Is Anybody Listening? and Death by Powerpoint

I enjoyed watching everyone’s presentation this week in class; it was very educational for me. I think everyone had great ideas, I can see myself incorporating many of them inside my own classroom. Shelly’s presentation about FreeRice.com was very interesting. I think students would really enjoy the idea that they could feed the hungry, play and learn all at the same time. I would defiantly use this web site in my classroom as a teaching tool. Andrea presentation on Twiducate, was also very intriguing I had never heard of this site before. I like the concept behind this site, however I would have to do some research and refining on this site. Because some of the features appear to be advance for younger students. Doreen’s presentation on the Engrade software is something that I would use in my classroom. I like the idea that teacher can organize all their classroom information into one program. I can really see this website being beneficial and a time saver for teachers. Although some students presented electronic devices and others choice computer software, the common theme I saw among everyone’s presentation was that everyone’s technology ideas had multiple purposes. Besides that everyone’s presented something that would allow students to be actively involved in the lesson. Whether it was a program or a electronic device, they all had many different options that would help to enhance both the teaching and learning experience. Overall, I think everyone’s idea would help to improve and enhance students learning if utilized in the right way.

Is Anybody Listening? Was a very emotional video to watch, it was heart wrenching. To watch the young students share how the economy crisis has affected their lives and the lives of individuals around them. It was sad because people do not realize the effect that the distress economy is having on our youth. It was difficult to listen to students talk about dropping out of school our how their living situation has affected their ability to learn. I think this video could influence other students to speak out. I think it was nice of President Obama to acknowledge the students cry for help. However, I have yet to see a big change in the economic recover plan. If I had students like those featured in the video, first off I would express the importance of education and encourage them to stay in school. I would have the students do a project base learning assignments to research America’s economic crisis and come up with possibly solutions.

Death by Power point video was useful it made me reflect on some of my own slide show presentation. Learning about what should and should not be done when creating a power point was beneficial. Powerpoint slide is a good way to convey a message, however, I learned that it is important not to overwhelm the eyes a lot of wording or distracting images. Power points visual presentation can have a big impact if it is utilized right. I think power point presentation can make a huge impact if done right.

My final thoughts on the class… This course was not only educational it was also fun. I learned about many cool websites and technology features that I was clueless too before this class. The technology possibilities that is available for educators and students are incredible. I like how all the technology sites you introduced to the class was FREE and could be access from any computer with internet. I will continue to use many of the sites we learned about inside the classroom and outside. Learning how to create a blog and my own web site was a big accomplishment. Now that I have the basic tools, I will continue to explore the other possibilities. Learning about the numerous application available in Google docs was very rewarding. Before taking this course, I had only used my g mail account to check my e-mail. Therefore, learning about the many features and possibilities in Google docs was great. I now use Google docs for other purposes besides checking my e-mail.

Fieldwork Presentation

I real enjoyed watching everyone’s fieldwork presentation assignment. It was interesting to see how much change has occurred in our education system over the past decade. This assignment allowed me the opportunity to see just how educators are using technology to enhance students learning experiences. After listening to my fellow classmate’s observation experience; I notice that the schools who put high emphasizes on integrating technology into their program had higher API scores. I also thought it was interesting to see that teachers are incorporating technology into the classroom of younger learners. I was also impressed to hear the amount of technology that is being used in the schools where Andrea, Tammie, Loletta and Angel observed. I can just about imagine how schools will look ten years from now. My heart went out to the staff and students at the school where Doreen work and observed. It was sad to hear about the limited amount of technology these students had in their classroom. In addition, to make matters worst they are stuck in the same room all day. However, at the end of the day the staff and students make use of what they got. I think anyone teaching under the circumstance Doreen described need to be applauded. Overall, I liked the diversity that everyone’s presentation offered. I was pleased to learn about some of the many ways technology is being used in today’s learning experiences.
As a future educator, some of the concepts I can picture myself using inside the classroom is a laptop, clickers and interactive whiteboard. I have learn that technology can be very beneficial in students learning process if educators are taught how to use it effectively. Evdience shows that students are better able retain and regurgitate information when they are engaged in the learning process. Integrate technology into everyday teaching can help improve students performance considering the majority of student are technology driven.

                                                                          
The class also got a brief introduction to MIT open courseware and Wordle cloud ware. “Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide”(wordle.net). . Learning about Wordle web cloud was fun. I like how you can write out a paragraph and the program than creatively converts it into a whimsical pieces of art. Wordle can also be printed, saved, shared, and use as a clip art. Wordle is a site I can picture being used in the classroom. However, there is one drawback, teachers are not able to block students from using inappropate language on the site.

