Bull, Glenn, Alexander, Curby, & Ferster, Bill. (2010). Finding Students Who Learn Through Media. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(5), 1-4. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25255&DirectListComboInd=D
Summary: This article explained how student-created media can offer significant opportunities for engagement and learning. One example of a web-based authoring tool students can used is called Primary Access Movie Maker (www.primaryaccess.org) and it allows students to create short online documentary films about social studies. Besides getting students used to using media in the classroom, it is also effective from the teacher’s perspective because the teacher is able to monitor and analyze student actions throughout the entire time the students are using the media. So far more than 10,000 students worldwide have created more than 20,000 short digital documentaries using Primary Access Movie Maker, and the authors of this article hope that number will continue to grow.
What factors can affect how much a student will find completing certain assignments as engaging? The article mentions that teachers have the responsibility to identify the quality of academic work that students will find engaging. Their level of engagement could be affected by its authenticity, its alignment with student interests, its real-world importance, and the degree of student choice. Thus, every time a teacher assigns a project that involves technology, they have to recognize that some students will find the assignment easy and others may struggle just to learn how to use the technology. Also, students’ level of interest in the content of the assignment may affect their capacity to use technology. For example, students who were engaged by both content and technological media would demonstrate more critical thinking and creativity in their work than a student who didn’t find either aspect engaging.
What example cited in the article from Virginia shows the importance of budgeting class time when using technology in the classroom? The article gave the example of schools in Virginia who designate three class periods to U.S. history of the 1930s. The challenge was how do they incorporate a student-authored movie assignment (like using (www.primaryaccess.org) which would double the class time to six classes? The way that Virginia schoolteachers addressed this problem was by only requiring students to create a visual historical narrative using Primary Access Storyboard (www.primaryaccess.org/story). This proved effective because it only took a single class period and students were able to use technological media and learn about important events in history. This example shows how important it is for teachers to use technology in the classroom efficiently; do not spend too much time explaining how to use the technology that the purpose of the assignment and content information is lost. Teachers have to be constantly be aware of how they can incorporate student-authored media into a formal classroom setting without increasing the amount of class time required to complete the projects.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Classroom Newsletter- NETS 1
Classroom Newsletter KRC
For this assignment, I created a mock newsletter that I could use in my future classroom as a teacher. In making this newsletter on Microsoft Word, I created a masthead that included the date, my name, volume number and a meaningful quote surrounded by two pieces of line art. Then I wrote three articles with interesting headlines: one introducing the students to my class, one about how I will incorporate technology into the classroom and one about an extra credit writing project that students could get involved in called “NaNoRiMo”.
For this assignment, I created a mock newsletter that I could use in my future classroom as a teacher. In making this newsletter on Microsoft Word, I created a masthead that included the date, my name, volume number and a meaningful quote surrounded by two pieces of line art. Then I wrote three articles with interesting headlines: one introducing the students to my class, one about how I will incorporate technology into the classroom and one about an extra credit writing project that students could get involved in called “NaNoRiMo”.
Social Bookmarking (Delicious)- NETS 1 and 5
My Social Bookmarking (Delicious) Website: http://delicious.com/kclark99
1. The exhibit that I chose was entitled “American Women!” and it features the lives of 106 American women who had a positive impact on American history. The tour begins with a description of 11 specific American women that are deemed “unforgettable” because of their actions and personalities. Then the exhibit progresses with a description of women from different time periods, such as the colonial era, civil war era, jazz era, feminist era and modern era. This would be a very valuable resource to use in the classroom if you were teaching about women’s history or the progression of the women’s movement. This exhibit promotes an understanding of the differences between primary and secondary resources, putting an emphasis on the use of primary sources as the most reliable and scholarly information.
2. The student groups who are at risk for experiencing achievement gaps include: racial and ethnic minorities, English language learners, students with disabilities, boys/girls and students from low-income families. In the “Becoming a Culturally Competent Educator”, I enjoyed the suggestion to gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff. Since I would consider myself an organized person, I think it would be very easy for me to begin to gather information related to different cultures that could be used in the classroom. The second suggestion I found useful was the one about creating a community network concerned with the needs of diverse students. This network would be made up of parents, family, teachers, school administrators, minority communities and faith-based organizations from the local area of the school. I think this allows a variety of voices and perspectives to be heard in creating and implementing a culturally diverse curriculum. A third and final suggestion would be to determine the diverse groups served by your school. I think it would be very important to find out the rich cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversities that exist within the school that I am teaching in order to help out my students in the best possible way.
