(Week 14)
How do corporations provide training resources for teachers? Give examples.
There are two options for teachers who want to demonstrate basic educational technology standards. The first option is for the teacher to go take classes at a college or university in educational technology, or the second option is to take a workshop to achieve the same competency. The college path may prove to be more useful to some for it may add some more endorsements to their teaching licenses. The teacher workshops are usually given at the district level, and are usually free of charge.
For those who are well into their field, corporations have people called “media specialists.” These people are up to date on the current research technology on the web and in the libraries. Media specialists are in the know on how to research a topic and where to find the information that a student must seek to finish that project for science or history. They have to have up to date technology skills and must be able to teach them to their peers if the need arises.
Next we have administrators. These people who head the schools are in charge of how technology gets distributed in the schools. They take college credit courses and leadership workshops to learn how technology plays a vital role in the school system, and work on getting computers and their peripherals distributed throughout their schools accordingly.
Lastly, we have guidance counselors and instructional support fields, where the technology literacy is important as well. These people must be literate in the technology in order to do their jobs as well. These people must be able to run the school’s technology to do their required work so that there are no malfunctions when it comes to their job.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Fair Use Guideline Questions
(Week 13 Post)
What are the four questions related to the fair use guidelines should teachers ask before using copyrighted materials?
The first and foremost question is the question of the use of the material. Copyrighted material must not be reproduced for commercial needs or to be made a profit from. And obviously, if a teacher is copying a textbook or other scholastic media, it must be for educational purposes. Also, it must be distributed in the school and to the students or other teachers as well.
The second question a teacher must ask is what type of work it is. Is the work factual in nature? Let me give you an example. Textbooks are updated all the time. When Harvard, one of the nation’s top leading universities was first established, it was educating its scholars at the time that the sun was revolving around the earth. Obviously, we now know that that is not true. What if Harvard never updated its textbooks? It would be teaching outdated material. Along the lines of what type of work is being used, does it hold potential for creativity and use for imagination?
Another question that must be called into play is how much of the work does the teacher intend on using? Say it is a pamphlet. Does the teacher plan on using the entire pamphlet? Or is it an excerpt from that pamphlet?
Lastly, what impact does this copyrighted material have on the market for that work? Let us use my example for the pamphlet. Say the teacher uses the entire pamphlet and photocopies it. And say the teacher has 125 students. The teacher thus essentially robs the company out of 125 pamphlets. The company loses that money. To be fair, the teacher should have bought those pamphlets.
I know teachers are on a tight budget, and it doesn’t make sense for them to spend so much money on scholastic material, especially when they keep cutting EEF money. What teachers do need to understand, though, is that they cannot break copyright laws and abuse them in the school.
What are the four questions related to the fair use guidelines should teachers ask before using copyrighted materials?
The first and foremost question is the question of the use of the material. Copyrighted material must not be reproduced for commercial needs or to be made a profit from. And obviously, if a teacher is copying a textbook or other scholastic media, it must be for educational purposes. Also, it must be distributed in the school and to the students or other teachers as well.
The second question a teacher must ask is what type of work it is. Is the work factual in nature? Let me give you an example. Textbooks are updated all the time. When Harvard, one of the nation’s top leading universities was first established, it was educating its scholars at the time that the sun was revolving around the earth. Obviously, we now know that that is not true. What if Harvard never updated its textbooks? It would be teaching outdated material. Along the lines of what type of work is being used, does it hold potential for creativity and use for imagination?
Another question that must be called into play is how much of the work does the teacher intend on using? Say it is a pamphlet. Does the teacher plan on using the entire pamphlet? Or is it an excerpt from that pamphlet?
Lastly, what impact does this copyrighted material have on the market for that work? Let us use my example for the pamphlet. Say the teacher uses the entire pamphlet and photocopies it. And say the teacher has 125 students. The teacher thus essentially robs the company out of 125 pamphlets. The company loses that money. To be fair, the teacher should have bought those pamphlets.
I know teachers are on a tight budget, and it doesn’t make sense for them to spend so much money on scholastic material, especially when they keep cutting EEF money. What teachers do need to understand, though, is that they cannot break copyright laws and abuse them in the school.
Alternative Learning Systems
Week 12
What are alternative learning systems? How might they enhance traditional education?
From my understanding in reading the chapter, alternative learning systems are non-traditional instruction for teaching students that may not go to a “regular” school. Distance learning is an example of an alternative learning system. What I mean by a “regular” school is that students would go to a building, gather their notebooks and textbooks, and sit in a desk or table. In an alternative learning system, students would go to “school” in a different manner. Such manners could be by teleconferences, by internet, or through email and blogs online. In more severe cases where the internet and the world wide web are not available, I can imagine that school correspondence could be done through regular snail mail, fax, or voice mail.
Through alternative learning systems, there is much more responsibility placed on the student. The student has to place time aside on a regular basis to spend for the class. I personally try to put aside several hours on Saturday morning to put for this class. Right when I wake up on Saturday morning, I do my work for this class (though that hasn’t been the case for the last two weeks).
The way that alternative learning systems may enhance traditional education is that it gives the opportunity for people who have to go to work to get an education. Those people who have families and more responsibilities are given the chance to go back and possibility start a new career. They are not forced to sit down in a building and put away time every week at the same time every day to work on school. Rather, they can manage their time in a way that they see beneficial each week to work on their school stuff.
What are alternative learning systems? How might they enhance traditional education?
From my understanding in reading the chapter, alternative learning systems are non-traditional instruction for teaching students that may not go to a “regular” school. Distance learning is an example of an alternative learning system. What I mean by a “regular” school is that students would go to a building, gather their notebooks and textbooks, and sit in a desk or table. In an alternative learning system, students would go to “school” in a different manner. Such manners could be by teleconferences, by internet, or through email and blogs online. In more severe cases where the internet and the world wide web are not available, I can imagine that school correspondence could be done through regular snail mail, fax, or voice mail.
