CHAPTER 9 (THE FUTURE OF THE K-12 SCHOOL SYSTEM)

              In chapter nine, we continue to read about web 2.0 tools. We know that web 2.0 tools, have changed the way schools and business alike operate and communicate, however, now we have the question concerning what to do w/ these tools for future instruction and learning? Mark Presnky (2001) asserts that this current generation of students is no longer the students that the U.S. educational system was designed to teach and that teachers must learn how to communicate in a language and style that their students can understand (p.1). While I do not completely agree with Prensky’s observation, I respect it because different regions have different methods of operating their school systems.  In my area, students are still learning in an older manner, with little to no real technology integration outside of the library computer or overhead in the classroom. Some schools are introducing interacting games, however,  I have not observed any new technology integration in the since of web 2.0 tools .Promethean boards are being used, instead of overheads in some cases, so that is a step up. Rather than gradually introducing these new methods, we have some schools that want to introduce it all at once, which is not only overwhelming, but does not demonstrate a balance. As convenient as technology is, we still need web 1.0 tools such as basic search engines. Should 1.0 and 2.0 not complement each other? Why does not have to overpower the other?

                

              At the current point, I felt a strong identification with the paragraph on brainstorming about schools and web 2.0. Since enrolling in this graduate program, I’ve had to do much brainstorming for my project planning and via blackboard and now Moodle, we reflect on others work, and apply it to the education system, by comparing it to present, past, and future. Each assignment that we have done has required a significant amount of brainstorming. There is one organization called School 2.0, that has developed a brainstorming tool to help individuals brainstorm about the future stake of schools, and that’s kind of what I do in this web 2.0 class that I am taking.  With iPads and smartphones being introduced into classrooms, e-books, and the like, physical libraries may soon be a think of the past (w/ the exception of select research).  Promethean boards in many schools now take the pace of overhead projectors. With web TV, you can teach a geography course by using Google earth or Bing maps.  With tools like Vcamso and Skype, we can now teacher at a distance learning level live, thus to some extent being able to interact with students.  If technology does continue to advance, I see public K-12 schools taking a route similar to the university with physical campuses [in the K-12 school system] offering homeschooling formats, thus eliminating the homeschoolers need to purchase curriculums. I also see K-12 hybrid formats in physical campuses in the system.

 NETS*T STANDARD

V. Productivity and Professional Practice

Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice.

Teachers:

A.      Use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.

B.      Continually evaluate and reflect on professional practice to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of student learning.

C.      Apply technology to increase productivity

D.      Use technology to communicate and collaborate with peers, parents, and the larger community in order to nurture student learning.

                

CHAPTER EIGHT (Web 2.0, w/ ESL, LOW INCOME, AND GENERAL PROBLEMS)

                In the eighth chapter of the textbook, one reads about problems such as special needs students, English language learners and equal learning opportunities. Equal learning opportunities need to be addressed by understanding that not all students have an equal amount of access to technology that enables to them learn in the same format. This particularly applies to schools with a high minority population. Possible solutions suggested include the One Laptop per Child essentially is a program that provides students with laptops for academic purposes. These laptops will operate via satellite power, thus not requiring a broadband connection (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). While many of these laptops are destined for third world countries, areas in the U.S. are also going to be eligible for this program (Solomon & Schrum, 2007).

                

               One paragraph that I found to be of interest and one that I should also take into consideration is the ESL paragraph. According to the text there are 5.4 million students classified as LEP (limited English proficient)  and by 2025 they will account for 25% of students here in the United States (U.S. Department of Education, 2006, n.p.). From working on campus and in a non-profit setting I've seen the increasing amount of students from oversees and the difficulty that some of them have with the English language and I've observed how some of them grasps skills w/ a combination of interactive technology and traditional language lessons. David and Husin (2004) found that the use of a computer program helped ELS students grasp the basic skills to communicate while learning the english language. While I am not a foreigner,  I can somewhat related to this from the perspective of somebody studying a non-english language. I’ve taken Spanish classes where I had to go to a language lab for an hour a week, we were able to enrich our skills via interactive games and audio tapes. 

