Module 14 - Webquests

I feel that the Waves and Sound webquest was the worst.  It had a great deal of technical information that seemed endless.  This should have been somewhat understandable for the average Joe.  After all, the intro does say that a person could grasp concepts after doing this project.  I couldn’t tell what the project was, really.  The instructions, if that’s what they were, were very confusing.  I certainly would have failed this.  The evaluation is very challenging and overwhelming.  Finally, the conclusion made me laugh.  In no way did I master that project.  This project could have been broken down, preventing students from feeling discouraged, just as I was.  As hard as this material is, mini-lessons might just do the trick.

I feel that the Saving the Gorillas webquest was the best.  I was interested right off the bat to discover that gorillas could be extinct within 10 years.  The instructions are very clear as to where and how to begin and what to look for during the search.  There is a chart which was to be filled-in, giving students a hands-on visual of their accomplished research.  It gets the students involved in saving the Gorilla, or at least wanting to, based on info found on the websites that the teacher has provided.  The evaluation is not overwhelming or confusing.  Finally, the teacher gives the student the option to write on behalf of these gorillas, again giving them the feeling of involvement in a very important issue.

Software Selection & Evaluation

5 important evaluation criteria:

1) Installation

                Being practically technologically illiterate, I need something that is easy.  First and foremost, one must install a program in order for it to work.  I would need instructions written in the most elementary fashion in order to successfully install.

2) Help Features

                I would need to know that there is an answer to any question I might have about the program.  Often times, a help button is available, but provides no help at all.  I want to be able to type in something as simple as one word and be given several options.  The more words I type, the clearer the options should be.  Then, if I could do it, I know that anyone else on this earth could do it.

3) Grade Level

                Students learn at different paces.  I wouldn’t necessarily want the program to be categorized by grade but by successful completion and interpretation.  I could have a 12^th grader working at a 10^th grade pace.  It wouldn’t be fair to have the 12^th grader working on a 12^th grade program.  Sometimes we all have to take a step back and review.  Maybe that’s all my 12^th grader would need.  He/she could then progress through the levels and eventually reach the same level as many of his/her peers.

4) Active Learning

                If the student isn’t actually learning anything, it isn’t worth the time or money.  School is about learning and progressing.  Games can be played at home, educational activities to help build self-confidence and promote quality learning will be what I’d look for.

5) Hardware Compatibility/Cost

                Most schools in my community are struggling and have outdated equipment.  It’s hard to get funding for upgrades.  Many schools are just trying to cope with bills and building upkeep.  So, any program that I might choose would likely have to work in old equipment.  In this case, I think that hardware compatibility and cost go hand in hand.

Academic Software Choices

Figures of Speech

This is a middle-high school program that isn’t grade specific and will help with skills in reading and writing.

Speedstudy – English Composition

This is a middle-high school program that isn’t grade specific and will help with the creation of writing projects.

Speedystudy – English Spelling

This is a middle-high school program that isn’t grade specific and will boost vocab and spelling skills without the comforts of spellcheck.

Module 6 - Digital Tools

Digital Technology in My Classroom

1) Computer

2) Scanner

3) Data Projector

4) Elmo (What I call a view master)

5) USB Flash Drive

6) Headphones

As an English/Language Arts teacher, my classes will be required to read several novels and write multiple papers.  Use of computers to type notes and reports will be necessary.  The world has come a long way since I learned to type of an old black, manual typewriter!  I don’t think my fingers would have the strength, today, to punch those keys.

A scanner would be nice to be able to scan and email homework to students, should they need to be out of school for an extended period of time, saving parents a trip to school for homework pick-up.

The data projector might be nice, should I want to show a video from the computer, projecting it onto a screen.  Along the same lines, I’ve used an Elmo, which is nice for projecting a sheet of paper onto a screen or board.  The old ones only project transparencies. 

I already store a lot of info on a USB, but always have a paper back-up.  All students will be advised to have a flash drive on which to save their work, as well as a printed copy for safe-keeping.