Through alternative learning systems, there is much more responsibility placed on the student. The student has to place time aside on a regular basis to spend for the class. I personally try to put aside several hours on Saturday morning to put for this class. Right when I wake up on Saturday morning, I do my work for this class (though that hasn’t been the case for the last two weeks).
The way that alternative learning systems may enhance traditional education is that it gives the opportunity for people who have to go to work to get an education. Those people who have families and more responsibilities are given the chance to go back and possibility start a new career. They are not forced to sit down in a building and put away time every week at the same time every day to work on school. Rather, they can manage their time in a way that they see beneficial each week to work on their school stuff.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Visual Literacy
Week 11 Posting
What is visual literacy? Where and when is it learned? Why is it important?
When you read a textbook or read a newspaper, most of what you are taking in is text. For some classes and areas of study, this may be sufficient. In other areas, where a description is required, a diagram or picture may be required to explain the text better. Such visuals help in aiding the learning process. The ability to interpret visual aids and other visual diagrams is called visual literacy.
Some examples of visuals include real objects (which are like rocks, stamps, animals, or actual objects), models (such as solar system kits, teaching kits, human anatomy figurines), exhibits (dioramas, book displays, artificial mountain range setting), print materials (books, worksheets, handouts, etc.) and graphics and photographs (drawings, photographs, Venn diagrams, etc.) Graphics and photographs are especially good because it shows how things were in the past as cameras took them, though the quality was not as good then as they are now. Real objects are great in that it lets children see objects up close and personal.
Children learn visual literacy skills mostly in school, and as they progress through the grade levels in school, the maturity of their visual literacy skills grow as well. In elementary school, perhaps they can associate a picture of a dog with a real dog. As they progress to middle school, they will learn more complex picture and diagram skills, to the point that whey they are in high school, they can follow higher level complex flow charts and Venn diagrams.
These skills are important to learn so that when they graduate from school (and hopefully college), they will have strong deciphering and organizational skills. When they get jobs in the workforce, they will need to be able to follow a flow chart and take directions from a list of objectives. Jobs that require some sort of construction really need these kind of skills, where they have to follow a blueprint. It also builds on their problem solving skills, where they can benefit in all aspects of life. Problem solving skills can help them with their finances and organize their life better as well.
What is visual literacy? Where and when is it learned? Why is it important?
When you read a textbook or read a newspaper, most of what you are taking in is text. For some classes and areas of study, this may be sufficient. In other areas, where a description is required, a diagram or picture may be required to explain the text better. Such visuals help in aiding the learning process. The ability to interpret visual aids and other visual diagrams is called visual literacy.
Some examples of visuals include real objects (which are like rocks, stamps, animals, or actual objects), models (such as solar system kits, teaching kits, human anatomy figurines), exhibits (dioramas, book displays, artificial mountain range setting), print materials (books, worksheets, handouts, etc.) and graphics and photographs (drawings, photographs, Venn diagrams, etc.) Graphics and photographs are especially good because it shows how things were in the past as cameras took them, though the quality was not as good then as they are now. Real objects are great in that it lets children see objects up close and personal.
Children learn visual literacy skills mostly in school, and as they progress through the grade levels in school, the maturity of their visual literacy skills grow as well. In elementary school, perhaps they can associate a picture of a dog with a real dog. As they progress to middle school, they will learn more complex picture and diagram skills, to the point that whey they are in high school, they can follow higher level complex flow charts and Venn diagrams.
These skills are important to learn so that when they graduate from school (and hopefully college), they will have strong deciphering and organizational skills. When they get jobs in the workforce, they will need to be able to follow a flow chart and take directions from a list of objectives. Jobs that require some sort of construction really need these kind of skills, where they have to follow a blueprint. It also builds on their problem solving skills, where they can benefit in all aspects of life. Problem solving skills can help them with their finances and organize their life better as well.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Privacy and Filtering
Week 10
Contrast the issues of privacy and filtering when using the Web in the classroom. What are the responsibilities of a teacher in each of these areas?
First and foremost, when it comes to the area of privacy and schools, in no way should a teacher ever put a student’s name or picture on a webpage on the internet. This can put the child at harm for suspecting child molesters or for any persons who are looking to harm that child. There are also very strict guidelines set forth by the school in each district for what the teacher can also put on the school webpage, as well, and each teacher, if they choose to put something online, should be knowledgeable about these guidelines. If, for example, a teacher wanted to put a sample of a student’s writing online, as a guide on how to write a term paper, the teacher could omit the name and write “this is student A’s paper on how the mummification process in ancient Egypt was conducted.” Or if it was written by a group of students, the teacher could write “this is a step by step procedure by group C in first period on how to carefully weigh a small amount of unknown mass.” The point is that in no way should anyone on the site know who the teacher is talking about, or should there be pictures of the students on the page.
Filtering, on the other hand, is from the opposite spectrum. It is what the school wants to keep the students from gaining access to. Privacy can be seen as what we do not want other people to see at the school, filtering can be viewed as what we do not want our students at the school to see online. For instance, I would assume (and hope) that most, if not all schools in the U.S. would have some sort of adult filter on their school computers. This would mean that students on these computers would not be given access to adult sites. Other “harmful” sites could be gang, violence, drug, or crime related websites. We do not want our students to view these websites at all, much less at school. I know at my school, our school filter has Youtube and Myspace blocked. They cannot view these sites on any school computer.
