This week we learned more about software options that support inquiry based learning, social media use for classrooms, and working collaboratively on projects. I was interested to learn more about Scratch, and introduced this site to my son who now is able to work on projects with a friend who lived in our old community. The interactive, collaborative way that this website works in is very educational for my son while being very entertaining at the same time. Our kids spend so much time these days with video games, interactive software, and other media outlets that it is natural that "gamification" catches and keeps their interest.
Working on the class wiki was interesting as well. It was neat to be able to see classmates ideas and use of technology to support their topics. There were many neat ideas presented that made me want to practice even more with getting adept at new tech tools. We had a positive team with many good suggestions so hopefully everything went well (fingers crossed!)
I am new to the Twitter world, so it was interesting to jump on there and use hashtags to sort for topic conversations that I may be interested in. Using #edchat brings up some interesting resources for educators. My church is currently running #3WordStory using 3 words to define your life, so that was fun to see. With the popularity of Twitter, I can see using this tool as a way to extend students learning (or at least thinking about a topic) outside of the school day. It could be a great conversation starter - as well as lend some relevance/credibility to the teacher for using something so easy for students to relate to.
This week, I tried a new tech tool called FlipQuiz. This is a cool tool for review before tests or before moving into new material. Also, I can see it being a neat tool to use for students to create based on specified criteria - as actually creating the tool helps to solidify what was learned. Here's my first attempt at it:
http://flipquiz.me/quiz/7979
I'm still having trouble with embedding things into Blogger. Anyone who has some tips or suggestions for how to do that please feel free to leave in the comments! Have a fantastic week!
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Chapter 2 & 3 - Understanding Educational Technology Issues and Trends
As someone who considered themselves to be fairly technologically adept - this class is sure pointing out how much that "I didn't know that I didn't know!" It's amazing how many tools that are available to us as future educators (and even as just basic technology users!) that can really save time and effort.
I am really liking the social bookmarking tool Delicious. To be able to access websites that I previously would have bookmarked and had only available on that single computer is really helpful. I am already seeing the benefits of this as a student, so I know that it will help me tremendously in the future as a teacher.
These two chapters provide a basic overview of trends and issues with technology use. I found the external resource links that were included with this lesson most impacting, however there was one point that the text brought up that did invoke further thought. Quoting the US Department of Congress, the text reads "In 2002, a federal government study concluded that education was the "least technology-intensive" part of the U.S. economic system. (Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf 2014) This concept really jumped out at me. Every other part of our economic system is technology intensive, yet our schools are not. If the current goal of our nation is to become globally competitive, how can we expect to do that if our schools are not preparing our students to succeed in our economic systems? In order to become the nation that we envision we need to equip our students with the skills they need in order to embrace the citizenship that is expected of them post graduation.
In my opinion, the trend of high stakes standardized testing is actually prohibiting our students from being able to engage in the type of learning necessary for these changes. There is so much pressure to master test content that our schools are not able to provide the experiences that promote creative and critical thinking skills, problem solving, community collaboration, and so many other necessary life skills. Standardized testing forces all teachers into a role where they are running teacher centered classrooms instead of student centered classrooms. Students are more engaged when they have an active part in their learning, and by pushing teachers to ensure high test scores we are actually reducing time engaged in this process. Another concept that I found particularly interesting which could possibly combat some of these issues is the idea of "flipping the classroom". In this scenario, teachers use video teachings as homework or small group work (depending on home access to internet), then spend class time working one on one with students on worksheets, assignments, and projects. Teachers are then able to provide individual attention and immediate feedback to all students. Salmon Khan presents a great example of this in the video "Let's use video to reinvent education" found on TedEd.
https://www.canva.com/design/DAAzxBJiCDo/MeYYDeVxrgO5D-CbnuoDzg/view
Khan, Salmon (Speaker) Let’s use video to reinvent education. TedEd Lessons Worth Sharing. Podcast
retrieved fromhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-s-use-video-to-reinvent-education-salman-khan
Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf (2014) Transforming Learning with New Technologies. New York, NY: Pearson
I am really liking the social bookmarking tool Delicious. To be able to access websites that I previously would have bookmarked and had only available on that single computer is really helpful. I am already seeing the benefits of this as a student, so I know that it will help me tremendously in the future as a teacher.
