Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Communicating 

and Networking 

with Websites, Blogs, 

Wikis, and More...

Teachers can use a website or blog to improve teaching and learning by allowing the students to do their homework by accessing the website or blog the teacher provided for them. Websites and blogs are becoming apparent as one of the most important things a teacher can allow their students to use. It allows teacher to communicate with their students, families, and colleagues. Three basic types of education-related blogs: 1.) "official face" blogs, 2.) single-purpose blogs, and 3.) active learning blogs. Plus, teachers have the option of creating their own website or even their own classblog. There are three options a teacher has to keep in mind: 1.) a do-it-yourself option, 2.) a commercially available option, or 3.) an open source option. 

Chapter 8 is a chapter that points out the importance of communicating and networking with websites, blogs, wikis, and more! This chapter explains the many ways a teacher can use technology to contact students, by using computers and other technologies to share ideas and information in classrooms. Teacher can also communicate via the internet by having classroom blogs. These are 'home grown' by teachers and students working together. It's a great chapter for those of you who don't know much about creating websites or blogs. Technology is emerging everyday with new and bright ideas, so let's make sure we're all in the 'know'.

1. What did I miss in class last week?

2. Does anybody in the class keep a blog for their own personal writing/timeline?

3. Are class blogs, wikis, and websites in elementary school through the school website? Or, can we create them using Google, etc.?

CH7- Problem Solving & Inquiry Learning with Software and Web Tools

WebQuest: 
Web- Large connection & inter relatedness.
Quest- Journey, seeking, and/or moving forward towards a goal.  
Definition: An interactive online learning experience that includes tasks and formulations of concepts in efforts to reach a destination or goal. 
*This class was helpful with becoming comfortable with the idea of what we are about to create in our WebQuests. I think it will be easier to create now that I have a foundation on it's goals and purposes. I am also coming to appreciate that planning can make a beneficial difference when coordinating technologically integrated classroom activities. 

This Chapter focuses on problem solving and using technology as a tool for learning. With so many software and web tools, we can create a dynamic form of learning that takes learning to a whole new level, especially, with the Intelligent Tutoring System, a new software program where students learn through computer responses to student actions!  Children tend to have a natural attraction to things that stand out and are totally unique for them. This chapter sticks to the NETS-T Standard 1, part b where teachers "engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems"  This is a cool chapter and I really enjoyed it. 

Reaction to Storyboard: 

 I found that this type of video project works best for instructional clips that involve steps. This type of project works best for demonstrating that one knows the steps that a task is comprised of. It gives the learner an opportunity to create their own expressions of the knowledge. Students gain the chance to not only learn, but to learn and create. This gives meaning to the whole purpose of learning, promotes critical thinking, integrates art (which has been proven to be beneficial in the acquisition of knowledge), provides a wide array of choices, and ultimately gives students a sense of ownership to their learning. In terms of what works best about my project in particular, I feel that I was able to collect a wonderful mirage of pictures for my audience. I must have picked the right topic because finding each picture for my storyboard was easy and the selections of pictures that I looked at on Google were vast. I work in a hospital so I am constantly being taught the ABS’s of hand washing. And poof! There was my video. Did I draw any of the pictures? No. Did I take any of those photos? No. But, what I did do was integrate music, pictures, and text to create one work of art. I found the lesson to be thrilling and I was so happy with my results. I must say though, the Earthquake video that you shared with the class was amazing!

            If I had more time, energy, and money life would be a dream. In terms of this project, I might have added more pictures in between the text. I think I also would have liked to create one about an unsung hero, or something more meaningful to me than hand washing. And if I had more money, I suppose I could have bought into a more expensive plan (which offered more features) on Animoto. I think this type of video would be great to use for fundraising and charity events and also for attention-grabbers at the beginning of lessons.

            The instructional technology integration has taught me that working with technology can be exciting and can even be viewed of as a type of art. Talking about Pinterest tonight in class, we have all become collectors of information on the internet. This project required collecting pictures; however on social bookmarking sites people have gotten comfortable with collecting tid-bits of information at the touch of the button, and with the intention of actually reading on their own terms. Two things people love today: instant gratification (click of a mouse) and learning on their own terms (when and where).

