Undecided Bloggers

The 2009 Horizon Report

2009-11-29T11:57:00.000-08:00

ALRIGHT
I, luckily, did not have a heart attack, though this one is about 1/8^th the quality of the first one. But on the bright side, that’s also 1/8^th of the quantity so it’s less for you guys to read :-D! If you want more information, the article is 34 pages long and says a whole lot more than I do.

Hope you all had nice breaks,

Nandi

The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition

Summary

The Horizon Report summarizes six emerging technologies that are potentially useful in the K-12 classroom.

The technologies are chosen from hundreds of potential technologies that have been written about as being upcoming technologies in the field of education. The researchers first read many articles and other research about each of the technologies being considered.Next, the advisory board, which made up of leaders in business, industry and education, is asked a set of questions to help the researchers narrow down what to include. From there, 12 technologies are chosen for further research. The six found in the article are the most promising of these 12.

The emerging technologies are organized into three adoption horizons that predict when these technologies will be adopted into mainstream education.

One Year or Less

Collaborative Environments

Collaborative Environments are virtual workplaces that students and teacher can use to communicate. They range from relatively simple online tools like wikis and Google Docs to complex three dimensional virtual worlds and multiplayer gaming environments.
The value given to collaboration is increasing around the world as people are expected to collaborate across an increasing number of geographic and cultural boundaries. These online tools help support this societal trend.

An example of collaborative environments that pertains to elementary education can be found at:
http://mscofino.edublogs.org/projects
In this example, students from kindergarten to fifth grade collaborate with peers from around the world using technologies such as social networking tools, blogs and wikis.
Further examples can be found on pages 11 and 12 of the text.

Online Communication Tools

Online communication tools are exactly what they say, software or websites to communicate using the internet. Included are instant messengers (AIM), video conferencing (Skype), and micro-blogging (Edmodo or Twitter) technologies. Online communication tools put students in contact with distant family members, experts and peers. This is useful because students need social interaction and meetings with experts in the fields. This is not always possible since field trips are expensive and take a lot of time. These communication tools are usually very cheap or free and can be used from anywhere in the world at any time of the day.

An example that can be used in an upper elementary setting is Zoey’s Room. This is an online community for middle school aged girls that deals with science, mathematics, and technology.
More examples can be found on page 15 of the text.

Two to Three Years

Mobiles

Features of modern cell phones such as GPS, third party applications, and web browsing capabilities make them ideal for use in the classroom.
While many school systems ban personal cellular devices, some are learning that they can be useful, with some school systems opting for small devises like iPhones rather than personal computers for student web browsing.

An example of an activity for the elementary classroom can be found in the form of the iPod Touch Application, Kids’ Fraction Fun. This application helps students practice the skills they are learning in class.
Examples of how to further incorporate mobile phones into the classroom can be found on page 18.

Cloud Computing

The cloud refers to computing resources resulting from large “data farms,” which are data centers that host thousands of servers. Many large scale websites like Google and Amazon use the cloud to host a large amount of information that can be found relatively quickly. This requires multiple computers for data storage. This storage is usually very cheap, making the tools that rely on the cloud often very cheap or free. A downside to this is that data storage is in the hands of outside providers rather than on your own computer. So, if the providers of Facebook decided to no longer provide storage, all your data would be lost.

A website that could prove useful for elementary teachers is CloudTrip: Education. This is a directory of cloud based applications. Teachers can download cloud based applications that deal with digital storytelling, student portfolios, and many other aspects of education.
More examples of how to use cloud computing are shown on page 21.

Four to Five Years

Smart Objects

A smart object is any physical object that includes an identifier that can track information about the object. Any item can be made into a smart object by attaching radio-frequency identification tags. More complex smart objects contain computers and have the ability to sense position, light, heat, color, and proximity to other smart objects among many other capabilities. These are very relevant to teaching because any object can become a source for learning. The technology to create a smart object out of anything is not yet readily available in the mainstream for teachers.

The LeapFrog Tag “pen” (I think we talked about this in reading) is an example of a smart object tool that is useful in a primary setting. With this pen, the student can interact with special books to listen to the story, play games, and learn about the pictures.
Further examples can be found on pages 24 and 25 of the text.

The Personal Web

The personal web refers to a collection of tools, widgets, and services that handle developing and organizing online content. These tools try to take the large amount of information on the web and tailor it to an individual’s personal needs.
Many web browsers use this on a small scale by providing personalized start up pages and the technology is readily available. Policy designed to protect students from encountering harmful material on the internet helps to hinder these technologies by limiting access to valuable educational content.

