Businesses once spent thousands of dollars on technology to hold business meetings without the necessity of travel expense for attendees. Several years ago I worked for a company that installed a special meeting room that could host real time meetings - with a big screen for viewing the guests and split screen capability for several guests to attend the meeting. They spent $$$$$ on this "new" technology. Now there is Skype. Now that real time meetings can now held for nearly nothing, imagine the dismay of the IT departments at large companies like the one where I worked, who invested so much money to host those meetings.
Skype is an accessible tool for school systems with limited funds for technology. The inexpensive resource can be a great tool for collaborative learning around the world, and for teachers to connect with other teachers. For instance, students in Florida can discuss an issue and then communicate with other students around the world to get their input on the issue. They can also understand what it is like to live in another part of the world by talking to other students in that part of the world. Students who are learning about North Dakota can actually talk to students in that state to learn about what it is like to live there. Real life situations are an excellent way for students to connect to the concepts and to connect to others like themselves.
I also read about the use of a variety of technologies...for instance students had a question about an animal carcass they found near the school they attended. They wanted to find out what kind of animal it was. The teacher twittered about the animal and connected with other teachers whom she met through a teachers group that used Skype, who forwarded a photo of the animal to a friend who was a college professor. While the request was out, students used inquiry to come up with ideas on how they could find out what the animal was. They emailed a local extension agency, Googled pictures of animals they thought it might be, researched online animals that were indigenous to the area they lived, etc. In the end, this learning experience exercised inquiry and research skills and eventually the professor was able to help them identify the animal.
I find the use of technology can be one of the ways to keep students' interest in the learning process. It aids in motivation and is the future of our classrooms. The downside of this is that many schools are unable to provide the technology because of budget cuts and although students are more tech savvy and more and more have cell phones and use the social networks, we have many students whose families are not able to provide technology for their use. This poses the challenge of how we can ensure that our low SES students can take advantage of learning the new technologies.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Week 3: #6 Flickr Fun
Fickr Fun has some great resources for students to use to create fun class projects. For instance I create both a magazine cover and a trading card for state information. Students can use both of these templates for a variety of purposes, including introducing themselves at the beginning of the year, highlighting a class project, book reports and more. One item I would like to see is the ability to create the back side of the trading card so that students could include more information. Since this isn't an option, creating a Word template for students to use would take care of it.
Below are my samples:
Below are my samples:
Magazine Cover
Trading Card
Week 3: #5 Explore Flickr
Photo from Flicker:
The Realm of Obsolete Technology
This photo is an awesome piece of surrealist art. I can see using it as a discussion/writing prompt for students to think about changes in technology and how many things become obsolete.
This causes me to think about my own views on technology. I can remember when my music came on vinyl records, when I decided to first buy a VCR and couldn't decide Beta or VHS, when you had to get up to change the channel, and when you made a phone call and no one was home, you just had to call back later...no answering machine!
Our music once came to us on vinyl records and has gone through an evolution of reel to reel tape, to 8-track, to cassette, to CD and now to electronic formats. Our history is recorded on some formats that unless the technological equipment has been carefully been preserved, is unable to be retrieved any longer. Old 8-tracks found in the attic were recently sacrificed at a yard sale. The music on them were classic, but without a way to listen to them, and the fact that the tape was most likely deteriorating, we lost out.
As I ponder this issue, it causes me to reflect on how we have become a "throw away" society. Think about it. Once upon a time, manufacturers prided themselves on building products that would last. My parents bought one telephone during the entire time I was growing up (in fact, they had it before I was born). I know that in my lifetime, I've purchased at least six or seven phones for my house. With the advent of the cell phone, I replace a phone about every two years, sometimes more often for my teenagers who wear them out sooner. These new gadgets are more delicate not only due to the electrical components, but even the cases often crack easily.
I don't believe it's because items can't be made to last, but instead it is a sure fire way for manufacturers to stay in business...keep the consumer coming back to replace the item. But that is entirely another topic to ponder at another time. =)
The Realm of Obsolete Technology
This photo is an awesome piece of surrealist art. I can see using it as a discussion/writing prompt for students to think about changes in technology and how many things become obsolete.