3. After taking the “Are You a Cyberbully?” I found out that I am a cyber saint, meaning my online behavior is exemplary. I figured that this would be the response because I have never purposely sent messages to another person on the internet or through email to hurt or torment them. I think it is a cruel joke to conceal who you are online so that you can insult someone else and I would never participate in such rude behavior. In looking at the area for teachers, the website had many helpful tips and ideas on how to prevent and handle cyberbullying at the school I will be teaching at. First, it said that teachers should have the students and parents sign a document at the beginning of the school year about acceptable computer use policy. This can be used later to prove that the student who participated in cyberbullying knew the rules of what is and is not acceptable computer use, and could be used to show that they disobeyed the clearly defined rules. Second, the school should conduct an audit of its technology uses and needs to make sure that it is being used correctly. This audit would involve the school safety officer, the school board attorney, the principal, disciplinary officer, technology lab instructors, IT department, librarian, student representative and parent representative. A final tip was to do some strategic planning in relation to your specific school environment. Make sure that all parties involved- parents, students and teachers- are aware of the rules and know that they will be enforced on the school premises.
4. Under the subject access, I picked “Literature and ELA”. This led to a website that has countless resources for high school English teachers. There were websites dedicated to specific authors, such as Chaucer and Shakespeare, along with lists of authors and their literary works. Many websites that were listed explained how to help students with their writing, especially composition theory and writing techniques. I think I would definitely use this webpage because it has links to many other websites to help English teachers with just about anything. These websites could be used to help the teacher develop lesson plans, or it could be used as a reference for students who are doing research about anything for their language arts class. Under the “Teacher Helpers” area, I enjoyed the PowerPoint presentation entitled __. This PowerPoint focused on how teachers could successfully incorporate web quests into their classroom activities. A web quest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which students use resources on the internet to answer questions or lead a discussion. This PowerPoint presentation highlighted 12 tasks that could be accomplished through web quests: retelling, compilation, mystery, journalistic, design, creative product, consensus research, persuasion, self-knowledge, analytical, judgment and scientific tasks. I think having students engage in a variety of web quests that ask them to take on different roles as a learner would really improve their knowledge of subject material and technological resources.
5. Here are my top three results from the “What’s Your Learning Style?” Multiple Intelligences quiz: 1st place was Verbal-Linguistic (100%), second place was Intrapersonal (88%) and third place was a tie between Musical and Interpersonal (81%). The video on multiple intelligences that I watched was called “Multiple Intelligences Leave No Child Behind”. I found this video very interesting because it explained the mission of one school in shaping their curriculum entirely around this idea of multiple intelligences. Their school mission is to make every student feel “smart” by having them know their area(s) of intelligence. This allows the students to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses early on so they can address their weaknesses and try to search out potential careers based on their strengths. The school also uses elective classes (called pods) and online portfolio assignments for students to showcase their specific areas of intelligence. I agree with this idea there are no “dumb” students; simply students who are stronger in different intelligences. I hope that when I am a teacher I will we able to address the needs of a variety of students according to their multiple intelligences.
6. This lesson plan is called “And Maybe I Can Change That Too” and it is intended for use in a 9-12th grade Language Arts or Social Studies class. The students were reading Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and discussing the current impact that racism has in our modern society. One of their assignments was to write their opinion of a video they watched called “Profile of a Writer: Toni Morrison”, in which Morrison describes the connections she sees between our history of slavery and how it continues to have an effect on the black community today. Two students in particular, reacted to this video with racist viewpoints, stating that African Americans want to be in the position they are in society today, and they can’t help all the crime and divorces that are rampant in their communities. The teacher quickly stepped in to address such racist thinking by using a Socratic method of questioning. He asked the students to repeat their viewpoints, wrote them down in a chart on the board and then deconstructed their argument. Through a series of questions, the students were able to see their own racist viewpoints and correct their thinking. I found this lesson plan very helpful because I think the way the teacher handled the situation is definitely something that all teachers can imitate, regardless of what the argument is about. The best way to diffuse a heated argument is to ask students to restate their opinion, write down the main points on the board and then discuss them out loud mildly and reasonably. In time, the student(s) will begin to see the real answer or viewpoint.
