Internet in the Classroom

Wiki

My wiki will be similar to Mrs Bradshaw’s wiki on planting seeds @

http://www.wikigardening.com/wiki/Digging_Around:Main_page

She explores some of the passions of growing things as well as some of the pitfalls.  She also discusses the tolerances of various plants to the sun and the shade.  This gives me ideas of how I want to layout my wiki.

 

Podcasts

http://www.readingrockets.org/podcasts/classroom/ is about anticipation guides.  It is useful for pre-readers.  It gives them a purpose for reading and seeks information to activate their prior knowledge.  The teacher has to provide questions that the students will be able to answer after completing the story. 

 

http://www.bookwink.com/ is a 3-minute book talk.  The speaker, a former librarian by the name of Sonja Cole.  She is enthusiastic and energized.  Students will be excited to hear her rendition.

 

 

Social Bookmarking Site

www.Pinterest.com and www.lessonplanet.com/article/elementary-art/integrating-art-into-other-content-areas  are both websites that keep children engaged.  They both integrate arts and crafts into  math lessons.  They contain various activities and games.

Widgets
The two widgets on my blog are for younger elementary. They help build literary skills.

 

Throughout the summer semester, we were exposed to numerous technological products.  Once you create an Instructional Management Document, it can be used repetitively within the classroom.  I had an opportunity to practice mail merge which I plan to use for Christmas cards and compressing large amounts of data into zipped files.  In addition to PowerPoint, the Instructional Design Assignment was another piece of presentation software.  Through Zoho Documents, we input multimedia into an instructional design.  With the Web Assessment, we reviewed mobile learning apps and gave a description of them in Google documents.  We worked in a group to develop a presentation of Digital Citizenship.  It contained valuable information that demonstrated responsible online citizenship.  We created a Wiki for our own classrooms.  The purpose was to encourage students to collaborate and benefit from peer interaction.  Becoming knowledgeable of the software products was quite enlightening.  It allows us to choose the most appropriate software for the task being performed.

The Web Resource Evaluations allowed us to analyze information from the internet.  We considered the validity of several sites.  First we had to inspect its content and examine the reasoning of the articles.  Did it make sense?  Was it professionally written? Was it possible?  Then we had to determine if it was biased.  Many articles have a preference and try to convince the reader of their beliefs.  In developing our classroom evaluations, it was imperative to guide students into checking for the authors name and their group affiliations.  This assignment made me more conscience of fraudulent sites.

I will be reminded of The Technology Site Review Assignment the next time I have to provide input on purchases.  I observed and learned a great deal on various hardware.  I like that the rule of thumb is to use at least 40 percent of the resources for professional development.  Nothing is more frustrating than having something new and exciting and not knowing how to use it.  I saw things I want to order to make life simpler.  I obtained some great ideas.  In addition, the speaker provided valuable information which may inspire us to write grants.  Teachers have to be resourceful.

Technological Issues

Many of our blemishes of the past have helped shape our responses of today.  The author makes a valuable determination that “the history of educational technology is useful only if we apply what we know about the past to future decisions and actions” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.10).  Sponsorships and finances appeared plentiful.  Many programs were short-lived.  Numerous improvements were adopted and then dissolved.  However, the teachers failed to effectively evaluate the technological tools.  They did not allow ample time to analyze and measure the strengths of the programs.  They looked for abundant results too soon.  Without much apprehension, they moved on to the next recommendation.  We have learned that advancements must be researched based on a tested group of students.  Roblyer mentions that if you rush the process “it draws attention away from the effort to find legitimate solutions” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.10). 