The role of the teacher in both privacy and filtering is to keep the student safe. We as teachers need to keep students safe in privacy because we do not want strangers or deviants on the outside to gain information about our students inside our schools, and potentially harm them before or after school hours. With filtering, we can hopefully avoid some knowledge of heinous behavior at school through the use of the internet, and it is through the compliance of all the staff that this works. No plan is fool-proof, but we can take baby-steps in the right direction. Cyber-bullying has submerged as a new type of bullying recently. This is where people insult, bully, and heckle their classmates through instant messages, blogs, and personal websites at home. When students leave the classroom, school does not end for all classmates. Some of the children carry it home with them. With online access at home, some students can feel like they’re back at school again. But at school, we can try to make them feel safe while we’re there.
Contrast the issues of privacy and filtering when using the Web in the classroom. What are the responsibilities of a teacher in each of these areas?
First and foremost, when it comes to the area of privacy and schools, in no way should a teacher ever put a student’s name or picture on a webpage on the internet. This can put the child at harm for suspecting child molesters or for any persons who are looking to harm that child. There are also very strict guidelines set forth by the school in each district for what the teacher can also put on the school webpage, as well, and each teacher, if they choose to put something online, should be knowledgeable about these guidelines. If, for example, a teacher wanted to put a sample of a student’s writing online, as a guide on how to write a term paper, the teacher could omit the name and write “this is student A’s paper on how the mummification process in ancient Egypt was conducted.” Or if it was written by a group of students, the teacher could write “this is a step by step procedure by group C in first period on how to carefully weigh a small amount of unknown mass.” The point is that in no way should anyone on the site know who the teacher is talking about, or should there be pictures of the students on the page.
Filtering, on the other hand, is from the opposite spectrum. It is what the school wants to keep the students from gaining access to. Privacy can be seen as what we do not want other people to see at the school, filtering can be viewed as what we do not want our students at the school to see online. For instance, I would assume (and hope) that most, if not all schools in the U.S. would have some sort of adult filter on their school computers. This would mean that students on these computers would not be given access to adult sites. Other “harmful” sites could be gang, violence, drug, or crime related websites. We do not want our students to view these websites at all, much less at school. I know at my school, our school filter has Youtube and Myspace blocked. They cannot view these sites on any school computer.
The role of the teacher in both privacy and filtering is to keep the student safe. We as teachers need to keep students safe in privacy because we do not want strangers or deviants on the outside to gain information about our students inside our schools, and potentially harm them before or after school hours. With filtering, we can hopefully avoid some knowledge of heinous behavior at school through the use of the internet, and it is through the compliance of all the staff that this works. No plan is fool-proof, but we can take baby-steps in the right direction. Cyber-bullying has submerged as a new type of bullying recently. This is where people insult, bully, and heckle their classmates through instant messages, blogs, and personal websites at home. When students leave the classroom, school does not end for all classmates. Some of the children carry it home with them. With online access at home, some students can feel like they’re back at school again. But at school, we can try to make them feel safe while we’re there.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Streaming Media Week 9
What are streaming audio and streaming video? How have they altered the use of audio and video on the internet?
Streaming audio is a format of listening to sound clips from the internet that allow the audio to come in through a continuous flow or stream. Other forms of download such as WAV or MP3’s require one to download the entire sound clip first before allowing you to listen to the sound clip. With streaming audio, you can listen to the sound clip as it is coming in, and it does not permanently save to your computer. RealOne Player uses this technology, and you can listen to online concerts and some online radio stations as well. However, if your computer does not have RealOne player, you may have to download it before you can listen to the sound clips. Streaming audio is really a nice alternative to downloading an entire sound clip, because you do not have to wait for the entire file to download before listening to it. You can listen to it after a mere few seconds. For our class, our pod casts uses this streaming audio feature.
Similar to streaming audio is streaming video. Videos are nice because rather than just listening to sound, you can watch what is going on as well. However, the main thing that most people dislike with watching videos online is that they can take a long time to download, because the file sizes can be very large. With streaming video, you watch the video as it is downloading. There is no need to wait for the entire file to download to your computer before watching it. However, on the downside is that the videos can be somewhat choppy or fuzzy if there is a lot of people downloading from that site at the same time.
The ways that streaming audio and video have changed the ways that people use audio and video on the internet is that people no longer have to download music completely to listen to it or download an entire movie file. People can go to Yahoo music and listen to music online without downloading it to their computer (by paying for it legally, of course), or watch a music video online without having to download it to their computer. Educators can capitalize on this concept as well. They can go to educational sites and show educational videos to their students, and not have to spend class time waiting for the video to download, or spend their planning period trying to get the file clip to download to a CD or DVD. They can instantly show the file in class with little wait and show the students that day’s lesson from the internet.
Streaming audio is a format of listening to sound clips from the internet that allow the audio to come in through a continuous flow or stream. Other forms of download such as WAV or MP3’s require one to download the entire sound clip first before allowing you to listen to the sound clip. With streaming audio, you can listen to the sound clip as it is coming in, and it does not permanently save to your computer. RealOne Player uses this technology, and you can listen to online concerts and some online radio stations as well. However, if your computer does not have RealOne player, you may have to download it before you can listen to the sound clips. Streaming audio is really a nice alternative to downloading an entire sound clip, because you do not have to wait for the entire file to download before listening to it. You can listen to it after a mere few seconds. For our class, our pod casts uses this streaming audio feature.
Similar to streaming audio is streaming video. Videos are nice because rather than just listening to sound, you can watch what is going on as well. However, the main thing that most people dislike with watching videos online is that they can take a long time to download, because the file sizes can be very large. With streaming video, you watch the video as it is downloading. There is no need to wait for the entire file to download to your computer before watching it. However, on the downside is that the videos can be somewhat choppy or fuzzy if there is a lot of people downloading from that site at the same time.