The personal web can be used in an upper elementary classroom by using a custom social networking application like Elgg with which teachers can create a class-wide student network for research links, discussion, media files, and other information.
Further examples can be seen on pages 28 and 29.

Discussion

Based on the grades you hope to teach in the future, which of these technologies, if any, do you think will be the most useful in your classrooms?
Are there any other technologies that you think would be useful in the elementary classroom?

Activity Types Approach

2009-11-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

As we are all aware, the usage of technology in elementary schools is minimal and unfamiliar to many teachers. I believe our generation of teachers will be able to change this perception as we become more educated in our curriculum classes and further immersed into our field experiences. Even if teachers are not particularly well versed in technology, they can still incorporate it into their lessons. Knowing your students’ needs and interests, however, are by far the most important facets to consider when constructing a lesson plan. Tech-Integrated Planning, by Judi Harris and Mark Hofer, highlights the proper steps to take when integrating technology into the classroom. First, the technology must align with the nationwide and statewide curriculum standards. Since much of the world in which we live centers on the progression and development of technological resources, technology in the classroom should be reinforced by content-based learning activities. I have summarized the article’s technology planning instruction for your benefit and future usage.

1) Choose learning goals.

a. Teachers should align their planning with the district, state, and national content based curriculum standards.

2) Make pedagogical decisions.

a. Consider eight pedagogical decisions when you are planning.

1) Who will direct the learning? Student or the teacher.

2) Are you able to draw inferences from previous lessons?

3) How can you activate students’ background knowledge? Ways to Engage?

4) Is higher-level thinking addressed?

5) How long does your lesson last?

6) Does this lesson need step-by-step directions? Or are the students able to explore the topic for themselves?

7) Who would this lesson best be directed towards? Whole group, small group, or individual instruction.

8) What other resources will be needed in order to complete this lesson?

3) Select activity types to combine.

a. Varying subjects differ in terms of inquiry, instruction, and learning activity types.

4) Select assessment strategies.

a. Formative and summative assessment should align with the standards just like the pedagogical decisions.

5) Select tools/resources.

a. The main goal of Grounded Tech Integration is as follows: “ If teachers choose learning goals in accordance with students’ learning needs, if they make pedagogical decisions according to instructional and contextual realities, and if they select learning activity types (including assessment strategies) to match those goals and realities, then the instructional plan is likely to succeed.”

The underlying question arises, “ How do we integrate technology effectively in K – 6 literacy learning?” Technology should not be used as an addendum to regular curriculum, but integrated within our lessons on a continual basis. Students will then become more familiar with the educational technology accessible to them, as well as, become better readers and writers in the process. In the article, Grounded Technology Integration Using K – 6 Literacy Learning Activity Types, Schmidt et. al concludes, “Grounded technology integration is based in content, pedagogy, and how teachers plan instruction.”

The first three subcategories include: Pre - Reading activity types, During –Reading activity types, and Post – Reading activity types. The subcategories for writing mimic those of the reading categories. It is not always necessary for teachers to implement technology in all three categories. I do believe, however, teachers could potentially use technology in at least one of the three subcategories. Although not all 88 activity types are included in this article, sample activity types are classified to support the two literacy processes: reading and writing.

The pre-reading activity I found to be the most interesting were the literature circles. I believe this activity would be most effective for upper elementary students (grades 3 – 5), during book clubs or small cooperative groups formed by interest or ability level. Furthermore, “digital book talks” could be implemented in order to connect schools across the world. As a result, students will be able to build ideas and knowledge upon cooperating with their peers within their class and beyond their own classroom boundaries. What reading activity could you see using in your classroom? How could you use this activity for different types of learners? The writing process learning activity types were all thought provoking. I found the brainstorming activity type to be the most useful across all grades. Concept-mapping software is a simple, yet effective way of outlining important topics and their supporting details. I believe you could use concept-mapping software in all disciplines. What writing activity could you see using in your classroom? How could you use this activity for different types of learners?

In conclusion, knowing your students instructional needs is the most important when planning a lesson. I believe it is important to have a balance between traditional instruction and technological instruction. Traditional instruction is appropriate when learning basic math facts or writing a paragraph on character development. What subjects would be more effectively taught in terms of instruction and learning activity types? When using technology appropriately and within the confines of the standards, the positives of integrating technology outweigh the negatives. For example, technology provides students with automatic feedback. Students are able to print out what has been completed on the computer to share with their peers and teacher. The Activity Types approach allows teachers to classify their activities found in textbooks with the current standards.