One of the issues affecting technology today is in education.  In our dwindling economy, many budget cuts have been made in state and federal funding.  In the article, http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/01/lack-of-funding-creates-barrier-to-using-tech-in-class/, the author indicates that many grants have been eliminated .  However, teachers were not using technology to its fullest potential.  Similar to past experiences, the author encourages instructors to research and then determine the most useful technological tools to purchase.  It should align with the Common Core Standards.  Also affecting technology in education is accountability.  To obtain the highest student achievement, it is most advantageous for teachers, students, and parents to work collaboratively.  All stakeholders must share accountability.  Although the No Child Left Behind Act has been modified, the author reminds us “the accountability movement remains strong and drives a trend toward using technology” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.17).  Another variable encompassing educational issues is the increased number of online classes.  Statistics indicate the drop out rate is higher for virtual learning and “widens the digital divide even more” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.17).  Our tax dollars need to focus more on technology. 

In chapter 2, several theorists, Vgotsky, Piaget, and Bruner, conclude that cognitive development is greatly dependent upon social interaction.  In the Scaffolding Theory, Vgotsky points out that we need to know “where each child was in his or her development and build on the child’s experiences” (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.42).  For this reason, baseline assessments are essential in determining the level of incoming students at the beginning of the school year.  Dewey believed that children gained meaningful knowledge from hands-on and experience.  These theories all focus on allowing children to practice and be engaged in activities within the classroom.  We must tap into their interests and keep them focused.

 

References: Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into

 teaching (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Integrating Technology into Social Studies

Chapter 12 explored the value of integrating technology into Social Studies.  This connection is vital to the success of our students.  Therefore, it is essential to have them prepared by providing purposeful and meaningful experiences.  Our goal as educators should be to motivate, challenge, and scaffold them into being socially responsible adults.  The text suggests using strategies such as integrating adventure learning, web quests, or virtual fields into the lessons.  However, there are many obstacles to overcome.  The following are advantages and disadvantages teachers often face in the classroom.

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology 

Technology has greatly impacted Social Studies.  There is more to learn about the world than ever before.  Social Studies is the interconnection of people and the Earth.  It is constantly and dramatically changing.  The author states that Social Studies is a “sleeping giant” ( Roblyer, p. 334).  It could be more productive if the initiative was present and used appropriately.  Another challenge is that as a result of state testing, the focus has been on math and language arts for many years.  Each day, only a limited amount of time is allotted to Social Studies.  There is a wide range of topics to teach in a short amount of time.  The subject area is broad.  Many critics say that “the content of history courses has become diluted” ( Roblyer, p. 336).   Therefore, limiting the focus on some of the most important content.  With limited budgets, school districts are reluctant to purchase expensive Social Studies software. The journal entry  below by Ahmet BAYTAK focuses on the viewpoint from children.  The article found that there was an overwhelming amount of misuse and misconceptions about technology. http://www.iejee.com/3_2_2011/3_2_139_151.pdf

Advantages of Integrating Technology

More than ever before, technology has helped teach us more about social change.  It broadens the potential for social studies.  It allows students to compete internationally.  Students have to be more globally aware.  Technology appeals to more learning types and closes the achievement gap.  Technology has changed the way people learn.  Although the technology is costly, there are many free options some teachers turn to.  In the article below, Stephen A. Rose and Phyllis Maxey Fernlund emphasize the importance of teachers re-evaluating the criteria previously used to determine if a particular technological tool should be integrated into the Social Studies lesson.  The article suggests educators need to do more research.  Secondly, they want to make sure this technology is aligned with curriculum standards to gain the most benefits.  http://www.learner.org/workshops/socialstudies/pdf/session5/5.UsingTechnologyLearning.pdf

 

The following are specific activities and programs introduced in the chapter.

1.      GeoThentics, a geography website, provides hands-on activities and strategies.

http://www.citejournal.org/vol9/iss3/socialstudies/article1.cfm

2.      Simulated Problem Solving Environments reproduce concepts which need to be clarified.

http://site.aace.org/pubs/foresite/GamesAndSimulations1.pdf

3.      Information Visualizations communicate ideas visually.

http://www.perceptualedge.com/articles/visual_business_intelligence/geographical_data_  visualization.pdf

4.      Digital Storytelling uses digitally produced images and audio to retell history.

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

5.      Online mapping websites gather ideas for teaching geography.

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/maps-tools-adventure-island/kd/?ar_a=3

