The chapter begins by stating that while "locked in place" (or traditional) schools will be in existence for many years to come, additional avenues of education have begun to emerge. One of these is home schooling. It has been popular for about 25 years and has increased 29% in the last four years and is continuing to gain popularity. There are two home school associations, one liberal and one conservative. Both believe that the family should hold the responsibility for educating the children, worry about peer pressure and violence in schools, and feel children will learn better at home. Parents work with their children 3-4 hours a day at the most. They may also send their children to schools or colleges to receive instruction on specific topics by a service provider, hire tutors, join a home school group, or take online courses. Joining a home school group allows parents to be able to work part time if desired. When parents teach, they do not think of themselves as experts (like teachers) but as coaches, placing more of the responsibility to learn on the child. Will most families be able to take advantage of home schooling? Not unless this system changes because it requires one parent to stay at home (or work only part time) and support the child in his/her learning, which many families cannot afford to do. This interests me because I have considered home schooling if I have children.
Another avenue to experience learning occurs in the workplace. This allows all people to learn and continue their education. Workplace learning entails businesses paying for their employees to learn needed training (put on a CD for easy use on a computer—a computer simulation) in order to “keep up” and be more efficient workers.
An additional avenue of learning is distance learning. This occurs when people can take classes online. An example is the University o Phoenix, an online college. Some high schools and colleges provide online courses for their students. There is now a push for this in even younger grades. Some school districts are even pushing for virtual high schools. Distance learning has been gaining popularity in recent years.
Still another form of learning can be found in adult education. This gives older people an opportunity to take courses. It has been gaining popularity as people have been living longer, healthier lives and provides people with an opportunity to continue learning throughout their lives.
Visiting a privately owned learning center is another option. Currently, these centers provide test prep courses (for the SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.), tutoring, and access to technology for those with very limited access. Examples include Sylvan, Princeton Review and Kaplan. These could be an alternative to attending a traditional high school.
There are also educational television shows and video games. I am weary about using these in my classroom excessively. Although these can be beneficial, I think students sit in front of the TV and at the computer for too long and should spend more time outdoors as well. Computer-based software (CD-ROM) is another way people can learn.
Yet another way to learn outside of traditional school is to earn a GED. In competition with this and traditional schools are technical certifications, exams that certify people in technical skills for computer-based careers.
Internet cafes (or coffee shops) provide people with yet another avenue for learning. The book refers to them as the “libraries of the future” in that they provide access to many resources through use of the Internet.
All of these options help people to become lifelong learners.
Technology is changing the way people, not just children, are learning. Technology will play a part in my classroom, but I am not sure to what degree at this point. I need to see what all is out there and I also need instruction on how to use it.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Exit Slip 2/22
Today we learned about making a flip chart for Active Inspire. Jeff found a picture of an alligator in clip art, made it smaller, and attached our names on the top of each one. He then drew a lake, and made it so when you drag a gator into the lake, it disappeared but left your name visible. It did not seem difficult to make which is reassuring because we will have to create one sometime this semester.
Next, some classmates shared their digital autobiographies using Animoto and Vuvox; we had a quick review of these technology tools.
Then, we listened to a presentation on the chapter we read and got a refresher on the history of what brought on organized education--the Industrial Revolution. During this period, people left their farms and moved to cities; this created a large need for universal schooling instead of parents having the sole responsibility of educating their offspring. Now we are experiencing a new revolution, the Knowledge Revolution. Schools need to incorporate technology into the classroom more to give children a well-rounded education and the skills they need to successfully transition into a career. We also went into a little more depth about the major revolution periods and times of change that brought on education, Reformation, American Revolution, Industrial Revolution, and Knowledge Revolution, through small group discussion and presentation of thoughts.
The Knowledge Revolution provides unprecedented access to knowledge for everyone, of which technology is a part. Is it occurring? I believe it is--through the Internet, laptops, cell phones, etc.