            Earlier I was discussing how schools in which the demographics show a high minority population do not have the same access or amount of technology  as a more upscale or prestige school. The same also applies to schools with more cultural and language diversity and rural schools. According to the text Female students and students who are physically challenged may also face unequal access. There is an existing tension between those who have comfort and experience using technologies sand those who do not, and from my experience this does not always have to do with a language barrier. From my experience it's more of an age thing. I've found that older students, and those who are reentering school after a long period of time are the ones who have the toughest time. This also ties into the expectation that assignments be completed using technology (p. 116), if the student [in this situation we will call them adult learners] does not understand the manipulation of these tools, how will they complete the assignment.

           There has been an attempt to reduce this divine w/ web 2.0 tools, but then comes the problem that not everyone had access to the internet in their homes. According to Solomon & Schrum, nearly 70% of While (Non-Hispanic) and Asian-American children have both computers and Internet access at home; On the other hand, less than 40% of African-American, Native American, and Hispanic children have access to both computers and the Internet in their homes. Instructors need to look at these stats when they decide to incorporate blogging into the course. I've found that a public library or computer lab can be a great alternative to those who do not have a sufficient internet connection in their own homes, if one has a near by local library or lab they can access, one can blog from that location as well as use their web 2.0 tools. This may be an inconvenience for some, so I feel that the laptop programs that individuals are coming up are a great idea, and I would like to see more of that down here in my hometown because I know many (in my family alone) who do not have a computer in their own, let alone any internet and do not have the transportation to go to a library, so laptops connect from a satellite location  at a fairly inexpensive rate would allow for them to blog and network thus keeping contact with school staff and peers, which is the purpose of the web 2.0 error after all, collaboration.

(NATION EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS (NETS*T)

IV. Assessment and Evaluation

Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluations strategies. Teachers:

A. apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.

B. use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.

C. apply multiple methods of evaluation to determine students' appropriate use of technology resources for learning, communication, and productivity

ETHICS AND SAFETY (CHAPTER SEVEN)

                Chapter Seven is the internet safety guide of this text book.  We read about internet safety and what strategies parents and administrators are taking to ensure that their child or student has an enjoyable and safe experience utilizing the internet.  With that being said, I was quite surprised at the percentages that I read, for example 94% had taken steps to try to ensure their children’s online safety.  ¾ (75%) of that group limited home internet to an open space in the room. To be honest, we don’t hear about that. W/ so many teens having their own laptops, I thought that actually monitoring a child’s internet use had become taboo. I have never had my own computer growing up, and did not get a laptop until I was almost 21 years old, and I’m just about to be 25, so having full internet privacy is still a fairy new thing for me as well. I was also not aware that more than 55% of parents were installing software to limit or block their child’s online activities.

                This was a tough one to find a paragraph to say I identified with more than others so I won‘t state a particular one. This will be more of a rambling of the facts displayed in this chapter.  To answer the question. Is it okay to download music on a file sharing program just because it is available? The answer is no! I remember seeing a commercial way back w/ several artists contributing to the commercial stating that taking music you did not pay for is STEALING! To download a full album on a free P2P file sharing software is the same as going to a music store and stealing the album. According to poll conducted in the spring of 2006, while many teachers admit that downloading music or DVD’s for free is illegal, they do not feel the same way about making copies of these products to share with friends and family. To that I have to respond that if it were truly okay, major companies (SONY anyone) would not have had put copy protection software on their albums. I am not sure if they are still doing this or not, but from 2004-2006, Sony was putting this software on their CDs that would hinder one from easily making a copy of these albums. For example, they would not play in certain computers or certain media players. Which brings me to what come of the copy protection was. The software would appear in the form of this music player called mediamaxx, which was  not a very good player, it was quite slow and nearly impossible to close, it’s said that this would alter the format of some of your other media files, disabling them from operating the way that they should, killing your dvd drive. In some cases, CD and DVD drives literally disappeared. Spyware was installed, and this caused many to boycott the company.  It was believed that they cared more about their product than their consumer, even though as a consumer you are legally allowed to have a backup copy of an album for your car, however, that was almost never the case. Another complaint was that this software made the album completely useless to those who like to rap music to their iPods or mp3 players.

                The code of ethics such as testing accuracy y of information and identifying sources should be common sense, in my opinion. Giving credit to wherever you get your information is necessary in order to avoid copyright issues. Even in video blogs where you may have a song playing in the background can result in an accusation of infringement.

