Since technology was introduced into the classroom, it has greatly affected the way that students interact today. With all of the technological advancements in our culture today, children are faced with a completely different world than their parents grew up in. As educators in this new world, we must adapt to the changing ways, and integrate technology into our teaching efforts. At the very least, we must realize that our students are going to be influenced by it in their daily lives.
Socially, technology has changed the way that children interact with one another. Instead of face to face interactions, students have many more ways to communicate to one another including texting, IMing, e-mailing, social networks, etc. What are the possible negative connotations of this alternative form of social interaction? Is it possible that the children of the world will become anti-social towards one another and never leave their dark internet connected rooms? I believe that teachers should educate students on the different social networking technologies and remind them of certain “rules” or “guidelines” that students should follow when using them (just as if you would teach them normal social etiquettes).
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Distance Education
Exploring Distance Education
After having explored several virtual classrooms online, I am intrigued by the concept. Instead of going to a public of private school throughout your K-12 experience, it offers students a different environment for their learning. Thinking back to my own schooling experience, I would not give those times up for anything…but I can completely see why some children would appreciate the alternative learning.
One plus that I can see from having these virtual classrooms as an option for learning is that it offers student flexibility. They are allowed to take their learning into their own hands, and I can see that this would give some children a feeling of ownership and pride. It would also be very convenient for students that are not physically able to attend a school. Although accommodations could be made for these students, sometimes it is simply easier for all involved for the student to take this alternative course and go to school virtually.
There would be some fallbacks to virtual schooling however. For example, students probably would not be able to experience the same level of social interaction as students who attend a public school. These children may not learn the necessary social behaviors that guide our everyday actions. They may become overly withdrawn or shy because they have not experienced real child-like behaviors.
Both the good and the bad possibilities are not necessarily concrete. As with everything else, the outcome depends on the particular person and situation.
Being a “virtual,” or online, student would be challenging. Students who take this unconventional learning course would have to be very self-motivated and organized. In order to maintain the pace that the curriculum requires, students have to be their own time-managers and they must hope/know that they can be successful in a completely independent environment.
Personally, I do not know if I would be capable of teaching an online course. I would need to have guidelines and specific ways to communicate with my students. I would feel lost and out of control in an online classroom, because I am the type of person that really likes to monitor a student’s progress and make sure that they are on the right track to succeed.
After having explored several virtual classrooms online, I am intrigued by the concept. Instead of going to a public of private school throughout your K-12 experience, it offers students a different environment for their learning. Thinking back to my own schooling experience, I would not give those times up for anything…but I can completely see why some children would appreciate the alternative learning.
One plus that I can see from having these virtual classrooms as an option for learning is that it offers student flexibility. They are allowed to take their learning into their own hands, and I can see that this would give some children a feeling of ownership and pride. It would also be very convenient for students that are not physically able to attend a school. Although accommodations could be made for these students, sometimes it is simply easier for all involved for the student to take this alternative course and go to school virtually.
There would be some fallbacks to virtual schooling however. For example, students probably would not be able to experience the same level of social interaction as students who attend a public school. These children may not learn the necessary social behaviors that guide our everyday actions. They may become overly withdrawn or shy because they have not experienced real child-like behaviors.
Both the good and the bad possibilities are not necessarily concrete. As with everything else, the outcome depends on the particular person and situation.
Being a “virtual,” or online, student would be challenging. Students who take this unconventional learning course would have to be very self-motivated and organized. In order to maintain the pace that the curriculum requires, students have to be their own time-managers and they must hope/know that they can be successful in a completely independent environment.
Personally, I do not know if I would be capable of teaching an online course. I would need to have guidelines and specific ways to communicate with my students. I would feel lost and out of control in an online classroom, because I am the type of person that really likes to monitor a student’s progress and make sure that they are on the right track to succeed.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Emerging Technologies in the Classroom
Second Life-
This is a free online virtual world, developed by Linden Lab, that allows people to create avatars (digital versions of people) and like the name implies, lead a second life. From the look of the game, you are pretty much able to do anything you want. You can shop, create, work, dance, explore, play, learn, and even love! Second Life acts almost like a chat room, but allows the “residents” of Second Life the ability to say and do so much more than what they can through simple text. In some ways, it reminds me of the game “Sims,” but it includes everyone with access to the internet and allows you to communicate on a global level. http://secondlife.com/.
