In a collaborative environment, my group used google docs to summarize copyright law from the Fair Use Harbor website.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
EdTech Profile Assessment NETS (5)
Using the EdTech website I took a pre assessment and a final assessment to see where my technology level stands and how much I grew over a four month period.
My Wiki Page NETS (1)
I created this wiki in a collaborative website for a Web 2.0 Tools for Educators website using wetpaint.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Journal 10
Wikipedia - Friend or Foe?
Hammond, Thomas & David Farhie (March/April 2009). Wikipedia: Friend or Foe? Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
This article gives background on the website, wikipedia.com and gives reasons why it could be used as our friend or our foe. Wikipedia started in 1991 as part of the WEB 2.0 world. Wikipedia is the eighth most visited website on the internet. Most of the people that visit Wikipedia are students. The article states that Wikipedia should not be used as an information source but as a structure.
Anyone can edit information in a collaborative way. Because of this students should not believe everything that is posted on Wikipedia. It is a good source for teachers to have students go on and use for critical thinking and knowledge construction.
Why should teachers not allow students to use Wkipedia as a credible research source?
Wikipedia is not an encyclopedia or World Book, as a Web 2.0 tool anyone could add information and it is not necessarily accurate.
Think of a way a teacher could use information on Wikipedia for an assignment.
One way a teacher could incorporate Wikipedia into an assignment is by having the kids compare the information posted in the Wikipedia site and information from a credible source and write about any discrepancies.
Hammond, Thomas & David Farhie (March/April 2009). Wikipedia: Friend or Foe? Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
This article gives background on the website, wikipedia.com and gives reasons why it could be used as our friend or our foe. Wikipedia started in 1991 as part of the WEB 2.0 world. Wikipedia is the eighth most visited website on the internet. Most of the people that visit Wikipedia are students. The article states that Wikipedia should not be used as an information source but as a structure.
Anyone can edit information in a collaborative way. Because of this students should not believe everything that is posted on Wikipedia. It is a good source for teachers to have students go on and use for critical thinking and knowledge construction.
Why should teachers not allow students to use Wkipedia as a credible research source?
Wikipedia is not an encyclopedia or World Book, as a Web 2.0 tool anyone could add information and it is not necessarily accurate.
Think of a way a teacher could use information on Wikipedia for an assignment.
One way a teacher could incorporate Wikipedia into an assignment is by having the kids compare the information posted in the Wikipedia site and information from a credible source and write about any discrepancies.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Journal 9
The Kids Are All Right
Waters, J. K. (2009, March). The Kids Are All Right. T-H-E Journal, Retrieved April 7, 2009, from www.thejournal.com/articles/24104
Three years ago the MacArthur Foundation launched a $50 million digital media and learning initiative to expand our understanding of the impact of digital media and communications technologies on how young people will learn in the future. The foundations intentions were to see if new digital media tools might affect how kids think and learn in five to ten years but soon realized the future is now.
The first study was called “Kids’ Informal Learning With Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures,” studied into the texture and culture of youth life. This study is considered “the most extensive ethnographic study of youth and new media to be conducted in the United States.”
The study lasted over a three year period and interviewers spoke with more than 800 young people and their parents. They spent more than 5,000 hours observing teens on websites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and other networked communities.
Researchers found three levels of participation in these online worlds that kids display. These three "genres of participation," are called "hanging out," "messing around," and "geeking out."
“Hanging out” is considered lightweight social contact. Where as “messing around” is a hybrid level, drawing from both hanging out and geeking out. “Geeking out” is the most intense. There is a high level of commitment, with media or technology. Students delve deeply into an area of interest, develop expertise, learn how to evaluate media content, and build reputations.
Good kids tend to be good kids, whatever the environment. The MacArthur researchers believe that this finding should persuade educators to see the internet as less potentially corrupting to students and to loosen the leash on students' web-based activities.
What is one of the most important thing educators should take away from the "Kids' Informal Learning With Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures," study?
Teachers and other educators need to find a way to be open and receptive to the things students are doing online on their own so that they can find a way to relate to their students and understand what is going on in the online world. Teachers need to come up with a way to stop seeing these networks as distracting from school, and to find ways to use them in the classroom.
