Educational Technology: Week Eight

This week, we spent our time thoroughly studying computer safety and security. This subject is something that I did not know much about before reading up on it this week. I think, after reading the information, that this is something we should teach young students about from the moment that they start using computers in the classroom.

Personally, I have had two different instances where I saw a computer virus at work first-hand. My mother-in-law and my dad both had their email accoutns infected with a virus that emailed their contact lists. I received both of these emails, but I was not affected by the virus, thankfully. It is interesting, though, how frequently you hear about this and how easily they are spread. The internet is such a vast "world" that there are most likely millions of people out there creating all sorts of things.

With that being said, it is so important as an individual to make sure that all of my accounts are password protected and that all of my personal computers are heavily protected with updated anti-virus software and firewalls. I am not the most technologically-savvy person (although I am a whole lot more after this class!), so I am grateful that my husband is always on top of keeping our antiviral software current and up to date.

As a teacher, I think it is inexplicably important to make sure that your students are protected from online maliciousness.  Since young students are often not as familiar with malicious software or what it looks like, it is important to educate them when the first begin using computers at school. They need to learn about viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses so that they are aware of the different types of malicious software out there.

Though I don't have my own classroom yet, I have been in many a computer lab throughout my school career. As we talked about earlier in the semester, the school's AUP Policy is definitely helpful with what is and isn't allowed in regards to computer use in schools. I also think it is infinitely important to make sure to only use trusted sites and cut down on use of different disk drives as much as possible, since these easily spread viruses. If students are aware of the different threats, they will be less likely to click on questionable attachments or links. It is also important, as supervising teacher, to make sure that they only try and visit reputable sites so that there are less risks of malicious software involved.

I think it is also important to educate students on "netiquette" so that they learn how to conduct themselves in an online environment. This skill is going to be something that the upcoming generations of students need to hone, as they will be using them in their everyday lives for the forseeable future. As teachers of this generation, it is important that we do our best to educate them about not only about the threats and security, but also about how to "act" on the web.

Educational Technology: Week Seven

Hello there! This week we have learned quite a bit of information ranging from video games to the brain to Web 2.0 tools.

To start, we read a couple of quick articles on video games and their affects on individuals.  Oftentimes we hear people talk about how detrimental video games can be for their users. These articles, however, explained that they aren't all negative. There are some positive aspects to video games that are often overlooked. In the article entitled Video Games: Can They Be Educational?, the author points out that there are certain games that are definitely "bad" but there are others that can be used for good. He gives an example of The Sims as a game that can be used in a positive way for students. Since The Sims is made up of simulation activities, students are able to have the autonomy to control their character. Things happen in the game similarly to the way things happen in life. For instance, if you lose your job and can't afford groceries,  your "character" will need to look for another one or it will suffer. This can teach students the importance of responsibility while promoting autonomy. Based on this exploration, I think it's important to think twice before immediately focusing on the negative parts of video games. Since many young people like them, it is important to try and find ways to spin them in a positive manner.

After this, we moved on to www.dana.org, which is a great resource for brain research. We explored various articles that dealt with how arts integration in the classroom and throughout development could positively affect individuals.  In the article called Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts the Brain, the keynote speech by Dr. Jerome Kagan explained that there are countless reasons why arts should be integrated into the classroom. 

Dr. Kagan mentioned that not only does art integration help with physical brain development, but it also helps with how students feel about themselves. He mentioned in the speech that too often, children compare their work with the work of their classmates. If they feel that they are "below" others, they often give up and decide that they are not good at particular subjects. I myself have done this with math classes. As a student, I always thought that English was my best subject and math was my worst, so I focused more on English and treated math as a chore. I wish I could go back and focus more on the positive aspects instead of the negative, just as Dr. Kagan mentioned. If students feel that they are creating art for the sake of art or beauty rather than for the sake of a grade, they are more likely to be less judgemental of themselves and create more freely.