Thank you! J

Five Lesson Plan Topics

2009-10-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hey girls! I could totally be doing this in the wrong spot, but it was my understanding that we are supposed to post our five SOL strands (for potential lesson plans) to our blog group. Someone please redirect me if I'm wrong!

Here are five SOLs I see as potentially being supplemented by an appropriate classroom technology (all at a first grade level):

Language Arts 1.1 The student will continue to demonstrate growth in the use of oral language.

a) Listen and respond to a variety of media, including books, audiotapes, videos, and other age-appropriate materials.

b) Tell and retell stories and events in logical order.

c) Participate in a variety of oral language activities, including choral speaking and reciting short poems, rhymes, songs, and stories with repeated patterns.

Social Studies 1.1 The student will interpret information presented in picture timelines to show sequence of events and will distinguish among past, present, and future.

Math 1.6 The student will create and solve one-step story and picture problems using basic addition facts with sums to 18 or less and the corresponding subtraction facts.

Science 1.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants have life needs and functional parts and can be classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts include

a) needs (food, air, water, light, and a place to grow);

b) parts (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, fruits); and

c) characteristics (edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, evergreen/deciduous).

Science 1.8 The student will investigate and understand that natural resources are limited. Key concepts include

a) identification of natural resources (plants and animals, water, air, land, minerals, forests, and soil);

b) factors that affect air and water quality; and

c) recycling, reusing, and reducing consumption of natural resources.

Parent Communication

2009-10-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

This week’s topic is on the advantages and disadvantages of communicating with parents and students via digital technologies. Web pages, blogs, text/instant messaging, Skype, and social networking sites are just a few of the methods discussed in the reading assignments. I’d like to discuss your opinion on the topic in relation to our current practicum experiences and are expectations for a future career in elementary education, but first I will summarize the key ideas from each article.

In Communicating with Parents, Kathleen Casson provides a general overview with helpful tips on establishing a positive rapport with parents. Her first tip, which many teachers unfortunately forget, is that “it is never a good idea to speak to a student’s parent or guardian for the first time in order to tell them about a problem”. An initial contact with a negative undertone can certainly spoil a relationship with parents for the rest of the year! Begin communication early in the year or in the summer months before school starts, to introduce yourself and to convey to parents that their involvement is welcomed, even expected. In fact, Casson suggests that teachers should open their classrooms both figuratively and literally to parents. Rather than view parents’ presence in the classroom as an intrusion, teachers should consider this as an opportunity to showcase students’ learning. However, Casson does not address the necessary boundaries that I feel are important to establish with parents. Teachers should be firm and never overextend themselves to meet unreasonable demands from parents (this is especially important for “helicopter parents” who tend to hover!). To avoid any potential problems, teachers should communicate clear guidelines (appropriate times to contact you, preferred ways of communication, setting times to meet rather than showing up unexpectedly, etc). With this advice in mind, teachers will be better prepared and should not have to fear interaction with parents!

In his article, Writing for the Web, David Walbert discusses a growing trend in education – that is, the use of the web as a medium for communicating with parents, students, and colleagues. Many teachers create and maintain websites and blogs for the greater school community to view. Walbert argues that the web can be “an effective tool for many types of verbal communication if we’re thoughtful about the way we communicate”. He describes the ways in which teachers should be conscious of how they present material online. Every detail, down to the size and type of font used, should be considered with respect to its purpose and user-friendliness. After all, we want our audience to find the material to be usable and accessible! Many of his principles for writing for the web can be observed in his own article. Although long, the article is easy to scan because the author has organized it clearly and strategically by subtopic with bolded headings and subheadings, concise paragraphs, a table of contents, highlighted key words/phrases (only when necessary), hyperlinks, well-chosen fonts, and an index. Several of these suggestions may be common sense, but for those who are less experienced in the world of digital technologies (like me!), I would recommend Walbert’s article.

Sydney Brown’s Using a Classroom Webpage to Communicate with Parents provides a snapshot of life at a school in North Carolina, where teachers post daily summaries of classroom activities online for parents to access. Many of these teachers, even those in the primary grades, involve the students in creating these summaries. The goal is that parents will be more informed and better prepared to communicate with their children and teachers about what is going on in school. When prompted with a “What did you do today in school?” type of question, many students will reply with a simple “nothing”. Parents may feel alienated from their own child’s education in such situations. Brown highlights the benefit of maintaining a classroom website: “with the classroom website, a parent or caretaker can build on the information conveyed in the daily summary and ask more specific questions”. In this case, the school had a grant that allowed them to provide computers with internet access to families with demonstrated financial need. This information, along with the unfortunate fact that universal access to internet is not possible for many school communities, the school’s success may seem idealistic, even unreasonable. Still, I think they model the creativity and resourcefulness with emerging technologies that many teachers should strive to match when trying to engage and include parents in the education of their children.