My Own Commentary

 One never knows who they are fooling with online or who is watching. Don’t think just because you have a page blocked  that nobody can retrieve what you post, if someone really wants to see what you have stated, they are going to find it by any means necessary even if it means hacking. Also, if a webcam is not in use, do NOT leave it plugged! There is always the risk that it can be turned on from a remote location. Even w/o hacking, w/ products like Skype, iChat or ooVoo one may easily access a camera and catch one w/o their knowledge. If you get a message from someone you don't know, that's obviously inappropriate, please report it!

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/cruelcam_costs_kid_life_gKIl4DmNjUdOJ4ZMdNy12N#ixzz110vBL5Lo

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/national/19kids.ready.html?pagewanted=all

National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS*A)

VI. Social, legal, and Ethical Issues—Educational leaders understand the social, legal, and ethical issues related to technology and model responsible decision making related to these issues. Educational leaders:

1. Ensure equity of access to technology resources that enable and empower all learners and educators.
2. Identify, communicate, model, and enforce social, legal and ethical practices to promote responsible use of technology.
3. Promote and enforce privacy, security, and online safety related to the use of technology.
4. Promote and enforce environmentally safe and healthy practices in the use of technology.
5. Participate in the development of policies that clearly enforce copyright law and assign ownership of intellectual property developed with the district resources.

NEW TOOLS (CHAPTER SIX)

Previously I blogged about professional development and why we need it in classrooms and business settings and I provided some examples with smartphones and iPads being integrated into the educational setting depending on the subject matter. Chapter 6 of the new tools text is a discussion on how to implement the professional development.  Wesley Fryer (2006) asserts that in order for the development to be successful, administrators need to have a vision as to how it’s going to occur. He also believes that discussion about such issues such as technology integration should not only occur along administrators, but between administrators and teachers as well.  While I am not a teacher, I can see why this would be difficult. While we need to realize that students today are a part of a digital generation, that even when I was in high school, I did not have this much experience with technology. The only real social networking tool that we had was MySpace, Podcasting was virtually unheard of. So in that since, I can see why teachers and administrators would be overwhelmed with having so much technology thrown at them in such a short period. There is also the possibility (and this most likely will occur) that students will not utilize the technology in the ways that they are supposed to. That is while the school system may have a vision to enhance the students learning experience; students may have other ideas that get them carried away.  

                I found the passage on leadership in the 21^st century to be relevant to my experience in my education career thus far. I’ve stated that in my past blogs that in grade school our computer usage was limited to the computer labs and the library. The only other exception would be computer literacy or typing classes. According to Levin & Arafeh:

School administrators-and not teachers- set the tone for Internet use at school. The differences among the schools attended by students [surveyed] were striking. Policy choices by those who run school systems and other factors have resulted in different schools having different levels of access to the Internet, different requirements for student technology literacy skills, and different restrictions on student Internet access. (2002)

While this applied to my educational experience, (i.e. any website that was not set by an administrator was pretty much blocked w/ no questions asked), I’m sure that this is the norm in many schools today. Despite the trend to incorporate these newer forms of technology (such as electronic gadgets, another thing that was not even allowed on school premises when I was in grade school) in the class today, there are still several educational institutions that have a professional development mindset. Web 2.0 tools like twitter, and Skype had not been around at the time, the closest that we had to Skype or ooVoo was Yahoo Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger. While they had web cam ability, the quality was not very good, images were rather foggy. Google docs had not been used; we were still using floppy disk! (I did not get introduced to the jump drive until my sophomore year of college). So, again, I relate to this passage the most because, I am kind of in the midst of this transformation from web 1.0 to web 2.0 and I’m still learning as time goes by.

NETS*A (National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators)

I.                    Leadership and Vision – Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision. Educational leaders:

A.      Facilitate the shared development by all stakeholders of a vision for technology use and widely communicate that vision.

B.      Maintain an inclusive and cohesive process to develop, implement, and monitor a dynamic, long-range, and systemic technology plan to achieve the vision.

C.      Foster and nurture a culture of responsible risk taking and advocate policies promoting continuous innovation with technology.

