Group items tagged

21st century literacy

Internet technologies may be a good way to teach computer literacy and content, but it may be easy for students to skim through information. In a traditional classroom lecture, the listener may only retain twenty percent of the lecture. When we have our students using online resources, can we be sure that they are thoroughly learning the content. Even in class our instructors reiterate thoroughly reading the materials, because they know we tend to skim the material and miss important information. More on the way we are learning now. We have a new category of learner rather than traditional, according to Dr. Michael Herbert, whom conducted a study of of content retention and course satisfaction at the college level. It is useful to note the five reasons why adult learners drop out of online learning programs: "poor design, failure to understand the new medium, lack of consideration for a variety of learning styles, lack of support systems and ignoring the self-selecting content need of learners." All of these reasons are the same reasons our students may struggle with internet technologies and online learning. Herbert, M. (2006, Winter). Staying the Course: A Study in Online Student Satisfaction and Retention. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://www.westga.edu: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter94/herbert94.htm

What really caught y attention in this article was the part where it says: Make it personal - Passion-driven learning. Teaching mathematics in the seconday level is no easy task. Having to teach probably the least favorite subject of high schoolers is such a big challenge that most teachers prefer to teach the subject in a traditional way. Quiet classroom, teacher in the front, books on the table and students quietly listen to to the teachers dicussion. This method is widely opossed nowadays and classroom collaboration many believe is the most effective way of learning. Technology helps this goal to be achieved. Passion driven learning is one of the ways that I truly believe could work in a math class. Online resources such as the Gallup Poll's web page http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx - offers information on how they use data and other information to predict outcomes and verify results. The site is loaded with graphs, data and other information relevant to mathematics in the real world setting. If we could spark that passion in our kids, they themselves, on their own will search for other resources and learn along the way. Dyck, B. (2005, winter). Meridian: A Middle School Computer Technologies Journal; When Technology Integration Goes to Math Class, from http://www.ncsu.edu/meridian/sum2003/math/index.html

As someone who wants to be a leader in their district for technology implementation, I believe one of the best things I can do is keep myself plugged into a Professional Learning Network (PLN). I dont have to figure out everything on my own....it is much simpler to steal other people's ideas :). The Nerdy Teacher has been my go to source for examining how others are using technology in the classroom, and I highly recommend making him a part of your PLN.

This blog has many posts to read. It is helpful to read what technology another teacher is using in the classroom. He does mention different technology tools to use in the classroom that are new to me. This is a blog that I will continue to read for new ideas.

Thank you for the positive feedback...in summary here is the list of websites we came up with to start a PLN, enjoy! www.thenerdyteacher.com http://www.techlearning.com/index http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/blogs/index.html http://www.thinkinginmind.com/ http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2011/08/5-cs-to-developing-your-personal.html http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/for-connected-educator-month-tips-from-33-educators-we-admire/

I am also a big supporter of tablets in the classroom, but I have yet to justify the cost of purchasing an ipad at $500 a piece. With budget cuts as wide spread as they are now, I would think a kindle, nook or even a nexus tablet for around half the price would work just as well. What students need is a dedicated e-reader and access to the internet to look up any information on the spot. Any of the above mentioned tablets could perform these skills without the premium price tag. Since most apps are now available on both the ios operating system and the android operating system, I would imagine the apps developed by speech and language experts are also available across platforms. The second issue in dealing with ipads is the familiarity with the product. Apple is the most successful and profitable tech company in the U.S. right now, but 90% of the computers in the classroom are windows based. Teachers will be more willing to utilize a tool if it integrates easily with the technology already found in the classroom. Ipad is a name. It is the most trusted and used tablet on the market. If, however, students can receive the same benefits of an ipad at half the price, I see no reason to limit the inclusion of tablets in the classroom to an ipad. Check out this article. It has some interesting comments by Bill Gates. http://macdailynews.com/2012/06/27/bill-gates-tablets-in-the-classroom-have-really-horrible-track-record/

