Chapter Five Journal Post

Summary 

     This chapter talks about how the internet is becoming our major way of getting and reporting information. While students of the past just needed to be able to read and write to be consider literate, we now must have a a new form of literacy - Digital and information literacy - which focuses ona  students ability to locate, gather, and organize the information they find on the internet. With this they must also obtain media literacy which is how they analyze, evaluate, and communicate the information in different ways (pg 100-101). 

     While many believe those in college and in high school are superior when it comes to technology, many are not considered media literate because they don't use all the skills with it. These students rely on Google or other search engine websites rather than government based websites or research databases (pg 101). This is not something that I'm surprised by. Being both a college and high school student, I use Google for all of my papers. Rarely do I go to any government run website. I type it into Google and look at the first thing it tells me to look at. This is something that I have been trying to change by looking closer into the subject matter and exploring the website it gives me.

     It then speaks of e-Books/Readers. Not many student-aged children read books anymore. They are on the computer reading books on their Kindle or iPad. This is not just students who read online though, it is also everyday adults. No one leaves the house without their electronic devices anymore, so they have hundreds of books at their finger-tips rather than carrying a large, "heavy", chunky book in their bag; they have a series on their phone in their pocket. Research is being done as to how this type of reading is affecting the children's want to read (pg101-102). I honestly think it helps build a child's desire to read. I know I read non-stop now since I received my iPad.

     Following this the book talks about search engines and how they work. This is something that I have known, so I skimmed it. Thus leading us to how students and teachers should conduct online research. I found out about Google's Search Education. I think it is the coolest thing I have ever heard of. It has lessons plans based on NETS-S, Common Core, and American Association, which helps not only the students in seeing what these test are looking for, but also the teacher when it comes to teaching these subjects (pg 105). The site also has puzzles that challenge the student to discover information through research. This will be something I use in my class as a bell-work activity.

     The text then talks about electronic note-taking. This is something that i personally disagree with because I think the more you write something the more you remember it. I believe you should copy by hand first, then if you wish to type it up, feel free too. I understand students use it so they have the notes whenever they need it, I just don't agree with it (pg 106).

      There are three types of searches: free-text - which looks at the tittle, keywords, and description; keyword/exact match - which finds what you type in and only what you type in; and finally Boolean - which searches with terms "and" "or" and "not" (pg 109-110). With that we also talk about how to evaluate informaion through: misinformation, malinformation, mess-up information, and mostly useless information. Then there are controls: censorship, filtering software, partitions, labels, and critical reading. All of these things together can help tell if a website's information can be used in a paper or project (pg 113-114).

     There are five things that should always be kept in mind though when looking into a website though: Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage (pg 115). "Who is telling the story, and why are they to be trust? Why are they telling the world this, and how long ago was it? Does it cover all sides to a point?" Are all questions people should ask themselves when they look into a website. Teachers should also look into copyrights, Creative Commons, plagiaris, and over-all cheating. These are all massive offensives and could end in fines if not done properly (pg 118-119). 

Focus Question

2) What are search engines and how do they work?

     Search engines are part of a web sites or tool bar that let you get information from all across the Internet. It is a type of software program that works through networks on diffferent computers that find thousands of entries that match your search in a matter of seconds through the help of keywords (pg103-104)

Tech Tools 5.2 Page 109

Customizing Your Web Browser with iGoogle

      iGoogle is another form of social media, much in a way like Google+. However having an iGoogle account for the simple use of teaching doesn't sound like a bad idea. You can add gadgets which is a tyoe of data-managing software used to customize many other social media sites, even one like this. Their intended purpose is to help the person incharge of the page give information in a more organized way. If there is a gadget for Google-a-Day, I would get one right away. Speaking of which: 

This is a video describing what Google-a-Day is and how you can link it with Google+.