Do we need more knowledge than our parents to be successful? Yes and no--for the most part, I think we need to know more about technology than our parents, but there are many things they know that I don't (and have to look up online or another resource).
Later, Jeff introduced us to tools to make podcasts, Audacity and GarageBand. Audacity is best for PC users, GarageBand is best for Mac users. When making a podcast, you must follow these three steps: pre-production (come up with an idea, a script, sound effects, and music), production (recording), and post-production.
Contemporary Issues:
Dayton Technology of Design High School-students ages 16-22 who are at-risk or dropped out make a 3 year commitment. In one class, they create an educational video game and then market it. They also have classes in science, math, social studies, etc. and earn a high school diploma. I think this is a good way to get these at-risk students engaged and attending school.
Virtual field trips-interactive group of websites on a certain topic. Easier to schedule and to access (i.e. Egypt) but cannot be the only tool a teacher uses because it does not provide students with hands-on experiences. I think this could be a helpful tool, but it has a lot of words and would need to be altered for young children. You could have your students take a virtual field trip before taking an actual field trip to help students especially boys, see what will be there and give them a little time to explore before going there.
Virtual Schooling-uses online whiteboards, on a phone, not being with a teacher face-to-face. It is more cost effective. Issues: people need access to a computer, possession of computer skills, and the ability to manage your time. Also, people do not have much social interaction and the online classes may be much easier than an actual class. It is good in that people have the flexibility to take classes whenever they want and a choice in what courses they take.
Webcams in laptops provided by schools given to high school students-I think the schools need more guidelines on what they can and cannot do. Also, there are issues of privacy for students, even if their parents give consent.
Cool Tools:
National Geographic Kids-students can play games, read, learn about multiple domains, etc. One issue with this site is that there is a lot of reading, which will be difficult if young students cannot yet read.
Dropbox-It saves multiple files, documents, music, pictures, etc. One issue is that to save a lot of larger files (i.e. music, etc.) people must buy more space.
Comapping-More appropriate for older students. It helps people stay organized by mapping out their schedules. It is user friendly and free if you want a personal account. For schools or businesses, it is very expensive so not as likely to be used school wide. You can share your map with others and they can add to it which is really convenient.
Twitter-is free to sign up and lets you learn what people are thinking. To do this, you must "follow" them. Making an update is a "tweet". Twitter is like a Facebook status. It can be downloaded to anything with Internet access. You can personalize your profile to your liking. You must be sure to set your profile to private because it automatically is set to public, which can be a safety issue. People may only type 140 characters per post. Teachers can use this at any grade level to update parents on what is going on throughout the school day by tweeting about it.
We ended class with a discussion about our inquiry questions and how to word them.
Next, some classmates shared their digital autobiographies using Animoto and Vuvox; we had a quick review of these technology tools.
Then, we listened to a presentation on the chapter we read and got a refresher on the history of what brought on organized education--the Industrial Revolution. During this period, people left their farms and moved to cities; this created a large need for universal schooling instead of parents having the sole responsibility of educating their offspring. Now we are experiencing a new revolution, the Knowledge Revolution. Schools need to incorporate technology into the classroom more to give children a well-rounded education and the skills they need to successfully transition into a career. We also went into a little more depth about the major revolution periods and times of change that brought on education, Reformation, American Revolution, Industrial Revolution, and Knowledge Revolution, through small group discussion and presentation of thoughts.
The Knowledge Revolution provides unprecedented access to knowledge for everyone, of which technology is a part. Is it occurring? I believe it is--through the Internet, laptops, cell phones, etc.
Do we need more knowledge than our parents to be successful? Yes and no--for the most part, I think we need to know more about technology than our parents, but there are many things they know that I don't (and have to look up online or another resource).
Later, Jeff introduced us to tools to make podcasts, Audacity and GarageBand. Audacity is best for PC users, GarageBand is best for Mac users. When making a podcast, you must follow these three steps: pre-production (come up with an idea, a script, sound effects, and music), production (recording), and post-production.
