Bitter Sweet Endings....

My view of instructional technology has changed dramatically over the course of this semester. When I first came into this technology class, I assumed that most of the technology we were going to learn was about SMART-BOARDS and the use of those in a classroom. I had no idea of this new generation of technological pieces that we could use in our classrooms. Wikis, Blogs, Google Docs, and many more are site and resources I had never really heard of or thought to use in a classroom. But after seeing the amount of collaboration and teamwork that was used for these pieces, I found it is a great way for students to reflect and respond to many different topics throughout a year that I think are beneficial. We live in a technology savvy world and to keep up with those demands in the classroom is amazing. I think that students will really appreciate the use of non-paper and pencil or chalkboard teaching methods that i have learned this semester. Each new site or resource I found is just another way to reach my students at many different angles. 

The quality and appropriateness of what I have learned and created this semester  is on key. I have learned very appropriate and fundamental resources that can help make my classroom a more user-friendly and interactive classroom. There are now so many ways to do an "About me" ice-breaker introduction in a classroom or new forums for group discussions that I never thought were possible. The work I did is just a reflection of how easy it is to pick up on these new technology tools and use them to help further your educational expertise in an area.    I feel that all students can add new dimensions to their learning from trying some of the technology items we learned in class this semester. 

Moving forward with technology, I find myself feeling solid. When I first started this class 6 weeks ago, I thought I knew a decent amount about technology and I still do. I just have added so many new items to go forward with and use and improve myself. I think it will only help me become a better teacher by continuing to push myself with new technology tools and incorporate them into my future classrooms. They will not always be easy and fun to try out, and sometimes not work the way I want them to, but I feel that with time and patience that I can make it work for my students. Technology is the future, and to actually be able to use it effectively in class is something I will truly strive for in my future. 

Group 1 Rocks :)

Google reader has been a LIFESAVER this year with catching up on everyone's blogs. I have been able to go to one site and scroll my way through a weeks worth of data entries on 15 different peoples different websites. I have found that there are so many little things on the internet that work to the benefit of students and educators alike. The Blog and the Wiki have also been very interesting forms of communcation I never expected to use for a classroom setting. It is an easy way to find a lot of information in one area.

Within our cohort, we started this semester with a lot of different technology information but have now come on the other side with a lot of new knowledge. It is funny to see the similarities between my classmates on the same questions even though we have different subject matters. Everybody makes valid points of how to use different technology aspects in different context.

Lots of people had ideas about brining technology into the classroom but one that I did not see or remember well is on Megan's blog about the site Scribd that allows a classroom to be mainly paperless by being a site that is an avenue for students to submit papers. For someone in science, it is awesome to hear of other students in my class that are looking out for the environment in their own fields. I know English teachers have a lot of papers to grade so having them be able to use less can help our carbon footprint a lot. Other then it helping with a carbon footprint, it allows easily for collaboration on the work that a student submits. There are more opportunities for people other then the teacher to comment on a students work, just like we do on blogs and wikis. It seems to come full circle. 

Another idea that I found very interesting and unique was on Sarah's blog about the use of more mainstream technology aspects in the classroom. She explains how iPads/iPods/iPhones can be used for assistance in classrooms, especially for students with hearing impairments. I would never have thought of something that now seems so common for most of our students to have access too or use at times to be beneficial to their learning styles. It shows how educators are ever changing to the new demands of their students.

Students need to be comfortable with the technology that is around them but understand how to use it well and appropriate where needed. Students are interacting with more then just themselves on the internet and there are plenty of people that will be out there reading what students write about or express on the internet. All of my classmates have appropriate ways to incorporate these newfound glories to their class, but the main feelings I think as a group we think are that these tools need to appropriate for the audience, collaborative with others to learn from not just yourself, and enjoyable since no one wants to participate in something they don't enjoy. I feel ready to start my student teaching with a a full amount of toolbox items that continue to help me be a more effective teacher.

References:

Lacey, M. (2011). Finding the words: Literacy in the classroom. Retrieved from http://mlacey.blogspot.com/

Pierz, S. (2011). Language Arts in Action: Putting assistive technology to use.  Retrieved from http://mrspierz.blogspot.com

Week 5 T2P

If... then... because...


     If a your approach to teaching is based upon solely theory then some students might not be able to be optimal learners in the classroom because the mind of an adolescent is a complex web that is hard to traverse into when they are not motivated or interested in the topics being covered.


     As this summer session nears its end, I find myself understanding that everything in class is great advice and reasons behind doing things one way or the other but it is all going to come down the relationship and communication that is developed between your students and yourself. Teachers want to call themselves Good often because they feel that they can be successful teachers based on their past, whether it is test scores, reviews, etc. but I think that good teachers comes from more then just the outcome the teacher has as a classroom and what the students walk away from classrooms with. 