Lastly, headphones will be necessary for those with reading difficulties.  I’ll likely be able to collect a number of audio books for students to utilize while following along in the actual text.

Videos

I particularly enjoyed four additional videos:  Making Sure They Are Learning, Reteach and Enrich:  How to Make Time for Every Student, Comprehensive Assessment:  A New York City Success Story, and Teacher Susan McCray Lights the Fire of Project Learning. 

What they all boiled down to was teaching students how to survive in the real world.  Teachers must commit themselves, as should the students.  To do so, there must be constant assessment, collaboration of teacher and student, and re-teaching.  Teachers should encourage discovery of students’ passions and open the door for the students to pursue that.  Teachers must also be full of life and full of challenges/demands for the students. Instruction should differ, but know that sometimes an assignment will be a flop.  Susan McCray assures us that it happens to all teachers.  We’ll just have to try again, just as we will ask of our students. Lastly, teachers should help students connect their thinking to real life, understanding that the possibilities are endless.  These particular videos exhibited minimal utilization of technology.  Instead, students were shown problem solving, completing rigorous assignments, and receiving validation for their hard work, efforts, and accomplishments that bring them one step closer to the real world.  I found them quite inspiring.

Module 4 - Theoretical Foundations - Leo Cross

My view of how students learn and how best to communicate with them:

As a substitute teacher, I’ve learned a great deal about what does and doesn’t work, and it differs with gender, grade level, and even the day of the week.   For the most part, a small number of students completely blow off a video.  The lights get turned out in order to see the TV screen.  Students are tired and lay down their heads, while others find it to be an opportunity to goof off and attempt to text message because it’s less noticeable.  I think the best learning environment is one in which the lights are on and there’s constant interaction.  I find that when I’m reviewing a chapter lesson, the students perk up when I provide them an example of my own real life.  For instance, if the class is talking about flights before and after 9-11, I’m able to relate with some funny stories tied to (now) more serious stories.  When they realize that the chapter can come to life through me, it somehow makes them more attentive, making it more real or believable to the student.  So not only will I provide lecture, but I’ll incorporate real life into it and ask for volunteer contributions from the students.

            As a future Language Arts teacher, I plan to have book talks.  Assigning certain books to certain groups will be the key to the book talks.  Each week, I’ll supervise discussions about these books, volunteering some food for thought, which may or may not give them a different perspective.  They may even have a new take on a novel that I hadn’t considered.  That will make me so proud, knowing my student was brave enough to speak on behalf of his/her own analysis.

            I truly believe that recognition/validation is key to a successful student.  I’ve seen it work many times and personally know of its benefits.  I pride myself on being a good listener.  I’m only a sub, but students are always coming to me with conflicts because they value my listening ability.  Honestly, though, I never give them a rock solid answer.  What I do is give them some options to think about, allowing them to choose their own fork in the road.  This, too, is my pre-teacher way of getting students to think for themselves, resolving conflict, and learning from their decision.  They seem to appreciate this.  Hopefully they make the right decision and feel good about themselves.

What I believe is the best way to assess the learning characteristics of my students:

Allowing students to do work in all of the different learning styles – listening, watching, and hands-on – might take too long.  I will want to get a grip, pretty quickly, so that I don’t waste a moment of students’ learning.  Being an English class, my students will be required to read, analyze readings, present analysis of readings, and do research.  I feel it best to leave the first few assignments up to the student, as far as the presentation choice and their sensory preference.  If someone wants to present an analysis in the form of a video or musical creation, then I’ll immediately know of their preferred style and talent.  If someone prefers a show-and-tell/hands-on type of presentation, that will also be great.  If a typed report is what works best for a student, because he/she may be a private-type of person, that’s perfectly fine.  With the different presentations of reading analysis, I will have a quick awareness of what works best for my students.  I’ll always leave that door open for them.  Forcing them to present in a way that is not comfortable is only a means to deter a student from a willingness to learn.  I can’t know if this will work or if it is even logical, but it’s what I believe I want to consider.