In Should Teachers, Kids be Digital "Friends?", Rhonda Bodfield debates the merits and potential pitfalls of digital communication between teachers and students. She points to studies by the National School Boards Association, which “show roughly three-quarters of students ages 9 to 17 with Internet access use social-networking tools weekly.” Several criminal cases involving improper communication between teachers and students have emerged in recent years, demonstrating that teachers need to be aware of what is appropriate and ethical. For those of us who plan on teaching in the primary grades, I am not sure how relevant this article is. However, I think it is still important that teachers remember that school administrators and colleagues (even potential employers!) have access to the personal information we present online. Overexposure is a concern that anyone should be conscious of when using social-networking tools. With that said, I would like to open discussion with the following questions:

How much communication do you feel is appropriate or necessary between home and school?

What factors do you think are most important to keep in mind in communicating with parents?

How do think technologies may support or inhibit these factors?

What technology(ies) do you think are most promising and realistic to help you to communicate with parents?

What issues might you need to keep in mind in using technologies to communicate with parents?

What precautions would you take or advise parents/students/colleauges to take when using the internet as a means of communication?

Hope you all had a great weekend. I look forward to reading/responding to everyone’s opinions on the topic!

Multi-Modal Learning Through Media: What the Research Says

2009-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Metiri Group’s presentation of data on multimodal learning enriches our understanding of the topic and its implications for students and teachers’ curriculum design. While the effectiveness of multimodal learning varies with respect to the objective in mind, learning that incorporates a thoughtful combination of visuals and text as opposed to the traditional unimodal approach (reading or lecture) reflects an improvement. The misinterpreted “Cone of Learning” suggests to us that reading and hearing comprise only a small part of the learning experience, and place an emphasis on interactive experiences. Indeed, this Cone has been perpetuated to the point that it would seem that reading (unimodal), for example, holds no value. The Metiri Group asks the reader to reconsider what we have recently taken for granted, and instead develop a comprehensive understanding of multimodal learning—the goal being optimal teaching and curriculum design.

As the article notes, multimodal learning should be correctly implemented to achieve high results. Basic skill building, for example, is often best learned through reading and drill/practice. With exercises that ask the student to explore relationships, on the other hand, a more interactive, multimodal design might be best. Teachers must also be aware that successful implementation of multimodal design impacts students’ learning, as does student interest. A multimodal approach that is too overwhelming and requires the student to multitask too much will have an adverse effect and will detract from learning. Furthermore, the best learning incorporates prior knowledge that can be built upon in a meaningful way. Basically, teachers’ strategies should provide the proper scaffolding (assistance to students to be successful with something previously beyond their reach)—nothing more and nothing less—for their students to succeed.

In order to successfully utilize multiple modes, teachers can benefit greatly from the Metriri Group’s findings. To revisit basic skills teaching, multimodal learning is beneficial when it incorporates non-interactive modes, like texts with visuals and texts with audio; a 21% increase in learning is reflected here. When that learning tacks on interactivities—such as modeling, real-world experience, and working in teams—the increase in learning is only improved by 9%. This is obviously an improvement to single-mode learning, but if a teacher wanted to optimize efficacy, he/she should be aware of this distinction. I suppose it makes sense. When one is learning basic skills, too much activity and socializing are probably distracting—at least they will be to certain students (hence the lesser improvement).

With respect to higher-order thinking, a teacher had best learn to implement multi-modal, interactive learning: the increase is a remarkable 32% as compared to single-mode non-interactive learning. Even when higher-order learning involves only multi-modes, its impact is impressive: 20% increase. With this in mind, it is crucial for the modern teacher to build upon traditional, uni-modal approaches. If they do not, their students will clearly be deficient as compared to those students whose teachers took the effort to include various forms of learning. At the same time, it is important that we do not get carried away with the benefits of what technology provides. We cannot hope to optimize our students’ knowledge of the principles of the times table or the various parts of a sentence if we are not abreast of what works best for each objective. One thing is certain: unimodal learning should not be practiced in our classrooms if we really want the best for our pupils.

