Inquiry Question Reflection

Completing this task actually did not take as much effort as I expected, especially because I didn't wait until the last minute to complete it. Since this task was given midway through the semester, I was given enough time to complete it without rushing. There was a lot of information needed to complete the task but as long as an interesting topic was chosen, it wasn't that bad. The topic I decided to choose was interesting to me and related to my future career which is why I didn't mind all of the research and actually found much of the information interesting and fun to look at. The hardest part about doing this task was completing the screencast, simply because I hate recording my voice. The one part of this task that took the longest was the annotated bibliography and finding sources.

The value in completing this task was to pick a topic that was interesting to us and research it and decide the best practices. I also think that this task was based on having to create and update our own wiki. Doing this assignment gave me experience needed to create a wiki. The knowledge I gained from this experience is what I will use in my future teaching in my classroom. Now that I understand how to maintain a wiki I will be more comfortable using it in my future.

This task will impact my future teaching because I now know how to use a wiki. I will use the knowledge from this assignment and use it in my future teaching. Through this task I have also learned new ways of using technology with students with autism. Each of the three best practices I used for my wiki will be incorporated into my future classroom.

Final Post

Today we started off our day by wrapping up the ideas we have learned throughout the year and implicate them into an activity Dr. Boyer presented us with: We are now a teacher and have his daughter in our class, what are three ways I would use technology in the classroom?

1. I would create a wiki. I would maintain this wiki daily and update it with information about what we have covered in class throughout the day. I would have my students decide what the "big ideas" of the day were and record those on the wiki. I would also include pictures and videos of my students. I would also use the wiki to keep in contact with parents, keeping the line of communication open. I would also post assignments and notes for students who are absent.
2. I would use a SMARTBoard. In my class I would create interactive lessons using the SMARTBoard so the students would be able to have a hand-on learning experience.
3. I would have my students keep a blog. By creating a blog and maintaining it throughout the year students are able to record ideas they have learned throughout the year and look back on what they have learned and reflect upon their experiences in my class. Students would also be able to blog about their feelings and keep it as a journal.

After this Dr. Boyer wrapped up the class, talked about a few final homework items, asked for questions, and gave us his final ideas for our futures as teachers.
My ideas about using technology in the classroom has changed a bit over the semester. Prior to this class I felt as if technology was "taking over" our students minds and that they were relying on it for everything. After this class, I feel as if many different technologies are a good way of getting students involoved in their own learning. Students are now able to take their education into their own hands and take control. There are tools that gives students the ability to expand of their current knowledge. Technology gives students the option to learn everyday, outside of school, and even after they are done with traditional schooling. I now view technology as a life-long learning tool.

iRLO Relfection

Creating my iRLO was very time consuming. The process of figuring out how to construct my iRLO took the longest. It was very difficult to figure out how to put all of the pieces together. This took a while to figure out and when I finally thought I had it figured out, there seemed to be a glitch. What seemed to have helped me a lot was watching tutorials on YouTube about iRLO's. I also met with Dr. Boyer for some help and after that it soon came together quickly. This assignment seemed to take over my life, I was soon overtaken by this assignment and I became a perfectionist. When this assignment was completed I felt really good about my final product.

I could use iRLO's in my future teaching in many ways. Since I am planning on teaching in a special education classroom I would mostly use an iRLO I have created for my students to practice their skills in a fun, game-like way. I think I would try to have some of my students create their own iRLO's. Creating and playing iRLO's created by you or someone you know is a fun way of working on skills.

PSA Reflection

Making our PSA was a really fun assignment. I am glad we were able to choose our partners to make our PSA with. Making our PSA did not take as long as I expected. Overall planning and filming this assignment took only about 2-3 hours split up into 2 nights of work. I did not exert too much effort in this task. My group chose to do our PSA on cyber-bullying which is a very hot topic in today's society which is why we chose this subject. Cyber-bullying is a serious matter and can be prevented. My group's goal for our PSA was to spread the word about cyber-bullying and help prevent these occurrences from happening.

This PSA could be useful to me as a teacher because I can show my students a number of PSA's that have already been made by others and then have them make their own. A good idea would be to have students in the school make their own "anti-bullying" PSA's to share with the school. This would be a way to spread the world to all of the students that bullying is not right. Students would give facts as well as give prevention tips for students.

Exit Slip 12/02/10

To start off the day we watched a video clip about a teacher in Canada who uses technology in her classroom. I few ways she used it in her classroom were using a SMARTboard, laptops, online daily blogs, as well as online collaborative projects. Next, we collaborated as a group and discussed ways she used technology in her classroom and all of the advantages that come along with technology. Lastly, we put our list under 3 different categories: what we were able to do before technology, what we couldn't do before technology, and what was improved due to technology.

After that discussion, we numbered off into 7 groups and read about something "brilliant" that technology has to offer, and one "mistakes" teachers could make while using technology. We then got into a group of 4 with the others who read about the same thing and we brought our ideas together about the reading. After this we "lettered off" in groups of A,B,C, and D then got into those groups and shared with our groups about all of the readings.

Next, we came back together as a group and Dr. Boyer wrapped up the class period.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 10 Reflection

In today's generation students rely on and use technology for almost everything, including education, personal interests, communication, and the list goes on. Chapter 10 of our text recaps the entire book in one chapter. This chapter pulls all of the main ideas and concludes the book by stating how technology impacts us as educations, as well as our future students. The chapter first recaps why technology is important in learning. Technology is being used in a way to help our students learn by using games, and we present our information using SMARTboards in the classroom. Distance education is also becoming more and more popular among students. Distance learning gives students the ability to interact with students from across the world on common interests. Technology gives people the ability to be lifelong learners, where education is not complete after the 12th grade making it possible to learn throughout your lifetime. Technology gives students the option for non-traditional schooling such as home schooling. People are able to be learners in the workplace learning where technology is used to train and educate employees throughout their career. Businesses are turning to virtual games where the employees are given different situations with virtual customers. Technology gives people the motivation to learn what they want and what they are interested in. Students are being encouraged to explore their interests for themselves and take control of their learning. By students taking control of their own learning, they are preparing themselves for their future careers. Students are able to focus on areas that will benefit them in the future as employees.

This book has opened my mind has influences me to think outside of the box. Prior to learning this book I had thought that educating our future students should be done in the same manner as I was taught growing up. I have come to realize that although I feel as if there are some areas of education where technology should be drifted away from, many and most of the areas of education should use technology. In the next generation of workers, almost all of their careers will be focused on or around technology. Students should be comfortable with using technology and should be up to date with the current technology. As teachers we also need to stay updated. Since technology is always changing and improving, we as educators need to be educated as well. Although I now see many pros to using technology, I still stick by some of my feeling about technology. I believe that students need to know communication skills. This generation of students is depending on technology to communicate, using social networking sites such as facebook, myspace, and twitter. As educators, we need to stress the importance of face to face communication as well as make sure students master some of the "old school" ways of education, such as penmanship and reading out of a textbook. There are many opinions about using technology in education, and there is no correct answer to this issue, but whatever it is that makes you feel like you are doing the best possible job as an educator is the method you should stand by.