It is amazing how much technology is available to help students in the classroom. Integrating technology into the classroom enhances teaching and learning, yet it is now a necessity, even for students with disabilities. My question is, Are facilitators aware of how technology can be used in the classroom? It seems we are still lagging behind on the use of technology in the classrooms. Here is another article that touches points to consider when designing teaching and learning activities when integrating technology into the classroom: http://www.cput.ac.za/blogs/cel/2012/09/13/technology-for-inclusivity/

Jaime, I believe the use of iPads and other related Tablets in the classroom is great way to engaged students in the concept being taught. I like how this article detailed how the iPad can be implemented in the classroom to help students with special needs. Article: 7 Strategies for iPads and iPods in the (Math) Classroom- http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/07/11/7-Strategies-for-iPads-and-iPods-in-the-Math-Classroom.aspx?Page=1

Website that provides valuable information and resources of educational technology.

I-Pads are the newest popular gadgets in demand. I agree that their use in our schools has proven to be an efficient avenue for improving academic skills for students especially our most challenging students (e.g., special populations). The I-pads have also empowered our teachers to adapt technology to assist them and help support of the advancing students' learning. I am in agreement with Vincent that the price hinders the availabilty to all students. Perhaps we need to do more research on Vincent's comment about the use other tablets.

I was excited to learn how 3D is being incorporated into the classroom. This 3D enhances students' learnign especially for the ADHD and dyslexic child. They are engaged in the learning and the students find it fun. The teacher was please with the ease of using the application in the classroom. Technology is truly fascinating.

I really enjoyed the article and I will say that I agree that testing is not making our students smarter. I have been in the teaching field for 22 years and year after year I see the students so disconnected with learning. Students have been taught how to pass a test, rather than how to think creatively. I have students that can't answer an open ended question in a complete thought, but can pass a state exam. I have always refused to teach to a test, and have gotten very good results at the end. Since I teach Science my class is very hands-on, so the students love the class, but they don't have the background ability to apply it on a test. These students have been trained not to think only to answer multiple choice questions. It takes me a whole semester to get them to make the connection from the experiment and how to apply it to the test. My first year at my school the teacher who was teaching Science before me gave me boxes full of TAKS materials that she used in her class and she told me that I wouldn't have time for hands-on activities. As soon as she left my room I threw everything in the trash and my principal was surprised that I didn't want her materials. Needless to say my students became thinkers by the end of the year and grew a new appreciation for Science. Being in the MTT program I have begun integrating technology in my Social Studies class and I have never seen students so interested in learning about the American Revolution. We are getting ready to create newsletters about different topics they learned about the American Revolution. They are even getting ready to create a voki to present a part of their newsletter. I have seen technology even motivate the most reluctant learner in my class. I have students that will come in the morning and begin working on their project that they need to complete. I even have students going to the public library to use the computers. I am a true believer in integrating technology. I

Loved this fable!! It reminded me about a book I read a few years ago titled Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell . It was a whole bunch of stories about real-life success stories such as The Beatles and Bill Gates. The one thing that all of these people had in common was that they all spent tens of thousands of hours honing in on their craft. Some of them just got lucky and had the opportunity to practice. Others had parents that knew that they had cultivate their child's passion and not force them to do things that they were just not capable of doing or that they were not interested in. This fable reminds me of what we are doing in education today. We want all of the students to be "good" at everything and never give them enough time to become great at something. If students were allowed to follow their passion, the benefits would overflow into other subjects.

I often use this analogy to encourage my students who feel that they are unintelligent because of their struggles to pass tests. Our school system tries to make all of our students fit a specific mold-- some fit, some adapt, and some give up. We've give up the ability to provide our students with the freedom to explore and be creative for a sense of security in "accountability." Sure, we need to hold schools and educators accountable for providing a quality education and yes, there have been schools in the past who have misused the freedoms allowed to them. However, I cannot and will not believe that an annual multiple choice test will sum up all of the knowledge that my students have gained. I strive to teach my students to think critically and be a part of the world around them. In my opinion, being able to think your way through a problem is going to be much more valuable to my students in the future than knowing the difference between rotation and revolution. (Unless they plan on being aerospace engineers that is). We need to focus on inspiring students to learn through their own drive and interest. Let's not kill their natural curiosity with our adult need for accountability.