I’ve not yet determined how I’ll work at coaxing some of the students slightly out of their realm of learning in order to give them a taste of the other styles.  I think that’s important, as well, because they will certainly be forced to do so in college. 

My personal teaching style and how I will adapt it to my students’ needs:

My personal learning style is intrapersonal, so I will have a great understanding of those who wish to not work in groups.  Working in groups has failed me on a number of occasions.  There’s always one bad egg in the group that causes a loss of points, reflecting on everyone.  I’ll leave group work up to a vote by the class, because there are likely several students for whom this technique works.  With every assignment, I wish to offer all varieties and possibilities of completing the work.  I even want to get the students’ opinions as to what works and doesn’t work, letting them debate the logistics of their conclusions.  Making students think and validating their efforts is what I plan to accomplish, that which is my style.  Keeping them involved in their own education might just encourage them to do well.  Just as chapter two describes perspective as different people looking at the same thing, yet seeing it differently, I’ll understand that my students’ perspectives on how best to complete assignments will differ.

How educational technology fits into my teaching style and my future students’ learning styles:

Again, as an English teacher, there will be a lot of reading and writing and/or presentations.  Depending on what the school has to offer, technologically, everything will be fair game as far as I’m concerned.  However the student feels most comfortable presenting his/her analysis of a reading is what I want the student to do.  With report writing, many of us dread the works cited page.  Even with a technology-used analysis, works cited will have to be presented.  The information for their creation had to come from somewhere.  So I won’t be encouraging them to do just “stuff”, rather I’ll be encouraging the same research as anyone else without it feeling like a dreadful research paper.  It’s only the means of presentation that will differ.

My multiple intelligence strengths and weaknesses:

I tested highest under Intrapersonal (myself smart), then comes Kinaesthetic (body smart).  My lowest scores, from lowest to highest, were Musical (musical smart), Interpersonal (people smart), and Logical (number smart).  I believe it.  I work very hard to line my ducks into a perfect row.  I’m very hard on myself – always trying to perfect, yet it’s never perfect enough!  My mind thinks all of the time, and it gets quite tiring. 

As a nurse, I’ve had to be able to look at a person and evaluate a situation in only seconds.  Often-times, there’s little time to react, so one has to process all of the audio and visual issues at hand.  You might say that when this is happening, my face looks like the screen on War Games as Joshua (the computer) is running through all of the possible ways to win the war (game).  That is my strength:  evaluating and acting quickly in emergency situations.

My weakness in the area of music and numbers doesn’t bother me.  As far as socializing, I just don’t have it in me.  I’ve always been what I call a loner.  It isn’t lonely.  To me, it’s safe and relaxing.  In my busy world, I need a retreat.  I suppose this is considered a weakness, but I love “me” time.  I just wish I had time to actually have some!  Does this need to be distant from people affect my work as a nurse or a substitute teacher?  No way.  I love helping people.  When the clock strikes “work time”, I’m on.  I do what I need to do to be able to hear and help people.  When the clock strikes “closing time”, I’m done – at least with work.  There’s always more to do as a wife and mother. 

Module 3 - The Digital Generation - Leo Cross

Am I part of the Digital Generation?

I’m living in the digital generation, but I certainly wouldn’t consider myself vested in it.  I strongly believe in old school.  I’ve recognized that technology has made people impersonal, less thoughtful, and more harmful.  You don’t really have to “know” anything anymore.  All answers are online.  You don’t have to speak to anyone anymore.  Everyone stays hidden behind texts.  A new form of weaponry has been created, called cyber bullying, causing great emotional harm and death.  I’m not completely sold on this generation.

How do these portraits compare with you, your peers, and K-12 students that you know?