The ways that streaming audio and video have changed the ways that people use audio and video on the internet is that people no longer have to download music completely to listen to it or download an entire movie file. People can go to Yahoo music and listen to music online without downloading it to their computer (by paying for it legally, of course), or watch a music video online without having to download it to their computer. Educators can capitalize on this concept as well. They can go to educational sites and show educational videos to their students, and not have to spend class time waiting for the video to download, or spend their planning period trying to get the file clip to download to a CD or DVD. They can instantly show the file in class with little wait and show the students that day’s lesson from the internet.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Problem Solving Software vs. Brainstorming Tools. Week 8
What is problem solving software? Contrast it with brainstorming tools. How does each promote critical-thinking skills?
Problem solving software is a software program written to help students practice their problem solving skills. For instance, in the field of science, it could help a student formulate and test a hypothesis, and in the field of mathematics, it could help that same student find multi-step strategies to find solutions to complex word problems, correctly apply mathematical formulas, correctly identify and apply theories, rules and concepts to predict outcomes. In a psychology class, if a student were to study the aspects of behavior, they could then deduce what a person with X personality would do in situation Y. The benefit to problem solving software is that they help the student by allowing them to work out the problems physically and mentally, and thus they learn by doing. In math (since that is my field), students can test out relationships and see if they hold true for all values of x and y, and make a logical hypothesis for all cases. The problem solving software is good, since it is a multimedia program, and as we learned last week, today’s students are different from yesterday’s students, and need a wide array of constant stimuli to keep them entertained.
Brainstorming tools is a program to digitally connect two or more ideas and create connections between them. Some of them only use text, while other use clip arts and other forms of media. What usually happens is this: you start with one or two main ideas. Let us say we’re going to start with the idea of food. For the sake of argument, we are going to say there are two kinds of food, healthy and fast food. So, from the main idea of food, we branch off an idea bubble to healthy food, and an idea bubble to fast food. From the healthy food bubble, we then branch off to other forms of healthy food, such as organic, lean, low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie, etc. For fast food, we would then branch off some fast food choices, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Taco Bell, etc. If we wanted to go into more detail, under McDonald’s, we could do another branch off and branch Big Mac, double cheeseburger, French fries, chicken Mcnuggets, and if we even wanted to go further than that, we could branch off from Big Mac and say hamburger patty, lettuce, bread, sauce, etc.
The way that problem solving software differs from brainstorming tools is that problem solving software builds the skills that a student needs to solve (perhaps) complex problems that they may encounter later in life, such as money matters or how to get around a certain situation. Brainstorming is, in simple terms, how two or more main ideas are connected, and finding the connections between the main ideas, and what sub-categories fall under each main idea. It does not involve any problem solving, except to figure out what sub-idea goes with what main idea. Each promotes critical thinking in that problem solving makes a student think really hard on trying to figure out different way to find a solution to one problem, and brainstorming requires a student to figure out what pieces of the puzzle go together. For instance, say we have a topic on the discussion of sea animals. And we talk about sea snakes. Will a third grader know that an eel is a fish, or will they think that an eel is a snake? What about a sea horse?
Problem solving software is a software program written to help students practice their problem solving skills. For instance, in the field of science, it could help a student formulate and test a hypothesis, and in the field of mathematics, it could help that same student find multi-step strategies to find solutions to complex word problems, correctly apply mathematical formulas, correctly identify and apply theories, rules and concepts to predict outcomes. In a psychology class, if a student were to study the aspects of behavior, they could then deduce what a person with X personality would do in situation Y. The benefit to problem solving software is that they help the student by allowing them to work out the problems physically and mentally, and thus they learn by doing. In math (since that is my field), students can test out relationships and see if they hold true for all values of x and y, and make a logical hypothesis for all cases. The problem solving software is good, since it is a multimedia program, and as we learned last week, today’s students are different from yesterday’s students, and need a wide array of constant stimuli to keep them entertained.
Brainstorming tools is a program to digitally connect two or more ideas and create connections between them. Some of them only use text, while other use clip arts and other forms of media. What usually happens is this: you start with one or two main ideas. Let us say we’re going to start with the idea of food. For the sake of argument, we are going to say there are two kinds of food, healthy and fast food. So, from the main idea of food, we branch off an idea bubble to healthy food, and an idea bubble to fast food. From the healthy food bubble, we then branch off to other forms of healthy food, such as organic, lean, low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie, etc. For fast food, we would then branch off some fast food choices, such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Arby’s, Taco Bell, etc. If we wanted to go into more detail, under McDonald’s, we could do another branch off and branch Big Mac, double cheeseburger, French fries, chicken Mcnuggets, and if we even wanted to go further than that, we could branch off from Big Mac and say hamburger patty, lettuce, bread, sauce, etc.
The way that problem solving software differs from brainstorming tools is that problem solving software builds the skills that a student needs to solve (perhaps) complex problems that they may encounter later in life, such as money matters or how to get around a certain situation. Brainstorming is, in simple terms, how two or more main ideas are connected, and finding the connections between the main ideas, and what sub-categories fall under each main idea. It does not involve any problem solving, except to figure out what sub-idea goes with what main idea. Each promotes critical thinking in that problem solving makes a student think really hard on trying to figure out different way to find a solution to one problem, and brainstorming requires a student to figure out what pieces of the puzzle go together. For instance, say we have a topic on the discussion of sea animals. And we talk about sea snakes. Will a third grader know that an eel is a fish, or will they think that an eel is a snake? What about a sea horse?
