Journal 9

Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Living?
By Dave Nagel – The Journal – April 2008

This article discusses the fifth-annual Speak Up survey. The survey, given by Project Tomorrow, polled more than 367,000 parents, students, administrators, and teachers on how each group perceived local schools are doing with the task of preparing students for jobs and careers of the future. The findings revealed that while most administrators believed they were doing a good job, 40 percent of middle school and high school students believe that teachers are limiting their use of technology in schools. 45 percent of the students argued that school “security” practices limited the ability to use technology for learning to its full potential. Julie Evans, the CEO of Project Tomorrow derives that “It is our nation’s best interest that we support and facilitate student usage of technology for learning.” It is reasonable to believe that certain steps in security must be made, but schools are expected to take advantage of the powerful technological tools available in education. A variety of technologies were discussed with interest. The majority of students indicated that educational games helped them understand difficult concepts. The majority of teachers believe that educational gaming benefit students with different learning styles. Both teachers and students proved to be interested in online classes. For both teachers and administrators, the top three requested technologies are laptop programs, access to online research, and interactive whiteboards in every classroom. The technology with least priority is unlimited access to the Internet.
How would I facilitate the preparation of students for future careers using technology?
I plan to keep up on current technologies and introduce them to the students as much as I can. Even the most brief exposure to something new can benefit a student when transitioning into the post-education world. When someone is not comfortable with a certain technology, it can lead to feelings of intimidation. We can help students avoid feeling intimidated and fearful of technology by teaching the fundamentals and allowing them to grow as technology grows. In return, students can further a teacher's education by posing questions and eliciting discussions.
How does one keep the focus of educational gaming on the education and not so much the game?
I think it is important that there should be a dialog between teacher and student that re-emphasizes the lesson and explains how the lesson was supported by the game. I think that games should not be used as "baby-sitters" in the classroom. Yes, they are attention getters and intriguing which are very positive traits. However, it is important for the teacher to understand what about the game is helpful to students. Then, the teacher can use that piece of the information and perhaps incorporate that feature into the lesson - hopefully making the lesson intriguing as well.

Journal 8

Making Field Trips Podtastic: Use of Handheld Wireless Technology Alleviates Isolation and Encourages Collaboration
Learning & Leading with Technology – March/April 2008

This article discusses the benefits and future possibilities of a wireless, handheld field trip - a model designed by the authors while at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This interactive field trip consists of a mix of podcasts, multimedia creation, Web research, and interviewing which are all centered on a common theme. The module allows a student to interact with the exhibits at the Boston Museum of Science in a guided, yet exploratory way. It is intended to increase the amount of time a student spends at exhibits as well as the depth of engagement with each exhibit. As podcasting alone is primarily a “push” technology, it tends to focus listeners inward and do not encourage human interaction. In a museum setting, when paired with a handheld computer, however, podcasting can encourage collaboration and interaction with others. It is also noted that the handheld field trip supports the National Educational Technology Standards. Since teachers create the podcast content, they can align the lesson with the national and state curriculum standards as they wish.
Other than field trips, how can podcasting help students engage with others in the classroom?
Supplementing a lesson with a podcast can reinforce curriculum and set the stage for classroom discussions. Because of the mobility of podcasts, students can use them almost anywhere. With just a little bit of effort, a student can participate in the lesson and therefore will not be without contributions to discussions.
What kind of commitment is necessary from an educator to utilize podcasting and other technologies in the classroom for the benefit of the students?
Obviously, introducing new technology into lesson planning will take a great deal of commitment. It will take time to develop a lesson that will reach students of all technological levels. It is important not to overwhelm a student and thus isolate them even more. Once a lesson plan is built, fine tuning will always be necessary depending on the individual needs of the students.

Journal 7

Envisioning the Future of Education: Learning While Mobile
Learning & Leading with Technology – March/April 2008

In this article, Mark Van ‘t Hooft, discusses the possibilities as well as the challenges of learning while mobile. Not only does the concept of learning while mobile include the mobility of technology, but also it looks at the constant mobility of knowledge across different contexts. The article describes three examples of how learning while mobile is being practiced. First, in MyArtSpace, students use mobile phones to gather and post data from field trips to three museums in the United Kingdom. In frequency 1550, students go on a GPS guided scavenger hunt for relics from the 1550’s. And, the Natural Museum of Natural Science in Taiwan allows you set a personal itinerary on their website prior to you visit. Visitors are also given a context aware handheld system that delivers content based on your location. The author also describes the challenges of participation, transparency, ethics, and fear. He recommends that schools spend more time on new literacies that are associated with the use of mobile and connected technologies.
How would I balance the teaching of new technologies with the standard literacies and competencies?
In addition to setting some time aside to guide students in technology available in the classroom, I would incorporate a sort of dual learning program. I would ask that children seek out new technologies and write about them as they would write about a current event.
What is the best way to teach the mobility of learning to those that do not have access to a lot of technology?
Again, having students read and write about new technology is a great way to expose them to it. It can help them understand the concepts of what is available and is in development. Showing live demonstrations in class or through media like Youtube. Even though the students may not have access to the latest and greatest technology, increasing their knowledge about it will help them feel more connected and give them additional confidence.