I also learned from the other two articles that we studied on this site some very specific ways to implement the arts into the classroom.  I believe, especially after reading these articles, that every teacher should find a way to use arts or music in their classes. One specific part of the article called Arts and Cognition: Findings Hint at Relationships that particularly stood out to me was this: "Correlations exist between music training and both reading acquisition and sequence learning. One of the central predictors of early literacy, phonological awareness, is correlated with both music training and the develompent of a specific brain pathway." This basically means that it is proven that music helps with reading. A simplified way to implement this in the classroom that I plan to use is to have classical music playing during assignments. I also think it would be beneficial to allow students listen to music through earphones while they are reading at their desks. I love to read and listen to music, and why not let students do that, as long as they are staying on task?

This week, we also had a few more Technology Exploration assignments. These were: www.delicious.com, www.historypin.com, www.diigo.com, two different talking calculators, a math WikiSpace, and PicLits.

  Delicious

1.

After viewing the Delicious website, I did not feel that the website was very helpful in explaining the concept of what delicious.com does. After looking around and reading some reviews of it, I can tell that Delicious is very similar to Pinterest, in that they are both digital bookmarking sources.   I am an avid user of Pinterest. I use it every day, and often multiple times per day. After viewing the Delicious website, I found that I thought Pinterest was a superior bookmarking site. Though I would not be opposed to using Delicious, I already have a Pinterest site established and organized. I did feel that the Delicious site was more “professional.” Oftentimes Pinterest is filled with tons of visual images, and it is difficult to book mark certain things without an image attached to it. I learned that Delicious might be better at bookmarking text centric passages.

2.

I can tell that Delicious could be very useful for a classroom setting. As a teacher, if I set up my own Delicious site, I could easily curate all the websites or sources that I feel are important for certain lessons and have them organized in one space divided however I like. For example, if I were teaching a unit on William Faulkner, I could easily tag each website on Faulkner that I found relevant and interesting. This would be a meaningful and useful way to organize my sources. Also, this could be used particularly for Presentations that use online sources, such as WebQuests or PowerPoints, so that students could easily click on them to view.   Delicious could definitely be used in any grade level or classroom setting, since it is primarily a means of organization for the teacher, which is another good thing about it.

3.

I believe I would recommend this to other educators, especially ones who do not use Pinterest and could have use for an online bookmarking program. I know lots of men do not use Pinterest because it is filled with recipes, outfits, and home décor items, so Delicious might be a good choice for them.   I also think it is fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it, and it is a great organizational tool. I also like that this resource is free.

History Pin

1.

History Pin is a really great concept! I think that this could definitely become something “big” when the word gets out about this site more. The first thing that came to my mind is that it would be a great resource to potentially track down your family’s ancestry, especially since you can click on a place and time and see images that others have uploaded. It is a great idea, and I’m surprised someone hasn’t thought of this before now!   Again, History Pin is similar to Pinterest, except that this site is only for historical references like photographs, video, and audio. It is also a little different than Pinterest as users don’t have “boards” the way they do on Pinterest.   After reading about this source, I feel that it is going to really gain popularity and momentum as time passes. The more people use this, the more useful it will become. I was previously an editor at Arcadia Publishing, which is a historical book publishing house, and this site would have been extremely useful in that job, as it would be a great place to track down people who know a lot about the history of their families or towns.

2.

Another thing that struck me was that this site could be an incredible resource in a school setting. Like its name says, History Pin would definitely be useful in a history classroom. It could be used in others as well such as English classrooms, but I feel that it would best be used in history classes.   That being said, it could be used in class in many ways. From researching the website, I saw that various schools have already used History Pin in a few great ways. One way I think would be neat is to create a comprehensive project for a history class. You could divide all of your classes into decades, and have the students in each decade go out into the community to find individuals with old photographs and historical stories behind them. Once the students had found the images and stories, they could be uploaded to HistoryPin, and the town would have a documented history online. This would be amazing! It would be an awesome thing for the town or community as a whole, and allow students to have real-life interactions and help contribute to the greater good.

3.

I would most definitely recommend History Pin to other educators. I feel that this resource will really become useful, especially as time goes along and more and more people contribute to it. As I mentioned above, it could be a great resource and idea for a comprehensive community and classroom project that students could spearhead.   I also like that this resource is free and students could explore it for real life images and recording of certain times in history. For example, on a lesson on Great Gatsby, students could use History Pin to view real images from 1920s New York. I really, really like this resource!

Diigo

1.

