Week Eight

In week eight we focused on ethical and social issues in the implementation of technology; including, ethical concerns of technology in education, copyright laws pertaining to the use of technology, having equitable access to technology for all students, Internet etiquette and methods for setting up appropriate security measures on a computer.  Despite all of these issues the benefits of online communication tools far outweigh any negative aspects that may come along with them.  Blogs, email, chat, wikis, VoIPs, microblogging, virtual worlds, and webquests are all methods of online communication that we learned about over the past eight weeks.

It is possible to use blogs, email, chat, wikis, VoIPs, microblogging, virtual worlds, and webquests as online communication tools to meet the technology standards set by the International Society for Technology in Education in 2008.  These standards are: (1) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, (2) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, (3) Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, (4) Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility and (5) Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership.  Each of these standards has 4 sub-items listed, A-D that describes each standard more thoroughly.

Since I am not currently teaching, I have not been in or used a computer lab of any kind since I was a senior in high school in 2000-2001.  The computer lab that we used then is pretty vague in my memory but I do remember that there were certain websites that we were unable to visit due to restrictions that had been placed on the computers as a security measure; I imagine both for the safety of students as well as to help prevent viruses.  However, these restrictions were pretty easy to get around with just a little bit of creative thinking.  Due to the fact that this was over a decade ago it is my hope that with current security measures websites that are meant to be inaccessible really are in fact inaccessible and that the computers are better protected with the use of anti-virus software that is continually updated and managed.

Week Seven - Learning Software and File Management

In week seven we mainly focused on software and file management.  Software can be defined simply as, the programs and other operating information used by a computer or organized collections of computer data and instructions.  File management is important because you must know what kind of program created a file in order to open it and keeping files organized is essential for productivity. 

I had a hard time choosing a piece of software to use in the classroom because I’m not yet teaching and it has been so long since I was in a classroom that used any type of learning software.  The options are overwhelming but I did a search for top-rated educational software and a few different ones kept popping up.  Imagine my surprise when one of them was The Oregon Trail by The Learning Company, this is actually a software program that I have some familiarity with, since it was one of the only programs in the computer lab when I was in elementary school in the early 1990s. 

I did choose The Oregon Trail as the software that I would use in the classroom due in part to that familiarity but also because of the top ratings it continues to receive even though the program was first designed in the 1970s.  The newest version of The Oregon Trail, the fifth edition was first available for sale on Amazon.com on January 1, 2000.  Primarily a simulation software, The Oregon Trail could be used during a unit on The Oregon Trail to illustrate the potential hazards and hardships the emigrants faced on their journey, the need for proper budgeting of food and other resources, the geography of The Oregon Trail and also reading and problem solving skills.

Because I don’t have a classroom to use the software in yet I downloaded a version for my iPhone to see what an updated version had to offer for students.  I have to admit that I was soon hooked, the game is fun and challenging but I think that the biggest issue when using it in the classroom would be in eking out the historical aspects and things that you really want students to learn about.  Although the game provides interesting tidbits of historical information and presents real challenges that emigrants faced it is extremely easy to get caught up in trying to beat a previous high score and forget that there is actual learning to be done.  I still think that The Oregon Trail software could be a valuable supplement to teaching a unit of The Oregon Trail as long as it is used as just that, a supplement.  I would make sure that the lesson plans included plenty of other activities and assignments that would bring The Oregon Trail to life for students.

Week Six - WebQuest

In week six we learned about an online teaching tool called WebQuests. A WebQuest, according to WebQuest.org, is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. A WebQuest format usually consists of seven parts; introduction, task, process, evaluation, conclusion, credits and a teacher page.

As part of our lesson we were required to create our own WebQuest; this seemed overwhelming and a little bit scary at first! Just looking at examples of WebQuests online gave me the impression that creating one of my own would be a daunting task.  However, with the help of two websites http://questgarden.com and http://angelfire.com I was able to create a WebQuest that I am proud of.  Questgarden.com provided a template for the WebQuest along with hints and ideas for some of the sections. Angelfire.com is a site where you can create website that are free as long as they stay under a certain size. I used Angelfire.com in conjunction with Questgarden.com in order to have my WebQuest a little bit better organized than what the options from Questgarden.com provided by themselves.  The most helpful thing for me was to create an outline before I started any actual work on the WebQuest itself.