Good  teachers are structured and selfless, they are there for their students and the gains that they hope they receive from the classroom. They are not only passionate about their subject material but the learning challenges and enthusiasm that can come out of optimal learning for all.

     It is good theory to use theorists like Skinner, Noddings, Pink, and others to help explain why teachers approach the classroom differently and why their students react to interactions in the classroom the way they do. I know that I will come to use their ideas as I further my education as a future educator myself, but I am hesitant to say that one way is the right way and that everyone has to do one theory to even be a good teacher. 

Teachers are the best on the fly thinkers, and I feel that all teachers want to approach their classroom in certain ways , but many things can interfere with things going as planned. As an educator, we cannot get frustrated with challenges and let them lead us off of the path of emotion and motivation but use that failure to push ourselves further to understand the reasons that things happen the way they do in the classroom setting.  Teachers are more then just teachers, they are students too and as I have said before we are students of our students and students of ourselves as teachers.

     Adolescents have complex minds as we have seen today, and we might not always know why they do the things they do but we need to understand that they are learning now only what we are teaching in a classroom but learning about themselves and discovering themselves everyday. 

The classroom is a scary place for all, teachers and learners the same. I hope as a future educator I can help bridge the gap for students and not only help them further themselves in education but as a member of society. I will use all of the theories we have learned about to help my teachings in different situations, but ultimately our teaching persona and how we want to approach education for our students is something that is every changing and growing as we ourselves discover more about ourselves. 

A Good Teacher

A good teacher.......

     A good teacher to me is someone who is enthusiastic about class but at the same time structured enough to know when work needs to get done and when there is some more lenience with work. Good teachers are active and engaged in their classroom. They do not care to sit behind a desk and lecture but interact with their students so that each of them knows that they are an important part of the classroom. Good teachers are also able to balance the delicate line of structure and relaxation. Classrooms are not always about pen to paper activities but more ways to engage students in real-world relevance. These teachers know when is a good time to "play" and a good time to work, and can equally balance the two so there is harmony in the classroom.
     A good teacher is not just about being fluent in their subject of expertise, but making all their students feel like they have the capability of being experts in the subject. These teachers are able to make sure their classroom is motivated intrinsically and not always externally. If these teachers can foster that motivation from within for their students, then their job is more complete and easy to get information for learning across then a student who has to be motivated for external factors.



Old Week 2 T2P Statement:
If students feel comfortable and emotionally safe in the learning environment, then they are able to fully explore learning in all aspects they are interested in because they are able to feel completely supported and encouraged in this type of environment.
Students will not be comfortable to learn in any situation that is not safe for them, no matter what they are asked to do. When a student is in a learning environment that they do not feel comfortable with, they are contemplating the factors that are causing their safety needs to not be met, as Maslow described. This will diminish the students learning qualities quickly, but with a simple change as going to a school or classroom that they feel heard and safe in they can become a completely different student. When students are safe, it is easier to become happy and enthusiastic about things, which can ultimately lead to a more optimal learning experience for educator and student. Noddings believes that learning is accomplished for caring decision making, and if teachers can build a caring environment between their students and themselves to provide a means for optimal learning. Motivation is a key factor in helping these needs as well, as teachers we want to push our students to realize there is more then what is currently around them and that they can get to better places if desired. We, as educators, cannot make everything safe for these children, but allowing them the opportunity to explore leaning avenues in a safe environment at school is crucial for their development not only as a student but as a human being.


Edit: Whole-Person Optimal Learning- Done in Green

The Wonderful Interactive Web World

      There are many different web resources that can be used in an ever growing technological school world that we live in. Each of them have some aspects that are good for a variety of different classes and grades. Some of them spoke to me, as a future educator, more then others did based on my philosophy of education and teaching persona. Two of them are described below

     Quest Atlantis is an international learning and teaching project that used a 3D multi-user environment to immense children in educational tasks (Quest Atlantis, 2010). What a crazy new type of technology to get students interacting not only with people in different classrooms at their school or district but students from all over the world. Learning is so much social in a lot of these students, so having a new way to socially interact with new people is an added bonus of doing these type of tasks in a formal classroom setting. I am a very competitive person and I know that I am someone who builds confidence and other self aspect of life from these situations. Helping my students build confidence in themselves is a key part of my philosophy of education. I want my students to not be getting an education but getting an insight to themselves as part of this society. Quest Atlantis brings both worlds together. It allows my students to be engaged in class but also to learn different cultures from students they might interact with in different areas of the world. This is a two for one learning process that is not just educational items, but life goal items to be possessed. Last, Quest Atlantis brings things that these students do in school to a real world relevance. Students are always looking to see how the things discussed in class relate to what they might use them for in real life. If these simulations provide proof that there is education in everything, then these students have gained knowledge that is sometimes hard to display.

