Calendars
I chose this option because at first it seemed a little too simple to be on a list of classroom technology options. A calendar is a visual tool for time management. It can be displayed by day, week, or month and people can add reminders about certain dates, appointments, times, or schedules on it for themselves or others to see. In the past, calendars have been physical objects that people had to actually write on, but now with technology, calendars are much more interactive, easier to edit and visualize. I was curious to see what others had to say about it or whether there was some new meaning for a calendar that I evidently hadn't caught on to. Needless to say, there's no new meaning or any tricks, this tool is still the same as it ever was only now it's not hanging on a wall in your kitchen. However, I did read some very interesting uses for it that I hadn't thought of in the context of education. I remember that when I was in gradeschool we were required to fill out a weekly planner and have our parents sign it. However, that was only material that flowed through OUR pencils that the parents got to see. I can imagine how much more helpful it would be for a parent to see exactly what the teacher needs/wants to convey. Also as a student, I like to look ahead and be as prepared for a lesson as possible. In college, we receive syllabi that map out the semester for you. In high school or grade school, it wasn't quite that thorough. I can imagine how helpful it would be for a student to know in advance what they are going to be working on each day in class. The third use for calendars that I saw was for principals or substitute teachers. The calendar simply becomes an online lesson plan book for the principal to review or for a substitute to use as a reference should they need to.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Journal 3
Zucker, Andrew A. (2009). Assessment made easy. Learning & Leading with Technology, June/July, Retrieved 07/26/2009, from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=June_July_No_8_1&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4333&ContentID=23577&DirectListComboInd=D
Assessment Made Easy
Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved this article. Before even entering any of the technology aspects I really like the way that the school was set up regarding it’s ethnic make-up, the lottery style acceptances and the requirement to have low income students as well. I thoroughly believe that having mixed SES schools is such a good idea and can benefit both those in the higher levels and lower levels. I was actually in a physics class here at CSUSM when they introduced personal tablets for each student. The program was new so it was rather bumpy and Dr. DeLeone was very patient with us but I think that overall it was an interesting and creative idea. I really like that teachers can pull up students work anonymously and correct it as a group, I think that that particular teaching technique would be very successful in grabbing students attention and ensuring that they are absorbing the material. I have to agree also that instant feedback on tests is awesome and extremely helpful to the student.
Why wouldn’t having laptops alone bring a school from weak to strong?
Simply giving students laptops would not be enough to turn a weak school into a strong school because the students need instruction and creative and thoughtful application for the technology. Programs, lesson plans, and usage of the laptops needs to be meshed together in ways that would yield successful results and this requires the proper staffing at the school.
Why might shy kids benefit from online discussion?
Some kids have very valuable input or thoughts but would rather not say them out loud or have everyone looking at them at one time. Online, they can make their statement or their opinion and receive immediate feedback without all the extra attention of verbally socializing.
Assessment Made Easy
Let me begin by saying that I absolutely loved this article. Before even entering any of the technology aspects I really like the way that the school was set up regarding it’s ethnic make-up, the lottery style acceptances and the requirement to have low income students as well. I thoroughly believe that having mixed SES schools is such a good idea and can benefit both those in the higher levels and lower levels. I was actually in a physics class here at CSUSM when they introduced personal tablets for each student. The program was new so it was rather bumpy and Dr. DeLeone was very patient with us but I think that overall it was an interesting and creative idea. I really like that teachers can pull up students work anonymously and correct it as a group, I think that that particular teaching technique would be very successful in grabbing students attention and ensuring that they are absorbing the material. I have to agree also that instant feedback on tests is awesome and extremely helpful to the student.
Why wouldn’t having laptops alone bring a school from weak to strong?
Simply giving students laptops would not be enough to turn a weak school into a strong school because the students need instruction and creative and thoughtful application for the technology. Programs, lesson plans, and usage of the laptops needs to be meshed together in ways that would yield successful results and this requires the proper staffing at the school.
Why might shy kids benefit from online discussion?
Some kids have very valuable input or thoughts but would rather not say them out loud or have everyone looking at them at one time. Online, they can make their statement or their opinion and receive immediate feedback without all the extra attention of verbally socializing.
