Journal #9: How to do more with less

Page, L., Sheehan, T., & Worrell, C. (2012). How to do more with less. Learning and Leading      with Technology, 39(6), 18-22. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/DigitalEditionMarch- April2012.aspx

Summary:

The article “How to Do More with less” begins by mentioning the undeniable truth that today’s teachers are given more responsibilities, meaning more students to teach, and not enough assistance.  How can teachers accomplish the objective of teaching students a new set of tools when the number of students in classrooms keeps on growing? The authors of this article describe two very successful methods of accomplishing this objective and they include the blended teaching and the flipped classroom instruction.  In blended teaching teachers rely on traditional face-to-face instruction but also offer students a multitude of tools such as digital resources to accomplish the learning.  Secondly, in flipped classroom instruction students become familiar with the content of a lesson at home and complete homework and activities in the classroom.  Students are able to familiarize themselves with the material through the use of podcasts or videos that present the material.  Both forms of teaching rely on many free online resources such as blogs, social bookmarking tools, among others to teach students.  

Question 1:

Can the blended teaching and flipped classroom approach be used at all grade levels?

I believe that both of these teaching approaches are great for older students, not so much younger ones.  Younger students do not possess the patience to visit websites and listen to videos.  Additionally, they are not responsible enough to take care of their personal needs.  Blended teaching and flipped classroom would work perfectly for student in the middle grades and beyond because they learn to apply themselves and are more eager to obtain new knowledge.  Not to mention, older students have honed their technology skills.   

Question 2:

How can educators obtain videos suitable for their students’ needs?

Making sure that the material being offered to students online is suitable is a very important factor that should be taken into consideration.  Teachers cannot expect for students to master a certain subject if the additional resources such as the videos do not explain the material in a clear fashion.  One way in which educators can guarantee that their videos among other resources are suitable for their students is by reviewing the material beforehand and determining its educational value.  If a video is unclear that is a sign that students will not understand it.  Teachers can engage in the act of recording their own videos to guarantee that students will understand the material.    

Journal #8- Adaptive Technology

---COMMUNICATION---

 Alternative Communication (AAC):

Alternative Communication (AAC) is used to define forms of communication other than oral speech that are used to express thoughts and ideas.  Pictures, writing, symbols, and gestures can be classified as AAC.  Among the group of people that rely on AAC to express themselves are individuals with severe speech or language problems. 

No/Low-tech:

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a system where students use pictures to communicate.  PECS was designed to aid children with autism who have delays in speech development.  This system of communication works by presenting the child a set of pictures such as foods or toys.  Whenever the child wants one of these items, he or she gives the picture to a communication partner, such as a parent, teacher, or therapist.  Then, the communication partner hands the child the item.  The purpose of PECS is to reinforce communication.  As the child begins to exercises his or her communication skills, the hope is that the child will begin to use natural speech.  It is important to emphasize that the materials used in PECS are very inexpensive.  The communication partner can create PECS’s board by simply obtaining pictures and a board.  The pictures can be self-drawn or printed from online sources.  The fact that an effective PECS program can be created so inexpensively is great because teachers can use it and incorporate it in their classroom.  For instance, PECS can be used in a classroom to aid a student who might suffer from delays in speech in order to enhance communication between student and teacher.  A set of pictures dealing with school topics can be used to expose the student to the school setting. 

High-Tech:

WordPower is a communication tool that aims at improving communication skills for individuals with speech and language disabilities.  This device combines the features of core vocabulary, spelling, and word prediction to communicate the thoughts of the individual.  For instance, it takes advantage of the fact that a core of just 100 words accounts for about 50% of words spoken in everyday conversation.  The core words are categorized, color-coded and alphabetized for easy access by the individual using the product.  It is important to state, that this device is intended for users who are literate, and for those with emerging literacy skills.  Once again, WordPower, although it is a high-tech tool, it can be incorporated in the classroom to enhance the communication between the student and teacher and it will also help the student increase his or her vocabulary.  One great advantage of this tool is that it provides students with the ability to ask questions meaning that if a student has a question he or she can ask it and obtain an answer.

