Summary:
Students are running wild on the internet and the epidemic of plagiarism and illegal use of copyrighted material is spreading like the plague according to the article, Turning Digital Natives into Digital Citizens written by Dave Saltzman. Professors have created a lot of different tools to ensure that students are not stealing other people's work. Not only are professors worried that the work their students are turning in is not their own; they are equally concerned about teaching students how to protect their own work. Professors are teaching students using the Creative Commons website as well as Compfight.com, which helps students find images that are free from restrictions.
Reaction:
I felt this article was very helpful with the issues of copyright and the importance of teaching students about the rights of others as well as their own rights online. As students become more and more digital I believe it is the teachers responsibility to teach students about online etiquette and citizenry. If we are to expect them to use the internet and other media sources as research we need to teach them how to do it ethically.
Saltzman, D. (Sept/Oct. 2011) Harvard Education Letter Turning Digital Natives into Digital Citizens. Vol 27 (Num. 5). Retrieved from: http://www.hepg.org/hel/article/511
Monday, December 5, 2011
You Go Girls! Part Two
After our brilliant podcast, Ella and I re-teamed to bring you a YouTube video about the article: Give Girls A Chance: Building A Bridge to Science and Technology. This article by Roberta Furger introduces TechBridge Which is a after school and summer program that encourages girls to interact with science, technology, mathematics and engineering. Ella and I both were encouraged by the article. It spoke of how girls lag behind boys when it comes to enjoying and engaging with technology. This article gave examples of how TechBridge has helped combat this issue. Ella was very encouraging for girls not to be afraid of technology but to allow it to help them learn more! Enjoy our video!
Furger, R. (9/3/2003). Edutopia. Give Girls a Chance: Building a Bridge to Science and Technology. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/techbridge-science-technology-girls
Furger, R. (9/3/2003). Edutopia. Give Girls a Chance: Building a Bridge to Science and Technology. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/techbridge-science-technology-girls
Why??
Summary
In the article Why Integrate Technology into Curriculum the author states that "properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy." The article goes on to explain that there are four key components of learning with technology which include: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback and connection to real-world experts. Teachers must go beyond basic computer understanding and programming and move into supporting learning using these components as a framework for integration. By using technology in the classroom in a project based way will help students be intellectually stimulated as well as showing them what life might be like in an actual office or workplace.
Reaction
My reaction to this article is that I fully agree, however... how do you find the "real-world" experts? How is one to know what and where they should focus their students attention on. I am excited about the variety of webquests that there are out there, however a lot had insufficient links or were outdated. A teacher must take their time to make sure the resources they are providing for their students are valid and trustworthy. They must also ensure that they have permission from the students parents. As a parent I don't allow my child to use the internet very often for very much - especially social networking. Teachers will have to not only educate themselves but also the parents. I think this will be especially true of younger teachers teaching older students. The older the student; the older the parent - therefore less parents will have had interactions with technology themselves.
Edutopia staff. (3/17/2008). Edutopia Why Integrate Technology into Curriculum. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction
In the article Why Integrate Technology into Curriculum the author states that "properly used, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy." The article goes on to explain that there are four key components of learning with technology which include: active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback and connection to real-world experts. Teachers must go beyond basic computer understanding and programming and move into supporting learning using these components as a framework for integration. By using technology in the classroom in a project based way will help students be intellectually stimulated as well as showing them what life might be like in an actual office or workplace.
Reaction
My reaction to this article is that I fully agree, however... how do you find the "real-world" experts? How is one to know what and where they should focus their students attention on. I am excited about the variety of webquests that there are out there, however a lot had insufficient links or were outdated. A teacher must take their time to make sure the resources they are providing for their students are valid and trustworthy. They must also ensure that they have permission from the students parents. As a parent I don't allow my child to use the internet very often for very much - especially social networking. Teachers will have to not only educate themselves but also the parents. I think this will be especially true of younger teachers teaching older students. The older the student; the older the parent - therefore less parents will have had interactions with technology themselves.
Edutopia staff. (3/17/2008). Edutopia Why Integrate Technology into Curriculum. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction
Game On.
This article from Edutopia called Teaching Tools: Using Online Simulations and Games encourages teachers to investigate how to use online gaming and simulations in the classroom. The article offers examples of how teachers have successfully done so. The most interesting to me was the Evoke. This was a graphic novel type adventure to help students understand the impact they have on the "changing world". This would be a great website to use in teaching kids about Sustainability Literacy.
The other two websites that they encouraged use of were World of Warcraft which is a very popular website for kids and SimCEO which helps kids understand the intricacies of the stock market.
I am still hesitant to encourage gaming any more than kids already do. It seems that kids have enough screen time and it's time to teach them how to interact personally and socially on a face to face level. However, it seems that if you get to the point where "you can't beat 'em; join 'em" there are a lot of engaging opportunities out there for teachers.
Boss, S. (5/10/10).edutopia. Teaching Tools: Using Online Simulations and Games. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/online-games-simulations-teaching-tools
The other two websites that they encouraged use of were World of Warcraft which is a very popular website for kids and SimCEO which helps kids understand the intricacies of the stock market.
