The Computer Delusion

Well, this article, The Computer Delusion, really left me with one simple thought. It's about good teaching. It's not just about the use of computers. It's about using technology to enhance teaching. Just using computers is not enough. We really have to think about the "value added" and use technology to improve what we are doing. We shouldn't be using it just because. We need to teach problem solving skills and help students use the technology appropriately to solve their problems. I also don't think that we should be cutting art and music programs to fund the technology. The fact is- we need both. We need the creativity that the arts cultivate to give the students the skills they need for the future.

My Website

Please take a look at my website. It has truly been a joy creating it. I feel quite a sense of accomplishment now that I have tackled some of these new technologies. I feel much more confident about my use of technology and how I can incorporate it into the classroom. Enjoy!

Big Six Model

Big6 is a 6 step model that allows people to solve problems by using information. Problem solving is the most important life skill that we can teach our students. That’s what they will realistically be faced with in careers in the future- problem solving. Teachers sometimes focus too much on testing of information, rather than problem-solving. In the real world, the information is at your fingertips and there is little need to memorize it. However, there is a need to be able to access the appropriate information to solve the problem at hand. I would like to demonstrate these steps as a teacher who needs to find information to design a lesson on text connections.

The steps:

1. Task Definition- My students are struggling at making text to self connections and I need a lesson that is research-based and engaging.

2. Information Seeking Strategies- I could ask my peer teachers, reading consultant, teacher books, internet websites that recommend research-based teaching strategies.

3. Locate and Access- I would probably attempt at using all of these resources to find the best information. In this case, the teaching strategies that seem most effective and that I know will work with my particular students.

4. Use of information- I view the information carefully and select what I believe is relevant and effective.

5. Synthesis- I would put together the information that I found relevant and effective to create a lesson on connections that would be most effective with my students.

6. Evaluation- I would reflect on the process of creating this lesson plan and I would also reflect on how effective the lesson actually was in teaching connections to my students.

IConn

IConn is a resource of information, in a variety of mediums, that are free to residents of Connecticut. This allows digital equity because it is free to anyone who lives in CT. In the past, some districts or towns with more money were able to purchase access to these websites. Other districts are towns may have not had the money to purchase access to this information. With IConn, it allows all students and people access to information and materials.

I use IConn to locate books for read alouds. Often times, there are books that are great for read alouds or recommended by teachers online, and our district and town does not have them. I can go online to locate where the book is and go pick it up. If it is far, the library can get it for me. I also use it to find more than one copy of a book. Sometimes we will have 1 copy of a book, but I want students to use it in literature circles, requiring each student to have their own. I use IConn to locate more than one book so that each of my students can have a copy.

In the future, I would like to use Kid Infobits. I often want my students to be able to look something up, but I have to find it for them first because in third grade, they cannot just "google" something.

Digital Divide

After reading this article, it is clear that a Digital Divide exists, however, pointing it out may be more difficult of a task.

Lower performing districts are purchasing computers and more technologies, however, they are using them for drill practice and remedial instruction. This differs from the higher performing districts because they are using the technology to allow students to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills.

First of all, this is happening because schools are rated based upon how students perform on standandized tests. Therefore, teachers simply "teach to the test". Some of the lower level districts are even offering merit-based pay to those teachers who are performing well on tests, fueling the desire for teachers to drill the students.

What needs to be understood is that these tests are not the answer to good teaching. If we simply stick to instructing the lower level skills, teachers are never going to see their students show true growth that will demonstrate their ability to think critically and solve problems. We need to invest in good teachers, and good teaching. Teaching that encourages skill practice to solve an authentic problem. This lends itself to more meaningful and long-lasting learning.

Technology can be a great asset to a district. But the money put into can be better utilized if it is used to help students solve realistic problems and gain access to information f or inquiry-based learning.

Non-Linear Powerpoint

Powerpoint is a program that I use rarely with my students. I have always seen them as linear presentations and I tend to avoid them for the following reasons.
1. They are boring for a third grader. I teach third grade and I can’t image keeping the attention of a third grader with a bulleted list.
2. When many people present Powerpoints to me, they read word-for-word directly from the Powerpoint and add nothing extra. I think “I can read it myself. Why are you reading it aloud to me?”


However, a Non-linear powerpoint might be useful in the classroom. I could make them for my students to use as instructional tools. I immediately thought about using it as the base for a Web-quest. This would provide a guided exploration for young students who really need more of a guide when they engage in researching their own information. I was also thinking that students might enjoy setting up their own NLP if I gave them the outline for the slide. For example, they could make their own Jeopardy board for other students to play. I think that they would enjoy that and it would be a learning experience for them.

