MY REFLECTION - WHAT A JOURNEY!!! WOW!!!

"The race is not for the swift neither the battle for the strong but those that endure to the end."

                                                                                  I MADE IT

About ten (10 weeks) ago we gave birth to a “bouncing baby boy" called Educational Technology. Like any parent, this was an exciting but nervous moment.  After reading the course outline and all the other documents related to the course, I became very overwhelmed. I thought to myself how this would be possible, having a full time job and also being a full time mother. However after reading this quote by RALPH WALDO EMERSON – (“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”) I was forced to move forward with excellence.

Led by our Professor Dr. Britt Watwood, this “baby”, came into the lives of thirteen (13) dedicated teachers.  At the beginning of the course, we were asked to set up various accounts, and get ourselves with WEB 2.0. I was very hesitant in doing so because of the negative feedbacks that I have always heard about the use of the internet and the web. However like a brave warrior princess, I braced myself and started my journey with boldness.

                BLOGS!!! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??? – I have never done one before but the professor saw something in us that he decided to use blogging as one of the tools to get our inputs, ideas, and thoughts each week. I was “Ms. Clueless”, but with perseverance and encouragements from my colleagues, I was able to overcome the odds.

                This has truly been a journey; exploring WEB, 2.0, learning about various web tools, creating tutorials on various web tools , learning how to effectively incorporate technology in the classroom, becoming aware of cyber bulling,  internet safety, studying and critiquing the Horizon Report, Internet access in schools, Emerging technologies and Implementing a Technology Plan. WOW! WHAT A JOURNEY!

                I am sure that we are ready to produce more “Wendys” and become amazing teachers like Vicky.    

Six years ago, the internet was limited both in what it could do and in who used it. Many people had heard the word but did not have a clue what it was. Today, most teachers have not only been exposed to the internet but also have access at home or at school. In fact, a large number of schools are being retrofitted to place the internet in every classroom. Even more exciting than this is the newest technology: Wireless. A school can purchase a 'Portable Classroom'. This consists of laptops networked together, allowing students to work at their desks WITHOUT wires. If the laptops are networked to a printer, students can print from their personal computer to the classroom printer. I am so happy that Dr. Watwood has prepared us so eloquently for this new beginning in this global connecting world.

We have come to the end of the road feeling very proud. We are now ready to move forward in this 21^st century knowing we made through this challenging but motivating course. We are now well equipped to be members of our school’s technology committee fostering learning through the young minds that we teach.

Of course, changing instructional approaches is no easy task, particularly when technology is involved. Adopting and integrating technology-based instructional strategies has a long history of challenges, but with it has come a great understanding of how to achieve success with them. We are thankful that we were taught how to overcome these challenges, and to expose our students to be successful through the use of technology.

There were times I felt like giving up and “throwing in the towel “but with God being the Captain of my ship I smiled at my storms, and I made it to the end.

      

                                  The BABY HAS MATURED AND WE ARE READY!

Emerging Issues - Technology and More

                                                        

                                                Introduction 

  

Schools are becoming very cognizant in this  global connecting world. The push to provide technology in schools has been successful in recent years. Most schools have computers, computer labs and more over, most schools are connected to the internet.  The school that I am currently employed, has at least ten (10) smart boards, three (3) desk top computers in each classroom, at least fifty document cameras, one mini lap top in each classroom,  two(2) computer labs and one projector in each classroom.

With all these technology in place, students, teachers, teacher assistants, administrative staff and even custodians are exposed to the 21^st century emerging technologies. My county continues to invest in technology. The vision is, by the year 2015 all educators and students will become well equipped, in the field of technology.  This vision has boosted my school to promote technology and definitely move forward with emerging technology.

                            Technology Brings Success

The PTA body has collaborated with the teachers and administrators in conducting series of training and workshops (in technology) for parents and students. A technology driven school will allow students to work on authentic, meaningful and challenging problems. In the classroom, teachers can develop a myriad of technology-supported engaged learning projects that enable students to solve real world problems, retrieve information from online resources, and connect with experts. Such subjects can be acclimated to all grade levels.