Second Life could be an interesting addition to the classroom environment. Although I don’t think I would personally use it for a standard classroom, it would be a great tool for internet classes or distance degree programs. Students and teachers that were never able to interact before (besides e-mail or digital chats) would be able to interact with digital characters or “avatars.” It would open up a new world of opportunities for those participating in the internet classes. Students could even demonstrate their knowledge through oral presentations! Very cool technology for those students and teachers of online classrooms.
Wireless technology-
Wireless technology emerged with radio devices, and has slowly progressed to greater heights since then. After all, wires are overrated! Over short distances, people can communicate to one another or to other technologies with these devices through radio and/or infrared signals instead of traditional network cabling. This is a technology that is not new, but the recent advances are allowing greater mobility and freedom for its users.
This technology not only applies to phones, radios, and now computers, but it is being applied to classroom technologies as well. Using a wireless mouse in the classroom gives a teacher the liberty to move about the classroom while presenting information across the room. If I had a classroom of my own, wireless technology would be very useful. It would allow me to accomplish so much more in a day because it would save me time and effort that could be extended to my students instead. Because wireless technology makes daily classroom activities easier, students would be able to focus on gaining knowledge instead of navigating around wires and cables. They might be less tripping accident too! There are many ways that wireless technology can and has benefited the classroom setting.
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wireless/WiFi_Wireless_Networks_and_Technology.htm.
Interactive Smart Board-
The Smart Board is a product of SMART Technologies. The outward appearance of the board looks almost like a regular whiteboard, but this board is very different. Through a unique software, the board acts like a touch-screen, allowing you to control and write on the board just through touch. The components are connected wirelessly (another example of wireless uses in the classroom) and viewed over a projection on the interactive board. Through the touch of a finger or pen tool the Smart Board alters that contact into mouse clicks or “digital ink.” They are available as front, rear, or flat-screen projectors. The boards are covered in “resistant” material that can translate your touches into actions on the home computer.
The Smart Board would be an interesting tool in the classroom and I can see, due to its multipurpose abilities, that it would save a great amount of time in the class and allow teachers to move through lessons seamlessly and allow students to actively participate in a lecture setting. The Board would appeal to hands-on or kinesthetic learners as well as visual and auditory learners.
http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/.
This is a free online virtual world, developed by Linden Lab, that allows people to create avatars (digital versions of people) and like the name implies, lead a second life. From the look of the game, you are pretty much able to do anything you want. You can shop, create, work, dance, explore, play, learn, and even love! Second Life acts almost like a chat room, but allows the “residents” of Second Life the ability to say and do so much more than what they can through simple text. In some ways, it reminds me of the game “Sims,” but it includes everyone with access to the internet and allows you to communicate on a global level. http://secondlife.com/.
Second Life could be an interesting addition to the classroom environment. Although I don’t think I would personally use it for a standard classroom, it would be a great tool for internet classes or distance degree programs. Students and teachers that were never able to interact before (besides e-mail or digital chats) would be able to interact with digital characters or “avatars.” It would open up a new world of opportunities for those participating in the internet classes. Students could even demonstrate their knowledge through oral presentations! Very cool technology for those students and teachers of online classrooms.
Wireless technology-
Wireless technology emerged with radio devices, and has slowly progressed to greater heights since then. After all, wires are overrated! Over short distances, people can communicate to one another or to other technologies with these devices through radio and/or infrared signals instead of traditional network cabling. This is a technology that is not new, but the recent advances are allowing greater mobility and freedom for its users.
This technology not only applies to phones, radios, and now computers, but it is being applied to classroom technologies as well. Using a wireless mouse in the classroom gives a teacher the liberty to move about the classroom while presenting information across the room. If I had a classroom of my own, wireless technology would be very useful. It would allow me to accomplish so much more in a day because it would save me time and effort that could be extended to my students instead. Because wireless technology makes daily classroom activities easier, students would be able to focus on gaining knowledge instead of navigating around wires and cables. They might be less tripping accident too! There are many ways that wireless technology can and has benefited the classroom setting.
http://compnetworking.about.com/od/wireless/WiFi_Wireless_Networks_and_Technology.htm.