Role of the Internet

From basic cellular phones in the early 90’s to my current Samsung Android, the advances in technology are tremendous.  I use my phone to access the internet numerous times each day.  From checking emails to paying bills to locating directions, I cannot imagine not having access to it.  Francis Bacon says, “communication is freedom-freedom for people to reach information they need in order to acquire knowledge that can empower them”  (Roblyer, p.  204). More adults than ever before have returned to college as a result of online classes.  Although the author states, “there is no single theory that can fully explain student attrition in distance learning” (Roblyer, p.  212).   In the classroom, I search the internet for activities, images, and videos to explain and clarify concepts.  In one location, a teacher has numerous resources available.  The use of technology in the past two decades has grown exponentially. 

URLs: What do URLs tell you/students about web sites?

The uniform resource location gives us the address of the sites.  It normally includes  an organization’s name or initials.  The ending or domain designator indicates the type of information found on the site.

Search Engines: How can learning to use search engines help you/students find better information?

By teaching students to use key words and topics in their searches, they can be significantly more successful in locating specific material.  A large variety of similar information can be minimized into manageable amount of data which can be reviewed.

Internet Tool: Choose one Internet Tool  and discuss how you might use it in a classroom.

Video and Photo Sharing Communities serve as resources to enlighten and clarify concepts.  For example, as a third grade teacher, I had several students who could not grasp the concept of elapsed time.  After reviewing numerous resource manuals, I stumbled upon a video on YouTube.com.  It provided another method using a T-chart to solve elapsed time. It worked.

Web-Based Lesson: Discuss and link to a web site where students could access or you could create a web-based lesson.

On http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/search/resources/resource-type/games/country/united-states/language/english/ teachers are able to access and create games and activities which they can share with other professionals.  You can link them to your promethean board which most classrooms now have.

Favorite Web Sites: Finally, pick two web sites that you feel are your favorite. Post the web sites and talk about why they will be beneficial to teachers and/or students. Use at least two references to chapter 7 and 8 content (for each) that makes these web sites effective resources.

http://pdtoolkit.pearsoncmg.com/login

With a free login, this is a website that will provide videos and worksheets to help you assess your students’ cognitive abilities.  The author states that” blogs encourage students to think critically when composing and sharing reflections of courework” (Roblyer, p.  225).   

http://www.visualmathlearning.com/index.html

The author indicates they virtual schools are typically legitimate because they are “often overseen by state education agency” (Roblyer, p.  212).   This is a free website that provides distance learning to challenge those struggling math students.  The author says that they need  “self-motivation and ability to structure ones own learning” (Roblyer, p.  212).   

    

 

 

 

Roblyer and Doering.  (2013).  Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching Sixth Edition. 

Boston:  Pearson.

Hypermedia

http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=26206

The hypermedia product I found was an interactive storybook on Literacy Zone at http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/onlinestory.htm.  The author states that “the term multimedia has become somewhat of an overarching descriptor for most internet- based media,” (Roblyer, p.174).  As a preschool teacher, one of my hurdles each year is building a strong literacy foundation in my students.  I am always searching for additional resources to build my students’ cognitive skills.  Although reading improves with practice and exposure, studies show that the most successful readers are those who master the five aspects evident on this site.  They are phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary development, comprehension, and fluency.  There is a lot of practice in each of these areas here.  In addition, this website has varying levels of stories.  Therefore, it can be used by all of my students.  I have the option of printing these theme related stories for practice later or they can listen to them.  “ Having learners become the designers and experts of content can serve as a powerful technology integration lesson for any domain of learning,” (Roblyer, p.188).  My students would get the most benefit from this while they are rotating in literacy centers.  With headphones on in the computer center, they can track their words on the screen as the speaker reads the story.  It expands their vocabulary and emphasizes sight words.  Teachers must “use their time efficiently and focus on developing quality products” such as this ((Roblyer, p.182).  It also reinforces one to one correlation.  Many of the picture book stories such as The Enormous Carrot or The Three Bears are favorites for young children, so they are eager to listen to them.  For young children, it is imperative to keep them motivated and interested.  “There is evidence, however, that some kinds of skills may transfer to content area knowledge if teachers and students engage in reflection activities,” (Roblyer, p.178).   Teachers must heavily interact with students.

