PLN

As this course is ending, reflecting on things we have done has taught me a lot. For example, the personal learning network was a core part of the beginning weeks. We used devices such as twitter, blogging, RSS feed, and social bookmarking on delicious to build our PLN. So far, I think that these tools can be very useful, although there were some weaknesses throughout the development of my PLN.

After weeks of working on my PLN, I found that my favorite part was probably blogging. I like to write my ideas or thoughts and see what other people think. Most people comment providing feedback that could make our ideas better or more detailed, so it really beneficial. Also, if I write about a confusing topic, it can provide the opportunity for different points of view to be heard. This way their ideas could either build off of mine or correct mine so I can better understand the topic. I also found I like to read blogs just as well as write them. I like to see what other projects people are working on and what other people are thinking. It's cool to see the different blog topics and it even inspires some of my writing. Overall, blogging helps my process of reading and writing, by giving me ideas and feedback. One drawback would be that it does not receive immediate feedback. It can take days before someone notices and comments. Also, with the amount of blogs on the Internet, it is hard to find ones that are interesting or most beneficial to read.

Twitter can be the quicker more efficient form of blogging, although it is not as elaborate. It can be useful to get a small point across in the most efficient way to get immediate response. The tweet deck gives constant updates, so I can keep track of when my students or colleagues update their twitter. It is the best form to use if you want a fast response for something short. The draw back is that it only allows for so much writing. There is a word limit, so that you can't post an elaborate idea. This makes it hard to share some things at a quick way. Some ideas can't be condensed enough to fit within the word count. Therefore, sometimes it is a struggle to decide whether to tweet the topic or blog it. They both are beneficial, but sometimes no one is better than the other, so it makes it difficult to choose.

The RSS is very beneficial as it is a great way to organize blogs you want to follow. It shows the most recent updates between all of the blogs in the feed. It is extremely beneficial that all of my blogs I find interesting are all on one page. It saves a lot of time for trying to find a blog to read, or when I am looking for a blog to respond to in my own blog. This can help update you with colleague’s ideas, what the students are blogging about, or any other topic of interest in the blog feed. The one thing that I absolutely hate about the RSS feed was actually building it. I had the hardest time finding blogs that I found interesting enough to follow. There are still some on my feed that I don’t ever look at, but I have a few that are very beneficial. Once I did have some good ones, and once I keep finding more, I know I will appreciate the feed as it organizes all of my blogs to follow.

Last time we wrote about our PLN, I had not used my delicious account yet. But, the time finally came when I forgot some websites for my paper while I was on a public computer, and I was relieved that I had saved them to my delicious account. Overall, my bookmarks on my computer save me by making it so much easier to access websites I use a lot. To have an account where I can open all my bookmarks on any computer makes me feel safe. I no longer have to worry about going somewhere because I would have to search for websites. Instead I can just open My Delicious and have all of my bookmarks that make my life easier at home. The main drawback is that it is work to keep it updated. Right now with a click of a button I can add a website to my tabs, or bookmarks, on my computer. Yet, to add it to my delicious account I would have to open delicious and submit it. It doesn’t take long, but I always seem to forget, so I am not very good at updating.

Overall, at the beginning of the course I thought these networks were a waste of time and just busy work. Yet, now I see how beneficial the PLN can actually be. I seem to be more organized and have a lot of places to turn to for ideas. The organization makes easier access so I don’t have to worry about wasting too much time looking for ideas. The biggest dilemma I have with a PLN is actually developing it. It seems to take a long time to actually get it started, and even keep it updated. Yet, I know that it is very beneficial after all.

My Studiyo

***The quiz is too big to embedd! Here is the website to see it properly!


For this weeks assignment, I researched online for a technology I thought would be interesting to try out. I ended up coming across My Studiyo, which is a website that allows the creation of online quizzes, where multimedia devices can be incorporated. Overall, I thought it was very cool idea!