Contemporary Issues:
Dayton Technology of Design High School-students ages 16-22 who are at-risk or dropped out make a 3 year commitment. In one class, they create an educational video game and then market it. They also have classes in science, math, social studies, etc. and earn a high school diploma. I think this is a good way to get these at-risk students engaged and attending school.
Virtual field trips-interactive group of websites on a certain topic. Easier to schedule and to access (i.e. Egypt) but cannot be the only tool a teacher uses because it does not provide students with hands-on experiences. I think this could be a helpful tool, but it has a lot of words and would need to be altered for young children. You could have your students take a virtual field trip before taking an actual field trip to help students especially boys, see what will be there and give them a little time to explore before going there.
Virtual Schooling-uses online whiteboards, on a phone, not being with a teacher face-to-face. It is more cost effective. Issues: people need access to a computer, possession of computer skills, and the ability to manage your time. Also, people do not have much social interaction and the online classes may be much easier than an actual class. It is good in that people have the flexibility to take classes whenever they want and a choice in what courses they take.
Webcams in laptops provided by schools given to high school students-I think the schools need more guidelines on what they can and cannot do. Also, there are issues of privacy for students, even if their parents give consent.
Cool Tools:
National Geographic Kids-students can play games, read, learn about multiple domains, etc. One issue with this site is that there is a lot of reading, which will be difficult if young students cannot yet read.
Dropbox-It saves multiple files, documents, music, pictures, etc. One issue is that to save a lot of larger files (i.e. music, etc.) people must buy more space.
Comapping-More appropriate for older students. It helps people stay organized by mapping out their schedules. It is user friendly and free if you want a personal account. For schools or businesses, it is very expensive so not as likely to be used school wide. You can share your map with others and they can add to it which is really convenient.
Twitter-is free to sign up and lets you learn what people are thinking. To do this, you must "follow" them. Making an update is a "tweet". Twitter is like a Facebook status. It can be downloaded to anything with Internet access. You can personalize your profile to your liking. You must be sure to set your profile to private because it automatically is set to public, which can be a safety issue. People may only type 140 characters per post. Teachers can use this at any grade level to update parents on what is going on throughout the school day by tweeting about it.
We ended class with a discussion about our inquiry questions and how to word them.
Friday, February 19, 2010
ch. 4 reflection
The authors began this chapter by commenting that the Knowledge Revolution of today has brought a large shift in schools and society like the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century did. This current revolution, they claimed, will change education in that schools and learning will not be as closely linked as they were in the past. I agree with this statement. Already, UF has cut down on its education program (among many other areas) in part because of the rise of online colleges and other avenues (made possible by computers and the Internet).
The chapter briefly mentioned that before the Industrial Revolution, parents were largely responsible for their children's education. Once the Revolution occurred, this responsibility shifted to that of the state. I agree with this to some extent (i.e. setting up schools and hiring teachers); I also believe that parents still have responsibility in this matter. They should at least be monitoring their children in terms of their understanding and completion of school work. While I realize that all parents do not have this luxury, at least some have a say in which school to send their child (private, public, at home, etc.).
The authors decided to take a deeper look into why the Industrial Revolution came about and its impact on schools. Before the revolution, parents were involved in that they decided in what area their children would apprentice (and most of the time the children took apprenticeships with their parents or other relations). This began to change when certain events took place.
An invention that nudged America towards creating a universal schooling system was that of the printing press because it led to widespread knowledge for all as well as increased what children needed to know for the adult world. American culture experienced a change from that of oral tradition (and the role of the elderly in telling stories/events) to writing events down. The authors note that having events written down makes them easier to evaluate and challenge as well as study, which is important for universal schooling.
The Reformation led to the notion of individually acquiring knowledge rather than tradition as well as a need for educational institutions to teach people, especially in how to read. This also led to the American Revolution, which called for an educated population.
