"The first step to improving education as a whole is realizing that there
is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all education that will work for
every student" (Drew Hendricks, Huffington Post, 2013).
As I was reading an article about technology in the classroom this quote completely struck me. No two people are alike and that is what makes our countries diversity so incredible. We are all different, we are good at certain things and bad at others. We need to realize that. Yet, inside of our schools, many teachers teach in one cookie cutter style and when some students cannot seem to grasp the concepts, the teacher becomes frustrated. We must differentiate our classrooms to fit the needs of every individual student. We need to implement strategies to meet each individual need. Man! As a future teacher that seems so difficult. There are so many children and we must differentiate for every single one? Once easy solution that I found in the article, "A Look at Recent Findings on Technology in the Classroom" is by using technology. The vast amount of technology out their practically differentiates itself and helps fit each unique learning style. In his article, Hendricks explains that students tend to become passive learners inside of the classroom as they listen to lectures and take notes. By incorporating technology into the lesson, students have the opportunity to be their own learner and the role of teacher becomes less dominating. These are all very important points. Using technology in the classroom is all around beneficial for everyone! A win-win!
Hendricks, D. (2013, March 14). A look at recent findings on technology in the classroom . Huffington Post . Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-hendricks/technology-education_b_2867458.html
Thursday, April 11, 2013
An idea that I came across in my media education research is the idea of "virtual study groups." I was perplexed by this idea. Why would we ever need study groups outside of our class, then the more I thought about it, more benefits came to mind. We can widen our perspective on topics by connecting to other parts of the world. Not only are we expanding the student study groups, but we are also making them much more diverse. With all of the different opinions on subjects, students will more likely question their own understanding to create new meanings. In this way, students can grow and develop far more then ever before. Also, virtual study groups propose a different kind of forum for discussion. Many students are introverted and feel uncomfortable voicing their opinions. Even with students that are more likely to speak in a study group, students are more likely to agree with the majority opinion, even if it is not their feelings on a subject. The internet gives students more of an open space to voice their real opinions. In the article, Study Suggests Benefits of Social Media in the Classroom, it is easy to see more positives of the virtual classroom. Dr. Richard J. Light stresses the importance of social media. Social media platforms can enhance learning by engaging students. "This group learning format appeals to younger, socially conscious
learners and is built around the notion that 'many minds are better than
one," Lights report states. I personally have been using Edmoto as a social media platform and plan to implement it into my future TESOL classroom. It will give all my students a means of interacting outside of the classroom with me and with other students. I will have the chance to meet my students for a mere 45 minutes a day once I am a teacher which is not nearly enough time. This gives students a means of interaction outside of the 45 minutes.
Tomaszewski, J. (2012). Study suggests benefits of social media in the classroom . Education World . Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/study-suggests-social-media-has-place-in-classrooms.shtml
Tomaszewski, J. (2012). Study suggests benefits of social media in the classroom . Education World . Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/study-suggests-social-media-has-place-in-classrooms.shtml
Digital Media in The Classroom Case Study: Voices on the Gulf
As a teacher learning about media technology, it is easy to question to use of technology in younger classrooms. How are elementary school teachers expected to incorporate technology into their classroom? Even more then that, how are elementary school teachers expected to give students the power of technology where they have complete control over what they are using. Does it come down to a trust issue, or maybe a maturity issue, or maybe a classroom dynamic issue? After researching digital media in the younger classrooms, I came across a very interesting article that got the gears turning in my head. The article talks about how many teachers along the Gulf Coast longed to connect after the biggest oil spill in our country. Unsure of ways to connect, they came across Voices of the Coast, a website that encourages conversation about the oil spill. The problem was, they wanted the actual act of connecting to others through their social media experience so they decided to take it a step further. Through Funny Monkey, a web developing company, students were finally able to talk about their experiences along the coast. It wasn't an easy process though, teachers and students together had to figure out how to actually maintain such a website. Once they figured it out though, they had a forum for writing poems and posting their stories. This story should show elementary teachers all around the world that it is in fact possible to connect the classroom to the world in a safe and meaningful way. Students greatly enjoyed their experience and actually felt that they were impacting the world around them. I would suggest to any teacher to create a forum for educational conversation. Together as a world, we can help students to learn and understand.
