bmcnealedt5410: February 2011

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Podcasts

Technology Integration-The George Lucas Educational Foundation
Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. I particular, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, participant in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts.

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=395540477

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Week 6 Reflection

The reality is the internet and web has an impact on education now and into the future. While it is not entirely integrated into a student’s school day now it may soon be. Let’s think about the school media center and/or learning commons. The library card catalog is non-existent to today’s student and most if not all don’t even know what one is. They have never experienced it much like many of the students in elementary school now may rarely experience a video tape. Many schools now have virtual libraries that allow students access too many resources. The other reality we have to move away from the concept of competing with all the technology kids have and learn how to incorporate it. I currently have students turn in work online through my email. This is a win for both me and the students. For me it makes their assignments extremely portable and gives me access wherever there is internet. It also gives students an extension on the due time, so they have some additional time to submit from home. In many schools students have access to an eboard. Student’s have access to all of the materials used in class including video links and all classroom materials. Students who are out have access to the same material being use in the room while they are gone. This again saves me time having to assemble materials for students when they are absent. I can now also access my gradebook and school email from my phone. Everything involved in my teaching practice is highly portable. These are just a few ways the internet is being used currently and will only be built on in the future. In reflection of the Reiser chapter these all also work to solve instructional problems.

As cited by Reiser the constructivists emphasize an authentic learning design. The internet allows this to happen. The amount of educational information including video, pictures, and literature available today already exceeds the capacity of educators to use it. That is not saying it is all good, but as the craft is refined it really will allow teaching and learning to advance beyond what was considered possible 20 years ago. Gutenbergs printing press was a technological breakthrough that changed the world because it made text portable and accessible to large numbers of people. It also changed the way people taught and learned. I am sure that it was a scary time for teachers. The internet has sent these same ripples through the educational field today. Online courses are being used and expanding in both the workplace and schools. It is a time of uncertainty about whether we will take a path of learning with the internet or from it. The balance moving forward will be that between humanity and technology.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Week 5 Reflection

I think photo sharing is a neat idea for the classroom. I can think of many ideas for incorporating it in to an educational activity or unit. In Sociology there are many topics including some about childhood and growing up. Teaching topics where students bring in their own items, such as anticipatory socialization, students could really benefit from photo sharing. Instead of having kids bring in a favorite toy from when they were children they could share the photos with and attachments. The kids get more time to look at and analyze the items. While would it lack the ability for the students to manipulate the item, by the secondary level hopefully some of the students would have experience with them. I also think it would be a great platform for video. One could use it as a class video resource site and this would also give kids the ability to contribute by finding pertinent video to topics.

Of course once again when there is any social networking involved there are problems that can arise. While sites like flickr allow you to manipulate the text and photos, they may still not offer a security to give parents that “comfort feeling” while their children use the internet at school. It seems like there would be more of an issue at the secondary level, because many students are familiar with these sites and can try being creative outside of the schools ability to protect it internet services. I am also not sure that this resource is completely inventive in that it is not really one stop shopping. There seem to be other resources out there that can handle all classroom needs.

There are some advantages and disadvantages to using photo sharing sites. I really like the portability factor. Instead of having to source your photos from your home computer, they are available at all times anywhere. No matter where you are, as long as there is internet available, your photos are available. The security factor is always there, but as professionals this has always existed even with text and other pictorial items, and videos we share and limit with are audience based on appropriate content.

The chapter on instructional design conceptually reminded of the many educational programs schools use. As described in, Trends and Issues in Instructional design and Technology by Reiser and Dempsey, instructional design is as follows, “organizing a system of procedures for developing education and training programs in a consistent and reliable fashion. This description alone reminded me of the professional learning communities we use at school. PLC’s are a systematic way to approach best education practice in collaborative departmental teams to meet educational, learning, and building goals. They so focus on providing the best teaching and outcomes from each team. I felt the chapter made it somewhat sound like an instructor is not needed for all students, which is an idea I do not subscribe to. If education is going to be customized for each student then someone need to be there working with them, because I do not believe computers can measure this completely. I have worked with many students while they are taking Michigan Virtual High School classes and they struggle left on their own. They have problems with the technology as well as the format. PLC’s also remind me of the “design models” the chapter talks about. As a visual communication tool ID brings to mind many of the intervention models I am familiar with like RTI. Each of these programs are multi tiered and each level reflects the prior as the chapter cites.

flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bmedt5410

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Week 4 Reflection

I have found many of the resources we have looked at so far useful. Social bookmarking is useful as well in the education environment. I am not sure it is as useful as some of the others, but I still think there are some educational uses for it. I think administrators could use it to inform parents of the processes being used within the schools. They could bookmark the pages that involve the schools behavioral programs and student services. This would also allow parent the access to the rationale of using the research based programs. Teachers could obviously use social bookmarking as a clearing house for a student resource site (class specific). Teachers could share with each in their own school structure for both professional and subject specific site information resource. I am not sure that this replaces other resources available. On wiki you can post site links, video, and other media all in one spot. To me, wiki does so much more than social bookmarking. There seems to be a lot of similarities between RSS and social bookmarking. I do not like having to sign up for Yahoo either, from what I have read delicious used to be much better before Yahoo got involved. I think social bookmarking has value, I am not sure that it has that all inclusive value that I am looking for.

The Trends and Issues chapter was interesting to me. I always find the way people define things in a way like a heavyweight boxer being introduced. I find all of the definitions a way to condense the information about a field that is far more comprehensive than any of the definitions. All of the definitions from the 1920’s until the books definition all have relevance as descriptions of the field in its respective time frames. I like the books definition, because it seems all too often those of us in the education field forget that our specialization crosses over to the business sector as well. I found the earlier definitions interesting and surprising, because of the new technologies that changed the field early on, such as lantern slides, films, and television. I find the design statement interesting in that we are really trying to take all of the hardware, software, videos, etc. and incorporate into an environment that may be teacher led or virtual. I am not sure what is missing in their own respective ways each definition touches on the technology, teacher, student, resource, and it application. I wish it including the shareholders more in the definition, but they are there.

delicious

http://www.delicious.com/b1mcneal