Resources:
Google. (Producer) (2012, June 12). The new A Google A Day on Google+ is here YouTube. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mpPK0aktC-Y&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DmpPK0aktC-Y

Textbook- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter Four Journal Post

Summary
     This chapter is about lesson planning and setting up curriculum with technology. Lesson development comes from three different parts, academic content, teaching goals/methods, and learning assessments. In other words, what to teach, how to teach, and what the students have learned. These can be enhanced with technology through the software available for presentations and flowcharts and such, along with digital portfolois, online surveys, and electronic tests (pg 76-77).
     After the stages for lesson development we have lesson planning and the ways that it can be done. It usually comes in during the teaching goals and methods stage during the lesson development. The teachers focus on who, what, when, how much.often, and measuremnt and evaulations. These are the details when it comes to teaching. The book talks about Understanding by Design (UBD) which is a three stage approach to setting up a lesson plan. Stage 1: identify the results, Step 2: determine acceptable evidence, and Step 3: plan learning ecperiences and instruction (pg 79).
     The book then moves onto teacher meeting educational standards. This is something that I feel should have been a longer section. There are so many different standards around the country. While the government is trying to set up the nation-wide policy, it is far from happening right now. There are many different organizations who run a different concept in the core studies. This is seen on page 82 on table 4.1. English and math alone have two different councils running the standards (pg 82).
     Of course with standards, the teachers must also worry about testing. The book talks about the three tests that teachers and students must deal with. Norm-referenced tests, which compare students' performances with others in their grade/age, Criterion-referenced tests, which compare students' performances to certain standards/ objectives, and finally Standard-based assessments, which is a combination of both (pg 84-85).
     To end the chapter, the book talks about the use of rubrics and performance assessments. Performance assessments are when a teacher grades an assignment on real-world terms. It is more or less the assessments that actually measure a students knowledge. With so many high-risk tests now being presented to our students, a simply math test or oral presentation seems likes nothing; these are performance assessments (pg 88). Rubrics are not only a way for teachers to organize their own grading thoughts, but also allow students their own checklist as to what they must include in their assignments (pg 90).

Focus Question
1) How are lesson planning and student assessment enhanced by technology?
      Lesson planning is enhanced by technology because of the many sources now availiable at a simply keystroke. Now teachers have webquests, blogs, wikis, thread discussions, and multiple softewares that make there lectures more usefull to students who learn visually or audiblly (pg 77)
      Assessments are also enhanced through the different ways teachers can assign them. Teachers can now give electronic quizzes and tests, which can give the students their grade right away. They can also have students set up their own online portfolois, or the teacher can creat one for themself. Finally they can set up gradekeeping online which can be helpful when it comes to tracking because it is clearly seen (pg 77).

Tech Tools: Web Resources and Apps for Teaching (page 81)
       I looked into the Teaching Channel webpage. It seems to be very helpful with helping teachers come up with lesson plans and providing help when it comes to understnading the new common core set up. This website paired with the Cram app would be a great combo. After I have some help planning the lesson, I can quiz my students on subject as well. 

(The photo below is from my IPad, just before I registered for the channel.)

Resources
Textbook- Maloy, Robert, Verock-O'Loughlin, Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Chapter Three Post

Summary

We start off the chapter talking about the different learning styles, and how students learn. Students learn based off prior knowledge and building from it (47). I personally see myself teaching from the Behaviorism and Constructivism learning styles. Behaviorism basis learning in a teacher-centered ideal, where I would choice how slides came up, and what information is chosen to talk about. Constructivism is based on the student's creating their own form of how they learn, in other words student-centered. With having both these in mind, I plan on using both to help the students best I can. I would want to start of with the student-center, so then I could grasp and idea of where the student are. Following this I would then include what information I thought needed to be enhanced or jsut reviewed. The best of both worlds.

Following this the textbook talks about critical thinking, problem solving, information and digital literacies, and how groupwork/collaboration are greatly enhanced when teachers' intergrate technology into them. Then we come to a section based on creativity. This section surprised me because I apparently knew the least about this section. Creativity is not just thinking outside the box anymore, it is now defined as something that changes the soceity or with-stands the times (pg 62). I don't agree with this idea at all. How could someone say that a child is not creative if they think or do something completely different from the rest of the group?

We end this section talking about digital citizenships, and how teahcers are incharge of teaching it to their students. I agree with this idea because the teachers are pretty much the ones who "force" the students onto the interwebs for projects and essays, so they should be the ones who help and teach the students the essentials of them. However, I do believe parents should have a part in teaching these essentials as well. Therefore, I suggest that parents and students be given "cheat-sheets" on the essentials, so if they forget them or need help they are right there. 

