Week #8 - Educational Technology Grants

We have come to the last week of class. My, how 8 weeks of class seem to fly by! This week we discussed educational technology grants. I am constantly overwhelmed by the number of individuals and organizations who are willing to give up their own money to support others in their quest for knowledge.

When looking for grants, we really have to look outside the box. I think a lot of people don't really know how to do that. We go to the search engine and type in "Language Arts" because we teach language arts and accept whatever comes up. If it doesn't include words or phrases like "language arts," "reading," or "English," it must not be for us. If we would just expand our thinking a tiny bit, our options would expand exponentially. One of the students (another Language Arts teacher) in my class found a grant from Fuji film. Most people would see that grant and think that it would only apply to photography classes or possibly journalism. However, he found a way to make it apply to poetry. Sometimes, rather than finding out what grants fit our needs, we need to find a way to make our needs fit the grant.

We hear a lot of teachers complain about what their schools and districts DON'T have or HAVEN'T provided, but are any of them are actively searching for ways to fix that problem? Or are they just looking to the school and district and no further? There are so many resources out there and I just don't think that people are taking advantage of them. I hope that as a new teacher, I will search out and take full advantage of the opportunities available to me and my students.

Week #7 - Teachers & Copyright

Teachers and copyright … what an extremely useful topic we covered this week! There are so many rules out there pertaining to this very subject. It's interesting to know what is considered "fair use" and what is not … and it's not as cut and dry as you would think. It would probably be much easier if the powers that be would just say "you can't copy anything." but instead there's a big list of how much and which parts you can legally copy and use. I think the thing I found most interesting was the fact that you can copy and use some material in class without consent, but only for one class. You can't continue to use it in ensuing courses and semesters. The premise of this is that if you plan to continue using the material, you should make an effort to get permission. I guess the first time is chalked up to needing it last minute and not having enough time to seek proper permission. This makes perfect sense to me, but makes me wonder about some of the instructors I've had. I know they've been using the same handouts for semester after semester, and although they are always careful to give credit where credit is due (they include the proper citations, etc.), I wonder how many of them have actually sought the actual permission to do so. Hmm …

Week #6 - Wikis and Virtual Field Trips

Before this week, I didn't realize that Wikipedia was a "wiki." I just thought "Wikipedia" was a weird name for that particular website. I didn't understand that "wiki" was the term given to online encyclopedias. The concept of having my class create their own wiki would probably never have come to me. I'm so glad that we are able to learn from others and that others are willing to share their knowledge. We are so lucky. One teacher called her class's wiki "authentic learning." The project allowed her students to find the way in which they (individually) learned best and empowered them to display their knowledge in a way that they felt most comfortable. I like that some teachers are finally getting over the idea that there is only one way to learn and one acceptable way of showing that you grasp the material. Virtual field are an excellent way for students to experience other places and cultures. It allows students to take field trips that they may otherwise not be able to due to budgetary constraints, safety concerns, etc. Some virtual field trip sites do a great job of making the field trip interactive so that the learning can be more personal for the student. What a wonderful idea!

Week #5 - Online Assessment & Laptops for Everyone

There are so many great tools available to teachers these days. Online assessment sites like Quia and Quizstar have many advantages. They free up a lot of time for the teacher, not only time grading tests, but time preparing tests as well. An instructor can flag a question to be used later and the computer will just "pull" the question over to the new test. These sites can also arrange the test questions as well as the answer choices randomly which should really eliminate the possibility of students cheating. Because these sites give such detailed feedback, it is a great idea to create a pre-test to determine what prior knowledge your students have, allowing the instructor to really focus in on new material rather than re-hashing material the students already know. The instructor can then compare the pre-test to the test after the unit to evaluate the effectiveness of his instruction. Another benefit is the ability to grade tests/essays blindly (without knowing which student wrote it). It really helps to keep any sort of prejudice out of the grading process.