Various tools help schools govern their ability in using technology for engaged learning. Therefore schools that are ensuring that the technology supports the education goals for students, will have a smooth transition process, in welcoming new and improved technology.

            I was driving with a friend of mind and we were actually looking for a restaurant. Both of us were not familiar with the place so we had to rely on technology to help us locate restaurants in that particular area. The fascinating part was literally speaking to the phone to help us locate restaurants. In less than a minute a list of restaurants “popped up” that were in that particular area or in close proximity. I thought about my own students and how the use  this tool will help promote learning and spark their interest. For example; this would be an ideal tool to use in Social Studies especially introducing the topic Landforms across the United States.  Students would become so intrigued to know that they can speak in a phone to locate landforms across the United States.

            Technology integration brings changes to teachers’ instructional roles in the classroom. The teacher’s roles in a technology- infused classroom often shift to that of a facilitator or coach rather than a lecturer (Henriquez & Riconscente 1998). Technology use also tends to nurture collaboration among students. Students become self- directed and their level of curiosity accelerates.

                             Moving Forward

One might say why do we need to implement emerge technologies in schools. I do believe that it is very important to include various types of technology and web tools in schools. Students are very much exposed to blogs, text messages, RSS, social networks, and web pages; therefore incorporating some of these in the classroom will be very effective. The teacher’s responsible is to closely monitor how these tools are used by the students. It is time for us as educators to move forward and focus more on the positive influence technology has on education rather  than dwell on the negatives. Statistics have shown that students, who are engrossed in technology at an early age, tend to become successful business entrepreneurs, politicians, and also engineers.

            Teachers need large blocks of time to gain initial familiarity with new hardware or software, learning and practicing for sustained periods. The integration of technology into the curriculum will not succeed without giving teachers ample time to practice, explore, conceptualize and collaborate. Many teachers crave for time to interpret or translate new ideas and strategies into the practical classroom lessons and unit plans.

Our classrooms are filled with “Wendys”, Therefore as educators let us not be distracted by teaching for the End of Grade Test, Standard of Learning or the End of Course, but let us adapt some valuable pointers from Vicki Davis (a teacher in a rural area in Southern Georgia) who continues to use cell phones and other web tools  in a positive way to promote learning. http://www.coolcatteacher.com/

Some schools across the United States have purchased iPads to help students in the teaching /learning environment. Students have come out and said they were more engaged in class and it also helped them to focus because there was no barrier between the student and the iPad, compared to when a student would use a laptop on their desk.

http://smithtown.patch.com/articles/the-introduction-of-ipads-in-the-classroom-will-help-students

Green Bay-area school districts are beginning to change long-standing bans on handheld technology, such as cell phones and iPods, after realizing they are increasingly part of students' everyday lives. The Pulaski School District, for example, now encourages middle and high school students to bring their cell phones to class. They're also welcome to carry other electronic gadgets such as netbooks, which are a bit smaller than laptop computers; iPads, handheld tablet computers; or electronic-book readers

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20101208/GPG0101/12080815/iPods-iPads-cell-phones-welcome-in-area-schools

                                             Conclusion

   Technology works best in the classroom when it is seen as part of the normal way of working rather than a temporary add-on. As well as making for more rigorous and relevant assessment, technologies such as whole-class voting systems help to provide teachers with instant feedback on how everyone in the room is doing and can revisit concepts if necessary so that no one is left behind.

             With multi-touch devices and ultra-portable netbooks now reaching prices that allow bulk purchasing realistic, the possibilities to embed ICT further into everyday learning has never been more achievable.

The Internet/ Faculty Development

Teachers entering the profession today are expected to be active participants in activities that determine their success or failure. They are most likely to respond to the positive reinforcement that results from a feeling they are valuable and contributing members of a collaborative effort.

According to Marisa Beard in her article Internet offers Benefits to Children and Teachers, she clearly outlines ways in which teachers and students can incorporate the use of the internet in the teaching learning environment. Marisa also mentioned that the internet can allow students to be connected with the outside world without actually visiting or making a trip to the place. www.wiu.edu/thecenter/articles/benefits.html

The internet provides a wealth of resources and information that make teaching exciting and new. The internet is also an ideal mechanism for encouraging students to assume responsibility for their own learning. As students find different learning resources on the internet, they become active participants in their quest of knowledge.

