Nearing Completion - How Does Technology Fit into My Future?

A year and a half ago, I began a crazy journey to get my M.Ed I remember looking at Dave when he was in the hospital and saying, "I can't believe I'm actually going to do this." The loans, the tears and the stress that went into completing this have been more extreme than I ever thought it could be. When I first began my M.Ed program, I thought that it was kind of like an extension of the activities I had completed as an undergraduate - but I see that I've learned more more practical information in the year and half I have been completing my M.Ed than during my time as an undergraduate. 

Not only do I see and realize a new importance to creating activities that engage students in technology; I see that the applicable uses for these tools involve a new level of comprehension from the student. 

I also think that I have a unique opportunity as a teacher of English to create more visually stimulating environment. Auditory and visual learners need different stimulation and an environment created for them that enhances their own ideas and choices, as well as engages them in the information.

We can't deny that technology is a prominent part of society and education. The challenge is a balancing act - what can we expect from students who are constantly stimulated with something besides a singular task? Can we expect them to engage in activities that require their concentrated attention without outside stimulus? Or do we embrace the multi-tasker, who can tweet and text and listen to music and write a paper while their dog is begging and eating their popcorn? 

I say, if you can't beat em', join em'. 

Striking a Balance....Tech Ed vs. Technology Education

It's funny how with time things seem to change so much. We expect more and more different aspects of education to cultivate new experiences for our students and help us emerge as teachers who prepare their students effectively. But what happens to the basic information? What happens to the adult readiness programs that help young people prepare themselves for bills, insurance, budgeting, and other practical endeavors that sometimes produce a stressful response in young people.

I wonder, why then, we don't incorporate education that sets up and prepares students to do things adults do. In senior year, a course should be required to prepare students for life and all of the technologies that they will be expected to know in order to survive. Students should know how to apply for car and health insurance, the different methods of insuring yourself or a car....why it is important to care for your property...the differences in owning and buying a house, etc.

I feel as thought tech ed could lend its' hand into the production of a course that begged to answer these questions; how can we produce students who know how to complete the basics that life demands from us? How can we prepare students who are more aware the ramifications of selecting a doctor or a lawyer to represent you?

My thoughts this week are directed towards using technology education for life readiness....now I just need some ideas on how to do this...

Education is for Everyone

NPR Expounds on Adult Education

    I don't know that I realized this blog would turn into an article review, but I have come to really enjoy reading a new education/technology article every week and expounding on something different each week.

     1) I love NPR and rarely disagree with much that is presented on it.

     2) This article makes a lot of practical and applicable sense.

    It is amazing that a country like the United States could have so many people who can't read or write proficiently. I simply don't understand it. I know that when people come from another country it is difficult for them work and support themselves and get an education at the same time. I commend the people that are able to do both; but with a family to support; how can we expect people to do this?

    This article makes an obvious point that I had never thought about until now; when education fails a student who drops out or is unjustifiably pushed through the system; we create more work for ourselves in the end. We great a society that is unable to find work and therefore puts a bigger strain on the economy. This article also discusses that education reduces the likelihood that a student will end up in prison. The number if prisoners also effects the economy and the amount of strain that we all feel for those who are unable to work or support themselves.

    The drop in funding to these programs (government spending on adult ed has dropped 17% since 2002 quotes the article) effects the technology that is readily available to these adults as well. I think about on a daily basis the technology I use as a literate person:

1) Cellphone

2) Multiple operating systems: PC and Macintosh

3)  Microsoft Applications; Publisher, Excel, Word, Power Point, etc.

4) A copy machine

5) A Smart Board

6) An iPad

Each of those technologies need someone to be able to have a hands on experience to understand. In cutting funding for adult ed, our students who need to be able to join the workforce the most are denied access to the things they need to be equipped to work and study as they should.

The literacy partners focus on the importance of educating parents in order to help students become more at ease with their literacy problems as well as stopping the cycle of illiteracy in their own family. I feel like we really need to focus on continuing adult education. We shouldn't have anyone in our country who can't read or dropped out of high school completely; we should have a goal of enabling the future of our country to help students of all ages.

I like NPR articles because their articles always end up with an uplifting story; a young man learns to read and then is able to have a more fulfilling life for himself and even make more money. Think of all of the opportunities we are closing off when we cut off funding for these programs and the technologies they need to produce adults who are literate, learned, and tech savvy!

Refurbished but Not Replaced

Check out the Huffington Post's Article HERE on Technology Replacing Teachers....

It's funny, I've never really thought about technology taking over my job or replacing my position. I've heard of people working at cyber schools and being more than happy with that position, and I think it's great! Many students thrive in places like cyber school for many different reasons. I think of young men and young women who are showing on the "A" circuit riding; cyber school has enabled them to follow their dreams and finish their education simultaneously.