Contemporary Issues Podcast Reflection

For my Podcast I used an article I found on CNN.com, click here for the article. I also used lead in and lead out music from http://www.incompetech.com/. Lastly, my sound effect came from the website Cartoon Sound Effects. My podcast was submitted to the Dropbox on D2L.

I spent a lot of time creating this podcast. Since I have never done a podcast before and have no prior experience working with Audacity, I had to spend a long time trying to figure out how to use the program. I also spend a bit of time searching for an interesting article. The easiest part of making this podcast was writing the script. The hardest part was recording myself because the audio was really scratchy and would cut in and out at random times. This was frustrating because I could never record a clip without the audio skipping slightly. I ended up just accepting that my computer was not the best for recording podcasts.

After finally completing this podcast I have realized that I would never really use this in my classroom for a recording of contemporary issues, but it might be useful as a tool to record class lessons, activities, or projects. Podcasts would be useful to post online for the students to recap what was done in class both that day and throughout the year. As a future elementary school teacher I could see podcasts being more beneficial for parents. It would be a cool tool to use for teachers to post a podcast online for students to listen to. Parents would listen to in class activities as well as being informed of what was accomplished throughout the day at school.

"Rethinking Edcation" Ch. 9 Reflection

Chapter nine of "Rethinking Education" talked about what technology means in the lives of today's generation of children. Children are turning to technology to learn more about topics they are interested in and parents and teachers need to be aware of what and how our students and children are looking into outside of school and home. Children are now becoming more educated a knowledgeable about technology can their parents and teachers. One way of decreasing the literacy gap between parents and their children is for parents to understand what their child is using these technologies for. Most often the parents are the ones who provide a number of technologies for their children but have little to no clue what they are used for or how to use them. Parents need to take action and become familiar with new technologies. It is recommended for parents to pick up their child's video game controller and have their child teach them how to use it and how to play the game. Parents should also get an instant messenger account, whether it is on their cell phone or on the computer so they are able to connect and communicate with their child. Many children in today's culture would much rather send a short text message as a way of communicating rather than picking up a phone and using it to make a phone call. Parents should also encourage their child to join online communities where they are able to interact and communicate with others with the same interests. Children are very unique and open minded and might come up with an idea that an adult might never think about. By joining online communities and blogging students are able to gain skills that might be useful in their future careers. In today's society jobs are being created based on technology; years ago these jobs would have not existed. By using technology students are preparing themselves for their future career, even if the career field is currently non-existent. Our children and students are creating jobs for their own futures.

As a future teacher I would encourage my students to share their knowledge on technology with both myself as well as their parents. In today's culture our children seen to be much more knowledgeable when it comes to technology than teachers and parents and it is important for us to all get on the same page. As a teacher I would also be curious about different technologies my students are using and test them out for myself. I now understand that the technologies our students are using are creating jobs for their futures. I would like to test out different games to see which ones I feel are the most valid for my students to use. Because in today's culture it would be near difficult to pull a student away from video games, I would use my knowledge to suggest certain games for them to use, where they can gain as many skills as possible from the game. Because technology is pulling students away from books and board games I would purposely assign some homework assignments that require reading a book and doing other homework without using technology. Something I found surprising in this chapter was that by students joining gaming communities, video games can actually improve one's vocabulary by providing opportunities to develop new sources of vocabulary in useful ways. This chapter has made me realize that rather than fighting our children and students to move away from technology, we as parents and teachers should learn from them and then connect with them by using the technology they use.

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 10/Epilogue Reflection

The read/write web had drastically changed the world of education. Students are able to find literally anything and everything they are interested in on the web. This creates the idea of lifelong learning. What used to fill the backpacks of students are now easily accessible on the web. Students are able to share their work with an unlimited audience and receive feedback from others. Teachers can use technology to assign projects. Projects used to consist of a large piece of construction paper using markers to fill out the appropriate information. In today's age of technology, teachers are able to assign projects that can be done on the computer which gives students the ability to creatively use text, picture, graphics, video, audio, and other types of media to demonstrate their knowledge on a particular topic. Students are also able to connect with others with the same interests as them. Technology creates bonds and connections between people, even with those they have never met. Students are able to access the web at anytime, anywhere, which leads us to the idea of 24/7 learning. Now that students are able to learn anywhere and everywhere, the school day does not only consist of 8 hours, 5 days a week. The read/write web has the ability to open up many doors for both our future students as well as ourselves as educators and exploring these options will benefit both you and your students.

As a result of this text I am now a more creative thinker when it comes to being a future teacher. Prior to this reading I felt as if the standardized traditional schooling is the way to go but after reading about the many perks and tools when using technology I have found myself with a different mind set about using technology in the classroom. I have finally realized that there is no correct answer to using technology as an educator. After completing this book I have finally understood where I stand with this whole debate. I have shifted from the skeptic’s side to the middle, between the skeptics and advocates. I will defiantly implement technology into my classroom but make sure that my students don't depend on it for everything. I still believe that knowing mental math is important without using a calculator as well as knowing simple facts without having to look it up on the web. I will stress to my students how to properly use technology, stressing the fact that not everything you read is true, and not everyone you meet is a good person and you can't be naive. Overall this book has made me rethink where I stand with technology and has given me great ideas about how to effectively use it in my classroom.

Screencast Link and Reflection

http://www.screencast.com/users/knick938/folders/Default/media/8fbe1b73-0c0e-4f16-b294-eb75cbe333b6


Reflection:
I exerted a lot of effort into this task. I probably stressed about this project more than I should have. It took a lot of time to become familiar with the website I was doing a SWAT analysis of. I had never even heard of "Glogster" before this assignment so much of my time was just simply trying to figure out what the program had to offer and how to use it. I feel as if I totally over thought this project and when preparing for the recording I found myself being unable to meet the time requirement- not because I couldn't meet 5 minutes, but because I was going WAY over. I also found it really frustrating and difficult to record the screencast without any errors and the most frustrating part is that when a mistake was made I had to redo the entire screencast rather than just editing the piece. It was also hard to get comfortable with recording my own voice. After numerous amounts of mistake ridden recordings, I finally felt some comfort and was able to get a final recording. I thought that creating this screencast was very difficult but overall will benefit me in my teaching career.