     Another completely different tool I would use in my classroom stems from my philosophy of education portion I mentioned above about making students prepared for society, it is a website entitled Netiquette. Netiquette is the online version of the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea addressing the proper way to act and interact in a web environment (Albion, 2004).  Shea brings up many valuable items about behavior on the internet including proper ways to send e-mails, proper discussion behavior, and even the proper way to use search engines. All of these aspects of her book are items students of this technology generation should know but probably are not being told. Most of the students in classroom today know more about the internet and what it can and cannot be used for then their parents. They are more likely to teach their parents how to do things, but at the same time are probably not using the internet correctly. If they are already not using it correctly when they are younger that could be detrimental to them as adults in the job field. I want my students to not only get educational smart, but society smart in my classroom. I want them to know how to properly address their boss in an e-mail or how to find an item on the internet a little better. If they are able to gain these learning items young, they can help teach others the important tools to successful web mastery. I could easily spend the end of class on Fridays going over a new chapter so that it is not taking away from the information I "have to cover" but is almost a reward for a good week. The students I think will be able to relate to it because they are on the internet all the time and it might even make things easier for them that they thought never could be.

     There are many different types of web resources that are helpful for future educators, but some speak to certain types of teachers then others. In my future classroom, it is all about engaged students finding relevance in their learning and at the same time learning about real life society lessons that everyone should know. Everything is not always about pen and pencil, and in this day in age, that is becoming more and more clear everyday.

References:
Quest Atlantis (2010) Retrieved from: http://atlantis.crlt.indiana.edu/#58
Albion books (2004) Netiquette. Retrieved from: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/TOC0963702513.html

Week 4 T2P

My old Week 3 T2P:
If.. then... because...

     If teachers are assessing students based solely on comprehension and not evaluation then students will have trouble motivating themselves to pursue higher learning achievement because the teacher themselves is having trouble with their own motivation in continuing education and learning from their students. 
     Learning is not just about how students learn and their preferences for styles, but how learning is assessed in the taxonomy of learning. Gaging student's learning on knowledge and comprehension does not tap into their deeper yearning and drive to further their education. They are able to regurgitate information and pass a unit test. As educators, we strive for more synthesis and evaluation from our students. Bloom's levels of taxonomy for learning domains states that there are levels of understanding that as teachers we can use in assessing our students. Assessing students in high learning domains allows students to critically think about the learning they are achieving in the classroom. B.F Skinner's behavioral theory shows that the focus of learning is on observable behaviors, which is why teachers might have trouble assessing on higher levels of understanding when they themselves are having trouble with higher motivation. As educators, we ourselves must motivate ourselves to foster motivation in our students. We are learners of our students, as they are learners of us. 


KEY:


"If" 
"Then"
"Because"
"Pedagogical Terms"
"Context"
"Evidence"
"Moral"
"Events"




Week 4 T2P: Edutopia
     If students are given the opportunity to have optimal learning on their own then the teacher is able to be learners as well as teachers because intrinsic motivation in the students will allow them to not only teach themselves but their teacher and peers. Students are always striving for personal achievements and given the opportunity to shine, most students will step up to the plate and respond. Teachers who practice unconventional ways of teaching, by using more then just pencils and paper, bring relevance to their students by using technology that is a part of their generation. Vicki Davis' allows her students to not only practice learning on their own, but to practice the learning they have gained by teaching classmates and their own teacher what they have discovered. These type of opportunities will satisfy the three big principles of self-determination theory of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Deci and Ryan state that if these three principles are present then students will develop and function effectively and experience overall wellness. As future educators, we should all strive for this type of confidence and rewarding avenue of learning. In doing so, the student will be able to take-on challenges in any classroom in the future based on their successful experience with intrinsic motivation to further their education in all realms of learning. 