I don’t feel that all of the portraits have been thought through thoroughly.  Say that really fast three times!  Good for Cameron.  He wants to learn more about technology to be able to create special effects in movies.  I say, go to a college that has courses which teach those skills, work hard, and prosper.  Luis backs up my point, though.  He enjoys technology because he can find information.  That’s great in many ways.  But it’s also harmful, in my opinion, for technology to give you answers.  Luis won’t have to socialize or even hold a classical literature text in his hands, because the computer will prevent all of that.  There’s great pleasure to be had in holding a hard back of Gilgamesh in your hands.  Olivia and Justin are also fine examples of my point.  Justin doesn’t feel a need to go to school, because the computer has everything he needs for learning.  What he’s failing to learn, though, is that real life, in person socialization is very important.  You have to know how to act and react amongst real live people.  Olivia says that technology is her lifeline and wouldn’t know what to do without it.  I have the answer.  You might actually have to speak to a real live person, in person.  What will happen to these children if we suddenly come under attack, losing all power and means to use technology?  Olivia already thinks she would die.  There’s a lot to be desired with technology.  It’s so nice to laugh with a friend on the telephone or in person.  Texting doesn’t give me the same satisfaction.  It’s even nicer to sit with a friend and talk, laugh, play, and enjoy nature’s beauty.   As a substitute teacher, I’ve heard a lot.  A student told me that he had no reason to learn to use a map.  As a high school senior, he hasn’t any idea which way is north, south, east, or west.  He said that is what GPSs are for.  What if you can’t afford a GPS?  What if your GPS malfunctions?  Is today’s generation capable of asking for directions without texting someone?  Is today’s generation capable of reading a map to get back on track, especially when they’ve wound up in a deserted town with no cell phone reception?  I worry, very heavily, about today’s generation.

Have your thoughts on how you might use educational technology in the classroom changed now that you know more about the Digital Generation?

No, my thoughts haven’t changed.  I substitute in a school with little access to technology.  Everything is outdated, and they still manage to school highly intelligent children.  What I have discovered is that many of the teachers love their students.  This is relayed to and felt by the students.  Sometimes, instilling confidence in students and letting them know you care is more valuable than cell phones – which, by the way, are not to be used or even seen in the school building.  I agree with showing some videos, as long as they are age appropriate.  I wouldn’t show an old black and white of Shakespeare’s Othello.  I’d show the more modern version, O.  So I’ll definitely do what I can to relate.  However, it’s going to be my job to present “old stuff” and let the students give me their thoughts/opinions in a verbal or written manner.  I’ll be teaching them to think for themselves and problem solve without allowing the computer/internet to do it for them.

Sorry, folks.  I’m so old school.  I’ve a cell phone, a laptop, a car, etc.  However, I only know the basics of their use.  I actually get along pretty well, and have for 41 years.  Technology doesn’t come natural to me.  I’m too much of a nature-type person, finding glory in the texture of a leaf rather than what a cell phone can do for me.  Everyone is individual.  Kudos to those who find joy in technology.  I appreciate your interest and dedication.  However, I also appreciate my less technical way of life.  And I think that’s OK too.

A Whole New World

When you have to make a career/life change, it can sometimes be very scary.  That's what is happening to me.  Due to a misdiagnosis and invasive treatment (based on the misdiagnosis), I'm left with a physical impairment and autoimmune disorder.  That puts a huge damper on a nursing career.  At middle-age, having worked long hours in one place, doing one type of thing, I've suddenly been slapped with reality.  The world outside of what I'd been living is so different than I remember it.  Technology has advanced right under my nose, and I had no clue, let alone spare time, to realize it.  I'm now out of the loop and feel like I've stepped into a whole new world.  It is scary, challenging, and self-doubting. 

I'm lucky to even be writing this.  I finally had to seek help.  I'd spent hours working on a wiki thing and this blog thing.  My husband, also technology illiterate, and I only stumbled upon how to put profile info onto this blog thing.  We also, completely accidentally, managed to somehow resize a photo to post on the wiki thing.

I always used to hate it when I heard an elder say, "It's no fun getting old".  I can now relate.  I suppose that just because one ages, there's no reason one can't keep up with the world's technological changes.  However, when you are busied with one career, other things absolutely go by the waste-side.  That's certainly what happened to me.  Now I feel like my elders.  It's no fun to feel that way.  But I won't bore younger generations with that old statement that I hated so much.

Write me.  Leonna Listens!