Technology in the Classroom...Good?

I learned a decent amount about technology in this course. Before this course I only knew very basic things about technology. There are things I learned that will most definitely be beneficial for my future classroom. I had no idea what a wiki was before GNA's class and I am glad I got to learn more about it in this class because I think it is something I would use as an agenda/resource/discussion space for my students. As a high school student, I do not remember having too much technology involved in my classrooms but in today's world I believe it is necessary to implement technology of all kinds in the classroom because technology is moving fast and I feel like my students may even know more about it than I do because it is a huge part of their generation. It is vital to move with the times.

The only thing I probably would not use is the Voki. I might use it myself for my wiki but I don't know how I would get my students to use it. I did not see this as an instructional tool but you never know how it could be incorporated and it was fun to create if anything. I do feel more comfortable moving forward with technology and hope to learn even more. I appreciated learning the different technologies available for  students with disabilities. This answered quite a few of my questions.

Overall, I thought the class was really fun. It was both educational and a good time. I had a great time working with my group on the video and editing it as well...and I had a really interesting time creating the different projects like the SMARTboard activity and learning about the different technologies available in and for the classroom.

Exploring Google Reader

Google Reader is pretty awesome. It is so convenient to have all of my colleagues blogs in one place. It just makes my life that much easier. As I scrolled through their blog posts, I noticed how many resources can be used by each content. There were so many different resources used. Also, I really enjoyed reading about what everyone thinks is a "good teacher". That was probably my favorite part of people's blogs...and Google Reader makes it that much more great because of the accessibility and ease of use. The most common use of technology throughout the blogs seemed to be the use of the wiki along with other interesting uses of technology within the classroom. The post that stood out to me most was Megan's post about Literacy in the Classroom. I really liked her idea about using Scribd in her classroom. She says "In fact, it looks as if I could make my classroom almost entirely paperless, should I work at a school in which each student had access to computers both at home and in school (e.g., laptops, desktops in the classroom for all students). I believe this format for submitting homework, presentations, and projects would be ideal for an English Literature classroom. Using a website like this for submissions would allow others beside myself to view the work of my students, such as parents, administrators, and maybe even the people making the standards I am supposed to teach by" (Megan, Literacy in the Classroom). As an English teacher, I think this is a great idea. There is so much paper involved in all the content areas but I really think it would be beneficial to have a paperless or at least a reduced paper environment. Great idea Megan =)

More Resources for English

Before taking this class I never used Google Docs (Google, 2011) to create documents but now I cannot get enough of it. It is useful to use Google Docs to create group docs or projects because the file is accessible from anywhere that there is internet. I think my students will find it useful when they are doing group projects and also I like the idea of creating personal rubrics per student. Although it seems like a lot of work it would beneficial for both me and my students to keep track of their progress and where they need to improve. Mostly I appreciate Google Docs because of the ease of use and the accessibility. It would be good for students who do not have access to their own computers or Microsoft Office because they can use school computers or library computers to access their docs and it saves under the user name and not on the computer which is safer in terms of work loss. Google docs rocks!

ReadWriteThink (IRA/NCTE, 2011) is a great website for educators. It has resources for teachers and professional development ideas. The resources include ideas for lessons which are unique and easy to apply. I think this would be beneficial to me because as an English Language Arts educator, writing and reading are standard for my practice but my students need to be able to do more and enjoy more out of it. A curriculum based on the basic reading and writing standard can be boring and uninspiring but ReadWriteThink offers ideas such as biographical activities that recommend role playing an authors life to understand the biography or catalogues of resources such as protest songs that can be explored and analyzed in historical context. I would like to further explore this website for student teaching because as a preservice teacher, I am going to need all the help I can get to come up with creative ideas for my students to enjoy and absorb what they are learning. I believe students need to have some fun in learning otherwise they do not gain anything from the lesson. ReadWriteThink will provide memorable lessons and that is why I would use it. 