Interactive Smart Board-
The Smart Board is a product of SMART Technologies. The outward appearance of the board looks almost like a regular whiteboard, but this board is very different. Through a unique software, the board acts like a touch-screen, allowing you to control and write on the board just through touch. The components are connected wirelessly (another example of wireless uses in the classroom) and viewed over a projection on the interactive board. Through the touch of a finger or pen tool the Smart Board alters that contact into mouse clicks or “digital ink.” They are available as front, rear, or flat-screen projectors. The boards are covered in “resistant” material that can translate your touches into actions on the home computer.
The Smart Board would be an interesting tool in the classroom and I can see, due to its multipurpose abilities, that it would save a great amount of time in the class and allow teachers to move through lessons seamlessly and allow students to actively participate in a lecture setting. The Board would appeal to hands-on or kinesthetic learners as well as visual and auditory learners.
http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/Products/SMART+Boards/.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Engaging Students with Concept Mapping Activities
Concept Mapping is a great organizational tool for you and for your students. Concept mapping is a useful technique that improves note-taking skills. In my classroom, I might introduce concept mapping as a way for students to better structure their notes. With this more organized structure for note-taking, student learning will have more organization and will be more effective. More organized students make happier (and less stressed!) teachers.
I would also have the students use concept maps when they are beginning the writing process, before their first drafts. It is a great way to brainstorm and get their ideas laid-out in a prearranged way. When I was in school, we called concept maps “spider webs” and we would use them before we started writing anything! They let the child organize their thoughts and start arranging their concept map so that the important ideas can transfer easily into their writing. We could also use concept maps when discussing new concepts in the classroom. We would use the concept map to establish our students’ prior knowledge about the theory and connect those ideas to what we will be learning in the new lesson.
Concept mapping is useful in many situations, but how do we know when they are not necessary and might actually detract from a lesson? To answer that question, imagine a lesson you might teach. In this lesson, do you need to brainstorm with your students prior to beginning the lesson? If not, then there is no real need for a concept map. They may still be used by your students in note form, but it most likely wouldn’t be necessary for you to use it in a broader sense.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Blogs and Wikis in Education
1) Blogs are great for spreading innovative teaching ideas! They (blogs) and wikis can keep educators from across the globe in communication and extend new teaching concepts across those connections. They also facilitate more open communication between the teacher and the parent’s and guardians of their students.
Wikis promote collaborative learning as well as student engagement. Students can use blogs and wikis to work together in group projects, post homework, and other things online for all to access from within the wiki or blog.
One classroom I found used blogs/wikis as a student involved activity where the students were in charge of putting information out to the community about a topic that interests them.
2) I would probably use RSS readers/aggregators in a classroom to supervise my blogs and interesting news websites to better manage my time. They would be great to use if I had my students working on multiple blogs or wikis in the classroom and I needed to keep an eye on their daily progress.
3) There are many great things about the use of blogs and wikis in the classroom, but best of all is the communication it provides with student and student’s guardians. It is also a great learning opportunity for both students and teachers. They provide a great basis for the exchange of ideas. There are some downsides to having blogs and wikis in the classroom however. One problem with having them is that they assume that the students would have the previous knowledge needed to use the computer (and the internet for that matter) needed to make the websites. They also assume that the students have access to the internet or a computer in their home.
Wikis promote collaborative learning as well as student engagement. Students can use blogs and wikis to work together in group projects, post homework, and other things online for all to access from within the wiki or blog.
One classroom I found used blogs/wikis as a student involved activity where the students were in charge of putting information out to the community about a topic that interests them.
2) I would probably use RSS readers/aggregators in a classroom to supervise my blogs and interesting news websites to better manage my time. They would be great to use if I had my students working on multiple blogs or wikis in the classroom and I needed to keep an eye on their daily progress.
3) There are many great things about the use of blogs and wikis in the classroom, but best of all is the communication it provides with student and student’s guardians. It is also a great learning opportunity for both students and teachers. They provide a great basis for the exchange of ideas. There are some downsides to having blogs and wikis in the classroom however. One problem with having them is that they assume that the students would have the previous knowledge needed to use the computer (and the internet for that matter) needed to make the websites. They also assume that the students have access to the internet or a computer in their home.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
TeacherWeb Project Critique
TeacherWeb Project Critique
1) By using a classroom website such as TeacherWeb, teachers can better keep in touch with their students and their student’s guardians. This is a great way to have families stay focused and current on classroom information. I can imagine that most students would be excited to share any classroom information that is posted on the internet. In many cases, access to the internet at home is a special privilege for young children, so the chance to get on a student friendly website (including links to other fun informational websites) is an exciting one.