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---ACCESSIBILITY---

Input Devices:

Input devices can be defined as devices that are used to input information into computers such as a keyboard, mouse, or controller.  Inputs as they relate to special education are used to meet the need of students with disabilities to improve their understanding, language skills, or communication skills.

Hardware:

The Keys-U-See is a large print keyboard that is designed for students who have a hard time working with a standard keyboard.  For instance, students who suffer from visual impairment or low vision such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy can greatly benefit from this keyboard.  The keyboard has big and bold 41-point typeface on the keycaps and features high contrast yellow keys with black printing, thus, making it easy to distinguish the letters. It connects to the computer with a USB cable.  Having a keyboard of this nature in a classroom would be great because students who suffer from conditions that impair their vision would be able to use computers and complete the work. 

Software:

ArtikPix is an application that can be downloaded to an iTouch, iPad, or computer that is designed to help children with speech sound delays.  This application works by presenting virtual and interactive flashcards that allow students to practice sounds.  Students are also presented with the option of playing games that allow them to exercise language skills.  Children can use ArtikPix to practice sounds independently, or with an adult.  Obtaining this application would be great for teachers because students with speech problems would be able to use it to practice their skills.  Additionally, since the game is interactive and simple students would be able to engage on it by themselves.   

 

Journal #6: Foster in creativity and innovation through technology

Vaidyanathan, S. (2012). Foster in creativity and innovation through technology. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(6), 24-27. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20120304?pg=26&pm=2&fs=1

 Summary: 

The article “Fostering Creativity and Innovation through Technology” by Sheena Vaidyanathan describes the importance of granting elementary students the ability to explore and develop their creative minds while learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects with the assistance of digital design programs.  Vaidyanathan states that her fifth and sixth grade students from Los Altos School District in California used digital design programs, which are free the majority of the time, to create games, art projects, interactive stories and other interactive activities.  Furthermore, she describes that digital design programs allow her the opportunity to teach her students STEM subjects in a fun and interactive approach because students are able to apply math, science, technology lessons to real life.  For example, her students engaged in the act of creating virtual towns on their computers in order to build successful towns students needed to understand different aspect of geometry such as angle and line significance. 

Question 1:

How can the use of digital design programs help younger students (kindergarten, first grade)?

Using digital design programs younger students can learn basic art/math concept which become the foundation for further academic development.  For example, the author explains that older students use programs to create virtual towns and simultaneously apply their geometry skills.  Similarly, younger students can use this same type of programs to create cities in which they focus on creating dynamic and different shape buildings.  They would be able work with shapes like rectangles, squares, circles, and so on.   

Question 2:

Can teachers find time to allow students to use digital design programs?

Educators have busy schedules and many are afraid that allowing students to use these types of programs will take away from other academic subjects.  However, allowing students to use these programs during school hours will allow students the opportunity to apply math, science concepts to real life, thus, making the time invested on these activities well worth it.  Additionally, students with access to computers and the Internet at home can continue the learning once school had ended.     

Journal #7- My PLN

My task as a future educator is to gather as much relevant information as I can that will aid me in becoming a caring, accepting, and well versed teacher.  In order to accomplish this goal I have used my Personal Learning Network (PLN), a network of individuals that connect to share ideas, collaborate, and increase their understanding on a certain area of interest.  My PLN consists of individuals I have met using the following forms of networking Twitter, Diigo, and Educators PLN.  Twitter can be defined as an online social networking service.  Similarly, Diigo is a social bookmarking website that grants its users the ability to bookmark and tag webpages of interest.  Lastly, Educator PLN is a network designed specifically for educators and offers its members the opportunity to discuss an area of interest within education.  Below I will describe the people I have met through my PLN and what I have been able to accomplish.      

