Final Blog: Reflection

In my Midterm Review Blog I discussed the course objectives from this class and where I was in meeting those objectives. I will again review the course objectives and discuss what I have learned since my last blog and if I have met the course objectives now that my class is complete.

The first 5 objectives I discussed in my first review so I will summarize quickly how I met these objectives with my last assignments: 

The last assignments I did were the Digital Story, Integrated Technology Lesson Plan and my WebQuest. All these assignments helped me learn new technological tools to integrate into my teaching. Using Animoto is fun and will help students present their ideas and a more creative format. It also helps the student be more engaged int heir work. Creating my Lesson Plan I integrated different technological tools into the lesson which will help the student find new ways to communicate with the teacher and students, research and present information. In my Webquest I tried to make the Webquest fun and visually appealing, interactive, easy to follow but also educational. All these assignments showed me different methods to make my lessons more interactive and engaging to students. When teaching students how to use these tools and having them learn by using these tools they get better at being digital citizens. They get to learn how to use tools appropriately in education.

I also learned how to create survey's using Google Docs which can be used as an assessment to see where my students are at and what they have learned. I also learned how to create a rubric using Rubistar which helps students see what is expected of them. In my rubric and lesson plan I made sure to add a section of practicing being a good digital citizen in which students are reminded how to be good digital citizen.

Objective 6. Illustrate through application how state and national standards are implemented within the curriculum (e.g., NH Curriculum Frameworks, ISTE (NETS-Teacher/NETS-Student) and NH-ICT Literacy Standards for K-12 Students (306.42))

In the Lesson Plan and the Webquest I learned more about meeting curriculum and NETS standards in teaching. You can't just teach students anything you want and the Curriculum Standards help teachers know what students need to be taught. How teachers teach it and meet these standards is up to them but all students need to meet these standards. With my assignments I  picked what I wanted to cover, based on what my certification will be in, then I looked into what standards I could meet with my lesson plan. This helped me get a feel for finding the standards and learning how to meet them.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student

All the tools being used can be given as options for students to reflect and present their ideas which allows them to pick a method that fits their learning needs. By making the lesson plans more integrative with different tools it allows students to be able to learn using different learning styles. In the lesson plan I discussed how to change the materials offered to students with IEP's so they meet the standards and objectives of the lesson but in a way that fits them.

Objective 8. Evaluate, adapt and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature- This objective was met and discussed in my Midterm Review.

FINAL REFLECTION

       It is important to integrate technology into the lessons we teach (regardless the age of the students) to make the lessons more interactive, engaging and slowly teaches students how to use technology appropriately in their education and careers. Students want to use technological tools they enjoy such as the internet, cell phones, iPads, and video games. Why not show them that it is possible to use these tools in an educational manner and that learning is fun? Students need to be invested into their own education and one way to show them how is by letting them have a choice on how they are taught. Technological tools give students options and teachers more methods to reach their students. 
        Some of the barriers in technological integration could be an outdated school administration or lack of funds. Some administrative personal who block technological integration just need to be reeducated and shown evidence how this can help students much better then the old methods. Most careers today require the use of computers so schools have a duty to show students how to use computers and the software's appropriately. As for funds there are still grants available to integrate technology into the classroom. 
         I enjoyed the WebQuest and I will use that as my lesson plan because it helps students go at their own pace, makes the lesson more interactive and engages students. As a teacher it provides your lesson plan to your students and lets them take control of their education. The other tools I learned about will be integrated into my lessons to help students show their reflections of their teachings. It's limitless what I can do but I know it will help my students enjoy learning and be more engaged.

   This class was my first class in education and it definitely helped me get settled into my new degree. This class was informative, interactive and fun. I learned how to make teaching more engaging for students and to reach students with their learning styles and needs. The tools I learned about has made me more confident in integrating technology into my lesson plans and that I don't need to know everything now I can learn about more tools as I go. When I heard about the Webquest I was scared and intimidated and now that I did it I'm like that was not bad. I enjoyed being taught the tools as the teacher was using it and watching her use them on the screen. This made it easy to follow. I feel better prepared to continue in my degree and more confident in my decision to choose education.