D.      Use date in making leadership decisions

E.       Advocate for research-based effective practices in use of technology.

F.       Advocate, on the state and national levels, for policies, programs, and funding opportunities that support implementation for the district technology plan.

http://voices.yahoo.com/youtube-videos-social-2325456.html

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/leveraging-youtube-for-science

http://www.teachscienceandmath.com/2010/04/30/how-to-integrate-podcasting-into-science-and-math-classes/

http://net.educause.edu/section_params/mentoring/M06_%20PDP.pdf

http://dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/pdp.html

Trouble with professional development! (Chapter 5)

                Professional development! What can I say? It’s one of those practices that businesses and education establishments alike need; unfortunately, few organizations know how to truly develop professionally or do it appropriately. According to the text, even while much money has been invested on training educators, we do not have much to show for it. There has been little difference (if any at all) in the way that teachers use technology in the classrooms. Since the focus here is on schools, I will talk primarily about schools while briefly discussing corporation practices from a technological perspective.  I’m not a teacher myself, but based on my experience of observing in classrooms, I have not seen much technology outside of overhead projectors and occasional television use. The internet is reserved almost exclusively for library research, which really is not much different from the way technology was used when I was in grade school. I don’t know if it just has not reached my state, but I have yet to see technology being implemented the way I’ve seen from watching other educational technology videos.

                `I identified with the passage of professional development with web 2.0 tools because I’m at a place in my educational career, where I am using technology for (school purposes) more than I ever have. Even as far as my undergraduate college education, I did not use technology the way I do now. This is not to say that I’m advanced by any means, because there are high schools using forms of technology that I only wish I had the experience of using. Even at the age of 24, I still have not had any direct experience with a promethean board, even though I would love to. With that being said, I’m really beginning to see how social networking tools like Facebook, twitter, MySpace, and blogging websites can be used other than for entertainment. We also use a university tool to collaborate on our peers work, and ask questions I identify most w/ this passage because I’m present, and experiencing the emergence of these tools being used in schools and businesses alike.  Blogging, as you know, I love the tool, I have been using since 2005, however until recently, I have only used it as an online journal or way to promote something. Blogging can be used to promote teachers comfort with the understanding of Web 2.0 tools and some teachers use them to create their own networks.  According to Guhlin (2006a) blogging and podcasting are great ways to build these networks of learning [where teachers alike can learn from each other and more technology advanced educators can guide those who are not as comfortable with utilizing technology]. He states:

This idea of building your own professional development network – where you find the people from whom you can learn, ask questions of them, comment on their thoughts and links, and have them do the same for you --- is one of the major benefits and blogging and podcasting. It is the art of conversation captured in digital format. (n.p.).

                This final paragraph will be some commentary on my personal viewpoint on professional development. Last summer I took a course devoted to this practice and in my opinion professional development is not limited to Web 2.0 tools nor is it only something that educators and business owners should learn on their own. I’ve watched videos as a requirement in class, and I’ve seen the way that some high schools are utilizing interactive games that the students catch on to quicker than the teachers, in this case students were teaching the teacher how to manipulate the product! In order for professional development to be the most successful, learning communities must be established, and these communities do not have to only be educators and business owners. Business owners may, grocery stores deciding to include self-checkout registers in a store or including computer based planograms to read for the merchandiser that goes and services their store. When it comes to PD learning communities, maybe business owners can stand on their own, however in my opinion when it comes to education, a learning community should include students, teachers, administrators, and to some extent parents who may or may not know about technology. The ones who are more equipped could provide assistance to those who are not as savvy. These should me somewhere other than online and should meet periodically. Even when not in these learning communities, teachers could meet and discuss what they are using in their classrooms and discuss the success (or lack of) with/ the particular program based on the subject matter.  In my college Spanish classes, we had to do an hour a week in lab work, where we had interactive puzzle games to help us with the homework. This was around 2008, prior to this we had to bring a cassette tape with us and have the lesson recorded for us to answer the questions that we were supposed to answer. Environmental Science and Geography classes could use the web TV and display interactive maps, to better explain satellites and contour lines.  Business and office systems, and statistics could utilize colorful charts on an excel spreadsheet more often to provide a better understanding of stats.  Basic mathematics could include animation in the traditional PowerPoint software to show adding, subtraction, diving, and multiplying fractions. (I actually created a product on this in my Instructional Media Design class I took last spring). In English, literature, and history classes, we could have students create YouTube accounts, to do presentations and provide feedback via commenting or doing a response vide. YouTube could also be utilized in Geography to talk about culture, trips, or the vegetation of a certain area and get feedback.  In homeschooling, promethean boards could be used to give students a better look at curriculums or to do presentations. Online charter schools could utilize Skype and ooVoo to better communicate with students by including live lectures. With this all being said, we cannot forget about the traditional web 1.0 tools such as Alta vista, ask Jeeves, Google search, and yahoo search. When it comes to doing a research project sometimes these are needed, if you are doing an example on the history of a particular area in your city or defunct corporations, you are more likely to find news on these by searching the internet than you are with twitter or Facebook.

