Prompt #10

I picked chapter # 9.  I liked chapter nine as someone who plans to focus on teaching Junior High math classes.  I liked looking at the different aspects of technology and how they can affect math classes.  I thought the video where the guy talked about students understanding things better when they are digitized or animated was very true.  Students are born in a world filled with that kind of technology, which allows them to relate to that technology better than anything else.  Some of the things I would integrate include interactive white boards, blog posts, digital books, YouTube videos, and wiki media.  I will use white boards and audio recording systems to record class lessons for review later.  I can put these on the class web page I create and help maintain with the students.  Blog posts can be used for students to explain what they learned so I can see that they understood the lessons in their own thoughts and not just by a book definition.  Blogs also allow them to get online to review their thoughts and lessons.  Digital books (not necessarily textbooks) and YouTube videos allow for students to use online media to learn material.  They can be fun, interactive, and still educational.  The KhanAcademy has a serious of YouTube video (one which I put in my Prezi Presentation) that explain all kinds of math subjects in a  simple yet fun way.  The videos are not super flashy, but they are well-done and designed online videos that allow students to use their visual senses along with audio on a computer to observe lessons.  I think video interaction with other math classes at different schools might be interesting as well, as students can get a different perspective and can interact with different types of students they might not see all the time.  One thing I did not see in the chapter nine section that I liked in an early section is the SecondLife interactions with other teachers.  This was a really cool way to meet other teachers and share awesome ideas, because no matter how good a teacher is they can always learn more and get better.  We all can learn from other teachers, people, and even students.  If we continue to grow and keep up with technology from all over the world, the students will benefit the most.  I would like to someday look into SecondLife more when I get into the teaching world.  Wikis are a great way for students to interact in a safe way that allows them to share ideas and experiences in the classroom.  I think interaction is huge for all students to grow and learn.  Finally I think interactive games would be another cool thing for a math class to have.  I remember having a game called Math Blaster as a kid on my Super Nintendo.  Now there are many computer games and website games, as well as cell-phone applications.  I would like these to because they provide students a way to learn and have fun at the same time.  I think that is the ultimate goal of all learning and all technology in the classroom.

Prompt #9

I choose issue #13, whiteboards.  I agree with the use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom completely if they are used correctly.  I agree that they can be overused and that students still need up close and personal technology as well.  Teachers should not use them as an overall solution to using technology in the classroom, but as a tool to aid in gaining student attention.  Teachers are still the most important part of the classroom experience as the no side points out.  However, I think when used correctly interactive whiteboards are extremely beneficial.  I saw a Junior High math teacher once use one to record the screen notes along with another device to record audio so that students could review the entire lesson later on.  I found this extremely beneficial because classes go so fast some times that students might miss something the first time around.  The teacher I observed did not use this as the main source of learning, but as a helpful tool to guide the experience.  I saw students become interested and focused on learning when they were able, as a class, to use technology in their learning.  They were more responsive than when they were just using worksheets or textbooks.  The students also had personal Mac laptops which they could use to look up information and problems when needed.  Worksheets were on the laptops as well.  Instead of telling them to use a dictionary, the teacher would tell them to use their computers.  This allowed for the personal interaction with technology the no side argued, and still gives them the benefits of an interactive white board like the yes side wanted.  In conclusion, I am strongly in favor of the interactive white boards.

Prompt #8

I picked issue #16-Digital Textbooks.  I side with yes to half of this issue and half with no.  The no side makes the point that textbooks are not interesting for students no matter what format they are in so we should offer something else altogether.  However, they never make a point against using digital books in general.  I agree with the no side that textbooks are boring and outdated, but I also agree that digitalizing books can make learning interesting and more efficient more students.  It also saves on paper and environmental costs.  I agree that we need to digitalize books in general for students to use in the classroom.  English classes can read books online, math classes can do worksheets, and every other kind of reading material digitally.  I like the points made that digital reading can help them understand words above their level, they can look things up, and they can be interactive with the technology.  I believe the more we allow students to use technology rather than restrict it the more they will be willing and able to learn.  Students today have grown up with so much technology that it is hard to not use it.  That being said, teachers cannot use technology all the time as students need to learn in many different ways, but if we can integrate some form of technology as much as possible I believe students will like school.  It allows them to easily access information and use their curiosity to inspire learning.  In conclusion, I believe in digitalizing all reading materials in a classroom whatever they might be, but I also agree that textbooks in general are an outdated form of teaching students as they do not keep them interested in the material.  They are written in an uninspiring manner.  Teachers should use digital books, but not necessarily textbooks.