Journal 2
Robson, Matthew (2009, 07, 13). How teenagers consume media: the report that shook the city. Retrieved July 26, 2009, from guardian.co.uk Web site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/13/teenage-media-habits-morgan-stanley
How Teenagers Consume Media
I found this article to be very entertaining and did a lot of reflection while reading it. I’d never taken into account my own habits when I was a teenager. I did wonder whether this article was just about teenagers today or the recent past because I noticed that some parts of it were different for me. For example, the author states that they didn’t know a single teenager who read the newspaper. I’m not exactly a teenager anymore, but I do read the newspaper. I also was surprised at the cell phone section talking about how most teenagers have pay as you go plans. I am not familiar with that fact at all because as a teenager, I didn’t know any of my friends to be on that kind of a plan, we were just on our parent’s plans.
What is one downside to using the television for educational programs in the classroom?
I think that a downside to using educational shows in class is that kids have learned to tune out many types of technology, such as pop-ups or advertising as mentioned in the article. I think that with technology such as cell phones, many kids can easily tune out an educational show and ultimately not learn anything.
How can teachers control the usage of cell phones by students?
According to the article, 99% of students have cell phones. I think there are two different ways to approach this problem, the first being acceptance and even the implementation of cell phones into the curriculum the way that our professor, Jeff Heil, did the first night of this class. The second would be to have students place their cell phones on the desk in plain sight so that there is no temptation to text under the desk or become distracted by their phones.
How Teenagers Consume Media
I found this article to be very entertaining and did a lot of reflection while reading it. I’d never taken into account my own habits when I was a teenager. I did wonder whether this article was just about teenagers today or the recent past because I noticed that some parts of it were different for me. For example, the author states that they didn’t know a single teenager who read the newspaper. I’m not exactly a teenager anymore, but I do read the newspaper. I also was surprised at the cell phone section talking about how most teenagers have pay as you go plans. I am not familiar with that fact at all because as a teenager, I didn’t know any of my friends to be on that kind of a plan, we were just on our parent’s plans.
What is one downside to using the television for educational programs in the classroom?
I think that a downside to using educational shows in class is that kids have learned to tune out many types of technology, such as pop-ups or advertising as mentioned in the article. I think that with technology such as cell phones, many kids can easily tune out an educational show and ultimately not learn anything.
How can teachers control the usage of cell phones by students?
According to the article, 99% of students have cell phones. I think there are two different ways to approach this problem, the first being acceptance and even the implementation of cell phones into the curriculum the way that our professor, Jeff Heil, did the first night of this class. The second would be to have students place their cell phones on the desk in plain sight so that there is no temptation to text under the desk or become distracted by their phones.
Journal 1
Owens, Eileen M. (2009). Do your teachers need a personal trainer?. Learning & Leading with Technology, June/July, Retrieved 07/20/2009, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3620082009/JuneJulyNo8/36814o.pdf
Do Your Teachers Need a Personal Trainer?
Do Your Teachers Need a Personal Trainer?
This article discusses technology in the classroom and teachers who might need help getting up to date on using them as educational resources. As technology progresses, educators who are not actively taking technology classes or making a habit of technology are less likely to be utilize technology in their classrooms. The author describes a program in which college students visited a public school and worked with the teachers there over a period of time to teach them and help them implement technology into their lesson plans.
Why would students be interested in this type of program?
Working in a classroom, with students, or with teachers can be valuable experience for any students, regardless of whether they want to go into teaching or not. Even for the tech students who were not necessarily in a credential program, they were networking and working on their social skills.
Why would schools be interested in this type of program?
Technology is constantly evolving and there is so much of it that it is unlikely that schools would be able to keep their educators up to date with every in class resource available. For this reason, bringing in a student who is still learning about these different resources and is more than likely going to be familiar with different resources than the educator helps both the students at the school and the educator learn new techniques and skills that they can continue to implement long after the "personal trainer" has left.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Social Bookmarking - NETS V
1. National Archives - I chose the Designs for Democracy page which depicts many different drawings and original plans for influential and American history objects. This would be very interesting to use in a classroom setting because it could be inspiring for several different aspirations that students may be developing - architecture, art, etc. It is also a valuable primary resource tool because since the drawings and designs are genuine, there is less chance of the material you are presenting in the classroom setting to be fake or tampered with.