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Today vs. Yesterday: Week 7
Using technology today: today’s students vs. yesterday’s students
What some of the first articles pointed out that we read were that people our age grew up in a completely different environment when it came to education than today’s young students. I completely agree with the statement when it says that older students today must have silence when they study, and cannot understand how some of the younger students can study with so much noise and music. I like to be immersed in complete silence when I do my reading and homework, and the slight distraction bothers me. Today’s students are growing up with more distractions around them. They have more electronics around the house than when we were their age. I did not have my first computer until I was a junior in college, yet many children now have computers and can use them even in pre-school or for elementary school. Some of the later articles said that email was the preferred way of communication between students and professors, but I am sure that if a high school student or an elementary school student was having problem with an assignment, he or she could easily send an email to their teacher and the teacher would quickly respond to that student.
Other ways that today’s students are different from traditional students are that traditional students go to college immediately graduating high school. In today’s world, sometimes that cannot happen. Money is a huge factor in college. Sometimes a student has to work a few years and save up finances to pay for a college education. Perhaps a child was born and they need to provide together for their child for a little bit before continuing their education. Maybe something happened in their family and the son needs to stay home and work and bring home some extra money to help the family out. Traditional students differ in the way that they immediately went to college after graduating from high school, and typically graduated in four years. Some went on to pursue a master’s degree, and a few more onto a Ph.D. Times have changed today that non-traditional students are becoming more and more of the norm and traditional students are becoming the non-traditional student.
I can, of course, only speak for myself when I say this, but this online course has really helped me this semester. I was a traditional student when I earned my bachelor’s degree, but took several years off, and am now earning my master’s. I currently teach, and I would find it extremely hard to attend a class every Wednesday night. Having a class online really helps me, since I do not have to turn in an assignment at the same time every week, and I can do it a few days early, or perhaps do it a day later the next week. However, to have an online class, there must be instruction. The instructor needs to know that her students understand the material. We must turn in our own work that the instructor can measure and that we can show our progress in the course. We must work in teams to help each other out. Educational material must be posted on the web for us to view, and we must be motivated to learn. More importantly, we must be able to see how we can imply this into our own classrooms.
What some of the first articles pointed out that we read were that people our age grew up in a completely different environment when it came to education than today’s young students. I completely agree with the statement when it says that older students today must have silence when they study, and cannot understand how some of the younger students can study with so much noise and music. I like to be immersed in complete silence when I do my reading and homework, and the slight distraction bothers me. Today’s students are growing up with more distractions around them. They have more electronics around the house than when we were their age. I did not have my first computer until I was a junior in college, yet many children now have computers and can use them even in pre-school or for elementary school. Some of the later articles said that email was the preferred way of communication between students and professors, but I am sure that if a high school student or an elementary school student was having problem with an assignment, he or she could easily send an email to their teacher and the teacher would quickly respond to that student.
Other ways that today’s students are different from traditional students are that traditional students go to college immediately graduating high school. In today’s world, sometimes that cannot happen. Money is a huge factor in college. Sometimes a student has to work a few years and save up finances to pay for a college education. Perhaps a child was born and they need to provide together for their child for a little bit before continuing their education. Maybe something happened in their family and the son needs to stay home and work and bring home some extra money to help the family out. Traditional students differ in the way that they immediately went to college after graduating from high school, and typically graduated in four years. Some went on to pursue a master’s degree, and a few more onto a Ph.D. Times have changed today that non-traditional students are becoming more and more of the norm and traditional students are becoming the non-traditional student.
I can, of course, only speak for myself when I say this, but this online course has really helped me this semester. I was a traditional student when I earned my bachelor’s degree, but took several years off, and am now earning my master’s. I currently teach, and I would find it extremely hard to attend a class every Wednesday night. Having a class online really helps me, since I do not have to turn in an assignment at the same time every week, and I can do it a few days early, or perhaps do it a day later the next week. However, to have an online class, there must be instruction. The instructor needs to know that her students understand the material. We must turn in our own work that the instructor can measure and that we can show our progress in the course. We must work in teams to help each other out. Educational material must be posted on the web for us to view, and we must be motivated to learn. More importantly, we must be able to see how we can imply this into our own classrooms.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Electronic Spreadsheets, Week 6 Posting
What are the advantages and features of electronic spreadsheets? How do you see them as a benefit in an educational environment?
As a math teacher, I love electronic spreadsheets. I work at a low budget schools, and I am aware that some of the school districts in this area use a program called SAMS or something similar to keep track of student grades. What I use is a spiral notebook and manually pencil in my students’ grades in on a daily basis. Then at the end of the week, I input them into a spreadsheet on my laptop. What a spreadsheet allows me to do is organize the information, compute long complex numerical analysis with just a few clicks of the mouse button. I can alphabetize my students in a few seconds and average their scores in just moments.
Spreadsheets are extremely accurate. If you see that you have made a mistake in your calculations, you just have to go to that row or column where you have mistakenly input the data wrong, and retype it, and the spreadsheet will recalculate the computations for you.
Electronic spreadsheets organize their data into rows and columns. Usually at the top of the column, one types a heading. For me, I would type my students’ names, then the date or assignment. Below, I would then type their names and grades that they earned on their assignments or tests. Then I could use a few clicks of the mouse and use some pre-entered formulas to calculate some essential information.
Let me give you an example of what I can do with a spreadsheet. I can click on an entire row (horizontal) for a student’s grade. At the end, I can click on a summation icon, then find that student’s average so far this term that he is earning. Or I can take a column (vertical) and find an average for an assignment comprised of all the students who did that assignment, all done with a few clicks of a mouse button.
