Blog # L Ch 12

            Chapter 12 was a fun chapter to summarize the reading material. It helped show us as future teachers the steps and stages it takes to incorporate technology into the classroom and some of the obstacles we may face along the way. We have learned so much about the importance of technology in the classroom throughout the semester and chapter 12 was a great finalization that glued it all together.

            Something I found interesting was the difference between incorporating technology in the classroom and really utilizing it. Assuming that any technology involvement was all the same was a mistake on my part. Inclusion and Infusion of technology are two entirely different things. Inclusion of technology is to have some technology available, but it is mainly used to the basics and it utilized minimally as an extracurricular or simply as an intro to computers. Infusion is to really maximize a student’s participation with technology. Computers and other forms of electronics are a constant within the classroom and curriculum. Students not only use them for information transfer and skill practice, they are integrated throughout the entire day with the daily lesson. Anything from researching to educational games are performed by the students and it is a common practice to use these technological tools as ways to help get students involved and participating. There is difficult however, with some schools funding and or internet accessibility. According to an article written in support of the infusion method, “Without reliable and accessible broadband internet, for example, you and your students cannot harness the power of the internet for communicating and collaborating. Likewise, without devices to access the internet, you and your students will be hamstrung as well” (Spurring Change as Teacher Leaders)

            I think a major reason people are skeptical of integrating technology is the lack of funding towards the tools. Technology isn’t always cheap and many schools are tight budgeted and don’t have the excess funds to put towards technologically infused classrooms. The section on digital inequalities and the participation gap was very enlightening. While the divide may have changed dramatically over the past decade, it is still abundant and true to form that there are many that have and many without. It is important for up and coming teachers to be aware of this divide and be prepared with possible solutions if they intend to integrate technology into their lesson plan. There are many that believe that students who don’t have the same digital experiences as their peers, may find themselves at a disadvantage in their future. “Digital inequality should not be only the preserve of specialists but should make its way into the work of social scientists concerned with a broad range of outcomes connected to life chances and life trajectories.” (Digital Inequalities and Why They Matter) As an educator, it is important to recognize these challenges among your students. If technology is going to be integrated into the curriculum, it is important to find access for those who would not have it on their own or at home. Options must be available to every student on just a select few.

            “Automation subscribes to refinement and rationalization; achieving better performance by conducting current work practices the best possible way. Informating, on the other hand refers to the process of increasing effectiveness through the acquisition of information by the use of information technology and the distilling of that information into new knowledge.” (Digital Eyes: Automate and Informate) These two concepts, though similar, carry different meanings. They can however, be used together. It is up to the teacher to determine which technologies are best suited for their classrooms and how they will affect their lesson plans. It is also the teacher’s responsibility to determine if the technology being used it going to better the students learning experience, is it going to change the learning experience but not improve it, or is it going to diminish the learning capability of the lesson all together? It is important to recognize signs within the students and ask their opinion on the technology being used. Does this help you, or make the assignment more challenging? While every student is different and may learn on different variations, technological experiences as a whole can be a learning experience not only for the students, but for the teacher as well.

            This chapter was a great learning tool for future teachers. It really hit home on some of the key experiences and learning tools that I will need to bring into my future career. It also introduced me to some new vocabulary that I had never heard before. I know I will look back on this chapter in the future and recognize whether my classroom is including technology or in infused with it. Overall this chapter was extremely enlightening and rewarding as the book comes to a close.

References:

Digital Eyes. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://digitaleyeshs.blogspot.com/2011/04/automate-and-informate.html

Digital inequalities and why they matter. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1012532

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Technology Inclusion vs. Technology Infusion. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2015, from http://online.tarleton.edu/Home_files/EDTC_538/Week_5/Week_53.html 

Digital Blog Post # K

Chapter 6 was a fun extension to this week’s assignment of creating a WebQuest. Reading through, it made clear the positives of what a WebQuest can bring to the classroom, as well as the benefits of virtual field trips and the benefits and drawbacks of using educational websites. All of these concepts are great advantages to those who want to become educators and should be used as tools to help them in their classrooms.

This week’s main assignment was one of the best so far. To read more about WebQuests in a more in depth manor throughout chapter 6 gave me a better understanding of their benefits, not just for students but for teachers as well. One of the merits I like about the WebQuests is that it uses less disposable resources. Teachers don’t have to print out 130 copies of the assignment to pass out to all of her classes. Even just 25 copies of a 5 page packet is 125 pages being used along with the ink required, the staples not to mention the time all to be used only one time before having to be thrown out. A WebQuest can be used hundreds of times without ever having to be thrown away or recycled. Another benefit is the simplicity it creates for students. It can be used as an electronic map or to take an online tour, moving from one web resource to the next to gather information and learn about a particular topic. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) WebQuests also offer a variety of techniques all in one assignment. One task can be split into a single student endeavor, or a group activity by assigning different responsibilities to different students throughout a group. I think these WebQuests have an abundant amount of benefits and should be used in this technology revolved day in age.

