Virtual Field Trips
Today in class, we discussed some of the legal, social, and moral issues concerning technology and elementary education. One of these issues that we discussed was about virtual field trips and their use in within the classroom. My feeling is that, as teachers, this is a very viable option, if used with common sense. Virtual field trips should be used when it can be directly tied into course content, as well as if your class cannot physically go to the place the field trip is at. For example, utilizing a virtual tour of the pyramids when teaching an Egyptian unit would be great for the children. One, I would not have access to the resources to take my class to the pyramids, and two, it directly ties into the subject matter I would be teaching. However, these field trips should be used in moderation and with a little exploration on a teacher's own before the class gets to go, too. Using a virtual field trip with every lesson has the potential for dulling the novelty of the field trip and you will quickly lose your class' attention. Also, checking a tour for inappropriate content before you take your students "with you" can save embarrassment and other trouble.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Distance Education
One pro of distance education is that it allows students with a variety of personal situations to take classes that fit their needs. For example, if a family chose to home-school their children rather than sending them through public school, the option for distance education is there for that family to use. Likewise, if a family has a child with autism or Asperger’s, distance education allows that child to have an education and will be modified to fit their learning needs.
A con of distance education is that it requires some technology to use and some people will not have access to the technology they need for distance education. For distance education to work, a family would need a computer that has Internet access. Nowadays, computers have come down in price and one that is needed solely for educational purposes would only cost a few hundred dollars. However, some families cannot even afford that. Internet access also cost money, even dial-up. Internet service providers (ISPs) provide dial-up internet at a low cost per month, however, this can tie up phone lines and depending on where a family lives, and they can have a poor connection. Cable and DSL lines are faster and do not tie up phone lines. They are a more expensive option, though.
To determine the readiness of a student to participate in distance learning, I would look at the student’s needs and the family’s needs (if applicable). The needs of the student come first. If they are not comfortable in a public school, or are not having their needs met in public school, I would want to know that. They need to feel comfortable for them to learn best. I would also want to know why they want a distance education and how it will help them grow in their educational career. Secondly, I would look at their family situation. If the family moves around a lot, such as a military family, they would make a great candidate. If the family wants their children to go through distance education, I would contrast that with the student’s choice.
There are a few things I would need to teach in a virtual school. One of the skills I would need would be to be technologically savvy. I would need to have a good basic knowledge of how a computer works and the various programs I would want to use. I would also need to have gone through an accredited education program, such as the one here at Washington State University. With that, I know I would be secure in the information I am being taught, and with a teaching degree from such a university, I would be very qualified to teach K-8. Also, I would want to be willing to teach in distance education. If I did not want to, I would be an unhappy teacher. If I were an unhappy teacher, that would not reflect well on my students and they would become unhappy. From there, the whole education process for both parties would drag on and not be as effective as it could be.
A con of distance education is that it requires some technology to use and some people will not have access to the technology they need for distance education. For distance education to work, a family would need a computer that has Internet access. Nowadays, computers have come down in price and one that is needed solely for educational purposes would only cost a few hundred dollars. However, some families cannot even afford that. Internet access also cost money, even dial-up. Internet service providers (ISPs) provide dial-up internet at a low cost per month, however, this can tie up phone lines and depending on where a family lives, and they can have a poor connection. Cable and DSL lines are faster and do not tie up phone lines. They are a more expensive option, though.
To determine the readiness of a student to participate in distance learning, I would look at the student’s needs and the family’s needs (if applicable). The needs of the student come first. If they are not comfortable in a public school, or are not having their needs met in public school, I would want to know that. They need to feel comfortable for them to learn best. I would also want to know why they want a distance education and how it will help them grow in their educational career. Secondly, I would look at their family situation. If the family moves around a lot, such as a military family, they would make a great candidate. If the family wants their children to go through distance education, I would contrast that with the student’s choice.