These two chapters provide a basic overview of trends and issues with technology use. I found the external resource links that were included with this lesson most impacting, however there was one point that the text brought up that did invoke further thought. Quoting the US Department of Congress, the text reads "In 2002, a federal government study concluded that education was the "least technology-intensive" part of the U.S. economic system. (Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf 2014) This concept really jumped out at me. Every other part of our economic system is technology intensive, yet our schools are not. If the current goal of our nation is to become globally competitive, how can we expect to do that if our schools are not preparing our students to succeed in our economic systems? In order to become the nation that we envision we need to equip our students with the skills they need in order to embrace the citizenship that is expected of them post graduation.
In my opinion, the trend of high stakes standardized testing is actually prohibiting our students from being able to engage in the type of learning necessary for these changes. There is so much pressure to master test content that our schools are not able to provide the experiences that promote creative and critical thinking skills, problem solving, community collaboration, and so many other necessary life skills. Standardized testing forces all teachers into a role where they are running teacher centered classrooms instead of student centered classrooms. Students are more engaged when they have an active part in their learning, and by pushing teachers to ensure high test scores we are actually reducing time engaged in this process. Another concept that I found particularly interesting which could possibly combat some of these issues is the idea of "flipping the classroom". In this scenario, teachers use video teachings as homework or small group work (depending on home access to internet), then spend class time working one on one with students on worksheets, assignments, and projects. Teachers are then able to provide individual attention and immediate feedback to all students. Salmon Khan presents a great example of this in the video "Let's use video to reinvent education" found on TedEd.
https://www.canva.com/design/DAAzxBJiCDo/MeYYDeVxrgO5D-CbnuoDzg/view
Khan, Salmon (Speaker) Let’s use video to reinvent education. TedEd Lessons Worth Sharing. Podcast
retrieved fromhttp://ed.ted.com/lessons/let-s-use-video-to-reinvent-education-salman-khan
Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards, Woolf (2014) Transforming Learning with New Technologies. New York, NY: Pearson
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Becoming a 21st Century Teacher
When reading the first chapter of our text about becoming a 21st century teacher, some of the statistics really jumped out at me. As a mother of three, I understand that children today are living in a “digital childhood” (Maloy, Verock-O’Laughlin, Edwards, Woolfe, 2014). Often I see my teenager dividing his attention between playing a video game and watching YouTube videos on his phone simultaneously. Even so, the statistics that the text, “Transforming Learning with New Technologies” supplied regarding the number of hours per day that children spend engaged in digital media were shocking, claiming that young people spend almost every waking moment outside of school using electronic equipment. As a teacher, it will be essential to harness the natural inclination of my students towards digital learning. Having a positive attitude towards technology and a willingness to integrate it into classroom lessons will provide opportunities for my students to experience learning that they relate to, thus solidifying the lessons. Also, having a solid command of technology will create more credibility for me with my students.
I was also struck by how the use of technology could transform ordinary lesson plans into interactive, inquiry based learning opportunities. By harnessing Web 2.0 tools such as wikis, social media sites, social bookmarking, and blogs, students can be given the opportunity not only to learn and understand a concept, but to also actually create projects that support the lessons. This hands on experience provides critical thinking challenges, group collaboration opportunities, as well as media skills that students will need in real life. This type of inquiry based learning matches my student centered teaching philosophy perfectly. Learning is so much more productive - and FUN - when it is real world applicable, interactive, and relevant.
Another concept that the chapter stirred in me was the idea of creating a digital identity for myself as an educator. In a competitive job market, it is extremely important to be able to showcase skills and abilities. Since 21st century skills are something that schools are aiming to produce in students, it is logical that administrators would want to hire teachers savvy in these skills. Some of the ways that the chapter listed as possibilities for creating a digital identity were social networking sites, blogs, image sharing, email, web pages, video sharing, and digital portfolios. The use of these platforms establishes the knowledge base of the teacher, allows for comfort with technology and assures ease of use, and creates an example for students reflecting a positive outlook on technology that encourages participation. Building this identity along my journey to graduation will help me step into my career confident that I can utilize technology to the fullest extent to challenge and support my students.
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