This week, we also examined the $100 Laptop Project (One Laptop Per Child), a project that almost sounds too good to be true. My feelings are kind of "on the fence" about this project. The mission of the project points out that "children are consigned to poverty and isolation - just like their parents." I believe that this is certainly true in a lot of cases and I can see where giving children in poverty and isolation access to the technology that many developed countries have will help to solve that problem. However, I do agree that there are some serious problems that aren't being addressed, but could be with the money that is going to this project. Some of these countries have high rates of mortality and hunger, and don't have clean water. What good is giving a laptop to a child going to do if that child doesn't live past the age of twelve? However, maybe these students could be the ones to solve these problems if they had the same technology and access to others' ideas from which they are currently cut off. On the other side of the argument though is the fact that we (the USA) are supposed to be the success story for education. The project's site pointed out that some of the countries can only afford $20 per year per student while the US spends $7500 per year per student, and yet we still don't seem to be able to educate all of our own students. We have a lot of students in our own country that could benefit from this same technology, yet Negroponte said that they would be available to us, however ... if we buy one for our child we also have to buy one for a child in a poor country. I think that's a great idea for those who can afford it, but what about the family's here who can't afford one? Regardless, I think this project is a great idea and applaud Mr. Negroponte for trying to make a difference in the world.

Week #4 - Video Editing in the Classroom

The use of videos in the classroom was this week's topic of discussion. We explored some great sites on the Internet, including TeacherTube and the Veterans History Project. I have to admit that I didn't even know sites like this existed. TeacherTube seems to be a great site if you want some help (or just some new ideas) about lesson plans and activities in your classroom. Some of the videos on the site were really creative ways to get material across to students. Sometimes the quality of the videos were less than desirable but I think that has more to do with the person making the video than the actual TeacherTube site. Students can also use TeacherTube to post videos that they have created as well. I think this is an excellent alternative for showcasing what the students have learned (as opposed to the typical research paper, speech, etc.). TeacherTube is a fairly new site that hasn't even been up and running for a year. I'm sure as time goes on, it will work out some of the bugs and will be much easier to access and navigate.

We also took a peek at the Veterans History Project. I could have spent all day clicking on the links on this site. I am amazed that most of it was done by students. What a great way to learn US history and to make it really personal. There are so many people spotlighted in the project – civilians as well as veterans, men and women, minorities. Those involved in the project don't just address the subject of war but all of the issues that are connected to war. You can search by theme (women at war, courage, patriotism, sweethearts, buddies, family ties, prisoners of war, African-Americans at war, etc.). You can also search by last name, keyword, race/ethnicity, branch of military, state of residence – just to name a few. Some individuals have audio interviews, while others have video interviews. Some have included photos, memoirs, official documents, and personal correspondence. It really is a fascinating site that everyone should check out.

Week #3 - Podcasting in and out of the Classroom

Podcasting was the topic of discussion for this week. Many schools are beginning to use this technology in the classroom and I think it's great. There are a lot of advantages to podcasting. Some instructors podcast their lectures and this gives those students who missed class an opportunity to catch up with their peers.

This brings up what some people claim might be the #1 disadvantage to podcasting. If the lecture will be available via the podcast, why even go to class? Let me just address this issue for a minute. I feel that there are 2 types of students – those who go to class and those who don't. If you're the type of student who skips class, you're going to skip it regardless of the circumstances. Not having access to podcasts is not going to make you go to class. I don't believe that students who don't skip class are suddenly going to begin skipping class simply because they can now get the lecture via a podcast. I think it's very important that instructors think through how to use this technology in their classes. It should be used as an extension of the class, a supplement to the lecture, an opportunity for diverse learning experiences. While having a lecture at your disposal to listen to repeatedly might be helpful to some students, there are so many other ways to employ this technology in the classroom.

