Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, I DID Learn Something After All...

Upon entering my Powertools course as part of Meredith College's MAT program I knew how important incorporating technology into the classroom was and was looking forward to learning about the many different ways in which I could implement technology into my future classroom.  I also knew enough about using a few different forms of technology but by no means considered myself an expert in the field.

Through a number of the different projects we explored I feel as though I have deepened my knowledge and understanding of ways in which I will be able to utilize various forms of technology in the classroom.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the course was the class webliography project.           I found it extremely beneficial to learn about and explore the wide variety of apps and websites that are available to teachers.  From the very beginning this was one aspect of the course that I was really looking forward to and I was definitely not disappointed.  The one presentation that sticks out the was was Heidi Cleveland's talk about the IPEVO Document Camera http://www.ipevo.com/ nd all of the uses that it serves within the classroom.  This is certainly a piece of technology that I will be pursuing more knowledge of and investigating how it could potentially be added to my future classroom.

One project that I was dreading going into was the Flat Classroom Project Proposal.  What felt like the enormity of the project overwhelmed me as we only had one week to prepare our proposal.  Looking back on it now, however, I am so thankful that this project was part of our course.  Having the opportunity to present to a panel of experts in the education field and hear their feedback was completely invaluable for all of us moving on in our teaching endeavors.  I am truly excited about the program our group presented on, Kid To Kid International   http://www.ktki.org/,  I am looking forward to implementing this program into my future classroom in order to help flatten my classroom if even in a small way.

Upon re-reading my blog entries I see reflections of what I have been learning over the past 6 weeks.  Even though I am not a share-y kind of person being able to reflect upon what I was learning was helpful in bringing the bigger picture into focus for me in realizing that I was learning something no matter how overwhelmed I felt at the time.  I linked a couple of the blogs that I have been following to my blog in hopes that anyone stopping by would find something informative that might help them as well.  I was definitely NOT confident in my blogging and posting as I am not one to just write about myself and what my thoughts, opinions and feelings are.  I realized through this course that those thoughts, feelings and opinions may indeed be beneficial to someone else.

I now know, through the information I gained during this class that although I am not anxiety free about the fall internship and having my own classroom one day, I do have a lot of resources available to me and can enter a classroom with new skills, knowledge and experiences that will be beneficial to the students whose lives I will be impacting.

Testify and Clarify

The past week has been a crazy, hectic whirlwind of information and projects!  I enjoyed learning about some of the various apps and websites that my classmates have discovered, reviewed and presented.  Now to find the time to actually engage with them all and try them out.  

I would like to begin this week by clarifying some information about the website http://www.turtlediary.com/kids-games.html  I reviewed for class on Monday.  It was brought to my attention that my presentation came across in such a way as to convey I would not recommend the website.  I DO recommend the website - especially for first year teachers trying to collect various materials and ideas to use for younger elementary students to either supplement centers or enrich lessons with hands on crafts and activities.  The website does allow access to several bits of material with their Free or Basic version including  videos, games, worksheets, puzzles and crafts.  As with many websites that are out there you get more if you actually pay for a membership or service.  This is true with Turtlediary.  Tracking features, email capabilities as well as access to ALL the content the website provides are available with a paid membership.  
With that being said, did I think that, with what manipulation of the website I was able to do for free, the $200 per year fee was worth it, no I did not.  I may be completely wrong however because as I mentioned in class the teachers that did review the website all LOVE it so maybe the cost does have benefits that I simply could not access with the free membership.    


Now to testify........