Photostory- Group Project

How's It Going?

So far, this class has been very educational for me. I have learned many new tools to incorporate in my classroom. Truthfully, I am reluctant to “dive into” technology and explore, so being given some guidance on how to use it has given me some confidence that I can use it.

Challenges: The challenging part of this course is getting all the work done in the short time constraints of the class. Doing the projects are not overly difficult, however, learning to use technology and then using it effectively takes time, which we are short on. Luckily, I am staying on top of it.

Frustrating: The only frustrations I have are when the technology is not working or it’s operating slowly. I am impatient when it comes to the speed of things, especially when I am multi-tasking. I get frustrated quickly when the machines are being excessively slow and using up for of my time.

Rewarding: Every time I finish a project it’s very rewarding. I feel like I accomplished something that I can use in my classroom. My reflections also help me recognize success and how I can change my teaching in a positive way.

Aha!: I feel I have figured out new and interesting ways to get my students to produce final projects using different programs. I think they will be much more engaging for the students.

I would like to figure out to set up a chat for my students. I think that students like to discuss things online so they are not pressured to speak, especially ELL students.

Can you guess my favorite story?

I would like to use Wordle in class next year. Instead of having students write a paragraph about themselves and just share it, I would have them write the paragraph and put it into Wordle. Then they could share the design with their classmates, rather than the traditional paragraph.

e-Tips and UDL

Dexter described “added value” of technology as “the particular packaging, delivery method, or combination of services in a product brings extra benefits than one would otherwise receive.” This article fits with the message that I took from the UDL. What I have taken from both E-tips and UDL is that technology has many advantages in the educational setting when they are supported by the school and implemented by the teacher who has considered the “added value” of the technology.

For me, the added value of using the internet for research or gathering information is the use of hyperlinks. With hyperlinks, students can gain connected information quickly and efficiently. For example, in an informational text with difficult Tier III vocabulary, a student could quickly identify the meaning of the word. This would be especially helpful for ELL students.

The added value for using blogging in a classroom is the increased collaboration for ideas and thoughts. In a traditional classroom, typically only 1 student might be sharing their thoughts at a time when having a whole group discussion. With the use of blogging, multiple people can share their own ideas and post responses and make connections to the original ideas. All people can read the posts. It provides a place for much more diverse, elaborate, and extensive conversation.

I believe Powerpoint would be a great tool for the classroom as a way for students to present information. Often when students have to do projects, they have they have to present them to the class individually. Students could put together presentations in a Powerpoint and post them to a blog or a class wiki. Then students could read the presentations quickly without having to wait for each individual presentation. There could be links in the presentation which would allow the students to gain additional information that could not be acquired in simply listening to a presentation.

Lucy's Story

This is my first Photostory that I created on my own. I'm a dog-lover so I really enjoyed sharing a story that was not only a favorite experience of mine, but on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. I loved being able to share to share a story in this unique way, and I would enjoy having my students create a similar project.

Inspiration

This project was very interesting. I realize the benefit of using Ispiration versus the traditional chapter outline. First of all, a traditional outline is linear. It can really only proceed from beginning to the end. However, a powerpoint can be connected from one idea to another, and those ideas may not necessarily be in order. Connecting ideas as you read enhances the comprehension of the text for the reader. I also found it much more motivating to read and make notes using not only words, but pictures. The color-coding and ability to associate these ideas with pictoral representations would be helping for visual students, especially ELL learners.

What are the implications of copyright issues for educators?

Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers

I was amazed when I read these guidelines. I had no idea that the laws were so specific and involved. I think they are extremely important to educators. They important because teachers would not want to ruin their careers over a violation, and they need to be able to teach children about this growing concern.

I was most surprised to learn that teachers could not show a movie for reward or entertainment. It makes sense to me, but I had never known it. I do not show movies for reasons other than education, but I know of other teachers who do show movies for reward. I also never copy materials out of books that do not allow copying.

If teachers violate copyright laws, students are going to see this in the classroom and it will be simply a poor role-model for them. With so much information on the internet, it's more tempting and easier to obtain the information we need and copy it. However, just because the information is more accessible doesn't mean that we should be using it without permission. By being good role models for students and explicitly teaching these laws, we are creating responsible and knowledgeable citizens. They will need this information in the future, so we should start explaining these rules and encouraging them to follow them now. The worst thing we can do as teachers is violate them and set a bad example for students who will be living in a society where I predict this will be an even bigger issue than it is now.