NETS*A

I.                    Leadership and Vision – Educational leaders inspire a shared vision for comprehensive integration of technology and foster an environment and culture conducive to the realization of that vision. Educational leaders:

A.      Facilitate the shared development by all stakeholders of a vision for technology use and widely communicate that vision.

B.      Maintain an inclusive and cohesive process to develop, implement, and monitor a dynamic, long-range, and systemic technology plan to achieve the vision.

C.      Foster and nurture a culture of responsible risk taking and advocate policies promoting continuous innovation with technology.

D.      Use date in making leadership decisions

E.       Advocate for research-based effective practices in use of technology.

F.       Advocate, on the state and national levels, for policies, programs, and funding opportunities that support implementation for the district technology plan.

http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth_discovery.html

http://www.homemakershomestead.com/smf/index.php?topic=11898.0

http://farrarwilliams.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/professional-development-for-homeschool-parents/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHJIiTzjtJU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=648ZzzT89SM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnWAhFcDPrY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14rYkFnjQ30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsTLJdSBVAk

Technology Integration (Chapter Five)

            One reads about how administrators themselves are utilizing new technological tools into the school systems.  For example, the Lemon Grove School District of California has been able to launch a project called, LemonLINK, which delivers high-speed internet connectivity between the district and students homes. Students are able to access the internet from school or home; it also saves those dreaded phone calls because teachers can easily be accessed via web. Other educators are including Digital Storytelling which combines photographs with voice to tell a story. I did one last semester from the perspective of an inanimate object (a cable modem in my case). Digital stories can also be used to give the story of a vacation or event that recently happened.  Podcasting can be used by some to generate collaboration. In my school, we use Moodle to reflect on each other’s work. I love the tool of podcasting, however, my college has not utilized this tool yet, which is unfortunate because it’s so much fun! Cellular phones and other portable gadgets have also become a part of the educational experience of today’s youth. In history classes a student can interview older family members to get perspectives on life in America during their time, using an iPod or a voice recorder. Cellular phones, notably smartphones have education applications that help students with mathematics and spelling.

          While I enjoyed reading the breakdown of each subject matter and how technology can be integrated into the learning experience with each, I cannot say that they relate to my life because one, I am not a teacher, and also when I was in school, technology was limited to a projector and mild computer usage. I feel that the blogging passage is what I would relate to the most because I used to blog quite often, though I have not been doing it as much, and it’s this class that has be really starting to do it again. According to the text, “blogs are a natural form for writing instruction” (Solomon & Schrum, 2007). History teachers and other social studies teachers may use blogging for current events. For example, a social studies teacher may have students create YouTube accounts for video blogging. The teacher may vlog (video blog) about an event to invoke though such as when New York legalized same sex marriage, and ask students to either respond w/ a comment or a response video. An English teacher may have students create a blogger account or MySpace account for blogging and blog about a movie such as “For Colored Girls” (based on the 1975 play) and ask for student’s opinions and which character they related to the most. Blogging can include a broad audience, depending on the subject matter that one discusses and often bloggers will discuss a certain category of topics more than others, thus attracting certain subscribers. While outside of this course we don’t really blog to collaborate, we often will have a teacher post something like a blog in blackboard or Moodle and we will respond with a reflective log of some sort. I’ve used blogging in the past primarily to rant or talk about my trips, however I’m really getting more into news stories and current events and trying to branch out into that and cater to an audience who is more alert on world occurrences. A blogger may very detail in what they like to discuss or they may discuss a variety of things each week, which is why I enjoy this tool so much. It often gives one a glimpse of a person w/o having to read a personal journal or diary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZZRv_7OYf0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxDHataguRE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEsoFaubtS0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z_3sflVBA8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9db9FyDkppk

NETS (T)

2. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences

Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.

