Chapter 9 Review

The long tail of education is something that was interesting to me.  This is about choice and potential for change and student preference.  On page 179 it says, "If, for example, an infinite selection of products were available so that teachers could choose anything that has been published instead of just the approved textbooks, they could pinpoint precisely the right learning materials for each student."  This is a very interesting idea for me as a future teacher.  I long to be able to meet the needs of each student I have to help them succeed in school.  I know this is far fetched and much easier said than done, but it is still a goal for me.  With this possibility in 'Classroom 2.0' appeals to me very much, to be able to look through and use the material that I think is the most beneficial for my students.  The big problem I see in this is that schools are often tied to certain books and curriculum across the board this idea doesn't seem to me that they would come to that.  Still, this is very intriguing to me and I do not know where the education system will be in a few years, but I hope it is more towards this.

The School 2.0 website is a website full of information.  In the learning ecosystem of the website is talks about wanting to encourage a system of not just school, but also home, school, and community combined that helps bring day to day instruction together to help provide more learning opportunities.  This is such a neat idea.  I have never heard of Web 2.0, much less School 2.0, before this class.  Reading and learning about it makes me wonder why more people are not aware of it, especially teachers.  The potential for this system seems like it would be good. To combine school, home, and community to help students learn better and learn in all places seems like it would do nothing but help students.  If our goal as an education system is to help students, then we need to be constantly looking for ways to make that happen. The website has a wealth of information about the School 2.0 that would be valuable for future teachers to know and current teachers to be shown. 

During this chapter, it addresses the concerns and downfalls within teachers.  It talks about the problem that teaches are too busy and have established a routine the like to try to implement a whole new system, especially one with technology they are not familiar with.  I see this as a real problem and I think for something like this to work, teachers would have to have a constant support, i.e. a technology coordinator, that would be there to help answer their question and guide them through a process that is outside their comfort zones.  

Chapter 8 Review

Chapter 8 focuses on a topic that is ever growing.  Many students are coming into the school system with little knowledge of English or as speakers of a different language at home.  I think that technology can play a vital role in helping students become familiar with the English language.  Of course, technology should not be the only tool we use to help students become better English speakers.  Technology can provide software that students can work independently on during centers or work time to help themselves, but that should not take the place of the teacher working with them and their skills or their contact with other students.  

Once again during this chapter blogging and podcasts were brought up as ways to help immerse the students in the English language.  This can be a valuable resources but by no means should this be the exclusive list.  The book shows its biased through blogs and podcasts, but that should not stop teachers from finding different things and ways to immerse the students in the language.  

Teachers need to be sensitive to the students in their classrooms and what resources are available to them at home.  The book once again mentions that not all students will have access at their homes and that should defiantly be taken into consideration so that no one has an unfair advantage to get homework or research done at home.  This is important so that the students who already struggle with English do not get left behind because other students pick up working on the computer more quickly and with ease.  Everyone needs to be allotted the same amount of time with technology to establish a fair chance to learn and grow.  

Assessment is another topic that the book looked at closely.  They gave a definition of authentic assessment on page 168 that says, "Performance assessments call upon the examinee to demonstrate specific skills and competencies, that is, to apply the skills and knowledge they have mastered."  This is important for me because it reminds me that students can show what they've learned a variety of ways and through various medias so they should be allowed those opportunities, especially with the amount of technology available to them. 

Chapter 7 Review

This chapter is very important to me as a future classroom teacher and an intern.  I know that I do not want to ask my students to do something on the computer that could allow them to access something that they should not.  I understand the importance of checking ahead of time that the websites I want to use are appropriate and not blocked by the school's network.  It is important to me to make sure that my students are not improperly sighting websites that they use for in class projects and out of class research.  I just did not think that I would need to go into great detail with them about the process, but from reading this chapter I understand that I do not need to assume that they know how to properly site, but teach them at the beginning.  

