Journal#4

Journal #4 – Finding Students Who Learn with Media

Bull, G. (2009). Finding students who learn with media. ISTE, 37. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25255&DirectListComboInd=D

         This article concerns itself with student created media. It compares the interest level and engagement of students  who use PrimaryAccess MovieMaker and PrimaryAccess Storyboard to create a documentary to students who use a more traditional classroom setting to learn about their subject.  The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages inherent in using online technologies and concludes that “With careful planning, it is possible to increase student engagement by incorporating student-authored media into a formal classroom setting without increasing the amount of class time required to complete the projects.”  I think his findings are quite significant considering the struggles that many teachers face on a daily basis with student disengagement.

Is there anything in the article that you learned that could make you a more effective teacher?

Yes.  I was surprised to learn that there are online movie applications.  I assumed that all movie applications required so much memory that they would have to be on the hard drive of a computer.  I think that if the technology is user friendly enough for my students that it would be a great way to have students engage a subject and not lose interest.

Is there a risk that your assignment will become more about learning how to use computers than the original assignment?

Yes.  But I’m not sure if that is entirely a bad thing.  When I was a student, often times I felt I was learning more about how to use a library than the assignment itself.  And while I did learn about the assignment I think it was a  good thing that I leaned about the Dewey Decimal System and how to make use of a library.     

Journal # 3

 Journal # 3 – Keeping the Piece

Levinson, M. (2010). Keeping the piece. ISTE, 37. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25237&DirectListComboInd=D

On the first day of my Education 422 class, a class concerning itself with computers, technologies and the classroom, I couldn’t figure out how to silence my new phone.  So I turned the entire phone off.  Then one of our first assignments incorporated using the texting feature on our phone.   I think that the best course for schools is to incorporate technologies into the classroom and use technology to create community.

            The article concerned itself with the divide between students, parents, and the school administration with the application iChat.  Some parents, and teachers viewed it as a distraction saying "I won't use the laptops in my classroom. The kids need to be able to focus." On the other hand, some liked iChat and laptops in the classroom saying, “iChat was wonderful. It truly broke the "clique" boundaries that tend to occur at school.”  iChat was banned and a student uproar ensued.  Eventually a compromise happened and students were allowed ichat under the condition that they took a lesson about appropriate technology use. 

What rules would you have in your classroom concerning technologies?

I think that technologies should be incorporated into the classroom.  Technologies are neither positive nor negative, they are neutral.  How they are used is how they should be defined.  I believe that they could be a distraction and I would ask my students to obviously silence their phones and to only use technologies to for the course assignments in my classroom.

Have you ever had an experience where technology is more of a distraction than an asset when doing course work for a class?

All the time.  I am a huge procrastinator.  So often times when I should be doing work, I am on facebook chatting with my friends or looking at their photos.  That being said, I can also use technology to get help me with my coursework.  If I have a question about an assignment I can email, twitter, or IM a friend and not have to wait until I see them in person to get my question answered.  I think this illustrates how technologies are in themselves neutral, but how they are used is what makes them negative or positive for advancing the education of our students.

Journal # 2

Journal # 2 -  Using Podcasts to Develop a Global Perspective

Maguth Elliot, BM., & Elliot, J. (2010). Using Podcasts to develop a global perspective. ISTE, 34. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25244&DirectListComboInd=D

Globalization is described in part by Wikipedia as “an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a globe-spanning network of communication and trade”.  In short, the world is metaphorically becoming smaller and literally becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent.  This was illustrated in a high school in Columbus Ohio when students put together a mock “Meet the Press” discussion.  The students would pick major players in the  debate on climate change, research their opinions and use what they learned to argue their points.  Some of these players included Gore, Ahmadinejad, and the CEO of Exxon Mobile.  Not only was their topic, global warming, relevant to developing a global perspective, but also the means by that their discussion and information was disseminated illustrated how global we have become.  In the words of one of the students, "We need to turn in good work because people all over the world could see this."

How would you use what you learned in the article as a teacher?

I do think the above quote by the student was very telling.  If I could engage my students and make them enthusiastic about having a global perspective by using podcasts or other forms of technology I would be very excited.  I think using not just podcasts, but all forms of technologies to make students gain a global awareness is a pathway to gaining understanding of other cultures and helping to create a consensus of complex issues.

Is there an inherent danger in furthering the divide between the “haves” and “have nots” by teaching new technologies to students?

Probably.  Education does not occur in a vacuum.  There are a lot of socio economic conditions that create a divide, and one further division would be teaching students how to make podcasts.  Of course teaching kids how to read and write also would technically create a divide.  There are larger structural problems in society that create this divide, and one could argue that perhaps teaching students how to use technologies could help to bridge these divides by leveling the playing field. 

Journal # 1

Journal 1 – Computing in the Clouds

Johnson, D. (2009). Computing in the clouds. ISTE, 37. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/DecemberJanuaryNo4/Computing_in_the_Clouds.htm

            This article concerns itself with how computer applications are becoming more available online, thus making these technologies more available to a broader demographic by bringing the price down.  To prove his point, the author wrote the entire article “in the clouds”.  That term is meant to mean that he wrote the entire article without the aid of software on his computer and used all online sites to store his information.  