You can also highlight cells and tell the spreadsheet to compute different functions just for the cells that you highlight. For instance, say you want to find little Joey’s average for his first two weeks of school, but you want to put it in a special place on your spreadsheet. You would click on the cell that you would want to send the average to, click on the summation icon, click average, then highlight the grades that you want, then press enter.
Also with an electronic spreadsheet, you can make charts and graphs. This is an excellent way to visually demonstrate the numerical data that you have entered into your spreadsheets. My personal favorite is the bar graphs, because it allows you to compare your students’ grades side by side. There are other types of graphs as well, though. Like I have said, I am partial to the bar graph.
I think the biggest benefit that the spreadsheet has to education, as I have mainly made, is that it is a great way for a teacher to keep track of their students’ grades, especially in a school with low budget (such as mine) that does not participate in SAMS. It saves time rather than having to calculate all the students’ grades by hand.
As a math teacher, I love electronic spreadsheets. I work at a low budget schools, and I am aware that some of the school districts in this area use a program called SAMS or something similar to keep track of student grades. What I use is a spiral notebook and manually pencil in my students’ grades in on a daily basis. Then at the end of the week, I input them into a spreadsheet on my laptop. What a spreadsheet allows me to do is organize the information, compute long complex numerical analysis with just a few clicks of the mouse button. I can alphabetize my students in a few seconds and average their scores in just moments.
Spreadsheets are extremely accurate. If you see that you have made a mistake in your calculations, you just have to go to that row or column where you have mistakenly input the data wrong, and retype it, and the spreadsheet will recalculate the computations for you.
Electronic spreadsheets organize their data into rows and columns. Usually at the top of the column, one types a heading. For me, I would type my students’ names, then the date or assignment. Below, I would then type their names and grades that they earned on their assignments or tests. Then I could use a few clicks of the mouse and use some pre-entered formulas to calculate some essential information.
Let me give you an example of what I can do with a spreadsheet. I can click on an entire row (horizontal) for a student’s grade. At the end, I can click on a summation icon, then find that student’s average so far this term that he is earning. Or I can take a column (vertical) and find an average for an assignment comprised of all the students who did that assignment, all done with a few clicks of a mouse button.
You can also highlight cells and tell the spreadsheet to compute different functions just for the cells that you highlight. For instance, say you want to find little Joey’s average for his first two weeks of school, but you want to put it in a special place on your spreadsheet. You would click on the cell that you would want to send the average to, click on the summation icon, click average, then highlight the grades that you want, then press enter.
Also with an electronic spreadsheet, you can make charts and graphs. This is an excellent way to visually demonstrate the numerical data that you have entered into your spreadsheets. My personal favorite is the bar graphs, because it allows you to compare your students’ grades side by side. There are other types of graphs as well, though. Like I have said, I am partial to the bar graph.
I think the biggest benefit that the spreadsheet has to education, as I have mainly made, is that it is a great way for a teacher to keep track of their students’ grades, especially in a school with low budget (such as mine) that does not participate in SAMS. It saves time rather than having to calculate all the students’ grades by hand.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Emerging Technologies, Week 5
Emerging Technologies: How they can affect teaching and learning.
With the advancement and speed of technology today, the integration of that technology into the classroom is a must. One of the most popular forms of emergent computer technology is the Wifi capability. Wifi (wireless fidelity) allows computers to network with other computers via radio frequency at very high speeds. What does this mean? Through radio frequency, they are doing it “wirelessly” and thus cutting the need for cables. A classroom can be run without having cables run throughout the corners and students tripping over them, causing a safety hazard. Also, a computer with Wifi capability can be accessed inside, outside, or anywhere on school grounds. It is not limited to just the classroom, as well.
Wireless and handheld computers make teaching and learning much easier, as well. One can install widely popular programs on them, such as word programming, spreadsheets, educational games, and other educational media. While the children are away from class, they can use this portable computers to type their reports or analyze their data; they do not have to wait to get back to class to input their information. Another importance is through Wifi, they can access the internet and be introduced to worlds of knowledge. Their internet usage must be monitored so that they are not accessing sites that are harmful to them.
Also on a portable computer, students can purchase e-books, which are electronic books. Rather than carry a large, overweight clunky textbook, they can download their text directly onto a PDA and read their lessons on it that way. They can store and record notes on their portable computers this way.
Through voice technology, a computer will be able to take commands by a human telling it what to do vocally. Through dictation, a computer will recognize a command and act upon its user’s request, must like today’s cell phones. Some of today’s cell phones have this capacity. For example, on my cell phone, I can say “Call Mike” and my cell phone will automatically know to call my good friend Michael. In the future, it is fathomable that computers will be able to take commands, such as “start spread sheet, enter 5 in row 1, column 1, etc.”
Lastly, an accessory that almost every college student should have now is the flash (jump) drive. This portable storage device can hold massive amounts of information and is relatively cheap. It is small enough to put on a keychain and can be used on any modern day computer. It works in a USB slot, and transfers data from computer to computer. Students can easily save their files and work this way, and last time I checked, you could get a 1 gigabyte flash drive for $20 at your local retail store.
So, how can all of this technology affect teaching and learning? With the integration of all of this technology, teachers can find new ways to incorporate media into their lessons. They can visually feed the students the material and give the children a more hands-on approach to the material that they are learning. If the students can afford it, they can bring their computers to the school, or if the school can afford it, they can provide the students with portable computers and let them use them in class. Students can save their work on their flash drives and continuously add to their work week after week. Students cannot fail with technology behind them, unless they are not trying and they are letting the technology become a distraction. In that case, they are not there to learn.