Focus Question:

1) What are the essential ideas for teachers from research on the science of learning?

The most important concept from the research is that students, well all human beings, learn from prior knowledge. With that in mind teachers should try and relate their topics to that of which students already know (pg 47). If teachers do this, students will be more likely to understadn the topics better because they already have some idea of what they are learning.

Tech Tool 3.2

Web Resources and Apps for Developing Digital Literacies (page 60)

Since I want to become an English teacher, I found The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore app and the website Dipity to be extremly interesting ways of intergrating technology into my lessons. While Mr. Lessmore is considered off grade-level for high school students, I believe that it could be used to get the students to remember the basics of fictional story writing, and review the basic concepts. As for Dipity, I think this would be a perfect tool for story mapping novels for the reading projects, and just everyday essays. The students are able to add music and video that makes them remember the information they just viewed, which goes back to enhancing learning through prior knowledge. 

Resources

Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.  

Chapter Two

My Journal for Chapter Two will be here for easy access.

Focus Question:

1) What are the major issues, developments, and trends in the field of educational technology?

   One of the major issues with technology in the education field is the fact that teachers aren't confident enough to use the technology as quickly as they should be. In the book, on page 22, it states an example of a new teacher who admits that she is worried on how she can promote technologies in her classroom, if she doesn't know how they work and all the questions that they might ask. 

   On page 26 they mention a theory called Rogers innovation curve, which pretty much sums up how people adapt to change. When applying this theory to educators you can divide teachers in this way:

1) a small group who are ready to intergrate the technology as soon as it comes out.

2) a medium size group who is cautious aboutusing the technology because of the problems it may cause.

3) the majority of undecided educators who would use technology is they were more confdent on how to use it. 

   It has always been known that studets are bored with teachers lectures. Now with more and more teachers getting on the technology train they are becoming more engaged by videos, group projects, and lessons that have technology incorporated into them. It is becoming a trend in the field to help students become engaged in their lessons. 

Tech Tools:

Apps for Teaching and Learning (page 25)

   Growing up in the "there is an app for that" generation, I tend to forget that there are apps out there that don't have the users throwing birds at pigs, or updating their multiple social networking websites. I find it amazing that between April 2010 and March 2012 25 billion apps were sold for iPads alone. New York City is using the new technology to help make the city better. 

    Since I would like to teach in the english field, I find the app Poetry interesting. The idea that a student can just hit a button and have a multitude of poems on one topic at their finger tips. This is something that I would use in my classroom as a "bellwork" activity. With apps like Mathboard and The Elements being in the App Store I see great study tools that many students don't know are open to them. 

(The picture below shows my apple store showing iPoe 2 which helps students understand the writings of Poe, in an interactive way. Also, the education category on the apple sotre.)

Summary:

  In this chapter we talk about what teachers face when they bring in technology, and how tit can be helpful to them. I known that when I enter the teaching field one of the issues I will have is how ready I am to use the technology that is open to me. Even now, I know that I am behind in the times. I am part of the Media mover technology group and the Desktop veteran technology group. I need to get to the Digital collaborator group. 

   The book also talks about the barriers that come with technology. They list reasons like: lack of access, class times, course requirements, and participation gap. All of these are huge reasons why teacers can't or won't intergrate technology with their lessons. While the lack of access to computers is becoming less of an issue, the participation gap is still an issue when it comes to technology at home. If you only have 30 minutes with students, you are less likely to use videos, or apps, with them because you have to get all the information to them that your state, or the government, demands that you teach them. 

    Finally it talks about overcoming the digital disconnect. It states the 5 metaphors of how students view the internet: as a textbook, library, tutoring shortcut, study group, guidance counselor, locker, backpack, and notebook. It gives ideas as to how students believe their schools and teachers can help them: online classes at school and home, smartphones and MP3 players being used as tools, computer-based math learning games, and interactive e-textbooks. It is our job as educators to help bridge the digital gap, and teach students the positive and negative ways to use technology in their schools and for the rest of their lives. 

Hello!  This blog is for my Intro to Technology for Educators course. My name is Jackie and I hope this is how I am suppose to set this blog up. I have a different tab for the Journals, which all will be posted in that section. Well, have a great day!