There are a few things I would need to teach in a virtual school. One of the skills I would need would be to be technologically savvy. I would need to have a good basic knowledge of how a computer works and the various programs I would want to use. I would also need to have gone through an accredited education program, such as the one here at Washington State University. With that, I know I would be secure in the information I am being taught, and with a teaching degree from such a university, I would be very qualified to teach K-8. Also, I would want to be willing to teach in distance education. If I did not want to, I would be an unhappy teacher. If I were an unhappy teacher, that would not reflect well on my students and they would become unhappy. From there, the whole education process for both parties would drag on and not be as effective as it could be.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Emerging Technologies in the Classroom
The first set of the emerging technologies I looked at are blogs and wikis. One can think of a blog as a type of personal journal where one can write their own thoughts and feelings on a particular topic, or a random topic depending on how the blog is structured. Other people, who're online and read the blog, can respond, usually with how they feel about that particular person's feelings about their topic. Wikis, on the other hand, are more of a collaborative venture. Anyone who has access to the wiki can go in and edit the information stored on there. Skype is another emerging technology that I looked into. Skype is a computer program in which you can, using a webcam, call someone over the Internet and have a live video conversation with that person. Many of my friends use it to talk with family back home or friends across campus. Some of them use it to work on projects with other people if they somehow cannot meet together in person. The last emerging technology that I looked at was the Smart Board. Essentially, it is a huge projector screen that you hook your computer up to. Once hooked up, you can use a pen, a pointer, or even your finger to manipulate the screen. You can do anything you can normally do on a monitor, with the added ability of a giant touch screen.
I feel these technologies would have a huge impact on my teacher preparation, and once in the field, on my actual teaching. Having these in my educational tool box would be a great boon to me as a teacher! I would be able to set up lessons that utilize each of these different technologies. Skype, blogs, and wikis flourish when used for projects, of which I can whereas the Smart Board is easier to use as an everyday classroom tool. By keeping these technologies in a mental toolbox, I can be sure to use them when I need them and to keep in mind that since they are tools, there is a right time and a wrong time to use them.
These technologies can have a huge impact on the way students learn and demonstrate whether or not they have met objectives for lessons I have taught. Skype is one way student can learn and that is through using it for collaborative projects with another classroom from around the country or the world. Allowing students the use of this technology, something that could be completely foreign to them, will more often than not get them excited for the work they will do. Plus, they will be able to work with someone that may live a different way or have different views of life, which will allow the student to grow as a young person. Wikis can be used to set-up projects, much like our WebQuest on our own wikis. They can be used as formative or summative assessments, depending on the lesson one has prepared and loaded onto the wiki. Blogs, on the other hand, can be used to check and see if students have completed objectives for the lesson one has taught. By having your students post their answers and some thoughts about the lesson, or posing review questions that each student will need to post, a teacher can check for understanding by reading through a student’s own thoughts and posted homework on the student’s blog.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Engaging Students with Concept Mapping
An Example of a Concept Map
1) Post a 3-5 paragraph summary of the 3-5 ideas you explored for how you could use Concept Mapping within your future classroom. Give your specific examples.
Concept Mapping is another tool a teacher can use when teaching their students about many different subjects. Concept Mapping is a way of organizing ideas; a way to start with a main idea and literally branch-out to other ideas that connect with the main idea. Some of the content areas I would use concept mapping with would include the Solar System, marine life, and use it with a civilizations unit.
As you can see, using one in a Solar System unit would help students see how our Solar System is connected. I would like to use a concept map before the actual content is taught, to see where the students are in their knowledge about the "place in space" we live. I would want to do something akin to what I did above: start with "Solar System" in the middle and write out ideas that the students come up with. If they are having trouble coming up with some connecting ideas, I would guide them along. Once we got some of the connecting ideas down, such as planets and the Sun, I would then see if they could go farther by listing the planets, or even grouping the planets by type (rocky and gas giants). Then, at the end of the Solar System unit, an assessment idea could come from building your own concept map.
The second idea I would like to use concept mapping for would be a "Marine Life" unit. This time, since the students would know what a concept map would be, I would use it as some form of formative assessment. One day in class, once we have gone through some of the material on marine life, I could have the students fill out a marine life concept map on the ideas, concepts, and more that we would have covered. I could have them work alone, in pairs, or in groups, depending on how the students are doing with the material.
The third idea I would like to use with concept mapping would be with a unit on civilizations. At the end of the unit, I would have a major project where students, in groups, will take what they have learned about civilizations and create their own civilization. How they would start this project would be with a concept map. By utilizing the concept map, they can get all the major elements that make up a civilization, and from there create their own. They could then further the concept map by adding in their own unique additions and explaining why the additions fit in with the concept of a civilization.
2) Discuss what you see as the impact of the use of Concept Mapping within your classroom on student learning? Give some details to support your statements.