Upon exploring this resource, I was unfamiliar with Diigo. After exploring the website and learning about it, I feel that it could definitely be a useful tool. Diigo is another means of organization, but this one is cloud based, and it also allows for users to interact with one another and collaborate with research.   Mainly, Diigo’s purpose is that it is “a personal research tool,” “a collaborative research platform,” “a social content site,” and “a knowledge sharing community.” What Diigo actually does for the user is that it allows the user to bookmark websites and information that you find useful, highlight things on websites that you need to remember, collaborate with others by leaving bookmarks and notations for them, and all of this can be accessed on any computer.

2.

Diigo could definitely be useful for a classroom setting, and for a school setting in that teachers could use it together to help bounce ideas off each other and bookmark pages that they think would be useful for other teachers.   As far as a classroom setting goes, Diigo could be really useful for students who are writing research papers or performing a group project. For example, if students are completing a project about The Great Gatsby, they could highlight certain parts of websites that they find useful and need other teammates to see. They could also bookmark pages that they know will be useful for their assignment. I also really, really like that the user of Diigo can bookmark pages and then read them off-line on their iPhones or iPads. This would be so helpful and beneficial for when you are not in a Wifi zone and don’t want to use your data on a long article.

3.

I think I would recommend Diigo to other educators, and I feel that it would be a useful tool for schools to provide to individual classrooms or teachers. It is a nice way to keep track of certain websites and valuable information. I do not know if I would purchase Diigo with my own dime, though, since it would be more meaningful as a collaborative tool. The fee of the basic package is $20 per year, and that is not too bad, but I feel that it would only be worth it if colleagues and students could all have access to it.

PBS CyberChase

1.

This website is great, especially for elementary to middle aged math students. I found through exploring it that there are numerous activities, games, and math puzzles that the website provides that could be very useful for teachers and students. I like the graphics on the website, and I also like the way it is organized with tabs at the top but also through the “find it” tab that breaks the site down into subjects like fractions, geometry, math and sports, measurement, and more.   I also thought the bright graphics and clear and easy to use site was great.

2.

This resource could most easily be used in elementary to middle school aged mathematics classes. Teachers could use this source in a variety of ways, especially since there are so many different subjects on this source. A teacher, for example, who is teaching measurements could use this, but so could a geometry teacher. I think it would be a great review tool for students right after being introducted to a new concept, but it would also be a good review for students right before an exam. It would be a fun homework assignment, assuming that your students had access to internet after school. It would also be a fun group activity, or a way to differentiate instruction if some students are behind or ahead.   In regards to the talking calculator, this could definitely be useful in a math class, as well. Oftentimes it helps students to hear rather than see exactly what they are doing. It could definitely be implemented into the class, especially for English Language Learners. They could use this resource to hear how certain numbers and math terms are pronounced and what they do.

3.

I would definitely recommend this source to math teachers. It could be so useful for a math classroom, and a very good resource for them when they need some specific fun games instead of standard teaching methods with textbook and notebook. I also think the benefits of having students use this with its bright colors and graphics would be great since it would draw them in and make the math problem more of a game. Also, since this resource is free, there is really no reason not to use it!

Big Simple Calculator

1.

This resource is basically what it’s title is – it’s a big, simple, talking calculator. This resource is pretty cut and dry. Users can download this resource for free and it covers the entire computer screen. It has customizable tabs that can change color, and the language of the calculator can be changed as well.

2.

This resource would be especially beneficial for classrooms that contain ESL students. For students who are new to English, they could use the English setting to help learn the pronunciation of numbers and math terms. They could also use the Spanish or their certain language setting to complete the problems if they needed to.   I could also see how this calculator could be helpful for students with certain disabilities. For example, for a student who has difficulty hearing or seeing, they could use this resource to listen to the words or to see the large numbers. It would be very beneficial for these students.   It could also be projected onto a screen for whole-class instruction so that students could see a large version of what to the teacher is doing. Instead of walking around and showing students individually, the teacher could use this for helping with entire class instruction.

3.	I do think I’d recommend this to other educators, especially ones who teach math. This resource, though simple, could be useful in the instances above. It is clearly easy to use as well as free, which is definitely a positive aspect of it.

Writing Accross the Curriculum: Mathematics WikiSpace

1.

