Wow!
Photo Credit: sites.laverne.edu
1. Analyze, learn & use current technology related to learning & education
I feel like the first few weeks had a lot of useful information! I really liked learning how to use the blog. I plan to use this to keep my parents and students informed about what is going on in the classroom. I also think that as a special education teacher, I want to let my students know what is going on before it happens. Picasa would be a great tool for this. Before the school year starts, I could send out a picture of the classroom or assignments. This way, they will feel more comfortable when things happen.
2. Resourcefully, consistently & actively participate in various individual, small group and large group assignments
I felt that there were a lot of group assignments in this class. Group work is important for any work environment, but especially for educators. There are the grade level teams, special education teams, whole school teams and even PTA. The education world is full of working collaboratively.
I really liked my first group, we all communicated via email and a few skype sessions. It worked out really well and it was very professional. I felt that we all found time to meet and we made decisions easily. My second group was a little less on top of everything. I felt that collaboration was not as strong. But I think it is good to have different groups will prepare us for when we are working.
3. Practice thoughtful, cognitive reflection about the application and impact of technology in education and culture using a course blog, course textbook topics and project development
I loved learning all of these new things. My favorite was the blog for sure. But I thought it was interesting to think about ways that we could use all this new technology in the classroom. The picasa was the hardest! How do you use pictures in the class? I really liked reading everyone else’s blogs because they had such great ideas for everything!
4. Develop several projects integrating a variety of new technologies. Selectively narrow to the tools you found the most valuable to be integrated in the culminating project based learning activity; a WebQuest
I felt that we did develop a lot of projects! The most valuable was the blog. The second most interesting, the snagit videos. I think its great for showing parents and students how to do assignments or use new programs. I think that it will be really beneficial to have that program!
5. Research, design, construct, and demonstrate a personally and professionally meaningful educational WebQuest
I have not finished it yet! But I am looking forward to having a finished product!!
Copyright Copyleft
Photo retrieved from erikjheels.com
To be honest, I know very little about copyright laws. I know that you have to site things before you can use them in a paper. But that is about the extent of my knowledge. I never really thought about it much further.
Where do you think the future of intellectual property is heading?
I think that is a very tough thing to answer. We have the ability to copy links and images right to our computers with one click. And that is just the beginning! It is easy to illegally download books, software, and pretty much anything you can find on the internet. Last year, a girl in one of my classes downloaded our text book and gave it to everyone in the class. Was it right? Legal? NO! Did she get into any trouble? Nope! It is hard to stop people from doing these things. I do not think it is right, but the laws need to stay current with the technology.
Photo Credit:http: motifake.com
What impact does it have on the classroom?
The ability to download different softwares and products onto a computer is great! I think it makes for better teachers. I also think it makes teachers really bad people in the eyes of the copyright law makers. However; I do not see rules being enforced as much with schools and educators as much as the general public. If it stops entrepreneurs and companies from making money, then there might be more attention drawn to it. But I feel that educators are not trying to use these things for profit, rather to help children learn. It is sad that there is so much restriction, because it could make the classroom a much better place.
Photo Credit: instagram.com
What impact do you believe social networking and collaborative tools have on intellectual property and copyright?
I think that instagram is currently changing our copyright laws! They are allowed to publish photos people upload. Facebook too. They have a “share” button under every status update. They want you to take other peoples ideas and posting them to your own page. Its basically encouraged. I think that social media is changing the entire world fast, including copyright laws.
Here Comes Everyone
My beautiful phone that was stolen only a few days after getting it!!
As someone who has lost a brand new phone and not had it returned, I understand this guys anger!! I threw a personal temper-tantrum, this guy started a war, but there was probably similar feelings of anger! I did not even think about posting it on my facebook or instatgram accounts. Maybe it is a good idea? Maybe it is not? However, to have that much anger directed at a teenage girl seems like a lot.
From an educational standpoint, I think it is cool that you can form groups and get information so easily. I hope that this leads to positive collaboration with teachers I have never met, students in different areas and assignments that were not possible 10 years ago. Joining groups or follow people you find interesting is a great way to motivate oneself to become a better teacher. It also allows students to learn collaboration and how to interact with others via blog, email, or classroom facebook page, which are very important lessons for todays youth.
However, I am afraid of this new technology. There are always stories about teens doing harmful things to themselves because of something that was poste
d about them on the internent. The entire town they live has access to personal information that was put onto a webpage. I think of this girl Sacha, a young girl who has a new fancy phone. She was publicly humiliated in front of millions of people. They hate her (I hate her just thinking about my lost phone) and yet she is a little kid making a stupid mistake. Is it right that millions can know about her laps of judgement? I think this new internet freedom comes with a heavy price tag. We need to be careful.
Crystal Ball
Comic Life
The educational tool that I found is called Comic Life. It is a program that allows students to take images and insert thinking/talking bubbles. It makes whatever image you pick turn into a comic book strip. The images can be from anywhere- downloaded, internet, cartoon, or real. Whatever the students choose, they can transform into fun.
I feel that in 10 years, I want to be using this type of tool for my special education and English language learners. It would be an assignment that required limited writing and reading, but required an understanding of the concepts. Something like that would lower affective filters and be a great assessment tool. I think it would be great for a Science or History lesson. The terminology is difficult so they could use it for definitions or new words/phrases. In Language Arts and Math it would be great for sequencing.
This type of tool is something that is not going to change the way education functions, but it definitely could be a tool that helps students access the curriculum. I believe that little tools and tricks like Comic life are what makes learning fun, interactive and great for all.
It does cost money ($20) so I doubt schools would fund for such a product. But a teacher could use it on one or two computers. It would make it difficult for all the students to get projects done in a timely manner, but it would make projects more fun. Groups would probably be best!
