I can’t believe that this is the last blog for EDTS 523 and how fast this first semester went by! As I look back to where I was at the end of August to now, I find it astonishing how far I have come in my views of technology use in the classroom.  When I began the class, I thought that I was fairly knowledgeable in technology and that it would be more review of technology use that I have seen already in classrooms or ideas that I already knew about.  This class definitely proved that I was wrong and that there is so much that I have to learn still.  In fact, one of main things that I learned from this class is that we are in an ever evolving technological world and we can only learn and use these skills and techniques as we go along.  We need to be aware of the possibilities out there and use them when appropriate in order to provide effective learning experiences. 

I have learned about multiple tools throughout the semester in EDTS 523, which I will hopefully continue to use through graduate school and onward into my future classroom setting.  I loved learning about free tools online that I can use to organize my research, create documents and introduce to my students to use both in and out of the classroom. Delicious made me have a revelation because I realized that my research can actually be organized in a reasonable way and can be kept online to be accessed anywhere.  I want to continue playing with this website so that I can create an efficient online toolbox to use throughout all of my education years.  Google Docs was great to work with because it provides a way for interactive learning experiences as students can work on assignments together, at any time as well as get immediate feedback from the instructor to make their work even better.  Working with blogging, podcasts,  PowerPoint and WebQuests helped me realize that there are so many diverse ways of producing work that students will actually be able to learn from and enjoy to complete, compared to the typical research paper or poster board project.  Every student learns differently and it’s imperative that as educators, we provide different ways for these students to work with and produce information.  I never know the tools of PowerPoint before, even though I have worked with the programs many times.  I now know how to use it to create meaningful lesson plans instead of the traditional, dry and boring presentations that I have used in the past.  One of my favorite parts of class everyweek was when we were introduced to the websites of the week.  This helped to open my eyes to the valuable sites out there and the idea that if we research right, we could find some very beneficial resources on the internet (especially by going beyond the first page of a Google search).  I have already used some of these websites for other class assignments and will continue to use some of them throughout graduate school and most likely beyond. 

Learning about effective technological tools for the classroom was in itself an eye opening experience, but I felt that I learned a great deal by observing and discussing the differences of technology use within various types schools and classrooms.  From this semester, I can see how learning about technology and being given real opportunities to use it can sometimes be two very different scenarios.  As I have discussed in a previous post, I have observed in two schools this semester, one who is completely up to date with technology and the other who only has blackboards in the classroom and only has access to a few computers in the library.  I am obviously hoping to have a SMARTboard in my future classroom because I can see the immense benefits that a class can gain from using it, but this may not be my reality when I start to teach.  Depending on where I teach, I may not even get a projector in the classroom.  I have learned throughout the semester the importance of being flexible when it comes to technology.  I now know that there are alternatives and different techniques that can be used, even if there is only one computer available for the class.  It is my goal to be technological in my classroom, but to be open if I do not have all the tools that I have learned about.   Learning about technology has instilled in me the importance of going with the flow and to use what I can to provide effective learning experiences for my students. 

I feel I have grown and changed so much this semester.  I now have a clearer vision of who I want to be as an educator, and I have decided that I want to start being more of a ‘global citizen’ in order to provide important opportunities for my students.  My students are learning in a Web 2.0. society and therefore need to learn in ways that they will understand and benefit from the most.   I know I need to ultimately be flexible, open and use the technological skills and techniques when it is appropriate in my classroom.  I want to spread the belief that technology should be used and can help to create an interactive learning environment for all students.  I may never be the most technological person, but I will continue to take risks and do what I can. 

I have had a great first semester! I am looking forward to the next!

See you all Thursday,

Amber

I hope everyone has had a great Thanksgiving and an awesome (and somewhat relaxing) week off.  I have been teaching a writing class on the weekends for an enrichment center in Rochester for the past couple of months.  So far it has been a rewarding experience where each of my students seems to be strengthening their writing skills.  The parents of my students have been asking how they can practice at home and I usually gave them a straight forward  providing their children with a prompt and just having them free write.  I am a firm believer that the more you write, the better at writing you will become.  I then started to think about new ways that I can help my students with writing and thought about how we have been blogging for this class.  I decided to express how beneficial blogging can be in assisting students in writing and thought how create it would be if each of my students started a blog.  Although I only have a seven student class, I am already finding some difficulties when trying to implement the act of blogging, specifically with convincing the parents that it provides fantastic practice with writing.  I am hoping that my students will be able to pick up this skill and get used to blogging every week in order to free write. I have pointed them towards wordpress.com with the hopes that each creates their own account.   I will keep you all posted on what happens, but here’s to hoping! I am excited to pass on my new technology information already!