Do we have a choice?

Using the internet is not an option. The use of the internet in my school and school district makes up 85 percent of my job. Monday through Friday teachers have no choice but to log on and do the following via the internet.

1.       Mark attendance.

2.       Record grades.

3.       Read daily school news

4.       Read email from other teachers, administrators, parents, and even school district personnel.

As educators it is very important that we continue to appreciate the importance of technology and come to the realization that we cannot shone to implement technology in our everyday lives. In this global awareness era, we must ensure that our skills are sharpened and the use of the internet should not be painful but rather easy to manipulate. Our students are exposed to technology and not to mention the use of the internet. They are able to download games, search for information, and even 90 percent have a social network account. Therefore as educators it is our responsibility to continuously upgrade ourselves and become expertise in using the internet.

Personal Experience

The students in my class recently did a research on 200 years of America’s History. They were given various choices on how to present their findings. Most students created power points.  They emailed their power points to me and I had to access their power points using the internet. One outstanding student created a website with her presentation. She was able to share her website and her presentation with the class, which was very fascinating. The students were able to see her profile, comments on her projects by her families /friends, and her favorites.

 

Who is responsible?

At my school the Technology facilitator and his team are responsible for creating or developing various programs, and learning tools for teachers. The onus is no given to teachers to “jump” and create. There must be channel teachers need to follow or go through.  This is a way of protecting teachers and students. Also Internet Safety is very important, therefore teachers use the internet but are very cautious.   

The Horizon Report

                                           

                                                  The Magic Has Unfolded

                    Like sand through the hour glass so are the days of our lives;

                   Exploring, teaching, and interacting with technology.

                  Technology has opened the eyes, as we guide our young minds;

                 Guiding them, in this 21st global connecting world.

                  We have a vision and also a mission;

                Providing comprehensive, technologically, enhanced learning

                                            experience, for our students.

                                              On your marks, get set, GO!

                 The Magic has unfolded as we keep technology current in our noble

                                                                 CLASSROOMS.

                                    

What is the Horizon Report?

As I read the Horizon Reports, I “magically” saw technology unfolded. I closely paid attention to the years 2008, 2009, 2010.  I was eager to discover what the Horizon Report is. This report describes the continuing work of the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Project, a qualitative research project established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative inquiry on college and university campuses within the next five years. http://wp.nmc.org. Each year the Horizon Advisory Board studies, discovers and positions the most outstanding trends that affect the teaching- learning environment, and the inventive communications. They get their reviews from the media, articles, and globally, to discover developing or ongoing trends. These trends are rank according to their popularity and what might influence education through the use of technology in the next five (5) years.

What are the noticable Trends?

I mainly focused on thenumber one trends for years 2008, 2009, and 2010.

For the year 2008 the number one (1) trend – “The growing use of Web2.0 and social networking- combined with collective intelligence and mass amateurization.”

For the year 2009 the number one (1) trend –“Increasing globalization continues to affect the way we work, collaborate and communicate.”

                                                                    

For the year 2010 the number one (1) trend- “The abundance of resources and relationships made accessible via the Internet is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators in sense-making, coaching and credentialing”

                                      

The Advisory board seemed to do very thorough research each year. I notice that for these three consecutive years there has  always been an expansion to  technology and how it affects or will affect education.

How accurate are their near projection?

On a scale of one to ten, I have given the projection eight (8). I do see accuracy in their projection. Clearly I see the growing use of Web 2.0 and social networking. Web 2.0 and social networking are here to stay. Nowadays, our students come to our classroom with a presence on Facebook, the latest concert as a podcast on their MP3 player, and experience playing games in virtual worlds. In some respects, students are more tech-savvy than their Information Systems professors. Research showing the benefits of collaborative learning is being conducted across disciplines. Definitely globalization continues to increase and affect the way we work, collaborate and communicate.” Bearing in mind that we are exposed to different cultures, therefore the onus is on us as educators to integrate and use technology in the classrooms so that our students will not be isolated but connected to this global society.  Truly we have been introduced to an abundance of resources and relationships made accessible via the Internet which has been increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators in sense-making, coaching and recording.  Endless technology workshops and courses keep us up to date with the internet and causing us to have an interactive teaching- learning environment rather than a controlled teacher- centered environment. Within any planning or project you have some setbacks and concerns.  Will there be a significant impact on education with the use of technology in the next five years? Are schools and school districts working toward that goal? Are teachers well trained and equip to move with the change?