Cell Phones in School???
I think that having cell phones or similar technology devices at school would be great! As a special education teacher, I am always looking for ways to help my students access the curriculum. Students understand how to use all of these new devices so much better than any adult, it is second nature. If a special education student could learn to add through a Dora app? I would totally take it!
I think that smart boards, ipads and cell phones are going to become a norm in the classroom. They have the ability to take a boring assignment or lecture and make it interactive. A learning environment that involves everyone, helps students to pay attention and makes the information real is what every teacher wants. If everyone has their own tablet that allows them to be apart of the lesson, that would make learning so much more fun for everyone. These new tools have the ability to make information come alive in the students mind. Youtube videos on mitosis and World War II? Yes Please!! And if each child has their own, maybe they could start making their own videos and blogs to share with the class. 
There are defiantly problems with adding additional technology to the class. Cheating would probably rise. Students might have a hard time staying on task, especially if they have access to fun apps on the tablet. It might be hard for a teacher to monitor what the students are looking at and that could be very bad! But overall, I think that the benefits that it would bring for each student to have their own tablet in the class would far outweigh any negatives.
Cloud
I love using Amazon cloud for my books! I use my mac as a kindle and it is amazing. But when I found out I could transfer all of my books to my phone, I almost died! Whenever, where ever I have a few extra minutes, I can read. This sharing technology allows us to use all of our tools and apps wheverever. Its also really great for college classes. I can buy my books, download them onto my phone and read on the go. Instead of setting aside a few hours a day for homework, I can do it on a lunch or while waiting to get my car washed. It really makes school a lot easier for life. This is something that we need to remember for our students.
For the classroom this would be great! Instead of having students all buy a text book or even a “good read” everyone can just have access to the same cloud of information. They can do their homework anywhere and eliminate, “I dont have my book yet” or “I was not home” excuse. As new teachers, we need to help our students learn to be time efficient and to be great readers.
I really like picasa. It is cool to have an online storage for all of your images. If your computer dies, you still have all the memories. But in the classroom, students have the ability to share experiences and ideas. It would be great for group projects or even getting to know each other.
I really want to use wikis in the classroom too. When everyone has access to the same pages, it can be used a study guide. In small groups, like what we did, have the class create a page on a topic. Then when it comes time for the test, I can just take the questions strait from the wiki pages. The students created it, have access to them, and can study all the information. It would be a great study took for Science and History!
Emotional Development in the Classroom
Emotional Intelligence Is the Missing Piece
Point 1: Environment and Learning
According to the article, Emotional Intelligence is the Missing Piece, students with high emotion intelligence skills “do better on standardized tests and help create a safe, comfortable classroom atmosphere that makes it easier to learn.” (2001) I feel that emotional needs are very powerful but often looked at with little regard in the world today. The classroom environment is already stressful for most students. It can be chaotic and that can take away from learning. According to Sagata Mitra, unsatisfied teachers do not teach at maximum capacity. So if we are able to make our learning environments emotionally friendly and a place where people are happy, we are creating an environment that students are able to learn and teachers can teach. “A number of studies also have found a correlation between social skills and academic achievement.” (2001)
Point 2: A Learning Process
This is not an overnight solution. It takes a long time for ideas to become apart of our daily lives. We want our students and teachers to think before they react. Personal and emotional intelligence is “the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships” (2001) This is not something that is going to happen over night. It is also something that is best accomplished when the teachers, students and parents are all working together, so that the standards are all the same.
Point 3: Skills not Values
This is a new version of education. These kids will not just do well on standardized tests, they will also be able to handle stressful stations and peer pressure. They are learning to be the whole package. Teachers are giving students the tools needed to take on life skills. They are not teaching them what to think, just to handle tough situations that occur in everyday life.
Edutopia: What Works in Education. (2001). Emotional Intelligences is the Missing Piece. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-intelligence-learning-education
Uh-Oh!! The World IS Flat!!!
Summary:
The World Is Flat book review by Thomas Friedman analyzes globalization, especially in current time. He talks about how the world is flat aka the world is a level playing field for all competitors. This leads to equal opportunity for all people in all countries.
He termed the time/ technology period we are in now as Globalization 3.0. This period is different from the previous Globalization 1.0 (1492-1820: in which countries and governments were in charge) and the Globalization 2.0 (1800-2000: in which multinational companies led the way).Globalization has changed core economic concepts. Friedman talks about many examples of companies based in India and China that, by providing labor from typists and call center operators to accountants and computer programmers, have become the major players of complex global supply chains for companies. Americas largest coorperation is WalMart- a supply chain the produces nothing.
Feelings:
It is really scary! I feel that I am not tech savvy enough to keep up with the world today! And I know that I am much more advanced than most of the people I know. I believe that as Americans we just believe that all people will continue to speak English and we will always be on top. But there is no reason to speak the language of a bankrupt country that provides nothing to the rest of the world!! I agree with Friedman, we need to make changes in order to stay up to date and competitive.
Education:
I feel that learning another language should be a requirement for all students. I think that schools should offer students to choose from a few different ones and it should start in kindergarten. There is no reason that we are not doing this now. It would help our future leaders be better prepared to deal with obstacles that they will face.
The first technology class that I ever took was in 6th grade and it was basic typing. I think that there should be computer classes where students are learning to use excel, powerpoint and all different google apps. It would be great if by second grade our students could give virtual presentations and make their own youtube videos. If we start off young, we will be able to stay up to date with students from China and India. These are the competition for future jobs. And right now, America is not as big a competitor for these jobs as many of us think.
Learning to <3 Blogging!! 