Midterm Review: Am I learning What I Should Be Learning

        I love technology and want to know more but every time I try to learn more I become overwhelmed at its complexity and how quickly the tools we learn about today are gone tomorrow. This class has definitely helped me to look at technology in a different light. Trying to be ahead of the technology world is impossible but like stated before by the professor "It's not about the tools". Children need to have options for how they learn and we can give them those options but still make sure they are absorbing the information they need to know. Now I will review what I have learn so far compared to what I should be learning from the class objectives.



1. Demonstrate the understanding of how technologies can effectively promote student learning:

I start discussing the importance of using technological tools in education in my first blog post, Books or iPads, Library or the Internet: Lets give our children the option. Children are not learning as much today and it's not because they are becoming more stupid in each generation but because teachers are failing them. Children need to be taught with tools they feel comfortable with and in the manner they learn best. The old method of teaching worked during the time period when children were use to learning that way but as children explored more and were given new gadgets the old methods of teaching stopped working. I can use this class as an example. This class not only discusses the various tools we can use in teaching but we actually get to use those tools to learn more about them. We are listening, reading and actually using our hands to get absorb what we are learning about just like the way we should teach students.

2. Evaluate and use a variety of current technologies to enhance content instruction and to advance students' technological literacy:

This objective is a working process in which we have used simpler tools to enhance content instruction but we are still working on bigger projects not due to closer to the end of this course which is still expanding our knowledge of the tools available. Technological tools such as Blogger and Wordle makes writing fun and helps children create which is important in learning. By adding any technological tool into every lesson we are letting our children create which enhances learning but also lets them learn about all the helpful technological tools available and how to use them properly.

3. Design meaningful and authentic digitally based learning experiences with multiple and varied assessments:

In creating our lesson plan and Webquest we are finding great ways teachers have used technological tools to help students be more engaged in their learning. The assessment rubrics help teachers assess if students have learned what they needed to learn. This helps teachers find another method to reteach lessons that students had a hard time understanding.

4. Reflect upon and demonstrate effective use of digital tools and resources:

My blog is the way I get to reflect about the tools I have used in this class. In class we get to use the digital tools we are learning about as the teacher is showing us how to use them and that has helped so much. I really enjoyed the Voki lesson and how we applied to learning about these tools by creating Voki's to discuss digital citizenship in my blog Voki Digital Citizenship Presentation. In blackboard every resource we have used in class is available to us so we don't have to search for them and we can go back in case we didn't get anything. I want to create the same setup for my future students because children should be able to go back and review. This helps with the learning process.

5. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of safe, ethical, legal and moral practices related to

digital information and technology:

I have discussed digital citizenship and how to be good digital citizens in my post Digital Citizenship Blog and re-enforced it by having my Voki's go over it again in my post Voki Digital Citizenship Presentation. This objective has definitely been met and helps me learn how to teach my future students about it. 

6. Illustrate through application how state and national standards are implemented within the curriculum (e.g., NH Curriculum Frameworks, ISTE (NETS-Teacher/NETS-Student) and NH-ICT Literacy Standards for K-12 Students (306.42)):

I am working on this objective in the creation of my lesson rubric and Webquest. I know the standards are ways to make sure students learn what they need to learn but how they learn it is up to us. It's up to us to make our lessons are engaging.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student: I know that providing videos to teach lessons helps students who are visual learners and creating an article helps students who are hands on learners. I know that there are many other uses of adaptive technologies and I believe we are covering that next week so I can't wait to get a better understanding of this. 

8. Evaluate, adapt and reflect on emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature:              We reviewed this objective quickly but I hope we are going to go into it much more. We reviewed Webinars and how it's an online video classroom where anyone can join in to watch and interact. I used some professional articles for my discussion in my post Preparing Students for the Future. Webinars and current research helps teachers learn about new methods that are working and in turn emerge these new tools in their classrooms.

Animoto Video

Voki Digital Citizenship Presentation

Digital Citizenship Blog

Below is an assessment of the discussion we had in class about digital citizenship.