Teachers:

1.   Design developmentally appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the diverse needs of learners.

2.   Apply current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.

3.   Identify and locate technology resources and evaluate them for accuracy and suitability.

4.   Plan for the management of technology resources within the context of learning     activities.

5.   Plan strategies to manage student learning in a technology-enhanced environment.

Chapter 3 (Repost w/ Quote)

In this chapter, we read a further elaboration on Web 2.0 tools. Some Web 2.0 only requires an internet connection. Tools such as Wikipedia, for example, allow for others to edit the information at any given moment (which is why, I do not recommend using this for a research project). With tools like YouTube, Google docs, and so many others of this nature, people may return to projects at any time. Web 2.0 tools also allow one to create tags which are essentially key words and cues that help classify content. I’m not sure if this would be considered a Web 2.0 tool, but there are some USB drives that offer additional online storage with them, thus giving you extra space to store other things. The three basic web 2.0 tools are blogs, podcasts, and wikis. Blogs and podcasts can be serve multiple purposes and be used to business, education, government and health organizations. Podcasting consist of streaming several multimedia files together such as music or speeches then sending them to a mobile phone or web source. From a web source others can leave comments or do responses themselves (in the same way YouTube bloggers can do response videos to another video). Bookmarking sites take the place of saving favorites on a personal computer, and allow one to “bookmark” sites online that they would like to go back to later on.

It was hard to find a passage to related to the most especially when reading about podcasting, wikis, and blogging, however after thinking about it, I decided that I related most to the passage on Blogging because I’ve been doing it for some time now, and blogging can be used for so many things. They can be used to rant, advertise, promote or educate. Primarily I blog if I want to vent, however, there are times when I blog about a news story to inform others of something that is happening in any given area. Blogging sites include Live Journal, MySpace, Blogger (which I am getting used to), and Facebook (on Facebook blogs are called “notes”). Blogging and podcasting can be lumped together because sometimes, in the case of a celebrity blogger, one would rather blog audibly versus typing it out. When blogging audibly one can better convey the message and that is one aspect of blogging that I personally am venturing off into. I’m trying to get into the YouTube video blogging area, which is slowly coming along.  For me blogging includes events, vacations, school stories, rants, likes, dislikes and open questioning where I discuss and event and I ask my audience a question on whatever I blogged about and have them give responses. One thing that I was not aware of is the popularity of blogging. I had some idea that it was used by many, however  based on what I've read, Business 2.0 magazine states that by the summer of 2006, there were 50 million blogs. Sloan & Kaihla further state that "two new ones are launched every second" (2006).

NETS STANDARD

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

1.       Understand and use technology systems.

2. Select and use applications effectively and productively.

3. Troubleshoot systems and applications.

4. Transfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies.

NETS STANDARD

NETS(S)

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,

systems, and operations. Students:

1.       Understand and use technology systems.

2. Select and use applications effectively and productively.

3. Troubleshoot systems and applications.

4. Transfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies.

http://jstaves337.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-07T22_09_26-07_00

Closer Look At web 2.0 (Chapter 3)

In this chapter, we read a further elaboration on Web 2.0 tools. Some Web 2.0 only requires an internet connection. Tools such as Wikipedia, for example, allow for others to edit the information at any given moment (which is why, I do not recommend using this for a research project). With tools like YouTube, Google docs, and so many others of this nature, people may return to projects at any time. Web 2.0 tools also allow one to create tags which are essentially key words and cues that help classify content. I’m not sure if this would be considered a Web 2.0 tool, but there are some USB drives that offer additional online storage with them, thus giving you extra space to store other things. The three basic web 2.0 tools are blogs, podcasts, and wikis. Blogs and podcasts can be serve multiple purposes and be used to business, education, government and health organizations. Podcasting consist of streaming several multimedia files together such as music or speeches then sending them to a mobile phone or web source. From a web source others can leave comments or do responses themselves (in the same way YouTube bloggers can do response videos to another video). Bookmarking sites take the place of saving favorites on a personal computer, and allow one to “bookmark” sites online that they would like to go back to later on.

It was hard to find a passage to related to the most especially when reading about podcasting, wikis, and blogging, however after thinking about it, I decided that I related most to the passage on Blogging because I’ve been doing it for some time now, and blogging can be used for so many things. They can be used to rant, advertise, promote or educate. Primarily I blog if I want to vent, however, there are times when I blog about a news story to inform others of something that is happening in any given area. Blogging sites include Live Journal, MySpace, Blogger (which I am getting used to), and Facebook (on Facebook blogs are called “notes”). Blogging and podcasting can be lumped together because sometimes, in the case of a celebrity blogger, one would rather blog audibly versus typing it out. When blogging audibly one can better convey the message and that is one aspect of blogging that I personally am venturing off into. I’m trying to get into the YouTube video blogging area, which is slowly coming along.  For me blogging includes events, vacations, school stories, rants, likes, dislikes and open questioning where I discuss and event and I ask my audience a question on whatever I blogged about and have them give responses.

