Lesson Learned 9/23/15

Nowadays, the largest enemy of the digital gap is no longer on the affordability of technology and access to WiFi.  Because students are able to access technology more easily now than ever before, teachers are able to include more technology into their curriculum.  Students can access free WiFi in areas like the library and McDonald's.

Teachers are now able to include digital products into the curriculum by using apps on the computer. For instance, iMovie Maker and Garage Band can be used to make projects that cover art, music, writing, and much more.  Students can take part in collaborative learning, and even have their own digital portfolios.  It would be wonderful to make learning more engaging in this manner.

CHAPTER 1

1 Becoming a 21^st Century Teacher

*TODAY’S STUDENTS AND TECHNOLOGY*

Students of today’s generation are part of an “iGeneration,” those who grew up with technology as a constant feature of their everyday lives (Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2013, p. 3)

            Although I did grow up with technology, students nowadays grew up even more immersed in technology than I, as they are members of an iGeneration.  I grew up watching television, and playing with computer games and my Game Boy while students nowadays grew up with cell phones, tablets, all forms of video games, and etc.  An eight-year-old student of mine showed mastery using her iPad to search up how to spell words she had difficulty spelling using the web as well as a dictionary app.  The existence of today’s iGeneration makes me understand how important it is for me as an educator to learn how to incorporate educational technology into my curriculum to create engaging and meaningful lessons for my students.

*21^ST CENTURY LITERACIES AND SKILLS*

“To live and work successfully in this new century, students must have the basic competencies of reading, writing, and computation, and an array of technology-based literacies, including proficiency with technology tools, the ability to build relationships and solve problems collaboratively, the capability to design and share information, the capacity to analyze and evaluate information from multiple sources, and the capability to handle information in ethical ways” (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 11)

            Literacy evolves with time.  Literacy no longer refers to just printed texts, but also to digital texts.  I think it is important for teachers to be able to teach their students to be capable of comprehending texts of printed and digital forms, and that come from multiple sources.  Furthermore, it is vital to teach students to be competent in array of technology-based literacies and to become proficient in using technology tools because today’s society is immersed in technology.  College and career readiness now includes prepping our students in these competencies.

*TEACHING 21^ST CENTURY LEARNERS WITH 21^ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGIES*

“1. Internet technologies teach students how to access and assess online information and act as digital citizens. Examples include WebQuests, virtual field trips, interactive educational websites, and webcasts.” (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 13)

            Although I was incompetent at researching by using the Internet, I was forced to use the computer pretty often to conduct research projects and papers ever since I was in middle school.  I really wished the young me was explicitly taught how to use internet technologies; I even wish the current me can be explicitly taught how to.  As a future educator, I will be incorporating many technologies in my classroom and will remember how important it is to teach certain skills explicitly in order for my students to master the skills.  Moreover, I think that it is vital to teach students using WebQuests and interactive educational websites because they are very engaging and promote inquiry-based learning in students.

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***FOOD FOR THOUGHT…***

1)    Have you ever felt surprised by how well a child could use technology?  Describe your experience.

2)    What kind of lesson would you bring in a digital text for?  Why would you use a digital text as opposed to a printed text for this lesson?

3)    When and how did you learn to use internet technologies?

Work Cited

Maloy, R., Verock-O’Loughlin, R., A. Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (n.d.). Transforming

learning with new technologies (2nd ed.). Pearson

CHAPTER 2

2  Understanding Educational Technological Issues and Trends

*A CAREER THAT MATTERS

“Teaching is a career that matters to everyone…it requires constant learning” (Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2013, p. 23).

            I absolutely believe that teaching is a career that matters, that influences most individuals that have been through any type of schooling.  As someone who strives to become an effective educator, I understand the significance in a teacher’s ability to convey learning to students in an engaging way they can internalize the material learned, differentiate learning to suit students’ needs, and constantly reflect and improve oneself to become an even better teacher than ever before.  I believe that a teacher must constantly grow, develop, and learn, for there is always room for improvement; this is especially true because teachers influence their students, children who we hope will grow up to become proud citizens who contribute to their society.   As teachers grow and continue to learn, they must understand how technology changes teaching and learning in the today’s society, and be able to learn how to enrich their curriculum through technology.

*YOUR INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS

Types of technology users:

1)    “Digital collaborator,” an individual that utilizes online and mobile technology readily to make and share information with others,

2)    “Ambivalent networker,” an individual who finds online and mobile devices intrusive despite using them often,

3)    “Media mover,” an individual who utilizes online and mobile technology as a medium for interacting with others often,

4)    “Roving node,” an individual who turns to online and mobile technology as a way to manage work and to gather information,

5)    “Desktop veteran,” an individual who primarily utilizes desktop computer technology for work and communication yet rarely uses mobile devices,

6)    “Drifting surfer,” an individual who rarely uses technology, and if so, it is to gather information,

7)    “Information encumbered,” an individual who attains information through old media, such as telephones and print materials, instead of the Web or mobile devices,

8)    “Mobile newbie,” an individual who rarely uses technology because of a paucity of knowledge and confidence with devices,

9)    and “Technology indifferent,” an individual who sometimes utilizes online and mobile technology, yet is happy to not use them (Maloy et al., 2013, p.26-27)

I was shocked to learn that there are so many different types of technology users, and there are even labels used to describe each type of user.  I believe that knowing these types of technology users is important because in this modern society, we have now have an iGeneration of technology users.  They may not have the same amount of experience with technology even though they are exposed to technology, and may use them for certain purposes regularly, which relates back to the different types of technology users that are labeled above.  By understanding our students better in terms of what types of users they are, teachers are able to better plan and implement lessons that cater to their needs and interests.  Furthermore, by understanding what type of technology users we as teachers are, we can strive to become a different type if we are not able to use technology efficiently and innovatively as an educator.  I believe I am a digital collaborator, but I continue to strive to become better at using technology and to learn of different ways to incorporate it into my lessons.