I chose to review a website rather than an app for several reasons.  The main one being I wanted to provide everyone with a resource that they could access no matter what school they were placed at.  I love the idea of being able to incorporate technology into the classroom - please do not get me wrong on that.  I know that today's students are more technologically savvy than the adults in their lives because it is what they are growing up engaged with.  I know a boy in our neighborhood who can't ride a bike but he can fly through working any hand held device you stick in front of him.
My point is that even with the push of teaching our children to use and understand technology there are many classrooms throughout Wake County that DO NOT have the funds to provide enough technology in the everyday classroom.
As Larissa Bryant points out in her blog http://growingandblooming.wordpress.com/
President Obama came to Morrisville to address what needs to be done within our schools to provide students with the best possible technology interaction as possible in order to stay relevant with the rest of the world.  The video can be found here: http://youtu.be/k-241jLHVMU

Anyway.... back to my point.

My point is that while technology is a good resource it still has its faults.  Until developers of technology products such as the iPad and SMART make their products financially accessible to ALL schools there will continue to be a gap in the technology provided from school to school.  Take our trip to Fuller Elementary for example.  An inner city school like Fuller receives the funding necessary to provide its students with technology but come out to Southwest Cary and one elementary school I have visited has 1 SMART board for each grade level.  Teachers have to sign up to reserve it and cannot have it more than once a week.  This same class also only has 4 computers for the classes (which seems to be the norm county wide) and NO iPads whatsoever.  Where does that disconnect come in?  Do Wake County officials look at location and predetermine which schools need technology engagement based on socioeconomic demographics?  If so, is that a fair way to assess who gets funding and who doesn't?  How about ALL SCHOOLS receive funding so that ALL STUDENTS can have the necessary engagements and experiences in order to keep up with the ever changing technological world we live in.
  
A second fault, that we have all been privy to, is the sometimes instability of technology.  When a teacher has to stop a lesson or activity to calibrate a SMART board s/he is taking time away from actually teaching the lesson and losing the student's interest in the process.  Is that what should be happening in our school system?  Is that providing students with the best experience as possible?  

Okay, so maybe testify should be changed to preach......

Websites, Wikis and Webliographies......Oh My!

A whirlwind week full of new technology experiences, learning how to use new tools, exploring possible websites for future classrooms and creating a personalized website to assist us with next semester's student teaching.

For me, one of the most standout moments from last week was our visit from Dr. McCammon and Ms. Gimbar to tell us about the concept of flipping a classroom and how Ms. Gimbar has successfully been able to completely flip her middle school mathematics classroom.  

The concept and idea truly fascinate me as a future teacher, however, as a future Elementary School teacher I am still unsure as to how the concept of flipping a classroom would work in an Elementary setting.  I would love to see it in action as I have several questions about what the difference between using technology in the classroom and completely flipping the classroom would be.  I will admit that it seems a bit overwhelming to think of placing all lessons online but possibly starting out with videos offering remediation or extension for students could be a start.

I have also enjoyed learning more about various websites and apps that are available to educators.  Anna Dodd's presentation of Toontastic had me going home and engaging in the app with my own children.  I could see this app being a great tool for all students to use; especially ESL students who may feel more comfortable speaking over writing assignments.  The website can be accessed here: http://launchpadtoys.com/toontastic/ or by visiting Anna's blog: http://learningtoknowtocreate.blogspot.com/

Another great website, that I have yet to personally explore, is Glogster http://www.glogster.com/.  I enjoyed Caroline's presentation and see this tool as a great way for student's to present book reports, conclude literature circles or even share information related to a Science or Social Studies topic.  I am looking forward to the other presentations and learning about more websites that can be incorporated into the classroom.  

A Week of New Information

The weeks are flying by and there is so much information to be learned about all the different bits of technology that we, as future teachers, will be able to incorporate in our classrooms.
Working on the infographic was a brand new experience for me.  I found the ease.ly website fairly easy to manipulate and add my content to, however, as the website is still in its BETA period there weren't a lot of options for graphics or fonts or backgrounds.  For a novice like me it was perfect for my first project.  I enjoyed creating the infographic and once it was completed I saw the usefulness of the tool and how it could be a resource for communicating with parents as well as a tool for students to present and share information they have learned on a topic; something a bit more jazzy than a traditional report.
The more I use these tools the more comfortable I am becoming with using them and creating different projects with them.  I am looking forward to becoming more tech savvy and more and more comfortable with not only creating but also editing and refining so my presentations look more professional.
Here's to another fast week filled with lots of new information.