The Industrial Revolution brought many immigrants to America as well as a push towards urbanization. Urbanization led to crime and poverty as well as a push for children to be educated in state-provided schools. The authors noted ideas that caught on quickly in the 19th century and are now hard to change include the graded school, the plan for American schooling (kindergarten, elementary school and high school), and units (i.e. the establishment of class periods/permanent classes each week). In the 20th century, the physical organization of schools (each room in schools were in constant use), schools based on a system of measurement, and many more now common school characteristics (middle school, community college, the SAT, etc.) were established and hold strong today, many years later. Other characteristics include mandatory attendance and test and textbook use. These features were solutions to problems that arose in society many years ago and should at least be reevaluated now to determine if they are still the best way to handle each problem.
When I become a teacher, I will be sure to contemplate what is best for my students and teach them that in the most relevant ways I can without an over reliance on teachers' editions of textbooks.
The chapter briefly mentioned that before the Industrial Revolution, parents were largely responsible for their children's education. Once the Revolution occurred, this responsibility shifted to that of the state. I agree with this to some extent (i.e. setting up schools and hiring teachers); I also believe that parents still have responsibility in this matter. They should at least be monitoring their children in terms of their understanding and completion of school work. While I realize that all parents do not have this luxury, at least some have a say in which school to send their child (private, public, at home, etc.).
The authors decided to take a deeper look into why the Industrial Revolution came about and its impact on schools. Before the revolution, parents were involved in that they decided in what area their children would apprentice (and most of the time the children took apprenticeships with their parents or other relations). This began to change when certain events took place.
An invention that nudged America towards creating a universal schooling system was that of the printing press because it led to widespread knowledge for all as well as increased what children needed to know for the adult world. American culture experienced a change from that of oral tradition (and the role of the elderly in telling stories/events) to writing events down. The authors note that having events written down makes them easier to evaluate and challenge as well as study, which is important for universal schooling.
The Reformation led to the notion of individually acquiring knowledge rather than tradition as well as a need for educational institutions to teach people, especially in how to read. This also led to the American Revolution, which called for an educated population.
The Industrial Revolution brought many immigrants to America as well as a push towards urbanization. Urbanization led to crime and poverty as well as a push for children to be educated in state-provided schools. The authors noted ideas that caught on quickly in the 19th century and are now hard to change include the graded school, the plan for American schooling (kindergarten, elementary school and high school), and units (i.e. the establishment of class periods/permanent classes each week). In the 20th century, the physical organization of schools (each room in schools were in constant use), schools based on a system of measurement, and many more now common school characteristics (middle school, community college, the SAT, etc.) were established and hold strong today, many years later. Other characteristics include mandatory attendance and test and textbook use. These features were solutions to problems that arose in society many years ago and should at least be reevaluated now to determine if they are still the best way to handle each problem.
When I become a teacher, I will be sure to contemplate what is best for my students and teach them that in the most relevant ways I can without an over reliance on teachers' editions of textbooks.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Exit Slip-class 2/15
Today I learned a little about Animoto. I found out that the transitions between pictures was matched to the rhythm of the music.
I discovered a new presentation tool--Glogster. The girls who did the presentation did a really good job and made me want to use this site when I am making presentations. I also thought more about the reading through the discussion topics from the presentation. It also can be used to make other creations. I was glad to get a chance to use the clickers again. We got to see the graph of where the class was in terms of education skeptics and enthusiasts.
Do we need to know the facts or be able to access them and do something with the information we looked up? This will influence how you teach. I think it's a little of both but I'm still learning and rethinking my opinion.
Some contemporary issues I learned about today are:
3-D projectors: It has not been implemented in schools but has been around for awhile (3-D movies). They have now made a 3-D projector for schools. Negative aspects: it is a simulation; it does not provide first-hand experience. Also, how can we accommodate students with disabilities (autism, etc.)? I never thought about having this technology in the classroom. The videos are short (only a few minutes) and are supplemental to lessons.
