In your Blogger blog, reflect on your growth and learning throughout the course. What have you learned this term? Reflect on yourself, technology integration, the importance of connecting to state standards, and, if relevant, your progress toward becoming a teacher. In what ways has your thinking changed about technology use in the classroom? What readings, discussions, or websites helped change your thinking? Be as specific as possible, using examples from your readings, resources, and discussion board posts. Title your post Technology Integration: What I've Learned.
Throughout this course, I've been given an extensive amount of new information with regards to technology integration. Having taught school since 2005, I believed that I was ahead of the game when it came to using technology in the classroom. I create daily power points, use Prezi religiously, have my students use computers to conduct research, and use programs from the Web (such as BrainPop and Edmodo) to present material in different ways; however, now I realize that I am not doing enough. Technology integration is so much more than the teacher using and presenting the material; the students must be involved in conducting their own learning through technology use.
Throughout this course, we have been creating a WebQuest
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Equal Access in a Digital World
What does it mean to "provide equal access to the digital world"?
Providing equal access to the digital world is an overwhelming concept, proposing that all students have access to technology in their educational endeavors in order to be successful. Unfortunately, this is not the case in all schools. There is a "gap in access to information technology that is more significant for certain schools, specifically those with high minority populations or those in rural areas, with individuals who are physically challenged, and with females. The goal of equity is not just to put the same number of boxes, wires and pipes into every classroom; rather, we need to concentrate on equitable integration, training and support for all students and teachers." (Leading 21st Century Schools, pg.165-166) In my school, we have four laptops for each classroom; the teacher laptop and three for student use; however, it's difficult for all students to have access because there are over 25 students per class. Computer lab time is also at a premium with our 1200 students having to share two computer labs. So how do you allow students equal access when there isn't enough equipment or time? The simple answer is you can't. I would love it if my students were each given a laptop or tablet for classroom use, I would love it even more if all of my students had computers, tablets or smart phones of their own; however, it isn't realistic and a low SES population makes it even more unrealistic. Providing equal access in my district would take financial resources that we currently do not have, along with teacher training, improved software and technology upgrades. In the future, I know this is coming, but as for right now, providing equal access is almost impossible.
Providing equal access to the digital world is an overwhelming concept, proposing that all students have access to technology in their educational endeavors in order to be successful. Unfortunately, this is not the case in all schools. There is a "gap in access to information technology that is more significant for certain schools, specifically those with high minority populations or those in rural areas, with individuals who are physically challenged, and with females. The goal of equity is not just to put the same number of boxes, wires and pipes into every classroom; rather, we need to concentrate on equitable integration, training and support for all students and teachers." (Leading 21st Century Schools, pg.165-166) In my school, we have four laptops for each classroom; the teacher laptop and three for student use; however, it's difficult for all students to have access because there are over 25 students per class. Computer lab time is also at a premium with our 1200 students having to share two computer labs. So how do you allow students equal access when there isn't enough equipment or time? The simple answer is you can't. I would love it if my students were each given a laptop or tablet for classroom use, I would love it even more if all of my students had computers, tablets or smart phones of their own; however, it isn't realistic and a low SES population makes it even more unrealistic. Providing equal access in my district would take financial resources that we currently do not have, along with teacher training, improved software and technology upgrades. In the future, I know this is coming, but as for right now, providing equal access is almost impossible.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Edmodo in the classroom
Welcome to the wonderful world of
technology! As we embark on this journey, you will find your student more
immersed in the use of technology than ever. WebQuests, Edmodo, and blogs! Oh
My!Speaking of which, we are now starting to
use more social media in the language arts classroom. Social Media has been a
huge part of everyone’s lives in the past few years, and growing all the time.
Therefore, we will be starting to blog on our Edmodo site even more in the coming
weeks. Please visit https://www.edmodo.com/mstroutspage to learn more.
In a world where students thrive on the amount of time they spend connected each day, a profound shift must occur in the traditional classroom environment. Students in the Net Generation do not want to be lectured to; they want to have their opinions valued, they want to follow their own interests, they want to create, they want to connect with peers to express and share opinions, they want to share control, they want immediate information, and most importantly, want an education that is not just relevant, but real. (Prensky, 2010)
Research shows that students are more engaged in learning, more interested in the material and actually learn more when connected. When we teach students that social media sites like Facebook, and Twitter aren’t just for entertainment, but allow them to learn in a way in which they are already accustomed. So let’s get blogging!
These articles were used to conduct the research:
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Scott, S. M. (2012). Go ahead ... be social: Using social media to enhance the twenty-first century classroom. Distance Learning, 9(2), 54-59. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034600860?accountid=3783
In a world where students thrive on the amount of time they spend connected each day, a profound shift must occur in the traditional classroom environment. Students in the Net Generation do not want to be lectured to; they want to have their opinions valued, they want to follow their own interests, they want to create, they want to connect with peers to express and share opinions, they want to share control, they want immediate information, and most importantly, want an education that is not just relevant, but real. (Prensky, 2010)
Research shows that students are more engaged in learning, more interested in the material and actually learn more when connected. When we teach students that social media sites like Facebook, and Twitter aren’t just for entertainment, but allow them to learn in a way in which they are already accustomed. So let’s get blogging!
These articles were used to conduct the research:
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Scott, S. M. (2012). Go ahead ... be social: Using social media to enhance the twenty-first century classroom. Distance Learning, 9(2), 54-59. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034600860?accountid=3783
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
What is a WebQuest?
Hello Parents/Students! Welcome to the online world of Steven Alper and Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie! For this unit we will be conducting a WebQuest utilizing tools from the Internet as well as your students' brains! Through this activity, students will explore the author, learn how to connect to a text and discover what it would be like if the novel was written from another character's point of view. Students will be assigned various tasks to perform as well as be expected to log in to Edmodo to take quizzes and participate in class discussion. The final project will be an online journal, much like a blog, written from Steven's little brother's point of view. This project is ongoing throughout the Quest and students should use their knowledge of the material and creativity to convince me that they ARE Jeffrey. This is going to be a lot of fun! Happy Drumming!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Educational Applications of Word Clouds
Educational Applications of Word Clouds
Word cloud programs like Wordle and Tagxedo are tools that allow anyone to create fun new ways to look at words. In the classroom, these can be used to introduce new vocabulary, concepts, terms or units. Programs like Wordle and Tagxedo will "perceive" the most important words and make them stand out using larger fonts or bold lettering. I use Wordle all the time because I find it more user friendly than Tagxedo. On Wordle, I can insert my own text but on Tagxedo, I haven't been able to figure out how to do this and cannot locate an answer in the FAQ's. I use Wordle to introduce new units into my classroom. My next unit is a novel study on Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. The wordles I've created for this unit look like this:
Concepts Wordle:
Vocabulary Wordle:
I love using wordles in my classroom and having my kids create them as well. They love the ability to change the colors, fonts and styles.
Word cloud programs like Wordle and Tagxedo are tools that allow anyone to create fun new ways to look at words. In the classroom, these can be used to introduce new vocabulary, concepts, terms or units. Programs like Wordle and Tagxedo will "perceive" the most important words and make them stand out using larger fonts or bold lettering. I use Wordle all the time because I find it more user friendly than Tagxedo. On Wordle, I can insert my own text but on Tagxedo, I haven't been able to figure out how to do this and cannot locate an answer in the FAQ's. I use Wordle to introduce new units into my classroom. My next unit is a novel study on Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. The wordles I've created for this unit look like this:
Concepts Wordle:
Vocabulary Wordle:
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