We are off to a great start! It looks like you have been successful posting comments on our class blog and creating your own blog too! I have added your blogs to a class blog list on the right so that you can easily access one another's blogs. You will learn how to do this next week.
The blog response for Week 1, Part 2 is to read the following article http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22407 and then leave a thoughtful comment regarding your reaction to the article below.
Pawnee City Technology
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Welcome to elementary technology!
Where students enhance their learning
through the use of technology.
14 years ago
18 comments:
I really enjoyed reading this article because I found it to be very interesting how technology plays a role in student’s and teacher’s lives when it comes to education.
Students may feel that teachers are limiting their use of technology in schools, and almost half said that school "security" practices, like Web filtering, were limiting their ability to gain the full experience of technology for learning, this has to be done do due the irresponsibility of many middle and high school students. It’s sad to say but filtering needs to happen to protect students. There are too many predators, scams, etc, that young teens are naive about.
In my opinion, educational games should be used in the classroom as often as possible. The issue with this is to find quality games that meet the specific lesson being taught. I would agree that students would get more out of a lesson when it presented in a way they are interested in.
The article expressed the desire for students and even teachers, when it comes to professional development, to be involved in online learning. I can see why this would be desired because look at how I am taking my masters, through online learning. It is convenient, fun, interactive, etc. This is definitely the way of the future.
It was no surprise for me that the article said for both teachers and administrators that laptops ranked as their number one choice of technology. I read through our class blogs and almost everyone said their computer was their number one pick for technology that they could not live without. This just proves that computers are very important to adults in today’s society.
-April Gradoville
Being a high school teacher I can definitely relate to this article. All of my students complain about the web filtering system, as well as the prohibition of cell phones and mp3 players. They don't understand why they can't have access to certain websites. I understand their frustration but at the same time the system is protecting them and keeping them out of trouble. Every once in awhile the filter does deny access to a completely harmless site, but that is something we have to deal with. Even as teachers we get frustrated when we are blocked from certain sites. Cell phones and iPod's are another story. My students HATE that they are not allowed to use their phones during school (even though about 3/4 of them still do, and usually get away with it). I feel that using their cell phones during school is not necessary and they end up focusing more on socializing than school.
Games in the classroom are a staple for the foreign language classroom. I love to use them, but only when they are truly effective. It doesn't do any good to play a game with the class when it is not enhancing their learning at all. Sometimes it is tough being a language teacher because everyone expects to play games and do fun things. That can be a little challenging as a teacher, because you feel more pressure to keep your students entertained, than teach. I try to really evaluate if a game is going to be meaningful and serve a purpose. If games are used as learning tools/enhancers, then I think they are a great way of teaching the youth of today.
I found this article very interesting to read. Technology is so key in schools today to prepare students for future jobs and careers. I think that teachers know that we need to incorporate it more frequently and more effectively, but that can be easier said than done.
Students said in the survey that they felt that the security restrictions that schools and districts set, limits what they can learn and apply when using technology. I can see their point, but I feel that it is necessary to have those security restrictions in place to help protect students as well as schools.
The technology that students want to use, but may have restrictions on can be used for very purposeful activities and lessons. After all, this is what they are using everyday, lets build on it and show them some of the things they can really accomplish with it. With that said, it would have to be a perfect world to allow students to use these technologies like they might want to. Schools and teachers would have to be able to trust all students to make safe and responsible choices online and everyone else that might come in contact with a student online.
There are many individuals that are on the web that will jump at the opportunity to get any information that they can about a young person. Also, some students may not be able to be trusted; using this technology for inappropriate practices.
I feel that they best thing that we can do is to show them what is out there, what is appropriate, and how they can use it in their lives and future careers and jobs.
This article was very interesting to read. I guess as a newer teacher I am more current with my technology skills, but not nearly as much as our upcoming generation. I never really stopped to think how important technology is for my students.
Technology plays a big role in education and it is up to the districts and states to allow students and teachers access to these vital tools. The article mentions that students feel they are being restricted too much on what they can an cannot use on the internet. My districts has very strict filtering systems so that students are protected from the outside world. Many young people do not have the willpower to restrict themselves from certain websites so a safety block is important to have.
The article also mentions the idea of having online games used in the classroom. I think this is a great learning tool for children and teenagers alike. According to the studies, a large percentage of students said they would learn better this way. I have found that interactive online games give much useful information and keep the students' attention longer than I ever could - which hurts my feelings a little :( but it's true. My students love to use these tools. I only monitor what they use and make sure it ties into curriculum, but after that they are on their own.