I also explored MIT an online web site that allows individual to obtain almost all MIT under graduate and graduate coursework without being register in the school. According to research, MIT open courseware allows individuals to access lecture notes, exams, watch videos and obtain information according to the course online for free “wow”. My initial thoughts were that is “great” people can self educate them by utilizing the countries most prestige schools course work. I think it is incredible that MIT openly share their educational materials free. According to research, MIT pays for all the publication cost that goes into sharing each coursework, which could range from 10,000 to 15,000. I think MIT open courseware is a good site because it provides many people the opportunity receive quality education. Who may have not otherwise been able to receive it. However, the drawback is that students who learn this way do not get any recognition to confirm that they master the subject. At the end of the day, I think MIT commitment to share their educational resources with others is wonderful.
　
　
　

Digital Native Vs Digital Immigrants

Digital Native and Digital Immigrants was a great article, I really enjoyed reading it. This article made me reflect about my own life and learning years. I was born in 1977 society labels me a generation Y baby, I however consider myself as being a generation X baby because my childhood was spent growing up in the 80’s. Today I would consider myself as being Digital Native, but honestly speaking I am still in the learning stage. According to research A digital native is a person who was born after the general implementation of digital technology, and, as a result, has a familiarity with digital technology such as computers, the Internet, mobile phones and MP3’s over their whole lives. A digital immigrant is an individual who was born before the existence of digital technology and adopted it to some extent later. Alternatively, this term can describe people born in the latter 1970s or later, as the Digital Age began at that time; but in most cases the term focuses on people who grew up with 21 Century technology.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native).

My children where born in the mid nineties a time when technology was beginning to flourish. My children’s knowledge of technology is far more advance then mines, which has forced me to learn more about technology. Technology advancement has changed dramatically in recent years, as a result, it has affected the way teachers teach and the way our students learn. I agree with Marc Prensky, when he says, “Unfortunately no matter how much the Immigrants may wish it, it is highly unlikely that the Digital Native will every go backwards” (Prensky). Technology is here to stay and the traditional ways of learning and teaching is something of the past. In order for today’s teachers to stay in the game, they really have no choice but to learn how to adapt their teaching style.

I also agree with Marc Prensky when he said, “Adapting material to the language of Digital Natives has already been done successfully” (Prensky). That is true but at what cost, the Digital Native generation wants everything fast, and many of them lack patients. Many of them cannot spell correctly thanks to spell check and text lingo. They are quick to use search engines as their first resource, but do not know how to look up books using traditional index cards. Many Digital Natives have never even read a traditional hardcopy book. With that said, I question rather converting traditional teaching style over to a Digital Native language is such a good idea. I do not think so because although 21-century students have been exposed to vast amount of technology, their school performance and testing scores have not improve much over the past few decades.



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 According to a Time, magazines article “In 2009, 69% of Eighth graders scored below proficient in reading. In 2009, 68% of eighth graders scored below proficient in math. The article also say, “Classes are smaller, and per pupil spending has increased, but students performance has not improved. 16:1 students to teacher ration in 2007 compared with 22:1 in 1970. 123% increase in per pupil education spending in the U.S from 1971 to 2006. 0% change in academic performance among 17 years olds from 1971 to 2004 in a national test for reading” (Times Magazine).
Although, I agree with some of Marc Pensky opinions and I fall in the category of the Digital Native; I think that technology should be used as teaching tool not a teacher replacement. Teachers is one the most important factors in students education next to parenting. I personal feel that a lack of parenting is to blame for most students’ shortcomings. We all know that learning beginnings at home and it is parent’s responsibility to see that technology does not hinder their child’s ability to learn or teacher’s ability to reach them.

The new released movie “Waiting for Superman” critics say is a must see movie. “Waiting for superman is a documentary that follows five kids and their parents as they try to escape their neighborhood public schools for higher performing public charter schools. The movie serves up a lot of clarifying statistics about the problems facing education reform” (Times Magazine).

This week in class, we also learned how to create forms using Google Docs. “With Google Docs, you can quickly create a form or survey, email it to your friends, family, or colleagues, and keep track of the answers in one spreadsheet (all for free).There are two ways to create a form in Google Docs: from your Docs list or from a spreadsheet” (docs. Google. COM). I think Google forms is a good learning tools for education.


Work Cited
"Digital Native." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_native.

Prensky, Marc. Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On The Horizon NCB University Press, Oct. 2001. Web.

"Waiting for Superman TIME Magazine - Search Results." TIME Magazine - Search Results. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. .