7. One question was “According to a 2006 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans comprise more than 37% of people arrested for drug use, 59% of those convicted for drug use, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for drug use. African Americans comprise what percentage of U.S. drug users?” The correct answer is a mere 15%! I found this statistic ridiculous! I cannot believe that racial profiling is still so prevalent in America that African Americans are arrested, convicted and sentenced in jail when they may not even be doing drugs. This shows how skewed our justice system can be at times so that people can be targeted for crime they did not even commit simply because of their skin color. A second question I found interesting was “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median annual income for U.S. white men, 25 years or older, who have earned graduate degrees, is $80,000. What are the median annual incomes for Latina and Native American women, 25 years or older, who have earned graduate degrees?” The answer is $50,000 and $40,000, respectively. I though to myself: why is there even a discrepancy in the first place? Since they both have graduate degrees, they should be earning the same wages despite gender or skin color. Again this shows that America is a long ways away from being fair when it comes to women, especially women of color and the job market.
8. My score on the netiquette quiz was 80% d :-o It is important to teach students about netiquette because it will enable them have more appropriate and productive conversations with people online. It will help to recognize what they are allowed to say and do over the internet so as not to offend the person that may be receiving the message. As one of the questions stated, following netiquette guidelines helps a person look good while online and also helps them to understand the technical limitations of online communication :->.
1. The exhibit that I chose was entitled “American Women!” and it features the lives of 106 American women who had a positive impact on American history. The tour begins with a description of 11 specific American women that are deemed “unforgettable” because of their actions and personalities. Then the exhibit progresses with a description of women from different time periods, such as the colonial era, civil war era, jazz era, feminist era and modern era. This would be a very valuable resource to use in the classroom if you were teaching about women’s history or the progression of the women’s movement. This exhibit promotes an understanding of the differences between primary and secondary resources, putting an emphasis on the use of primary sources as the most reliable and scholarly information.
2. The student groups who are at risk for experiencing achievement gaps include: racial and ethnic minorities, English language learners, students with disabilities, boys/girls and students from low-income families. In the “Becoming a Culturally Competent Educator”, I enjoyed the suggestion to gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff. Since I would consider myself an organized person, I think it would be very easy for me to begin to gather information related to different cultures that could be used in the classroom. The second suggestion I found useful was the one about creating a community network concerned with the needs of diverse students. This network would be made up of parents, family, teachers, school administrators, minority communities and faith-based organizations from the local area of the school. I think this allows a variety of voices and perspectives to be heard in creating and implementing a culturally diverse curriculum. A third and final suggestion would be to determine the diverse groups served by your school. I think it would be very important to find out the rich cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversities that exist within the school that I am teaching in order to help out my students in the best possible way.
3. After taking the “Are You a Cyberbully?” I found out that I am a cyber saint, meaning my online behavior is exemplary. I figured that this would be the response because I have never purposely sent messages to another person on the internet or through email to hurt or torment them. I think it is a cruel joke to conceal who you are online so that you can insult someone else and I would never participate in such rude behavior. In looking at the area for teachers, the website had many helpful tips and ideas on how to prevent and handle cyberbullying at the school I will be teaching at. First, it said that teachers should have the students and parents sign a document at the beginning of the school year about acceptable computer use policy. This can be used later to prove that the student who participated in cyberbullying knew the rules of what is and is not acceptable computer use, and could be used to show that they disobeyed the clearly defined rules. Second, the school should conduct an audit of its technology uses and needs to make sure that it is being used correctly. This audit would involve the school safety officer, the school board attorney, the principal, disciplinary officer, technology lab instructors, IT department, librarian, student representative and parent representative. A final tip was to do some strategic planning in relation to your specific school environment. Make sure that all parties involved- parents, students and teachers- are aware of the rules and know that they will be enforced on the school premises.