The first thing that struck me was that it was easy to make. Going into, I thought that an online quiz would just be more of a hassle, and not worth it. I was completely wrong! There were templates set up so that you could decide the them of the quiz. I found a notebook paper theme with flowers, which fit perfectly to my quiz subject of flowering plants. There were several others to choose from, and even plain themes to match any subject. After picking the theme, you titled the quiz and moved right into the questions. You could chose open ended questions or multiple choice, which is what I did. I input a question, then gave 4 possible answers, marking the correct one. It then gave you an option to add images, videos, or audio to the questions. I chose to use just images as I was just making an example. After I had a few questions, I decided to end the quiz. The option was given to add another multimedia device for the end, to be displayed when scores were given. After that, you just published the quiz, and that was it! It was so easy and I found many pros to using this system.

First of all, due to the allowance of creativity in this website, the online quiz could be used for virtually any age. The questions could be really easy such as 1+1, or even move into subjects such as genetics. This allows for teachers of all grade levels to explore the use of my studiyo and use it to their advantage. So many times people think technology should only be used for older students, where this website proves that idea wrong. The questions could be very simple, and the website is not hard to use at all. If anything, it is a great source to get young students feet wet in technology. They could learn to use the internet, or even really simple things such as how to control the mouse. Even on the opposite side of the spectrum, the students could learn about technology by making a quiz of their own. It really is an easy website to use, so it would not be a difficult task. This could help the students in two ways. One would be that they are learning to use the computer. By making a quiz, they are learning to use the internet, type, and search for pictures. Secondly, making a quiz teaches the subject matter. They may be making a quiz for another student to take, but as they make it, they learn the information. They have to come up with questions and correct answers,so they learn the material.

Another pro I found was the use of multimedia in the quiz. Obviously, any quiz can be done through paper and pencil. Yet, this is become rather boring and old fashioned. Any use of the computer nowadays makes assignments more exciting and keeps attention better. With this certain website, multimedia is incorporated, and easily incorporated at that. Just for my quiz I was able to find pictures of flowers and parts of flowers for each question. This can either give a hint to what the answer may be, or it could get them thinking more. For example, I ask what the function of the petals of a flower are, and put a picture of flower petals. This instance does not give a hint, but showing a picture may get them thinking. Maybe it is just my learning, but for a question like that I picture the petals in my head. Here, the petals are right in front of them so they only need to think about the picture. Using the pictures as a hint may seem too easy, but depending on grade level that may be a great way to help the students learn. Not only are pictures allowed in this quiz, but also videos and audio. I did not use this in my example quiz, but I could see how this may be beneficial. Again, the media can be used to probe thinking. Or it could be used to ask the question itself. For example, I could have included a video of bees carrying pollen from the stamens to the pistils, and then asked the process shown. The process would be pollination, and the students could see this process through the video. This makes it a lot more interesting than worded questions, and showing the video may make the students understand the concept better. Audio on the other hand, may be limited to only certain subjects. For example, the audio available would be perfect for a music based quiz.

Although I really liked this device, I found that there could be some cons. One may be it could be limited to certain subjects. All subjects could be used since you can ask any question, but it may not be worth it to make say a math quiz online. Simply because the multimedia may not be very beneficial, or even available. Math pictures would simply be not needed, so pencil and paper may be the better choice. So this website may not be the best choice depending on content matter and the need for media. Another con would actually be making the quiz. It was very easy to make, but because some written quizzes may already be made, some teachers may not change. They could be stuck in a routine of written out quizzes, and don't feel it is worth it to make a quiz online. Also, making a lot of quizzes online may not work out depending on the availability of computers. If students can only use the computers every now and then, online quizzes may not be worth it. Although it could be a nice change in routine.

Overall, I found this online quiz idea to be really cool. I had seen and heard of online quizzes before, but none based on the idea of media. I think the media use really adds something to the quiz, and promotes further thinking along the way.

"A Lot of Fat Kids Who Don't like to Read"

Recently in my TE 348 class, I read an article titled: A Lot of Fat Kids Who Don't Like to Read. It was based on the effects of Pizza Hut's Book It! program and other reading incentives. I had never heard of the Book It program, but after some research I found that it is basically that each child gets a goal of books to read, and if they reach they goal, they get a reward of Pizza. The article goes on to talk about offering incentives to read, and I found a lot of it's key points to be really interesting.