Copyright Law

 This weeks lesson on copyrights laws was very educational, I discovered that their was a lot of information about copyright laws that I was oblivious too. Copyright laws is a very complex subject; however, the different scenario on the copyright test gave me a better understanding. Familiarizing myself with Copyrights and Fair Use guidelines will help prevent unintentional copyright violation. According to research “Copyright laws” are based on the belief that anyone who creates an original, tangible work deserves to be compensated for that work, that compensation encourages more creative works, and that society as a whole benefits from the creative efforts of its members. Copyright laws, therefore, are designed to protect a creator's right to be compensated and to control how his or her work is used”(educationworld.com). Which includes written work, media, artwork, music and, photos. In today’s current age of the Internet, there is unlimited amount of information download that could be a potential copyright violation. For instance, students use an online site to import images, photos, and music without getting permission. Under some circumstances, importing this material without permission could be a violation.

 However, for educational purposes teachers can exercise the Fair Use Law. “The Fair Use Law” allows an educator the flexibility to copy material for the purpose of teaching according to strict guidelines. “As followed a single chapter from a book an excerpt from a work that combines language and illustrations, such as a children's book, not exceeding two pages or 10 percent of the work, whichever is less a poem of 250 words or less or up to 250 words of a longer poem an article, short story, or essay of 2,500 words or less, or excerpts of up to 1,000 words or 10 percent of a longer work, whichever is less; or a single chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper”(educationworld.com). As a future educator I think allowing teachers the rights to exercise the Fair use law is a good idea. Technology is changing rapidly and more and more individuals are sharing copyrighted material. Teachers shouldn’t have to be worried about if the video clip they showed in class is breaking a copyright law. David Thornburg mention how some teacher use cheat sites such as “turnitin.com” as a screening tool to prevent cheating. I think that educating students on copyright laws can inspire students to think creatively so they won‘t be quick to use someone else work as their own. However, I do agree with saying “when in doubt ask permission”(education world.com).

Also, this week our class was briefly introduce to Social book marking sites, Diigo and Scholar. “Diigo is a Social book marking website which allows signed users to bookmark and tag web-pages. More exclusively, it allows users to highlight any part of a webpage and attach sticky notes to specific highlights or to a whole page” (Diigo.com).
Scholar is also a Social book-marking site that is available through our Blackboard. Individual create an account with scholar that will allow them to search and browse resources, along with build and save their own collection( scholar .com). Although, I have very little experience with social book marking I can visualize how useful it could be when doing research papers.

                                                                  Works Cited

Diigo - Web Highlighter and Sticky Notes, Online Bookmarking and Annotation, Personal Learning Network. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.diigo.com/>.

Scholar. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <https://www.scholar.com/>.

Zip,, By. Education World® The Educator's Best Friend. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. <http://www.educationworld.com/>.

Hybrid

On Thursday, September 30, 2010, the class did its first hybrid online course. Wow, it was interesting the night got off to a slow start. Mainly because everyone was in different location which made the logging on process a little slower. However, I like the convenience of students benign able to participate from different location, I think that is the beauty of a hybrid classes. Like all classes, the hybrid class did have its challenges for instance the students method of communicating was through typing. Which, was fine thanks to the feature at the bottom of the screen that informed everyone else that someone was going to be posting? Although, typing could be time consuming I think the features that was available on the screen help reduce students from having to type, like when the teacher would ask a question students could agree or disagree by clicking on the feature button. Another thing I found challenging was that when working from home not all students have the same programs on there computer, which can make things difficult if you’re not computer savvy.
Being able to participate in the hybrid class gave me some indication as to what teaching might be like for future generations. If I were to use hybrid as an alternative method of teaching I would try to limit some of the challenges I spoke about; by assuring that every students has the same programs on their computer ahead of time. I would also request that students have either a webcam or some type of microphone they can use with their computer. By including these two requirements everyone would be on the same page, it would eliminate the use of excess typing and last minute discovery of not being able to access the same programs as other.

Hybrid Classes would be a good way to connect with students form all around the world. As a teacher I can picture using a hybrid set up inside a computer lab for younger students, so they could do pen pal assignments or research assignments with students from other location. Hybrid class also sound like a good learning addition for students who do independent schooling, because this way they are not totally learning alone.
The hybrid class was a little different from traditional online class because the hybrid class actually allowed students to see and hear the teacher talking, also if students had web cam or speaking devices they would also be able to be seen and heard. Whereas with traditional online classes students can only communicate through typing which makes, some students feel a little disconnect.
Overall, the assignment was fun, and interesting, I was a little frustrate because I was one of the students who had a different program than others, so I had to use an alternative. Besides from that I think the class was successful for me it allowed me the opportunity to see the possibilities of using a different form of technology and once again the convenience of being able to be at different location was wonderful.