Online gaming and learning is just something we have to accept as we move on in technology. Many have mentioned that life without a computer would be very challenging. Many students in my classroom have their own computers and emails that they use on a daily basis. I have even started using their school email for homework purposes and they think it's fun to do homework that way - go figure! Using the web has been a great tool for me not only for teaching but for learning. Embracing technology is so important for teachers to give their students the tools to enhance their knowledge for the future.
Technology plays such a huge role in education today. Yet like the students surveyed for the study, I find the districts do not do enough to promote technology assisted learning. Access is denied in a variety of ways. The biggest set back is not having enough devices to software and the Internet. I do feel that filtering on some levels is necessary to protect the district more than the students. Not all sites are worth viewing and students may not understand the consequences of entering these types of sites. Social networking is a large issue in my district. Cell phones, texting, IMing, facebook you name it the kids want it. I think there are uses for social networking but many take this to the level of accessive talking just in a different form. I am all for having more access to technology. My district is looking at adopting 1:1. I believe this would be great. There are a lot of questions surrounding this plan. Resistance is there. I believe student and teacher will gain more than anybody realizes.
This article is talking about the very thing I did for my article. I try to make myself feel better for not using technology more with my kids because they are only 10 years old. The fact is, they know more about the online educational games than I do because they play them. I hate trying to get our mobile lab. It is a battle with the whole school in scheduling and half the time the batteries are dead or the students can't log on. Our school lab is always booked with specific classes doing projects. Mine is included in that, but I don't teach it. I agree with the group of teachers who said if they had training they would be more likely to incorporate it more. It still doesn't solve the problem of the laptop schedule.
So enough about my excuses. I do think it is important. In my day you learned your job on the job. Today you need to be equipped to do the job before you interview. The more programs we teach our kids, the better they will be at figuring these programs out when they change. At least at the 4th grade level I can say that my kids know how to use Microsoft programs like Word, Power Point, and Excel. They can play all the games on our school website. And they can use our publishing sites from their home computer.
"Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning?"
This article hit home with me in several ways. One, I am sad to say is that I am one of those teachers, who are hesitant to use technology in my class. I do however try and am getting better with it, but I feel so "stupid" not kowing as much as the students. I find myself starting tech project, only to realize I have overlooked something I should have known prior to implementing the activity and then I either end up losing valuable work time, figuing out how to make it work, or modifying my objectives to fit it into an already tight timeframe. I almost always find myself, cursing my project, because it ends up taking too long or never works as intended. Even though I hate to look "stupid" in front of the stduetns, I have learned to deal with it and will more often than not end up learning more from them then they do from me.
I wish more schools would make technology classes mandatory for their faculty - both new and tenured. Teachers will never keep up any other way, and it bothers me that many faculty either feel to stupid to implement technology - like I do at times, or simply don't have the motivation to learn how to use it. At least, I try, even if it doesn't always work.
The filtering issue brought up in the article also made me think of something that happened in my freshman classroom this fall. I had jsut introduced Poe to my class and had gone over "The Raven". Ireally thought the kids were tuning me out and didn't feel like I had produced a good lesson. The next day however, several of them came into my room all excited because they had been on u-tube the night before and had looked up Poe ane "The Raven" and had so much to ask and show me about the videos they found. So, I fired up my smart board to share what they had found with the other students, only to realize that u-tube was blocked!!! UGH! To make matters worse the tech person at our school (who we share with three other schools) wasn't there to help me figure out how to unblock it. It was Friday, so by Monday the excitment had worn off and I lost a great "teachable" moment because of the filters. I know filters are impotant, but why can't teachers in the classroom have the ability to turn filters on and off when needed? In summary, if education is going to keep up with the kids, faculty need to be more computer literate, regardless of any fears we may have of them.
I thought that this article was right on. I know that students are always confronting teachers saying that we are limiting their access to resources because of filters that have been put into place. They also do not understand why they can't use their cell phones and PDA's in the classroom. I think that it is a security issue, which still needs to be addressed. Schools do not want their students looking at inappropriate sites and have determined that the best solution is to filter out sites that may be inappropriate. By doing this they are cutting out many sites that can be educational. Schools also do not want students interrupting other students learning by using cell phones and do not want to have to worry about them sharing information when they shouldn't be, such as during a quiz or test. I understand this, but they also need to realize that many students’ phones allow them to access the internet, which could be an amazing resource for them to have during class. I think that we need to trust our students more than what we do. I think that if they can show us that they are taking education seriously and are not doing inappropriate things then we should not be limiting them so much.