2. National Education Association - According to this website, racial and ethnic minorities, english language learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families are at risk for experiencing achievement gaps.
3. Stop Cyber Bullying - I took the score and thankfully received the lowest level of cyber-bullying. To be honest, I learned a great deal while simply taking the quiz. Before I started I didn't think I had any idea what cyber bullying really was and during the quiz I realized that it includes much more than blatant rude behavior towards others, it includes simply emailing or sending material that is, in reality, optional to the receiver to view but still rude in one way or another (crude humor, bashing another person, etc.). I also didn't know there were programs that record instant messages. That would be something useful for children outside of the classroom setting as well.
4. Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - The area under Teacher Helpers that I chose was the slide shows. Powerpoints can take a long time to create and some of the material, like her slide show titled ABC's of Web Site Evaluation contains universal material that should be taught (and re-taught) to every classroom starting at an early grade. I would definitely use quite a few of her slide shows in class since they can also be a very effective way of communicating material. The area under Subject Access that I chose was the science and technology then the general science tab, and I loved just about ever link I saw! Having access to sites where students can ask their own science questions, the Bill Nye site, a site about gem science, etc. There's a site for just about every area of general science and then there's extra links to interesting and quirky sites that might be fun and different to teach up on a projection screen or have students explore themselves in the classroom as a break from "textbook" science.
5. Multiple Intelligences - My top three learning styles are: Naturalistic, Intrapersonal, and Logical-Mathematics. I definitely agree with these although at first I questioned the naturalistic style being at the top of the list until I read more into it and found out how scientifically involved it is. I learned that schools with multiple intelligence influence in their teaching styles will help teach kids skills that they might never learn at a public school without those influences, for example, the video focused on the musical intelligence and showed kids having fun while developing their musical skills. They also commented on NCLB and how "when you're testing, you can't be teaching" and I really agree with this statement.
6. Teaching Tolerance - I chose upper grades, math and science, and all topics. I chose a math exercise that deals with functions and having the students try to find a property that is unique to multiple functions (nearly impossible) and how this can be related to stereotyping or "objectifying." I think this would be a great ice-breaker activity for the beginning of any school semester or school year and would really set the tone for cultural diversity and acceptance in the classroom.
7. Multicultural Education and Equity Awareness - The first question that I found very interesting was that the United States and the U.K. are at the bottom of the list for the treatment of their children. I hear in the news or in common conversation how "looked down upon" other countries social behaviors are and it's shocking that the U.S. would be viewed as worst treatment for children when so many laws and efforts are made to protect and advance the well-being of our children. The second question that I found rather appaling was the statistic of 52% of physicians witnessing colleagues giving gays, lesbians, or bisexuals reduced care or refusing care at all. I can't believe that someone with that much education would still make such a poor choice and it's really embarrassing.
8. Netiquette Guidelines - My score for the quiz was 100%. =^D Netiquette should be taught in classrooms because it can help a student be safer online, teach them newer things that they may not have heard of yet, prevent embarrassment, and help them create better impressions of themselves with others that they interact with online.
2. National Education Association - According to this website, racial and ethnic minorities, english language learners, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families are at risk for experiencing achievement gaps.
- Engage school staff in discussions and activities that offer an opportunity to explore attitudes, beliefs, and values related to cultural diversity and cultural competence.
- Gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff.
- Determine the diverse groups served by your school. Consider cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Find out the degree to which families and students in these groups are accessing available school services.
3. Stop Cyber Bullying - I took the score and thankfully received the lowest level of cyber-bullying. To be honest, I learned a great deal while simply taking the quiz. Before I started I didn't think I had any idea what cyber bullying really was and during the quiz I realized that it includes much more than blatant rude behavior towards others, it includes simply emailing or sending material that is, in reality, optional to the receiver to view but still rude in one way or another (crude humor, bashing another person, etc.). I also didn't know there were programs that record instant messages. That would be something useful for children outside of the classroom setting as well.
4. Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - The area under Teacher Helpers that I chose was the slide shows. Powerpoints can take a long time to create and some of the material, like her slide show titled ABC's of Web Site Evaluation contains universal material that should be taught (and re-taught) to every classroom starting at an early grade. I would definitely use quite a few of her slide shows in class since they can also be a very effective way of communicating material. The area under Subject Access that I chose was the science and technology then the general science tab, and I loved just about ever link I saw! Having access to sites where students can ask their own science questions, the Bill Nye site, a site about gem science, etc. There's a site for just about every area of general science and then there's extra links to interesting and quirky sites that might be fun and different to teach up on a projection screen or have students explore themselves in the classroom as a break from "textbook" science.
5. Multiple Intelligences - My top three learning styles are: Naturalistic, Intrapersonal, and Logical-Mathematics. I definitely agree with these although at first I questioned the naturalistic style being at the top of the list until I read more into it and found out how scientifically involved it is. I learned that schools with multiple intelligence influence in their teaching styles will help teach kids skills that they might never learn at a public school without those influences, for example, the video focused on the musical intelligence and showed kids having fun while developing their musical skills. They also commented on NCLB and how "when you're testing, you can't be teaching" and I really agree with this statement.
6. Teaching Tolerance - I chose upper grades, math and science, and all topics. I chose a math exercise that deals with functions and having the students try to find a property that is unique to multiple functions (nearly impossible) and how this can be related to stereotyping or "objectifying." I think this would be a great ice-breaker activity for the beginning of any school semester or school year and would really set the tone for cultural diversity and acceptance in the classroom.
7. Multicultural Education and Equity Awareness - The first question that I found very interesting was that the United States and the U.K. are at the bottom of the list for the treatment of their children. I hear in the news or in common conversation how "looked down upon" other countries social behaviors are and it's shocking that the U.S. would be viewed as worst treatment for children when so many laws and efforts are made to protect and advance the well-being of our children. The second question that I found rather appaling was the statistic of 52% of physicians witnessing colleagues giving gays, lesbians, or bisexuals reduced care or refusing care at all. I can't believe that someone with that much education would still make such a poor choice and it's really embarrassing.
8. Netiquette Guidelines - My score for the quiz was 100%. =^D Netiquette should be taught in classrooms because it can help a student be safer online, teach them newer things that they may not have heard of yet, prevent embarrassment, and help them create better impressions of themselves with others that they interact with online.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Out-Of-Town
My name is Valerie Maureen Nichols and I was born in Escondido, CA in December 1986. When I was three, my family moved to Aguanga, CA so that my younger sister and I would have lots of room run around. Some people might recognize Anza instead of Aguanga, but they are back to back about 20 miles northeast of Temecula, CA… in the middle of nowhere. J I went to Cottonwood in Aguanga for k – 8 then to Hamilton in Anza for high school. After that I entered Cal State San Marcos as a freshman chemistry major and was lucky enough to thoroughly enjoy my major ever since. I have plans to go to grad school for my doctorate in chemistry after I start m family, since pregos are discouraged in chem labs (and no I’m not pregnant, I want to spend 6-8 years in grad school but don’t want to start my family when I’m 30+). So in the meantime, I’m going to teach high school science and math!
I guess I am definitely a part of the technology-native generation! While it may take my mom or grandma a month to figure out a cell phone, my sister and I know to play around and explore it to find out everything it can do. I am currently very much so a PC person and Macs used to frustrate me but I’m getting much better. I depend on technology very much, even too much. I feel weird without my cell phone in plain view and am upset when I’m out of service. J I think that’s something that a lot of people my age experience and it may not be the best for us. Since I have a PC I use the newer version of Office and it does cause endless problems in most of my classrooms with compatibility between myself and the professor or other students. I’ve witnessed frustration among some of my professors first hand with the transition. I think I can tell that I’m getting older since I have to take a little time adjusting to the newest trends in technology when I’m comfortable with something else, for example, my sister and I prefer myspace over facebook. Oh well!
When reading the COE Mission Statement, the segment about life-long learning and innovative research is what stands out the most to me because I truly believe that the more educated an individual is, the more understanding and capable they are of exemplifying diversity and social justice. Science is, to me (not to some older folks in the scientific community) very diverse and even without language to discriminate. You can’t change the meaning of a number or a symbol and people of all sorts and sizes make incredible discoveries enjoyed by the scientific community as a whole, and usually without too much bias.
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