See you all Thursday,

Amber

I have definitely learned throughout the semester that even if there are endless possibilities when it comes to incorporating technology within the class, it really comes down to what the teacher feels comfortable with and enjoys doing themselves.  For me, I absolutely loved learning about Webquests this past week, where I can definitely see myself using it within my future classroom (depending on age).  Just by searching used webquests, I felt how these types of assignments were able to provide important and engaging learning experiences for the students where they now have to work with information and create something new instead of memorizing facts. I believe that with older students (6th grade and up) teachers need to provide more independence within their lesson plans where the students are able to use the content in ways that are the most meaningful to each of them.  I remember the few instances in high school when we were given a topic and a role and we were able to research and write based on our own interests and interpretations.  These are some of the few projects that I actually remember growing up, where I can even tell you today about some of the information I learned about.  These projects did not use webquests, although I feel now that those would be even more helpful.  I think that webquests are appropriate in providing students with enough background and introductory information to get the students started but that it is really up to each student to take what is given and create a successful project filled with creativity and comprehension.  Using what I have learned about the use of webquests and how effective and engaging they are in providing effective learning experiences, I will try to incorporate these types of assignments within my classroom.  I will hopefully then be able to reach all of my students and provide opportunities for each to be successful academically.See you all Thursday! Amber

Last weeks PowerPoint project was rather difficult for me to do, especially with having to record my own voice over and over.  Although I learned a lot about how to do certain features with PowerPoint, I am not sure exactly how much I would use it within my own classroom.  I have always hated my recorded voice, so it was difficult to present it to the class without feeling extremely embarrassed.  I know it is silly to be embarrassed about something so insignificant but that is just who I am.  That’s why when I heard about the next assignment, I got rather nervous.  Podcasts are definitely different from what we used to do in school.  I can see, however, how creating Podcasts within the classroom can be a positive learning experience because it allows a different way for students to present information to each other.  Using Garageband seemed to be much easier than I thought it would be which made me more excited to start working on my project.  There is still one hurdle, however, and that is recording my voice for all to hear. In the words of Dr. Ransom, it is just something to get over. Who cares about the little things like the sound of your voice when you are able to create an exciting presentation to be enjoyed by others?

I think that Podcasts would be great to use in the classroom when doing collaborative classroom projects.  From the video clips last week, I thought that it was a fantastic idea to include work from each child (such as a poem or short story) and join them together using music, images and sound effects.  I thought that specifically for younger grades, they would absolutely love to see their own voice and work displayed within a classroom presentation.  How neat would it be to work on a Podcast assignment and then invite in the parents to watch the final presentation on the large screen? This is one thing that I will try to incorporate within my future classroom in order to provide some variety in our projects and assignments.  For now, I will get used to the sound of my own voice and try to have my own fun with Podcast!

See you all Thursday,

Amber

I was reading an article this week about the use of technology and how contrary to public belief, technology does not lead to isolation but creates connections within the world.  I felt this article to be somewhat amusing, only because our entire class is based upon how technology can open up doors and connect people using Web 2.0.  The one part of the article that stood out to me, however, was the part that discussed how technology is starting to take from social interactions, especially within neighborhoods.  I found this point to be interesting because I do feel that technology can provide significant create connections throughout the world.  I do feel, however, that in terms of being personable with the people close to you, technology can sometimes take away from relationships because people rely too much on it while interacting. I started to think about how I barely call people any more or send any physical pieces of mail, but instead try to use email  or facebook 100% of the time because it is easier.