I can see concept mapping having a huge impact on student learning! Using a Concept Map can help us as educators see what our students know about a particular topic and can help us see how they think and connect the main topic with other topics. We can then use this information to modify lesson plans, to create lessons, or to ditch future lessons, depending on where most of the class falls in their knowledge of the topic. Also, using Concept Mapping can help students see how two topics they thought weren't connected are connected in some way. I can see myself using Concept Mapping in the future!
As you can see, using one in a Solar System unit would help students see how our Solar System is connected. I would like to use a concept map before the actual content is taught, to see where the students are in their knowledge about the "place in space" we live. I would want to do something akin to what I did above: start with "Solar System" in the middle and write out ideas that the students come up with. If they are having trouble coming up with some connecting ideas, I would guide them along. Once we got some of the connecting ideas down, such as planets and the Sun, I would then see if they could go farther by listing the planets, or even grouping the planets by type (rocky and gas giants). Then, at the end of the Solar System unit, an assessment idea could come from building your own concept map.
The second idea I would like to use concept mapping for would be a "Marine Life" unit. This time, since the students would know what a concept map would be, I would use it as some form of formative assessment. One day in class, once we have gone through some of the material on marine life, I could have the students fill out a marine life concept map on the ideas, concepts, and more that we would have covered. I could have them work alone, in pairs, or in groups, depending on how the students are doing with the material.
The third idea I would like to use with concept mapping would be with a unit on civilizations. At the end of the unit, I would have a major project where students, in groups, will take what they have learned about civilizations and create their own civilization. How they would start this project would be with a concept map. By utilizing the concept map, they can get all the major elements that make up a civilization, and from there create their own. They could then further the concept map by adding in their own unique additions and explaining why the additions fit in with the concept of a civilization.
I can see concept mapping having a huge impact on student learning! Using a Concept Map can help us as educators see what our students know about a particular topic and can help us see how they think and connect the main topic with other topics. We can then use this information to modify lesson plans, to create lessons, or to ditch future lessons, depending on where most of the class falls in their knowledge of the topic. Also, using Concept Mapping can help students see how two topics they thought weren't connected are connected in some way. I can see myself using Concept Mapping in the future!
3) Discuss some criteria you would use to decide whether or not Concept Mapping activities would be part of a lesson for your students.
There are some criteria I would use to decide whether or not Concept Mapping activities would be a part of a lesson or not. Firstly, I would look at the content area. Is it English-related? Is it math-related? Is it science-related? Some content areas don't necessarily require the use of Concept Mapping, such as math (however, you can in some circumstances). Then, I would see what topic I would be teaching. Can it fit into the lesson? Do I already have enough activities? Lastly, I would look to see if I've done a concept map already. Is it too soon? Did students "get" the concept map? I would ask myself questions like this.
There are some criteria I would use to decide whether or not Concept Mapping activities would be a part of a lesson or not. Firstly, I would look at the content area. Is it English-related? Is it math-related? Is it science-related? Some content areas don't necessarily require the use of Concept Mapping, such as math (however, you can in some circumstances). Then, I would see what topic I would be teaching. Can it fit into the lesson? Do I already have enough activities? Lastly, I would look to see if I've done a concept map already. Is it too soon? Did students "get" the concept map? I would ask myself questions like this.
Blogs and Wikis in Education
1) Identify and describe 3 interesting/innovative way blogs/wikis are being used in K-12 classrooms.
One of the ways a blog/wiki can be used in the K-12 classroom is as a general information hub for class information, much like we did in our Teacher Web projects. In this way, when students are outside of class, they can access class materials, check out what work will be coming in the next week, and families can keep tabs on the homework and class-work their children are doing.
Another way a blog or wiki can be used in the K-12 classroom is as a jumping point to a higher grade. One blog I saw was “The First Year of College” and was an actual blog of a freshman college student, blogging their first year in college for everyone to read. This can be used in 12th grade classrooms for students wanting to get a feel for how college life will be. It can be used to ask questions about that specific university/college, college life in general, the application process, and more.
One last way a blog or wiki can be used in the K-12 classroom is for collaborative projects with other classrooms around the country, or even the world. Two, three, or more teachers can get together with their classrooms and collaborate on projects together. Students could work with one another on these projects, even though they may live in different parts of the country/world. However, this would take an awful lot of planning and coordination to do well!
2) Describe how you might use RSS readers/aggregators within a classroom setting.
I would want to use the RSS readers/aggregators on websites that pertain to the subjects that we would go over in class. For example, if we were to go over the Solar System, Marin Life, and Civilizations of the World as some of our major subjects, I would want to find sites that pertained to those, with RSS feeds, and have them sent to a class e-mail system. The class would choose the top two sites for each subject and they would have access to these articles when doing research.