The I test: use technology in these areas: science, technology, engineering and math. It is used to get older students interested in these subjects and make that into a possible career because there are not enough people in these careers and those with limited resources. Can it be used for young children and if so how? Will this really work? I guess we will have to wait and see. Jeff said, "You can't teach what you don't know"; I agree. We don't know very much about these subjects so we can't teach them to our students anymore.
Microchip implants in children: used to find your children if they are lost, kidnapped, injured, deceased, etc. (This is already used in animals). It sounds like it could be helpful (with private information, medical history, etc.) but there are questions about people's privacy. Also, there are probably some health risks (i.e. cancer) associated with this. I wonder exactly how it would work (cost, putting them in people, etc.)? Children don't get to choose to have this done, it is done to them. I'm not sure about this. I think there is a difference between putting a chip in an animal and putting it in a human. I wouldn't want a chip in me and I don't think I would want it in any children either.
Childhood obesity and technology: children spend many hours sitting in front of a computer or playing video games. Children do not play outside or participate in physical activities as much as they used to before this new era of technology. This generation is very "tech-savy", which is a good thing. Technology is useful and a great tool. It's when people abuse food and parents give their children too much. Technology doesn't make people obese, people choose not to exercise. I don't think one hour of physical activity each day is enough time for young children to get adequate exercise. Safety is an issue but I think we still need to find ways for children (and everyone) to get more exercise outside (Wii exercise does not count!). School is decreasing it's allotment of time for physical activity (recess, P.E.). Parents also are not providing their children with nutritious food. In conclusion, don't eat so much and instead go outside and engage in physical activity more!
Tech tools:
Brain Pop: It is engaging and entertaining but difficult to navigate. Students can get more practice here and teachers can use it as a scaffolding tool. It is not free (only 5-7 day trial). Adults would have to help guide young children to the correct game.
Community Walk: It is a mapping tool. It is a map. To add additional spots, you have to enter an address. You can share your map with others. Use it in the classroom: compile locations while going on a virtual trip. Certain parts you have to sign up to access. It is free, which is good.
Glogster: You can make it private. Kids may be bogged down with typing and design, but good for having students do projects on subtopics or teachers to use during theme teaching.
Skype: A strength is using it for group work when they can't meet for group assignments, have a guest speaker using Skype (this way the guest doesn't have to travel). You can also do pen pals on Skype (and see them). A weakness is that there are freezing/connection problems and you need to buy a webcam (and a microphone if the computer does not come with one).
Podcasts are audio files you can download and listen to. They now have video podcasts. Lead-in music should draw the audience in and lead-out music should conclude the podcast. You can make it private. Anyone can make a podcast so soon I will make one for class.
I discovered a new presentation tool--Glogster. The girls who did the presentation did a really good job and made me want to use this site when I am making presentations. I also thought more about the reading through the discussion topics from the presentation. It also can be used to make other creations. I was glad to get a chance to use the clickers again. We got to see the graph of where the class was in terms of education skeptics and enthusiasts.
Do we need to know the facts or be able to access them and do something with the information we looked up? This will influence how you teach. I think it's a little of both but I'm still learning and rethinking my opinion.
Some contemporary issues I learned about today are:
3-D projectors: It has not been implemented in schools but has been around for awhile (3-D movies). They have now made a 3-D projector for schools. Negative aspects: it is a simulation; it does not provide first-hand experience. Also, how can we accommodate students with disabilities (autism, etc.)? I never thought about having this technology in the classroom. The videos are short (only a few minutes) and are supplemental to lessons.
The I test: use technology in these areas: science, technology, engineering and math. It is used to get older students interested in these subjects and make that into a possible career because there are not enough people in these careers and those with limited resources. Can it be used for young children and if so how? Will this really work? I guess we will have to wait and see. Jeff said, "You can't teach what you don't know"; I agree. We don't know very much about these subjects so we can't teach them to our students anymore.