Creating this screencast has overall benefited me as a future teacher because I have learned a new tool to use in my classroom and now have been able to experiment with it a bit. I have also learned how to do a SWAT analysis, which I have never done before. Not only have I learned how to use Jing for creating a screencast, I have also learned how to use Glogster, both in which I will implement into my future classroom. Overall I feel the most beneficial aspect of this project was getting used to talking, and hearing myself talk into a microphone. Before this project I was totally uncomfortable with hearing a recording of my voice but now after experimenting with Jing I am more comfortable.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 8 Reflection

Chapter eight of "Rethinking Education" gives readers a better idea of how we are trying to effectively bring together the best of the old and new ways of education. In today's culture students spend upwards of six hours each day watching television, playing video games, using the internet, instant messaging, emailing, and other media. This media dominates the lives of our learners which is why researchers are trying to link the worlds of media and learning so that students are able to learn while interacting with the different types of media used in their daily lives. One new approach of bringing these two worlds together is to establish a set of credentials that students would be able to learn either on the computer or by trained professionals. Students would be able to be certified in specific areas where the content will be narrowly focused. Being certified with a particular credential will show a learner’s expertise in specific skills. Unlike a diploma where students take particular classes based on their grade level, students being certified with credentials will be arranged in classes based on their interests and future goals. Students being certified with credentials will be able to decide when they are comfortable taking an assessment to be certified. This is much different from a standardized school setting where the testing date is arranged by the instructor. Students seeking out a particular career will be expected to be certified with a number of specific credentials related to that job. Another new approach is using video games to educate students. Games such as Civilization, The Sims, and Railroad Tycoon are all games in which students are able to learn. These games educate our students and they are able to interact with specific jobs and real life scenarios. Students are able to learn leadership skills from games such as SWAT 4, Full Spectrum Warrior, and World of Warcraft are all games that can give players the chance to develop tactical skills along with leadership skills. Course management systems such as Desire2Learn and Blackboard are all programs that help students and teaches stay organized and connected. Using these programs students are able to check and post homework assignments, engage in discussions, and connect with other students as well as their teacher. All of these new ideas in education are bringing the old and new world of education together.

This reading has given changed how I feel about standardized education to an extent. I found myself agreeing with a lot of the points about being certified in credentials. This seems to be a good idea because then each career has specific content that needs to be mastered for the job. After mastering all of the different concepts and content of the job one will be an expert when it comes to the career. Students are also able to go at their own pace to make sure they have completely understood the content before moving on rather than being forced to move along before the concept is mastered. This idea of credentials also gives students the ability to focus on specific goals and interests of theirs which will keep the students interested and inspired to learn the content because they will be interested in it. Although this seems like such a great idea, I also have thought about whether students will be able to purposely bypass the material and content they have no interest in learning but could benefit one in one’s future. This also brings up another thought that what if students change their mind about their career. Rather than just being able to make a career change, people will need to go through a list of credentials before being able to have a career in a different field. Before this reading I was also not a huge fan of video games, but after reading this chapter I feel as if it can be beneficial to a students learning if the proper video game is chosen. This reading has also made me think about using programs such as D2L for learning. I had never thought about using it outside of a University setting, but it makes me think about whether it could be beneficial in an elementary classroom. I think that if used correctly it could be used but for more simple tasks than we use here at UWSP. Overall this chapter has made me think about the new ideas of education and how I would be able to implement them into my own future classroom.

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 9 Reflection

In today's culture social networking is common among almost everyone. In my own personal experience, I am aware that every one of my friends has Facebook and that almost every student at my University as Facebook or some kind of social networking site. In July of 2009 Facebook was growing by about 700,000 memberships PER DAY, totaling in close to 250 million memberships. Social networking is a way to keep people connected to one another whether it's keeping one connected to their family, classmates from high school, someone they have met once, to even those they have never met. Social networking is also becoming popular among a wide age range. Children as young as elementary school are becoming social networking users all the way up to our grandparents whom are becoming familiar with social networking and becoming users as well. Although a predicted 90 percent of schools block social networking sites such as Facebook, students are able to use social networking as a self-directed, peer-based learning. It is understood that students are able to engage in inappropriate behavior on these types of sites. This reading has given me a better understanding on how to use Facebook in my future classroom. The reading makes it clear that Facebook should be used in the classroom for "interest-based" rather than "friendship-based" purposes. I have learned that it is also important to have valid and appropriate reasons to back up your decision to use a site such as Facebook in your classroom. It is important to get your principal, supervisors, as well as the parents to your students all on board with your decision.

After this reading I have gained a better understanding of how to appropriately use a social networking site such as Facebook in the classroom. First and foremost it is important to make it an understanding to your students that this is only being used for educational purposes rather than friendship-based purposes. It is important to get everyone on board with your decision to use this site and have a clear argument on why you are using it. When using Facebook in your classroom it is important to make a group and have a private setting on that group so only those in the class are able to join and contribute. In most cases using an online interactive class discussion can help all students, even the shy and quit students, feel comfortable in participating in class discussion without feeling embarrassed. In my own opinion this is a great way of including all students into class participation but I think that it can also be hurtful in your class for two main reasons. One concern is that students might depend and rely on only answering online and never step up in class to answer or talk. Students will rely on answering in ways they feel most comfortable and never step out of their box and become comfortable discussing in person. Another reason that using social networking in the classroom is bullying. Over the past few years this has become a serious problem among young students. Students are able to feel bold and say things to students online that they would never say face to face. Overall this reading has given me a better idea of how to use social networking in the classroom and how to make sure it is appropriate.

Exit Slip #8

In today's class we started off by talking about our delicious accounts. Dr. Boyer gave us an idea of where we should be at with our account. He then pulled up an example of a student's account as a demonstration of what ours should ultimately look like. We then moved on to the presentation. My group presented chapter 7 of our text "Rethinking Education". Miriah, Jessica, and I guided a discussion with the class on the gains and losses of technology in the classroom. Overall, I felt pretty good about our presentation although I would have changed a few things. After we were done presenting Dr. Boyer gave us feedback on how we did. He, as well as I noticed myself saying  a few "uhms" we also noticed that the set up of the room made it difficult for us to move around and see what the groups were talking about. One last thing I would do differently is making sure we had a clear ending to our presentation which is another thing Dr. Boyer commented on.

Next, we went to Ellumination which was an interesting website that I ended up adding to my delicious account. We then talked about our podcasts and Dr. Boyer gave us a better idea of what is expected. We went over a few technical tools with our podcasts and had a few questions answered. Finally, at the end of class Dr. Boyer wrapped up by showing us our homework expectations of the week in detail.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 7 Reflection

Chapter seven of our text talks about what could be lost due to technology and what could be gained due to technology. There are many different opinions when it comes to the growth of technology in today’s culture. Some argue that we depend on technology too much, and others say we don't use it enough. Neither answer is correct, but the debate over technology is heated, especially when it comes to our children's education. In our reading the text portrays both sides of the argument: the skeptic’s side and the advocate’s side. The skeptic’s side argues that we will lose our sense of community and social skills due to technology. Studies show that home computer users result in loneliness and depression. The study also shows that communication between family members decreases along with your role in society. These home computer users lose their social skills and rely on the internet for communication. The skeptics also argue that because of technology the gap between the rich and the poor is expanding. Wealthy families are able and willing to spend money in order for their child to be a step ahead of the less fortunate students. These families are willing to buy tutors, laptops, software, private schooling, prep courses for the SAT or ACT, or even building or buying a house in a particular school district with elite schools. On the other side of the argument is the advocate side. These advocates see technology as a way of making education more engaging and interesting. Because of technology a learner is able to "customize" their learning experience by directing it what they want to learn. The student is able to pursue topics they are interested in and focus on them more than other topics they aren't interested in.  Another thing we can gain from using technology for learning is that we are able to access that information anytime and anywhere. The eight hour school day is not the time limit that limits us to our education, with technology we are able to learn anywhere at anytime. Students are also in charge of their own learning which makes the student responsible for their own education. The advocates also state that by using technology for learning, it will diminish the competitive nature of a typical classroom setting. Students will not feel pressured by the success of their classmates nor feel inferior to them due to grades or capabilities.

