Youtube Video: The Magical Classroom

This video, "The Magical Classroom," shows a little glimpse into the Smartboard world. I have not yet worked with one, but am very intrigued as to how to use one. My friend uses the Smartboard in her classroom all the time and for all subjects. I witnessed her math lesson, using the Smartboard, where the kids were able to match correct vowel sounds to the correct picture. The students would drag the vowel to the correct picture. It was a very interactive lesson and great for those kinesthetic learners.

FACEBOOK in the classroom

I think that Facebook could be extremely effective in the classroom setting. I’m not just saying this because most teenagers probably spend at least an hour on Facebook everyday, but because the tools available on Facebook can make for some great collaborative work. Like we did in class, TEACHERS can create a group specific to a particular class. In this group, teachers can post HW, educational videos, or even invite an expert (who also has FB) to contribute to a topic. I know that in my undergraduate classes we used WebCT and Moodle, which always seemed like a pain to log on. While, at least the teacher knows that with FB… A) Students access this site on a regular basis and B) When students are on FB the group title will be in clear view, therefore hard to ignore. In addition, teachers can send out a mass email to the group. In my opinion, I think that students would be stoked to use FB in a educational setting.

One key factor that an instructor would have to take into consideration with the implementation of FB use for school is the need to make sure that it is being used appropriately with STUDENT usage. If I was going to use FB in my classroom I would first have the class brainstorm some “Facebook Ground Rules.” These could include: no inappropriate language and be respectful of differences of opinion. Nevertheless, the students would come up with these. That way they will be taking ownership for their behavior.

PARENTS need to also be on the same page as the teacher and students. It is understandable that some parents do not want their kids on FB and the teacher needs to respect that. If I were the teacher I would send home a letter of intent to the parents. I would suggest that the parents who are hesitant with FB know their child’s password, so he/she can monitor the usage. However, I think that most if not all parents would be on board. As long as the communication barriers between student, teacher, and parent are open, FB can be a wonderful educational tool. 

Google doc: ELL Language Subsystems

This is a reflection paper that I wrote for my E.L.L. class here at NDNU. It discusses how language is acquired and all the technical aspects that we see through the subsystems. The ones in particular that I address include: semantics, pragmatics and the phonological system.

This topics applies to me because I am working in a 1st grade class where 50% of the students are E.L.L.

ISTE Standards

Reading the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS•T) and Performance Indicators for Teachers, it reminds me a lot of the Essential Conditions piece that I just wrote about. However, these standards seem a lot easier to follow and seem a little more realistic to touch on each standard than that of the Essential Conditions. In comparison, with the conditions I would need to worry about all the external factors and it’s not always that easy to make sure that people are on the same page. I can relate to the ISTE standards, because the Essential conditions rely on more than just the educator, which can make things more challenging. I know that I could embrace these standards such as “facilitation and inspiring student leadership and creativity,” and to “engage in professional growth and leadership.” I think the ISTE standards are very reasonable.

I do think that these standards can for the most part, apply to all grade levels. However, when teaching “digital model citizenship,” it would obviously be taught to the middle/high school levels in more depth. I know that when I took a computer class in high school, we had a whole unit based on how to use the Internet ethically and how to be safe. I had many friends at that time steal term papers from online sources and because the Internet was relatively new none of them were caught. Yet, when I reached college I was aware of two students in my program who were expelled from the school for stealing papers online. I also new a student who was expelled for trying to hack his teachers computer to change a grade. With this being said, technology can be used for ethical and unethical practices. I believe that it is our job as educators to model ethical behavior, and also warn our students of the consequences of these unethical behaviors.

On a lighter note, I think that “Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity,” can relate to a teacher’s everyday life. My favorite key point in this particular standard is in regards to “model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments.” I love love love how we learned in class yesterday about the google docs, where we can essentially edit and collaborate simultaneously. Another example, of this face-to-face environment would be with Skype or Facetime, if one has a Mac computer. This is so amazing and makes email look ancient in comparison. Because, I am currently in a first grade class I would not be using this, but if I were teaching middle school or high school I would definitely use this technology.  

Necessary Conditions to Effectively Leverage Technology for Learning

After reading the necessary conditions to essentially implement technology in the classroom, I think that in an IDEAL world all should be present. However, with budget cuts and the obvious realities of the Education crisis in public schools, technology has been put on the back burner. I also believe, that the idea of a SHARED VISION between all stakeholders is completely unrealistic. However, the bottom line should be that technology is our future and regardless of budget cuts and lack of school resources, a teacher can always find a way to use technology within his or her classroom to teach a lesson. I don't feel that a teacher necessarily needs a Smartboard to teach a lesson.

I feel lucky to have worked in a school that had support policies and external policies set in place to make sure the the students had the most when it came to technology in the classroom. All the classrooms had Smartboards and were also, most importantly, trained to use them. Each classroom also had at least two computers and a printer. In the third grade class I worked in, the teacher would have the students hand write their 1st and 2nd and then the final draft would be typed. The children were excited to type their work and because of how much use they had on the computer, their keyboarding skills seemed pretty advance.

I understand that most public schools in our district do not have smart boards or access to more advance mediums of technology; however, I think that even if these districts could fund one computer in each class it would make a huge difference. A lesson would be more interesting to students if a YouTube was shown or if a child was able to play an interactive online game. However, one step at a time is key when taking all of these conditions.