Digital Booktalk

Creating the Digital Booktalk was a challenge that I enjoyed. I used a program I was not previously familiar with, Microsoft Photo Story, to create it. I worked to determine which pages in the story I wanted to use in the project, took pictures of them until I got them just the way I wanted them (or as close as possible), uploaded them, and went to work. Removing the black background that came with them proved to be a challenge that I was able to fix in most of my pictures. I left the first and last ones with the background because I needed the entire cover picture and decided it would be more aesthetically pleasing to do the same with the final picture. It took me a few recordings for each picture to say what I wanted just the way I wanted (sometimes the microphone would mess up the beginning or ending of some words). I typed up ahead of time what I wanted to say for each picture. While recording, I made some quick changes until I was satisfied. I decided not to use text or music because the music would drown out my words and the text would cover the pictures from the story. After one final check of the entire project, I saved it. My first digital booktalk.

Booktalks are important because they entice children to read. They hook students in, provide them with a little bit of the story, but “leave them hanging” about the ending. If the students want to know what happens, they must read it themselves! Creating a booktalk will impact me as a future teacher in that I will create more of these for other stories. I may make more videos, do live booktalks in front of my students, or a combination of both. We will just have to wait and see.

Evaluating Websites

Determining if a website is valid or not can sometimes be very tricky. Some information on websites seems like it can be (or is) true. At other times, by critically reading the information yourself, you can determine that the information is probably not true. Below are some tips on how to distinguish valid websites from websites that provide false information:

Websites ending in .edu are valid because they are associated with a university.
Be careful about using .com websites because any person can create this type of website.
Using search engines such as Google Scholar will provide valid website results.
You can trust the results (websites) you receive using search engines and checking the peer-reviewed box. These websites are valid and have been corroborated by others.
Websites should be professional looking.
Check to see if the website has been updated recently.
If the website is authored by an organization, it is more likely to be valid.
Check to see if the site lists other websites where you can confirm its contents.
Do a search of the website on other websites and see what they have to say about it.
Check to see if the website has been professionally reviewed.
View other websites on the same topic to see if they corroborate the information on the website you are unsure about.
Use your common sense—if you know, suspect or are unsure that the information is false, research to determine if it is true or not.
Encyclopedias are sources of valid information and can be used to check if other sources are valid or not.
If you are still unsure after using the above tips, ask your teacher. He or she will put it before the class and together the class will determine if the website is valid or not.

ch. 2 reflection

Before taking this class I never thought about technology and the classroom. The technology enthusiast’s argument impacted my thinking about technology’s role in teaching and learning in that it brought the issue to my attention. I agree that school’s technology is outdated and students will graduate ill-equipped to work in careers that are using the new technology that students did not learn to use in school. This is a major problem because school is supposed to be the place that prepares children for careers after school. In this new era, people are using technology in every aspect of their work: writing emails and memos, making their own web pages, using digital video tools, spreadsheets, social networking sites, PowerPoint presentations, and many other ways. Since the above require computer skills to use, people are now becoming dependent on computers and computer tools to complete their projects. However, schools have not updated their technology to include computers. Because of this dependence on technology, people can use the computer to communicate instead of taking part in community activities or face-to-face interactions. Nowadays, people have a multitude of ways to communicate from video chats to Facebook to Craigslist and many other technologies. People need to know how to communicate using different media than the simply the reading and writing skills still taught in schools today. Although schools need to change in regards to technology, I am not sure that they need to move completely away from the curriculum they currently use. I think the two should be integrated and supportive of the other.

Simply placing computers in schools has not helped schools enter this new technology age. The technology enthusiasts suggest implementing a just-in-time way of learning, which is skills-based as opposed to fact-based learning that schools generally use. Using this would give people the support they need to complete the task at hand rather than learning facts well in advance that one may or may not use (or remember) in the future. I think that if schools do implement this way of learning, teachers should be sure to continue to teach on topics that interest their students because they will not remember what they learned using this new way of learning if they are not interested and motivated. The enthusiasts’ solution to this is customization—technology’s way to attempt to individualize their services to suit each person and enhance their learning. While people can choose what they want to learn on the Internet (learner control), I do not agree that this should be the sole way that they learn in school. I think they should have a say but not the only ones who decide what to learn. I think that teachers do a good job of scaffolding in class. I think that computer games and simulations are good options to aid students in applying their skills and explore situations. While having multiple and varying audiences is a good thing, I am not sure I would want to publish my young students’ work online where anyone could post any comments, including expletives and very negative comments as opposed to constructive criticism.