Microchip implants in children: used to find your children if they are lost, kidnapped, injured, deceased, etc. (This is already used in animals). It sounds like it could be helpful (with private information, medical history, etc.) but there are questions about people's privacy. Also, there are probably some health risks (i.e. cancer) associated with this. I wonder exactly how it would work (cost, putting them in people, etc.)? Children don't get to choose to have this done, it is done to them. I'm not sure about this. I think there is a difference between putting a chip in an animal and putting it in a human. I wouldn't want a chip in me and I don't think I would want it in any children either.
Childhood obesity and technology: children spend many hours sitting in front of a computer or playing video games. Children do not play outside or participate in physical activities as much as they used to before this new era of technology. This generation is very "tech-savy", which is a good thing. Technology is useful and a great tool. It's when people abuse food and parents give their children too much. Technology doesn't make people obese, people choose not to exercise. I don't think one hour of physical activity each day is enough time for young children to get adequate exercise. Safety is an issue but I think we still need to find ways for children (and everyone) to get more exercise outside (Wii exercise does not count!). School is decreasing it's allotment of time for physical activity (recess, P.E.). Parents also are not providing their children with nutritious food. In conclusion, don't eat so much and instead go outside and engage in physical activity more!
Tech tools:
Brain Pop: It is engaging and entertaining but difficult to navigate. Students can get more practice here and teachers can use it as a scaffolding tool. It is not free (only 5-7 day trial). Adults would have to help guide young children to the correct game.
Community Walk: It is a mapping tool. It is a map. To add additional spots, you have to enter an address. You can share your map with others. Use it in the classroom: compile locations while going on a virtual trip. Certain parts you have to sign up to access. It is free, which is good.
Glogster: You can make it private. Kids may be bogged down with typing and design, but good for having students do projects on subtopics or teachers to use during theme teaching.
Skype: A strength is using it for group work when they can't meet for group assignments, have a guest speaker using Skype (this way the guest doesn't have to travel). You can also do pen pals on Skype (and see them). A weakness is that there are freezing/connection problems and you need to buy a webcam (and a microphone if the computer does not come with one).
Podcasts are audio files you can download and listen to. They now have video podcasts. Lead-in music should draw the audience in and lead-out music should conclude the podcast. You can make it private. Anyone can make a podcast so soon I will make one for class.
Monday, February 8, 2010
chapter 3 reflection
I thought that this chapter was supposed to be about the technology skeptics’ point of view, but from the first page it attempted to discredit this theory and persuade the reader to agree with the technology enthusiasts’ point of view. This is a little frustrating because I wanted to have a clear, undistorted view of this side as well; it seems to me the author let his opinion seep through too much, even when trying to explain the other side’s view. Instead, he seems to be attempting to pick it apart; unfortunately, some of his arguments are faulty.
I disagree with the description of the “traditional” school. Teachers are not supposed to simply lecture and drill and have recitations and give practice. They are components of teaching, and all important in their own right, but are not as cut and dry as the author describes them. Teachers teach on subjects students find interesting; students also become their own teachers (and teachers become their guides or helpers) as students explore and learn on their own. Classrooms today are a mixture of teacher-led and student-led activities. Curriculum and standards have been created in accordance with students’ developmental levels; these topics are to be taught in interesting ways, such as thematic units, not simply lessons straight from the teacher’s guide.
I disagree that technology has not been at least somewhat integrated into the classroom. There is at least one computer in every classroom and many school documents are now completed electronically. Multiple interactive white boards are also available for classes to use; some classes have their own. I also disagree that schools and teachers think that students only need a couple of courses (introduction to computers and typing) to fully understand the computer. The teachers probably don’t understand them completely either, nor would they after only taking two courses about them.
I was glad to see that the chapter at least mentioned that schools were attempting to integrate technology (through educational computer games). I was also happy to see that it mentioned major problems to adding technology to schools, such as the cost and behavior problems caused by not having enough computer access for all students simultaneously. The author brought up the point that computers cannot teach people everything, such as listening, expressing yourself and obeying authority figures.