Where do we go from here – Are we ready for the task that lies ahead?   

These trends can be used as guidelines in creating a technology plan. Note that the trends are created based on current and substantial discoveries through the voices of the people or society. Therefore technology plans should support the views of the society so that the goals set will be accomplished. Schools and school districts must endeavor to provide the BEST possible tools and the most upshot training for teachers and administrators. I think it would be feasible to incorporate both the trends and classroom web 2.0, keeping technology current in schools. Using the Horizon Report will actually give us an important feedback of use of the internet or the World Wide Web. A strong, safe understanding of technology and its application are essential to develop a well-educated student.

Local School Board and Technology

Introduction

The National Education Technology Plan clearly outlines the vision the United States’ Government has for technology in schools. This plan was designed to transform American education by empowering and engaging students and educators to become effective in this globally networked society.

After reading this plan and carefully scrutinizing every aspect with a “fine teeth comb”, I believe that my local school board is definitely heading in the right direction. Local school boards have been an integral feature of the U.S. public education system for nearly 100 years, and they are widely regarded as the principal democratic body capable of representing citizens in local education decisions. The formal institutional roles assigned to school boards, and the designated position board members play as representatives of the community, would lead one to believe that the school board has a decisive role in public education policy and school system administration. In the minds of many lay citizens, school boards have considerable influence over educational decisions and provide a key social and political connection to the schooling process.

My School Board’s Involvement in Technology

My school is located in a very upscale community with citizens comprising of doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and politicians. Therefore the local school board is well equipped, and is very resilient. The community highly supports the school board and money is always invested in education. Technology is no exception. I spoke with my principal and she was pleased to say that all board members are in agreement that the use of technology in the school will:

1.       Increase academic performance.

2.       Develop positive relationship throughout the school community.

3.       Allow students to get connected with other students across the world.

The Technology Facilitator has been working overtime to education teachers and students on web 2.0, web tools and various soft wares. These can be used in the classroom and also at home. However the emphasis has not been placed to educate board members.  They are very interesting in contributing to technology in schools. I believe that it is very important for local school board members to recognize what is happening on the internet and its impact on educators and students. Bearing in mind they too make up the school community.

How should schools educate their board?

The local school board has a vital role in providing leadership for district schools, serving as a forum for citizen input relevant to public education, and inculcating the beliefs, behaviors, and symbolic representations that define the organizational culture of the school system. In this role, the board's responsibilities include adopting a unifying vision and mission, soliciting and balancing the participation and input of members of the community, and advocating on behalf of the educational needs of children at the local, state, and national levels. Consistent with this leadership responsibility, the local school board should emphasize the standard of continuous improvement for its own operations as well as that of the school system as a whole and undertake to evaluate its performance and improve upon that performance. Therefore because of this major responsibility, schools should endeavor to educate them on how technology will be used in schools.

1.       Schools should host workshops and also invite local schools board members to be participants. The workshops should entail internet safety, cyber bullying and various social network sites. These workshops will also outline on the negatives and positives use of the internet.

2.       Local school board members will visit classrooms, observing teachers and students using various web tools and soft wares integrated in the teaching learning environment.

3.       Schools should create social network accounts for board members so that they will be able to communicate via the internet with the school community (inclusive of educators and students).

4.        Schools should invite (at least once per quarter) local school board members to teach a lesson to students incorporating the use of technology.

My Vision

                   To  have  local school board members interact with students through the use of  technology in the classrooms.

To Block or Not to Block

 To Block or Not to Block- Internet Safety

A conversation between two teachers

Jenny: Hey girl!

Sarah: Hey, Jenny. How was your weekend?

Jenny: It was awesome. I spent most of my weekend planning for my students. We are actually doing the Animal Unit in Science and I did some research and serious preparation for them. I also found some really interesting videos on YouTube to help me.