Something that could go hand in hand with WebQuests would be virtual field trips. This was something I have seen firsthand in a classroom I was volunteering in. At first I was skeptical of the benefit (if any) of what watching a screen could to compared to actually being there. I was completely wrong. I was in a kindergarten classroom and the students were going on a field trip of the Mall of America. I didn’t understand how a broadcast could even compare to being there in real life. It far surpassed my expectations. The students were able to see every square inch of the mall in 30 minutes or less, compared to only being able to see a quarter of the mall had they really been there. They were able to hear facts and construction details (though I doubt at the kindergarten level that was something of interest). But the point being made is that virtual field trips enable students to go to places all over the world without ever leaving their classroom or school computer lab. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies)

When you google any topic, whether it be the Civil War or the periodic table, there will be thousands of websites that come up, a good majority of them claiming to be educational. The key to utilizing educational websites and resources is finding reputable sites that are of high quality (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) The information needs to be accurate and depending on the audience its directed towards, needs to be understandable and engaging. I think a big key to knowing which sites are worthy of an educational status is for the teacher to do a “test run” first. Go through the site and see firsthand what your children will be learning and the techniques being used. If it is an informational website, see if the site is reliable. There are also sites that will compile a list of educational sites that they recommend for teachers and parents to expose their children to. Great!Schools has a great arrangement of helpful links that help get students organized and engaged. It also helps give support and guidance to parents, teachers and students who may be struggling with some aspect of the educational system or its requirements. 
Chapter 6 was a great learning experience and a great expansion to the WebQuest assignment. Learning the different ideas behind interactive technology for students is such an amazing opportunity to see what benefits students within the classroom. Learning how to differentiate between a good and bad educational resource and understanding the benefits behind utilizing virtual field trip tours are all concepts that can be used everyday within a classroom. This week was a great stepping stone in putting what we've learned so far this semester into affect and enlarging the picture of what technology can do for a classroom. 

Digital Blog Post # J Chapter 11

Chapter 11 had an interesting turn of topics as it discussed what teachers can do to better themselves as individuals and as professionals. So much about teaching is aimed towards the students and bettering them as academic successors. While that will always be the main priority, it is important to remember that teachers are indispensable aspects to the student’s success. It is important for the teacher to learn and grow along with the students. This chapter gave different ideas on how teachers can grow as educators and how they can continuously be a better educational professional. It also showed the different situations some schools are using that allows the students to be placed on equal playing ground as the teachers as far as making decisions and casting a vote.

I had never considered creating a digital teaching portfolio before, but the notion is really quiet intriguing. A teacher can collaborate all of their lessons and experiences throughout their career in a single area. Here they can record how successful it was and whether or not they would change or adjust anything about the lesson or situation. As the years go on and a teacher’s portfolio starts growing, they can then go through and start purging things they didn’t think worked so well. A digital portfolio serves as an organized collection of materials that shows a teachers growth and development over time. (Transforming Teaching With New Technologies) There are numerous different manifolds of technology that can be used to help create a portfolio. Many use blogs as a way to document all of their experiences. Some use PowerPoint because it enables them to document more easily using pictures and animations. The basic concept behind all of these ideas is to record observations through experience and to show the accomplishments that the teacher may have succeeded in along the way.

Reflection is a major part of a digital teaching portfolio and may be the key factor in its benefits to teachers and students. The vital conviction behind reflection is that a teacher must be completely and brutally honest with one’s self. If an assignment or project did not go according to plan, it is important to list what and why. This allows the educator to look back in the future and possibly fix the reasons behind the original failure. Reflection stands for the process of self-assessment in which a learner examines past actions to identify what to maintain or change. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) In an article written on Education World, author Linda Starr writes, “One of the most difficult aspects of teaching is the isolation it imposes on its practitioners. Teachers spend most of their days alone in their own classrooms, with their own students. Few opportunities are available to casually observe -- and easily learn from -- other teachers.” (Teacher Diary: Reflections on Teaching and Learning) This is where accurate reflection plays such a vital role. If an educator can record accurately the cause and effect, or pros and cons of an activity, it will eventually help a fellow educator who may be trying to teach the same concepts to their students. It is a wonderful enterprise that teachers can use to bond as a single unit and to encourage one another with new and creative ideas.

One of the most interesting concepts to me in this chapter was the section on Democratic Schools and Classrooms. It was nothing along the lines of what I was anticipating. Naturally, I associated it with democratic, republican parties and while there may be some similarities, they are not associated in the least. Democratic schools are places where students and teachers together make substantive decisions about important aspects of educational operations. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) The practice of a democratic style classroom is starting to catch on worldwide and it gaining many people’s attention. On a website called Education Revolution, TedX actually has a video link you can follow as he discussed the importance of democratic style learning. This website office an extensive list of schools all over the world that follow the democratic style of learning and provide links parents can follow to learn where they are and if that school is the correct place for their children.  The critics of this learning style say if you give the opportunity, students will make immature decisions such as less homework and more social time. (Transforming Learning With New Technologies) The dispute to this argument is that teacher’s superiority is not in question within the classroom. Students still act with respect and are not given the opportunity to change the curriculum, only given the opportunity to vote on how it is taught and assessed.

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Chapter 11 was by far one of my favorites in terms of new information and thinking outside the box. I have never heard of doing some of the attributes discussed throughout this chapter. I love the concept of creating a teaching portfolio and have already started collaborating ideas to create my own. The reflections section really brought home the real meaning behind the portfolio and the importance of being honest within it. You will not learn your mistakes and know how to fix them if you don’t acknowledge your mistakes. And of course, the democratic schools system was what really blew my mind. I cannot believe I have never heard of something that gives students such a voice. I think if used in the right way it can really change the world of education for the better. 

References: 

 Democratic Schools. (2014). Retrieved November 7, 2015, from http://www.educationrevolution.org/store/findaschool/democraticschools/

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

The Power of Democratic Process in Schools: Jerry Mintz at TEDxYouth@BFS. (2012, October 16). Retrieved November 7, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lrHG8y_9C4

Saidi, A. (2011, January 13). Bringing Democratic Education to Your Classroom and School (Lesson Plan). Retrieved November 7, 2015, from http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/library/resource/bringing_democratic_education_to_your_classroom_and_school/

Starr, L. (2003, January 7). Teacher Diary: Reflections on Teaching and Learning. Retrieved November 7, 2015, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev033.shtml