Two Weeks of Reflections

Last week's class on assistive technologies was very informative, because there are so many devices out there that my future students may be using in my classroom. I realized how helpful it would be for me to be aware of these technologies in the event that I need to fix or troubleshoot something if a student is having a problem. Learning about assistive technologies is amazing anyway, just because it's so wonderful to see the kind of help they can provide students with disabilities. It's wonderful that these devices are out there because they can help make life as typical and easy as possible. I look forward to learning more about these technologies in the future.

As far as the videos that were shown today, I was blown away by the quality and entertainment factor of the three groups who presented today. I enjoyed every single moment of each of the videos that we saw, and I am so impressed that these groups were able to put their videos together in such a short amount of time. I'm inspired to improve my group's video after seeing these, and I hope that I will be able to have the opportunity to do so in the future. I think the videos shown today reflected modern and relevant teaching practices, because each of the topics was extremely important to today's teenagers, and the delivery was both humorous and informative. I can't wait to see what the groups next week are going to present.

Chapters 8 and 9: Practical Uses of Technological Tools

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I am sad to say that I did not find chapters 8 and 9 as informative as I wished they could be. I found that chapter 8 was very repetitive of chapter 6, although it did go into some greater detail about sharing information via Wikis, blogs, and teacher-created websites. Similarly, chapter 9 spoke about many types of multimedia technologies that I am already aware of, and I was disappointed to see that I did not gain much new knowledge from either chapter. However, there were a few relevant points made in the chapters that are certainly worth expounding upon.

Chapter 8 discusses teacher-created websites as a way of maintaining open lines of communication between teachers, students, and parents. Although they are time consuming to make, it is really an investment in the rest of the year, because teachers end up saving time in the long run when students need reminders about upcoming homework and assignments. I imagine that it is difficult to keep these sites updated consistently, but they prevent students from having the excuse that they did not know what the homework was or what the requirements for a project were. This chapter also mentioned how important it is for teachers to analyze the clarity and ease of use of these websites, which I believe is an important consideration when creating and maintaining the websites. If students cannot find the information they need easily, they are less likely to utilize the service provided for them.

Chapter 9 mentioned many different multimedia tools and the importance of multimodal learning. The author brought up an extremely valid point when discussing the multimodal learning – it is crucial that teachers create interactive, rather than passive, lessons. No matter how much media is included, many students will tune out boring lessons, thus making the effort the teacher put forth to create the lesson worth very little.

A final point made by the author in chapter 9 concerned the use of PowerPoint presentations in class. With such widespread use in middle and high school and especially college, PowerPoints have become, in some cases, little more than a digital representation of notes that would just be written on the board. Teachers, as a result, must be cognizant of the way they use PowerPoints in their classrooms. Theorist Edward R. Tufte states that PowerPoints “usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning” and promote a “cognitive style that is contrary to serious thinking.” (p. 247) Although I don’t agree with Tufte wholeheartedly, I can say from experience that I have been taught with PowerPoints that do just that. The question is, then, how do we create PowerPoints that are interactive. Which promote critical thinking? Are PowerPoints always “contrary to serious thinking”?

I believe that teachers of all subjects could utilize this tool in a way that enhances the learning of their students, just as long as they keep in mind exactly what they want their students to get out of the lesson. The author makes an important point in chapter 9 by saying that teachers may get caught up in the appearance of the PowerPoint, without enough focus on the desired outcomes. Do you think that teachers should focus on the appearance of the PowerPoint, or should they focus only on the content?

Tonight's Takeaway

Up until tonight, I was very concerned about doing the group video project. However, with our groups formed and ideas thought out, I am actually looking forward to all of the shooting that we will be doing.  Our group seems to be on the same page, and all of us are enthusiastic about shooting our Irish Soda Bread video.

Peer Reviews and Digication

I really enjoyed seeing a few examples of WebQuests tonight. Although I have made one before, it was formatted in PowerPoint, making this next one very different in process. Although PowerPoint had a lot of options in terms of formatting and creating images, I look forward to making one in Digication because it is such an accessible website. Seeing some examples of completed WebQuests, plus those of a few of my classmates, has inspired me to make mine the best that it can be.

Thousands of Programs, Millions of Options

Chapter 7 provided a very interesting look at some of the computer program options that teachers can work with in the classroom. One program that I would really like to try is the Inspiration or Kidspiration program. Providing students with a creative platform outside of Microsoft Office would both challenge them and remind them of different ways they can go about completing school projects. For example, I think it would be great to introduce them to iMovie if Mac computers are available, since the graphic ability and purpose is so different from that in MovieMaker. Whenever possible, students should be exposed to different programs that try to accomplish the same thing. In doing so, they could actually analyze the varied focuses of the different programs to determine which one would best suit their needs.