Last but not least Week 4 T2P:


If... then... because....
     If an educator is flexible with their lesson planning then learning is more likely to be optimal for all because there is an ability for the educator to work through situations they find themselves in that are unfamiliar.
  As we move forward in this first six weeks of pre-service teacher education, I find myself realizing that there is more beyond the chalkboard, the desks, the powerpoint presentations, and the textbooks. Teaching is about reaching out to your students and motivating them to reach beyond their own personal goals to extraordinary goals they never thought was possible. It is using your own knowledge and motivation about education to build relationships within your classroom to your students and help them achieve the same level of evaluation and passion for a subject area. There are many types of learning theories and intelligence styles which each have their own positive contributions that can be brought into the classroom. As an educator, you must find the certain styles and preferences that work for you and incorporate them into a meaningful lesson everyday. The big picture is not the information, the teacher, the students, the assessments, it is the self enhancement that education and knowledge bring to all human beings.
     As I sit here thinking about what I will bring to the mix as a teacher, each and everyday I discover something new about myself that will add another dimension to my toolbox of education events. Using different styles and activities will allow optimal learning growth for all. I can take Skinners ideas with Behavioral learning and Lave's idea of apprenticeship model learning, and even Siemen's connectivism theory to almost make a hybrid model of learning that works for me and caters to all students evenly. There is always room for improvement and the students are students of us as we are students of them. 
     






Link to Week 4 Content: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkAibXJ3G655dC14WjFLNDl2ai1oV0E1aFhOUlhnbFE&hl=en_US&authkey=CLioku0O

Technology for Students with Disabilities

     Students with ailments in schools such as hearing-impairment, low-vision, a broken right arm, or autism seem to naturally have a harder time with certain aspects in the classroom. There is new technology and tools in this day in age that help provide these students with disabilities a chance to close the gap between them and other students. Numerous tools have come onto the market in an effort to improve the learning process for each of the groups listed above.
     A student with a hearing-impairament often has trouble listening along in class to what their fellow students and teacher are saying. This increased the amount of time it takes a student to get the information in a way that is easier and reliable for them. A type of software that guides learning for students with this impairment is speech recognition software. These devices allow for a microphone that is spoken into to convert the speech that is spoken into a text that can easily be read (Wikibooks, 2011). Having a text in-front of students with hearing impairments allows them to not worry so much about listening to what has been said but reading it. This speech recognition software is helpful for all subject areas, but in science a student can now listen to discussions and input their own ideas that allow them to critically think instead of just trying to keep up. Without this technology, these students would just fall deeper and deeper behind in the growing learning experience they have through social learning in the school setting.
     A student with low-vision often has trouble reading the words on the front of the classroom on the board or projector. Struggling to see what is being written by the teacher or other students can hinder the students ability to correctly identify what is exactly being taught in class. A new technology item known as E-readers are allowing texts to be written in a book that they can hold and see easier. This technology also has the capability to perform text-to-speech which allows the words on the E-reader to be read aloud to the pupil using it (Wikibooks, 2010). There is another type of book that allows the book to talk to its students. The Daisy book is the new era of talking books that can even allow video playbook to be read to the students. In classrooms, a talking book helps students tremendously that have vision problems. Being able to hear what is going on in a lecture out of a text instead of reading it can create a balance that these students find hard with their impairments. In my classroom in the future, I hope that talking books can help all students use their strongest learning style (either visual or verbal) to help relate a textbooks information into their own minds.
     A student with a broke right arm often does not know how to write anymore if they were only right handed. Keeping up in school during this time without learning to write with your other hand can bog a student's learning down tremendously. Technology like the speech recognition technology can allow these type of students to communicate with their teacher for assignments by saying what they want to write or do and the software will then take it into a form that can be turned into a teacher. Also E-readers can allow these students to read from their textbook and other required books easier. Since E-readers are more compact and smaller, they usually can be operated by one hand, allowing the student to use their non-dominant hand for functions. Each of these tools can keep a student with a broken arm caught up in all of their assignments for class while the bone heals.
     A student with autism has a challenge in most every field they learn in school. Having some specialized attention given to them to help with their reading and writing can be monumental in their aspirations of keeping up in school. A talking book, like the Daisy, in an easy way to share in the digital society (Wikibooks, 2009) but also to aid in reading of books at a pace that is easier for the student to comprehend. Also speech recognition software allows a student with autism who is having trouble writing for an assignment speak what they want to write and express their opinions in that manner. For an English class, instead of a student having trouble reading the book and writing the paper down. These two tools can help the student read the book, or have the book read to them plus speak exactly what they want to write for their paper in a timely manner.
     Technology has come a long way in helping the needs of those with disabilities. There are numerous ways in this day in age to make sure students of all capabilities have tools to help further their education and keep up with an ever demanding field of learning. In my classroom, I will hope to balance the challenges students with disabilities bring to a main-stream classroom with having the advantage of technology and tools that can help give them one step up in the effort to have complete understanding in their education.



References:
Wikibooks, (2009). Assistive technology in education/Daisy. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/DAISY

Wikibooks, (2010). Assistive technology in education/E-books. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/eBook

Wikibooks, (2011). Assistive technology in education/Speech recognition software. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software