My WebQuest, A Friend for Rocketman, is based on the assumption that I will take my pet turtle to my classroom when I start teaching but it could be easily modified for “Rocketman” to just be a fictional character.  My WebQuest, geared toward early elementary students, starts out by explaining that Rocketman is lonely and in need of a friend, it is the students’ job to research specific questions about turtles and to decide which kind of turtle would make the best possible friend for Rocketman.  

My WebQuest process is divided into six questions; (1) About how many different species of turtles are there? (2) What are the two major groups of turtles? (3) What do turtles eat? (4) Are there any species of turtles that are endangered species? (5) Where do turtles live? And (6) How do turtles keep warm or cool? Under each question I provided a link to a reputable online resource that is geared towards kids in order to help them answer whichever question they are on at the time.  In order to incorporate subjects other than just science I included worksheets on questions 2-5 that addressed the subject areas of math, writing, reading and to a lesser extent art. Part of question six requires students to write a letter to Rocketman explaining their choice of friend for him; this obviously incorporates writing into the lesson.

My main issues centered on finding graphics that I felt were fitting and struggling with whether or not I was adding in assignments and questions that were grade/age appropriate.  Overall, I feel that I worked through the issues that I did have and was able to complete a thorough, interesting WebQuest that elementary age children could enjoy and learn from.

A Friend for Rocketman Link

Week Five - Online Communication

In week five we learned about the usage of online communication tools in the classroom.  Some I was already familiar with and some I was not.  I’m very familiar with email and have been using it for around fifteen years; next I am semi-familiar with blogs or weblogs and chat. Blogs are places where one individual can post thoughts, ideas and writings and other people can comment back on specific posts. Chat can be used to instantly communicate with someone else as long as you are both online at the same time.

The forms of online communication that I learned the most about this week were wikis, VoIPs, microblogging, and virtual worlds. Wikis, like Wikipedia are websites that allow multiple people to update and edit information that they contain. VoIPs or Voice over Internet Protocols, like Skype allow people to make a voice call using the internet rather than a landline.  Microblogging allows people to send short text messages to a specified group of people.  Virtual worlds, like Second Life, which probably won’t be seen in the near future in schools have potential to be used a place for discussion and collaboration.

I have never used any online communication tools in the classroom because I have not yet had the opportunity to teach. However, if I had a classroom I would definitely make good use of email.  I would use email as one method of communication between students, parents and myself.  Regarding students I would try to set specific hours in which I would read and answer emails so that they wouldn’t expect me to be available for an answer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week; however they would be able to reach me with assignment questions or even to turn in an assignment.  I would definitely go over email etiquette and usage in the very beginning of the school year. Student emails to me would be expected to be in a formal format with no acronyms.

I would use email as a communication tool between parents and myself to keep parents up-to-date on their children or just to answer any questions or concerns that may pop up.  I would not set time/day limits on when I was available to answer emails from parents.

The International Society for Technology in Education established the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS *T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Using online communication tools can be used to meet the fourth standard; Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility:Teachers understand local and global societal issues and responsibilities in an evolving digital culture and exhibit legal and ethical behavior in their professional practices.   By teaching students correct and proper etiquette in online communication settings teachers can help reach this fourth standard.

Week Four - Presentation Programs

This week in lesson four we learned about using presentation programs as teaching tools. Presentation programs like Microsoft’s PowerPoint can be invaluable aids to teachers. Presentation programs like PowerPoint consist of one or of a series of slides; each of these slides can contain pictures, video, text and audio. These programs can even replace traditional teaching tools like blackboards, white boards and overhead projectors.

The International Society for Technology in Education established the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS *T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers. Presentation programs can help meet the second standard Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments; teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS*S.  Presentation programs allow teachers to design, develop and even evaluate learning experiences using technology.

I made a PowerPoint presentation about the life-cycle of a Monarch butterfly to show to the kids that I nanny. They are ages seven, five and almost three. I made the presentation short, simple and included lots of pictures.

The items in my presentation that I’m the proudest of are the graphics.  I feel like I found some great pictures to represent the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly in a simple, easy to grasp way.