I also enjoyed the part of the article that discussed showing students what they will be seeing in the future if they go on to college, such as the blackboard tool. I remember when I first went to college I had never used anything like blackboard and I was totally lost as to what to do with it. I think that it would have been helpful for my high school teachers to use more tools such as this one to introduce us to what was out there. I also think that high school students should be offered online classes so that they can get used to using them. I know that it has taken me some time to get used to collaborating, discussing, and turning in projects via the computer. As educators we need to start using more technology and start wanting our students to use all the technology that is available to them.
- Leigha Behrens
I feel like technology in a classroom is imperative these days. It serves as a motivation tool for students because technology can be interactive, but most of all, it has them moving (even if it IS just their fingertips!). However, sometimes my students know more about their computers than I do! Talk about a hit to the ego!
Anyway, as an elementary school teacher, I feel like filters are completely necessary. I feel like my students still get tasks done that I require of them, sometimes they just have to find alternate routes. Bottom line is, things do happen. This year I have a very low class size so I feel like I can better monitor their laptop use. Last year, however, there was no way that I could have done it without my para. We would like to believe that our little “angels” would never do such a thing, but it happens. Yes, sometimes “bad” things are seen by mistake, but even as a mistake, the exposure was still there.
I use technology in my room whenever I have time to create the lesson (which seems to be less and less NEW lessons these days so I stick to the old ones!). The article mentioned games for students and I, too, think that these are a great way for students to learn material in a way that we didn’t have available to us before. My students love to play online games to learn math facts, play jeopardy in social studies, make powerpoints for science, etc. It definitely serves as a way to get kids excited (or at least willing!) to do the work you have intentioned.
Last, I never really thought about my technology use as a means of preparing my students for work. However, now that I have read this article, I am glad I use it and will definitely continue more now that I see the correlation!
-Katie Merrill
It is definitely true that a lot of our students know more about technology than we do. There is a big issue to deal with though about the security protection and limitations on what you can do towards the technology aspect of education. I think these school filters are necessary because it doesn’t matter how much we preach and teach, students will find themselves on sites that they shouldn’t be on and we cannot have this liability at school. We need these filters and until they can modify it enough to allow more access to the good places then we are going to have to make the best of the situation. This is going to be a hot topic in the next few years to come and I think technology is going to have a major takeoff in the next ten years so we need to find a solution that still protects our students but maybe allows them a little more freedom. I also love the idea of educational gaming. Kids love to play games and if you can tie a new skill into a game and learn at the same time, what a bonus for you and the student. Bottom line is technology is hear to stay and adjustments are going to be made. They more we embrace these changes the more the students are going to be interested and hopefully learn.
As I computer teacher at a small school, I am aware first hand at some of the issues that were talked about in this article. Personally, I would like to see us use more technological devices but due to various reasons, we are unable to do so. I think, like the article stated, incorporating technology must start at the top. The school board and administrators must realize the educational benefit of using technological devices and web sites. Once they realize this, we must be supported when we use the technology. For instance, school policy must be re-written and enforced differently. Once the school board and administrators are on board, other teachers in the district must also be open-minded. If only a few teachers are embracing the technoloy, we aren't fully helping our students. Studies have shown that students are much more interested in learing when they are able to use tools that they find intriguing. To me, it makes more sense to use technology to teach our content whenever possible.
Reading articles like this always get me a little agitated at the fact that schools have all of these different kinds of technology to use in several different ways...yet security is preventing us from using practically anything. I understand that schools need to protect students from things that could harm them on the internet, but sometimes it's just taken too far. I've tried to look up information on the Nazi Party, and every time I'm blocked from anything related to that topic.
And the fact that students said that if they were able to use their cell phones in school that they would be more likely to use technology...is ridiculous in my opinion. It would be fine if they were going to use that kind of technology for the right reasons, but students are never using their cell phones for that purpose.
I found this article to be very interesting. I find it true that children would learn more if there were games involved. In my classroom, we play educational games a lot, and I can see the wheels turning more, when it's fun, and competative. Granted, I teach kindergarten, but if you applied the same ideas for upper grades, and involved technology, I believe that students would be more excited to learn.
I also like the idea of students using their own laptops. I understand that it would be very costly, but I think the benefits would be worth it. Everyone loves computers, and the older we get, the more, I believe, we depend on computers and technology. If we give students laptops to use during school, they will be more prepared for later in life.