My choice of multimedia authoring tool was Audio and Video Production and Editing Systems (type 2).  In the classroom, it can be used to explain, demonstrate and describe a process or concept.  The attention span of my four and five year olds is approximately 20 minutes.  They cannot focus longer than that.  They do not retain the information.  Therefore, it is important to keep them engaged and learning in short increments of time.  I use excerpts from commercials, short songs, and other dialogue to capture their attention to emphasize a point in the lesson.  They move along with the video.  The moving, dancing and singing motivates them to stay engaged.  It is important to appeal to their five senses at this age as much as possible.  In addition, this benefits visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.  This is the goal for all teachers.  The author tells us that “visual arts and music play major roles in the effectiveness of hypermedia and multimedia products,” (Roblyer, p.184). 

 

  

Roblyer and Doering.  (2013).  Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching Sixth Edition.
     Boston:  Pearson.

Drill and Practice

This software provides exercises for students to work on and receive feedback.  Flashcard activity resembles actual flash cards.  Chart fill-in activities are especially great for multiplication.  Branch drills use a progression of levels.  Some teachers often use these resources to check for mastery. We must be purposeful in planning our lessons. Teachers must review and conference with students on errors.  We can determine a child’s reasoning.  “The function of a drill is not instruction, but rather practice after instruction” ( Roblyer, p.83).  This is significant in implementing higher order thinking skills.
Tutorial
Tutorials are independent instructional units that provide information containing at least one activity.  Linear Tutorials provide the same information for everyone.  My bank has a tutorial on making ATM deposits.  My cell phone also has a tutorial on its features.  Branching Tutorials are more specific.  They vary in difficulty.   We must expose our students to various ways to perform tasks.   The following web link teaches students how to multiply using the Lattice Method. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=multiplication+tutorials&view=detail&mid=C20D0CB3D91C65B5C23FC20D0CB3D91C65B5C23F&first=0&FORM=NVPFVR&qpvt=multiplication+tutorials
Simulation
Simulation is a computerized model.  It is either physical or iterative. An example is in science where we combine two colors to make a third color. They can also show you how to do something procedurally or through a situation simulation.  An example is showing preschool students how to put a flashlight together.  You can show young students how a house is built.  “Simulations usually emphasize learning about the system itself rather than learning general problem-solving strategies” ( Roblyer, p. 91).  This system does not develop critical thinking skills.
Instructional Games
Instructional Games use rules, competition and an entertaining format to convey information to students.  Examples of these are on Starfall or PBS Kids.  These hands on activities transform difficult information into manageable data.
Problem Solving
It is used to configure solutions.  The two types are Content Area and Content Free.  Students resolve issues through inference, predicting, visualizing, and exploring clues.    However, it is subjective.
Integrated Learning Systems
Integrated Learning Systems track student progress.  Examples are practice with the Common Core Aligned Standards, Test Data, and State Testing.  ILS “reports that the system produces and to what extent they meet the needs of the district” (Roblyer, p.103).  Although most teachers collect data from their classrooms, it is important to follow-up on the results.
Word Processing
Microsoft Word documents such as essays, newsletters, and recipes support classroom learning.  Students rearrange, organize, and access information quickly.  “A teacher can use it to support any directed instruction or constructivist activity” (Roblyer, p.116).  It is not geared toward any particular teaching approach.  It is used to enhance the instructional activity.
Spreadsheet
Spreadsheets organize information into useful data.  They are used for class rolls, computational lists, and addresses.  Some electronic grade books “offer limited –purpose word processing capabilities to enter notes” (Roblyer, p.154).  Teachers are able to input data regarding students which can be used for intervention and parent conferences.

Roblyer and Doering.  (2013).  Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching Sixth Edition.
Boston:  Pearson.