What did you learn that you did not know before? 

          When you buy a child a new toy that they have never seen before do you just hand it to them and expect that they will know how to use it? Most likely not. You take the time to show them what the toy does, how to use it and remind them to take care of it. This is the same approach we need to take with children and technological tools. It’s imperative that we show them the correct ways to use these tools they have available to them and never assume they already know.

My generation grew up with the internet, computers and cell phones but I on the other hand did not. I grew up in the country where I played outside every day from daylight to dusk. My foster parents didn’t believe in allowing children to watch television never mind having internet. When I entered middle school I had my first computer class and we did a lot of word processing but not much on the internet. In high school I started to explore the web but my parents were still against having a computer in our home. The web to me is a luxury so why would I want to ruin it. Children today don’t feel the same as I but I wish they could see what it is like to go without the things they take for granted. Children need to be taught good moral and ethical values which they can then adhere to in every aspect of their lives including digitally. Today our lives are no longer just memories but proof available to view digitally every day.  Anybody can see who we are even if we don’t know them. In person we can sway people’s feelings about us but in our digital world people make assumptions based on the research they find on us, which could be false or outdated. Nothing is forgotten on the internet so children need to realize that what they put out there will impact their lives forever.  The question left is who will teach them this? Teaching ethical and moral guidelines is done by every person in someone’s life (family, teachers and community) so that needs to be the same approach to teaching digital citizenship.

What did you find interesting? 

          I loved the following video:

It was simple and reminds all of us the questions we need to ask ourselves before we post anything on the web or send anything digitally.

Was there something you read that you disagreed with? 

          The article WhyTeachers Need Digital Citizenship by Suzie Nestico reminded me that we can’t let our fears restrain ourselves from being good examples of digital citizenship. Teachers need to be able to use the tools they are teaching about. Teachers need to have Facebook pages but schools need to install better rules and regulations about digital use to educate students but protect educators and students. The article provided a good life example of what can happen when someone fraudulently pretends to be you on the internet and then tries to ruin your name. On Halloween children dress up and pretend to be anything or anyone they want. They feel invincible behind their masks and sometimes act up because they don’t feel like they will get caught. This is the same way on the web. The only problem is that what some children feel like is just simple fun can actually be something that can ruin someone’s reputation and go even further.

          In the adult world when you fraudulently impersonate someone else and attempt to ruin their reputation there are harsher consequences. I did not agree with this statement, “If nothing else, I try and remember we are working with kids, after all. I’m not in this business to punish. I just want my students to learn what is right and what is wrong in their online behaviors”. The student should have been found and made to apologize to all the people he or she affected. That would teach that student that no matter how hard you try you are not completely hidden behind a computer and what you do online impacts others in reality.

          We can’t expect that a student will learn their lesson because we fixed the problem; they need to learn their lesson by fixing the problem themselves.

Do you think it is important to teach digital citizenship skills to students even if you are just working on the computers in your class for a quick lesson? 

          YES!!! It’s important to take the time to let your students know what you expect from them that includes how they should use the computers that will be made available to them. As a mother of a six year old I get to hear over and over again, “You didn’t tell me I couldn’t do that”. How can you fight that logic? We can’t assume that students will know what is expected from them or how to properly use the tools being made available to them. We can argue, well its common sense. I’m now learning the hard way that what is common sense to me is not common sense to all and assuming that everybody should know what we know is ignorance. So take some time to remind students how to use the computer, wrong uses and consequences if they use it incorrectly.

Were you surprised at your own digitalfootprint?

         

I was not surprised by my own digital footprint because I do many things online. Mostly everything in our lives is digitalized for easy storage. There might be certain protocols that need to be taken to gain access to sensitive personal information but it is still available online. I need to limit how much information I have available because it makes it easier to hack into sensitive information. When someone searches me what do I want them to see and know about me? I need to limit the information I make available to what I want others to know about me.

Who's job is it to teach the skills and when should they be taught?

