Thursday, October 4, 2012

Chapter 6


Chapter 6 Blog

10/4/2012

Focus Question: How do teachers organize electronic resources to address curriculum frameworks and learning standards? Teachers are extremely busy with many different responsibilities so one important tool is to manage information electronically and to stay organized.  Teachers can find all CPALMS and Nets on line via the web.  The web has vast amounts of information teachers can utilize “Information management – the process of finding, organizing and using information “as stated in our text “Transforming Learning with New Technologies” is a useful tool.  The web has a plethora of information that is at times is more current than textbooks.  School systems budgets are so strained that teachers can use the web to enhance their lesson plans.  Digital bookmarking or adding “favorites” in websites such as “Delicious” is an excellent resource to save important information and links. 

Tech Tool: 6.2 Delicious website.  Delicious is an exciting tool that teachers can use to bookmark or save their “favorites” on the web.  This website is free to join; when adding new links you can use tags to describe the website such as: government, politics, and journalism.  Delicious allows you to edit your profile with pictures; share information even can tweet for this website.  This website is an example of one tool teachers can use or organize sites by subject, grade level, learning standards and many more.

Chapter Summary: Chapter 6 begins with information management. It describes how teachers can manage information at their fingertips. The web can be overwhelming so when searching the web using tools such as “Delicious” is an excellent resource. As a teacher it’s important to stay organized and keep your “favorites” in one site.   Personally, I was never aware such tools existed.   I have digitally bookmarked every link that I have found interesting and useful in my Delicious account, utilizing the tags features Web Quest and Visual field trips are engaging tools that students will love.  These interactive websites encourage students to access pictures, audio and video and are engaging activities that students will like.  There are many different educational websites such as; lesson plan websites, skills/practice website even exploration and discovery websites to name a few. Teachers have so much paper clutter so using technology to alleviate electronic clutter will give them the ability to find resources at their fingertips.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Chapter 5 Post


 

Chapter 5 Journal Post
 
10/3/12


Focus Question: How can teachers or students thoughtfully evaluate online information resources including the online encyclopedia Wikipedia? Many websites are focused on “search engines” to do their searches. There are many different search engines to choose from for example, URL’s ending in ‘.com’ are commercial business, ‘.org’ is organizations, ‘.gov’ is for government, and ‘.net’ is for network organizations. We need to use information ethically by accessing, searching, and finally evaluating.  The 5 tools to consider for evaluating a website are:

1.      Authority – who is the expert and how do you know?

2.      Accuracy – if there is only 1 website is it credible?

3.      Objectivity – is there bias, slanted one way or the other?

4.      Currency – Publication date, how current is the information?

5.      Coverage – is it relevant?  Does it cover what information you’re looking for?

 

Wikipedia is a search engine that gives teachers the ability to teach students strategies for surfing on the web to gather accurate information.

 

Tech Tool 5.2: Customizing your web browser with iGoogle, this task I have learned through trial and error. I have had a few different web browsers but iGoogle is a tool I recently started using in my home office after reading this chapter. It has links for Discovery news, weather, science, and most recent new events on the main page for convenience and awareness. Imagine using this in the classroom, keep it relevant and interesting. This is my new tech tool favorite after my iPad of course!

 

Summary:  Chapter 5 consists of how to gather information via the web through different search engines as well as evaluating whether the information given is current.  This is particularly important nowadays as many younger students do plagiarize via the web. As a teacher this is something I will keep a careful eye on particularly in writing and will use such websites as TurnItIn.com to help curb this ever-growing problem. This chapter discussed ways a teacher can handle plagiarism and whether it was intentional or not.

Chapter 4 Post


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Chapter 4 Journal Post

10/3/12
The focus question I chose is: What are “digital inequality” and the “participation gap”?  Digital inequality pertains to students from low income families and developing nations who do not have access to computers or the internet.  Many of these students are Hispanics and African American.  The student’s only access to a computer is during school hours or at the library whereas in affluent countries, such as the US, many students have their own lap tops, iPads, smart phone, etc., they all the access and privileges to this technology at their fingertips. The participation gap is having no access to computers or internet puts these low income students at a great disadvantage.  Professor Henry Jenkins sees great differences “between what students with 24/7 access can do and what students can do when their own access is through the public library or school computer,” as stated in “Transforming Learning with New Technologies” textbook.  In my opinion, this is very true and relevant. Learning using technology is fun and exciting; however, a teacher needs to teach technology keeping in mind that not every student has a computer or internet in their home. This needs to be kept in mind when preparing lessons using technology.
 
Tech Tool 4.1 Edutopia:  This website is very interesting. I enjoyed surfing around on it!  http://www.edutopia.org/  It’s broken down by grade level, community, core strategies, blogs, video, and even has sections for Arts and Drama along with Special Education. I saved this as a favorite in my Delicious account.  Personally, I am enjoying this class; the content and tools that I am learning will help me on my way to being a better teacher.
 
  
Chapter Summary: I enjoyed reading this chapter; its real life.  It began with a discussion on teachers and their use or non-use of technology.  Many teachers, I believe, are fearful of technology and not open to learning new technology.  Personally, I intend to embrace technology to reach my students.  Using technology to make learning exciting, relevant and, most of all challenging students beyond their comfort zone but still keeping in mind that not all students have 24/7 access to computers or internet.  These students are already at a disadvantage so we have to keep this in mind when planning any lessons using technology.  Teachers can use technology to tackle tough subjects like history or literature, subjects that students may not be completely invested in. Using http://www.edutopia.org/ for example to teach Government, a topic that will typically put many students to sleep. Using this technology to teach would be more of a game than a rigid lesson plan that would benefit both the student and the teacher.