Resources 

IRA/NCTE. (2011). Read write think. Retrieved from: http://www.readwritethink.org/

Google. (2011). Google docs. Retrieved from: docs.google.com

Week 5 T2P

If adolescents are encouraged to take some risks within their learning environment, then they will be able to have a more liberated and connected education because they will have the freedom to develop their own ideas and thoughts in certain subjects creatively. Some allotted lenience is necessary in order to maintain intrinsic motivation within students and it is vital that their creativity is encouraged and not stepped on. An unruly student may be just over expressive but tapping into that characteristic can be beneficial. Rather than inhibit talents and eccentricities, we should welcome them to an extent within a social setting. 


Deci and Ryan talk about autonomy and competency within self determination (Self-Determination Theory - SDT) and how intrinsic motivation plays an extremely important role in education. This is true for creativity and self-knowledge as well. Creativity is a key product of autonomy and in order to be creative, one must be comfortable taking certain risks. An inhibiting relationship from the teacher to the student can decrease intrinsic motivation and cause extrinsic motivation to be less effective. Students must sometimes be allotted the freedom to explore their motivations and intelligences. 


Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences describes the different intelligences that people tend to possess or gravitate toward. These intelligences should be explored by each individual by taking certain small risks that may aid in the learning process. For example, the prodigy Akiane Kramarik clearly has a genetic disposition of artistic brilliance but the encouragement to further this talent only enhanced her visual has intelligence. Students should have a grasp on all subjects if possible but each student is an individual who something different to offer and it is morally wrong to suppress any students creative outlet. Motivation diminishes or becomes lost when students are constricted so much therefore I believe some amount of leniency must be present within education.

A Good Teacher...

A good teacher...
focuses on [whole person] optimal learning and is a person who provides support for their students. It is someone who cares about their students and wants to see them succeed both in the classroom and in the world. It is someone who would like can teach effectively and receive and apply/use critical feedback to better themselves. A good teacher is also someone who knows their content and can answer questions regarding motivation. They also have a solid pedagogy that includes student-centered learning. They care for their students as individuals and as a class and make it so they relate to their students in a cultural and educational context. A good teacher simply knows their student(s).


Week 2: If small groups work productively together on an assigned task, then the individual students within the group can improve their own understanding of the lesson content because the peer dialogue, debate, and relevant conversation within the small group can broaden that students' comprehension of the content as opposed to a lecture based lesson which might stifle the various ideas by various students.  

Week 2 Re-write: If a teacher assigns group activities within a classroom, where group members are allowed to share ideas and concepts about the content with one another, then the individuals within that group can enhance their comprehension through that experience. Students can offer what they already know and receive feedback and new ideas and concept from their group members. This contributes to a stronger understanding of their own concepts or of other individuals assessments of the content. Piaget suggests this idea that through our experiences and interactions with others, students can enhance our ideas and how they learn and understand concepts and ideas. As individuals grow and develop intellectually, they absorb information from around them and they apply it to present and future situations which can help them in everyday life as well as within school. It is vital that the teacher expresses that cooperation with other people is important to aid in making connections to both classwork and to real world situations. I believe these connections are necessary for a solid social experience and growth within a social setting. 

Assistive Technology in Education

In today's world, technology contributes to all areas of life but for people with disabilities, it makes things much easier. In education, those with disabilities can be at a slight disadvantage at normal resource use in the classroom but technology makes it happen. There are many technological products that can assist in a classroom for the youth that have to deal with a disability.

A student with a hearing impairment could be helped with the use of visuals and technologies that amplify sound. An e-reader or even SMARTboard technologies can be used in the classroom for students with low hearing. Speech recognition technology might be beneficial in this case as well because as a teacher, I could use it to convert my speech to text for the student so they may be able to follow along in the classroom.

A student with low vision would benefit from an QUE proReader because they can "adjust their screen to eight shades of gray, highlight text, add notes, and zoom"(Wikibooks, 2010). This can help them adjust the screen to their vision needs. Other eReaders can also be used since some have the same type of adjustability. They could also use the DAISY system (Wikibooks, 2009) because it is a talking book system. This system could also be used for students with autism because "it was developed to address the need for an accessible audio format that could be used by individuals who are unable to read print as easily and efficiently as a sighted person uses a printed book"(Wikibooks, 2009). Images used within this system can be beneficial for those with autism. They could also use speech recognition technology. 

