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?
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
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?
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?
Monday, October 7, 2013
Improper Use of Technology - The Buck Stops.....Where?
The Examiner's Article on the Misuse of iPads
Using technology in a classroom can lead teachers to be concerned about the misuse of technology due to several issues; 1) humans are an imperfect creation, of course we want to see what we can do to skirt around what we are really supposed to be doing, 2) kids are kids, part of learning is making mistakes, 3)Avoidance is popular when it comes to challenging information.
Teachers everywhere struggle with the proper use of technology in their classrooms and are constantly finding new ways to ensure that what they are asking from for the students does not get misused. In my class, I put the ownership on the student; if you aren't going to pay attention and you're going to get onto websites or social networks you aren't supposed to; than I can ensure you that you'll miss crucial information and have difficulties understanding the information when we move on in class....this, my friends, will be your issues.
I think this article asks critical questions; the problem isn't that the students hacked into other programs using the digital device; it is that we have to question, as educators, how effective the use of technology is and how well it is truly tied to the curriculum? Although this editorial is not perfect by any means, I found it to be thought provoking. Once more research proving the tablet's usefulness in the classroom becomes apparent; less issues will be part of the common culture of a school or classroom. The 5th grade teachers I assist do an amazing job of implementing the iPads for reading as well as for math, different applications allow for further development of new technologies to spur ideas and cultivate hands on learning. The problem with tablets is that student screens are so small, it is easy to hide what is going on - unlike the ambient glow of a large PC or Mac screen. More importantly, it is difficult to insure that students aren't misusing the use of these tools.
My critique of this article is more centered on the thoughts that different institutions have on how to prohibit the misuse of technology, but not get rid of it completely. Instead of taking all of the technology away from a student group, why not instead encourage proper use through a reward system or put assessments on the iPads that have to be completed for full credit to be received. If a student chooses to ignore these assessments in favor of social media, than why not allow their grade to suffer in conjunction with their poor performance and inability to complete the tasks at hand?
I'm confused as to why social media is constantly the white elephant in the room....what is more important, helping students understand the curricular expectations and information or constantly telling them "no" to Facebook? I used a Facebook template with my previous employer and had student fill in interests of the authors, etc. and I was the one that got weird looks! Um, OKAY!
Using technology in a classroom can lead teachers to be concerned about the misuse of technology due to several issues; 1) humans are an imperfect creation, of course we want to see what we can do to skirt around what we are really supposed to be doing, 2) kids are kids, part of learning is making mistakes, 3)Avoidance is popular when it comes to challenging information.
Teachers everywhere struggle with the proper use of technology in their classrooms and are constantly finding new ways to ensure that what they are asking from for the students does not get misused. In my class, I put the ownership on the student; if you aren't going to pay attention and you're going to get onto websites or social networks you aren't supposed to; than I can ensure you that you'll miss crucial information and have difficulties understanding the information when we move on in class....this, my friends, will be your issues.
I think this article asks critical questions; the problem isn't that the students hacked into other programs using the digital device; it is that we have to question, as educators, how effective the use of technology is and how well it is truly tied to the curriculum? Although this editorial is not perfect by any means, I found it to be thought provoking. Once more research proving the tablet's usefulness in the classroom becomes apparent; less issues will be part of the common culture of a school or classroom. The 5th grade teachers I assist do an amazing job of implementing the iPads for reading as well as for math, different applications allow for further development of new technologies to spur ideas and cultivate hands on learning. The problem with tablets is that student screens are so small, it is easy to hide what is going on - unlike the ambient glow of a large PC or Mac screen. More importantly, it is difficult to insure that students aren't misusing the use of these tools.
My critique of this article is more centered on the thoughts that different institutions have on how to prohibit the misuse of technology, but not get rid of it completely. Instead of taking all of the technology away from a student group, why not instead encourage proper use through a reward system or put assessments on the iPads that have to be completed for full credit to be received. If a student chooses to ignore these assessments in favor of social media, than why not allow their grade to suffer in conjunction with their poor performance and inability to complete the tasks at hand?
I'm confused as to why social media is constantly the white elephant in the room....what is more important, helping students understand the curricular expectations and information or constantly telling them "no" to Facebook? I used a Facebook template with my previous employer and had student fill in interests of the authors, etc. and I was the one that got weird looks! Um, OKAY!
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