Blog 4

            During my Twitter experience in EME 2040, I have been interacting with my professor, my fellow classmates and different educational accounts. By interacting with my professor and classmates I have been able to see the benefits of getting information out quickly and getting to the point with what I want to say. The benefit of following educated related accounts is that I am up to date with all the changes going on surrounding education right now. In my future classroom, I could set up a twitter account for all the parents to follow. This would allow me to send out information quickly to everyone without having to add in the fluff of an email and ensure I included everyone’s email address.

            The digital divide is when some students have greater access to technology than others. This could create a disadvantage for students without access to technology especially when there is a need to use active learning software.  Desktop publishing is the ability to create worksheets, posters, flyers and other media. If a student is assigned a project or needs to download something the teacher uploaded to their website, they cannot if they do not have access to technology, putting them behind their peers. When graphics are put in work to help break down concepts, but students cannot see them because they do not have a computer, they will not be able to grasp the material.  Online references are an excellent tool to help dissect the meaning of words or text but if a student cannot access them they will come to class confused. Educational games, simulations, tutorials, and drill and kill software and authoring systems all help reinforce content, however if a child has no access to them they may begin to fall behind. Special needs software helps students who need the extra help in class to keep up, however without this software they are unable to keep up. Integrated learning systems can only reinforce the material when a student has access to the system. Overall if one child has access to technology and another does not, the one who does not have access will begin to fall behind.

            When evaluating websites you should consider if the author is credible and if there is any bias in the article. You should also take into account the accuracy of the content and the design of the website including its functionality. I look at who published the work and when it was published along with the URL ending to determine the credibility as well.

Blog 3

            I feel comfortable connecting the text of a story or drama to an oral or visual representation. Throughout high school I was often required to take what I had read and create a presentation on it. This could include anything from a diorama, writing a play and acting it out, creating a power point, or making a poster representing what I just read. A standard that I have more trouble with is determining and clarifying the meaning of unknown words. Vocabulary was one of the more difficult tasks for me throughout school. Even when I knew the definition, I had trouble using it correctly in a sentence. On the other hand, if I did not the meaning of the word and saw it in a sentence I had trouble deciphering what it meant.

            An application I would like to use in my classroom for fourth or fifth graders would be Edmodo. It a s way for me to post assignments for all my students to see even if they are not in class. If a student has a question about an assignment it is a quick way for them to get in touch with me outside of school, and their peers can also see my response so I am not answering the same question numerous times. I can post all class updates and permission forms in Edmodo too, which is great because parents can also connect to my Edmodo page. This way they know what is taking place in the classroom even if the handouts I send home do not make it home. To use Edmodo, I will first need to address the digital citizenship concept of “netiquette”. I will need to make sure my students are polite when interacting with each other online and speaking in an appropriate manner. I also need to ensure that my students know not to give out any personal information on online because then anyone can see it.

            While working on the newsletter, I got to brush up on my skills with using the two-column format. This however, is not my favorite way to format newsletters because I do not like it when there is a break in the sentences and they flip to the next column. I prefer to format my newsletters with word boxes that way I can control when the words stay in a column and when the jump to the next. I did enjoy adding clipart to my newsletter because I feel it makes the newsletter more aesthetically appealing to look at. I will be able to send this newsletter out to all my parents so they know what is taking place in the classroom.

Blog 2

Microsoft Word has been a major learning tool throughout my public school career. I would use Word to type my information to go on a science fair board to make it look neater. I would use word to take notes in class when my teacher talked too quickly for me to write and keep up, and I used it to complete assignments; especially essays. I have seen teachers use Word to create their syllabus, make sign-up sheets for conferences, create handouts and send letters home to parents.