First, the article states that our culture is based on behaviorism. It goes on to say "the way to get things done is to dangle goodies in front of people." There was a study done that results that the more someone is rewarded for doing something, the less interest that person is likely to have in that activity. Basically, the reward program offers temporary compliance, but results in the wrong type of motivation. This is a key point that I found very interesting. Extrinsic motivation are motivations outside of the task, where intrinsic motivation is an interest in the task itself.So many people talk about the amount of motivation a student may have, whereas the though should be on the type of motivation. Another key aspect of this article is the idea of "good citizenship program." This is where kids get rewards for doing something good for somebody else or society, only to get something out of it for themselves. This idea again goes along with the type of motivation that should be enforced, not the amount, which seems to be the overall thee of the article.

This article made me think a lot about myself as a student first of all. I have realized that I am one of those students that is wrongly motivated, which makes me feel a bit disappointed in myself. One example they gave, was my exact frame of mind. "Students who are led to think about grades tend to be less interested in learning, less likely to think creatively, and less likely to choose difficult assignments." When I read this statement, I thought of myself right away. When I do any type of assignment or something I have the grade in the back of my mind. I work for the good grades, not to get something out of it. I hate to admit that, but I have to be honest about this. I don't remember a time when I thought about doing homework to learn, I do homework to keep good grades. Because I do get good grades, people think I am really smart, but I admit that I am not. I am constantly telling people that I am not that smart, I just apply myself to my work. Which is so true. I have so many friends that know so much more than me, yet they don't apply themselves to the work. Whereas I put a lot of effort into my work, so I get the grades that make people think I am smart. I know I have the wrong motivation, yet I feel at this point I cannot change my thinking. Even the part about choosing less difficult tasks is true. If we get an assignment where we can choose the route, I will choose the easiest one that will get the job done and get a good grade. I feel so bad now that I have read this article and actually thought about it. Yet, after reading this article I chose the difficult paper so I was pretty proud of myself at that point. Overall, I found that I look into the rewards for assignments, and I know I have the wrong motivation. Yet, I know with some effort I may be able to change my thinking, but it is going to be a hard thing to do.

Thinking of how I am as a student, I know how I need to be as a teacher. It seems ok to offer a little incentive, but that cannot be the basis of the activity. Nor can good grades be the basis of the activity. I know that students should work towards good grades, but their main frame of mind should be putting in the best effort they have for an assignment. This way, they will ultimately end up with the good grade, yet they will come out with a lot more knowledge than they started with. It is my job as a future teacher to provide the students with the right motivation, and not focus on the amount. Overall, this article gave me a whole new perspective on rewards for reading, and I hope that I can make a difference within my classroom.

Check out the article!

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Going off my last post, I thought about a TV show that I am addicted to. Yup, it's "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?" I absolutely love this show right now. It has become an almost everday competition between my dad and I, sad right? Well, as much as I love to try to answer the questions, it makes me very apprehenisve for my future teaching career. I find almost every time that I am NOT smarter than a 5th grader. After a majority of the questions I think " I should have known that, why didn't I know that?"

Why does it make me apprehensive for my future career as a teacher? Well I feel that I am not prepared to teach the students, if I don't know the information myself. It seems that a majority of the questions are simple facts or equations that I should know as a future teacher. I mean it is the criteria of elementary education since that is the basis of the show, so shouldn't I be nervous if I don't know the facts? I feel as if I should be able to tell you all of these elementary facts, so it makes me very nervous that I am far behind in my background knowledge. I am very concerned that I won't be able to answer questions as a teacher or an intern. At least as a teacher I can clarify that I don't know all of the answers and that I get confused too. This way it makes them feel better for not understanding certain concepts. Yet, as an intern I feel the main teacher will look at me like I am uneducated. I feel they will judge what I don't know and doubt me as a future teacher. I don't want to be doubted and I don't want the students to think they can't come to me with questions.

Overall, I find this show very interesting and fun to watch. Yet, it makes me doubt myself as a future teacher and I am very concerned about that. I know I write a lot about this feeling, but getting so close to being a senior working in classrooms and my internship, I am starting to think about it a lot more. Hopefully I can get over my fears and just try to do my best!

Are you ready to play Jeopardy?

Growing up, one of my favorite games to play in class was Jeopardy. I was presented the game in middle school, then went on to use it in high school and even a class in college. I went online recently to find a template, and found one I could explore for this weeks assignment. The jeopardy game I found is exclusively on the internet. You form a password for your template, so that nobody else can change it. Although I chose to explore this certain template, there are plenty of others that are on the internet and there are even programs to install into your power point.