3) Describe at least 2 pros and 2 cons of using blogs and wikis in education.
One pro of using blogs and wikis in education is that it allows students access to new types of technology that they may not be used to or have never seen before. As our world goes forth into more and more technology, allowing students to experience these things that are new to us, or may be new, will help them be better prepared when newer and more efficient technologies come out. They will also be able to utilize these blogs and wikis for when they grow older, when they are out in the workforce, etc.
Another pro of using blogs and wikis in education is that it expands the number of tools we as teachers can use to educate our students! We can use them for projects, class-work, homework, and more. We can also use them for the general classroom use, as stated above in the first question. If we can utilize these tools correctly, it can complement our teaching rather nicely.
A con of using blogs and wikis in education is the time it takes to set up and maintain the blog and wiki. Setting up a blog or wiki takes no time at all. However, maintaining both while you may have other things going on in life outside of the classroom can become a huge hassle. I would not want to start a wiki or blog within the first few years of my teaching career until I figured my teaching style out first. However, that is a personal observation and others may feel differently.
Another con of using blogs and wikis is the fact that students may not have access to this information outside of class. Depending on where you end up teaching, some, most, or nearly all of your class may not have access to the Web outside of class and would not be able to get to your blog or wiki. This could pose problems for parents who won’t have access to important info they are suppose to read on the wiki/blog and pose problems for students who need to work on a project you may have posted on your wiki.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Teacher Web Project Critique
1) Describe and discuss the impacts your use of a class web site like the one we crated on Teacher Web might have on student learning, on student engagement, and communications with students and parents.
A class website, much like the one I created on Teacher Web, can have a huge impact on student learning, engagement, and communications with students and parents. A class website can help students learn and solidify information that they may have had trouble with in the past. By providing study quizzes, exams, and project reflections, a student can see what they are missing and what they are "getting". This can also be seen as student engagement. By posting a "Wish List", students can see what their classroom needs and volunteer to bring in those materials. Likewise, students can also suggest material that they may deem necessary for their classroom. A teacher web can also be used as a communication tool with students' families. Allowing parents/guardians a chance to see what is due for their child can help them keep their children on task, getting their homework done. Also, if they need to contact the teacher for any reason, an e-mail link is available on the teacher's website.
2) Identify and discuss what you see as the two biggest advantages of designing and using a classroom website within your teaching activities. Also, identify what you see as the biggest disadvantage of using a class website for instructional activities and why.
Two of the biggest advantages of designing and using a classroom website within my teaching activities are that I am helping students learn and use technology as well as providing a way for students to get connected with the world around them. By having a class website, I can allow students a way of getting on to a computer, and on to the Internet, and showing them some of the basic functions of computing, such as viewing and downloading files, moving from site to site, and more. Also, I am allowing students to branch out to the world around them by providing fun links for them to check out, to learn what they want to learn, to experience something new.
I believe the biggest disadvantage in using a class website for instructional activities is keeping the website up to date. Along with all of the teaching duties during the day, and the time a teacher has out of school for his/herself, family, and other school-related activities, keeping a website up-to-date can be another task that may be left on the back-burner to allow teachers to get done what they need to get done. Adding on another responsibility such as this can lead to a teacher burning out, or ditching the Teacher Web altogether.
A class website, much like the one I created on Teacher Web, can have a huge impact on student learning, engagement, and communications with students and parents. A class website can help students learn and solidify information that they may have had trouble with in the past. By providing study quizzes, exams, and project reflections, a student can see what they are missing and what they are "getting". This can also be seen as student engagement. By posting a "Wish List", students can see what their classroom needs and volunteer to bring in those materials. Likewise, students can also suggest material that they may deem necessary for their classroom. A teacher web can also be used as a communication tool with students' families. Allowing parents/guardians a chance to see what is due for their child can help them keep their children on task, getting their homework done. Also, if they need to contact the teacher for any reason, an e-mail link is available on the teacher's website.
2) Identify and discuss what you see as the two biggest advantages of designing and using a classroom website within your teaching activities. Also, identify what you see as the biggest disadvantage of using a class website for instructional activities and why.