            I have used other people’s work before to aid me in getting my point across for a presentation or assignment but I have always made sure to include a work-cited page so I was giving the proper credit. I also know teachers who would call the author of work to get permission to make copies of it. For instance, my American Sign Language teacher in high school called the author of a comic strip to get permission to make copies for us to have in class. I would make sure all my material fits into the fair use clause but even if I was unsure I would make sure to cite where I got my work from to be on the safe side. I will also make sure to incorporate my lesson plans from multiple sources if need be so I am not taking to much information from one place. I will go over the importance of a work-cited page with my students and always require them to attach that to their work if they want credit.

            I learned that Twitter is a great resource for connecting learners through the hash tag. It also allows you to get information out to more people in a timelier manner than emails or phone calls. Twitter allows you to stay updated on your students’ progress on projects if you require them to tweet about through out the process. A personal learning network allows you to connect with a wider range of teachers than just those working at your school. I could use a PLN to help come up with a new strategy to teach a lesson with my students if none of the ones  I came up with worked for them because I know have more people helping find a solution.

Twitter

@EME2040CN

Blog 1

            Computers are tools students will use long after they leave the classroom and enter into the workforce. This makes it the teacher’s responsibility to make sure their students are adequately prepared to enter the workforce with the skills required of them. However there are some concerns that arise when attempting put technology into a classroom. The first and usually the biggest concern that arises is the cost associated with it. Technology is not cheap to place into the classroom; therefore schools try to get the most use out of their purchases as they can. This however can lead to computers being left in the classroom long after they need to be replaced. By putting off getting updated equipment for classrooms it cause problems for students when they are trying to use specific applications. As computers update so do the applications associated with them and a lot of the times the computer and the applications need to be relatively close to each other in when there last update was. Sometimes computers are able to use downward compatibility meaning they will run older versions of applications but this is not always the case because some computers only allow newer versions to run. Another challenge that can arise is making sure all teachers are adequately prepared to use the technology in their classroom. More seasoned teachers sometimes have trouble operating the technology in their classroom, so schools need to make sure they are providing appropriate workshops for teachers to attend to brush up on their skills. The issues mentioned are issues I feel that have easy fixes associated with them as long as the schools budget their money and time appropriately neither one of these problems should arise.

            The ISTE standard that requires teachers to collaborate with students, peers, parents and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation is an important standard to me. The number of resources available to teachers is endless and it makes it easy for them to instantly collaborate with those around them. By having this ability to communicate, teachers are giving their students a major advantage. If a student is at home and has a question they can email their teacher and get a quick response instead of possibly doing their homework wrong and having to wait until the next class to make the corrections. It also allows teachers to instantly get in touch with parents if there is a concern that arises about their student during the day. One ISTE standard that I am concerned about is being able to perform in the classroom and demonstrating fluency in technology systems and transferring the knowledge to new technologies and situations. While I am pretty confident in my basic computer skills, my skills do not go far beyond on that. I am familiar with a lot of the technology that teachers use today but I do not have any practice using it, therefore I would not be able to use it properly in the classroom. Also I feel that I will have trouble adapting to new technology as it comes out in the future and this will make it harder for me to ensure my students are getting an appropriate education.

            I definitely feel the term digital native is an appropriate name to call the youth of today. They grew up only knowing a world with technology, therefore they can quickly adapt to learning how to use much faster than those who did not grow with technology also known as digital immigrants. Children today grow up with technology and most know how to operate a smart phone or table by age four. Older students do not remember a time of stepping into a classroom with out computers, projectors, or Smartboards.  I have noticed that digital natives have a greater dependency on technology than digital immigrants. Digital immigrants do not require any sort of technology or very limited technology to teach in their classroom.  On the other hand, digital natives do not know how to take notes without technology. This divide can sometimes make classroom management hard. My generation grew up with the slow additions of technology to the classroom. Therefore even though I am classified as a digital native, I still can operate without technology when it comes to learning. I feel when it comes to my particular teaching style, I will not see technology as the main source of getting information across but merely as a tool to reinforce what I have already taught. This may be a challenge for students because I feel as time goes on they will begin to expect classrooms to become more digital and teachers to have smaller presence in them.