For me, I do not want to cause something that is meant to be an exciting and fun way to research and do projects to turn into something that causes parents or principals to be upset.  I know that I need to always check with my principal or technology teacher before we use web sites and do projects on line.  I did not think about having to have written permission from the parents for the students to be online and using the computers but this chapter really showed me that it is always better to be safe than sorry.  I want the parents of my students to be involved and know what their kids are doing in the classroom. The book says on page 150, "While schools have tools to influence students' behavior, parents are often unaware of the problems and have few strategies to resolve them."  This shows me that I need to be in constant communication with parents to help them supervise and allow their children to use the internet safely and effectively.  

Chapter 6 Review

This chapter was hard for me to follow because I am not an administrator.  I have not had my own classroom yet so it was hard for me to follow because I do not really know what it will be like to be in my own classroom and dealing with administration.  I know that I need to be in constant communication with my administration and support them but that is the extent of what I have been taught and seen thus far.  I like the idea of a principal using a blog, but I do not think that I am fully ready for that to take the place of the schools web page.  I also do not think that just because a school principal has a blog should stop announcement sheets going home to parents because not all homes have internet and that should be considered.  

In this chapter we have come back to the financial cost of some of the most advance and best software.  Principals need to be aware that there are programs out there that are free but they need to be willing to look around for the best type of software for their needs instead of just going with the first thing that is brought to their attention. There is always a chance that after a school starts using a 'open' software that a cost could be started so that is a chance administrators need to be aware of before they use the 'free' software.  It is important that students also get a chance to work with software that is not free but is used all over the place such as Microsoft Office.  There will always be free things for schools to use but it should not take the place of popular software that students will need to be familiar with to succeed in life. 

Chapter 5 Review

This chapter focuses in on professional development.  Throughout my few years at Johnson that is something that was heard over and over.  Although it was talked about I had a very distant view of what it actually was.  In the beginning of this chapter it points out the downfalls to one day 'courses' in professional development that the principals require and is often done at the end of the day when teachers are tired and their attention is focused on other things even though they are physically there.  On page 101 the author makes a very bold statement, "Nothing has promised so much and has been so frustratingly wasteful as the thousands of workshops and conferences that led to no significant change in practice when the teachers returned to their classrooms."  I agree with this statement because it is hard for anyone to hear something once in a session, have no support to help them once they attempt to put it into practice, and then it is so much easier to just do what you've always done.  

On page 111 it says, "To chart a new course, administrators must agree that the use of technology is a fundamental goal, and faculty members must participate in identifying it as a shared goal."  This is important for real change to happen within a school, it is easy to do a one time course and just go about your normal teaching style because it is not seen as a common goal to enhance the use of technology.  Once again in this chapter it discusses the importance of open source things such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts to help the connect students, teachers, administrators, and parents.  By using these things that are available to everyone is a way to unite everyone involved in education with a common goal and purpose.

This chapter was interesting for me because it is easy for me to know how to use technology and feel like I am using it efficiently.  Until reading this book I was unaware or wikis, how to use podcasts, and that blogs could be so useful with so many different types to choose from for your purpose.  I know it will be easy for me to go into a school and just fall into the pattern of what other teachers are doing.  I know I will need to make a conscience effort to integrate what I have learned about technology in my classroom and be enthusiastic about it to my colleagues.

Chapter 4 Review

This chapter discussed all the many different kinds of technology that is available to schools, although some of it comes at high cost to run it and run it to the best of its ability.  There are very few 'cool schools' like the ones the book discussed in the opening of this chapter.  There are many reasons that it is hard for schools to support the overhead for such advanced technology.  The software may be open and 'free' to use, but the cost to have the internet running to the best of its ability, many computers available for use, leadership to run the programs and problem solve can all contribute to the reason lots of schools do not have high tech programs available besides computers and internet.  