Digital Director's Guild and Podcasts

2009-09-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

After reading George Lucas’s piece about the necessity of teaching students digital literacy and integrating technology into all learning, I find that I very much agree with his points. A lot of the information is given through technology; movies, websites, podcasts, and the like have become increasingly popular ways of transmitting information. To exclude the teaching and use of these mediums is to exclude students today from a large aray of information. Especially with younger children who cannot read as well, teaching them to interpret information through color and sound, as Lucas suggests, can be very worthwhile. To me, using this technology is English is very appealing. It is a new type of literacy which has become more prevalent. Perhaps it is because I am an English major, but the emotional side of English is very engaging. It is easier sometimes to convey emotion visually and musically than through the written language. So why should we exclude it? Even though he does not refer to it directly, I can see Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligence in Lucas’s argument; emotional intelligence is just as important in today’s world as linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligence. Digital technology can be extremely engaging because it causes the children to learn by listening (podcasts), seeing (multimedia), and experiencing (interactive programs).
The podcasts were especially interesting to me, since I never got to attempt these in school. I can see these as very useful in social studies and the like – perhaps having the students create a sort of talk show almost? I am not quite as clear on how to use it in such disciplines as math – any ideas?
Even so, this type of learning could not apply to all students. Some prefer to learn the traditional ways. But the important thing is to include all students in learning. They are already learning this and using it, so why not use it to our advantage to appeal to more students?
So let’s see if we can start another conversation – what ways can you see this working in your future classrooms? How could you fit podcasts into your students’ learning? What do you agree with in Lucas’s article?

Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom

2009-09-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

After taking the quiz to check my understanding, I learned that the rules of copyright and Fair Use are more complicated than I initially thought after reading the handouts! I have put together a list of five things to remember about copyright and Fair Use that will help teachers in their classrooms. Since I anticipate that, as teachers, we will primarily be focused on using other people’s works to benefit our students’ learning, I narrowed these principles to focus on Fair Use.

1. Reproducing copyrighted material for nonprofit educational purposes is permissible. However, teachers must follow other guidelines of fair use.

2. Giving the author credit for their work does not give you permission to share their work and use it for your own purposes. If the rules of fair use do not give you permission to use the work, crediting the author is not a loophole.

3. In most cases, the less of a work you use for your own purposes, the more likely it is covered by fair use guidelines. Using the copyrighted material for educational purposes does not give educators free reign of authors’ works. There are limits on what is allowed to be used.

4. Sometimes it is necessary to gain permission from the owner of the copyrighted material. Teachers can utilize the services of the Copyright Office to find out who holds the copyright for specific works and find out how to contact the owner for permission to use their work.

5. Copyrighted material becomes “public domain” after a certain point of time. This varies slightly according to who owns the copyright, etc. However, if the work was published prior to 1923, it is safe to view the work as “public domain” and allowable to copy or imitate the work without permission. (Ex. Painting in the style of a famous artist, putting different words to the song of a famous composer.)

Though these guidelines will help you decide what you can and cannot use, it is always important to be 100% sure your use of a material is allowed. To figure this out, you can consult online resources such as the two we read for class. Also, I think the questions and feedback from the quiz are helpful guidelines to remember in classroom practice. Remember, it is better to be safe than sorry! J

Here are some ideas for us to discuss as a blog group. Now, undecided bloggers, this is no time to be indecisive!

As a group of people studying to be elementary educators, these principles are important to us as, inevitably, we will draw from the works of others to teach our students. As a teacher, how will you go about using copyrighted material in your classroom? How will you share this with others, such as collaborating teachers?

It is my opinion that basic information about copyrighted material is appropriate and even important to introduce to students at a young age. With plagiarism at such high levels, I think introducing the topic to elementary students could be a way to help students feel a sense of pride in their own work and respect the work of others. Do you think it is appropriate to discuss copyright and fair use with elementary students? To what extent do you think this should be done, and for what purpose?

If we are going to introduce students to laws of copyright and fair use, it is important we be ready to talk about this subject with parents. What do you think is important to communicate with parents about copyright and fair use?

Do you have any questions about how you will use material in your classroom? What are some circumstances in which you anticipate using copyrighted material in your teaching? How will you, personally, go about making sure it is okay?

What other issues do you think are important to discuss about copyright and fair use in the classroom?

Thank you, I look forward to discussing these questions (and others!) with you in the posts to follow. I hope everyone has had a great weekend! See you all tomorrow! J

Our Blog Assignments

2009-09-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the reading assignments we decided.

Jennifer- Copy and Fair Use Activity
Caitlin- Technology- Enhanced Interactivity
Megan- Parent Communication Reading
Lindsey- Activity Types Approach
Nandi- Horizon Report
Erin- Life on the Screen, Digital Directors Guild and Podcasting Reading/Exploration

Um, that's it.