            Everyone that enters a child’s life takes part in their education so that means that everyone (family, educators, and the community) should take part in teaching children the skills needed to be good digital citizens. When do we start teaching our own children how to be good citizens? Probably as soon as they start processing information because children learn from examples. When a child is introduced to technological tools that is when we should start teaching them how to be good digital citizens. We can teach them by providing ourselves as good examples. That doesn’t mean teach them everything right away but instead build on it as they become more technologically savvy.

Comparison of Documentaries

For this week we were asked to watch two documentaries and then answering all the following questions:

1.       Compare and Contrast each documentary.  What has changed from the first one (Growing Up Online) made in 2008 to the newer one (Digital Nation) filmed in 2010 ?

The two documentaries both discuss the digital age but reflect on different fears of what digital use is doing to people and our society.

Watch Growing Up Online on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

In Growing Up Online, which was filmed in 2008, the biggest fears for parents was losing their children to the internet. Technology was still rather new; parents and teachers didn’t know how to catch up with it which caused a lot of fears of an area that is misunderstood. Also children were not as aware of how to be good digital citizens and how what they do in the cyber world still impacted others in the real world. As with all new things the internet caused a lot of excitement for younger generations but they were improperly trained on how to use it ethically. Who can blame them? Teachers and parents didn’t know how to use it themselves so they could teach this. Society instead of focusing on proper training methods to teach children how to use the internet instead focused on dangers. It’s important to teach children the dangers that lurk in the cyber world and how to react to it but also teach them how to be good citizens in this new world by using it properly.

Watch Digital Nation on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

In Digital Nation society as a whole has accepted the new technologies available to them but many questions of its dangers have still not been answered. Parents are even more afraid of losing their children to the digital world because of compulsive online gaming. Teachers and parents are now more trained in some of the technologies used and are focusing on teaching children how to be good digital citizens. The problems now arising is: are we losing ourselves to online worlds and how is our mind reacting to these different stimuli. As discussed in the documentary there aren’t enough studies to show the benefits or drawbacks of the use of technology compared to not using technological tools. As with all things there are those who overdue it and can ruin it for everybody else. Technology needs to be used as a tool but not as a main source of all the sensory stimulants we need to grow and learn. The generation who grew up with these technologies is moving so fast that they don’t realize that they aren’t giving their brains enough time to catch up.

2.       Your thoughts on multitasking.  Do you agree?  Can you multitask?  Do you disagree?

Sometimes the simplest innovations can go a long way. I myself do attempt to multitask but have learned with age that it is not beneficial to do so. Multitasking is acceptable for personal time usage. For learning and work I don’t agree with multitasking for long periods of time. Each issue needs to be addressed with focus or our minds can’t consume all the information and the output is not as helpful. At work this can cause misunderstandings or miscommunication which can have negative outcomes. As for learning, I have found that if I focus on just each assignment with no distractions I have better results and I don’t get stressed. Sometimes we need to unplug ourselves from the online world.

3.       Is there an addiction happening in society today with technology or is it just a new way of living?  Should we be concerned?

In both documentaries parents discussed their concerns of how addicted children becoming to certain technological tools. The internet can let us reinvent ourselves and live out our fantasies but the problem is that people loose a grip on reality and can’t detach themselves from the internet. Internet addiction stems on people and children trying to satisfying something missing in their lives. How to treat these addictions is becoming the biggest issue because the internet is everywhere. We can help the generations by educating them of the risks involved with overuse of the internet.

4.       Do video games serve a purpose in education or are they a waste of time?

       Video games can be fun and educational. Once again teachers and parents need to teach proper use. In a classroom video games can be a great tool for stimulating lessons.

5.       Do you believe that digital tools such as google tools can save schools that are struggling?

    Google tools are useful for teachers who trying to bring technology into the classroom but also are helpful in bringing the classroom to the students. Classrooms can have a discussion forum which helps students communicate and share ideas even when they are not in the classroom. Teachers can also provide helpful tools for children which they can review in their own time. Google tools help engage teachers and students. This is needed in today’s educational system.

6.       Do parents of today have any idea what their kids are doing online?  Whose job is it to teach them the safety and digital responsibility?  Parents/Teachers/Community/Government??