Two of the biggest advantages of designing and using a classroom website within my teaching activities are that I am helping students learn and use technology as well as providing a way for students to get connected with the world around them. By having a class website, I can allow students a way of getting on to a computer, and on to the Internet, and showing them some of the basic functions of computing, such as viewing and downloading files, moving from site to site, and more. Also, I am allowing students to branch out to the world around them by providing fun links for them to check out, to learn what they want to learn, to experience something new.
I believe the biggest disadvantage in using a class website for instructional activities is keeping the website up to date. Along with all of the teaching duties during the day, and the time a teacher has out of school for his/herself, family, and other school-related activities, keeping a website up-to-date can be another task that may be left on the back-burner to allow teachers to get done what they need to get done. Adding on another responsibility such as this can lead to a teacher burning out, or ditching the Teacher Web altogether.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom
In my T&L 445 class today, we talked about and discussed a few different things, including multiple intelligences (MI).
To start out with, we took a simple MI test provided to us by our professor. Out of the nine intelligences it tests, my highest three were Intrapersonal (100 points), Existential (90 points), and Verbal (80 points) intelligences. The others include Interpersonal (70 points), Naturalist, Logical, Musical, and Visual (all 60 points), and Kinesthetic was my lowest, at 40 points.
Those with the intrapersonal learning type like to work by themselves. They also like to apply the information they learn to their own lives, molding and forming how they live through the assimilation of new knowledge. They also learn best through feelings, values, and attitudes.
Those with the existential learning type like to think about the big picture, taking the small chunks that they learn and learning to fit it in with the rest of their knowledge. "This intelligence seeks connections to real world understandings and applications of new learning."
By supporting my top two learning intelligences, as well as accommodating for those who have different learning styles, I will have to form my lessons so that they are influenced by my learning styles and are taught in a way so that those with different learning styles can learn from them. For example, I like discussions where we talk about what we know and then augment our prior knowledge with new knowledge through lectures and activities. The discussion really fits in with the existential learning type. To hit on the others, I would need to teach the lessons and do activities that are influenced by the other learning styles.
The types of technologies that helps stimulate my top two intelligences would be my computer and my video-game consoles. After a day of classes, to "de-stress" and give my brain some cool down time is to come back to my room and play some video games. Through this, I can sort through the thoughts in my head or "tune-out" for a while so I can think about things later on. I can also express my feelings when I write, which I do on my computer.
And finally, I will need to be paying attention to the multiple intelligences expressed in my future students in my future classroom. Paying attention to these will help me to form lessons that will help students learn and gain the knowledge that I want them to obtain.
And with that, this is the end of my post. Until next time! And, as always, take care and God bless.
To start out with, we took a simple MI test provided to us by our professor. Out of the nine intelligences it tests, my highest three were Intrapersonal (100 points), Existential (90 points), and Verbal (80 points) intelligences. The others include Interpersonal (70 points), Naturalist, Logical, Musical, and Visual (all 60 points), and Kinesthetic was my lowest, at 40 points.
Those with the intrapersonal learning type like to work by themselves. They also like to apply the information they learn to their own lives, molding and forming how they live through the assimilation of new knowledge. They also learn best through feelings, values, and attitudes.
Those with the existential learning type like to think about the big picture, taking the small chunks that they learn and learning to fit it in with the rest of their knowledge. "This intelligence seeks connections to real world understandings and applications of new learning."
By supporting my top two learning intelligences, as well as accommodating for those who have different learning styles, I will have to form my lessons so that they are influenced by my learning styles and are taught in a way so that those with different learning styles can learn from them. For example, I like discussions where we talk about what we know and then augment our prior knowledge with new knowledge through lectures and activities. The discussion really fits in with the existential learning type. To hit on the others, I would need to teach the lessons and do activities that are influenced by the other learning styles.
The types of technologies that helps stimulate my top two intelligences would be my computer and my video-game consoles. After a day of classes, to "de-stress" and give my brain some cool down time is to come back to my room and play some video games. Through this, I can sort through the thoughts in my head or "tune-out" for a while so I can think about things later on. I can also express my feelings when I write, which I do on my computer.
And finally, I will need to be paying attention to the multiple intelligences expressed in my future students in my future classroom. Paying attention to these will help me to form lessons that will help students learn and gain the knowledge that I want them to obtain.
And with that, this is the end of my post. Until next time! And, as always, take care and God bless.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
First Post
Welcome to my new blog! This was created for T&L 445. I hope to use this blog as I go through the steps in becoming a teacher, as well as gearing it towards my classrooms in the future. Take care and God bless.
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