If teachers and educators are unsure about online technology, who should they turn to for help?
One of the best things that teachers can do is to have their students teach them how to navigate the technology. When teachers are willing to change the power dynamics and learn from their students, trust is built.
Waters, J. K. (2009, March). The Kids Are All Right. T-H-E Journal, Retrieved April 7, 2009, from www.thejournal.com/articles/24104
Three years ago the MacArthur Foundation launched a $50 million digital media and learning initiative to expand our understanding of the impact of digital media and communications technologies on how young people will learn in the future. The foundations intentions were to see if new digital media tools might affect how kids think and learn in five to ten years but soon realized the future is now.
The first study was called “Kids’ Informal Learning With Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures,” studied into the texture and culture of youth life. This study is considered “the most extensive ethnographic study of youth and new media to be conducted in the United States.”
The study lasted over a three year period and interviewers spoke with more than 800 young people and their parents. They spent more than 5,000 hours observing teens on websites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and other networked communities.
Researchers found three levels of participation in these online worlds that kids display. These three "genres of participation," are called "hanging out," "messing around," and "geeking out."
“Hanging out” is considered lightweight social contact. Where as “messing around” is a hybrid level, drawing from both hanging out and geeking out. “Geeking out” is the most intense. There is a high level of commitment, with media or technology. Students delve deeply into an area of interest, develop expertise, learn how to evaluate media content, and build reputations.
Good kids tend to be good kids, whatever the environment. The MacArthur researchers believe that this finding should persuade educators to see the internet as less potentially corrupting to students and to loosen the leash on students' web-based activities.
What is one of the most important thing educators should take away from the "Kids' Informal Learning With Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures," study?
Teachers and other educators need to find a way to be open and receptive to the things students are doing online on their own so that they can find a way to relate to their students and understand what is going on in the online world. Teachers need to come up with a way to stop seeing these networks as distracting from school, and to find ways to use them in the classroom.
If teachers and educators are unsure about online technology, who should they turn to for help?
One of the best things that teachers can do is to have their students teach them how to navigate the technology. When teachers are willing to change the power dynamics and learn from their students, trust is built.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Journal 8
Course Management (CMS)
I looked up and followed threads on course management systems on the classroom 2.0 website. Course Management Systems or CMS are also known as virtual learning environments. It's a software system that is designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting, as distinct from a Managed Learning Environment (MLE) where the focus is on management. CMS work over the Internet and provide a collection of tools such as those for assessment communication, uploading of content, return of students' work, peer assessment, administration of student groups, collecting and organizing student grades, questionnaires, tracking tools, wikis, blogs, RSS and 3D virtual learning spaces.
There are many couse management systems available but Moodle was the one that was discussed the most on the treads I followed. Moodle is a free and open source e-learning software platform and users had mixed reviews of Moodle. Many users had trouble installing it and needed admin help and support. For the most part, most of the teachers liked Moodle and gave positive feedback. A few things they said included "I still have a lot to learn. The hook to get the staff involved has been the testing features. It is a huge time saver for them allowing them to focus on new pedagogies and learning new technology skills." Another Moodle user said "Best bits for me: forums, glossaries, and how it easily embeds audio/media. Testing features I didn't get into, as I have a php script I'm used to using. I crashed and burned with the Moodle wiki so am now sticking with wikispaces. Blogs - not great in Moodle yet I think, so I have avoided them. Also students would like a 'homepage' - and social features like this ning site, which don't exist in Moodle." It really seems like Moodle is an all around great CMS. I would love to learn more about it because I have never even heard of Moodle before this assignment but for a new teacher it would be a good way to manage my classroom courses.
I looked up and followed threads on course management systems on the classroom 2.0 website. Course Management Systems or CMS are also known as virtual learning environments. It's a software system that is designed to support teaching and learning in an educational setting, as distinct from a Managed Learning Environment (MLE) where the focus is on management. CMS work over the Internet and provide a collection of tools such as those for assessment communication, uploading of content, return of students' work, peer assessment, administration of student groups, collecting and organizing student grades, questionnaires, tracking tools, wikis, blogs, RSS and 3D virtual learning spaces.