4. Under the subject access, I picked “Literature and ELA”. This led to a website that has countless resources for high school English teachers. There were websites dedicated to specific authors, such as Chaucer and Shakespeare, along with lists of authors and their literary works. Many websites that were listed explained how to help students with their writing, especially composition theory and writing techniques. I think I would definitely use this webpage because it has links to many other websites to help English teachers with just about anything. These websites could be used to help the teacher develop lesson plans, or it could be used as a reference for students who are doing research about anything for their language arts class. Under the “Teacher Helpers” area, I enjoyed the PowerPoint presentation entitled __. This PowerPoint focused on how teachers could successfully incorporate web quests into their classroom activities. A web quest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which students use resources on the internet to answer questions or lead a discussion. This PowerPoint presentation highlighted 12 tasks that could be accomplished through web quests: retelling, compilation, mystery, journalistic, design, creative product, consensus research, persuasion, self-knowledge, analytical, judgment and scientific tasks. I think having students engage in a variety of web quests that ask them to take on different roles as a learner would really improve their knowledge of subject material and technological resources.
5. Here are my top three results from the “What’s Your Learning Style?” Multiple Intelligences quiz: 1st place was Verbal-Linguistic (100%), second place was Intrapersonal (88%) and third place was a tie between Musical and Interpersonal (81%). The video on multiple intelligences that I watched was called “Multiple Intelligences Leave No Child Behind”. I found this video very interesting because it explained the mission of one school in shaping their curriculum entirely around this idea of multiple intelligences. Their school mission is to make every student feel “smart” by having them know their area(s) of intelligence. This allows the students to become aware of their strengths and weaknesses early on so they can address their weaknesses and try to search out potential careers based on their strengths. The school also uses elective classes (called pods) and online portfolio assignments for students to showcase their specific areas of intelligence. I agree with this idea there are no “dumb” students; simply students who are stronger in different intelligences. I hope that when I am a teacher I will we able to address the needs of a variety of students according to their multiple intelligences.
6. This lesson plan is called “And Maybe I Can Change That Too” and it is intended for use in a 9-12th grade Language Arts or Social Studies class. The students were reading Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and discussing the current impact that racism has in our modern society. One of their assignments was to write their opinion of a video they watched called “Profile of a Writer: Toni Morrison”, in which Morrison describes the connections she sees between our history of slavery and how it continues to have an effect on the black community today. Two students in particular, reacted to this video with racist viewpoints, stating that African Americans want to be in the position they are in society today, and they can’t help all the crime and divorces that are rampant in their communities. The teacher quickly stepped in to address such racist thinking by using a Socratic method of questioning. He asked the students to repeat their viewpoints, wrote them down in a chart on the board and then deconstructed their argument. Through a series of questions, the students were able to see their own racist viewpoints and correct their thinking. I found this lesson plan very helpful because I think the way the teacher handled the situation is definitely something that all teachers can imitate, regardless of what the argument is about. The best way to diffuse a heated argument is to ask students to restate their opinion, write down the main points on the board and then discuss them out loud mildly and reasonably. In time, the student(s) will begin to see the real answer or viewpoint.
7. One question was “According to a 2006 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans comprise more than 37% of people arrested for drug use, 59% of those convicted for drug use, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for drug use. African Americans comprise what percentage of U.S. drug users?” The correct answer is a mere 15%! I found this statistic ridiculous! I cannot believe that racial profiling is still so prevalent in America that African Americans are arrested, convicted and sentenced in jail when they may not even be doing drugs. This shows how skewed our justice system can be at times so that people can be targeted for crime they did not even commit simply because of their skin color. A second question I found interesting was “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median annual income for U.S. white men, 25 years or older, who have earned graduate degrees, is $80,000. What are the median annual incomes for Latina and Native American women, 25 years or older, who have earned graduate degrees?” The answer is $50,000 and $40,000, respectively. I though to myself: why is there even a discrepancy in the first place? Since they both have graduate degrees, they should be earning the same wages despite gender or skin color. Again this shows that America is a long ways away from being fair when it comes to women, especially women of color and the job market.