This causes me to think about my own views on technology. I can remember when my music came on vinyl records, when I decided to first buy a VCR and couldn't decide Beta or VHS, when you had to get up to change the channel, and when you made a phone call and no one was home, you just had to call back later...no answering machine!
Our music once came to us on vinyl records and has gone through an evolution of reel to reel tape, to 8-track, to cassette, to CD and now to electronic formats. Our history is recorded on some formats that unless the technological equipment has been carefully been preserved, is unable to be retrieved any longer. Old 8-tracks found in the attic were recently sacrificed at a yard sale. The music on them were classic, but without a way to listen to them, and the fact that the tape was most likely deteriorating, we lost out.
As I ponder this issue, it causes me to reflect on how we have become a "throw away" society. Think about it. Once upon a time, manufacturers prided themselves on building products that would last. My parents bought one telephone during the entire time I was growing up (in fact, they had it before I was born). I know that in my lifetime, I've purchased at least six or seven phones for my house. With the advent of the cell phone, I replace a phone about every two years, sometimes more often for my teenagers who wear them out sooner. These new gadgets are more delicate not only due to the electrical components, but even the cases often crack easily.
I don't believe it's because items can't be made to last, but instead it is a sure fire way for manufacturers to stay in business...keep the consumer coming back to replace the item. But that is entirely another topic to ponder at another time. =)
Week 2: Blogging, Thing #3 & 4 Create Your Own Blog and Register 2.0 Learning
Creating a blog was pretty easy. I can see how a blog could be used in the classroom to post a variety of information for students to use such as a resource for specific topics, to develop inquiry, to keep parents informed of what is happening in the classroom, to challenge students with extra assignments to challenge them or to help students who might be struggling, to post assignments, to list reading suggestions and discuss books, to discuss issues, etc.
It was fun to create the avatar and to copy and paste the html code into the layout. Other pages such as myspace also allow you to personalize using html code to enhance the look. I would guess that a good number of students have experience with this already, since many of them are more tech savy than most of us older folks.
It was fun to create the avatar and to copy and paste the html code into the layout. Other pages such as myspace also allow you to personalize using html code to enhance the look. I would guess that a good number of students have experience with this already, since many of them are more tech savy than most of us older folks.
Week 1, Thing #1 & 2 About the Program and Lifelong Learning
Classroom Learning 2.0 is a great tool for those of us who are interested in becoming more savvy on using the latest technology in the classroom. I want to feel more comfortable with using it in the classroom and look forward to completing this self-paced learning module.
After running through the 7 1/2 habits to lifelong learning, most of them are attainable. I think that the easiest step is that I have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. After just completing my MA and a Reading Certificate, I am very confident in my ability to learn effectively. I am diligent, know how to study and find resources, and am confident in being a successful learner. The hardest habit for me however, is viewing problems as challenges. I do see problems as challenges, but I often give up when it becomes time consuming, allowing other things to take priority over the challenge or finding excuses not to address the challenge. That said, when it comes to something that I REALLY want, I don't let anything get in my way. So perhaps it is the level of commitment rather than the problem that is the hardest for me. I have to be sure to make a solid commitment to my goals so that when those pesky challenges arise, I won't let them deter my goal.
After running through the 7 1/2 habits to lifelong learning, most of them are attainable. I think that the easiest step is that I have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner. After just completing my MA and a Reading Certificate, I am very confident in my ability to learn effectively. I am diligent, know how to study and find resources, and am confident in being a successful learner. The hardest habit for me however, is viewing problems as challenges. I do see problems as challenges, but I often give up when it becomes time consuming, allowing other things to take priority over the challenge or finding excuses not to address the challenge. That said, when it comes to something that I REALLY want, I don't let anything get in my way. So perhaps it is the level of commitment rather than the problem that is the hardest for me. I have to be sure to make a solid commitment to my goals so that when those pesky challenges arise, I won't let them deter my goal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)