There are many couse management systems available but Moodle was the one that was discussed the most on the treads I followed. Moodle is a free and open source e-learning software platform and users had mixed reviews of Moodle. Many users had trouble installing it and needed admin help and support. For the most part, most of the teachers liked Moodle and gave positive feedback. A few things they said included "I still have a lot to learn. The hook to get the staff involved has been the testing features. It is a huge time saver for them allowing them to focus on new pedagogies and learning new technology skills." Another Moodle user said "Best bits for me: forums, glossaries, and how it easily embeds audio/media. Testing features I didn't get into, as I have a php script I'm used to using. I crashed and burned with the Moodle wiki so am now sticking with wikispaces. Blogs - not great in Moodle yet I think, so I have avoided them. Also students would like a 'homepage' - and social features like this ning site, which don't exist in Moodle." It really seems like Moodle is an all around great CMS. I would love to learn more about it because I have never even heard of Moodle before this assignment but for a new teacher it would be a good way to manage my classroom courses.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Journal 7
Mining for Gold
Bigenho, C (March/April 2009). Mining for Gold. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved March 17, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
Author Chris Bigenho explains how integral RSS can be to teachers in the education of students. RSS (Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) technology is a tool which allows an Internet user to collect specific information and receive it all on a specific page, rather than surfing a myriad of sites. It is comprised of two parts, feeds and aggregators. The feed finds the information through HTML and the aggregators read, track and notify you of the new information.
A savvy teacher is able to subscribe to various RSS feeds on sites that contain news on the specific topics of curriculum and bookmark them for their students to access through the schools learning management system. Then to keep track of each students blog, the educator can subscribe to their blogs through subscriptions as well.
What are some benefits of using RSS in a classroom?
If your students have a classroom blog RSS helps save time because it tells you when there are new posts. RSS also allows a collaborative learning environment for both teachers and students. The teachers and students can learn from each other.
What is the difference between an Internet hosted aggregator and client based aggregator?
An Internet hosted aggregator, such as iGoogle or Google Reader, allows the user to access their feeds from any location or computer. A client based aggregator, like Safari requires the user to be at the computer to access the feed.
Bigenho, C (March/April 2009). Mining for Gold. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved March 17, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
Author Chris Bigenho explains how integral RSS can be to teachers in the education of students. RSS (Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) technology is a tool which allows an Internet user to collect specific information and receive it all on a specific page, rather than surfing a myriad of sites. It is comprised of two parts, feeds and aggregators. The feed finds the information through HTML and the aggregators read, track and notify you of the new information.
A savvy teacher is able to subscribe to various RSS feeds on sites that contain news on the specific topics of curriculum and bookmark them for their students to access through the schools learning management system. Then to keep track of each students blog, the educator can subscribe to their blogs through subscriptions as well.
What are some benefits of using RSS in a classroom?
If your students have a classroom blog RSS helps save time because it tells you when there are new posts. RSS also allows a collaborative learning environment for both teachers and students. The teachers and students can learn from each other.
What is the difference between an Internet hosted aggregator and client based aggregator?
An Internet hosted aggregator, such as iGoogle or Google Reader, allows the user to access their feeds from any location or computer. A client based aggregator, like Safari requires the user to be at the computer to access the feed.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Journal 6
Grow Your Personal Learning Network
David Warlick
Warlick, D (March/April 2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved March 13,2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
In summary, author David Warlick’s article introduces and encourages all computer users to expand their traditional thoughts, as it relates to their Personal Learning Network (PLN.) As noted PLN is not a new concept. For many years we have learned from many sources; Family, community, television, newspapers. With the continual development of the Web, our options for PLN expands tremendously. Warlick strongly suggests educators to familiarize themselves and make use of the various blogs, Skype, Google Talk and wikis, just to mention a few. There are three main types of PLN.
Personally maintained synchronous connections which includes traditional means such as people and places you would look for information. This also includes direct chat on line and Twitter.
Personally and socially maintained semisynchronous connections are very similar to the former, however it is not particularly real time. By making use of discussion boards, comment walls and blogging.