8. My score on the netiquette quiz was 80% d :-o It is important to teach students about netiquette because it will enable them have more appropriate and productive conversations with people online. It will help to recognize what they are allowed to say and do over the internet so as not to offend the person that may be receiving the message. As one of the questions stated, following netiquette guidelines helps a person look good while online and also helps them to understand the technical limitations of online communication :->.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Journal 3: Keeping the Peace- NETS 3 and 5
Levinson, Matt. (2010). Keeping the Peace. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(5), 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25237&DirectListComboInd=D
Summary: This article related a controversy that occurred at Nueva Middle School in Hillsborough, California. The students were given laptops from the school that they could use for their classroom assignments and projects. Yet these laptops were also equipped with iChat so students were able to instant message their friends and socialize on their laptops too. This caused an issue because many parents thought their children were doing too much socializing and not enough research and homework assignments off their school laptops. Many of the parents felt they could not control their child’s usage of the iChat once they got home and so they wanted the school to get rid of the software. However, other parents said that they should keep the iChat because it is just is like watching TV or using video games or Internet browsing. Basically, they believed it is the responsibility of the parent to teach their children how best to use these tools. So each parent should set ground rules about how they can use the IM at their houses, not have the school block iChat for every student. The school eventually decided to block iChat because from the school's perspective, the academic purpose of the laptops had disappeared into a vortex of social networking.
Why is a “boot camp”, as described in the end of the article, necessary for students in order to use their laptops with IChat?
This boot camp enables students to become more proficient in the correct usage of their laptops. A three mini-workshop program teaches the students how to physically care for their laptops, what the guidelines are for correct usage and explains the ethics related to technology. Also, by having technology educators come and speak to the students about extensive possibilities of media, it enables students to feel like they can creatively express themselves through technological means.
What lesson can be learned from this article regarding communication?
Obviously this was a sticky situation for the Nueva Middle School to be in. On the one hand, school administrators and staff wanted to provide these laptops with iChat so that students could become more technologically savvy and use such technologies to complete their schoolwork. However, many parents were upset by the “socializing” that was done through these computers. The school handled the situation very well though, by getting teacher, parent and student input on the situation. After listening to everyone’s viewpoints, the school then made a decision about what to do. Thus communication between all three parties involved- parents, teachers and students- enabled the school to rectify the situation. The lesson that can be learned is that communication is important to settle issues and to keep peace and unity within the school environment.
Summary: This article related a controversy that occurred at Nueva Middle School in Hillsborough, California. The students were given laptops from the school that they could use for their classroom assignments and projects. Yet these laptops were also equipped with iChat so students were able to instant message their friends and socialize on their laptops too. This caused an issue because many parents thought their children were doing too much socializing and not enough research and homework assignments off their school laptops. Many of the parents felt they could not control their child’s usage of the iChat once they got home and so they wanted the school to get rid of the software. However, other parents said that they should keep the iChat because it is just is like watching TV or using video games or Internet browsing. Basically, they believed it is the responsibility of the parent to teach their children how best to use these tools. So each parent should set ground rules about how they can use the IM at their houses, not have the school block iChat for every student. The school eventually decided to block iChat because from the school's perspective, the academic purpose of the laptops had disappeared into a vortex of social networking.
Why is a “boot camp”, as described in the end of the article, necessary for students in order to use their laptops with IChat?
This boot camp enables students to become more proficient in the correct usage of their laptops. A three mini-workshop program teaches the students how to physically care for their laptops, what the guidelines are for correct usage and explains the ethics related to technology. Also, by having technology educators come and speak to the students about extensive possibilities of media, it enables students to feel like they can creatively express themselves through technological means.
What lesson can be learned from this article regarding communication?