Sarah: Wow! Good for you girl but I am so sorry to burst your bubble. We are unable to access You Tube in our building. If you type in the address you will see the message ACCESS DENIED

Jenny: OMG Sarah! Please don’t tell that. What am I going to do??? I have to run to my class now and change my plans for today. See you later!

To Block or Not to Block

As we are all aware, we are living in a technological era. Even babies have access to computers and internets. School Districts and schools have also caught the vision and are becoming more involved with technology. They are working diligently to improve technology in schools.

School districts are also encouraging teachers to participate in online courses to become more acquainted with web2.0, web tools and to upgrade their technology skills.

One might ask, “How far do schools limit usages of the internet to both teachers and students?” After reading the article “Blocking the Future”

http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=5390  I found it to be very debatable. There were aspects that I agreed with and aspects I did not agree with. In my opinion I have found Wikipedia very useful and if used effectively, a learning tool for students to enjoy. I am curious to know why the librarian posted “SAY NO TO WIKIPEDIA”.  I read the article (at least three times) searching for the reason(s) for her signs. I hope that her reason was a valid one which caused her to make such as drastic decision.

            I personally agree that students should have   access to their social network accounts at school (especially middle and high school students) once it is being used as a learning tool and not for pleasure. Of course social network can cause distractions during instructional time and even on school grounds. Also it is very uncouth to have students accessing their personal emails, having sociable online conversations in chat rooms when learning should be operative. Therefore, teachers should make sure  their lessons are  very interesting, capturing the minds and the attention of the students,discourging students to be easily distracted or bored.

I believe teachers should be mindful and only check their social network accounts for their personal use if necessary during non-instructional time. If I am not careful, I will spend hours on my social network sites. It can become addictive.

 I read where some school districts have blocked access to social networks for both teachers and students. I also read an article by Jason entitled The Case for Social Networking in Schools which I found very interesting. He did a ‘test’ on social networking in schools and gave some advantages and disadvantages in his article based on his findings. He also outlined some pros and cons on social networking.

Pros

Networking and contacts – Students network and make contacts on their own whether we allow them to or not. Almost all of my students have both a Facebook and a MySpace account. Some even have Twitter and Google Wave accounts. Even without this, they exchange phone calls, text messages, and emails almost without thinking. It is a part of human nature to be in relationship. We can either encourage this or be a constructive part of their relationship building, which can help them in this process, or we can be a hindrance to it. Not allowing social networks, restricting student conversations, forcing the students to interact only on our terms when we see fit, all show that we as educators are far more concerned with our own agenda than with what students want and need.

International acculturation – Social networks are ideal methods to connect with others across the globe.  Social networks make it easy for teachers to meet other teachers around the world and for those teachers to help their respective students connect. This experience is really beneficial to students and helps to broaden their world view.

Increased productivity – When students are working together on a common goal (not just an assignment they were forced to cooperate for, but something they buy into and want to do), they will work harder to accomplish that goal. None of the students participating will want to let down the other students. Social networks allow them to communicate, collaborate, and keep each other up to date. A student was seen sharing notes (not cheating) and communicating a homework assignment on Facebook. The social network, instead of distracting, actually helped a student to get his work done properly and on time.

Increased openness and interdependence – Our school Moodle forums attest to the fact that boundaries that exist in person do not always exist online. Students feel more comfortable to be honest. When social networks are properly leveraged, the students’ honesty is rewarded with trust and cooperation. Students learn to value each other and to help each other.

Authentic, timely feedback – Unfortunately, many teachers still wait anywhere from 1 to several weeks to return work. Any waiting more than 2 or 3 days, and the feedback is no longer useful or relevant to the student. Social networks allow students to give each other feedback, sometimes even instantly. That feedback becomes a lifeline for students; it helps them learn and grow. Teachers who understand the value of good feedback can learn from this and participate by giving authentic, timely feedback via social networks as well.

Current information – Students often seem to live in the now, even if it sometimes makes it difficult for history teachers (past) and guidance counselors (future). Social networks tap into this. Twitter is a real-time search engine; Facebook has a “Live Feed.” Social networks help students to learn about the most current information on whatever topic they are interested in. Whether there interests lie in Aristotelian philosophy or their friend’s taste in clothing, we should still be giving them the skills to find the most recent information in the best way we can. To eliminate social networks entirely is to limit the students.