Dynamically maintained asynchronous connections is the third type of PLN. This avenue connects us with content on a particular topic. The primary tool is the RSS aggregator. By indentifying a particular topic of interest, the educator is able to subscribe to an RSS feed from a bookmarked website or search site and the feed will update when new information, blogs, and such have been made.
By developing a wider PLN based in the Web, teachers are more able to collect information on a topic, keeping updated by RSS aggregator feed. This is very impactful in saving time and gathering current and worldwide information.
Why is a web based PLN important in education?
Teachers have a finite amount of time, as well as a personal interpretation to knowledge. By using the RSS aggregator tool, they are able to collect many views and updated material from a worldwide base in a fraction of the time. This allows the students to benefit from a wider and updated source.
Is there a downside to PLN?
Absolutely. As Warlick points out, it is human nature to align ourselves with those who think as we do. It is necessary to collect information that challenges our own views to better teach in an unbiased way.
David Warlick
Warlick, D (March/April 2009). Grow your personal learning network. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved March 13,2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
In summary, author David Warlick’s article introduces and encourages all computer users to expand their traditional thoughts, as it relates to their Personal Learning Network (PLN.) As noted PLN is not a new concept. For many years we have learned from many sources; Family, community, television, newspapers. With the continual development of the Web, our options for PLN expands tremendously. Warlick strongly suggests educators to familiarize themselves and make use of the various blogs, Skype, Google Talk and wikis, just to mention a few. There are three main types of PLN.
Personally maintained synchronous connections which includes traditional means such as people and places you would look for information. This also includes direct chat on line and Twitter.
Personally and socially maintained semisynchronous connections are very similar to the former, however it is not particularly real time. By making use of discussion boards, comment walls and blogging.
Dynamically maintained asynchronous connections is the third type of PLN. This avenue connects us with content on a particular topic. The primary tool is the RSS aggregator. By indentifying a particular topic of interest, the educator is able to subscribe to an RSS feed from a bookmarked website or search site and the feed will update when new information, blogs, and such have been made.
By developing a wider PLN based in the Web, teachers are more able to collect information on a topic, keeping updated by RSS aggregator feed. This is very impactful in saving time and gathering current and worldwide information.
Why is a web based PLN important in education?
Teachers have a finite amount of time, as well as a personal interpretation to knowledge. By using the RSS aggregator tool, they are able to collect many views and updated material from a worldwide base in a fraction of the time. This allows the students to benefit from a wider and updated source.
Is there a downside to PLN?
Absolutely. As Warlick points out, it is human nature to align ourselves with those who think as we do. It is necessary to collect information that challenges our own views to better teach in an unbiased way.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Journal 5
Collaboration in a Web 2.0 Environment
Bull, Glen (April 2006). Collaboration in a Web 2.0 Environment. Learning and Leading with Technology, 7, Retrieved March 10, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=April_No_7_&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=2642
Web syndication is transforming the way in which people communicate. If used effectively, RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Web feeds) feeds make it possible to do such things as collaboratively edit and publish a paper instantaneously with other classmates. As students, this saves time and effort and provides a convenient way to meet and complete group projects. Writely is one of the programs used for collaborative projects.
Web 2.0 services are making it easier to use a multitude of programs at the same time. For example, NetVibes contains instant access to Flickr, Writely, and Gmail, and other common Web 2.0 services. The best thing about these services is that they are live. With such features, the possibilities are endless, whether it be in a web classroom, business conference site or any other collaborative environment.
What are some of the services available through Web 2.0?
The latest in web communication is to include RSS feeds to such services as Flickr, Gmail and Writely, all on the same homepage to instantly link to live feeds of all these programs. You can edit a paper as quickly as you can type it, view photos as soon as they are posted, or send and receive e-mail in a second. Other programs include NetVibes, FeedDigest, TaDa and Bloglines.
How are Web 2.0 services transforming the way in which educators are teaching?
In a society where there is never enough time, or meeting with a group often seems impossible, educators are manning their classrooms differently through the use of the latest in Web technology. By making RSS feeds available on a class Web page, educators can provide students with all the necessary information for the class, and tools to turn in assignments without ever turning in a paper. Services such as Writely and Bloglines are also helpful tools for students to meet and collaborate on a project, without ever leaving the house. These live feeds allow you to edit and publish a paper from any computer with internet access.