After reading this text I have come away with a new perspective on both sides of the debate. I feel as if I stand in the middle of this one. Both sides of the debate have valid points as well as a few "out there" points such as when the critics state that home computer users develop depression and when the advocates state that a competitive educational environment can result in students using drugs. Overall, I feel that it important as an educator to stress the fact that each student should do what’s best for them. Everyone learns different and sometimes home schooling is better than a traditional schooling, and for some students it’s the other way around. Educators should let their students be individuals and do what works best for them.

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 8 Reflection

In chapter 8 of our text talks about three technologies on the rise: podcasts, video and screening, and live streaming. Each of these technologies have been becoming more and more popular everyday. Podcasts is one of the most well known new technologies. Podcasts give everyday people the opportunity to talk about topics they are interested about and gives millions of others the chance to listen. With the use of an MP3 player people are able to listen to recordings, radio shows, TV shows, and a wide variety of other sources. Podcasts are rapidly moving into educational settings. This is not hard to believe because there are a number of benefits that come along with podcasting. One benefit is that educators are able to record their lecture and post them for their student’s access. This way, if students are absent from school they can easily catch up on the material they missed, or even if a student simply spaces out in class they are able to look back on their lecture to hear certain bits and pieces they may have missed. Another benefit to podcasting is that students are able to subscribe to different educational videos. With both of these podcasting options, one is able to listen at their own convenience, whether they are working out, or doing chores around the house. The next step up from podcasts is video publishing and screen casting. Both video and screencasting give the user the ability to put audio and video together. Finally, the most unexplored multimedia publisher is live streaming. This gives teachers and students the ability to basically make their own television show online for others to watch. All of these technologies are on the rise and are becoming more and more popular in the classroom environment.

As a result of this reading I have learning a lot of new information about these technologies. Being a new learner to all of these technologies I have been given a better understanding of how to use them and how to implement them into my classroom. I have now thought about podcasting and how it could benefit my students to be able to go back into my lecture and be able to re-listen to it, possibly picking up on things they missed the first time around. Video and screencasting would be useful to post for both my students and their parents, so they are able to see different activities going on in class. I felt like live streaming was a bit confusing and is a very new concept but could also be useful to parents to see what is going on in the classroom. All of these technologies are very similar but each has their own individual qualities. Using these technologies in the classroom would be beneficial not only to the students but would also be beneficial to their parents as well.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 6 Reflection

Chapter 6 of "Rethinking Education" talks about the different eras of education and the changes that have come along with the shift in how we are being educated. In the early era of education it was the duty of the parents to educate their children and prepare them for their future career. When the responsibility switched from the parents to the state, the state was now in charge of educating the students and determining which content should be taught. We are now trying to switch the responsibility of the state back to the parents. With advanced software, technology is now able to teach the students and parents are now able to decide which software to purchase for their child's academic needs. In the early era adult learners were taught at home from apprenticeship where the student observes a family member at their job. In the second era young students learned by didacticism at school and now in the third era mixed-aged students are able to learn anywhere by using interactive technology.

As a future teacher I will take in consideration the SCANS report of 1991 which states that students must know five core competencies to be prepared for work in the 21st century which include identifying and organizing resources, interpersonal abilities (working with others), acquiring and using information, understanding complex interrelationships (systems), and working with a variety of technologies. In my teaching I will stress all of these competencies as well as a number of others. I will also encourage my students to use a non-traditional way of education that works for them such as buying different software or videos for learning. I will also stress the fact that if they are interested in something there are a number of different ways to learn the content by using technology or different resources- learning never ends, we are always learning. Education is always changing and is always being improved by technology and as a future teacher I will need to be able to adapt to the changing world of technology and education.

Exit Slip #6

In today's class a group presented on chapter five which was about alternative learning environments and options. We were split up into groups depending on a color square you were given which was an interesting and different way from what we are usually grouped. Each small group was given an alternative way of learning and we discussed pros and cons and then shared them in the big group. I felt as if this group had prepared their lesson very well. After the lesson Dr. Boyer had us reflect on the groups presentation and we came up with pros and cons on the SMARTboard. Unlike the previous groups that have presented, this group had a large number of pros and only had a few cons.

Dr. Boyer then switched the class discussion to talking about our iRLO. Dr. Boyer first had us download Scratch to our computers. This was helpful for me because I know now how to do it on my computer at home. He then walked us through how to start building your characters and the items in your Scratch which are called "sprites". Dr. Boyer also brought up a good point about our Scratch being developmentally appropriate; I had thought about the content being developmentally appropriate but had not thought about other skills young children need for this program such as their fine motor skills. After getting an idea of how to use this program I feel more comfortable about this project. I am actually excited to create this Scratch because this is something that I will use in my future teaching!

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 7 Reflection

Chapter 7 of our text describes a number of different ways to use Flickr in the classroom. Prior to this reading I had not thought about using a photo posting site for anything other than personal use. This reading has made me think about other interesting and fun ways to use this technology in the classroom such as using it to document everyday activities, special school events, field trips, or even student's work for all to see. Another interesting idea I got after reading this was posting different pictures to see and have the students blog about different feelings or ideas they have about the pictures. I think it is neat that there is a tool to add comments to the pictures. When using Flickr there are different security measures you can set in place for privacy of your classroom. This is something very important to consider when setting up an account on Flickr. As a teacher you need to take in consideration the privacy of your students. I think it would be important to send a permission slip at the beginning of the year asking parents for permission to post pictures of their children on the Flickr account if their child is a minor.

