Journal 9 YC NETS-T IV & V Web 2.0 Today's Technologies Tomorrow's Learning

I read and reflected on this article from the ITSE (International Society for Technology in Education) website and also used Citation Machine to cite the journal in APA format.


Groff, J., & Haas, Jason. (2008). Web 2.0 today's technologies tomorrow's learning. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(2), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20080910/#pg14

This article addresses the issue of using today's technologies such as digital games, simulations and social networking and finding creative, educational ways to use them in the classroom. The fact that this type of technology is such a big part of student's lives at home means they would be comfortable and acceptable to incorporating it in school. By doing this, we would be reaching students at their level, their comfort zone, their fun environment. If a lesson is fun, students will be more inclined to participate and become engaged more creatively and intellectually.

Researchers at MIT Education Arcade are dedicated to finding ways in which teachers and students can use these technologies as learning tools. They are searching for ways to bridge the gap between the traditional ways of learning and a more advanced way of learning through all the technology that is now available. When these tools are used properly they can be beneficial to both students and teachers. For example, a science teacher in Massachusetts uses Starlogo to demonstrate and test students in ways he normally couldn't' with traditional teaching tools. This allows his students to experience things like evolution and factors of a forest fire as they are simulated through this program. It also encourages students to ask more questions and derive multiple possible answers as opposed to just checking one correct answer on a multiple choice test.

Researchers are confirming that these type of digital games encourage active participation and critical thinking and learning. Instead of watching a video on a subject, students can actually experience concepts with digital games. It can also set a platform for being more aware of how their actions can impact others.

As with all new technology their are obstacles bound to occur. One would be to recognize the fact that implementing digital games in the classroom may be difficult if access to this type of technology is not available. Some programs require advanced computers, but there are improvements to making more programs available for the everyday computer.

What are some potential risks with bringing this type of technology into the classroom? There is always the fear of not knowing every detail of a digital game and what it might lead to. Therefore teachers should take some time to play and test these games BEFORE introducing them to students. It's ok to learn new things about the program along with students, this creates partners in learning, but the main logistics should be tested prior to the lesson. It may also be wise to collaborate with fellow educators and learn from their experiences as well.

Where can I find additional resources on this topic?
The Internet has lots of free resources. Attending seminars and creating a support network is always helpful as well. Some resource tools to check out are:
Club Penguin http://www.clubpenguin.com/
Cost of Life http://www.costlife.org/
Explore Science http://www.explorelearning.com/
Ning http://www.ning.com/

Journal 8 YC NETS-T IV & V Tapping the Wealth of Social Networks for Professional Development

I read and reflected on this article from the ITSE (International Society for Technology in Education) website and also used Citation Machine to cite the journal in APA format.


Greenhow, C. (2009). Tapping the wealth of social networks for professional development. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(8), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20090607/#pg12

Christine Greenhow is an educational researcher from Harvard. Her research focuses on how people learn, teach and collaborate with emerging technologies. In this article she addresses the issue of using social networks not just for students, but for professionals as well.

Social networking is the most popular technology offered on the Internet today and attracts millions of users worldwide! Greenhow cautions us to not get lost in time when using social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. It is very easy to get caught up in the discussions at hand and lose focus of our intent. Most people use it for getting caught up on the latest news, following famous people and keeping real time status with their friends.

So how can we use this technology in our professional environment? Greenhow mentions two ways. First, she favors the idea of social bookmarking. Websites such as Delicious, Diigo, and CiteULike allows us to collectively share resources with colleagues around the world almost instantly.

Secondly, she uses social networking tools for emotional support and recognition. This can help us reflect, troubleshoot and improve on the current project or issue at hand. These uses of technology provide the opportunity for social scholarship which allows us to collaboratively access and hold open discussions with our colleagues. In return, we get meaningful insight to our own attitudes and teaching practices. So in summary, we should all be tapping into the wealth of today's technologies, especially if they are free and can be used to further our educational experiences!

How can we introduce social networking into our curriculum?
We can introduce this type of technology by classifying it as New Literacy practices. When a student can place their creative work on MySpace for example, they can receive instant feedback from their peers. Most of the time it will encourage the student to further tap into their creativity for the next project. It can be a great source for positive reinforcement.

What are some other ways in which students can benefit from social networking tools? Just as professional colleagues use social networking to acquire social scholarship, so can the teens of our society. They too can benefit from emotional support when working on a tough project or going through a tough time in their lives. The whole idea is that the real time feedback can be very positive and uplifting for the soul, and we can all use a little more of that in our lives! :)

Journal 6 YC NETS-T IV & V A New Concept of Citizenship for the Digital Age

I read and reflected on this article from the ITSE (International Society for Technology in Education) website and also used Citation Machine to cite the journal in APA format.