Teach students responsible Internet use – This has always been an important issue.  Educators are not meant to be the morality police.  I it very essential to block pornography and sites that promote illegal activity; however, the goal of education is to help students learn not to shield students from experiences. We need to teach the students how to use the Internet responsibly and how to react when they come across something undesirable. Social networks can help in this regard because each community of users set its own norms and keeps its members accountable to them. Students learn how to interact responsibly in a community and contribute back to it thoughtfully.

Cons

Distraction – Most administrators experience with social network involves students going to proxy servers to bypass the school’s firewall to message about topics unrelated to the content that they are supposed to be studying. There is a large risk of distraction when students are given free rein on social networks or poor assignments. This can be avoided by careful planning. When students want to do the work, they are much less likely to be distracted. Furthermore, when the teacher designs how the lesson around how the students will properly interact with the social network and make clear the expectations and the consequences for not meeting the expectations.

Inappropriate Content – There are two basic types of social networks: those that you run and those that you don’t. If you or your school installs Status Net, a Twitter clone, they can monitor and moderate it. It is installed on the school’s (or teacher’s) servers, so they ultimately have control over all aspects. Social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace are much larger and beyond the control of a school district. Facebook has more users than most countries have people. The school or teacher has to teach the students about what is and is not appropriate online. There is the risk that a student may find something inappropriate. In fact, someone probably will over the course of a year, but that is not a great concern if the students are equipped with how to handle those situations.

Danger – There have been cases of young people meeting someone online and then meeting them in person only to be hurt, kidnapped, etc…, it is a real danger. It can be minimized by teaching students how to interact with others online and teaching them about safety. When students are properly informed, social networks in school are, in my opinion, much less dangerous than having a student walk to the bus stop alone in the dark. http://jasontbedell.com/the-case-for-social-networking-in-schools.

                                The Children Internet Protection Act (a federal law) http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cipa.html has caused many school districts protected under this law to be very cautious about how they expose their schools and students to the internet. They are responsible for creating policies that encourage internet safety, making sure that students’ access are appropriate and suitable for the teaching / learning environment.

How does my school district/school handle internet access?

My school district is very serious when it comes on to the use of the internet in schools. They do have a well-equipped technology plan that caters for administrators, teachers, and students. The plan is strictly designed for the safety of the students and educators. The school district has also invested in a social network accessible to all students and teachers called Gaggle. This is one way teachers communicate effectively with students such as informing them about missing assignments. If a student missed school they will also receive a notification of the lessons taught and the work that they need to have completed when they return.

 Like Jenny and Sarah, educators and students do not have access to You Tube and some social network sites, such as Facebook and My Space. Recently since the beginning of this school year they have blocked websites that are mostly used for shopping purposes, such as EBay. The technology facilitator in my school conducted a workshop outlining the safety policies that the school must follow, and how important it is to monitor the use of the internet in our classrooms and the computer labs used by the students.

My concerns away from school/ Should I also monitor students’ access at home?

“Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty.” I really believe in this saying. I do not think educators should monitor what students do at home. However as an educator, if you see signs that cause you to be concerned about student’s internet access at home, the professional approach is to report it to the administrator or schedule a conference with the parents. It is solely the parent’s responsible on how much internet access the child has.

My Role as a teacher

As I thought about this, I was very intrigued by the article Advocating Differentiated Content Filtering https://blackboard.vcu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_77574_1%26url%3D

The question that really caught my attention was: Does your school district trust you as an educator on the Internet more than they trust kindergarten students? I will continue to monitor my students closely as they use the internet. I will make sure that during computer lab hours, I will engage my students in accessible, appropriate learning websites. All the teachers at my school are responsible for teaching technology to their students; therefore it is my job to ensure that my students are safe while using the internet.

            Conclusion

            I will end with a video presentation that I found on You Tube- Internet Safety by David Henderson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qswceMRKSE .  Let us endeavor to practice internet safety in this WEB 2.0 global connection.