*STUDENTS AND THEIR TECHNOLOGIES

“…digital disconnect…students see schools lagging behind their technology expectations…As a teacher, your actions will either bridge or extend the digital disconnect that so many students perceive between themselves and their schools” (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 40-41).

            It is important to understand our students who grow up using technology, and ourselves as teachers who attempt to apply technology to student learning.  Although we may attempt to use technology, it may not reach the expectation of our students.  Thus, teacher must strive to provide active learning environments that include technology that is relevant and that engages students.  I want to become a teacher that can make learning fun and meaningful for my students by incorporating the following: the computer and its applications, the Web, inquiry-based WebQuests, blogs, digital storytelling, and educational software.

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 ~FOOD FOR THOUGHT…~

1) Reflecting on your life as a student, how did you feel teaching was a career that mattered, that influenced you as a child growing up?

2) What kind of tech user are you, and why?  How will this influence you in your classroom?

3) How will you personally bridge the digital disconnect in your (future) classroom?

Work Cited

Maloy, R., Verock-O’Loughlin, R., A. Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (n.d.). Transforming

learning with new technologies (2nd ed.). Pearson

Lesson Learned on 9/16/15

Education has started from the beginning of time, from the people who first walked the lands, even if education did not take the form of schooling as we know it today.  Music and language were also part of education since long ago, and can still be found embedded into education today.  I thought it was interesting how schools started as a place for parents to put their children, as a day care center of sorts.  I was amused by the first image of a school from a century ago, where two of the three teachers in the classroom were helping some children with their physicals.  By looking at the images, I saw how schools changed over time.  The major changes that I loved the most were the student-oriented classrooms I saw, with the student-sized tables and chairs, desks set in clusters, and different stations set up for the students.

Personal Learning Goals

            I love technology. As simple as that may sound, my love can only go so far when my lack of competence forms a barrier between technology and me.  I cannot fix any technical problems nor use any devices with the ease and fluidity one may presume someone who uses them as much as I do should be able to.  Nevertheless, I spend hours upon hours in front of my tablet or laptop daily, reading e-books, watching shows, or slaving away at completing my homework assignments.  Technology has been a big part of my life ever since I was a kid, for my greatest joy came from watching cartoons and Disney movies, playing Pokémon on my Game Boy, or playing Neopets on the computer.

            If technology means so much to me and has embedded itself so deeply into my life, I cannot help but think of how big of an impact it has on the lives of children nowadays, who were born in a society where technology is everywhere and is easily accessible.  According to the text, we now have an iGeneration of technology users, students who grew up using technology as part of their daily lives.  It is amazing how students can now gain access to vast sources of information by merely typing key words into the search engine, Google. 

There are also young kids who carry around a cell phone, a smartphone even, and can easily navigate through them with more prowess than an adult.  Moreover, according to the text, students must be able to comprehend technology-based literacies, proficiently use technology tools, build good communication and social skills, analyze information from different sources and medias in order to live and work in the modern, 21^st century.  Therefore, for an aspiring teacher such as myself, or for a teacher who wants to become an effective teacher, yearning to be competent in using and incorporating technology into the classroom is a major and worthwhile feat to accomplish.  To be able to use technology-based teaching tools for whole-class instruction, for small group instruction, or even for individual students who need programs to assist in their learning is something I want to be able to achieve for my diverse learners.

My personal learning goals are the following:

1)   To become confident and capable of using educational technologies in my classroom

2)   To be able to create lessons incorporating technology to engage my students in learning that will be memorable

3)   To be able to draw from different sources, such as the web and the media, and be able to integrate the information from them in my educational activities

4)   To be able to relate to my students better through the technology they use and to make learning meaningful for them through that technology

5)   To be able to use technology to cater to the needs of my diverse learners, such as my visual learners and those with disabilities, through tools that are available through modern technology

6)   To be able to explicitly teach my students how to use technology inside and outside the classroom to conduct internet research, complete group projects or individual projects, create digital stories, and use a class website

7)   To be able to use online simulations and gaming to help my students understand concepts better, such as using the place value simulation to help students understand the concept of regrouping

8)   To be able to meet different instructional and student needs though TPACK (technological pedagogical content knowledge)

9)   To be able to teach my students how to proficiently read and comprehend technology-based literacy

10)                  To be able to transform learning by incorporating the following technologies: internet technologies, information management technologies, problem-solving/inquiry-learning technologies, social media technologies, multimedia technologies, differentiating learning technologies, and assessment technologies

11)                  To build my digital identity