Above I gave a quick definition of Twitter, however, I would like to expand on that definition.  Twitter is a real-time information network meaning that individuals possessing an account receive a chain of ideas, opinions and news from the people they follow.  Slowly but surely, I have been able to increase the list of people I follow.  Currently, I follow friends, classmates, professors, current and retired educators, principals, and organizations that seek to improve education.  I have learned so much from the people/organizations that I follow through Twitter.  Reading their comments has broadened my education and keeps me well informed about the events in education.  Among the people that I follow are Brenda Hauff (@BrendaHauff) a technology teacher, Kylene Beers (@KyleneBeers) educator and author, and Stacey Cole (@StaceyCole) a preK-5 principal. 

Another amazing tool provided to users of Twitter is the ability to engage in interactive and informational chats about an array of topics.  On Wednesday, March 14, 2012 I participated on a chat with followers/members of the New Teacher Chat (#ntchat).  The chat initiated at 5P.M. and the topic discussed was strategies for providing a quality math program. The moderator of the chat was Lisa Dabbs who is one of the founders of #ntchat.  The chat started by participants introducing themselves and answering the question “what is mathematics?”  Every participant defined mathematics in his or her own terms but we all agreed that it is a subject that is essential for student development.  Throughout the chat, I was amazed at the ideas and websites shared by the participants.  My favorite part of the chat was when ideas were shared on how to engage students in math.  Overall, engaging in the chat provided by #ntchat was great and I obtained a lot of great information.  I see myself engaging in another chat in the near future.     

Using Diigo, a free social bookmarking, research, sharing tool, I have been able to bookmark and save interesting web-pages for later review.  Another great feature of Diigo is its ability to allow me to share my bookmarks, complete with annotations, with friends and peers.  Additionally, I have access to numerous other bookmarks created by members of the Diigo community by simply searching tags that pertain to my topic of interest.  Diigo also allows its users to follow other Diigo members very much like Twitter.  I have taken full advantage of this tool and follow individuals who are connected to education such as Mary Beth Hertz, Chad Lehman, Clif Mims, Kay McNulty, Samantha Morra, Ryan Bretag, and Jeff Mummert.  All of these individuals are a wealth of information and have granted me access to great resources that will aid me in my future career as an educator.  I decided to tag PLN four web-pages that deal with the topic of PLN and methods to implement this great tool in education.  All four blogs and articles describe PLN as it relates to education and students.  My favorite blog dealing with PLN was by Jeff Utecht who did a great job in describing the steps that a new PLN member should take to successfully participate in these learning networks.  The best advice that I obtained from his blog was to find a balance between learning and living.  In other words, participating in PLN is great as long as it does not control your life. 

Through my membership with The Educator’s PLN, a personal learning network for educators, I have been exposed to many great ideas that aim at improving education.  The Educator’s PLN grants its members the opportunity to view informational and inspiring video and read article written by educators.  The video that I decided to view was titled An Introduction to Project-Based Learning that dealt with the topic of giving students the opportunity to engage in activities that allow them to demonstrate what they learn through group presentation, plays, among other forms of expression.  The video stated that project-based learning is beneficial because it encourages students to engage in depth investigation and hone their critical thinking skills.  In other words, students become the active agents of their education instead of mere passive recipients of information.  Watching this video and hearing student testimonials has made me realize that project-based learning is great because it makes learning fun. 

Journal #4- If you give a kid a camera...

Campbell, L. (2012). If you give a kid a camera.. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(5), 30-33. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/February-2012.aspx

Summary:

The article “If You Give a Kid a Video Camera” by Laurie O. Campbell illustrates the power of incorporating technology in the classroom and the fruits it can render when used appropriately.  Campbell begins with the simple, yet innovating, idea of using video cameras in education.  She states, “If you give a student a personal mobile device, such as a video camera, he will want to use it to learn more.”  Throughout the article, Campbell shares her philosophy that students are eager to learn; they just need an opportunity to demonstrate their eagerness to acquire new knowledge.  Using a video camera to foster learning is possible as it is visible in the numerous videos that are uploaded to websites like YouTube by children on a weekly basis.  Campbell goes on to state that to successfully use this piece of technology in the classroom and help students achieve the greatest level of learning a teacher must first establish a plan.  In other words, educators should first find a purpose or area where video recording can be applied.  There are no limits to the subject areas in which video recording can be used because as Campbell points out such technology can be easily applied in history, language arts, science, and math.       