Prompt #7

The technology I found most interesting on the list in chapter five was the ability to look at something on a camera and it display historical facts and significance.  I thought that was fascinating because students can learn so much just by looking at a building.  I think we should skate towards this because it allows for quick and historic information.  I also think it would interested students because they could learn important historical details with the click of a button on their phone instead of having to look it up.  The second piece of technology I found extremely important was game-based learning.  We are starting to make a shift in education from the old structure of book-learning, to a more fun and creative based approach.  I think this is good because people all learn most effectively when they are having fun and they are interested in what they are learning.  Traditionally we view games as something that is so free time, and we might think school should not be fun.  I disagree with that thought, if school can be fun then that only helps the cause of learning.  I will be looking and skating towards these two pieces of technology in the future for my classrooms.

Prompt #6

Technology has changed a lot since in the last twenty years, which is over the course of my schooling.  Our generation is lucky in that we have got to witness the technological revolution right in the peak of our development.  We got to see some of the earliest forms of current technology and how they evolved into what they are now.  I remember having the original Nintendo, no cell-phones, and thick televisions as a kid.  Now my house has Playstation 3, flat screen televisions, and everyone in the house has a cell-phone.  The same transformation has happened in my school life.  I started off in school with very little technology, as the first class I had with an old computer was third grade.  We had one computer that had the original Oregon Trail game on it that we could play during free time.  There was barely anything else that anyone could do on the computer.  In the next couple of years we got a new computer lab, and we learned how to type, use Word, Powerpoint, and what was called Spreadsheet (now Excel) at the time.  The computer lab that was new at the time is still there and it is now considered very outdated.  We had old overheads in junior high and used VCRs with very old televisions.  Once I got to high school the computer screens were flat, and we had projection screens to use.  I received my first cell-phone going into high school.  It was a flip phone with only the essential buttons on it.   I now have an iPhone that can take notes for me when I tell it to on the new Siri technology.  It stores music, has games, the internet, videos, and even a compass.  I was even allowed to use my cellphone in a class this past semester.  Now in college, I have seen many forms of technology.  In one observation of a junior high teacher, I saw him using a Smart Board to record what he was drawing on it along with another piece of technology that recorded and synced his audio with the video so students could play the entire lesson over later on the class website.  Every student had a Mac computer in the entire Junior High.  The internet is now used with regularity in many of the classes I am in to research information.  In looking at the videos and timeline in Chapter three it is important for teachers to integrate this technology into the classroom so students can use in to learn more efficiently.  It amazing me how far technology has come and how quick it has been integrated into the classroom.  I still think there are many teachers that have yet to embrace the changes though, and it is only going to keep growing.  Technology can be used in a way to help students if we embrace it, as there is so much information right at our finger tips in today's world.  I have seen it first hand as technology has evolved throughout my school career.

Prompt #5

There are many ways to incorporate the five standards for teachers.  In looking at standard one I tend to think of my main subject of math.  In many math classes I have used online applications that graph 3D figures and compute data on equations.  The calculators of today also carry a great deal of power.  Beyond that I think cellphones, video chats, and other such materials can be used to get students working with online media in creative ways.

With standard two, I believe strongly in authentic assessments.  That is not to take away from the value of paper and pencil tests, but real life rarely gives a paper and pencil test.  Students need to learn how to apply lessons and knowledge to real life situations.  I intend of giving many projects in my classroom that test a students knowledge, while allowing for fun and creativity.  In reference to my earlier point, projects such as building graphs, models, and 3D structures that incorporate technology are perfect for authentic assessments.

