Day 11: Evaluating the Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning

I thought that it was such a good idea to have students make paper airplanes to determine the mean, median, and mode of the flights. I have many students who love to make them in class and I never know exactly how to integrate them into a lesson. Now I do. I also like the idea that the students can record the data from their paper aircraft and design graphs in Excel and present their findings with the whole class. What a great way to get kids interested in engineering. This was a such a great article to read. It really inspired me to think outside of the box when planning lessons and to steer clear of the lecture (sage on the stage) style of teaching. Finally, I thought that the following quote was really wonderful. "You learn best when you make sense and make your own meaning." :)

Day 10: Evaluating Web Sites AND Standards

Sometimes it can be really hard to figure out if what you are reading online is from a legitimate source. I remember finding a web site that had a lot of medical advice and I was reading it and some of the information posted on the site was clearly wrong. I have also found information on places lie wikipedia that appears to be written by people who do not have the credibility to be posting such things. Fortunately, I think the period of believing everything you see and read online is coming to an end. I think that it is really important that we as teachers prepare our students to search or conduct research for information that was created by credible people. However, we must first be able to effectively determine what makes a person credible and what does not.

Day 9: Building Global Learning Communities AND School Web Sites

I have seen some school web sites that seem to be designed by professional web site developers. They have full, custom graphics, animation, and motion tweens that are composed in Dreamweaver and Flash. They are amazing. I think that it is a great idea for schools to update their web sites every year and to include everyone in the development of it. I especially like the inclusion of the student body. What a great experience, to design and help build a custom web site. Teams of students can take digital pictures, organize files, and learn Dreamweaver, Flash, XML, and HTML. Then students could add this experience to their resumes, college applications and it could be something to really be proud of. We could even include parents and the rest of the professional community. I think I am going to have to mention this idea to my principal.

Day 8: Equity Issues

I think that it's a real shame that there is still a digital divide for minority students. It seems to me that there must be a way that we can begin to include everyone in the great technology boom that we are currently experiencing. This problem is compounded by the fact that many students from diverse backgrounds attend schools that are in lower economic bracket ad therefore they do not have the resources to teach teachers to use technology nor buy devices that can be used in the classroom. What's even sadder is that many of these types of schools fail to make AYP and do not receive federal funds to purchase simple things like textbooks. So, how can we as teachers change the system to support ALL students and provide them with some experience working with technology? We are going to have to teach our administrators, teachers, parents, and anyone else who will listen the real values of teaching with technology

Day 7: Teaching Information Literacy: Tips and Resources

It is truly amazing to see how many different kinds of search engines are out there. It's even crazier to think that 90% of the people that use these search engines don't use them correctly. Unfortunately, I am one of them. As a teacher, I wish that there were workshops that could train teachers how to correctly use, nit only search engines, but different workshops for all of the things that we use incorrectly. Teaching Information Literacy is a great online article that provides teachers and students with a working definition of information literacy, but it also provide readers with a list of useful search engines that are designed to search in different ways. The Spider’s Apprentice is an interesting guide to web engines that I found myself searching through for somewhat of an hour. Perhaps because of its name, The Spider’s Apprentice drew me in with the “What Spidap Offers” section. Spidap is a six-step list of frequently asked questions regarding search engines and how to use them. They vary from strategies, web search wizards, basic searches and historical information. It was really useful for a novice like myself.

Day 6: The CyberPilot's License: A Modest Proposal for Educational Curricula

I thought it was interesting how the author argued for an AUP that students and parents could easily understand. I agreed that AUP's can be very impersonal and many of them that I have seen read like a 5 page court document that was created by a slew of trial attorneys. I also thought that it was interesting when he spoke of an implicit curriculum that makes students follow each and every demand the teacher has. He was written and this it made me think that I was a little to hard on my students, sometimes. Maybe I should take the time to let me speak about what’s on their minds. Maybe I should set aside a little time during the beginning of the day when students can get together and talk openly about whatever they want to. Maybe I should do a lot of things. If I only had more time...

Day 6: Safe Passage: Teaching Kids to be Safe and Responsible Online

Many school districts are committed to maintaining safety for their students by restricting access to most Web Sites. While their intention is good, this ultimately does not teach students how to surf the web and Internet in a safe manner. It would really be nice if there was enough time in a school day to teach our students proper web etiquette, how to navigate, conduct research and effectively search for information in a safe, secure manner. Unfortunately, this is not possible. There are many school districts in Arizona that don't even have enough computers to share them with their students. These are often the districts that are in low socioeconomic regions of the city. This is creating a generation of students who have almost no experience with computers or the Internet. It's really sad.
Fortunately, I believe that we are approaching a crossroads in education where students and educators will teach each other how to safely browse the Internet, take part in social/peer networking, and create dynamic Web Sites. There may even come a time when all students will have a built in computer at their desks. Wouldn't that be great?

Day 5: Rearrange the Desks: Reposition the Students' Seats to Help Retain their Attention

Arranging student seats is really one of the easiest ways to maintain classroom management. Sometimes I rearrange the student’s seats so that they can work together on assignments. I also let them work in teams. I often group students based on their needs and I have found that by doing this it makes it a lot easier to differentiate my instruction. I am also a firm believer in cooperative learning environments because students seem to be accepted in the social groups and this makes students more comfortable in the classroom. In addition, students learn a lot from one another and often have the “I can do it” attitude.