Bull, Glen (April 2006). Collaboration in a Web 2.0 Environment. Learning and Leading with Technology, 7, Retrieved March 10, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=April_No_7_&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=2642
Web syndication is transforming the way in which people communicate. If used effectively, RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Web feeds) feeds make it possible to do such things as collaboratively edit and publish a paper instantaneously with other classmates. As students, this saves time and effort and provides a convenient way to meet and complete group projects. Writely is one of the programs used for collaborative projects.
Web 2.0 services are making it easier to use a multitude of programs at the same time. For example, NetVibes contains instant access to Flickr, Writely, and Gmail, and other common Web 2.0 services. The best thing about these services is that they are live. With such features, the possibilities are endless, whether it be in a web classroom, business conference site or any other collaborative environment.
What are some of the services available through Web 2.0?
The latest in web communication is to include RSS feeds to such services as Flickr, Gmail and Writely, all on the same homepage to instantly link to live feeds of all these programs. You can edit a paper as quickly as you can type it, view photos as soon as they are posted, or send and receive e-mail in a second. Other programs include NetVibes, FeedDigest, TaDa and Bloglines.
How are Web 2.0 services transforming the way in which educators are teaching?
In a society where there is never enough time, or meeting with a group often seems impossible, educators are manning their classrooms differently through the use of the latest in Web technology. By making RSS feeds available on a class Web page, educators can provide students with all the necessary information for the class, and tools to turn in assignments without ever turning in a paper. Services such as Writely and Bloglines are also helpful tools for students to meet and collaborate on a project, without ever leaving the house. These live feeds allow you to edit and publish a paper from any computer with internet access.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Journal 4
“Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students with 21st Century Skills"
Riedel, Chris. "Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students With 21st Century Skills." T.H.E. Journal. January 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2009 from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23872_1
Riedel started of his article with a very empowering sentence that set the scene for what this article is about. "We need to change the way we teach." The author outlined key points Howie DiBlasi made at a conference about teaching technology. A shocking statistic DiBlasi used was according to a study that ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness, "education ranked 55. . .below coal mining." To me that is just amazing. We need to get current teachers who are uncomfortable with technology informed.
How do we get teachers who are unfamiliar with current technology more comfortable?
I loved one of DiBlasi's suggestions, hug a geek. It's true. Teachers who are not up to date with current technology, should befriend someone who is. Ask questions, and get extra help. Put in the time and effort to learn more, so that your students won't outshine you. Teachers should know what their students are doing when it comes to technology.
Why is it so important for students to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills and how can you do this?
It's important to start developing these skills at a young age because once you leave school and start looking for jobs most corporations and businesses are looking for people with strong Creative problem solving skills, critical and analytical thinking skills, and the ability to gather and evaluate information. These skills can be developed in school by taking time out to give students brainteasers, puzzles and time to visit online Web sites such as fantasticcontraption.com that will help students think critically.
Riedel, Chris. "Create, Collaborate, Communicate: Empowering Students With 21st Century Skills." T.H.E. Journal. January 2009. Retrieved February 28, 2009 from http://www.thejournal.com/articles/23872_1
Riedel started of his article with a very empowering sentence that set the scene for what this article is about. "We need to change the way we teach." The author outlined key points Howie DiBlasi made at a conference about teaching technology. A shocking statistic DiBlasi used was according to a study that ranked 55 industry sectors by their level of IT intensiveness, "education ranked 55. . .below coal mining." To me that is just amazing. We need to get current teachers who are uncomfortable with technology informed.
How do we get teachers who are unfamiliar with current technology more comfortable?
I loved one of DiBlasi's suggestions, hug a geek. It's true. Teachers who are not up to date with current technology, should befriend someone who is. Ask questions, and get extra help. Put in the time and effort to learn more, so that your students won't outshine you. Teachers should know what their students are doing when it comes to technology.
Why is it so important for students to develop problem solving and critical thinking skills and how can you do this?