The way I look at standard three, even with students prior technology use, teachers need to be able to teach and communicate with them on technology based projects.  The teacher needs to understand the technology as well or better than the students, because as teacher needs to be able to answer questions on the technology.  If the teacher is unable to explain and give examples with technology, they cannot expect the students to be able to do the work.  A teacher must demonstrate confidence in their abilities, or the students will not feel confident either.  I intend to always stay up on current technology and be as competent in using it as I can.  That way I can give my students up-to-date projects the incorporate new and useful technology.

As I talked about in my last blog post, a teacher needs to teach students how to properly use technology.  The two major aspects of this in my opinion are using legitimate information, and then properly citing that information.  Standard four talks about these issues.  Similar to standard three, teachers have to understand these issues and teach them to students.  A teacher cannot just throw as student into the fire so to speak, but rather teach them proper use of technology.  I plan on thoroughly explaining how to approach every step of technology research to my students before assigning projects that deal with it.

Finally, standard five deals with another topic I covered in an earlier blog post, a teacher's attitude towards technology.  Not only to teachers have to be willing to learn and promote technology with their students, but they also must being active and excited in using that technology.  As with anything, a teacher's attitude strongly affects their students.  I must show excitement and enthusiasm in and out of the classroom in participating in projects that deal with technology.  I can do this outside of the classroom with other teachers as shown in the Second Life video, and in many other ways.  I must always reflect upon and enhance my use of technology.

If a teacher can incorporate these five standards in their lesson plan, they can better help students learn to use technology for school, but also in life.

Prompt #4

I think the six standards are very well put together and can be integrated in any classroom.  Using any type of technology to create something will integrate number one.  A student can create a blog, a web page, or one of my favorites, an iMovie/moviemaker project.  In these they can answer questions, do research, state opinions, and most importantly have fun and be creative.

Number two is something I am familiar with from being involved in many school clubs.  Things like Facebook can be used to create group pages and activities.  Many students are involved in Facebook and other social medias, so it easy to get many students together on it.  Many of the activities in standard one can also be done in groups.

Number three could go a number of different ways.  Research can be done with many different types of media on the internet alone.  The important part of teaching students this standard is that they must learn to do proper research and know what is legitimate information and what is not.  Because of the abundance of information available, this may be the hardest thing to teach.

Number four brings in the possibility of many different types of applications of technology.  There are now many types of applications and programs on computers and cellphones that can be used to conduct experiments, run tests, read statistics, and others.  Scientific research can not only be researched on these types of technology, but they can also be performed on them in many cases.  I have had many science and math classes that use applications both online and off that can do amazing things such as display 3D graphs.

In number three I talked about how hard it is to teach students how to identify proper information.  Another issue many students seem to have is knowing how to give credit to that information.  Standard five touches on this topic.  It is important for a teacher to emphasis how to ethically use someone else's information.  It is so easy to just find information now, that sometimes people can forget to credit where they received it.  Technology can be frustrating and confusing, so as a teacher I will try to explain how to use the technology I integrate in the proper fashion by training them properly first.

Finally, standard six is where students become competent in using technology on their own and are able to operate it smoothly.  In my classroom I am going to try to incorporate a lot of technology, so I believe this step will come with the constant practice with technology and online research students will receive.

In looking at my views on all these steps, I believe I can incorporate all the items I talked about in my lesson plans.  These standards are important for students to know and understand because they will use them in real life.  Students need to be able to use technology in almost any job in today's world.  These steps can allow students to be creative and have fun with modern technology, while providing a valuable learning experience and life lesson for them as well.