I am still hesitant to encourage gaming any more than kids already do. It seems that kids have enough screen time and it's time to teach them how to interact personally and socially on a face to face level. However, it seems that if you get to the point where "you can't beat 'em; join 'em" there are a lot of engaging opportunities out there for teachers.
Boss, S. (5/10/10).edutopia. Teaching Tools: Using Online Simulations and Games. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/online-games-simulations-teaching-tools
Top Apps for children with Autism
I found this article to be very helpful. Parents with children who have special needs always appreciate something that might help their child learn and grow socially and academically. This article provides information about some applications for the iPad & iPhone that help engage students with autism socially and academically. It seems that parents are very excited about technology and how it has helped their child become a better student and citizen. The apps range from iPrompts and Proloqo2go, which help with every day tasks that are more difficult for the student with autism. Whether it be scheduling and the duration of tasks to help communicating verbally to apps to help with are pro-social and help with emotions such as ABA Flash Cards - Emotions and My Horse. There are also apps such as Talking Tom/Talking Rex that help sometimes difficult or mundane tasks more fun such as speech therapy.
All of the apps listed seemed very helpful and engaging for students, however the few that seemed most helpful were also the most expensive. While a lot of the apps were free or cost .99. iPrompts is $49.99 and Proloquo2go is $189.99. It seems sad that those who are already having to pay for therapies and doctors also have to spend more for apps that will help their kiddos.
This was the first article that really excited me about the possibilities technology could help bring into the classroom. Not only do the apps themselves help engage students, but the fact that the kids with autism would have iPads or iPod touches will help them to be seen as "cool" among their peers. That seems like a great added benefit.
Pierce, M. (12/5/2011) THE Journal. 8 Top App for Autistic Learners. Retrieved From: http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/12/05/apps-for-autistic-learners.aspx
All of the apps listed seemed very helpful and engaging for students, however the few that seemed most helpful were also the most expensive. While a lot of the apps were free or cost .99. iPrompts is $49.99 and Proloquo2go is $189.99. It seems sad that those who are already having to pay for therapies and doctors also have to spend more for apps that will help their kiddos.
This was the first article that really excited me about the possibilities technology could help bring into the classroom. Not only do the apps themselves help engage students, but the fact that the kids with autism would have iPads or iPod touches will help them to be seen as "cool" among their peers. That seems like a great added benefit.
Pierce, M. (12/5/2011) THE Journal. 8 Top App for Autistic Learners. Retrieved From: http://thejournal.com/articles/2011/12/05/apps-for-autistic-learners.aspx
Sunday, December 4, 2011
8 Ways Technology is Improving Education
The title of this article does not leave much for the imagination. The author systematically describes 8 ways that she believes that technology is improving education. The eight are:
Better Simulations and Models
Global Learning
Virtual Manipulatives
Probes and Sensors
More Efficient Assessment
Storytelling and Mutlimedia
Ebooks
Epistemic Games
The author summarily describes each of the eight suggested improvements. The two that I hadn't thought of before were Probes and Sensors - which the author describes as educational applications that can help students collect real-time data to apply to various physics and chemistry activities and lessons. Not being a science minded person, myself, I am sure that this real application to science would have been quite helpful to me as a learner.
The second improvement I hadn't thought of before or did not understand at first is Epistemic Games. What the author means by this is games that put students in specific roles such as city planner, journalist or civic engineer. Putting students in these roles helps them understand concepts deeper and causes them to really wrestle with decision making and problem solving skills in a fun, yet realistic way.
As a teacher I am looking forward to more efficient assessments. My children's school uses the Measures of Achievement Tests which are computer based tests that increase in difficulty as students answer questions correctly. These tests give real feedback in real time to students and parents. It is easy to be able to compare students and to do value-based assessments to ensure that no matter where students have come into your classroom, they leave having moved a little higher in their learning. These assessments will inform your instruction as a teacher so that time is not wasted and students reach their full potential.
Kessler, S. (November 22, 2010). 8 Ways Technology is Improving Education.Mashable Tech Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2010/11/22/technology-in-education/
Better Simulations and Models
Global Learning
Virtual Manipulatives
Probes and Sensors
More Efficient Assessment
Storytelling and Mutlimedia
Ebooks
Epistemic Games
The author summarily describes each of the eight suggested improvements. The two that I hadn't thought of before were Probes and Sensors - which the author describes as educational applications that can help students collect real-time data to apply to various physics and chemistry activities and lessons. Not being a science minded person, myself, I am sure that this real application to science would have been quite helpful to me as a learner.
The second improvement I hadn't thought of before or did not understand at first is Epistemic Games. What the author means by this is games that put students in specific roles such as city planner, journalist or civic engineer. Putting students in these roles helps them understand concepts deeper and causes them to really wrestle with decision making and problem solving skills in a fun, yet realistic way.
As a teacher I am looking forward to more efficient assessments. My children's school uses the Measures of Achievement Tests which are computer based tests that increase in difficulty as students answer questions correctly. These tests give real feedback in real time to students and parents. It is easy to be able to compare students and to do value-based assessments to ensure that no matter where students have come into your classroom, they leave having moved a little higher in their learning. These assessments will inform your instruction as a teacher so that time is not wasted and students reach their full potential.
Kessler, S. (November 22, 2010). 8 Ways Technology is Improving Education.Mashable Tech Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2010/11/22/technology-in-education/
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