In my classroom I would definitely use a site such as Flickr to post pictures of different activities for the parents, students, and community to see. It is important for parents to see what their child is doing during the school day and this is an easy way to show what is being accomplished. I also think it is neat that you can use google maps combined with Flickr and see all of the different photos that were taken in that particular place by using "Tags". This would be fun to use when talking about a specific place in the world during a lesson to see actual pictures of people in that location. I would also consider posting the work of my students and having other classmates blog about their work. To keep everything appropriate I would closely monitor the account and make sure that everything posted and commented on is staying appropriate.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 5 Reflection

Chapter 5 of “Rethinking Education” stresses that fact that we are no longer only being education from K-12, but rather being educated throughout our lifetime. The text gives us a different idea of learning as well as alternative ways of being educated rather than going to a traditional school setting. In today’s age home schooling is on the rise and more and more students are leaning towards this system of education. In fact, students who are being home schooled do better on standard assessments than students going to school in a traditional school setting. The text explains that the test results have nothing to do with gender, subject, nor their parent’s level of education. The idea of distance learning was also talked about. I think this is a very interesting new way of education. By using distance learning students with common interests are able to talk about subjects with one another from all around the country, sometimes even world. By doing this students are able to get a number of different perspectives from those of a different culture. The text also talks about “Workplace learning” where businesses are using technology for both training programs and to keep their employees up to par with their skills working with customers. An example of one of these technologies consists of virtual games where customers come in and make requests or ask questions. I think this is a very beneficial way to keep the minds of your employees refreshed on their skills. I think that this new idea of lifelong learning is beneficial to all of society because we don’t stop learning after we graduate, we are able to learn new concepts everyday and since technology is constantly being upgraded, our knowledge has to be updated as well.

As a result of this reading I will demonstrate to my students that they will never stop being educated, even after they graduate. Students need to be open to learning throughout their entire life and in learning in nontraditional ways. I will inform my students about different ways of learning as well. After this reading I think that students should be informed of distance learning. This idea was so interesting to me and students can get so many different perspectives from people from all different backgrounds and ways of life. I will also give my students ideas on how to make their video game playing an educational experience and offer games that might benefit them rather than corrupting their minds. I believe the most important idea I plan on getting across to my students is that they have options- if traditional schooling isn’t working out for them, they can look to an alternative. I also will stress to my students that everyday is a school day and be prepared to learn something new.

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 6 Reflection

"Learning is a continuous conversation among many participants" as stated on page 86 of our reading. I felt as if this sentence was the most important of the reading. The entire chapter could be wrapped up into this one sentence. Chapter six of our reading focused on the social web where web users are able to reconnect with old friends, keep in touch with family, or create new connections with new people with common interests.

The text beings by talking about Twitter which is a “miroblogging” tool that is on the rise among web users. Using twitter can help people stay connected by "following" each other. A Twitter user posts short blog-like posts that can either simply update others on their where abouts to asking a complex question where others are able to give their input. I have also heard of Twitter being used by professors or teachers in their classroom for posting assignments and questions. One could also post their ideas about the assignments where other classmates could give the answer. I also think it would be very interesting for teachers to set up Twitter in their classrooms and be able to "follow" classrooms all around the world and see what others are doing. Twitter could also be used for teachers to stay connected and share their ideas with one another. In this reading social bookmarking was also brought up, such as what we use in Education 331: Delicious. The text explains how social bookmarking can be used and what it is good for. When finding a useful website one can add it to their Delicious account and use "tags" to keep their sites organized. A useful tool with having a Delicious account is that others are able to look through each others accounts to find websites that might also be useful themselves. Both Twitter and social bookmarking are useful for teachers as well as students to keep connected to one another.

I had never really thought about being a Twitter user before reading this chapter because I always thought it was somewhat of a creepy site where anyone can "follow" you and know your daily schedule. After reading this chapter I was surprised at how many different ways a teacher is able to use it in their classroom. In my classroom I will actually consider creating a Twitter account where I am able to post assignments for my students to see. I would also suggest to my students that they also create an account because they are able to see assignments as well as ask questions for either me to answer or in which their classmates can answer as well. I will defiantly set up my own Delicious account and encourage my students to do so as well. This way as a teacher I can get ideas of useful websites from other teachers, and my students are also able to get useful websites from one another and myself. Sharing ideas in learning and teaching is important, it helps us all stay connected to one another and by using Twitter and social bookmarking we are able to do so.

Exit Slip #5

Today we started off class by talking about our IWB lesson. A few misunderstandings about the assignment was made clear by Dr. Boyer which helped me a ton because prior to this I was a bit confused about what the expectations were for this assignment.

This week’s group presented chapter 4 from our text on the 4 main developments of American schooling: the Printing Press, The Reformation, the American Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution. We then did an activity where we split into groups and talked about the positives and negatives of compulsory attendance, graded schools, tests, textbooks, Carnegie units, and comprehensive high schools. I thought the discussion guides did a great job creating discussion throughout the classroom and involved the SMART board during their lesson, having each group come up and write their answer down. I thought the group did a great job with their lesson although I noticed that Trefor was doing most of the talking while the other girls had very little involvement in the presentation. Trefor did a great job encouraging deeper thinking from those answering the questions; he also did a great job restating comments. One more word of advice I would give to this group was to talk louder, throughout the lesson it was very hard to hear what was being said. Following the lesson presented by the group, like always, as a class we talked about what the group did well and what they could work on.

Lastly, we talked about designing our iRLO (interactive reusable learning object) which focuses on user control and gives feedback on the user’s progress. The program we will be using is called scratch. We were shown two different examples of former students who had created an iRLO- the donkey, and the fish. This program will be a fun way for students to practice their facts and skills.

IWB Lesson Reflection

For this lesson I exerted a lot of effort trying to find just the right lesson to plan. Once I decided on a lesson I checked on the SMART Exchange website and found a lesson that I thought suited my lesson perfectly. Although I found this website I thought it was difficult to make the lesson my own work because I found that my ideas of what I wanted in my lesson were very similar to the one I found. Being a first time user of the SMART board software, a large part of creating this lesson was the time it took to figure out all of the tools that the SMART board had to offer. There are so many tools to choose from but it takes a long time to explore these options. I also thought that the requirements for this lesson were not explained well which resulted in a lot of guessing on what was expected for this project.

As a result of this IWB lesson I have realized that creating these lessons are time consuming and take a lot of thought and preparation. Although creating a SMART board lesson may be time consuming the tools that are available are endless and can both make the lesson more interesting and interactive. I have also realized that by going on the website SMART Exchange you can find a number of different lessons that you can base your lesson around and get ideas from. There are also a number of options to use because all students learn differently. Because most students learn better by having a hands on activity this program is a huge asset in the learning process. In my future teaching I will defiantly use this program because I think it is a great interactive way to teach students, and it can also be fun for the students as well.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 4 Reflection

Chapter four in Rethinking Education has given us a better idea of how teaching and learning has evolved in America. This chapter also gives us a better account of how the different Revolutions have a major affect on how we are educating our students. The systems have been interchanged throughout the last few centuries of education. The initial system of education is called the apprenticeship system where the children are taught everything they know by those closest to them, such as their family or family friends. The children were taught by observation, guided practice, and trial and error. After using the apprenticeship system for a while, the responsibility of teaching was shifted from the family to the state when education was now under the universal schooling movement. During this movement students were taught content such as reading and writing by an instructor. This is different from the apprenticeship system because the children were now being taught other subject areas than just what they need to know for their future career. In day's generation I believe we are stuck in the universal education system but in need for change. Now that technology is widely available, it should slowly evolve us into more of an apprenticeship system because technology gives us the tools to customize our education to suit our individual futures.