Journal 6: Interactive Boards

An Interactive Whiteboard is basically a touch sensitive computer screen. It is connected to and used with a computer and a projector. The projector displays the image of the computer's desktop on the surface of the whiteboard. The whiteboard then becomes interactive in that a person (teacher or student) could then use a pen, finger, or other device on the actual whiteboard to manipulate data and/or objects. This is a powerful tool for teaching and presenting. In the classroom, teachers can show students anything that can be presented on a computer’s desktop, without having to be huddled around the computer. Accessories allow movement and engagement of the teacher throughout the classroom. Teachers can also record their lessons (with audio) and save them or post them so that students can view the instruction just as it was explained the first time. This benefits students that may have been absent for a particular lesson, those that are struggling with a particular concept, and/or those that need repetition to learn.
A discussion on Classroom 2.0 covered many advantages of the Interactive Whiteboards as well as some practical uses for them in the classroom. With the lifestyles of children today, traditional methods of teaching are not always effective in keeping the attention of students. Interactive Whiteboards have shown that even students with ADHD are engaged and eager to participate. Teachers and students can play educational games and visit interactive websites. One suggestion was to collaborate with the class using graphic organizers (Inspiration & Kidspiration). The boards can easily integrate multi-modal approaches making teaching more efficient. The use of and exposure to these whiteboards on a daily basis also enhances the student’s technological abilities. This is important for those who may not have computers readily accessible to them outside of school.
The two most prolific Interactive Whiteboards are the Smart Board and the Promethean ActivBoard. Both see pretty comparable to each other for most needs. However, the ActivBoard seems to have its foundation in education, with readymade lesson plans available, so it seemed to be favored in the discussion. Lower priced items, like the eBeam and Mimio, were also mentioned, but simply for their cost.
To see the potential of how the Interactive Whiteboards can work with software and really be amazed... Check out this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2tDiyRWvw&feature=related

Journal 5

Extra Credit.... did not do.

Journal 4

Storytelling in the Web 2.0 Era by Glen Bull
Learning & Leading with Technology - Feb 2008

This article discusses the four trends of Web 2.0 and how they ultimately benefit educators. Because of its availability, using the web as a platform has increased the level of creativity and prompted more applications to be developed. Decreased cost and increased accessibility has also added to the increased production of media by several kinds of users. It is now very common to share and re-mix some elements of media for a new project. Content contributed by users adds economic as well as educational value for applications. Educators benefit from the abundance of media tools available at very low or no cost. Because of the web applications, students also benefit because projects that started at school can be worked on outside the classroom wherever there is access to the internet. Students can mix a number of forms of media to tell there stories.
How important is a mixture of media in the classroom?
Because different types of media will appeal to different children in the classroom, it would be important to have a mixture of media available. It’s important to try and keep students excited about assignments and if they are not connecting with the media, they would probably lose interest faster. I would require students to use more than one form of media in any given project as a way to make them more familiar with media that may not have used before.
How can I include multiple media options for children in the classroom?
It would be my responsibility as a teacher to be aware of what available for use. Since the trends of Web 2.0 all point to innovative applications being developed constantly, it is important to know about them and make sure they are appropriate for the classroom. I think discussions with the students would be a good way to understand what they like or dislike about a particular media form as well as keeping an eye on what’s out there.

Journal 3

Five Don’ts of Classroom Blogging by Julie Sturgeon
Learning & Leading with Technology - Feb 2008

Although this article mentions the benefits and strengths blogging has when used as part of the classroom curriculum, it really focuses on five pitfalls and gives advice on how to avoid tehm. The first pitfall is not establishing rules and guidelines (i.e. a code of conduct) before letting the blogging begin. It is important to show the class what is expected of them before things get out of control. The second is not recognizing that blogging is not the same as social networking. Blogging should be focused on academic collaboration. Third, the article advises that the blogging platform should have a definite level of educator control. The fourth pitfall is trying to force a sequential style. It is suggested that one try organizing the blog entries by topic instead. Finally, blogging should include teacher participation. It is helpful to the students when they see positive feedback from the teacher. It will keep things focused and the entries coming.
How does one take corrective action when a student crosses the netiquette line in a blog?
When an educator has a level of control over the blog in which he or she sees the comment before it is published they can omit the comment at that point. You could then address the issue with the student and explaining the reason for the omission. Zero points would then be given for the assignment, with an additional warning that if it continues disciplinary action will be necessary. This should stress the importance of adherence to the rules and guidelines.
How would you make all students comfortable enough to participate earnestly in the classroom blog?
I would begin by asking questions that relate to everyone giving points for participation. For those that don’t seem to put too much thought into it, I would add a comment probing for a more in depth answer. This would also educate me on what is important to my students perhaps guiding my future lesson plans.