NETS STANDARD

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:

1.       Understand and use technology systems.

2. Select and use applications effectively and productively.

3. Troubleshoot systems and applications.

4. Transfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies.

NETS STANDARD

NETS(S)

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,

systems, and operations. Students:

1.       Understand and use technology systems.

2. Select and use applications effectively and productively.

3. Troubleshoot systems and applications.

4. Transfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies.

http://jstaves337.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-07T22_09_26-07_00

My Transiton To A Virtual World (Chapter 2)

Chapter two of the New Tools book gives us some insight into how the internet has virtually taken over what individuals had to do physically in the past. The author concentrates on teenagers of this virtual world and all of the utilities that it offers them. For example, students can do things such as download music, Instant Message, shop; use the web to do research, and to do homework.  In the past shopping required one to go to either a grocery store, mall, pharmacy, etc (depending on the item that one wanted to get), however, thanks to sites such as Amazon.com and most retail companies having web pages, one can do almost all of their grocery shopping, and clothes shopping on the internet in the comfort of their own homes.  Doing homework is now much shorter, because with online dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias, there is not much of a need to look in a glossary for a quick definition. To do research, one generally had to go to the library or courthouse, again, the internet changes this with the availability of court records online and libraries providing e-books.

                Reading this chapter, I related most to the passage about 21^st century students. According to the passage, “71% of students have Web access, and Americans age 13-24 now spend more time online than they do in front of the TV (Sloan & Kaihla, 2006).”  Project Tomorrow (2006) further elaborates that 65% of students in grades 6-12 (ages 11-18 respectively) use e-mail and/or and IM service daily, and personal Web site use tripled from year of 2004 to 2005. I’d like to share some of my background and how I got to become aware of these tools.

I was almost 13 around the time that I had gotten access to a computer outside of school (at home) and once we got internet I found that as I played more on the internet, I spent more time there than I did watching television.  I was also 13 at this time, and the age group that this chapter focuses on is the group of individuals aged 13-24. This however was a gradual thing; I’d say that around my sophomore year of high school [2002-2003] I began to spend late nights on the internet during weekends. When I first got this access to the internet, I used it primarily for music and my own entertainment (TV channel websites, and web cartoons) and as I got further into my adolescent years, I began to take advantage of the other aspects of online access such as Instant Messaging, P2P file sharing, and educational use [with the use of Wikipedia and the free dictionary I was able to work on my study guides at a quicker pace because I had quicker access to a definition or answer to a question].  I was actually introduced to instant messaging by my other, believe it or not. She was talking to a co-worker on MSN, while I was sitting in the room doing something else, I can’t recall what it was, but I remember being awed by how one could have a full conversation without having to leave home, and if they were online late, you could talk to them then. Prior to Instant Messaging I had only used e-mail when it came to contracting my friends outside of school; phone use was not often unless it was other family. I did not use the instant messaging tool until I was in the 9^th grade.  Even though I came up in this time that the technology began to take off, I was fairly late in just about each stage of it. I began using file sharing, I would say a bit earlier than instant  messaging, however,  I did not really utilize it until around the age of four-teen because, I had no CD burner  up until that time so there was not much of a point to it. (Remember Napster, Kazaa, and Bulbster??).  My first use was Napster, then I used Limewire, Kazaa, then I used WinMx. Currently I use software called MP3Rocket and iTunes and I also rip albums to my computer. I used instant messaging throughout high school, and just before graduating, I began using social networking. 

My introduction to social networking came from my cousins using a social networking site called “Black Planet”. I saw the profiles they had set up and how they could send a message similar to an e-mail however, there were no assigned e-mail addresses with this particular site. I did not start to use social networking myself until talking with a neighborhood friend. I remember it quite well, I was on AIM (AOL instant messenger) and I saw that he was on as well. After saying hello, and him returning the favor, I asked him what he was doing, he stated he that was setting up “my space”. Initially I was like “what space?” he explained to me that it was a website that one can find their friends on. I did not think much of it, but then as more of my friends began doing that, I decided to ultimately set one up. I did it right before graduation, added my friends to it, had fun with the color changes, and picture options, joining groups that had similar interests as me, I could even create groups based on something that I like and find others with similar interests.  MySpace is also where I was introduced to Blogging (yeah, prior to the blogger site, I used MySpace). This tool also allowed me to keep in touch with most of my friends during the time that we had to evacuate for Hurricane Rita.  I graduated high school in 2005 and I continued my use of MySpace and AIM, however as time went by, fall of 2006 I’d say Instant Messaging  gradually became distant and something that I only did occasionally. By the summer of 2007, I’d say it became almost non-existent.  Around this time, also MySpace became fairly distant with the emerging trend of Face book. If we fast-forward to 2009-2010, we see the rebirth of the Instant Messaging craze with the use of Skype and ooVoo, however unlike AIM, Skype and ooVoo allow for webcam usage with a much better quality.