            In the development of this project, the teaching standard that was addressed the most was “to promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.” I think that students need this type of support most when they are in the beginning stages of becoming digitally inventive. I can also see how this method of teaching or assessing knowledge can increase self-efficacy in students.

Questions: 

1. What topics are everyone choosing for their WebQuest?

2. Is there a time-limit on how much time the completion of a WebQuest should take?

3. As teachers implementing WebQuests, how do we deal with accessibility issues regarding computers at home?  

Geeze Grandma!

Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources

WebQuests- are online inquiries by students—designed and guided by teachers.  Students visit sited pre-identified by a teacher and assess what presentations to share with their classmates.

Designing a successful WebQuest consist of stage setting (introduction), task (activities), process (instructions), evaluation (assessment or rubrics), and conclusion.  When being designed it must be considered the capabilities of the students, primary goals to teach, and ability levels working cohesively. 

Virtual fieldtrip- take students to places all over the world without ever leaving their school’s classroom or computer lab.  Museums, science centers, historical sites, and other educational organizations have developed online field trips.

Social Bookmarking- "Goodreads" is an online bookmarking tool for organizing your favorite books, books you want to read, and books you did not like.  After rating so many books, the website starts to generate suggestions that you can add to your reading list or select “not interested” to make it go away.

-"Delicious" is a resourceful website for bookmarking other websites.  Add a pin to the bookmark bar on the web browser and it is instantly useful for all your bookmarking needs.  It organizes the bookmarks by “tags” that can then be searched. 

A Few Thoughts...

This chapter was just an overwhelming amount of information, and has lots of useful links.  It really opens up the classroom to the internet with WebQuests, virtual field trips, interactive maps, videoconferencing, and websites created by universities.  It also points out that filing things away with paper is a flawed system.  Things get lost, misplaced, and outdated so quickly.  With using online bookmarking, I can organize all the websites I find to incorporate into lesson plans.

Questions:

1. How are we supposed to incorporate WebQuests into our curriculum? Is it meant to be a larger project used to sum up all information previously learned?

2. Are we supposed to make a teacher page for our WebQuest?

3. What website will we be using to design our WebQuests?

From the old days...

Week 5- Ch 4

- Technology integration - refers to ways that teachers build technology into all aspects of their professional work.

- Educational Change - refers to innovations by teachers that create new patterns of teaching and learning in schools.

2 elements are needed to for technology and instruction to be successful:

    1). Teacher mindset: When teachers ask themselves how computers, the Internet and other resources enable students to best meet curriculum goals and learning outcomes.

    

    2). Multiple Pathways: Technology integration is more about how technology is used by teachers than about the amount of technology a teacher has to use.

A technology-using educator can be defined as someone who:

    1). Makes informed choices

    2). Explores Technology

    3). Promotes Change

Inclusion - means that computers and other information technologies are used mainly for traditional purposes of transferring information and practicing skills.

Infusion - means that computers and information technologies are ongoing features of teaching and learning in all academic subjects as all grade levels.

 Stages of Technology Integration

    1) Entry - Teachers are beginning to learn technology

    2).Adoption - Teacher knows enough to add technology in the classroom

    3).Adaptation - Teacher is using technology regularly.

    4).Appropriation - Teacher is using technology inside and outside the classroom.

    5).Invention - Teacher is exploring new ways to use technology in and our of the classroom.

Digital Inequality - More technology is not always the best

Social Infomatics - Analysis in which technology's impacts are considered within the context of larger social, economic, and political realities.

Participation gap - There is a difference between students with 27/7 access to technology and those who can only use it at the libraries and schools.

Mindtools - computer based tools and learning environments that have been adapted or developed to function as intellectual partners with the learner in order to engage and facilitate critical thinking and higher order learning.

           www.teachertube.com

I feel as if this chapter's main purpose was to motivate teachers to not only learn what's out there now, but to adopt and pursue technology, new technology, as well as inventing new ways to use it for learning. 

Questions: 

1. Do you think it is harder for experienced teachers to integrate technology into the curricula, or is it more difficult for new teachers to do so?

2. I hear about the Dept. of Ed. mentioned in politics often. Do you see the government imposing new laws on technology-based classroom strategies?

3. Integrating and "infusing" multidisciplinary, differentiated, and technology-based lesson plans seems complex and scattered. What are some ways that we can keep it simple, while following these guidelines?

Gaming!