Lesson Learned 10/21/15

The lesson I took away today was how to create a WebQuest.  I read a little bit about WebQuests from Chapter 6 in the text; therefore, today's lesson, with the Romeo and Juliet example and a break-down of each section, really helped me understand WebQuests much better.  I learned how effective including images, numbering steps like in a checklist, bolding and underlining key points, and  providing clear instructions for everything,  I also learned how to embed hyperlinks and how significant it was to include extensions for students and other teachers to take the next step.  WebQuests are super interactive, student-centered, and goal-oriented.

CHAPTERS 5 & 6

5 Teaching Information Literacy and Digital Citizenship

*STRATEGIES FOR CONDUCTING EFFECTIVE SEARCHES WITH STUDENTS*

“A search engine has no way of knowing who asked the question…as a teacher, you must sort through masses of material to find what is relevant and age-appropriate for the class curriculum” (Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2013, p. 110).

            Through elementary school and middle school, my main source for researching was library books.  However, nowadays, there is a shift to research being done through the Internet, even among the younger students.  A main issue with students using the internet is that there may be inappropriate information or false information that they may come upon when researching freely; therefore, it is our job as teachers to ensure them a safe and enjoyable experience with internet research. According to the text, the strategies suggested for teachers on how they can use search engines with students safely and effectively include the following:  introducing the search sites that are actually designed for students with age-appropriate material, teaching students to critically evaluate and question search results instead of merely acting the information at face value, using visual search tools that display visuals (like images and videos) instead of a list of URLs, and guaranteeing students with safe online experiences through preselecting sites for students to visit and adding them to the bookmarking tool for student access (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 110-112).

*RESPONSIBILITIES OF DIGITAL CITIZENS*

“Digital citizenship is a broad concept covering all aspects of appropriate technology use, from using social networks safely, to always citing sources, to plagiarism…Many schools have responded to the challenges of teaching digital citizenship by adopting Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs) that state the rules of technology use and the consequences of breaking those rules” (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 117).

            The central goal for teachers is to be able to shape their students into great citizens who can contribute to the country.  Similar to how teachers are shaping their students into becoming outstanding and upright citizens, teachers must also shape students into becoming great citizens of the digital world by teaching them the ethics and etiquette of the digital world.  This is due to the fact that the world today is filled with technology, and the digital world has grown so large and has rules and regulations that citizens must follow similar to how they do outside the digital world.  I thought that it was interesting that with AUPs, there are stiff penalties that befall students who violate the rules of the digital world.  This makes it so much more apparent that violating the rules in the digital world can result in consequences that are very real and tangible, even if students feel as if the things they do in the digital world, beyond the screen, should not impact them.

6 Fostering Online Learning with Educational Websites and Apps

*DESIGNING SUCCESSFUL WEBQUESTS*

“For teachers, designing a successful WebQuest means answering four questions:

1. Who are the students and what are they capable of doing?

2. What are the primary ideas you wish to teach?

3. How will students at different skill levels productively work together?

4. Is technology integrated seamlessly into the assignment?” (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 140).

            Because I never created a WebQuest before, let alone experience one myself, I thought it was important to note some questions to keep in mind while creating my WebQuest for this course.  I think these questions would serve as great guidelines in addition to the information provided by the teacher, for I can constantly reflect on my work and keep myself in check.  I think that these questions are effective not only for WebQuests, but also for any lesson and activity teachers plan because they are general questions that do strike the heart of a lesson.

*TAKING VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS*

“Virtual field trips are a flexible teaching approach…many museums, science centers, and other educational organizations have developed online field trip and virtual tour programs that do not require any human-to-human interaction, so no reservation is needed” (Maloy et al., 2013, p. 140-141).

            I think that virtual field trips are an amazing tool that teachers can use to further their students’ learning.  Of course, field trips that students can physically go on are also important, but virtual ones are so significant because they enable students to experience things and places vicariously and learn from those experiences.  These field trips can be just as exciting as the 4-D theaters in attraction parks, as students are experiencing places as if they are traveling through them with their own two feet.  Moreover, virtual field trips make venturing to places a long distance away, such as the Palace of Versailles and the Great Wall of China, possible.  Furthermore, virtual field trips are awesome because some programs do not require reservations, which may be a hassle to do when planning field trips.

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***FOOD FOR THOUGHT…***

1)    What steps would you take to ensure your students a safe and enjoyable Internet research experience?

2)    If you were to give a lesson on how to become great digital citizens to your students, how would you motivate your students and make sure they internalize the message you want them to leave the lesson with?

3)    Besides the four questions the text suggests for teachers to ask themselves while designing a successful WebQuest, what question would you ask in addition?

4)    Where would you bring your students to for a virtual field trip?

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 10/14/15

Today, I learned a lot about the controversial topic of Wikipedia.  Based on what my teachers always told me, Wikipedia was a "hands-off" source we could never use for our research papers.  However, Wikipedia is a website that has many pros and cons and can be used for many different purposes.  Although many people can edit Wikipedia pages, there is actually a team censoring the changes; thus, the site is trustworthy for its information.  I was very interested to learn that the website was started for the purpose of forming a Utopia for the Hippies on the internet.  They believed in sharing knowledge, and that knowledge is in the shaping and is constantly evolving.  Anybody who wants to contribute their knowledge can do so in a democratic way.

Lesson Learned 10/7/15

Today, the lesson that I learned was that learning comes in many forms.  Learning is done through repetition, remembering, applying, teaching someone else, creating, demonstrating, mastering, and showing off skills.  There are so many different levels of learning, for learning itself is a layered process.  Therefore, learning can be demonstrated in multiple ways.

Another lesson I took away from today was that educational theories are there to help us predict and plan.  Theories of Learning give us teachers different perspectives, different lenses to look through. There is behaviorism, cognitive information processing, and constructivism.  Each theory defines learning a little differently, and have their own ways of assessing learning.  In behaviorism, learning is defined as a change in the probability of a behavior occurring, and assessment can come in the form of observations.  Cognitive information processing defines learning as a change in knowledge stored in memory, and assessment can come in the form of creation and retrieving information on exams.  Lastly, constructivism defines learning as a change in meaning, which is constructed from experience; assessment may come in the form of observations of students' reflection of their learning experience.

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