In this article, we hear, "Personalized tech-infused learning is the future of education," - and it's true! Think about differentiation...technology produces teachers who use apps to promote student learning and choice. I feel like with differentiation we often think about just different ability levels; and that's not right! I think the key to remembering how to use technology for different levels of learning is remembering that differentiation is not just about ability levels but different areas of interest and learning styles. For instance, many learners have issues with producing work when it is not displayed visually somewhere, i.e. the differences between auditory learning, visual learning and so or and so forth. I think that technology won't replace teachers because we are the ones that know our students personalities and abilities more than a test on a computer. However, this doesn't mean we should exclude technology from our classrooms because of fear it will take-over us! We have to be open to sharing our thoughts and using it to the best of its' advantage.

I thought this article was also interesting because it talked about the different opportunities of technology not changing the role of the teacher (necessarily). Maybe I am taking this out of context, but my role changes depending on what I have to offer my students. For instance, students can't be completely unaware of the importance of having found new ideas through their own accord, but they also need to learn how to USE this technology, which can be challenging and taxing for all depending on the situations that arise in the classroom. I feel as thought it is critical to give students time to understand and review the tools they have so they are able to make the best decisions for what kind of technology to use when.

I feel like this article is a bit slanted and doesn't always include the formulation of the us vs. them mentality that is produced through this article's deviation in technology vs. the people; this is not iRobot people, we are all on the same page!

#educationswag #categorizationtags #CANTWITTERWORKINACLASSROOM?

Check out THIS argument on Twitter usage in classroom....

I am intrigued by Twitter and even during Parent/Teacher conferences I had a parent ask me if I was going to implement Twitter in my classroom, how progressive!

1) It scares me

2) It intrigues me

3) I find myself enthralled in it for social networking reasons.

Is it because the#hastags allow for tagging and categorization of subject matter or is it because I know that Hemingway would be completely in love because of the short sentence structure that Twitter encourages. However, are short sentences always better? Can we really say that we would rather have students write in a concise manner? What if that is hard for them?

Twitter, like anything else, has a time and place with the right group of students. I would be interested in how Twitter is used (if at all) in the college classroom. I feel as though many college professors in education (like the former professor from Millersville that shared this link, are progressive in their thinking and excited about the use of new technology; even those technologies that are on the faux-paus list because of their connotations with social media.

The raw data in this article is also interesting; posing the question that social media is improving the thought-processes that students use when writing. There were even some nuances that reading levels didn't effect a child's intelligence. This interested me.....

So no more reading? Tweeting? The information and micro-chipping age is a difficult one to ignore. Just a few weeks ago a vet asked me about microchipping my horse in case of theft. We put our stamps and labels on everything to categorize it as "ours," so why not do the same with our writing by tagging it with #hashtags?

Can we implement Twitter without students having access to information, pictures, and profiles that are too "adult," and can we explicitly control their usage of this tool? Better question, should we?

Feeling the Pressure

I'm starting to feel the pressure of implementing technology more and more readily within my lesson plans; not by the fault of administration, but because of the pressing need for students to know and understand the different kinds of technological advances that society is implementing.

Many of my students are feeling increasingly interested in the "Walking Dead," the zombie movement, and I keep thinking there has to be a way to have students feel more connected through technology by examining the make up, still action shots and camera angles (like the readings this week) in order for us to understand more important aspects of student learning/technology implementation. I'd like to think that I should be creating a world that uses student learning with student interest.....an age old question!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcus-t-wright/we-have-what-we-need-the-_b_4137114.html

I think this editorial is interesting, it talks about us, "Having what we need," but being unable to implement it appropriately and conform our lessons we feel like we have to teach to fit this technology. I find the article a bit sugary at the end but also empowering; we have to use what we have not to just impress our counter-parts in education but be more engaged in helping our students learn and use what we have. Don't waste resources, or under-use, but don't over use to the point that students are never unplugged from being online.


I saw this comic a while ago and realized it might be where we are getting to. I think that its a powerful statement; why can't we use our cellphones to communicate? Is it because a few people can't use them appropriately that we all suffer...ugh! So many questions. I feel like my blogs have become an endless strings of elements I just need other's opinions on.

When Will More People Drink the Technology Kool-Aide?

Read About Students Using Technology in Illinois

  Teachers in Illinois are saying their children, as young as 4 and 5, are finding ways to implement technology and become more engaged in their learning. I did a complete palm-smack to the face when I read this article and felt like DUH was in order. This was just released a few days ago; they are discussing how important technology is and how engaged they felt like their students have become through the use of technology. The surprising thing isn't the information they are providing, it is the time in which they are providing it; for instance, they discuss "interactive whiteboard," i.e. SmartBoards, HELLO! SmartBoards are a thing of the past, we need to ensure that we are using all technology across the board in all schools and disciplines.

I guess I am spoiled because now I am at a school that values and encourages the constant use of technology; but I'm just so unsure of how people adequately prepare their young people for the future without it.

Technical schools and other avenues still must use a broad sense of Microsoft at the least?? I feel like I have seen the opposite of each spectrum, a school that provides ample opportunities to improve student knowledge through the use of technology. I've also seen a school that had little technology because of a large lack in funding. I feel like I'm out of touch of the normal public school.

Opinions?