With the template I found, I found it very easy and fast to use. There is no need to register for anything. The only thing necessary is that you create a password. This password makes it so that nobody can edit or change the game that you make. This also allows for you to get back into the game and change anything. After you enter the password, the template automatically comes up.You now make a title, and start deciding on categories. With a simple click of a box the questions and answers can be set and saved. It really is a simple tool to use, with nothing confusing at all. There is even a score at the bottom, where several teams can play. I have yet to figure out how to work the score (if you do let me know), but that is a very beneficial aspect of this certain template. When I was in school we had to keep track of our own score since the power point template was used. Yet, if you could just click to add points, it would make the game move at a quicker pace and make it easier to use. Also on this website you can use anybodies template that was already created. There are hundreds of categories and games that can be played. You cannot change them, but some of them fit perfectly to what you may be studying, since a lot of them are probably teacher made. I don't find a lot of people making jeopardy games for another profession, so most are probably used in a classroom somewhere.

Here is the main screen of the game I made for SME 301:



And this is what the screen looks like with the question and answer:



The main way this technology could be used in the classroom is as a review for tests. This is exactly how it was used in my classes when I was growing up. It is a great way to combine several different concepts and review main points about them. Most reviews are pencil and paper where you search a book or notes and write the answer down. Yes students can learn from this, but it is far less intriguing and interesting than a Jeopardy game. Turning the review into a jeopardy game has a lot of pros. First of all, kids are more interested. Like I stated, a pencil paper review can work. But students will most likely be far more excited in the game. The sense of competition can make the kids really try and get involved with the game. Students will find it fun since it is a game that they can play against classmates, and they will find it interesting as it is a technology based review that may not be applied very often. Not only is it something fun and interesting, but it also allows for several different subjects to be incorporated. There are 5 different categories that can be used. And within each category there can be 5 different aspects of the category. For example, a cumulative test could have all of the categories studied over a while. This would be like the example I made. Then within each category there could be the 5 main points of that broad topic. Or, the game could be made just a general test, where the 5 categories are the 5 main topics of that general study, for example weather. Then within each category there would be 5 specific questions about the sub-topic. So the Jeopardy game could be used in a variety of situations. Another pro is that the game could be used on any topic. A lot of games make it difficult to study certain topics, like possibly math. But Jeopardy could be used in any topic including math. You could even put equations and the game and have the students solve the equation for the answer. One other pro of the game is it encourages student involvement and discussion. If there is a question that maybe several people couldn't figure out, then it is obvious that the topic needs to be gone over a little more. The class could be open to discussion at this point, where the students help each other to learn. The game could be stopped at any point to do this as it is not timed. If it were a pencil/paper method, the struggles would not be apparent until the papers are gone over, which may be too late. Yet, with a jeopardy game, the struggles can be apparent right at the time and in front of the class. This way everyone can review the concept at the time, so they can understand it for the upcoming test or assignment.

As far as cons, there could be a few struggles. First of all, if the students don't participate, then the game will be a bust. The game is all about student participation and without that, it simply would not work. Also, depending on the content the game could be hard to make. It seems that it is made for fairly simple wording or content. So if the material is very elaborate, this may not be the tool for you. It seems to be aimed more towards small short answers, so it limits the amount of material you can incorporate. Also, it may be hard to think of categories and topics that are legitimate. if there isn't a sufficient amount of material that can be used, you could find yourself just filling in categories with pointless information. It then would be ultimately a waste of time, since only some of the questions will be of help. Overall though I really enjoyed this template and will for sure incorporate it into my future classrom.

Starfish Story

I was at my moms school the other day where she is the secretary, talking to one of the teachers. She asked if I was going to school and what I would be going into. I told her education, which of course she got excited, she loves teaching! We talked for a bit, then I had to go. The last thing she said to me was "remember the starfish story when you teach!" I nodded my head in agreement and smiled. Yet, I had no idea what she was talking about! Curiosity got the best of me, and I hopped on google right away, to see what in the world the starfish story was. I ended up finding a youtube video, and I found the story very inspirational.

