Chapter 6 Reflections

I'll admit that I take my internet access at home for granted.  When I first used the internet at age twelve, I didn't really think anything of it, because the school system didn't quite implement it yet.  All I used it for at the time was for e-mailing my relatives.  As I got older, I began to realize its potential for information, especially in high school and college.  Now that I want to be a teacher, I have to think of ways for my students to effectively and appropriately use the internet.  With the implementation of broadband connections and increasing availability, "free education has never been so accessible" (Myers 2011).  So a students learning doesn't begin and end in the classroom, it's an occurence that is consistent with time.  However, there are students who won't use the internet appropriately and as an educator, one needs to know how to prevent this.  At the Dare County Alternative School, the students are each given a laptop to use.  It's supposed to be used for schoolwork only, but most of them do play games on it or browse inappropriate content.  Students are to use computers by following a school's Acceptable Use Policy (Morrison and Lowther, 2010).  So the school implements a firewall that blocks websites based on their content and it also has a program that allows the teachers to view what the students are doing on their laptops without them knowing.  Teachers are then able to take control of the laptop and exit out of the program or game that their playing.  Unfortunately, some students know how to bypass the firewalls or they just simply log back into the game after the teacher closes it.  I once had to take a students laptop away, because he kept playing music with vulgar lyrics after I warned him a couple times to turn it off.  I use many different features on the Web, for example to take an online class at East Carolina University.  I also use it for communication between friends and relatives via social networks or e-mail.  Yet mainly, I use the internet for research and for keeping up to date on current events.  There are many different tools and websites that I can use for each of these features, and when I become an educator I plan on using more features, such as creating a class website or Wiki. 

Bibliography:
1.  Morrison, G., & Lowther, D. (2010). Integrating computer technology into the classroom: skills for the 21st century . (4th Edition ed., p. 30). Pearson.

2.  Myers, Courtney Boyd "How the Internet is Revolutionizing Education" May 14, 2011 thenextweb.com retrieved from: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/05/14/how-the-internet-is-revolutionizing-education/

Chapter 4 Reflections

Thus far this semester I've researched and learned about many different educational software and tools that can be used in the classroom effectively.  One question that can pop into a teacher's mind is how to know which program will be more effective in their classroom.  It'll obviously depend on what the subject material is, like a history class won't use graphic design software too much.  So the program I would choose for my class would most definately be word processing.  Word processing programs such as Microsoft Word helps students save time, enhances document appearance, allows sharing of documents and allows collaboration of documents (Roblyer and Doering 2010).  For a liberal arts class, this is a great tool for students, because they are able to submit organized and presentable papers.  It doesn't necessarily mean the paper was well written, but the program does allow it to be shared easier for peer review.  There are other programs I would use such as, spreadsheets and presentational, but not all students have access to them outside of school because of the programs cost.  A written report would be easier for a student to work on.  I believe it's important for students to learn how to use these programs at an early age, because it'll allow them to get familiar with the software.  Every program has multiple functions, and it can be overwhelming for anybody to learn how to use something on short notice.  Teach students the basic functions of those programs, allow them to experiment, that way they're able to use it more effectively later on during their education or even during their careers.  Mary Beth Hertz, a K-8 technology teacher in Philadelphia, says that fourth graders should be developing basic computer skills, such as typing, word processing and presentations (Hertz 2011).  So how would a teacher further their development?  I honestly doubt the average elemtary grade student uses word processing programs or presentational progams during their summer break, so they most likely need to be re-familiarized with some computer functions every year.  I don't believe that technology can improve a students standardized test scores, because technology is an educational tool, not the provider.  I do believe that it can assist the students in their education, which has the potential to improve their test scores.  Technology allows us to get away from the traditional teacher based education, where all they do is read from a textbook.  A recent study suggests that a blended learning program, a mixture of traditional classroom with technology based, does help a student improve basic algebra skills (Sheridan 2013).  I can't help but wonder what would a technology-only based classroom be like?  What kind of results would they get from that?

