all the buttons and focus less on the content that it is presenting. I can use these different tools in my classroom to help my students develop their presentation skills. We all know that I have to work on my own presentation skills, so I look forward to helping my students develop speech skills and presentations using the different tools.
Another way to incorporate technology into writing is to publish writing on the web. The chapter discusses how this can help students to become more motivated and inspired if they get to publish their paper. They are getting a sense of authorship. I think that this is a great idea, especially that the chapter provides children friendly forums. Another thing that the chapter suggests is to read this book called The Pigman, and the students get to write the “last chapter” and publish it online. This is a great way to help students feel good about their writing. I can use this to keep my students excited about their writing. I do have the concern of safety with this tool. It think that most of the parents of my students will not agree to let their children publish their work online. I like that there is a child friendly website in the chapter but I am still cautious about having my students publish their work online.
I think that all of these tools will be helpful for my students to engage and look forward to writing. This chapter has opened my eyes to many different writing styles, like the presentations. It has also given me many resources to use in my classroom, like the concept mapping tools. I think using technology will help some of my students better develop their writing and create a sense of authorship.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
More about Technologies
Today we did our chapter discussion. We had to critique the different things that we did and did not do correctly. It was one of the hardest presentations I have done. It was so intimidating that I had to be aware of the "um's" and "likes." I was so caught up with trying to not say those words that I seemed to say them more.
We also learned a lot about Scratch today. It was very useful because before this class I had no idea how to do this. I tried and did different things over the weekend and I could not figure it out. I now have a better understanding of the programming language.
I have also learned more about different technologies that we can use in the classroom to foster causal reasoning. We learned about Microworlds, virtual worlds, simulations and games. I think that this is a very useful thing to learn about. I did not think of these things as educational or helpful, so it was nice to learn about how it can contribute to meaningful learning.
We also learned a lot about Scratch today. It was very useful because before this class I had no idea how to do this. I tried and did different things over the weekend and I could not figure it out. I now have a better understanding of the programming language.
I have also learned more about different technologies that we can use in the classroom to foster causal reasoning. We learned about Microworlds, virtual worlds, simulations and games. I think that this is a very useful thing to learn about. I did not think of these things as educational or helpful, so it was nice to learn about how it can contribute to meaningful learning.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Chapter 3
This chapter was about meaningful learning and how to use technology to benefit the students in your classroom. I think that I learned a lot about making learning meaningful for my students by reading about the different technologies that can foster causal thinking. I really liked learning about technologies such as Microworlds, simulations, virtual worlds and games. I never really knew how to incorporate these different technologies into my classroom because I really did not know how they could promote learning. I always thought games and virtual worlds were nothing but games that people played in their spare time and they did not get any benefit from them. Now that I know the differences between the different technologies and also their uses I can easily incorporate them into the classroom. I can see how virtual worlds can show students real world experiences and have them do real world experiments. I am slightly concerned about having my students on some of the virtual world sites. I know some of the virtual worlds that students can access through the internet can be dangerous. I think that as a teacher I cannot use these types of virtual worlds in my classroom but I can use a more child friendly version instead. I really enjoyed learning about how I can incorporate these different technologies into the classroom.
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