Prompt #3

I think it is important to use technology as much as possible for the current generation of students.  Access to information is so much easier than it use to be, and students no longer need to go to the library to find anything.  I think that many teachers try to avoid technology as much as possible with today's students.  They try to ban cellphones and try to preach to students that they should use Facebook, video games, and other technologies less.  They might even suggest they spend more time reading.  While I do not disagree with the importance of reading, I do not believe this is the correct approach with today's students.  Many teachers do not see (or refuse to see) the potential learning opportunities that technology can be used for with today's students.  Reading the news articles, sports stories, or movie reviews might not be the same as reading a scholastic novel, but it is still reading.  Playing games and using online media can be used for many activities to help students learn.  It has been proven that people learn better when they are having fun.  Technology is fun to current students, but some teachers view it as a distraction.  When a teacher is not using it within their lessons, it will be a distraction.  No student is going to want to learn a boring subject over using the cool new technology.  Instead teachers should integrate the boring lesson into a fun application of technology so students will learn while having fun and not being distracted.  It is important to use technology often, but it should not be the only means of teaching.  Students learn differently and need to be versatile in today's world as they grow.  Teachers should use many different methods, including technology.  Most importantly, be flexible and able to adjust.  Technology is always changing just like the field of education.  Students are what is most important in education, and teachers need to always be trying to make education more productive and more efficient for them.

Prompt #2

I believe Bloom's Taxonomy is very useful in the classroom and not outdated.  Any time teachers have a guide that has been proven over time it is important to take advantage of it.  The steps of Bloom's Taxonomy can be used to evaluate where students are, what they are doing, and what they are capable of doing.  I would, however, say that there will never be a system one can absolutely rely on.  This is a general guide, not an overall solution.  Children learn and grow at different rates and ages.  If children in the classroom are at different stages, a teacher must be able to adjust to that.  The guide can them give the teacher an idea of what kinds of projects to give an individual.  An example would be some challenge problems for an advanced student.  The other positive thing about Bloom's Taxonomy is that it has continued to evolve throughout its history.  In other words, it has tried to keep up with modern thinking in education so that it does not become outdated.  Another positive note is that is can be viewed in many different ways.  In chapter one, it was shown in several different forms.  It is versatile enough that if a teacher does not like the pyramid view of it, they can see it in other forms that might present suggestions and potential lesson plans in another way.  In conclusion, I agree with the use of Bloom's Taxonomy, and for that matter any potential thinking guides that can help a teacher to better understand the student.  However, these are suggestions and guides, and they should not be used as absolute solutions.  The teacher is the human element of the equation that must use judgment to determine when it is appropriate and when it does not necessarily apply.  It is an excellent guide and it should be used as such.

Prompt #1

Technology has made the world a much smaller place.  Information can be shared all over the world in seconds.  People can go anywhere in the world and talk to anyone in the world at any time.  Children are learning to use technology at younger ages, and the majority of people in the United States own items like cellphones and computers now.  While there are many benefits to the accessibility of information, there are some detriments as well.  In looking at American society, technology allows people to find information on any topic they desire.  Someone could look up the weather, a biography, directions, resources, and any other type of information.  The problem with so much information on so many topics is that it can be tough to tell what is legitimately factual and what is either opinion or incorrect information altogether.  Fake information can even spill over into consumer products.  Illegal movies, music, and other products may be sold to consumers that may or may not know what they are actually purchasing.

The problems and the benefits that technology brings to American society are very similar to the ones it brings to education in America.  Students have to be able to use technology to find information in today's world, but they also need to learn how to find appropriate information that is accurate.  Some of the other detriments of technology in education are the expense for the school and the family, students not learning how to do library research, and the distraction technology can bring.  In order to avoid distracting students with technology, teaches must incorporate it as much as possible as the YouTube videos state.  The benefits of so much information at students hands is that they can learn more faster and actually be interested in learning.  Creativity and fun projects can be incorporated from students with technology.  One thing that I believe is important to remember though when using technology in education is not to over rely on it.  Use it as much as possible, but still be able to use many methods to teach and keep students interested.  Technology has many benefits and detriments in society and life, but if teachers keep it in proportion with other teaching methods all types of students and learners will benefit.