I feel that one could make an argument that technology is suppose to make things like communication skills much easier, but is this taking away from personal relationships? Does it start to take away meaning from interactions with those close to you? It is difficult to know where the future of technology will bring us and how it will further shape how relationships will take form over the next few years.  It gives me mixed feelings when thinking about how communication skills have changed since the evolution of technology.  It makes me sad that more ‘traditional’ practices such as phone calling, letter writing, or even face to face interactions are changing to include more emailing, blogging, or voice threads.  It does make me excited, though, to think about the endless possibilities that we have to communicate though. For me, I feel more comfortable going the middle road where I use technology to enhance my communication, such as using video chats in Skype or voice threads to communicate while keeping in mind those important practices like writing to my friends who are far away and to call instead of sending a quick email.  As future educators, it is interesting to try and put everything that we are learning within the classroom in perspective as I feel that our views and outlook on technology are slowly shifting.  It is now as important as ever to know who you are as an educator in order to use the technology efficiently within the classroom while still paying respect to the ways that were used before advanced technology.  It is something to keep in mind for our future in the classroom.

See you all Thursday! 

Amber

I have really enjoyed the past couple of weeks when we have been learning about alternative techniques for Powerpoint.  I cannot tell you how many classes I have sat through and not paid attention because I just did not have to.  One of my biggest pet peeves about Powerpoint is exactly what we highlighted in class, professors who only read off their slides.  To me, it demonstrates their lack of interaction with their class, teaching in the spur of the moment or initiating engaging discussion.  In fact, looking back to my professors or teachers that did use Powerpoint, I can only remember a few that would use their presentations to embellish and add to their lesson instead of using it as a script.  I agree with what we talked about in class in that some Powerpoint presentations can be extremely powerful when it includes strong images and a few facts or statistics to initiate discussion.  I remember one presentation in particular that talked about racism in the United States throughout history.  It was the images and discussion I remember because the professor only used Powerpoint as a way to capture our attention and interest. 

Last summer, I spent a semester in England where I took an European geography class.  In this class, one assignment required each of the students to prepare an hour and a half Powerpoint presentation about a European city, in which I had Rome.  At first I did not know how to approach the assignment because I could not imagine putting that much information on a Powerpoint while keeping the attention of my viewers.  I decided to choose my best images, statistics and important dates and use those as the  springboard for my presentation.  The professor loved my presentation so much that the discussion continued on after the class.  I picked the right images and facts and therefore did not have to bullet point everything that I wanted to talk about.  I feel that this was one of the best presentations I have ever done.  Now I know it is possible to use Powerpoint’s strengths without my audience suffering from Powerpoint poisoning.  I can also attest to the fact that it is not the powerpoint itself, it is the presenter, their ideas and their effort in providing a powerful learning experience.

I will see you all Thursday!

Amber

I have just finished writing my research paper on cyber bullying and have found that it opened my eyes to a serious situation that has not gained the attention that it should.  I originally chose to write about cyber bullying because it was a term that sparked my interest when I heard it at an education conference that I attended at Queen’s University in Canada.  At the conference, I attended a panel on “mean girls” that talked about how there is an increase of girls bullying other girls around them using technology. I decided that I wanted to learn more about why cyber bullying occurs and exactly how prevalent it is. What I found was rather scary.

Cyber bullying occurs more than we think. It is happening all over the world, affecting adolescents especially in middle school years. Although there were many cases that I found within the research that was severe, I think it is so important to remember that cyber bullying can be as ‘simple’ as calling others demeaning names or using offensive language against someone else.  This could be as damaging to that student’s self confidence as any other type of bullying.  What makes it even harder to prevent, from what I saw in the research is how the perpetrators can remain anonymous.  This brought me back to my own middle school years when it was first popular to have our own AOL accounts so we could chat after school.  I used to always tell my Mom that I was doing homework when really I was chatting it up with everyone from school (she did not know the difference).  I also remember how there were multiple instances of of my friends talking behind people’s back, sending messages that they had received from the people they were talking to and then resending it out to others so that everyone knew what was being said.  It resulted in a complete lack of confidentiality and privacy and sometimes was rather hurtful.  Although this seemed innocent enough, was this considered cyber bullying?  At the time, this never crossed our minds.

I found a strong connection between my research and the topics that we have been discussing in class.  Just like how some older teachers do not understand and use technology in their classroom therefore disadvantaging their students, there are many adults, either parents or teachers/administrators that do not understand the internet, cell phone use or other types of technology.  This really makes it impossible for them to be aware of cyber bullying that could be occurring.  This can be rather frustrating because technology is becoming such an enormous aspect of the 21st century and I believe that it is not only our right but even our duty to know how to use and understand it, especially when it comes to the safety of our students and/or children.  I think that this will be an on-going battle, but hopefully if parents and teachers become more aware, we can help to prevent future instances of cyber bullying.