As a result of this new thinking I will understand that since life is always changing and technology is always improving that the way we will educate our student will be changing as well. As a teacher I will need to adapt to the current system of educating our students and be open to educate my students in more way than one. After reading this chapter I have realized that there is a cycle of revolution in our education system and now that technology is evolving as well we have become more and more out of sync with what our students need to succeed both in and out of the classroom, but more importantly, for their futures. This means that we, as educators, need to help America get out of the universal schooling slump we have been in for the past decade and educate our students by using more of a apprenticeship style of educating.

Exit Slip #4

To begin the class a group presented Ch. 3 of our reading which was about technology skepticism. I found myself being very connected to this chapter and discussion because I, myself, find myself more on the skepticism side. I thought that it was nice to get out of our seats and discuss our thoughts with the others who agree with our perspective on technology. Although it was nice to get out of our seats, the activity was exactly like one we did a few weeks back. I think the group could have done a different activity with more creativity. After the presentation we went over a number of things the group did well as well as what they could have improved on.

Next, we went over each and every one of our technology inquiry questions. This helped me out a ton because it gave me a better idea of what is expected for this assignment. It shows how much Dr. Boyer cares about our success in this class. He could have just let us discovered on our own whether or not our questions are suitable for this project.

We then talked about the interactive whiteboard lesson for those in the class who want an A.  Dr. Boyer showed us a very neat lesson using the white board. He then showed us a few different tools when creating a lesson plan using the white board. There are so many possibilities when working with this program, the possibilities are endless!

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 5 Reflection

When looking at the title of Chapter 5 of our Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts text I was very confused as to what this chapter was going to be about considering I had never even heard of a "RSS" before. After reading the first few paragraphs I had realized that as a Facebook user, I could relate this somewhat to a "News Feed" on a Facebook page. This is an interesting, and very useful, tool to use when looking at blogs. RRS, along with the majority of the other technologies, is a way of making things faster and easier for both the educator and students. In today’s economy, time is money. Rather than searching through a mass amount of blogs, one is able to get all of the new blog posts from each of the blogs on one page. As a future teacher, using this tool in the classroom for either checking homework assignments or just checking blog posts will also save us a lot of time because we won't have to click through each and every student’s blog. By being able to subscribe to a blog, you are ensured to get the context you are looking for and interested in as well as having it scam free.

As a future teacher I will show the students how to use an RSS not only for school matters but also for their personal use as well. I think it would be interesting to use RSS and subscribe to a number of different news blogs and start off the school day by looking at and then talking about the different current events going on locally as well as around the world. I would also encourage my students to not only create one theme for their RRS but sort their RRS pages by putting them into different folders so they can be easily found. By having all of their subscribed material on one page, it would be hard to find the information you are looking for when a number of different topics are listed. Overall this is a very useful tool for both students and teachers to use, not only in the classroom but also for personal use.

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Ch. 4 Reflection

This chapter on Wikis has given me a better understanding of other ways to use a Wiki rather than just for "Wikipedia". Prior to reading this chapter the first thing that came to my mind when hearing the word Wiki was Wikipedia and the only thing I had known about Wikipedia was from what I had been told from previous teachers which was not to trust it as a source. This chapter has actually stated that Wikipedia is actually a reliable source and actually four out of five sites were proven to be legitimate by experts. This was surprising to me, but scary as well knowing that my future students could be looking at that one website that is unreliable. Other ways to use a Wiki is for students to post their work such as essays, audio, projects, and videos on a Wiki which makes it easy for their classmates to make comments or even edit their work. To prevent the students from deleting the Wiki or even posting inappropriate context, when using a Wiki in the classroom the text states that by giving the students more responsibility to maintain the site, the less misuse of the Wiki will take place. I had not thought of this until reading the text. I had always assumed that the teacher was the one who maintained the Wiki and kept it updated. After reading this text I can see how having the students maintain the Wiki could benefit the students by each contributing to their site. This reading has impacted my thoughts about Wikis because I now understand that there are more people out there that want to improve Wikis rather than abuse them. I also now understand that there is more to a Wiki than just the website "Wikipedia".

As a result of this new thinking after reading this chapter I will think of a Wiki in a deeper way than just thinking of it as having a Wikipedia. As a future teacher I will give a full explanation of what a Wiki is and how to use it. As a student I was always told that Wikipedia is an unreliable source and not to use it, but after reading this chapter I have a better understanding of how Wikis work and that not all Wikipedia sites are unreliable which is what I would tell my future students. By having the students post their work, multiple students are able to edit their work in an easy manner. Having a classroom Wiki is really an easy way of keeping the students involved in their work and contributing to one another’s work as well. I will also leave students to be in charge of maintaining the Wiki, giving them the responsibility of keeping it updated and clean.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 3 Reflection

I felt that chapter 3 of "Rethinking Education" was closely related to my opinion on a technology based classroom. Chapter 3 gave a skeptics point of view on using technology in the classroom. This chapter has made me realize why I feel strongly about keeping the traditional way of teaching and learning in the classroom.

The chapter starts out by talking about a few of the technologies that were told that they would change the way of teaching and learning such as the radio, television, and filmstrips. Although each of these technologies was supposed to change education, it was found that each of these technologies had little effect on the ways of the classroom. There are a number of barriers in using technology in the classroom. One of the biggest barriers is the cost. To provide enough computers in the classroom for each student would be costly. In today's classrooms there is about one computer for every five students and about 1:9 in urban districts. For computer to become central in the classroom there has to be at least one computer per student. There are also many hidden costs in providing enough computers for each student. Not only does the school need to pay to provide enough computers, there are also additional costs for maintenance and software. Space also becomes an issue when it comes to providing enough computers for each student. This chapter has just solidified my thoughts about technology in the classroom. The chapter gave statistics and theory behind why skeptics, such as myself, feel that technology should not be the main way of teaching and learning in a classroom.

After reading this chapter I have realized that I will teach my students that although technology can be helpful, they shouldn't rely on it in their future. In this chapter it states that technology can dilute the authority in the classroom. After reading this I have decided that I will make it clear to all of my students that I am the one in charge, and once they think that technology has more authority than the teacher that there will be consequences. The most important lesson I will teach my students after reading this chapter is that your teachers and peers can teach you things that no computer will ever be able to teach you, such as how to be a good person. From kindergarten on teachers have taught you how to play fair and be nice to one another and in the real world being a good person is truly what matters most.

331- Exit Slip #3

Today we started off the class by having the first group present a chapter to the class. The group presented chapter 2 of our reading. After they were done presenting we used the smart board and had a class discussion about what the group did well and what they could have done differently to improve their lesson. To me, the most interesting tip Dr. Boyer gave to us was how to introduce and conclude our presentations. His advice was to introduce the presentation by telling us what you're going to be talking about, then talk about what you want to talk about, and conclude the presentation by telling us what you told us.