This has affected how I will teach in my future classroom in that I will use interactive computer games as a tool to aid students in learning various subjects and computer tutors to allow students to receive immediate feedback on their work. I would be willing to use computer scaffolding in my classroom in addition to my own efforts. I would not feel as comfortable using video games in my classroom until I could use them and gauge their educational benefit firsthand. Budget permitting, I would have multiple computers and technologies in my classroom.

Exit Slip: what new thinking did I take away from class today?

I learned about the difference between learning with technology (using technology as a partner) and learning from technology (it teaches students information). Both are useful ways to use technology in the classroom. Teachers should use both types of learning in their classroom and can devise creative ways to use various types of technologies and both types of learning discussed above (and other types too) to bring variety and engaging lessons to the classroom. I also learned about using clickers in the classroom as a way for all students to answer questions and the teacher can keep track of who thinks what and what the class as a whole thinks about the topic being discussed. I discovered new technologies that I need to become more familiar with so that I can use them in the classroom and share it with them.

Digital Autobiography

To make my digital autobiography, I looked at the pictures on my computer to decide what I wanted to do it on. I saw my London and Paris pictures and decided that’s what I wanted to chronicle. I had such a good time there. I visited my best friend there during a spring break. I had the best nine days there and would love to go back again soon. We had such a good time touring and I made many great memories.

After looking through the programs, I selected Roxio PhotoShow. Using the Roxio program to make the digital autobiography began as something fun but turned into something frustrating. After uploading my photos I moved ahead to the next step, choosing backgrounds, picture options, songs, text, etc. As I chose certain options and clicked the save button, sometimes it did not seem to save the options I selected. I felt that I could not navigate the program very well. Then I discovered that choosing certain options automatically changed other aspects of your slide show. Another problem I encountered was that Roxio did not provide many choices for the various slide show aspects and when I chose to look at the other, better options, I received a pop up that said I had to buy a subscription to the program for $40 if I wanted to choose that option. The same thing happened when I wanted to add my personal music to the slide show. I did not enjoy many of the options they had available; in fact, one option that kept playing gave me a headache. I had to take a break and return to finish the project later.

After taking a break and returning, I decided to look again through the available selections. After I chose one, I looked through the songs that were free to use and found one that I liked (even though I had never heard of it and would have preferred one of my own songs). In the end, I was happy with the finished product and surprisingly the song. I hope you enjoy it! Here is the link to view it: http://www.photoshow.com/maker/share/zp9pI3zh

Growing Up Online

Today’s children are growing up in a new and different environment than those in generations past. They are constantly using technology to make new contacts and access new material. It must be very hard for parents because they did not grow up with these opportunities.

From personal experience, I know that many adults are not very “tech-savvy”. For example, my mom did not know how to check her email and relied on her children to help her access it until my brother went to Africa and email was the only way to keep in contact with him. Similarly, my father still does not know (or care) how to check text messages on his phone. Neither of my parents knows how to use their cell phones (except for making calls) nor do they really know how to navigate the Internet.

On the other hand, it seems to me that my two younger siblings are technology obsessed. My sister always has her cell phone with her. I have noticed she texts people every few minutes (and sometimes seconds) of the day. Now that she has an iPhone she can do just about anything and look up whatever she wants and no one will be the wiser. My younger brother appears to be constantly on the Internet from the time he gets home from school to the time he goes to bed. He reads stories, researches information for school and video games, and probably does a lot more than that.

I feel that I am in the middle of these two generations. I have not grown up with a computer since birth like my younger siblings but know more about using computers (because they became popular later on in my childhood) than my parents, who did not experience computers until their adulthood. I know how to navigate the Internet and certain technologies to a certain extent but I do not feel like an expert nor do I think the Internet sucks up my life like it seems to do with those from the technology generation. I do have a Facebook account and a couple of email addresses but I do not feel that I am fully apart of this new technology-centered generation.