Karp, J. Digital media in the classroom case study: Voices on the gulf. Spotlight On. Retrieved from http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/digital-media-in-the-classroom-case-study-voices-on-the-gulf/
As a teacher learning about media technology, it is easy to question to use of technology in younger classrooms. How are elementary school teachers expected to incorporate technology into their classroom? Even more then that, how are elementary school teachers expected to give students the power of technology where they have complete control over what they are using. Does it come down to a trust issue, or maybe a maturity issue, or maybe a classroom dynamic issue? After researching digital media in the younger classrooms, I came across a very interesting article that got the gears turning in my head. The article talks about how many teachers along the Gulf Coast longed to connect after the biggest oil spill in our country. Unsure of ways to connect, they came across Voices of the Coast, a website that encourages conversation about the oil spill. The problem was, they wanted the actual act of connecting to others through their social media experience so they decided to take it a step further. Through Funny Monkey, a web developing company, students were finally able to talk about their experiences along the coast. It wasn't an easy process though, teachers and students together had to figure out how to actually maintain such a website. Once they figured it out though, they had a forum for writing poems and posting their stories. This story should show elementary teachers all around the world that it is in fact possible to connect the classroom to the world in a safe and meaningful way. Students greatly enjoyed their experience and actually felt that they were impacting the world around them. I would suggest to any teacher to create a forum for educational conversation. Together as a world, we can help students to learn and understand.
Karp, J. Digital media in the classroom case study: Voices on the gulf. Spotlight On. Retrieved from http://spotlight.macfound.org/featured-stories/entry/digital-media-in-the-classroom-case-study-voices-on-the-gulf/
Technology in the Classroom: The Good and the Bad
In this ever growing technological world where kids are starting to get there hands on devices earlier and earlier, I wanted to take the time to look at technology from another perspective, from the parents point of view. In an article by Brian Braiker, he explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of technology for younger children. The American Academy of Pediatrics has always suggested that children under 2 years old should not be exposed to any screens at all. Recently though, they have been more open to the possibility of screens for children and felt that they should "reassess" their ideas to fit into the technological advances of our day. The article went on to explain that more then half of all children age 8 and younger have access to a mobile device at home. If students are having this much exposure to technology at home, should we mirror that at school? In many ways I believe that we should. Students are engaged and interested in technology so by having educational apps on ipads in the classroom, students are actually learning. As educators we can use websites such as commonsense.org to see how people have rated the educational apps. These apps can transfer back home as well. Parents can take the same apps that students are using in school and apply them back home. Even more then just apps and web 2.0 technology, students are learning earlier on how to program. I know that as a future parent, if technology inside of the classroom is improving my child's success and expertise on interesting subject areas.
Braiker, B. (n.d.). Technology in the classroom: The good and the bad Parenting , Retrieved from http://www.parenting.com/article/technology-classroom?page=0,2
In this ever growing technological world where kids are starting to get there hands on devices earlier and earlier, I wanted to take the time to look at technology from another perspective, from the parents point of view. In an article by Brian Braiker, he explores the good, the bad, and the ugly of technology for younger children. The American Academy of Pediatrics has always suggested that children under 2 years old should not be exposed to any screens at all. Recently though, they have been more open to the possibility of screens for children and felt that they should "reassess" their ideas to fit into the technological advances of our day. The article went on to explain that more then half of all children age 8 and younger have access to a mobile device at home. If students are having this much exposure to technology at home, should we mirror that at school? In many ways I believe that we should. Students are engaged and interested in technology so by having educational apps on ipads in the classroom, students are actually learning. As educators we can use websites such as commonsense.org to see how people have rated the educational apps. These apps can transfer back home as well. Parents can take the same apps that students are using in school and apply them back home. Even more then just apps and web 2.0 technology, students are learning earlier on how to program. I know that as a future parent, if technology inside of the classroom is improving my child's success and expertise on interesting subject areas.