If I was to re-do my presentation I would do better at keeping the concept of simplicity in mind. I feel that some of the wording I used provided a little too much information at times. Like one of the articles from the reading this week said, you have to use presentations as a teaching tool and not use them to teach for you. I used the Monarch presentation more to teach for me rather than just as a tool.

The kids responded well to the presentation that I made for them; they wanted to linger over the pictures, they were inquisitive and asked lots of questions.  After watching the presentation the kids were very interested in finding an egg or a baby caterpillar to try to watch the life cycle progress for themselves. Even though there changes that could have been made, I think that overall the presentation was a success.

At the bottom of the page I have posted a YouTube link to the PowerPoint I made on the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly, the video is a little small but it seeing it will help illustrate my points.

Week Three - Word Processing and Desktop Publishing

In Week Three I learned more in depth about what word processing and desktop publishing programs are by definition and I also got a more in depth look at how these programs can be used in a classroom setting, both by teachers for administrative duties and by students as a means of enhancing learning and reaching learning objectives.

A word processing program can be defined as a program that allows you to enter, format, copy and paste and even move around sections of text. A few examples of how word processing programs such as Microsoft Word can be used by students are; to write papers or stories, as a method of journal keeping, as an easy way to write collaborative stories and as a way to create timelines.  Examples of how teachers may use word processing programs are; for record keeping, journal keeping in relation to the classroom and for creating correspondence such as letters, letterheads, mailing labels and envelopes.

A desktop publishing program can be defined as a program that allows you to create professional looking items that combine graphics, text and formatting. A few examples of how desktop publishing programs such as The Print Shop software can be used by students and teachers are; to create flyers, brochures, greeting cards as holiday activities, invitations to classroom activities, banners displaying current themes, homework calendars and newsletters for parents and the public.

I have uploaded two examples of a lost poster I made just for the purpose of this blog. The first was done quickly without much thought of how to make a memorable impact. The border and large, easy-to-read text make the message semi-appealing, however, the lack of color, graphics and a real, concise message make the flyer easily forgettable.

In the second example, the item is more visually appealing thanks to color, layout, font size and a graphic.  However, the flyer could still use some tweaking to be even appealing with the addition of more colors, a different border and perhaps even more graphics or different fonts.

Week Two - Spreadsheets and Databases in the Classroom

• Provide a URL of one Web site that discusses spreadsheet and/or database use in the classroom.

One of the websites I found that discusses the use of databases in the classroom was located at: http://www.ehow.com/info_7994591_use-databases-classroom.html

• Describe something you found that surprised you about how databases or spreadsheets can be utilized in the classroom.

I was surprised by the fact that databases can be utilized in the classroom to easily and quickly send letters home to parents or guardians. Once a database is established with contact information for parents or guardians you can use the database to almost effortlessly send personalized letters home to parents by using the mail merge feature with a word processing program such as Microsoft Word. You can also create labels or print envelopes using the same database to make mailing the letters a simple task.

I was also surprised that it was possible to use a database to produce word searches and crossword puzzles. Although I have never taught, these types of activities were effective learning tools for me as an elementary/middle school student and I really like the idea of a fast and easy way to produce them.

I was significantly surprised by how easily student learning outcomes can be achieved through the use of databases and spreadsheets. Databases and spreadsheets can be used to make graphical representations of data, once these graphs are established analyzing and interpreting data can be much easier for students. Even better is the fact that multiple types of graphs can be made from the same set of data; for example, seeing a pie chart along with a bar graph can make data analysis even easier for students.

• Discuss how you have used spreadsheets and databases in the past. Include ways you have used them with your students or ways you have used them as an educator.

In the past I haven’t used spreadsheets or databases for much more than a make shift address book unless I was given a specific school assignment that required me use a spreadsheet or database.

Because I do not have my own classroom I have never had the opportunity to use them in a school setting but as a teacher I will use databases and spreadsheets to store student information, as an attendance roster, as a grade book, to keep track of assignments, to send letters home to parents, to make reward charts and to produce crossword puzzles and word searches. 

I will also use databases and spreadsheets to help achieve learning outcomes with my students. One example is to have students make a database of favorite music, books, video games or movies. Once this database has been established I will have students make graphs and charts plotting the data. These graphs and charts can then help students easily interpret and analyze their data.  By being used in this way spreadsheets and databases meet NETS*T standard (2) Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.