The video is at the bottom of the blog, but in case it is not working here is a short summary: A man is walking on the beach, when he sees a young boy tossing starfish back into the ocean. The boy claims that the starfish will die since the tide is out. The man claimed the boy was crazy, as there were miles of beach, so he would never make a difference. The boy picked up another starfish, tossed it back into the ocean, and said "I made a difference for that one."

Of course, I can see why she would tell me to remember the video. I feel this story is very inspirational to a future teacher, or even teachers now. As future teachers, we need the encouragement to not give up on students. It may seem like we cannot make a big difference in a lot of students lives, but even if we can fully reach through to one, we are making a difference. We should take pride that our future profession allows the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young children. We are able to provide encouragement and motivation to future generations. So if we don't have the encouragement ourselves to not give up, how are we supposed to make a difference to them? This video really opened my eyes to future struggles I may have. I may end up in a room with 25 students, and feel overwhelmed with my job of having some sort of an effect on them. I have to know, that I may not reach through to them all. As much as I may try, some just may not be accepting or even care. Yet, there are bound to be students I will make a difference with. Even one, one is always better than none. I feel that it will more than likely be more than one, but it's hard telling now. So if I tell myself to aim to make the difference that I can, I will accomplish something. I cannot aim to make a huge difference with every student I come across. That is just not plausible. I may alter a lot, but a long lasting difference may come in very few numbers. But how many other jobs can say that have effectively made a difference in someones life, especially a young child. It really is rewarding, and will boost my confidence if I can reach through to these students.

Yet, as much as I find myself enjoying this story/video, it reminds me of a past situation that may be considered it's downfall. I was volunteering for a 5th grade classroom, when there was one student that was not cooperating at all. He was behind in every subject, always acted up, and really just didn't seem to care about school whatsoever. The teacher sent him to the hall, again, and I had asked her if I should go work with him or talk to him. She said "no, he's a lost cause." I was shocked. How could a teacher ever think of a student that way. No student is a lost cause, unless they are given up on. This story reminded me of this situation because I think teachers may get it in their mind that as long as a difference is made for one student, then it's ok. Which if you try your hardest, and can only reach one student, then it is for sure ok. But I think with this story can come the mentality that some students can be given up on, since the teacher makes difference or affects the others. I feel that the teacher should try their hardest, the whole time they are in contact with the student. It may seem like nothing is working, but if the student is given up on, then it for sure won't work. It should never be looked at as a lost cause unless they move on.

As a future teacher, I will try my hardest to affect and make a difference for ALL my students. I will push them and encourage them the whole time that I am in contact with them. Some students may seem like I more successfully made a difference on them, but that does not mean I give up on the others. If anything, I encourage them more. It is my job to not give up on any of the students, just as the story with the starfish. I really enjoyed this story and gained a lot of insight from it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Digital Story Reflection

For my video, I used the basis of having a hero. In my video I explained that my brother Jason is my hero for serving in the military to defend us. I used images and a song to convey more meaning.

My Hero on PhotoPeach



Telling a digital story may be useful for teaching because it is more interesting and intriguing that normal lecture or worksheet instructions. An assignment can be introduced in a fun way, so that maybe the students will be more excited to complete the assignment. The music and pictures will captivate them making the assignment or project seem more fun or entertaining. This is also a great way to introduce a topic because a background story can be told. With digital story, the teacher could provide a fun story leading into the new unit or assignment. For example with my video, it would be a perfect introduction if I were to plan a hero based assignment. The video provides an example of who a hero could and be and example of why. Leading into an assginment, the digital story could ultimately be a fun way to introduce the unit or a fun way to prove instructions on what to do.

This may be useful for a student to do story telling this way because it allows the opportunity for creativity. The students could choose a medium to use, choose the images, and even pick a song to incorporate. They have so many options how to construct the story, so it makes it more fun since they are not being told what to do. This may also be useful because it integreates technology. I remember in elementary every year we would get a hard coverbook, where we had to construct a story based on a topic given to us. It was very exciting because it was like a real book, yet digital story telling provides so many more opportunities. With technology, there are a lot more tools and mediums to use. It is so much more broad than the paper and pencial method. Using technology to tell a story also gets the students knowledge with technology. So many times students are forced to use a pencil paper method, so as time goes on students are clueless with a lot of programs in technology. Yet if fun and convenient methods like digital story telling is introduced, then the students may feel more comfortable with technology. I know if I would have done things like this in school, I may feel more comfortable with a computer or the internet.