Braiker, B. (n.d.). Technology in the classroom: The good and the bad Parenting , Retrieved from http://www.parenting.com/article/technology-classroom?page=0,2
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores
N.Y.Times
As we are learning about all of the new advances in technology, it is hard not to question whether or not it is actually improving school achievement. Our MD 400 professor De Abreu told us a story about a school that was given a grant for students to have ipads. As exciting as this concept may seem, it turns out the students felt that they would rather have learned without ipads. I found it very interesting that students felt that the ipads were not helping their success. I looked into the idea of technology and achievement and came across a New York Times article titled "In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores" by Matt Richtel. What I found in this article was quite interesting. In a school in Arizona, students had a vast amount of technological resources to help improve their learning and success. Each classroom in the school had everything from laptops to smart boards and teachers that are willing to use technology everyday. The problem though, is that students success rates have not gone us since getting the new technology in the classrooms. The article goes on to further explain that their is a enormous push for technology in the classroom without any research to back up whether or not it is actually working. If I was to give my two cents on all of this I would say a few things. 1. Technology makes learning fun. When students can use there creativity in new and interesting ways, they actually enjoy learning. That is the most important thing students should be getting out of their education. They should want to go to school everyday and they should come home everyday with new knowledge that they want to retain and expand upon. Furthermore, I believe that this article might be overstating. By using the title, "In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores," it leads the reader to believe that the students are not learning, but that is not what the article is saying. In fact, I bet that the students are learning more then they have every learned with all of the new technology. The difference though, is that their scores are not improving. That is because the teacher is no longer "teaching to the test." The teacher is not teaching so students merely pass but instead teaching students in an enriching environment in which they actually want to learn. To me, that is more rewarding then anything. Instead of looking at the advancements of technology in the classroom and questioning whether or not it is affecting our students scores, we should be looking at the standardized tests they are taking.
N.Y.Times
As we are learning about all of the new advances in technology, it is hard not to question whether or not it is actually improving school achievement. Our MD 400 professor De Abreu told us a story about a school that was given a grant for students to have ipads. As exciting as this concept may seem, it turns out the students felt that they would rather have learned without ipads. I found it very interesting that students felt that the ipads were not helping their success. I looked into the idea of technology and achievement and came across a New York Times article titled "In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores" by Matt Richtel. What I found in this article was quite interesting. In a school in Arizona, students had a vast amount of technological resources to help improve their learning and success. Each classroom in the school had everything from laptops to smart boards and teachers that are willing to use technology everyday. The problem though, is that students success rates have not gone us since getting the new technology in the classrooms. The article goes on to further explain that their is a enormous push for technology in the classroom without any research to back up whether or not it is actually working. If I was to give my two cents on all of this I would say a few things. 1. Technology makes learning fun. When students can use there creativity in new and interesting ways, they actually enjoy learning. That is the most important thing students should be getting out of their education. They should want to go to school everyday and they should come home everyday with new knowledge that they want to retain and expand upon. Furthermore, I believe that this article might be overstating. By using the title, "In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores," it leads the reader to believe that the students are not learning, but that is not what the article is saying. In fact, I bet that the students are learning more then they have every learned with all of the new technology. The difference though, is that their scores are not improving. That is because the teacher is no longer "teaching to the test." The teacher is not teaching so students merely pass but instead teaching students in an enriching environment in which they actually want to learn. To me, that is more rewarding then anything. Instead of looking at the advancements of technology in the classroom and questioning whether or not it is affecting our students scores, we should be looking at the standardized tests they are taking.
Richtel, M. (2011, September 03). In classroom of future, stagnant scores . The New York Times .
Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Oh My!