With the advancement and speed of technology today, the integration of that technology into the classroom is a must. One of the most popular forms of emergent computer technology is the Wifi capability. Wifi (wireless fidelity) allows computers to network with other computers via radio frequency at very high speeds. What does this mean? Through radio frequency, they are doing it “wirelessly” and thus cutting the need for cables. A classroom can be run without having cables run throughout the corners and students tripping over them, causing a safety hazard. Also, a computer with Wifi capability can be accessed inside, outside, or anywhere on school grounds. It is not limited to just the classroom, as well.
Wireless and handheld computers make teaching and learning much easier, as well. One can install widely popular programs on them, such as word programming, spreadsheets, educational games, and other educational media. While the children are away from class, they can use this portable computers to type their reports or analyze their data; they do not have to wait to get back to class to input their information. Another importance is through Wifi, they can access the internet and be introduced to worlds of knowledge. Their internet usage must be monitored so that they are not accessing sites that are harmful to them.
Also on a portable computer, students can purchase e-books, which are electronic books. Rather than carry a large, overweight clunky textbook, they can download their text directly onto a PDA and read their lessons on it that way. They can store and record notes on their portable computers this way.
Through voice technology, a computer will be able to take commands by a human telling it what to do vocally. Through dictation, a computer will recognize a command and act upon its user’s request, must like today’s cell phones. Some of today’s cell phones have this capacity. For example, on my cell phone, I can say “Call Mike” and my cell phone will automatically know to call my good friend Michael. In the future, it is fathomable that computers will be able to take commands, such as “start spread sheet, enter 5 in row 1, column 1, etc.”
Lastly, an accessory that almost every college student should have now is the flash (jump) drive. This portable storage device can hold massive amounts of information and is relatively cheap. It is small enough to put on a keychain and can be used on any modern day computer. It works in a USB slot, and transfers data from computer to computer. Students can easily save their files and work this way, and last time I checked, you could get a 1 gigabyte flash drive for $20 at your local retail store.
So, how can all of this technology affect teaching and learning? With the integration of all of this technology, teachers can find new ways to incorporate media into their lessons. They can visually feed the students the material and give the children a more hands-on approach to the material that they are learning. If the students can afford it, they can bring their computers to the school, or if the school can afford it, they can provide the students with portable computers and let them use them in class. Students can save their work on their flash drives and continuously add to their work week after week. Students cannot fail with technology behind them, unless they are not trying and they are letting the technology become a distraction. In that case, they are not there to learn.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Operating System
What is the role of the operating system? How does it help you interact with your computer?
After you turn on your computer, the computer reads instructions that are stored in ROM chips. After “booting up”, it runs a diagnostic check that is carried out through a program stored in the BIOS chip. This program, called the POST, ensures that all the computer’s components are working and that the computer does not have any malfunctioning units. If the POST test fails, you would get an error message saying that a component of the computer was not working properly. If everything went smoothly, the operating system would load up.
An operating system is a collection of programs that tells the computer how to function and how to manage its own operations. It also maintains an interface between you (the user) and the machine. The interface is how you react with the computer, whether it is by menus, text, or graphics. This is strictly done between the user and machine. The operating system is the first software that the computer needs to run in order to be able to communicate with the user. Without the operating system, the user cannot perform tasks on the computer. In order to use a computer, the user must be capable in knowing how to use the operating system; it can be thought of as a prerequisite.
On today’s computers, Windows and Macintosh OS are the common forms of operating systems. Windows is commonly used for PC, and Macintosh OS for the Apple Macintosh computer. Both of these use a combination of typed-in text commands, menus with pre-set commands, and icons. Icons are graphics that represent a computer’s option or program. A menu is a listing of command options that appear on the computer screen.
People have tried to make computers a lot more user friendly over the years, especially with the use of a mouse. A mouse is a clickable rolling device that you roll around on your desk, with a cursor on your computer screen. A cursor is an arrow on the screen that is positioned where the mouse is. When you click something with the mouse, wherever the cursor is on the screen, it will click, also. Many people can use a mouse with only little practice. With the computer mouse, you move the mouse to move the cursor. With this technology in hand, you can click on icons, “bring up the menu”, click on options, and tell the computer what to do. With the mouse, you can practically tell the computer to do whatever it needs to do. Then there’s the keyboard. You can type in commands on the keyboard as well, or just word process. When the mouse cannot be used, the keyboard and its many keys (such as F2) can be called into play. All of these components work together to make the computer happen in a way that people can use them.
After you turn on your computer, the computer reads instructions that are stored in ROM chips. After “booting up”, it runs a diagnostic check that is carried out through a program stored in the BIOS chip. This program, called the POST, ensures that all the computer’s components are working and that the computer does not have any malfunctioning units. If the POST test fails, you would get an error message saying that a component of the computer was not working properly. If everything went smoothly, the operating system would load up.
An operating system is a collection of programs that tells the computer how to function and how to manage its own operations. It also maintains an interface between you (the user) and the machine. The interface is how you react with the computer, whether it is by menus, text, or graphics. This is strictly done between the user and machine. The operating system is the first software that the computer needs to run in order to be able to communicate with the user. Without the operating system, the user cannot perform tasks on the computer. In order to use a computer, the user must be capable in knowing how to use the operating system; it can be thought of as a prerequisite.
On today’s computers, Windows and Macintosh OS are the common forms of operating systems. Windows is commonly used for PC, and Macintosh OS for the Apple Macintosh computer. Both of these use a combination of typed-in text commands, menus with pre-set commands, and icons. Icons are graphics that represent a computer’s option or program. A menu is a listing of command options that appear on the computer screen.