There are many ways for students to use technology that is available to them that I think really is a neat way for them to do projects, journaling, and other things. The internet and technology really helps with digital broadcasting and video.  With web cams and even digital cameras students can now record themselves and place what they record on their own blog, a classroom blog, or a schools broadcasting.  The books says that schools all over are putting in journalism or broadcast courses to experience students in ow to gather information, compile it, and produce it.  Page 89 in the book says, "Today, the process can be egalitarian; ever class can create a news show using podcasts or video that can be saved and heard by other students, parents, and the community at the listeners' convenience.  When I was in middle school we had a technology class that put on the morning news, but not everyone could be involved in the news cast you had to be selected by the teacher.  It was a great experience but was not nearly as available as it is today.  Today, teachers have the tools in their classrooms to upload videos to a blog or audio to a podcast and this allows students to all have access to technology tools.  By allowing students to put together a broadcast or something similar to that and have it published on line is important for students so that they can see their work and show it to other people. 

This chapter in the text provides many useful websites that you can have your students go to and learn about a certain topic, explore themselves and find a topic to blog or journal about, or to be able to learn interactively instead of just through lectures and power points.  By allowing your students access to some of these websites they can communicate with people from other countries or states and gain a better perspective of how life is from other people than just reading about it in a text.  Many students enjoy talking and getting to know new people and with the internet they are allowed to do this with people all over the world.  As a teacher, it is important that I try to connect with teachers in other places so that we can match up the kids in our classrooms and monitor their exchange so that students are not just going out and searching for people in their own.  

This chapter exposes many important resources to teachers that can be very beneficial throughout the course of the school year.  It opened my eyes to the fact that there are plenty of supplemental websites out there that relate to curriculum that I can use to help interact and involve my students with.  The chapter starts by saying on page 78, "This chapter presents concrete examples of ways the new tools are being used or could be used in various subject areas and with learners at all age or grade levels."  The chapter lived up to is purpose with supplying me with many valuable resources to use once I am in the classroom full time.  

Chapter 3 Review

This chapter is full of information and things that are helpful to teachers to help spur along their students in a technologically advanced world.  The web is full of many tools that can be used to encourage the growth of students and many skills needed to succeed in life.  There are many tools on the web that are open source.  That was a phrase I was not used to hearing and did not really know what it meant at the beginning of this course.  A whole new web world has been opened to me by knowing what open source is and learning about different types of software that is available to me, at least at a basic level, for no cost.  The book defines open source on page 50 as, "When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify the source code for a piece of software, the software evolves.  People improve it, people adapt it, and people fix bugs."  This was a good definition for me to help me understand open office because it is not limited to just the creators to help make the software more efficient.  

Blogs are one way that as a teacher I can connect with my students and allow them practice in their grammatical skills and writing skills.  Using blogs is a more modern way of doing journals, especially since most kids can type faster than they can write today. In the classroom a teacher can have a main blog that updates students and parents and allows all of the to comment on the blog and keep up with what is happening in the classroom.  Blogging is a way that parents can always check in and see what is happening in the classroom even though they may not be getting the papers and things being sent home so this allows them to always be in the know.  Wikis are also another tool that a teacher could use in the classroom.  This would be more appropriate for students of older age but would be a good tool to get senior high students more familiar with the internet and allow them to get prepared better for college where a lot more work is done over the internet.  

Bookmarking was something that I am very unfamiliar with and did not really know how to use it.  Reading about it in this chapter was helpful and made me realize that it is a useful tool when you are using different computers and not just your personal one.  This is useful in the classroom because there are no 'personal computers,' in grade K-12.  By bookmarking through an on line site, it allows students to be able to revisit sites they have previously been too and eliminate some frustrations.

Photo sharing and editing can be helpful in the classroom and with writing projects.  The book says on page 60, "The implication for education is that students can post digital photos and use them to illustrate their writing."  When students manage their photos from home on line they can access them anywhere and use them in projects and papers.  When students manage their photos on line they can do a variety of things in the classroom such as document field trips, do projects related to certain subject areas with pictures taken outside the classroom, illustrate their own stories and many more things.

This chapter provided a wealth of information and spoke on many topics that I did not cover such as word processing, spread sheets, videoing, search engines, electronic profiles, calenders, mapping, and various other things that can also be useful in the classroom.  For this entry I choose to focus on the things I was unfamiliar with, but not to leave out things that are still important.