Blog #6: Who Are Today's Learners?
In this article by Christine Greenhow, the focus is placed on what the students of today are learning and comprehending in the classroom. Teachers always want to know the background of each of their students because it helps them work with the students better, allowing them to focus on different situations with the proper approach. There are many different ways in which a teacher can extend each student's knowledge base. Introducing new knowledge and experiences through technology is becoming commonplace in today's classrooms.
Greenhow mentions the effects of new ways of learning via the web, and how the web has an effect on students' perspectives. Asking students about their technology experience and skills is the first step in collaborating and finding out what they liked best in school. Some of the students' experience and skills was impressive; almost all of them were techno-savvy and knew more than the average teacher. This was common even in students who had little technology access at home, and among students who were fairly new to technology and computers. There were no differences when the student demographics were taken into account- low-income and middle-income level students expressed no difference in their technological skills. What this showed was that it is very important for teachers to become aware of their students' technological backgrounds so they can help each student learn at the appropriate level and pace. This article correlates with ISTE NETS standard 1.a "apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes."
Greenhow, C. (2008). Who Are Today's Learners? Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(2), 16-17. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20080910#pg18
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Blog #5: I Can See Me...Webcams in the Classroom
This article, by Timothy J. Frey, Abby L. Houlton, and Elizabeth D. Gruis, focuses on using webcams in the classroom and how students can become engaged in reading and presenting material in front of their peers. The article begins by explaining one student's fear of reading aloud, but once he was exposed to a webcam, he was able to see his reflection and know exactly how he looked and acted in front of his fellow classmates. This creates a confidence within the students as they can improve on things that they might be embarrassed about or not like. The webcams help students improve their reading literacy by recording themselves first, then reviewing the videos to check for errors and room for improvement. This creates a sense of pride in their improvements and it is a very important part of learning and growing in the students' education.
Webcam exercises have shown that over time, students increase the word count per minute in their reading and reduce errors in comprehension and public speaking. They are more adept at noticing errors in their reading and correcting them before they happen. Their oral reading fluency greatly excels as well. Listening comprehension is also a big part of the webcam exercise, and studies have shown that it helps with social interaction as well. Students can participate in educational exercises outside of their classrooms by sharing their ideas and work with other students, reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses with others in the educational field. Webcams in the classroom correlate with the ISTE NETS standard 2.a "interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media"
Frey, T., Houlton, A. and Gruis, E. (2010). I Can See Me:Webcams in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(3), 36-37. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201011#pg38
This article, by Timothy J. Frey, Abby L. Houlton, and Elizabeth D. Gruis, focuses on using webcams in the classroom and how students can become engaged in reading and presenting material in front of their peers. The article begins by explaining one student's fear of reading aloud, but once he was exposed to a webcam, he was able to see his reflection and know exactly how he looked and acted in front of his fellow classmates. This creates a confidence within the students as they can improve on things that they might be embarrassed about or not like. The webcams help students improve their reading literacy by recording themselves first, then reviewing the videos to check for errors and room for improvement. This creates a sense of pride in their improvements and it is a very important part of learning and growing in the students' education.
Webcam exercises have shown that over time, students increase the word count per minute in their reading and reduce errors in comprehension and public speaking. They are more adept at noticing errors in their reading and correcting them before they happen. Their oral reading fluency greatly excels as well. Listening comprehension is also a big part of the webcam exercise, and studies have shown that it helps with social interaction as well. Students can participate in educational exercises outside of their classrooms by sharing their ideas and work with other students, reflecting on their strengths and weaknesses with others in the educational field. Webcams in the classroom correlate with the ISTE NETS standard 2.a "interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media"
Frey, T., Houlton, A. and Gruis, E. (2010). I Can See Me:Webcams in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(3), 36-37. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201011#pg38
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Blog #4: Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape
This article by Glen Bull and Martha Sites focuses on the technological advancement of the "kindle" back in 2009. Though dated, the article is still valuable today as it shows an example of educating based on electronic readers. My mom and two sisters are elementary and middle school teachers and in the past few years, all of them have more or less embraced these types of educational devices. When I first saw ads for the Kindle about three to four years ago, I thought it was ridiculous. Why would anybody want to stare at a screen to read a book? I've never been open-minded to them and I am still old-fashioned when it comes to reading. I even prefer to print out my historical articles rather than read them on a computer screen. There is just some sort of good feeling when you can highlight with a real highlighter, or fold a corner of a page over to mark your place. You can't so that on a screen...well, not entirely- you can still "digitally highlight" things I suppose.
The article strives to find educational value for the Kindles and other such electronic reading devices by starting off with the argument that it will help those who may be visually impaired. Guess what? So do glasses and lighting. There second argument is a little more valid, and one that I could agree with on those late-night readings of an article that's due the next day: text-to-speech options. They claim this helps students better understand comprehension and word pronunciation, which I can agree with. But then again, it spawns an idea in my head of robots teaching our children...is that really a good idea? Nothing is better than an actual human being teaching us in my opinion, and it provides the right kind of feedback when you actually interact with someone.The authors also claim that electronic reading devices may just in fact replace physical book stock in your local library, but I can't see that happening anytime soon. Books and writing have gone hand-in-hand for over 500 years and I believe these electronic devices are simply a new alternative, if nothing else- a fad.