Obviously this was a sticky situation for the Nueva Middle School to be in. On the one hand, school administrators and staff wanted to provide these laptops with iChat so that students could become more technologically savvy and use such technologies to complete their schoolwork. However, many parents were upset by the “socializing” that was done through these computers. The school handled the situation very well though, by getting teacher, parent and student input on the situation. After listening to everyone’s viewpoints, the school then made a decision about what to do. Thus communication between all three parties involved- parents, teachers and students- enabled the school to rectify the situation. The lesson that can be learned is that communication is important to settle issues and to keep peace and unity within the school environment.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Journal 2: Using Podcasts to Develop a Global Perspective- NETS 3 and 5
Maguth, B. M., & Elliott, J. (2010). Using Podcasts to Develop a Global Perspective. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(5) pg 1-2. Retrieved February 20, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25244&DirectListComboInd=D
Summary: This article, co-written by a doctoral student at Ohio State University and a high school social studies teacher, explains a project that was conducted in an actual high school in Columbus, Ohio. The assignment was that students were supposed to moderate and record a debate on a global issue using a Meet the Press format, in which personalities holding different views exchange their ideas. One group of students chose the issue of climate change, and so they researched different people’s perspectives on the issue. Their research included the views of politicians, world leaders, CEO’s, scientists and authors. Then they wrote a script of questions and predicted responses as if those people were actually a part of a real news panel on climate change. The last step was recording their scripts, creating the podcast and then putting it on the school's social studies homepage.
What are the benefits of using podcasts in the classroom? There are many benefits to using podcasts in the classroom. First of all, it tests student’s knowledge of technology and challenges them to work cooperatively with their peers to create a finalized product. Students who have never used such technology before have the opportunity to try it out, and those that have are able to become more proficient in their usage. A second benefit is that after the podcast is posted to the school website, it allows the parents to see their child’s work and academic growth. Also, other teachers, school staff members and community members are able to observe the student’s learning and personal involvement in understanding complex global issues. A third benefit is that it allows the students to feel like what they accomplish as assignments in the classroom can actually affect the outside world. Others may see their project and feel motivated to act in regards to global problems. A fourth and final benefit to using podcasts in the classroom is that it allows students to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction in their work. Knowing that they worked so hard on something and then having it displayed in their community and the global society can give them such a sense of joy and fulfillment.
How could teachers use podcasts in their classrooms?
I think teachers could create interdisciplinary projects using podcasts that incorporate many of the different school subjects a student might be taking. For example, the English, Science and Technology teachers at a high school could cooperate to make a project using podcasts that involves scientific writing and technology. This project would apply to all three classes in different ways, and would receive grades on different components according to their subject area. This would allow the students to see the connection between different subjects and how their comprehensive knowledge of many subjects can be used to create a final product.
Summary: This article, co-written by a doctoral student at Ohio State University and a high school social studies teacher, explains a project that was conducted in an actual high school in Columbus, Ohio. The assignment was that students were supposed to moderate and record a debate on a global issue using a Meet the Press format, in which personalities holding different views exchange their ideas. One group of students chose the issue of climate change, and so they researched different people’s perspectives on the issue. Their research included the views of politicians, world leaders, CEO’s, scientists and authors. Then they wrote a script of questions and predicted responses as if those people were actually a part of a real news panel on climate change. The last step was recording their scripts, creating the podcast and then putting it on the school's social studies homepage.
What are the benefits of using podcasts in the classroom? There are many benefits to using podcasts in the classroom. First of all, it tests student’s knowledge of technology and challenges them to work cooperatively with their peers to create a finalized product. Students who have never used such technology before have the opportunity to try it out, and those that have are able to become more proficient in their usage. A second benefit is that after the podcast is posted to the school website, it allows the parents to see their child’s work and academic growth. Also, other teachers, school staff members and community members are able to observe the student’s learning and personal involvement in understanding complex global issues. A third benefit is that it allows the students to feel like what they accomplish as assignments in the classroom can actually affect the outside world. Others may see their project and feel motivated to act in regards to global problems. A fourth and final benefit to using podcasts in the classroom is that it allows students to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction in their work. Knowing that they worked so hard on something and then having it displayed in their community and the global society can give them such a sense of joy and fulfillment.
How could teachers use podcasts in their classrooms?