This resource is a great example of a successful use of a WikiSpace. The site is broken down into organizational tools on the right hand side of the page that has resources like “Teacher Tool Box” and “Standards in Math.” The homepage explains what the WikiSpace is about, which is “Writing Across the Curriculum: Mathematics.”   I read over the site, and I definitely believe that the content of the site is useful and meaningful. The objectives of the space is to explain the importance of combining writing in mathematics classes as well explain the types of writing that could be used in math classes. I had heard of the concept of writing across the curriculum before, but I liked learning about concrete examples of how to implement this in the classroom.

2.

This resource could definitely be beneficial in a school setting, as it is a great resource for math teachers. A teacher could use this resource when planning to implement more writing into his or her classroom. For example, this resource gives specific examples of writing that should take place in math classes. These are journals or logs, solving math problems, explaining mathematical ideas, general math writing, and creative math writing. Each section explains in detail simple ways of adding this to math lessons. One that I liked reading about is the example they used in which students wrote poems about math. Not only does this hone their English skills, but it also allows for them to think about the math subject that they are currently studying.   These techniques are important and can be used in any type of math class and with any age student. Teachers could resort back to this WikiSpace when they need new ideas or resources in regards to this subject.

3.	I would recommend this to other teachers, as I believe that writing across the curriculum is a very important concept in and of itself. For math teachers, this resource could be invaluable in that it could serve as a free and useful resource for new ideas on how to implement this in classrooms.

Pic Lits

1.

I really like the concept of Pic Lits. I think that as a (soon to be) English teacher, I could definitely use this in my classroom often.  The website explains that the resource is made to “inspire users to write, express themselves, and share their work with others.” The site is a safe environment that does not allow just anyone to upload images, so it is guaranteed that students will not come across any inappropriate material.

2.

I know that I will use Pic Lits in my own English classroom. I like that it allows for creativity and it combines a nice image with the student’s own words. It can be as complex or as simple as the user wants to make it. There are tons of images and words to choose from, so the user can definitely find something that they like or that they find interesting and relevant to what they are doing.   I think a good way to implement this into the classroom would be to have students use it when learning about haikus or poetry. They could choose an image that inspires them, and then write a poem over it. It could also serve as a nice introduction or photograph for a presentation or at the beginning of a creative writing paper. There are really endless possibilities with this one since it allows for so much creativity.

3.

I would recommend this to others, and I will also use it in my classroom. First of all, it is free. Secondly, it allows for both autonomy and creativity for each student, which are two of the most important factors of teaching and learning, in my opinion. It is self-explanatory and easy to use, and it allows users to save their work or email it. It would be a fun thing to display on the class website.

The Web 2.0 tool that I chose to explore was something I found called Crocodoc.  The website can be found here:   https://crocodoc.com/get-started/. I think that this tool is amazing, and though I do not have a classroom yet, I will definitely use it when I do.

The thing that I like most about Crocodoc is that the user is able to download any type of document and allow the user to interact with it. Though it does other things as well, the most appealing to include:

"- Collaboratively add and reply to comments on shared documents
 - Take notes when collecting research
 - Fill out forms and submit requested paperwork
 - Send colleagues feedback on presentations.."

As an English teacher, one of the most important resource I can have at my fingertips is an easy to use document editing resource. This is important to me for a number of reasons. If I am working on grading or editing papers at school, I want to be able to save my work and continue it from home. I don't want to have to deal with tons of different hard copies and keeping track of certain drafts that students turn in.

With Crocodoc, this cuts out the unncessary hard copies of the paper work almost completely. With Crocodocs, I can upload students papers and edit them via Crocodocs by using their highlight, arrows, and comment tools. Then, I can share it with the student or studnets on our classroom database, and they can go in and complete their edits.

I love, love, love that I would be able to complete this work on an iPad or my work computer or my home computer or even potentially my iPhone if I got in a bind. The flexibility would be great, and it would be so helpful to have it all consolidated into one space.

Secondly, I focus a lot on being "green" as much as I can. I want to instill that notion in my students, as well, and have them try to cut down on unneccesary printing. With Crocodocs, since it is all online, there is no need to print out multiples drafts over and over for editing. Instead, it is all done on the computer, and the paper usage can be saved for the final draft. Crocodocs helps with this, too.