2) The biggest advantage of having a classroom website is the opportunity it creates for greater student family/teacher communication. Guardians can check in on their student’s grades, homework, and upcoming events. Overall, a website such as TeacherWeb can keep families in better contact with the classroom teacher. Another advantage of using a classroom website is the freedom that the internet allows. You can update the information at any time that an internet connection is available to keep your outgoing information current. At the same time though, trusting your students to have access to the internet may be a mistake. Making the assumption that all students have equal access is probably an incorrect one and must be taken into account before a teacher places too much of their classroom activities into the website.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom
After taking "Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Profile," I was surprised to find that above all other types tested for, I have an Intrapersonal intelligence. I found this a little odd out of all the others that I thought more closely matched my personality, but I was intrigued nonetheless. I started looking into what makes an Intrapersonal person tick.
At Surfaquarium.com you can look into what each intelligence profile means and how you may be able to adjust your learning for a classroom situation. Below are some core characteristics of Intrapersonal intelligence:
Also at Surfaquarium.com, it gave personality traits that may help you be able to pick out students with Intrapersonal intelligences. Students will probably be very comfortable with themselves and easily be able to communicate their feelings. They will have a strong self-efficacy in most things that they do, but when they don't, they set realistic goals to help reach their potential. Intrapersonal students will not be afraid to tell you what they like or dislike, and they are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. Above all, Intrapersonal students will be fair and make appropriate choices in their lives.
It doesn't seem like it would take much to support this intelligence in the classroom, since they seem to regulate themselves fairly well, but I would probably have personal journals for each of my students so that they had a chance to voice their emotions/opinions/reflections. I would make sure to change my teaching style frequently, involving multiple intelligences, so that they could continue to feel challenged. I would relate my teaching topic to the outside world, so that they can make the comparisons.I would also try to allow as many alternative options in the classroom as possible (especially for assessments). In a classroom, I would have my students set goals and keep track of their progress.
The technologies that stimulate Intrapersonal intelligences are the semi-personal things like journals, diaries, voting machines, self-assessment, real-time projects, and online surveys that allow the student to think on their own accord.
Knowing more about multiple intelligences will be very useful once I'm in my own classroom. Having this knowledge (and this web-resource) I will be able to better identify the learning needs of each of my students. I will be able to get a better understanding of their personalities and the wide variety of nuances between each. I'll be able to better understand what makes each student tick.
This is the site I got my Intrapersonal Intelligence information from. Check it out for yourself!
http://surfaquarium.com/MI/profiles/intrapersonal.htm
- Affective Awareness – the knowledge of one's feelings, attitudes and outlook
- Ethical Awareness – the setting of one's principles and moral priorities
- Self-Regulation – monitoring one's thoughts, actions and behavior
- Metacognition – the awareness of one's thought processes
Also at Surfaquarium.com, it gave personality traits that may help you be able to pick out students with Intrapersonal intelligences. Students will probably be very comfortable with themselves and easily be able to communicate their feelings. They will have a strong self-efficacy in most things that they do, but when they don't, they set realistic goals to help reach their potential. Intrapersonal students will not be afraid to tell you what they like or dislike, and they are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. Above all, Intrapersonal students will be fair and make appropriate choices in their lives.
It doesn't seem like it would take much to support this intelligence in the classroom, since they seem to regulate themselves fairly well, but I would probably have personal journals for each of my students so that they had a chance to voice their emotions/opinions/reflections. I would make sure to change my teaching style frequently, involving multiple intelligences, so that they could continue to feel challenged. I would relate my teaching topic to the outside world, so that they can make the comparisons.I would also try to allow as many alternative options in the classroom as possible (especially for assessments). In a classroom, I would have my students set goals and keep track of their progress.
The technologies that stimulate Intrapersonal intelligences are the semi-personal things like journals, diaries, voting machines, self-assessment, real-time projects, and online surveys that allow the student to think on their own accord.
Knowing more about multiple intelligences will be very useful once I'm in my own classroom. Having this knowledge (and this web-resource) I will be able to better identify the learning needs of each of my students. I will be able to get a better understanding of their personalities and the wide variety of nuances between each. I'll be able to better understand what makes each student tick.
This is the site I got my Intrapersonal Intelligence information from. Check it out for yourself!
http://surfaquarium.com/MI/profiles/intrapersonal.htm
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