Growing up, until my first summer in college, we had Dial up internet (yes! The 56k) you know the internet connection that we all hate? One cannot load a page up very quick. Downloading music was a difficult task because songs would take five hours (on a good day) or more. I remember setting my songs to download over night and then hope that they were downloaded in the morning.  The worst would be when my downloads failed for no legitimate reason.  With dial up one could forget the use of a good webcam, and even if the connection was good, the video quality that AIM, and Yahoo Messenger provided was not sufficient. Skype and ooVoo provide a clear picture of the individual that one is talking to (assuming that their webcam is on). It’s fun to talk with friends in this manner, plus it allows business to interview, assess problems, and fix problems, and plus it feels more formal than a phone call or an e-mail. I related to the passage of 21^st century students because I experienced that era, I got to experience the emergence of it.  With that being said, even with the way youth use technology today (Smartphones for example), I had some experience with it in the beginning of the time it began to be utilized with communicating and educating.

NETS STANDARD

 NETS(S)

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and 

operations. Students:

1.       Understand and use technology systems.

2. Select and use applications effectively and productively.

3. Troubleshoot systems and applications.

4. Transfer current knowledge to the learning of new technologies.

2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to 

communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual 

learning and contribute to the learning of     others. Students:

Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of 

digital environments and media.

2. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of 

media and formats.

3. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of 

other cultures.

4. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRQBE4n-oRQ

Using google earth

This is not really a blog per say, but just a question for my classmates on their opinions on virtual maps like google earth, yahoo maps, and bing?

Chapter One, EDTC 614

Chapter one of the How to book gives us an introduction to web 2.0 tools as well as a trip down memory lane with the internet. In the past, the internet was a way to do research and maybe copy and paste information needed for a particular task, however, when forums came about people could actually post information and discuss topics collaboratively, however, this was primarily news forums and forums like IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) to discuss movies, TV shows, and celebrities.  Using forums in the classroom is a fairly recent event, In my introductory post I elaborated on how I grew up using the traditional 1.0 tools like search engines and how even for me, as a fairly young person is still new to some of these tools that I am being introduced to.

            Growing up, computer usage in classrooms was very limited, in fact, the only computer usage we had (besides keyboarding classes) was in the school library for research projects and more often than not it was in groups, and even if it was not, we only had a limited time to do it, now as a graduate student, every class that I have had so far has required significant computer usage, and my master’s program is completely centered around how technology can be integrated into classrooms and businesses.  In the past teachers were hesitant to consider these usages.

When I was in grade school, and until I got to graduate school I had never heard of cellular phones being used in the classroom, growing up it was instilled in my head that they were a disturbance or distraction and had no room in a classroom setting. Now things to education apps, teachers across the globe are saying otherwise, when we take a closer look at smartphones and see the educational tools that they offer, for example, in geography, if a Bing application is available, a student can map out something much quicker, by simply typing the city or country into a phone versus looking in a book or index. In life science or environmental science, thanks to the cameras that these devices offer, a student can take a picture of any given plant and use it in a project.  

This is all new, even to me! This is someone while, I am a 90s kid, it was not until college that I got to explore technology as in depth as this. The who online class thing was new to me. Prior to the fall of 2005 I had never heard of taking a class online, and quite frankly I thought it was the greatest thing, only to find out that even with online classes there are still deadlines, and that they are easy to forget if one does not check the internet every day.

I actually have a handout that I would like to share w/ my edtc 614 class that I did in a professional development course, you may find it in the forums, and give me your feedback. It’s a Skype handout that briefly goes into the use of smartphones and oovoo. This is a handout that teachers, administrators, and businesses alike can all benefit from.  Enjoy!