I think teachers could create interdisciplinary projects using podcasts that incorporate many of the different school subjects a student might be taking. For example, the English, Science and Technology teachers at a high school could cooperate to make a project using podcasts that involves scientific writing and technology. This project would apply to all three classes in different ways, and would receive grades on different components according to their subject area. This would allow the students to see the connection between different subjects and how their comprehensive knowledge of many subjects can be used to create a final product.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Journal 1: "Computing in the Clouds"- NETS 3 and 5
Johnson, Doug. (2009).Computing in the Clouds. International Society for Technology in Education, 37(4), pg. 1-7. Retrieved February 3, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/DecemberJanuaryNo4/Computing_in_the_Clouds.htm
In this article, the author Doug Johnson explains this new phenomenon of “cloud computing”. Cloud computing is based on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers so a person can access their work on any computer at any time. Cloud computing eliminates the stress of having to save your document that you are working on to a flash drive or sending it as an attachment to yourself in an email. The author discusses how cloud computing could be used in schools and what the benefits of using cloud computing might be. He introduces the many types of documents or tasks that can be accomplished using cloud computing, such as email, web searching, word processing, photo editing and storage and school specific tasks. Towards the end of the article, Johnson addresses the frequently asked questions that people may have about using such a new technological resource and what his predictions are about its future usage in the educational system.
Is cloud computing something that schools with a limited budget could use in the classroom? Yes, the author definitely advocates the usage of cloud computing for schools struggling with financial difficulties. Throughout the article, Johnson was pushing the idea that it would be more cost efficient for schools to use cloud computing. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with his viewpoint because extra expenses would be involved in making the switch to cloud computing (such as training workshops teaching teachers on how to use it effectively or requiring parents to provide a $250 net book computer for their child, etc). Johnson may like using it, but there is no guarantee that teachers or students will find it more useful than having hard copies of work.
Is this something I could see myself using as a future educator? Well, I am always a little distrustful of putting my information out there on the internet or cyberspace because I am always concerned with who may or may not have access to it. However, I have to admit it would be nice not to have to bring my USB key with me everywhere to save my work, or to be able to access whatever I am working on at the moment on any computer. So I think I may use cloud computing when I am a teacher in a limited amount by having web-based grade books that I can access anywhere. However, cloud computing would not take the place of my old-fashioned tangible copy of the grade book, just in case the computer does decide to flip out or crash or something. I tend to be skeptical about keeping all my files solely on the computer, so I would probably use a combination of cloud computing and hardcopies of important files and documents.
In this article, the author Doug Johnson explains this new phenomenon of “cloud computing”. Cloud computing is based on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers so a person can access their work on any computer at any time. Cloud computing eliminates the stress of having to save your document that you are working on to a flash drive or sending it as an attachment to yourself in an email. The author discusses how cloud computing could be used in schools and what the benefits of using cloud computing might be. He introduces the many types of documents or tasks that can be accomplished using cloud computing, such as email, web searching, word processing, photo editing and storage and school specific tasks. Towards the end of the article, Johnson addresses the frequently asked questions that people may have about using such a new technological resource and what his predictions are about its future usage in the educational system.
Is cloud computing something that schools with a limited budget could use in the classroom? Yes, the author definitely advocates the usage of cloud computing for schools struggling with financial difficulties. Throughout the article, Johnson was pushing the idea that it would be more cost efficient for schools to use cloud computing. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with his viewpoint because extra expenses would be involved in making the switch to cloud computing (such as training workshops teaching teachers on how to use it effectively or requiring parents to provide a $250 net book computer for their child, etc). Johnson may like using it, but there is no guarantee that teachers or students will find it more useful than having hard copies of work.
Is this something I could see myself using as a future educator? Well, I am always a little distrustful of putting my information out there on the internet or cyberspace because I am always concerned with who may or may not have access to it. However, I have to admit it would be nice not to have to bring my USB key with me everywhere to save my work, or to be able to access whatever I am working on at the moment on any computer. So I think I may use cloud computing when I am a teacher in a limited amount by having web-based grade books that I can access anywhere. However, cloud computing would not take the place of my old-fashioned tangible copy of the grade book, just in case the computer does decide to flip out or crash or something. I tend to be skeptical about keeping all my files solely on the computer, so I would probably use a combination of cloud computing and hardcopies of important files and documents.
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