Instructors could use podcasts to give their students information not covered in class. When you only have 55 minutes or so to spend with your students, you can't always cover everything you would like. However, supplying background information in a podcast to be listened to prior to class would free up class time for more in-depth discussion and additional material. Instructors need to realize that there will still be students who don't listen to the assigned podcasts. They're the same students who don't read the assigned reading prior to the lecture/class. I don't think technology is going to change that.

The use of MP3 players in the educational setting also allows students to be creative with their assignments and it addresses the different learning styles and talents of diverse students. Instead of writing a paper for every unit covered in class, a student could create her own podcast about the unit. For students who have reading issues (disabilities or are possibly just slow readers), being able to listen to information instead of having to always read it would be a refreshing change.

The last thing I would like to address is the accessibility of this technology to all students. In the Duke experiment, the university supplied the students with iPods. Not all school will do that. In my first entry, I brought up this very same issue. I wondered how students would find access to computers if they were unable to use the library or the school's computers due to schedules, etc., and their families were unable to afford their own computers. I don't think that it's as much of an issue with podcasting. If you take a look around today, you will hear students complain about how they don't have any money, but yet they have an MP3 player, a cell phone, a hand-held video game. If students want something bad enough, they will find a way to get it. Fortunately, MP3 players are something that almost everybody wants now for personal use anyway.

I can't wait to see how schools and universities use podcasting and similar technology over the next few years.

Diana

Week #2 - Virtual Schools and PowerPoint in the Classroom

Another week down and I'm excited about all of the things that we're talking about in class. This week, we discussed PowerPoint presentations and how they can be used in the classroom. I think PowerPoint is a very effective tool if used properly. I tend to sometimes think that my presentations are boring and need to be jazzed up to make them more interesting. I learned a very important thing about that this week. Adding to many bells and whistles to your presentation may make it appear more interesting on the surface, but it is extremely detrimental to learning. Adding pictures is great IF the pictures are relevant to the subject. Irrelevant pictures are incredibly distracting, causing students to only remember what was in the picture rather than the actual content on the page. It's OK to embellish your presentation with things such as pictures and animation, but it might be best to include those things on your “filler” pages, while keeping the content pages just text.

We also discussed virtual schools for K-12 students. I realize that we will see these schools increasing and becoming more accepted as time marches on, but I'm still not sure how I feel about them. I agree that virtual schools have some very unique things to offer that traditional schools do not. Through virtual schools, students are offered courses that may not be offered at their own school. For example, students in the Midwest might be able to take a course on the history of Alaska Natives – a course you would probably not see on any history curriculum in their part of the country. Students are also able to be in class with students from other parts of the country, as well as other parts of the world. Virtual schools also offer flexibility to students who have crazy schedules or health issues which make it difficult for them to attend traditional schools. All of these benefits are great. However, I still feel like something is missing. Like home-schooled students, I think students in virtual schools must find a way to supplement “school” with other activities to improve social skills. Students in virtual schools might miss out on several things that society (at least society in the US) considers to be “rites of passage.” Is there a virtual school football team for students to play on or cheer for? Will they be able to attend a virtual school prom? Can they participate on the virtual school's Scholar Bowl team or participate in fundraising activities for the Journalism club?

Lastly, we learned the difference between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants.” Digital natives is the term used to describe the generations that have grown up with new technology. Digital immigrants are those who were born before the new technology we use today. I feel like I kind of fall in between the two. I feel very lucky to have had some opportunities that others may age did not. In middle school (the early 80s), I participated in a gifted and talented program in which we learned to program computers. Then, as a sophomore, I won an Apple Junior computer. At the time, no one that I knew personally owned a computer. I was able to get a head start on the “new” technology while many others were left behind. I then went to the first college in the nation to have computers in every dorm room. I feel very fortunate to have had these opportunities, but technology changes so quickly that I still sometimes feel left behind. I realize that to be a successful educator, I will have to constantly adapt and learn new things, especially with regard to technology. Luckily, my love of learning is one of the reasons I feel compelled to teach!

'Til next time ... Diana