I learned a lot from this paper and it really helped to spark my interest on not only cyber bullying but how there is an essential need for adults to start understanding the world around them through technology.  I can only hope that awareness and knowledge will grow.

See you all Thursday,

Amber

I have to say that I really enjoyed what we were introduced to in class this week.  I am an avid Facebook user, basically because I find that I am addicted to looking at people’s status updates, photos, etc.  I am so pleased to have signed up with Ning because it has the ‘facebook’ feel but makes it more appropriate for educational purposes.  I think that this is why I am enjoying this class so much, because it is changing my thinking of how to use the internet.  Before I was only concerned with websites that I needed for research papers or chatting with my friends.  In fact it was not until this class that I started to embrace the endless possibilities of Web 2.0, in terms of social networking, finding valuable information from those around us and to truly become, a term we saw in class, a “digital citizen”.

In regards to the conversation we had in class about online safety, I am starting to see that the internet is not such a dangerous space that the media says it is.  I am getting excited to join these services because I can see how useful they will be to me, especially when I am teaching.  The internet will assist me in learning from my peers, colleagues and others that I will most likely never meet in person, but can use their knowledge and information to advance my own.  I am ready to get out there and take on the internet, to help me build my credibility within education and to increase my positive  internet identity, especially google results when my name is searched.  I believe that am ready to become a global digital citizen.  Now my next task: to take what I have learned and implement it into my classroom. 

See you all Thursday!

Amber

The other day I was reading the local newpaper, the Democrat and Chronicle, and the front page story caught my eye.  The story was about the trial of Tyquan Rivera, (the young man who tried to kill Rochester police officer Anthony DiPonzio).  Although I have read many stories about this case in the past, I found this one to especially interesting.  During the trial, not only were media cameras allowed to be in the room, but news reporters were allowed to use their laptops and various other wireless devices in order to tape what was going on in the room and and then post the recordings onto online blogs and other ‘social networking sites’.  Not only could I not believe how much this related to our recent discussions in technology class, but I was amazed that news reporters were able to legally do this. 

To me, this really shows a change of times, where it used to be that no cameras were allowed in trials and now the general public can actually hear word for word what is occuring.  I think that this is especially groundbreaking with a case like this where so much of the public is following the story.  To me, this brings up the simple question, where do we draw the line anymore? Will technology be involved in every aspect of life from now on?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Amber

I know I have said how excited I am about the things we are learning but I think I have officially found my favorite.  Unlike Dr. Ransom, I am not an organized person when it comes to bookmarks, yet I use them all the time.  My philosophy is, it’s better to save it just in case, than to lose it forever.  Therefore, even on my newer laptop, I always have lists and lists of bookmarks, unmarked and all mixed up. I am really excited to join and use Delicious in full force! What a great idea, to not only have everything labelled and in one place but to be able to access it everywhere!  This is something I can see not only with my personal life (especially as a student) but definitely for my professional life as well.  It would be great to keep a repertoire of useful websites and resources online that I can use in the future.  I will begin by including all the ones we have learned so far in the course. Wow, this really will make my life a lot easier!

On a different note, although I find it interesting and worthwhile to sign up for different networks online, I am still somewhat cautious about putting my name out there throughout the internet.  It’s different now with Web 2.0 since there is so much networking going on throughout the world, bringing with it endless possibilities.  I may be paranoid, but I am still nervous about using my name and area code, etc in order to sign up.  I still have all those warnings from my parents years ago swirling around in my head as well as those TV shows that talked about predators online and people stalking others.  I know this will always be a worry in my head, but I know that I can control what I put out there.  I will just have to be careful about what information I use so that these thoughts can no longer be worries for me.  It also makes me think too about having my future students use the internet .  Even if there is accessibility to computers, I might run into trouble with what parents think is acceptable in terms of internet and computer use.  This is something to keep in mind as something to deal with in the future as well.  Web 2.0 has opened up a whole new world, but it’s really up to us to use it correctly.

That’s all for now! I will see you all Thursday night!

Amber