A New Concept of Citizenship for the Digital Age
Greenhow, C. (2010). A New concept of citizenship for the digital age. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(6), Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20100304#pg26

To prepare our youth for the global workplace, one of the issues we need to address is digital citizenship. To teach this to our students we must first define it. As technology grows, so does the definition of digital citizenship and what it takes to be considered a digital citizen.

In 2007 NETS-S defines digital citizenship as "the ability to practice and advocate online behavior that demonstrates legal, ethical, safe, and responsible uses of information and communication technologies." This definition is a good start but does not completely cover the subject of digital citizenship. Digital Citizenship is more than using the technology correctly or legally. It is the ability to be part of the digital community. To do this you must actively participate in expressing your views, develop new uses, join networks, be politically active, and do all of this in a respectfully. Just as we teach our students how to interact with one another face to face, we must also teach them how to act when using technology resources as well as what it means to be a contributing member of our digital society.

It is up to us as educators to teach our students the right way to participate in today's technology. We must also continue to research this subject to identify emerging positive and negative trends using technology. We also need to be up to date with the latest networking tools and information so we can study new uses and use our research to teach others about being an upstanding digital citizen.

How does teaching Digital Citizenship help your students?
By teaching students about digital citizenship and how to be good digital citizens, they learn how to contribute to the digital world. It is important to inform our students on what is acceptable and proper use of technology. In return, we will have students who understand the implications of their own digital footprint and they will be better prepared to compete in today's society when they join the workforce.

What type of digital citizenship issue should we be aware of in the classroom?
Cyberbullying is one issue that has been researched and has received national media coverage for the effect it can have on students. Cyberbullying is the use of email, text messages, IM, and other technologies to bully someone. This type of harassment happens every day and we need to be cautiously aware of its detrimental effects. It is important that we educate ourselves on these types of issues so that we are ready to respond if it ever should arise in our classrooms.

Journal 7 YC NETS-T V Teacher's Use of Podcasts as A Teaching Tool

On the Classroom 2.0 website, I followed and reflected on the thread "Teacher's Use of Podcasts as A Teaching Tool".

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:122802?id=649749%3ATopic%3A122802&page=1#

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is like a radio show that you download to your computer. Once on your computer, you can play podcasts directly or transfer them to an mp3 player, such as an iPod.

Podcasting is the process of creating an audio show of some sort available in MP3 format via an RSS 2.0 feed that supports enclosures. Podcasts are designed to include talk shows, tutorials, music, or other audio content.

Podcasts can cover any subject or genre of music and are available free. The difference is that with podcasting you can listen to shows from across the whole world, and, because you download them, you can listen whenever and wherever you want.

What makes podcasts really special is that they are grouped into channels (just like radio shows appear on a radio station's channel). It's easy to subscribe to podcast channels and once subscribed, your computer will begin automatically check back to see if new podcasts are available and download them for you if they are. No need to keep checking back to see if updates are available.

How have teachers used it as a teaching tool?

Using it as a lecture tool:

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:122802?id=649749%3ATopic%3A122802&page=2#comments

One teacher said he used podcasts to create video lectures that allowed students to review past lessons or as a replacement for in-class lecture. This allowed him more time for labs. Lecture replacements are accompanied by short online assessments created using Google Forms. This allows him to see what they learned from the lectures. The idea is to make the limited amount of face to face time more efficient.

Using it as a class study of the Titanic:

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:122802?id=649749%3ATopic%3A122802&page=3#comments

Another teacher used podcasts for a comprehensive class study of the Titanic. Students used a podcast to reflect the voices of passengers or crew members of the Titanic. They put their podcasts on the class website dedicated to this project.

Using it as a form of teaching a foreign language:

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:122802?id=649749%3ATopic%3A122802&page=2#comments

A Spanish teacher also used podcasts to help students learn the language. The students could go back and listen to the correct pronunciation as often as needed. They would also have to create their own Spanish podcasts for some of the lessons.

The beauty of it all is that you don't need an iPod to podcast. Anybody with a computer can listen to podcasts and subscribe to podcast channels!

There are tons of tutorials and websites like Gcast, iTunes, Yahoo Podcasts and Garageband that provide free podcast accounts and channels.

EXCEL CROSSWORD NETS-T III

Using Microsoft Excel I created a crossword for musical terms.

POWERPOINT NETS-T III

I used Microsoft PowerPoint to create a presentation that demonstrates knowledge of the NETS-S and performance indicators for grades 3-5.

POWERPOINT RUBRIC NETS-T II

I created this rubric to help my peers and instructor assess the PowerPoint NETS-S presentation I created.