Electronic Media in the Classroom
Now that I have been learning a variety of ways I can implement technology into my future classroom, I wanted to be able to take that notion a step farther an learn about podcasting. When I was in college at University of Connecticut, I remember a freshman year professor telling us to check out some podcasts he posted for extra credit. At the time I thought "Oh well this will be a complicated waste of my time" but I was in need of the extra credit so I found the podcasts and listened to them as was advised. Not only were they extremely easy to download and use, but they also significantly improved my grade. I could just download as an MP3 file, transfer to my ipod and walk to class listening to podcasts. I never doubted another podcast after that sememster. I've always wondered how I could implement podcasts into my future classroom. I picked up a book called Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Oh My! by Jeffrey Piontek and Blane Conklin for just that reason. The book gives great tips on where to record a podcast along with how. It even goes a step further and gives podcast ideas. I love the idea of creating a newsletter podcast for parents. Students in the class can give "updates" in what the class is currently doing. This is a good way to keep parents in the loop and for parents to continue the learning process at home after school is over for the day. Also, it gives students a chance to become experts on the topic of the newsletter. For instance, if a student is reporting on what they learned in English that day, the student will have to know the topic back and forth. They will be proud to become such an expert on the topic they are reporting. I will definitely be implementing this in my future classroom!
Special thanks to Jeffrey Piontek and Blane Conklin for such fantastic ideas. Everyone should check out Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Oh My!
Piontek, J., & Conklin, B. (2009). Blogs, wikis, and podcasts, oh my!. Huntington Beach: Shell Education
Electronic Media in the Classroom
Now that I have been learning a variety of ways I can implement technology into my future classroom, I wanted to be able to take that notion a step farther an learn about podcasting. When I was in college at University of Connecticut, I remember a freshman year professor telling us to check out some podcasts he posted for extra credit. At the time I thought "Oh well this will be a complicated waste of my time" but I was in need of the extra credit so I found the podcasts and listened to them as was advised. Not only were they extremely easy to download and use, but they also significantly improved my grade. I could just download as an MP3 file, transfer to my ipod and walk to class listening to podcasts. I never doubted another podcast after that sememster. I've always wondered how I could implement podcasts into my future classroom. I picked up a book called Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Oh My! by Jeffrey Piontek and Blane Conklin for just that reason. The book gives great tips on where to record a podcast along with how. It even goes a step further and gives podcast ideas. I love the idea of creating a newsletter podcast for parents. Students in the class can give "updates" in what the class is currently doing. This is a good way to keep parents in the loop and for parents to continue the learning process at home after school is over for the day. Also, it gives students a chance to become experts on the topic of the newsletter. For instance, if a student is reporting on what they learned in English that day, the student will have to know the topic back and forth. They will be proud to become such an expert on the topic they are reporting. I will definitely be implementing this in my future classroom!
Special thanks to Jeffrey Piontek and Blane Conklin for such fantastic ideas. Everyone should check out Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts, Oh My!
Piontek, J., & Conklin, B. (2009). Blogs, wikis, and podcasts, oh my!. Huntington Beach: Shell Education
So far since the beginning of the course, we have been experimenting with a variety of web 2.0 technology. Everywhere from Prezi to Glogster to Edmoto to Twitter. I have learned many new things, gotten frustrated at times, and even had quite a few ah ha! moments. I have learned that it is more then possible to use technology in the classroom, even technology that you wouldn't necessarily classify as "educational." We learned about how to implement twitter into the classroom which completely blew my mind. I was perplexed by this idea, but overall it can be incredibly successful! Technology used to be this unreachable classroom goal. The occasional video clip, research project, or music seemed to be high reaching attainable goals of the past. Now, I have the power in my hands to incorporate more technology then I had ever dreamed possible.
Here is an example of one of the Web 2.0's that we learned about in my MD 400 course. It is called Survey Monkey and I created a fun, non-educational survey to experiment with an unfamiliar website. Feel free to take my survey if it strikes your fancy!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7SWDRQ
Here is an example of one of the Web 2.0's that we learned about in my MD 400 course. It is called Survey Monkey and I created a fun, non-educational survey to experiment with an unfamiliar website. Feel free to take my survey if it strikes your fancy!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7SWDRQ
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Bonjour
Hello World! I am finally grappling with the concept of blogging in hopes one day to create a food blog with an witty pun of a website title {food blog name to come}...but in the meantime I shall be blogging about the technology I learn about in my new MD 400 class. Future 2.0 classroom here I come =)
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