I know that some high schools provide their students with laptops, and I think it is a great idea! They are only working harder to preparing their students for "the real world."
First, I believe junior and senior high students would obviously state that schools are inhibiting their technology learning by the limits that are set in a school environment. However, wouldn’t it stand to reason that in this day in age, limits must be enforced to protect students and teachers? I just recently read an article about one classmate bad-mouthing another classmate on a web-based page, such as facebook. The professional advice given to the parent was to inform the school, instead of the classmate’s parent, because there could potentially be legal issues facing the school if statements were posted during school hours. Funny how these types of issues become school related instead of parent related. Yes, students would love to have access to all of their personal technological devices and free reign on the internet; however, the true question is, do the limits really hinder learning. I don’t believe they do. I will admit, until I took Educ 553, I didn’t know anything about QUIA or other online activities that could incorporate my subject area of band. I’m excited to “try-out” my new online music unit with my junior high students in April.
This article was interesting to me because I wish that I could integrate technology more into my own classroom. The school that I work at does a great job of providing different types of technology for us to use in the classroom. Each of our classrooms is equipped with ActivBoards, Elmo projection systems, and voice amplification systems. We also have mobile laptop labs that we can use and many other things. I do find it difficult to integrate the use of technology into my classroom as it can be quite time consuming getting things ready and hoping that they are working all the time. Through many of my Peru classes, though, I have created my own web page that has many educational games that tie in to lessons that I am teaching and also different web projects that the students work from the laptops to complete. My students cannot get enough of these activities and after doing some of them it is hard to get them back to pencil and paper, which they still need in order to complete district mandated tests. I know that many of my students and "some" of the teachers that I work with would be interested in more professional development to enhance technology in the classroom. However, it amazes me how many do not want that and are happy with passing out worksheets on a daily basis. I for one, do not want to grade all of those. :0). I do agree that the districts have to maintain a high level of security when it comes to the use of the Web. I am sure many students would try to log on to inappropriate sites while at school, and some sites come up unintentionally. The more students can get on computers and learn the many things available to them will help prepare them more for what is to come in their futures. I am just wondering when teachers will be replaced by computers???
I enjoyed reading this article because of the topic in which it discussed. Educational gaming is something that I have recently added in my delivery of content. The article brings up a point that our students live in a world of technology that only continues to grow. It has become easier for them to learn through technology, so why not in cooperate it into our classrooms. Who doesn't like to play games? If you could play a game and learn something at the same time how fun would that be. Using the Quia program, we were introduced to in one of our other classes we took in the fall, for each standard I have created centers for my students to practice their skills and there is always on option with technology. These are also the most popular activities. Quia has a bank of games that other teacher have created that you are able to use and edit to fit the needs of your students as well as create your own from scratch. This site can also be accessed from home by the students so they are able to continue to review outside of school by playing a game. I believe the more technology and educational games used in the classroom the more beneficial it will be for the students.
Well, I already did this once but apparently something happened to my comment because it is not on here. So here I go again... I thought this article was very interesting. A lot the issues discussed in the article do not pertain to me because of the young age of my students. I do not have to deal with cell phones, mp3 players, or laptops. I do think that filtering systems in schools are important and do not effect the research capabilities to the point where they should not be used. I also think educational games should be used as often possible. This is a great way to make learning fun and not feel so much like learning. It is also a great way to practice facts and tedious information that is otherwise boring to study. Another topic discussed in the article was online learning. I am totally for this. As you know I am using online learning to get my masters degree. If this program was not online, I would not be able to further my education because of my busy schedule with three young children, work, and owning a small business. This is convenient way to learn and can be more beneficial than actual classroom learning. Some students learn better with online education because it is predictable and everything is layed out in front of you. Technology in schools is an important factor in the learning process.
I thought this article was extremely interesting to read. The statistics were dumbfounding. I think I knew, but just never really took the time to see how students along with teachers are interested in technology. I almost took it personally when I read how students don't think teachers are doing enough in schools to prepare them for the real world.
This frustrates me because I feel as if my school in the last five years has moved toward the technological world by leaps and bounds. We have two mobile labs, seven smart boards, and every classroom has their own LCD player along with a digital camera.
I admit I a teacher who is moving slowly into the technological world.
However, I feel this article has helped open my eyes on how important it is to incorporate technology my students' education. I will need to find the time to become more creative with how to bring internet games an other technology tools into my room to make learning more exciting and fun to the 21st century students.
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