Next, Dr. Boyer recapped our homework on "Google Advanced" and the tools it has to offer. He then gave us some ideas about our Inquiry project and how to decide what question to select for that project. To wrap up the day we went over some loose ends and were able to ask questions regarding class expectations and questions about our upcoming assignments.

"Rethinking Education" Ch. 2 Reflection

Reading chapter 2 of “Rethinking Education” has actually changed my perspective a bit regarding education in the classroom. Before reading this chapter I had a very strong opinion that technology made a teacher’s job more difficult and that the students would benefit from having a more traditional way of learning. This chapter has given a few examples that have made me think differently. The chapter states that we are using 19^th century teaching style to try and fulfill the needs of 21^st century children. The chapter also gives many examples of how technology can be beneficial for learning both in and outside of the classroom. Technology can be used to getting a tutor. This is a helpful tool but it the methods teachers use to solve particular problems can be very different. Some teachers prefer using one method over another, and likely the online tutor was maybe taught a different method to solve the problem which can clash with the teachers way of teaching. As stated in the chapter is that technology can also give immediate feedback which can help to correct their mistakes right away which leads to a better understanding and a quicker understanding. Technology can also help get a students work out on the internet for more than just the teacher and his or her classmates to see. The student is able to publish their work online for more viewers to see. The book does a good job of explaining how technology can be useful in the classroom and has made me open my mind to the possibilities of a technology oriented classroom.

As a result of this reading I will now consider using technology more in my classroom. This reading has made me think about ways I could, as a teacher, incorporate technology into my classroom in an interesting way. I first thought about pen pals. In the past we have used a paper and pencil to write to our pen pals and the post office to deliver our messages. Technology could make it possible to have pen pals from classrooms all across the world. Teachers could use Skype or even video messages to talk to various classrooms, and free of price. This chapter also made me think more about video games and think about them in a different manor. Although I do not agree with all video games, the text points out a few different games that can actually have the students apply their knowledge to everyday life. Unlike most other teachers I will explain to my students that I do not think all video games are bad, but will help my students pick out the appropriate games to play that can benefit their motor skills and pattern matching, social behavior and others. This chapter has helped me become more open to using technology in the classroom and has helped me brainstorm different ways to incorporate technology in the classroom that will be interesting for the students.

331- Exit Slip #2

After today's lecture I came away with a better understanding on both expectations for our chapter presentation as well as a better understanding of chapter one in our reading. Dr. Boyer presented chapter one of the reading and gave us a demonstration and tips on how to do our own presentations when time comes. I now understand that we are not supposed to just recap the chapter. He also gave us a website to use rather than using power point.

Today in class we also talked about a process to teach our students when looking online at websites and determining whether or not they are legitimate. A few tips I learned that I hadn’t already thought about was "trimming the URL" and most importantly "triangulation" which is comparing the information between websites.

What I thought was the most interesting about today's lecture was when we were given a set of questions and depending on whether we agreed or not we moved to different parts of the room. We got into groups with those we agreed with and discussed our opinions with the class. I liked this activity because we got to get up out of our chairs and move around. In my classroom I will also use activities where the students will be able to get up and move around. I think this is important because I will be working with elementary aged children who most likely have a hard time sitting behind a desk all day long.

At the end of the class Dr. Boyer gave us a short lesson on how to use the SMART board. The tools on this board are amazing and endless. There are so many fun tools that can be used to both keep the children interested and excited. I think by letting the students take turns by using the SMART board will be exciting for the students. The short instructional lesson will also help me in my Education 381 class where I am expected to present a lesson using the SMART board.

Overall, this class was interesting and insightful.

"Growing Up Online" Reflection

This story was chilling but all too familiar in today's technology oriented society. Children are turning to and relying on the internet to confide in people they think they can trust rather than talking about their problems with those closest to them. Children are shutting their parents out due to technology and some are living completely secret lives using the internet. These children are not only being bullied at school, and it continues the second they get home and log onto the internet, sometimes even trying to be someone they are not. The internet is also a place where children can bully others without having to look them in the eye which makes the comments all the more brutal. Technology can also be blamed for a students struggle academically. If the child is being bullied at home on the internet a lot of times they are going to be afraid to come to school or even have too many thoughts running through their mind to concentrate. It is sad that children are turning to the internet to confide in someone rather than talkin to those most important in their lives.

As a future teacher I think it is important to warn the children about bullying and cyber bullying and give them the honest truth using true stories such as the one in the video. It is important for the students to realize the seriousness of it and that it should not be tolerated. I would also tell my students that if they hear of any account where a student is being cyber bullied to tell a teacher or parent immediately so they can take action again the bully. It is important to make students feel comfortable and make sure that any report of bullying will be held completely anonymous if desired. It would also be a smart idea to place a box on every teachers desk where anyone can put a note in reporting bullying or any other statement they would like to keep anonymous. As a future teacher I would make myself available for any student to talk to me openly about anything that is going on in their life so they have someone to talk to rather than depending on the internet to confide in someone. Bullying should not be taken lightly and even the smallest reports of it should be taken seriously and acted upon immediately because one thing can lead to another and sometimes it ends up being too late.

Ch. 1-3 "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Reflection

"The possibilities are endless!" as quoted by Anne Davison page 25 of "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" when talking about using technology in the classroom. I agree with this statement completely. In this new age where technology is taking over, students are learning not only in the classroom, but are also learning more outside the classroom on their own time using technology such as ipods, internet, and even their cell phones. As stated in the text, this is the hardest time to get into the field of education because technology is changing everyday and teachers are struggling to both understand the current technology but also prepare to learn the new upcoming technology that hasn't been invented yet. It is also difficult because teachers are a step behind their students in learning this technology because our students are the ones growing up in this era and have been exposed to this technology since day one. This reading has made me realize that as a teacher we will always be learning something new and will never feel "ahead of the game". Also, when using technology such as wikis and blogs the students are not only learning inside the classroom, but continue to learn out of school hours. Another advantage to using blogs and wikis is that there are no more excuses for "I lost my homework" or "I didn't know that was due today".

As a result of this new thinking, as a future teacher I will do a few things differently. I will go about teaching my classroom using techniques and technologies the students are interested in and use outside of the classroom although not depend on it. By using technology they are familiar with and like using, the students will most likely be more interested in completing their homework. Using blogs and wikis, I will keep an updated blog to document activities, pictures, and homework for each of my students, and their parents to see. Through this text I received a better understanding of how to use blogs and wikis in the classroom and now understand the reason behind using this technology. Although I find this new information fascinating, I am still sticking to my gut when stating that I do not want to be a teacher who depends on technology to teach the students. One of the main reasons I have always wanted to be a teacher is to work hands on with my students and build relationships within the classroom, and I feel technology is taking away from that bonding experience.

Credible Website Procedure

Determining whether a website is credible or not is hard for all people, especially adolescents, who believe everything posted online is credible. I would first show my students that anybody can create their own website and put any information in them whether the information is correct or not. I would then pull up a non-credible website and state the obvious while looking at visual clues. If a page seems unprofessional, almost like a child's school project where there are smelling and grammar errors, the website is most likely not credible. The government or a credible source would hire a person whose job it would be to create the website and make it look professional, free of any errors.