It's important to start developing these skills at a young age because once you leave school and start looking for jobs most corporations and businesses are looking for people with strong Creative problem solving skills, critical and analytical thinking skills, and the ability to gather and evaluate information. These skills can be developed in school by taking time out to give students brainteasers, puzzles and time to visit online Web sites such as fantasticcontraption.com that will help students think critically.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Journal 3
Keep Them Chatting
Cole, Jeanie (February 09). Keep them Chatting. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved February 17, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading/- digital.com/learning_leading/200902
Jeanie Cole’s article on ways to keep students interested and participating in online learning through collaborative chatting and research offers encouraging ways to incite pertinent conversation. As in everything we do, a good foundation outlining the objectives and desired outcomes is critical. Cole urges teachers to select questions that force their students to collaborate online. She offers examples of the types of questions that have proven to be successful, as well as the results. Since the students’ work is viewed and compared by other students they tend to be more motivated and take ownership of their assignments.
How do teachers maintain a cohesive and robust discussion on assignments via chatting and message boards?
Selecting a topic that students may relate to is the first step in getting them interested in researching the assignment. Asking open ended questions to get them started is a critical component in the process. This may take added effort for the teacher, however the end result will be more enthusiastic participation for the group of students. Collaboration is critical to teach our students, since when they become working adults most projects involve collaborative efforts.
Why use online discussions rather than traditional in class discussions?
The digital world has opened up a wealth of perspectives as it relates to sharing and broadening critical thinking. It offers a vehicle to other cultures and societies that offers other views of the same subject.
Cole, Jeanie (February 09). Keep them Chatting. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved February 17, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading/- digital.com/learning_leading/200902
Jeanie Cole’s article on ways to keep students interested and participating in online learning through collaborative chatting and research offers encouraging ways to incite pertinent conversation. As in everything we do, a good foundation outlining the objectives and desired outcomes is critical. Cole urges teachers to select questions that force their students to collaborate online. She offers examples of the types of questions that have proven to be successful, as well as the results. Since the students’ work is viewed and compared by other students they tend to be more motivated and take ownership of their assignments.
How do teachers maintain a cohesive and robust discussion on assignments via chatting and message boards?
Selecting a topic that students may relate to is the first step in getting them interested in researching the assignment. Asking open ended questions to get them started is a critical component in the process. This may take added effort for the teacher, however the end result will be more enthusiastic participation for the group of students. Collaboration is critical to teach our students, since when they become working adults most projects involve collaborative efforts.
Why use online discussions rather than traditional in class discussions?
The digital world has opened up a wealth of perspectives as it relates to sharing and broadening critical thinking. It offers a vehicle to other cultures and societies that offers other views of the same subject.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Journal 2
Museums in the Classroom
Reissman, Rose. (February 2009). “Museums in the Classroom”. Learning and Leading with Technology, Vol 36, Issue 5, Retrieved February 20, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
"Museums in the Classroom" is an interactive article that allows the reader to take a virtual field trip to different museums across the country. The article also suggested web sites that could help the student design their own cyber museum. The article also had a link to a site that could help inexperienced teachers to use museums as a tool in their classroom.
How can a teacher use online museums as a resource in the classroom?
Online museums are great to go along with certain lessons that have primary resources that can be viewed right away. It's like taking a field trip without having to leave their class. Students can visit the natural history museum online, or a dinosaur exhibit or even a Holocaust museum and the teacher should integrate these things into the lesson.
Will using online museums help build a students skills using technology?
Using cyber museums would meet the NETS standards for students and could help students to become more comfortable navigating around a web site. Not only would the student be enhancing their web based skills, they would also be doing research on whatever topic they are visiting in the online museum.
Reissman, Rose. (February 2009). “Museums in the Classroom”. Learning and Leading with Technology, Vol 36, Issue 5, Retrieved February 20, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
"Museums in the Classroom" is an interactive article that allows the reader to take a virtual field trip to different museums across the country. The article also suggested web sites that could help the student design their own cyber museum. The article also had a link to a site that could help inexperienced teachers to use museums as a tool in their classroom.
How can a teacher use online museums as a resource in the classroom?
Online museums are great to go along with certain lessons that have primary resources that can be viewed right away. It's like taking a field trip without having to leave their class. Students can visit the natural history museum online, or a dinosaur exhibit or even a Holocaust museum and the teacher should integrate these things into the lesson.