I also think it is extremely important to foster creativity in the classroom, especially to high school students who often don’t have the opportunity to showcase their non-academic abilities. Not only does creative opportunity give them a new way to process information, but it can actually be a relaxing break from the more tedious and traditional demands of the school day. I imagine that making graphic organizers (such as the one shown below,) images, and charts on a program like Kidspiration will help students reorganize information in their brain and will thus help them learn the information in a clear, interesting way. I know that I understood information more deeply when I started to teach and make visual displays for my students, and I believe that it would work for many of them as well.

Students not only learn content when making these diagrams, but must analyze the connections between topics, vocabulary words, and images, and are thus developing their higher-order thinking skills. Similarly, if we require our students to make these visual displays while using the internet as a resource, they are enhancing both their content and technological knowledge. My only concerns are with the students who are not used to creating something artistic, or who are not very comfortable with technology. How do we utilize our time most wisely to integrate these creative activities into our lessons? What can we do to engage students who say they’re not artsy or creative when we ask them to a complete a task that requires them to do so? How do we encourage our students to make deeper connections between the material they are learning?

Other curriculum ideas and resources can be found at http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration/examples.

Interactive Websites at their Finest

Today's class brought to light some of the best examples I have seen of interactive web-based activities. The virtual ChemLab and virtual frog dissections are some of the most valuable resources that science teachers can use, especially with the diminishing funds available for lab supplies. I also love the idea of using Google Alerts in the classroom. Although I would be afraid that I wouldn't be able to update and check it frequently enough during class, I think it's great to remind students that they can figure out topics of interest to them and obtain information to them as it is literally delivered to their computer screens. I am inspired to look for more ways to enhance learning via these virtual experiences.

Chapters 4 and 6 - Practical Classroom Strategies

I was happy to see that these chapters started to bring to light some new ways to use technology in the classroom. I especially loved some of the ideas in chapter 6. Google Alerts, for example, will enable me as a science teacher to stay up to date with current scientific news and discoveries. Like our textbook said, most textbooks are out of date by the time they come out in print, and science books are often very far behind the curve. Programs like Google Alert ensure that my own knowledge is more up to date than these textbooks; as a result, I can provide my students with the most current information possible. Hopefully students will be able to see the relevance of modern scientific discoveries in their own lives, which will motivate them to learn more on their own. I think it would also be a great idea to ask students to make a Google Alerts account on their own so that they could get news about topics they are interested in. Is it possible to create a viable class assignment surrounding the use of such a tool?

Standards connectors and tag clouds, also mentioned in chapter 6, appear to be excellent resources to help teachers stay organized. I’ve never thought of a good way to compile resources and usually just resort to listing links in a Word Document when I find a new source. Standards connectors and tag clouds actually provide teachers with the option to classify and search for their own resources, and are extremely valuable, time-saving tools I will be sure to take advantage of. Should we provide our students with access to these resources and/or give them the ability to contribute to them?

Despite some of the great ideas mentioned in these chapters, I found that a few strategies were mentioned that would not be viable in all classrooms. For example, I really like the idea of using learning centers in a high school classroom. However, I fear that with only one teacher in the room, students would easily go off task, especially when they get to the computer station. In response, I wish this book spoke more about the strategies a teacher can use to set the tone for responsible computer usage.

Another concern I have about learning centers regards technical difficulties experienced in class. What does the teacher do when he or she is called over to troubleshoot a problem or error in the operation of the computers? If he or she leaves to fix the problem, the group who should be receiving direct instruction is left alone, but if he or she does not, the group who should be at the computers will be left without a task. As such, I see this classroom technique working well only if two or more adults are in the classroom, or if the students are highly responsible and in control of their own learning.

I am also somewhat hesitant about the use of tools like virtual field trips. Although beneficial if students absolutely cannot go on a traditional field trip, I don’t see how a virtual experience could replace one in person. Field trips are difficult to pull off because they can be very costly and time consuming and they require teachers to be liable for their students outside of the classroom, but aren’t real-world learning experiences outside of the classroom invaluable and often irreplaceable? Is it worth missing out on such an experience so that students could spend more time in class preparing for high stakes exams?

I think it will take a few years of acclimating to the teaching profession before I will be able to use technology most effectively. I see myself using it, as chapter 4 says, at the adaptation and appropriation stages for a while, especially to communicate information with students and parents, organize data, and present information. I hope that as years pass I could make my way towards the invention stage, where my students’ learning experiences are truly enriched by technology – but I think it will take a while before I get there.