I would then teach my students that when typing in a website; make sure that you are spelling the website correctly. Scammers take commonly misspelled companies or website names and make their website look identical to that of the actual website making people believe that they are on a legitimate website page when in actuality they are not. I would also tell my students to look for websites who are asking for personal information because chances are it is a website where scammers are looking to scam you because a credible website would not ask for personal information over the internet.

Also, check for the creator of the websites name, a postal address, e-mail address, and telephone number included in the website when looking at a company’s website. Another strategy to make sure of a websites credibility when searching for a website for a school research paper or project, go to your own school's library webpage, or even your city's public library and use a data base listen on their website such as BadgerLink, or EBSCOhost where they provide a number of different credible sources.

These are a few steps a teacher could take in providing their students with the proper information needed to make sure they are looking at a credible website in which all the information on the page is trustworthy.

Rethinking Education- Ch. 1 Reflection

The first chapter in "Rethinking Education" opened my eyes to a new way of teaching and learning that could possibly be solely based off of using technology in the classroom. As a current student myself, I have realized a few slight changes in incorporating technology into my classes, but nothing major. I have realized that professors are now using technologies such as the "Smart Board" for executing lectures or using "Twitter" for posting course assignments. After reading chapter one, as a future teacher I am somewhat nervous that technology will soon take over and student/teacher relationships and student/student relationships will no longer be important or even exist, worse yet, someday classroom teachers may no longer be needed. On the other hand, I think using new technology such as a Smart Board to replace old materials for teaching such as a chalkboard is a good idea because new technologies such as a “Smart Board” have many more tools that can be useful in a classroom. Another concern of mine is if a classroom were to fully rely on technology, when assigning nightly homework that is to be done using a computer, not every student's family is able to afford a computer, which means the student will not have access to a computer resulting in uncompleted homework. In my eyes, technology has one purpose for a classroom and that is to update outdated materials for teaching and learning, but to not take over.

As a result of this new thinking, I will stress the fact that the interaction between teacher/student and student/student is most important and technology is solely used as a tool to help get points across to students, but not rely on technology to teach the students. I will also not expect that each and every one of my students has access to a computer at home, which means most homework will be done "the old fashion way" by using a paper and pencil and if a rare situation comes up where they need access to a computer they are able to use the school computer lab to complete that assignment. I will also stress to my students that using technology is not a bad thing, but to be careful when using it because technology is not perfect and does have glitches. I also want to teach the students that technology has a purpose and will most likely be used in each of their professions but technology can and will not teach you people skills which are very important in someday having a career. Teaching students people skills is not only useful in their future jobs but important in everyday relationships with others.

Overall, chapter one in “Rethinking Education” was both an exciting and frightening chapter to read as a future teacher. It was exciting because new technology will aid as a tool in my classroom someday, but also frightening because if overused, the same technology might someday take over your classroom.

331- Exit Slip #1

Today in class we touched up on a few misunderstandings with the syllabus and other questions reguarding the class in general. A lot of my questions were answered in class both through questions I had asked, and through my other classmates questions.

We then talked about social bookmarking. This topic was confusing to me at first because prior to this class period I had never worked with, let alone even heard of this before. I have always used the tab "Favorites" to save my favorite, and useful websites on my computer before but today Dr. Boyer brought up a few good points that had never crossed my mind: "What if you are using a differend computer than your lap top, your favorites are only saved to one specific computer" or "What if your computer crashes?" Not only did the fact that I would be able to access my "delicious" account from any computer, I would also be able to start building up a list of my favorite, and most useful websites now before I'm a teacher so I can be fully prepared before getting hired. This website is also handy because it organizes the websites using "tabs" which are categories each website is put into.

I was also impressed with wiki. It is nice that each class can be documented by students in the class to clarify what was covered in class whether a student was absent for the day, or just briefly spaced out. I also thought it was a great idea that Dr. Boyer brought up that this would be a great resource for parents of students to look at to see what was covered in class for the day to reassure parents that the students are infact covering material during the day, dispite being told by their child that they didn't learn anything in class that day. Especially going into the field of exceptional education, which I am doing, the parents of the student with disabilities aren't always able to be told by their child what they did during the day which is why wiki is a good way of communicating to the parents of your students.

Overall today was a very productive day. I was able to get a few answered cleared up and I also learned two great ways of using technology not only now, but also someday when I am working in a classroom.

331- Digital Autobiography Link/Reflection

http://animoto.com/play/kPYFtUU8FcObzITqUKPZLQ

Reflection:

When first being assigned this assignment I was very excited and since I'm pretty familiar with technology, I figured it would be a breeze to complete. I also figured that since I was able to choose a topic I am interested in that it would make the project even easier. Turns out, choosing soccer for my topic made the project even harder, I then turned what could have been about an hour project into a five hour project, altering the slightest of details just so my digital autobiography was flawless and just the way I liked. The digital autobiography software I chose was very confusing and wouldn't allow me to add certain items I wanted in my video, such as my own audio and short video clips. Because of these complications I ended up exploring each and every aspect to all four programs offered which took up a large amount of time. Overall I exerted a lot of effort in this task, not only trying to make my digital autobiography flawless, but also trying to figure out each and every tool the program had to offer.

The value in completing this course task was not only to knock off an assignment from the "C contract", but also to show that I am able to put together a project using a given software program. One might be familiar with a particular program but not another and being a teacher, one needs to adapt to an unfamiliar programs. Another value in this project was to show how technology has evolved. Even a few years back introducing oneself to a class would have been conducted in a very different manner, and would probably have not been done using technology. With the technology we have access to in today's age we are able to use software with different programs to provide information in very advanced ways. Who knows what technology us future teachers will be using when introducing our class of students to one another.

This course task will impact my future teaching because I now fully understand that I need to be adaptable to different and new programs although they may be confusing at first. I also now understand that although two programs can result in a similar product, each program can offer very different qualities. I will also create assignments and projects for my students that will involve subjects that they are interested in. Through personal experiences, such as the digital autobiography I just completed, students do their best work, and try hardest on subjects they are interested in rather than something they are forced to write or do a project on. I also have learned through this project that there are many ways of incorporating lessons in the classroom that we can now use technology for, such as something as simple as introducing yourself.

Overall I enjoyed creating my digital autobiography although if I could do it again I wouldn't worry about the smallest of every detail because I don't think that is what this project was all about. It wasn't about making your project flawless, but rather exploring the different options between programs and expanding our minds to thinking beyond what we grew up doing, such as introducing ourselves by simply stating our name and favorite color.

331- First Post

Technology- Technology is a tool that is used to find or document information in an organized manner.


Technology Integration- Technology integration is when a device is included into classroom activities. Some classrooms may use “smart boards” or even laptop computers to expand upon prior knowledge.