Will using online museums help build a students skills using technology?
Using cyber museums would meet the NETS standards for students and could help students to become more comfortable navigating around a web site. Not only would the student be enhancing their web based skills, they would also be doing research on whatever topic they are visiting in the online museum.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Social Bookmarking
Below are the eight websites I visited for this social bookmarking scavenger hunt.
- Dear Bess: Love Letters from the President is an online exhibit of love letters Harry and Bess Truman sent back and forth to each other. There were scanned, digital versions of the letters they wrote. Primary sources are important because they are originals. It's always important to use some kind of primary sources in research and your students should understand the importance of primary sources.
- The National Education Association website outlines how to become a culturally competent educator. Some of the things I believe I would do as an educator include: Assessing what the school staff perceive as their staff development needs related to providing services to each group. By doing this you can see where the rest of the staff believe the needs of the school are. Another thing I feel is important is networking. Networking with other schools, staff members, students and community organizations to get them culturally involved is also very important. And lastly I feel it's important to engage school staff in discussions and activities that offer an opportunity to explore attitudes, beliefs, and values related to cultural diversity and cultural competence.
- Through KidsClick.org I found a cute online story called A Fishy Tale. This is a story for young kids in kinder to second grade. Beginner readers. The site also has a few other beginner reader stories that will help develop kids reading.
- Kathy Schrock has some great ideas and resources for educators. Once I become a classroom teacher I will use her website as a tool to help me use rubrics and assements for grading my own students. The only thing that needs to be updated on the site is a lot of her links are no longer active.
- The George Lucas Foundation does a good job explaining what multiple intelligences are. In the "what" section of the site it nine different levels of intelligences that I never knew exsisted. It would be important to know about these things intelligences especially for teachers so that they will be able to understand peoples levels.
- The Teaching Tolerance website is a wonderful resouce for teachers to come up with specific lesson plas to help their students learn about diversity and tolerance. One lesson plan I really liked taught lower level students about acceptance and diversity using a box of crayons. The lesson is called What Can We Learn from a Box of Crayons? It had kids draw a picture using a single color and then using the whole box of crayons. The teacher then asks the students which picture they like better the picture with one color, or the colorful one. Then the teacher asks, "What a boring world it would be if we were all alike — like the picture drawn with only one crayon. The diversity in the world makes it like a wonderful box of crayons with endless colors." Next the teachers read The Crayon Box that Talked and asks their students questions such as "Wasn't it silly for the crayons not to like each other just because of their color? Each crayon had something special to offer to the picture — green for the grass, blue for the sky, yellow for the sun." I really liked this lesson because it teaches an important lesson "We could learn a lot from crayons. ... (They) all are different colors, but they all exist very nicely in the same box."
- EdChange.org has a few different multicultral quizzes. I looked over a few of the quizzes and I was shocked to learn that compared with White women, African American women in the U.S. are four times as likely to die during childbirth due to a lack of access to prenatal care. That, to me, is outragous. It was also an eye opener to find out that accordng to
UNICEF the treatment of children in the 23 wealthiest countries in the world based on 40 indicators of child well-being, the two countries with the lowest ratings were the US & UK. Also to read that over 84% of teachers will never or rarely respond to homophobic remarks according to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender high school students. - The web is a very popular tool these days that almost every child has access to. It's important to follow the Netiquette rules so that you won't be rude in cyberspace. I took the Netiquette quiz and I knew alot about the rules of the web before even reading about them. I scored 80%. =]
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Journal 1
Passport to Digital Citizenship
Ribble, Mike (2008). Passport to Digital Citizenship. Learning and Leading in Technology, 37, Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/Current_Issue/L_L_November.htm
In summary, author Mike Ribble’s article on students becoming good technology citizens, he emphasizes the need for teachers, parents and the community to create, adopt and set into motion a universal language in which students can be taught responsible, legal and ethical behavior when utilizing global technology today and in the future.