Bibliography:
1.  Roblyer, M.D. and Doering, A.H. "The Impact of Word Processing in Education" July 20, 2010 Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall retrieved from: http://www.education.com/reference/article/impact-word-processing-education/

2.  Hertz, Mary Beth "Great Tech Expectations: What Should Elementary Students Be Able to Do and When?"  July 13, 2011 George Lucas Educational Foundation.  retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/elementary-technology-skills-mary-beth-hertz

3.  Sheridan, Kelly "Blended Learning Improves Test Skills: Study" August 13, 2013 Information Week.  retrieved from: http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-devices/blended-learning-improves-test-scores-study/d/d-id/1111129?

Mmmmm Delicious...

When searching for educational sites on the internet, I was amazed at the amount of material that popped when I simply typed in "educational websites" on Google.  The problem with this is that one has to check on the items that pop up in order to make sure that they are legitimate educational sites.  When I first started using the internet as a source, my instructors told me the only sites you could rely on at the time were the ones that ended with either .net, .gov or .edu.  Yet as time progressed the internet grew exponentially, so it was inevitable that websites ending in .com could become reliable sources.  This can be a challenge for a teacher, because they don't want to use material that is incorrect.  Textbooks are known for having inaccurate and inconsistent information, so it's a certainty that the internet will have information that is erroneous.  Therefore it's easy to find educational sites, but it can be difficult to find ones that are reliable.  For example, Wikipedia.com is a great website to find sources, but it is not to be used as a source itself.  I did find some websites that claimed to be educational only to end up being a retail site for educational products.  When I was researching products to assist children with special needs, I found more websites to sell the products as opposed to ones that offered any serious information on the items.  I believe the Web 2.0 sites are great, because before these websites were created, Microsoft pretty much had a monopoly over word processing and presentational programs through Microsoft Office.  The disadvantage to their programs is the cost, it's outrageous.  So the Web 2.0 sites such as Prezi, Piazza, and Googledocs are great for people who don't have the money to purchase the software.  There is one catch to those websites though, one does need to have a reliable internet connection, because if the web goes down, then they can't access those websites.  The sites I picked weren't listed on anyone else's Delicious page, probably because I was looking for educational websites that were relevant to my topic of study, social studies.  So the CNN Student News page is important for this subject, because it deals with current events.  What I liked about the websites I picked is that they encompass everything, I know Youtube may not be the best one, but it's great for finding tutorials and documentaries on certain topics.  There are many different history and science documentaries listed on that website, that's why it's a valuable tool.  Also when it comes to finding primary sources the internet is invaluable, because there are many websites that contain public documents for people to freely view.  These can be notes from a government meeting or a Civil War soldier's letter to his mother.  I would never entirely rely on the internet to be the educational focus of my classroom, but it will definately be an invaluable tool.  It can help students become more engaged in the current topic, especially in a student centred classroom. 

Bibliography:
Mitra, Sugata "The internet can harm, but can also be a child's best tool for learning."  The Observer Saturday November 2, 2013.  retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/03/child-safety-internet-web-access

Random thing stuck in my head.

I got called in to sub quite a bit this past week, and for whatever reason I keep getting this random song stuck in my head.  Especially after one day when some kid tried figuring what kind of music I like.  He kept playing rap and pop songs, which I honestly cannot stand.  It also reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a coworker about how shows like "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent" are ruining the next generation of musicians.  Dave Grohl, the lead singer/frontman of Foo Fighters and the former drummer of Nirvana, said the same exact thing (I'll find the quote he had).  The main reason is because people are getting their dreams shattered by going up in front of the judging panel only to have them say that they're terrible at singing.  Some of greatest bands got their roots in someone's garage, they didn't sound good at first, but they got better with practice and then they got recognition and some of them became the most influential bands of their time.  Dimebag Darrel was the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Pantera, when they first started, he didn't even know how to play the guitar, but he's considered one of the best guitar soloists of all time!  The Beatles only knew one chord when they first started, and 50 years later, people still talk about how great they were.  The beauty of music is that you create what comes to mind, that's what makes all music unique.  Beethoven went deaf, but he still continued to compose music, Ray Charles was blind, but that didn't stop him.  I guess my point with all this is that the only barriers to creativity is the individuals own mind.  I went to high school with the band The Lumineers, I don't like their music, but how they got started is a perfect example on what I'm talking about.  Anyways here's the song I keep getting stuck with.  Nine Inch Nails: Terrible Lie.