I will state that ipads, Kindles, and other such electronic reading/research devices would fall under the NETS-S category of "technology operations and concepts" because they allow students to demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. These devices offer various aps that can be educational, and students can learn how to use them effectively while learning.
Bull, G. and Sites, M. (2009). Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(1), 12-13. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200908#pg14
This article by Glen Bull and Martha Sites focuses on the technological advancement of the "kindle" back in 2009. Though dated, the article is still valuable today as it shows an example of educating based on electronic readers. My mom and two sisters are elementary and middle school teachers and in the past few years, all of them have more or less embraced these types of educational devices. When I first saw ads for the Kindle about three to four years ago, I thought it was ridiculous. Why would anybody want to stare at a screen to read a book? I've never been open-minded to them and I am still old-fashioned when it comes to reading. I even prefer to print out my historical articles rather than read them on a computer screen. There is just some sort of good feeling when you can highlight with a real highlighter, or fold a corner of a page over to mark your place. You can't so that on a screen...well, not entirely- you can still "digitally highlight" things I suppose.
The article strives to find educational value for the Kindles and other such electronic reading devices by starting off with the argument that it will help those who may be visually impaired. Guess what? So do glasses and lighting. There second argument is a little more valid, and one that I could agree with on those late-night readings of an article that's due the next day: text-to-speech options. They claim this helps students better understand comprehension and word pronunciation, which I can agree with. But then again, it spawns an idea in my head of robots teaching our children...is that really a good idea? Nothing is better than an actual human being teaching us in my opinion, and it provides the right kind of feedback when you actually interact with someone.The authors also claim that electronic reading devices may just in fact replace physical book stock in your local library, but I can't see that happening anytime soon. Books and writing have gone hand-in-hand for over 500 years and I believe these electronic devices are simply a new alternative, if nothing else- a fad.
I will state that ipads, Kindles, and other such electronic reading/research devices would fall under the NETS-S category of "technology operations and concepts" because they allow students to demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. These devices offer various aps that can be educational, and students can learn how to use them effectively while learning.
Bull, G. and Sites, M. (2009). Digital Libraries: Shifting the Landscape. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(1), 12-13. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200908#pg14
Blog #3: Who Will Prepare Our Students to Be Good Teachers?
This is a short but meaningful "Blogger's Beat" article by Diana Fingal on the importance of online citizenship and making sure our children or the future generations have a strong experience with it. Fingal examines a number of blogs and articles to try and answer questions of just how we should approach educating our children about online citizenship- should we be forcing a biased criteria on our children so they will exceed in a particular field? She also focuses on David Warlick's blogs as he asks whether or not the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program has a certain slant on their agenda? He notes that these particular fields have very financially-stable backers behind them and although he approves of their vision, he really wants to know who's teaching our children about civic awareness and the ability to appreciate others and express one's self.
While I think Fingal brings out an important argument of what type of education the next generation is getting- industry-minded or self-fulfilling, I personally feel that both are just as important as one another. Some of the comments within the article ask what the importance of education is, and I agree with all of them- we do need to show children the importance of education as a personal reflection and as a way to come together with others. Education should be based on both our individual thoughts, ideas, and opinions, but it should also make us collaborate and work in groups to derive the best possible information pertaining to our studies.
I believe this type of learning focus would fall under the "communications and collaborations" section of the NETS-S profiles because it is asking students to use digital technology to create an environment to communicate among each other. It also supports individual learning that will contribute to the learning of others through groups work and collaboration.
Fingal, D. (2011). Who Will Prepare Our Students to Be Good Teachers?. Learning and Leading With Technology, 39(1), 37. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201108#pg39
This is a short but meaningful "Blogger's Beat" article by Diana Fingal on the importance of online citizenship and making sure our children or the future generations have a strong experience with it. Fingal examines a number of blogs and articles to try and answer questions of just how we should approach educating our children about online citizenship- should we be forcing a biased criteria on our children so they will exceed in a particular field? She also focuses on David Warlick's blogs as he asks whether or not the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program has a certain slant on their agenda? He notes that these particular fields have very financially-stable backers behind them and although he approves of their vision, he really wants to know who's teaching our children about civic awareness and the ability to appreciate others and express one's self.
While I think Fingal brings out an important argument of what type of education the next generation is getting- industry-minded or self-fulfilling, I personally feel that both are just as important as one another. Some of the comments within the article ask what the importance of education is, and I agree with all of them- we do need to show children the importance of education as a personal reflection and as a way to come together with others. Education should be based on both our individual thoughts, ideas, and opinions, but it should also make us collaborate and work in groups to derive the best possible information pertaining to our studies.
I believe this type of learning focus would fall under the "communications and collaborations" section of the NETS-S profiles because it is asking students to use digital technology to create an environment to communicate among each other. It also supports individual learning that will contribute to the learning of others through groups work and collaboration.
Fingal, D. (2011). Who Will Prepare Our Students to Be Good Teachers?. Learning and Leading With Technology, 39(1), 37. Retrieved from: http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201108#pg39
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