A Week of Learning in Review

It is hard to believe we are already a quarter of the way through our first summer session.  There has been so much great information coming in from every direction.

The first tid-bit of information that has really opened my eyes and blown me away is the information from Curt Bonk's book about the vast assortment of online learning available to anyone and everyone absolutely free - you just need to look for it!

I was completely unaware of just how much information was available to "joe public" in terms of higher educational materials.  I think that MIT's open courseware model is one that universities all over the world should consider getting on board with.  What an amazing opportunity this presents to learners who desire more information about a specific topic not to mention those individuals who may not have been able to attend college in the traditional brick and mortar sense.  I see e-learning as the vehicle that can assist those who are trying to learn a new skill, continue their education or supplement the course materials they are currently receiving so as to understand the topic more clearly.  One drawback that was discussed in our small group was the sense that the courses offered online would seem to be best suited for a highly motivated individual rather than one that needs constant feedback and interaction in order to learn.  As these courses are offered at no cost and a traditionally lecture notes, that may or may not be credited, one would need to be highly motivate to stay the course.

One resource that Bonk mentions in his book is the OER Commons site.  Although I am a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information the site has to offer, navigating it is fairly easy.  There is such an enormous selection of material and information for teachers to use to supplement lessons and learning within the classroom.  I highly recommend checking it out at http://www.oercommons.org/ 

Moving Classrooms into the 21st Century

In both 21st century, http://www.p21.org/ , and NETS for students and teachers, http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007 , there is a large focus on today's classrooms becoming more engaging and connected to a variety of informational resources in order to enhance education and learning.  

In order to continue to compete with an ever evolving world students need to be well poised in areas of creativity and innovation along with being able to think critically, problem solve and make decisions.  Students also need to be able to communicate effectively and collaborate with their peers in all areas of education as well as understand how to navigate through a wide variety of technology in order to enhance their learning.  

By aligning the common core state standards, that most states are currently implementing, with the framework of 21st century learning students are engaging with the curriculum more deeply and developing a stronger understanding of the content being taught therefore allowing them to be successful in both school and in life. 

While it is important for students to develop these skills in order to be successful it is imperative that teachers also grow in their knowledge and understanding of the tools and resources available to them to enhance learning withing their classroom.  In order to be effective in the ever changing classroom environment teachers need to inspire students through the use of technology to solve real world situations, develop activities to meet the needs of all levels of learners that incorporate technology rich tools, embrace the use of technology within the classroom and continue to educate themselves in new digital resources as well as serve as a role model to their students in how to act responsibly when communicating and researching using digital tools.    

Incorporating technology into the classroom curriculum will allow teachers to ensure they are meeting the needs of all students by providing a wider range of information, activities and experiences geared toward each level of learner.  This will ensure that each student is becoming more knowledgeable about the curriculum in a way that is appropriate for their learning ability and style.   

The Journey Begins

This is my first attempt at creating a blog and I am curious to see how it goes. 

Technology is an amazing tool and I am excited to learn more about how to incorporate it into my future classroom and curriculum through my MAT course "Power Tools" at Meredith College.  

As our culture moves forward in the hopes of saving some trees I can see the benefits of using technology to stay connected to friends and family as well as future parents that I will have.  Today more and more people are able to receive a vast amount of information on a variety of hand-held devices 24 hours a day and keeping parents "in the know" about their child's assignments, activities etc.  can be very handy; nothing can mysteriously get lost from school to home.  

I am looking forward to expanding my exposure to and interaction with technology these next 6 weeks and coming through this course with some very helpful tools to take me into the 21st century classroom.

Thanks for reading!