A student with a broken arm would have a difficult time adjusting from their regular arm use so to make it easier to adapt to their unfortunate situation they could be helped by speech recognition technology because they could use their speech to produce their work. "The use of speech recognition software allows students that have little or no motor skills in their arms and hands to be able to produce typed reports, manage software, and perform research with a computer, just like other non-disabled students"(Wikibooks, 2011). The further developments of assistive technology is necessary for education because of the diversity of the students that attend public school.


Wikibooks. (2009). Assistive technology in education/daisy. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/DAISY


Wikibooks. (2010). Assistive technology in education/ebook. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/eBook


Wikibooks. (2011). Assistive technology in education/speech recognition software. Retrieved from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/Speech_Recognition_Software.

Week 4 T2P

KEY

if 

then

because 

event

evidence

moral/ethical 

terms

Week 2 T2P(1) (green text in the original post)
If small groups work productively together on an assigned task, then the individual students within the group can improve their own understanding of the lesson content because the peer dialogue, debate, and relevant conversation within the small group can broaden that students' comprehension of the content as opposed to a lecture based lesson which might stifle the various ideas by various students. 

Slightly Modified...
If a teacher assigns group activities within a classroom, where group members are allowed to share ideas and concepts about the content with one another, then the individuals within that group can enhance their comprehension through that experience. Students can offer what they already know and receive feedback and new ideas and concept from their group members. This contributes to a stronger understanding of their own concepts or of other individuals assessments of the content. Piaget suggests this idea that through our experiences and interactions with others, students can enhance our ideas and how they learn and understand concepts and ideas.  As individuals grow and develop intellectually, they absorb information from around them and they apply it to present and future situations which can help them in everyday life as well as within school.

T2P(2) -SDT and Learning [case study]
If a teacher creates the opportunity for an autonomous environment by designing certain activities that use technology, then the students can build competence, ability and establish self-determination. Students can learn to rely on themselves by using technology in order to understand the content. They learn by exploring independently while at the same time following the teachers instructions. They also associate themselves with other students competencies. Vicki Davis uses this method and uses technology and collaboration techniques. She allows her students to be autonomous by using technologies to understand their own learning abilities. By doing this she brings the world, possibilities, and new perspectives to her classroom. In one instance, she says a word and rather than tell her students the meaning of that word, she insists that they look it up themselves. This displays autonomy and competence. Students are also inclined to help each other and connect with students around the world which develops relatedness. Sugata Mitra's "Hole in The Wall" experiment shows that children who are provided with technology can teach themselves by using it firsthand which is what Davis is essentially doing. I believe that giving students a certain amount of freedom in the classroom via technology can improve their independent skills. As young adults they need to be able to rely on themselves more and on their teachers less. I also believe that while students are learning, teachers can also learn through them. It is important to allow for self-determination so that it can enhance intrinsic motivation. This way students can become successful independent learners. 

Week 4 T2P (3)
If a teacher is open to an autonomous student-centered learning approach in the classroom while also entertaining the idea of an eye-to-eye relationship with his/her students, then the students can enhance their self-determination and become competent and autonomous learners. Students tend to be dependent on complete instruction from their [hierarchical] teacher until they are given the chance to work independently and their teachers are less of an authoritative figure and more of a learner. Teacher-centered instruction is not beneficial for autonomous learning and it can stifle critical thinking, productivity, and competency within the students. Edward Deci and Richard Ryan's Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is concerned with the learners intrinsic motivation and to learn as well extrinsic motivation. The three factors that need to be present for successful learning are autonomy, competency, and relatedness. As a result, creativity, persistence, and enhanced performance will be present. Vicki Davis uses the example of an autonomous student-centered learning approach in her classroom. She expects her students to research things that confuse them such as foreign vocabulary. She also expects them to explore their resources independently and collaborate with their peers and other students across the globe which factors in relatedness. I believe it is important for students to take advantage of their intrinsic motivation and teachers should realize that they can benefit from their students. Teachers need to allow students to discover things on their own while guiding them instead of dictating to them. It is important that students in secondary schools establish autonomy, competency, and relatedness so they can carry those skills to college and through life.

Theorist/Theory Spreadsheet