The disparity of knowledge between the technology generation and previous generations needs to be addressed and solutions need to be determined and implemented so that adults can better understand the world that their children live in. Currently, adults are not aware of many of their children’s activities on the Internet. As the teen in the video said, children from this generation know how to “out-smart” their parents when they attempt to keep tabs on what their children are accessing on the Internet. We have all heard stories about young children meeting predators on the Internet. If adults do not take the time to learn more about how to operate the technology their children are so familiar with, they will never bridge the gap and understand what their children are up to or what it like to grow up in this generation. They will also be helpless to protect their children from the dangers of the Internet because they may not even know they exist or they are not very familiar with them. Adults need to accept that the environment their children are growing up in is different from the environment they grew up in and accommodate this change by learning about technology.

Reflection to preface and ch.1 of the book

I had never thought of this new era as a revolution but the more I think and read about it the more I tend to agree. Technology has become a major part of everyday life for the general population. It impacts all the facets of people’s lives, from more convenient learning opportunities to helping them advance in their careers.
This Information, or Knowledge, Revolution came about because of the technology boom our society has experienced lately. A discrepancy between the traditional school system and today’s society exists because now there are so many ways to experience learning outside of school, such as software programs, informational videos, online universities, online games, web communities, online communication to anyone, anywhere at any time, online test preparation courses, online tutorials, advising websites, and much more. These new opportunities to education challenge the traditional school system because people, regardless of age, have several avenues outside of the school building to obtain the information they need. These options for learning are more convenient for people because they can choose the time, place and how they learn as well as what they learn. People can research and learn more about topics that interest them.
Schools are struggling today because they have been restricted to teach state standards, which limit the variety of learning opportunities they can provide their students. Computer use in schools is contained to computer labs instead of classrooms. Also, teachers have not learned the skills to understand and properly use the technology available. They may feel uncomfortable because of the magnitude of information available on the Internet. Additionally, educators who have attempted to use technology in the classroom have been left without school support. These issues need to be addressed by schools nationwide to fix this problem before the majority of people choose to learn outside of schools rather than in them. More and more, parents have opted to educate their children at home, send their children to learning centers to improve their grades or prepare for college, and purchase computers for their homes, enabling their children to have additional access to technology.
With the many opportunities people have to access information at their own convenience, schools better make these changes quickly or they will be “left in the dust”. Educators need to be open to changes as well, such as learning about the new technology and using it in their classrooms. Their students likely are already using this technology. By providing access to this technology in the classroom, teachers will be better equipped to supply their students with multiple opportunities to access topics of interest to them, keeping more students in school. Many issues, such as the time and programs needed for teachers to learn about technology and the money needed for schools to buy and provide this technology to students, exist that have important implications. For instance, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing due to access to technology. Because technology can be bought at a price, those with money have the means to purchase technology that those without money do not have the means to access. This issue needs to be addressed by those in power and money needs to be given to schools to provide this technology to everyone so that every person will have the same opportunity to succeed in this Information Age. A major point to remember is that people need to talk about these issues and derive and implement potential solutions. After all, nothing will get accomplished and more and more students will choose other avenues of education if people continue to ignore these issues.

Exit Slip-New Thinking

I learned that there are numerous technology tools that I can use as a teacher for my own personal use, to enhance my lessons and better engage my students. I need to learn and be comfortable using these tools so that I will use them in my classroom. This class has changed my thinking about technology in the classroom in that it has broadened my view of appropriate/available technological tools for the classroom. I now know that there are many more tools (that I had never heard of or used before) available that I need to become familiar with asap.

Technology's Role in Teaching and Learning

Technology assists teachers in displaying information for students in a fun, interactive way. This keeps students more engaged in the lesson. Technology provides teachers and students with an opportunity to learn by using various technologies, such as the Internet. It provides students with tools to help them with homework, schoolwork, etc. It provides teachers with tools to help them expand their knowledge and present their lessons/information through various avenues ( e.g. Smart Board, Microsoft PowerPoint, websites, etc.). Technology is not used to its fullest extent in today's classrooms because teachers are not familiar/comfortable enough with technology to use its various forms.