In the edutopia blog article, Shaping Tech for the Classroom, linked above, Marc Prensky - the "creator" of the digital immigrant/digital native labels, describes the typical process of technology adoption. How accurately do those steps define what is happening on your campus with regard to technology adoption? On average, where in the process is your campus? Have you seen any "movement" through the process in the last 2-3 years? If yes, to what do you attribute these changes? If no, what can you do to move the campus forward? Click on "Comment" above to respond to the article and to your peers. Please post at least one link in this group that is relevant to your discussion. Be sure to tag your link and your discussion.

In my campus I have noticed that veteran teachers tend to stay away from technology. Veteran teachers didn't grow up with technology in their classrooms and have been teaching for years with out technology that they see no need to implement it now. I really see that as shameful! Now, as a MTT in training, I really want to change these teachers minds about technology and show them how easy it is to use. "With the infusion of technology into all aspects of daily life, students are becoming more and more adept at using technology as an educational resource. Many faculty, however, are not keeping pace with their students. Additionally, faculty feel increasingly unprepared to integrate technology into the classroom." Efau, J. (2005, May 4). No Teacher Left Behind: How to Teach with Technology. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/NoTeacherLeftBehindHowtoTeachw/157372

I seem a bit doubtful that well working laptops can be found for almost 100 dollars for schools as this article suggest, but after looking at Project Inkwell's Web site, it seems like something that we might see in the future. Although I do not foresee my campus being able to complete the "one on one" process any time soon, I feel that it is improving with technology integration. New equipment that I have seen to promote technology integration has already been coming in to our library, which helps us get one step closer to meeting integration goals. We still face a few dilemmas with technology integration, such as lack of working computers in a classroom, or no student Ethernet hookups in the portables, but our administrators do what they can to help us with problems we face with this. There is of course however only so much that they can do, but little by little, I can see the process of technology integration in to the classrooms moving along as each year passes. An example of this movement that has been done can be seen when looking back at the year when our school's portables were first put up. It was at this time that there wasn't any internet provide to those in the portables at all. There as well were not enough SMART boards for every classroom, or any computer classes for 6 grade students. Completing a project using technology with 6 graders was really hard before they opened up computer classes for them. Now, internet, although a bit limited in the portables still, can at least be reached to them, Smart board are given to each teacher, knowledge of technology use is much better than the past 6th graders, and workshops for the use of technology are also provide from time to time. This makes it much more less time consuming for many teachers who wish to integrate technology into their classrooms, and keeps our campus moving in the right track for proper technology integration in our schools. A link, by Project Inkwell, to the prototype dev

Technology with Differentiating instruction in the classroom. Long PDF File but very useful

This is a great link to so much resourceful information. I am sharing this with my team because there are so many things we can utilize when trying to develop our Action Plans for at risk students or just differently learning styles. Excellent information. Thanks for sharing.

Great information. Every teacher needs to know about differentiating because our students are not in the same level of learning. It has alot of technology resources that teachers can find it very useful to implement in their daily instruction. Thanks for sharing and I will share this link with my 21st Century teachers.

Have you heard of Minecraft? I have heard students talk very enthusiastic about it, specially elementary and middle school students. Even some of my students have suggested to use minecraft as an educational tool. Minecraft is a sandbox game which allows players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D world. Watch this video and tell me if you think this could also be the teacher's ultimate multi-tool? If so, how can you implement it in a lesson?

I like Mindcraft.com, but my kids love Mindcraft.com. It's very useful for math. I heard of it from other teachers on campus and by the time I mentioned it to the students, many of them were familiar with it. It's a very useful tool.