For the tool that I used (photopeach), I really liked it for the most part. One thing I liked was that it was very easy to use. The pictures uploaded in seconds, and there were step by step instructions. I also liked the options for adding music to the show. There weren't a set list of songs to use, instead you could search youtube or even upload a song you have on your computer. I really enjoyed that aspect because I had a song picked out, but wasn't sure if I would be able to use it. Another aspect I enjoyed was that after I finished, I was able to go back in and edit the captions. I made some spelling mistakes after I had pressed finished, so it was nice to be able to go back in and edit without having to redo it all. Although I really enjoyed photopeach, I found that there was one thing i got frustrated with. I had to remake my video 3 times! Although we were allowed to edit captions, nothing else could be changed (at least from what I could figure out). I ended up changing the title, song, and order of pictures which in all I had to redo the video. I may be able to blame it on my lack of planning intensively, but there were somethings that I just didn't think about until I watched the finished video.

Overall I really enjoyed making the digital story and the tool that I chose to use. This would provide a unique expereince to the classroom and I cannot wait to try it out!

Open Ended Assignments

For my TE 348, we were told to chose a book, and make an application project that provides in depth thought. That was it. I sat there thinking, what do you mean? Talk about the themes, plot, characters? Critically analyze it? Going to my teacher wit a ton of questions, I was hoping to get more of an answer of guidelines. For example: include characters, talk about their changes, 2-3 pages. No, instead I got a repetition of what was already confusing me. Frustrated, I left the classroom completely stressed out. How was I suppose to complete an assignment, when I don't even know what it is. It's going to be a long end of the semester...

This idea got me thinking about open ended assignments. I HATE THEM. I am the type that needs a rubric, and needs exactly guidelines. I want to be able to check things off one by one, and get it completely finished. How are you supposed to completely finish an open ended assignment? You don't even know what the finished product should look like! I tried to look online about the pros and cons of this type of assignment, but I couldn't really find anything interesting. So I thought I would think through the idea, and what past teachers have said to create a blog.

First off, I want to talk about the pros of an open-ended assignment. The biggest one I can think of is it encourages creativity. Students are able to think of what topic or type of project they want to do. These assignments allow the opportunity for students to put their personality into school work. For example, if a very crafty student gets an open ended assignment, then instead of the usual paper, they may make a visually appealing poster with the same information that a paper may hold. This sense of creativity can show the teacher who the student really is. They will most likely put things they enjoy into the assignment, revealing their inner self. Along with this idea, the open ended assignment will allow for different viewpoints. Students may do different topics which allow for a variety of discussion. If the assignment is all done on one topic, and the construction is open ended, then the way students assemble their work may provide different viewpoints. One may make a video with images and music, whereas one may make a poster with solely text. Seeing the variety of ways to construct one topic, can allow for better learning of the topic since their is different types of information presented. Another pro is that these type of assignments promote student responsibility. Students are responsible for making sure to make a decent finished project. They are responsible for thinking of a topic and/or constructing the piece. It is up to them to make sure they understand somewhat of what it should be about and creating something to the best of their ability. On that note, these assignments show exactly what the student is capable of. The students can not just complete the bare minimum of a rubric based project. Maybe those students that do the bare minimum will shine in these projects since they are encouraged to make something to the best of their ability that will satisfy the topic. So overall, the open ended assignments allow for creativity, different points of view on information, encourage responsibility, and even show what the students are capable of.

As for the cons, one would be that these assignments can confuse and frustrate a student (me!). If some are not given exact guidelines, it will just confuse them and frustrate them more making the assignment a struggle. The students will be so focused on what exactly they should do, that they may not learn the information along the way. This would make for a pointless assignment, since the whole point is that they should learn the information as they do the project. Another con would be that students may not complete the project to the best of their ability, and then put the blame on the teacher. A student may construct something that shows not a lot of effort compared to others. Yet, the student may say "well you said what ever we wanted to do." Obviously, the teacher would mean there has to be some sort of effort put into it. Therefore, with an open ended assignment, the teacher needs to clarify general guidelines. It needs to be said that the showing of effort must be obvious. It is obvious that there aren't as many cons (that I can think of at this point). The overall cons would be that it stresses students out enough that they miss the point of the project and students will slack.