Question 1:

Will mobile devices be available at my school for student use?

Using video cameras in education is a very refreshing idea and one that can work.  However, it is important to keep in mind that not all schools have the funds to purchase video cameras for student use.  Although students might have their own personal video camera or smart phone with the ability to record video as an educator you can expect every student to have such piece of technology.  Despite all the bumps in the road which an educator might encounter, the possession of just one video camera can allow for learning to occur.  I believe that the greatest obstacle which an educator can encounter is finding the appropriate way to incorporate the video in lessons because it takes planning.  

Question 2:

Can video recording promote global learning?

Before reading Campbell’s article, I did not imagine how video recording could promote global learning but it is possible.  As Campbell explains in her article, video recording grants students that may not be in the same region (state, country, continent) the opportunity to communicate and learn about distinct cultures and ways of life.  This means, that students in San Marcos, California could easily connect and share their life experience with students residing in Japan.        

Journal #3: More than words can say infographics

Krauss, J. (2012). More than words can say infographics. Learning and Leading with Technology, 39(5), 10-14. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/February-2012.aspx

Summary:

Jane Krauss the author of “Infographics More than Words Can Say” presents the important role which infographics play in education.  The article begins by introducing the reader to infographics.  Krauss states that infographics “represent data and ideas visually, in pictures, engaging more parts of the brain to look at a problem from more than one angle”.   In other words, infographics present data in a visual manner to the observer.  The observer of such visual representation is left to ask himself/herself “What am I seeing?” and “What does it mean?” By using infographics in the classroom teachers can teach their students that the visual presentation of data, whatever the data may represent, has an impact on the message that is conveyed.  Krauss encourages educators to show a large variety of infographics to their students to help them realize that statistics can be distorted to benefit a certain individual.  Doing this will help students sharpen their critical thinking skills.  Additionally, the article states the importance of allowing students to make their own infographics.  The construction of infographics grants students the opportunity to learn the importance of presentation of data, learn how to comprehend and work with statistical data.

Question 1:

At what grade level should infographs be presented to students?

Infographs can be understood by all students because infographs use diagrams to illustrate their point.  With this in mind, students as young as kindergarten will be able to use infographs.  However, it is important to keep in mind that the infographs should be relevant to students’ age.  For example, when working with children in first grade educators can discuss the number of people who like cookies compared to the number of people who dislike cookies to make infographs work.  Additionally, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics encourages that students at every grade level get exposed to collecting and representing data graphically and infographs accomplish such objective.

Question 2:

Can infographs be incorporated in math lessons?

I believe that infographs can be incorporated in math lessons.  For example, math educators can use infographs to illustrate data that students collect in a given research activity. The use of infographs will allow students the opportunity to visualize their data and learn what the data really represents.

Technology Self-Assessment: School 2.0

NETS-T 1:  Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

I have met NETS-T 1 because I am using the knowledge I have to think about activities that I can use in a classroom like video making, drama, among other activities, to foster learning and creativity in students. 

The NET that I decided to investigate and learn more about was NET 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.  In order to learn more about the steps that I can take as a future educator to meet NET 1, I observed a video by Ken Robinson.  Ken Robinson gave a great lecture on the need to foster creative thinking in students.  One of the important points that Robinson made was that educators must learn to value and promote creative thinking in students.  Ways that this goal can be met is by allowing students to engage in activities that promote creative thinking such as drama and dance.  Robinson went on to say that activities like drama and dance are always considered as the least important activities in a child’s development and not valued.  Meaning that educators do not promote such activities.  Instead educators devote their time and energy in areas that are considered more important such as math and language arts, areas that will allow students to obtain a job once they complete their basic education.  What many educators and policy makers have failed to understand is that activities like drama and dance promote life long learning and hone students’ creativity, which in turn enhance and strengthen their development.  After viewing this video, I feel more inspire to foster creativity in my classroom by engaging in creative activities such as dance, painting, or drama.  These simple activities can have a powerful impact on the lives of students.