He goes on to discuss the pros and cons of “computing in the clouds”.  Mainly, the pros discussed are the monetary savings that schools could benefit from, computer could run raster because they would have more storage space, you can work from several computers because all your work is saved online.  The cons are mainly that students don’t always have online access, you don’t know the reliability of the cites you are working on, and your privacy and security of your work could be breeched.  The overall tone of the article, I felt is that the pros outweigh the cons and that “Computing in the Clouds” is going to be how computer  technology will be used in the near future.

Are there any other pros and cons that you can think of that aren’t listed in the article?

I think there is something intangible about just using a pen, a piece of paper and your thoughts.  It’s the way great authors have done it in the past and believe just a pen, a piece of paper and your thoughts can help you be more focused.  This is not to say that computers aren’t an incredible resource.  For pros not listed I would say that it helps bridge the divide between the haves and the have nots.

How would you use the information in this article as a teacher?

            I would become aware of “in the clouds” resources that are available.  I would familiarize myself and make sure my students were aware of them.  Any student that was on the lower levels of our socio economic ladder I would encourage to use these resources.   I believe computer technologies should be available to all students and this would help insure my belief.

Social Bookmarking - NETS 4 and 5

1 - Using the National Archives, a website run by the federal government, and containing a plethora of information, I researched the influenza virus of 1918.  I discovered that the virus killed more Americans than WW1.  It cause widespread panic and shut down many institutions, although mail was still delivered.
What I find useful about the National Archives is that it uses primary resources.  As a future educator, I believe that primary resources are important for the classroom because it is neutral information.  Primary resources allows students to make up their own opinions about subjects, and in doing so will help them become critical thinkers which in turn will help them fight for social justice.



2 – As a future educator I believe that communicating with my students is imperative.  I plan on staying in San Diego, and I am aware of the large Spanish speaking population and understand how difficult that could be.  To help remedy this situation, I plan on taking Spanish classes and becoming fluent in the language so that I may be a more effective teacher.

Having gays and lesbians in my family makes me keenly aware of the problems they can face.  Many feel ostrisiced and are often ridiculed for just being who they are.  I would like to help create or facilitate GLBT clubs on campus so they can have a place where they always feel welcome.


I believe that education is for everyone, even teachers (especially teachers).  I would love to hold meeting with teachers and gather and organize resource material which would make us more culturally competent.  I feel doing this would benefit the teaching staff, but more importantly make classes geared towards everyone’s cultural identity.


3- I took an online survey to see where I ranked when it comes to being a cyberbully.  I scored a 6, which means that I am "cyber risky" for being a bully.  I had a problem with how they did the ranking however, because I do not consider using bad language or posting pics of my friend on our surf trip to El Salvador cyberbullying.  Without those I would have scored a 0, which would make me a cyber saint.  That being said, I found the website useful and I learned that cyberbullying is a bigger problem for our students than I had previously thought.


4 – From the days when technology consisted of chalkboards and VCR’s, technology in the classroom has vastly changed.  By going to Wikipedia a student can obtain vast more information than a set of encyclopedias.   I went to a website called “Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators”, an online website dedicated to providing educators with different  technologies, articles, and research ideas in the classroom.  I explored two areas on her site, one titled “Any day in history”, and the other titled “Make your own rubrics”.  In doing so I came up with the idea of having my students research interesting facts that happened on their birthdays in the “Any day in history” area.  I was surprised to find that I share the same birthday as George W. Bush and Nancy Reagan.  I also like the idea of making my rubrics because I feel that I could be more creative in my lessons.  Knowing how to use these types of resources would be very beneficial in my personal pedagogy and help students further their education.

Question 5 –

Verbal Linguistic – 75%
Logical Mathematical – 75%
Inter/Intra personal – 69%

I viewed the movie “Multiple Intelligences Thrive in Smartville”.  Most of us already realize that are more than one type of intelligence, but by watching the movie I learned that the traditional paradigm of intelligence needs to be challenged and changed to better meet the needs of our students.


6

Grade – 9-12
Subject – Social Studies
Topic – Si Se Puede

Using a tolerance website dedicated to social justice, I read an article concerning itself with a nationwide walkout which occurred in response to H.R. 4437, an anti immigrant bill.  Tens of thousands of students walked out of classrooms as a protest.  This presented me with an interesting question, how would I react to students walking out of my class to protest something that I agreed with.  While I would not condone their actions, I would try to turn it into a teachable moment.  I would try to gear that week’s curriculum to coincide with the current events which my students were involved and passionate about.


7- Using a website dedicated to multiculturalism, I took an online survey which was astounding.  Two of the things that I found most interesting were that the 3 richest people in the world are equal to the 48 poorest countries as far as wealth in concerned.  That is staggering.  Also I learned that the US spends 7 times more money on the military than China.   As a future educator, I feel it is important to be aware of the structural inequalies that may be faced by my students.

8-Proper etiquette is essential in maintaining a constructive classroom environment, weather that be on the playgrounds or in a computer lab.  Perhaps especially in a computer lab because going online takes the human to human element away and makes improper etiquette easier to happen.  It’s much easier to make someone feel sad online than it is in person ☹  Knowing and teaching proper netiquette will enable me to have a better classroom environment and further the education of my students ☺.