Ribble and co-author Gerald Bailey, suggest the use and implementation of their nine elements of digital citizenship, ranging from access, to law, to security, health and wellness as a launching point for teaching. Also provided is a four stage technology learning framework for teaching digital citizenship to our children for a lifelong foundation in the digital universe.
Once the universal language is in place in our school system, how do we integrate parents and community into the learning, teaching and modeling process for a more seamless learning experience for the kids?
When the teachers have the groundwork and process integrated into their curriculum and feel confident in their own aptitude, a once a month meeting with parents and community librarians should be hosted by the school district. The first in a series of meetings is to introduce the concept and need for cohesive modeling both at school, home and in our libraries. The need for community libraries to be involved is critical for those students that doo not have access in their homes. This series of meetings should be at a minimum of six meetings, with an emphasis on acceptable digital behavior away from the classroom. Modeling by parents is critical.
How do we measure the success of the digital citizenship program?
Without monitoring and measurement, even the best processes may fail. It is a good idea to set goals to measure the success of the program. From the initial parent community meeting, a syllabus should be provided with areas for suggestions of what worked and what doesn’t. Tweaking the process at six months and one year, based on student and parent suggestions may improve the outcome. A quiz should be implemented for students and parents at the end of the course to measure it’s success.
Ribble, Mike (2008). Passport to Digital Citizenship. Learning and Leading in Technology, 37, Retrieved January 28, 2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/Current_Issue/L_L_November.htm
In summary, author Mike Ribble’s article on students becoming good technology citizens, he emphasizes the need for teachers, parents and the community to create, adopt and set into motion a universal language in which students can be taught responsible, legal and ethical behavior when utilizing global technology today and in the future.
Ribble and co-author Gerald Bailey, suggest the use and implementation of their nine elements of digital citizenship, ranging from access, to law, to security, health and wellness as a launching point for teaching. Also provided is a four stage technology learning framework for teaching digital citizenship to our children for a lifelong foundation in the digital universe.
Once the universal language is in place in our school system, how do we integrate parents and community into the learning, teaching and modeling process for a more seamless learning experience for the kids?
When the teachers have the groundwork and process integrated into their curriculum and feel confident in their own aptitude, a once a month meeting with parents and community librarians should be hosted by the school district. The first in a series of meetings is to introduce the concept and need for cohesive modeling both at school, home and in our libraries. The need for community libraries to be involved is critical for those students that doo not have access in their homes. This series of meetings should be at a minimum of six meetings, with an emphasis on acceptable digital behavior away from the classroom. Modeling by parents is critical.
How do we measure the success of the digital citizenship program?
Without monitoring and measurement, even the best processes may fail. It is a good idea to set goals to measure the success of the program. From the initial parent community meeting, a syllabus should be provided with areas for suggestions of what worked and what doesn’t. Tweaking the process at six months and one year, based on student and parent suggestions may improve the outcome. A quiz should be implemented for students and parents at the end of the course to measure it’s success.
Monday, January 26, 2009
My Introduction . . .
My name is Danyel Fogarty but I have gone by Dani my entire life. I grew up in a small desert town in San Diego county called Borrego Springs where I attened Borrego Springs Elementary School, Middle School and High School. I was extremely excited to graduate high school, get out of Borrego and see what else the world had to offer. Because my graduating class had twenty-four people I decided on choosing a small private college. I moved up to the LA area to Pomona, California and attened the University of La Verne where I majored in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations. I loved my major but throughout college I worked at an elementary school and I knew being a teacher is what will make me happiest.
Technology plays a major role in my life. As a communications major at ULV I pretty much lived on the computer, doing graphic design and web design projects. I consider myself to be very computer savvy. Even though I own a PC I am just as familiar with the MAC and I would love to invest in one, but as an unemloyed college student I don't see that happening anytime soon. I am familiar with all types of programs ranging from dreamweaver, to photoshop, to QuarkXPress, to HTML coding. If you would like to see some of my work you can visit my portfolio web site.
Unfortunately I did not read CSUSM's mission statement before starting my pre req's for the teaching program but after reading it I believe focusing on diversity is very important. I worked as a teacher's assistant/tutor at a title I elementary school in Pomona, CA for three years. Working with low income, English Language Learners is the reason I decided to go back to school and get my credential.
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