People have tried to make computers a lot more user friendly over the years, especially with the use of a mouse. A mouse is a clickable rolling device that you roll around on your desk, with a cursor on your computer screen. A cursor is an arrow on the screen that is positioned where the mouse is. When you click something with the mouse, wherever the cursor is on the screen, it will click, also. Many people can use a mouse with only little practice. With the computer mouse, you move the mouse to move the cursor. With this technology in hand, you can click on icons, “bring up the menu”, click on options, and tell the computer what to do. With the mouse, you can practically tell the computer to do whatever it needs to do. Then there’s the keyboard. You can type in commands on the keyboard as well, or just word process. When the mouse cannot be used, the keyboard and its many keys (such as F2) can be called into play. All of these components work together to make the computer happen in a way that people can use them.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Formative vs. Summative Feedback
In this blog entry, I will talk about formative vs. summative feedback. Formative feedback is feedback that occurs when you are teaching and are getting the information back from the students during every step that you are teaching. For instance, I am a math teacher. If I am giving a lesson on order of operations in pre algebra, I would start off by saying that the first thing you would compute would be computations in parenthesis first. Formative feedback would require me to make sure that all my students would comprehend this information first before moving on. I would then continue by saying next one would do all multiplication and division from left to right. I would then stop and make sure that all my students understood this before continuing on. Lastly, I would teach that addition and subtraction come last, done from left to right.
Summative feedback is a little different. The feedback comes at the end of the process, after you have taught. In my lesson on order of operations, I would say that you would do all operations in parenthesis first, then do all multiplication and divisions from left to right, then lastly do additions and subtractions from left to right. I would then pause to take a moment to see if any of my students had any problems grasping these concepts, then if any of them did, I would go back and re-teach the concepts back to them. In formative feedback, if there was any confusion in any steps, I would take the time during that step and re-teach them, but in summative feedback, I would not know where the problem lay until after I had completed my lecture.
In my opinion, I think formative feedback is a much more useful tool, and is one that I use in my classroom on a daily basis. I find it is much easier to stop a lesson midway than having to go back and re-teach a whole class who might be lost. It is easier to stop the problem halfway through than to continue a lesson where the class may be completely lost on what I may be saying.
Summative feedback is a little different. The feedback comes at the end of the process, after you have taught. In my lesson on order of operations, I would say that you would do all operations in parenthesis first, then do all multiplication and divisions from left to right, then lastly do additions and subtractions from left to right. I would then pause to take a moment to see if any of my students had any problems grasping these concepts, then if any of them did, I would go back and re-teach the concepts back to them. In formative feedback, if there was any confusion in any steps, I would take the time during that step and re-teach them, but in summative feedback, I would not know where the problem lay until after I had completed my lecture.
In my opinion, I think formative feedback is a much more useful tool, and is one that I use in my classroom on a daily basis. I find it is much easier to stop a lesson midway than having to go back and re-teach a whole class who might be lost. It is easier to stop the problem halfway through than to continue a lesson where the class may be completely lost on what I may be saying.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Learning Styles
My understanding on different learning styles and its influence on learning:
My perspective on learning is that not all children and adults learn the same way. The book talks about different filters that people have, and that these filters can block what a person can take in while they are in class or a meeting. There are several different kinds of filters, each with a different effect on how a person can take in material that they are trying to comprehend. Also, each person also has a different learning style. One person may be a visual learner. That is, they may want to see everything and learn it that way. Another person may be auditory, and may want to listen. Another may be physical and learn by doing. Also, the attitude towards the message is important as well. If the message is not being well received, the input of the message may be distorted or “warped”.
The book then goes on to comment on different types of psychologists who studied children and their different learning patterns, such as the behaviorist, the cognitivist, and constructivist. In order to create the best possible situation for a child to learn, they need the best learning environment. They need to feel that they are comfortable with the classroom and that they can approach the teacher at will and can talk to them about their problems.
There are many factors that determine how a student learns, and in this intro chapter, I felt that they briefly summarized the main points.
My perspective on learning is that not all children and adults learn the same way. The book talks about different filters that people have, and that these filters can block what a person can take in while they are in class or a meeting. There are several different kinds of filters, each with a different effect on how a person can take in material that they are trying to comprehend. Also, each person also has a different learning style. One person may be a visual learner. That is, they may want to see everything and learn it that way. Another person may be auditory, and may want to listen. Another may be physical and learn by doing. Also, the attitude towards the message is important as well. If the message is not being well received, the input of the message may be distorted or “warped”.
The book then goes on to comment on different types of psychologists who studied children and their different learning patterns, such as the behaviorist, the cognitivist, and constructivist. In order to create the best possible situation for a child to learn, they need the best learning environment. They need to feel that they are comfortable with the classroom and that they can approach the teacher at will and can talk to them about their problems.
There are many factors that determine how a student learns, and in this intro chapter, I felt that they briefly summarized the main points.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
About Me
My name is Chris Harper. I have worked retail jobs most of my working life or jobs concerning customer service. This fall I started my first teaching job in Picayune, MS. I work at the Center for Alternative Education, an alternate school. I am the high school math teacher there. I primarly teach pre algebra, algebra 1, and geometry, but as more students are being sent into the alternative school, I could teach other math classes. This is my first fully online course, but I have taken other courses that have online supplements both at USM and at the University of Minnesota, where I received my bachelor's degree. I am familiar with most of the programs that we will be using in this class, but if in doubt, I can always ask my wife, who is a tech savvy person. I have used most of these programs before, mostly for school purposes. I am familiar with the communication tools that we will be using for this class, though I have not used them personally. Like most people at school, I know how to use email, and that is my preferred way of contact. For new technology used in the classroom, I have heard of blogs, podcasts, and video clips. I have used video clips in the classrooms, and I have listened to podcasts on the internet as a leisure activity before for personal entertainment. I have also read other people's blogs online for personal enjoyment. For this class, I hope to gain experience for technology in the classroom, and better ways to integrate them into my classroom.
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