The Crocodocs website is clear, clean, and easy to use. It is also free (up to a point), so I could use this in my classroom without having to pay a fee. This makes it even more of a positive. I will definitely use this Web 2.0 tool in the future.

Educational Technology: Week Six

This week, we learned about WebQuests.  I actually learned a lot this week, because I was not aware of what a WebQuest was when we began this lesson. Looking back, I believe I did complete one of these in High School, though, but I can barely remember it.

We started the week by studying a few different sources that explained exactly what a WebQuest is and how they originated. I have to say, I found it interesting that the structure of WebQuests is pretty strict. The different components that are supposed to be there include the introduction, task, process, resources, evaluation, and conclusion. I can see how these components are beneficial, since they break down the whole assignment into easy to handle sections. 

After reading about WebQuests, I feel that they could truly be beneficial in almost any type of classroom. English classes and history classes seem that they would really lend themselves well to WebQuest usage.  For example, I found a great example of a WebQuest created by an English teacher who used it to teach about mid-20th Century authors. Here is the link:

http://sfcstudent123.tripod.com/authorwq.html

In this WebQuest, the teacher divided students up into groups and had them pretend that they are working in a publishing house and are tasked with deciding who is the best mid-Century modern American author. The students in each group were then given individual parts such as "biographer," "literary critic," "literary analyst," and "presentation coodinator and assistant analyst."  Each student was assigned a specific task to do using the research and links listed on the WebQuest. At the end, the group was to create a presentation on the author they believed to be the best and present it to the class. Then, the class would vote as a whole to see which author "won."

I think that this WebQuest is a great example, especially since it it allows individual and group work as well as creates a slight competition, which students enjoy. I also feel that it could be used for almost any time period or group of similar authors such as the Beat generation or Southern Gothic authors. I definitely plan to create a variation on this WebQuest for my classroom.

 My WebQuest

http://questgarden.com/159/84/1/130603120942/

 



Though I do not have my own classroom yet, I tried to create a WebQuest that could be relevant for a future classroom or easily changed to accomodate certain authors, books, and time periods. With that being said, what I chose to do was a WebQuest about The Great Gatsby. I actually chose this for two reasons - I studied it when I was a senior in high school, and it is one of the books that made me fall in love with literature, and secondly, I recently saw the new movie adaptation of it and felt that it is a popular and relevant topic right now.

 

 

In my WebQuest, I really wanted to focus on how authors' lives and time periods affect their work. For Process 1, I had students research a few links about the Roaring Twenties and write a quick paragraph about their findings to turn in to me. I didn't really want to make this part of the assignment too difficult, but I did want to ensure that they actually did the reading. This paragraph was listed on the Evaluation section, which ensures that students will take it seriously.

 

In Process 2, I had students explore Fitzgerald's life and background. Once they were finished reading about him and watching the assigned video that I linked, they were to complete the Word Document with questions that I attached. I also did not want to make this part too difficult since the last component is time-consuming. I also listed this Word Document on the Evaluation section, to make sure that students complete it.

 

Process 3 is my favorite part. I assigned students to choose an object or use of symbolism that Fitzgerald used in The Great Gatsby and create a Glog, work of art, or presentation about it. I listed a specific list of what exactly the project needed to have, but I did not make the list very long as I wanted the students to have a good amount of autonomy on this one. I want them to think creatively and come up with something that they find interesting and then express it in a creative way.

 

Once the presentations were complete, I chose to have students present them on "Gatsby Day," and give them extra credit if they dressed in the Roaring Twenties attire.

 

I felt that my WebQuest was a successful one, but I do feel it would be interesting to see how it went over in a classroom. I found the entire process of creating one to be quite challenging. It was difficult, especially since I don't have a classroom yet, to think of an idea that would be relevant to high school students without having a curriculum yet. It was also difficult to come up with tasks that weren't boring. I felt that my final task of having them think deeply about symbolism and express it in a creative way was a much better assessment of understanding than just a paper or worksheet.

 

I did feel, however, that Quest Garden made the process much easier. It broke the steps down into manageable sections, and it provided tips and examples of other WebQuests to help along the way. If I am in a school where I have easy access to computers that all of my students can use, I feel that I will use WebQuests often. I like that it allows students to be in charge of their own learning, while giving them the autonomy to be creative at the same time.