Inquiry-Based Learning

Today's classrooms rarely support inquiry based-learning. In my opinion, there are a few reasons for this. Most teachers today grew up being spoon-fed the information and that is how we supply the children with what they need to know. I think many teachers find it difficult to NOT teach the way they were taught. Another reason for classrooms lacking inquiry are the pressures to do well on standardized testing. There are specific answers that need to be on that test, therefore, how would students truly be able to inquire and do the research? Teachers feel they need to spend time giving students the tools to perform well on those tests.

However, careers demand people to be independent learners and researchers. Spoon-feeding students information and standardized testing do not prepare students for the future. Not only does inquiry-based learning prepare students for the future, but it also motivates them to learn. They are more engaged and motivated by questions that they themselves are asking and it makes the learning more meaningful.

Classrooms are going to have to change if we are going to prepare our children for the future.

Inspiration

Retrieved from the Inspiration Website

Inspiration would be very helpful at helping all students visualize texts. I would use it for both fiction and nonfiction.

For nonfiction, I would let students read a text and web the information any way that makes sense to them. I think that sharing the pictures with peers would be most beneficial because you could compare and contrast the organizers. They could see how others organized the exact same information and that would give them another perspective on the text.

For fiction, I would have students map the plot of the story. I could have the make a web of the character traits in the story and the text evidence that matches that character trait. This would help them with open-ended responses that they need for the CMT's.

I also like the idea of using inspiration for math vocabulary. I might give them terms like square, rectangle, quadrilateral, rhombus, pentagon, hexagon, triangle, right angle, obtuse angle, right angle, etc. and see how they web the words together. Thinking about how the words are related to each other would help them understand the words.

My First Experience with Photoshop

Using Photoshop was a very challenging experience for me. I wouldn't be comfortable using it in my classroom until I either had more training, or allowed myself more time to explore how to use the program. Even if I do believe that my third graders would get the hang of it quickly, I would like to be more comfortable with the program before I work with it. When I do become more experienced with the program, I thought that I would be able to use it for a math lesson.

Currently in the classroom, I have students use geometric figures to create pictures. I could modify this lesson by having students make the pictures on through photoshop. They could find a background, and place their geometric shapes over the background to make a picture. I would also like to try to use the program with my ELL students. ELL students have visual needs. This program would allow them to demonstrate their learning in a visual way where they would not to intimidated or limited by their lack of language. Not only students be able to use this program to represent academic concepts visually, but I think that this would be really effective for students to express themselves and their individuality. This is why I created this picture. It shows what I do outside of work. This is important for students to understand what they are interested in. Not only do I use that information to drive my instruction, but I ask students to use their interests to as a starting point for their writing. I believe that students produce the best writing when it is on a topic that interests them and they enjoy writing about it. Photoshop projects could inspire their writing.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

Source

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need.

Tableau Vivant

I really enjoyed this project. After reading "The Ant and the Grasshopper" my group and I took 3 pictures that could represent the story.

This activity could be very well incorporated into my 3rd grade classroom. I often work on summarizing with my students to enhance their reading comprehension. Students have to be able to determine the most important parts of the story to create a summary. I could ask students to "pose" the most important parts of the story and take pictures of it. They could then sequence the photos and write 1-2 sentences under each photo to tell what is happening in the picture in their own words. Students would be highly motivated to take pictures and post them, and they would be summarizing text in their own words to practice an important reading comprehension strategy.

MP3 Homework

In response to this article:

USA Today

I found this article interesting, however, I did not find this article surprising. I use my iPod daily for activities. As a matter of fact, I often bring it to school so that I can better access my personal information and occasionally I get something for my classroom. For example, I like to play music when we have “quiet time” in the classroom. I can quickly download music and play it for the class. Sometimes, my students make requests for songs and I can quickly find them. Another time, I wanted to preview a book quickly, and I was able to download a sample of the book to my iPod, rather than wait for my prep period to go to the library and find the book.

Therefore, I think it makes sense that children today are not only using MP3’s for music, but also books and learning. With an MP3 player, you don’t have to go to a library or store, you can just quickly download the text. As a matter of fact, I was at the doctor’s office reading this article on my phone. My own education is mobile. Having this information at my fingertips 24 hours a day is immediate gratification.

Money is always the issue with having MP3’s in the classrooms. We only have a limited number in the school library. If I had one for each of my students in my third grade classroom, I would have them use it to listen to fluent reading. I’ve also had students that finished a book in a series and they wanted to read the next one, but they couldn’t get to the library at that time. If we had an MP3 player, they could have downloaded the text and continued reading.