Having authority while teaching is important, but I do not see why it is so threatening to have students look up information on computers. No one knows everything about every subject. Computers can customize learning for each student, but what assessments could be used to measure student learning. I agree that students should have resources to learn information from and study with, but I think they should take tests alone to show what they learned.
I do believe that technology should have a place in the classroom and am more than willing to try new technologies in my classroom and attend professional development workshops to learn more about technology and how to implement it in my classroom. However, I do not think that everything about the current school system is wrong and needs to be changed.
I disagree with the description of the “traditional” school. Teachers are not supposed to simply lecture and drill and have recitations and give practice. They are components of teaching, and all important in their own right, but are not as cut and dry as the author describes them. Teachers teach on subjects students find interesting; students also become their own teachers (and teachers become their guides or helpers) as students explore and learn on their own. Classrooms today are a mixture of teacher-led and student-led activities. Curriculum and standards have been created in accordance with students’ developmental levels; these topics are to be taught in interesting ways, such as thematic units, not simply lessons straight from the teacher’s guide.
I disagree that technology has not been at least somewhat integrated into the classroom. There is at least one computer in every classroom and many school documents are now completed electronically. Multiple interactive white boards are also available for classes to use; some classes have their own. I also disagree that schools and teachers think that students only need a couple of courses (introduction to computers and typing) to fully understand the computer. The teachers probably don’t understand them completely either, nor would they after only taking two courses about them.
I was glad to see that the chapter at least mentioned that schools were attempting to integrate technology (through educational computer games). I was also happy to see that it mentioned major problems to adding technology to schools, such as the cost and behavior problems caused by not having enough computer access for all students simultaneously. The author brought up the point that computers cannot teach people everything, such as listening, expressing yourself and obeying authority figures.
Having authority while teaching is important, but I do not see why it is so threatening to have students look up information on computers. No one knows everything about every subject. Computers can customize learning for each student, but what assessments could be used to measure student learning. I agree that students should have resources to learn information from and study with, but I think they should take tests alone to show what they learned.
I do believe that technology should have a place in the classroom and am more than willing to try new technologies in my classroom and attend professional development workshops to learn more about technology and how to implement it in my classroom. However, I do not think that everything about the current school system is wrong and needs to be changed.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Exit Slip 2/1
I learned ways to determine criteria to decide whether websites are credible or not. Websites, such as .edu and .org, can be fake. Websites ending in .edu can not be a credible source if the site is only students' opinions with a .edu ending. Checking for other sources/websites (at least 3) to verify the questionable website's authenticity is another way to check a website's authenticity.
Jeff introduced us to a new tool to help me keep my students safe while using the Internet. Google CSE (Custom Search Engine) is a form of Google, but it allows the teacher to only allow websites they want their students to visit. This keeps inappropriate, unsafe websites from coming up on their results page. Parents can use this website at home too!
I enjoyed the ch.2 presentation. The discussion questions brought out some very strong opinions that I could identify with and understand. People brought up some interesting points that really made me think and began to change my opinion. I am still keeping an open mind about using technology in my classroom in the future. I think there needs to be a balance between traditional instruction and learning and integrating technology into the classroom. Technology can and should be a supplement to the teaching and learning processes in the classroom, but it should not replace the teacher. If used, it can be a helpful teaching tool.
Jeff introduced us to a new tool to help me keep my students safe while using the Internet. Google CSE (Custom Search Engine) is a form of Google, but it allows the teacher to only allow websites they want their students to visit. This keeps inappropriate, unsafe websites from coming up on their results page. Parents can use this website at home too!
I enjoyed the ch.2 presentation. The discussion questions brought out some very strong opinions that I could identify with and understand. People brought up some interesting points that really made me think and began to change my opinion. I am still keeping an open mind about using technology in my classroom in the future. I think there needs to be a balance between traditional instruction and learning and integrating technology into the classroom. Technology can and should be a supplement to the teaching and learning processes in the classroom, but it should not replace the teacher. If used, it can be a helpful teaching tool.
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