Obviously this post as a lot of generalizations about students. I am in no way saying that these problems or successes will come about with all students. I presented these pros and cons based on my own experience. With looking at what I wrote (although I hate these type of assignments), I think it is important that open ended projects be incorporated in the classroom. There are obviously a lot of pros to the idea, even though some students may not enjoy them. A lot of other students may love the idea of these assignments since they are creative. It is not fair to them if a teacher does not allow these type of assignments. No matter if an assignment has a rubric or not, there are going to be students that dislike one or the other. So the use of both will satisfy all students at one point or another. Not only that, students need to be encouraged to be more responsible and be creative. This is the perfect way to do just that.

Enough of my thoughts, what does everyone else think?

Mr. Winkle Wakes Up

I came across a video in my RSS feed that I found pretty interesting. The video is about Rip Van Winkle waking up from a 100 year slumber, and finding new technology in a lot of places. Yet, when he goes to a school, nothing is changed at all! The computer that is in the room is described as dusty and unused. It makes me think about the lack of technology in schools, and my future goal as a teacher.

This video is a great example of the digital storytelling task for this week. Although I have not started it, I feel that watching this video and realizing the importance of technology along with it, I m more intrigued to make my own. Since I have not created my video, I thought I would use my thinking due to the video to reflect on my lesson plan and how I feel about the integration of technology in classrooms.

With creating the lesson plan that integrates technology, I found my biggest problem was figuring out what the lesson should be on. It wasn't hard to find a way to use technology, as there are so many programs. There's word, powerpoint, online mindmaps, excel, search engines, and countless other technological tools for teaching. It was very easy to incorporate many of these technological aspects, so I found myself wondering what the problem was. If it is so easy to incorporate these aspects what is the dilemma? I know growing up I didn't encounter nearly enough technology in the classroom, and it seems through my observations that that hasn't really changed. In the 5th grade classroom I worked in, not once did the children do anything with technology. Wait! I take that back, the teacher justified this observation by stating that they did in fact watch a movie....Yes, a movie was her prime (and only) technology used. It seems sad that there is so much available, but none of it is used! Why?

A later blog by Matt revels several reasons. One reason could be funding. Not every school has the funding available to invest in computers, projectors, laptops, microphone systems, etc. Without the funding for these resources, of course they aren't going to be able to be used. Yet, I can't see funding as a huge problem. Every school I have observed has had at least one computer in each classroom if not a computer lab in the school. Yet, they were still not being utilized. Why? The teachers. Teachers seem to have a problem shying away from the standard lecture, pencil and paper type of classroom. A lot of this is because they haven't had the training or experience with technology. Which is a good reason on why I am taking (and learning a lot in) this class. I want to be prepared in technology and know how to incorporate it into my classroom. yet, not only is it a lack of training, but a lot of people say that technology is not reliable. Which yes, there can be problems with technology (as I am writing this post my letters are showing up 30 seconds after I type them ! =() But, I would say more often than not technology is reliable.There are times when it does fail us, but that's why there is always a whiteboard and other resources to think of a new way to go about it.

So why use technology? It adds a lot of exciting and interesting ways to go about teaching a lesson. Kids will not be bored with constant lecture or pencil and paper work. It will also teach children how to use technology. In the video Rip encounters so much use of it in areas outside the school. It is obvious that technology is a huge part of society today. School is a prime setting to learn about these technologies so it is important that they start to be used.

Why am I writing about incorporating technology again??!!- This class has really opened my eyes to the importance of technology in the classroom. As a midway point in the semester I have already learned So much about how to integrate technology into my lesson plans. I have even created a lesson plan that does just that. It seems that I have come across so many different mediums I can use in my future classroom all thanks to this class. Just having all of this knowledge makes me feel like I can make a change in the education system. I can go into a school system and proved the knowledge needed to simply start integrating more technology. I am definitely excited for what more I am going to learn, and realize that this class is of great importance to me in my future teaching career.

Enjoy the video!

Matt's follow up blog!