Day 5: Technology Transforming Education

Big ideas for better schools is an excellent article for teachers, students, administrators and everyone involved in education. I thought that the information on engaging students was especially interesting and useful. I really liked the section where they discussed project-based learning and it's overall impact on students. Project based learning is not like traditional book based learning. In PBL, students utilize original documents and data and begin to improve their skills mastering software, publishing documents and websites and learn the principles covered in traditional courses but learn them in more meaningful ways.
In addition to Project Based Learning, a real connection can be made by integrating the curriculum in a way that students are able to reach across subjects such as math, science, reading, and writing to expand their knowledge in other subjects such as art, music, and physical education. In so doing, students learn more of each subject while learning new skills.
Finally, I thought that the information on creating and maintaining individualized student learning plans was a great way for teachers to differentiate and meet the needs of their students. All students learn in different ways and the ISP makes it possible for teachers to specialize their instruction.

Day 4: WebQuests

I found Dr. Christie's web article entitled, What is a WebQuest to be very useful and interesting. After reading it I began to think about how WebQuests are currently developed and maintained. It seems to me that most of the WebQuests I have seen are designed and completed using HTML. While HTML is a very useful language to design websites it is also fairly basic. Imagine if we could create dynamic, interactive, WebQuests that cater to the students interests and still deliver cross curriculum based lessons. It's really exciting to think that someday soon we will be able to develop such WebQuests. I can't wait until we can deliver our instruction with such precision.

Day 4: WebQuests, Copyright and Ethics Issues

WebQuests are web-based lessons that cut across the curriculum and actively engage learners in several unique ways. First, WebQuests allow learners to explore on their own or in small groups as they seek knowledge and understanding of a certain topic. This exploration allows students to actively construct knowledge in a way that promotes cooperative learning and critical thinking. In addition, a classroom rich in the use of technology provides students with skills that are becoming more and more in demand.
Second, WebQuests involve reflection, collaboration, cooperation, social skills such as consensus-building skills, open minded thinking, multiculturalism, problem-solving, and an interdisciplinary approach to learning. They promote active involvement and learning that leads students to use reasoning skills not learned through memorization of specific facts, but rather developed from engaging in a problem-based process and applying both past experience and a wide variety of Internet information to the WebQuest outcome.
The components of a WebQuest are as follows:

Introduction: Introduces the topic and raises student interest in the lesson.
The Task: A description of what will be accomplished.
The Process: Suggested steps to accomplish the lesson.
Resources: A list of WebPages that can be used to complete the lesson.
Evaluation: Typically completing using an evaluation rubric.
Conclusion: A summary of the learner’s experiences.
Reflection: Learners reflect on aspects of the WebQuest they found most useful.
Extension: Additional opportunities in and outside of the classroom.
Notes to the Teacher: The goals and objectives of the WebQuest.

Day 3-Specialized Search Engines and Directories

As a teacher, it is important to know what to use and what not to use in your classroom when it comes to web-based tools. Many districts have put forth certain restrictions when it comes to using technology in the classroom because they want to protect students from unauthorized software, videos, etc... That is why Specialized Search Engines and Directories is a perfect resource for teachers who want to use web resources in their classroom, but aren't exactly sure where they should start. Bernie Dodge's search engine directory is especially designed for educators and students of all ages. The site classifies the different search engines by categorizing them based on whether or not they are to be used for educators, elementary students, middle school students, or by graduate students conducting research.
The web page is easy to use and each link comes with a brief description of what the website is called and the URL. It is like having a list of the best and most used search engines at your fingertips. Just add it to your bookmarks and your ready to go.

Day 3-Step Zero: What to Do Before Searching

I wish I would have read this article a little sooner. It seems like I am always having to refine my searches in order to find what I am looking for. For instance, if I am looking for information on SmartBoards, far to often I would just Google something like SmartBoards, but this search is much to vast and I end up getting a wide variety of information that I really did not need. However, if I create my 3M list like Bernie Dodge has written about in this article, I have a much better chance of finding exactly what I am looking for. Using the 3M's will most likely take you to where you need to be to find the information you seek. As Mr. Dodge says, the key to good searching is to start well, and then to adjust your terms as you see what's out there and clarify your goals.

Day 2-An Internet Primer for Teachers

It is really useful to teach young people how to effectively search for information online. I thought that the internet primer for teachers was a very good article for new teachers and others who may not yet feel comfortable navigating their way through the World Wide Web. I thought that the strategies that were provided would be very useful to students because they seemed to gradually narrow the focus of the search until it was possible to find the exact information that was being sought after. I also really liked how they encouraged young students to use bookmarks to save the location of some of their favorite websites for easy access. This information is really useful for all teachers, but I think that younger students would really benefit from it the most. I think that student must begin to gain experience navigating, creating, and socializing on the web at a early age, however as teachers and parents we must make sure that their journeys are safe ones.

Day 2-Hobbes' Internet Timeline

Hobbes' internet timeline is a really interesting document. Not only does it provide a sequential outline of America's advances in science and technology, but it also has links to the actual research that was conducted during the time. I found Bob Metcalfe's Harvard PhD Thesis outline idea for an Ethernet to be especially interesting. The timeline also lists the progress of the World Wide Web across the globe and lists many of the contributors to this achievement by name. It was really interesting to find out that a company called the World was the first company to provide an internet dial up service. It is really amazing to think just how far we have come in such a short period of time. The growth of the internet over the past forty years is also very intriguing. I really thought that the graphs were useful and informational. It will be interesting to see how how much further we can take it all. As a teacher, it is really exciting to think about it all.