Very interesting. I have heard tons of things about Minecraft but haven't had the time to look into it. Thanks for the share as it is a very comprehensive intro to educational Minecraft.

Researchers have found three consistent effects of using and emphasizing the importance of grades: 1. Grades tend to reduce students' interest in the learning itself. 2. Grades tend to reduce students' preference for challenging tasks. 3. Grades tend to reduce the quality of students' thinking

I really like the idea of removing homework from class..but not grades though at least not completely. Maybe reduce the amount of grades we have to submit but not blow them up, otherwise all students would be passing. I think that instead of giving 100 questions for homework, students could get a home project; such as "record a video explaining step by step how to solve this particular problem" and then they'll have to learn it so they can teach it in the video. I agree, students learn with informal learning and video games, schools need to start providing this kind of school to modern kids. We shouldn't be teaching and grading to the test.

Wow, I am impressed! It sounds wonderful, but scary at the same time, just imagine: No homework, no deadlines, It is difficult for me because It is totally opposite to what I learned in my life, but I have to think times are changing and so does people, I am not saying it is easy and difficult for me, but also it is not impossible to try, specially if it will help our new students generations, I will be willing to try this new system of education.

Hi guys! This is the week that I will be hosting along with others in our group. Look at the website hosted by Discovery Education, take your time look at the video on the page it is a good overview. Go into the different links choose two tools that would be useful in your classroom or in your profession, share with our group so we can learn from each other. Have Fun!

Great! I love the tools available through Web 2.0 and express the importance of utilizing them into our classrooms. Many of these tools were introduced to us in 6340. Now I see how it's all coming together. =-) I really enjoy the use of Glogster for online presentation along with Prezi and Picsviewer. I'm hoping to expand into using other tools.

I agree with this article. Web 2.0 has revolutionized the way we create, collaborate and share information online. Technology is more accessible. An example of this is the new Edmodo App., which gives instant access to Edmodo from your iPod, or any device that allows you to download this application.

Really interesting site for current information on scientific discoveries. Good resource for students - source for latest research news

Thank you this has been very useful.

At our school district, students log onto the network using their own account on any terminal within the district, in which they can keep individual files. Although they can't permanently personalize any computer I do always see them changing wallpapers every now and then. Integrating technology into the classroom will have to be more than a method or means. It must go beyond access and utilization. I believe students will have achieved true integration whey they have created something or honed a skill using technology as a tool.

In the article Shaping Tech For the Classroom, it lays out a visual representation of what is happening in our classrooms throughout our district. While we are trying to keep up with the latest technology, it seems that most teachers are still at a loss as to what should be happening in the classroom with the technology available to us. At the moment, many teachers at our campus have a smart board, student computers with internet access, class response clickers, projectors, EKI machines, digital cameras and new gadget called KINEO that our district Migrant department has provided to our Migrant students. This apparatus is supposed to help our migrant students in leveling their knowledge of math, reading and science skills throught the program WEBACHIEVER. We have had this gadges in our library for about two months and have been used only once because no on has been trained as how to use them. I can say that Donna ISD has done a very good job at providing opportunities for us teachers to get technology savvy but unfortunate, not many have taken that opportunity. We have even had the opportunity to complete technology staff development in our pajamas. As a result of these initiatives by our district, it is safe to say that our district is in the right direction as far as providing us the technology and advancing software that is available to students and teachers. Through MTT Donna right Technology Grant, more teachers will become masters at providing the right tools so that teachers can change their attitudes towards technology. However more training and accountability needs to be in place in order to assure that the technology is being used correctly so our students can compete in the real world.

Lots of Apple stuff here - but other stuff is available for us Non-MACS.

Wow! That is a ton of information! I feel like I need to slowly go through each one. I am a Mac enthusiast, and I wish that our district would convert. I feel like we would be able to accomplish a lot more with the different interface. It's much more user friendly--- hence all of the copycats. THank you for sharing such a wonderful list of options!