Parents are more aware today with what their children are doing online because parents are doing it too. Parents, teachers, the community and the government all need to take part in educating children on safety and digital responsibility.

7.       Are kids and adults today ruining their digital footprints by sharing too much information online without realizing that it may be detrimental to their future? Should they care?

Children are becoming more creative with their digital footprints and are slowly learning of what is acceptable to share. Children are learning and should care of what they share because in the cyber world things can’t be taken back and everyone can see what type of person you are.

8.       “Stranger Danger” and predator fears are often overblown by the media on shows such as Datelines “To Catch a Predator”.  What are the real dangers of technology in this day and age?

The real danger of technology today is misuse. People not being good digital citizens is one problem and people becoming addicted to the technological tools such as the internet.

9.       Share your overall reactions and thoughts about each documentary here.  Please relate it to your views as a teacher/parent/coach/etc... What did you learn, find interesting, find disturbing, relate to, did not relate to, etc...from watching either documentary that you would like to share with others?

The documentaries were both good and kept my focus. The thing I found most disturbing is the Army using gamestations to solicit future recruits. Children attending these stations thought it was fun and then joined the Army but what they don’t realize is war is not fun and it is not a game.   

Preparing students for the future

In this post I wanted to discuss how technologies can effectively promote student learning now and for the future by reviewing an article that I found interesting, A Career Education Program That Gets Results by Margo Pierce.

Class Objectives that I met through this review are:


#2 - Evaluate and use a variety of current technologies to enhance content instruction and to
advance students' technological literacy.
#7 - Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student.
#8 - Evaluate, adapt and reflect upon emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature



Volusia County Schools in Florida have found a way to get students involved in their career planning in high school so they can be better prepared for college. The Career and Technical Education program involves 10 high schools and the community. The following are some quick stats of this program:

• 4,500 Students enrolled in 33 career programs

• 95% Graduation Rate

• 2.94 Grade Point Average

•  85 percent of students have some kind of post-secondary education plans in place when they graduate

This program uses technological tools to help students figure out what they are passionate about so they can be placed in appropriate careers. One of these tools is Rocket21 which "serves as a virtual career fair that allows kids to explore professions in a multimedia environment. A public beta test that Rocket21 started in the summer of 2011 has signed up more than 2,000 kids from around the world as members who can then communicate with industry experts and their peers. The search function takes a member to a page populated with a list of professionals in a particular field--for instance, if a student has an interest in culinary arts, he or she might be connected with a chef--in addition to providing blogs, photos, documents, audio, and videos".

A large percentage of careers today requires the use of specific technological tools. The students in this program receive hands on training with these technological tools so they can be better trained in their chosen career. In today's economic crisis students need to be better prepared for careers. The prices for attending colleges/ universities have increased and the employment rate has decreased. Currently competition for jobs is high. Students need to focus on specialized career training which will increase their hire-ability. 

Volusia County Schools teach all basic curriculum courses in a way that helps students to apply learned knowledge and skills in their chosen careers. In my opinion this is an excellent method to help students become more engaged with their learning. I remember asking myself in high school "how is this going to help me in life or my career?" Nobody ever gave me a definitive answer and I became bored with subjects that I found useless. To coordinate subject topics, students and careers involves a lot of communication between teachers and the county has a blackboard website which allows the sharing of information between all the schools.

Most of us have heard  the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child". Many parents today have forgotten this and put to much pressure on schools to teach everything to their children. At the Volusia County Schools they have engaged the whole community in the children's learning. The community helps fund specific programs and businesses help teach students further with internships. To keep the community involved community partners or participants can easily check on the progress of the schools on their wiki page. 

The methods and tools used by these schools are important to me. I'm all about career focused curriculum because it lets students see that what they are learning does have a significance. Some of the tools mentioned are helpful in helping students find out what careers they are most interested in and I plan to use them in my current position. Also the tools used for community involvement is also useful because communication in business is vital and it shows students how to be effective communicators in an ever expanding world. Overall I enjoyed and learned a lot from this article.