Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Conclusion
Overall, I learned a great deal from these discussions. I feel the discussions were done well, and I can't think of anything that I would do to improve them. I really enjoyed reading other people's posts and reading about their experiences with technology in schools.
EDUCATION AND CELL PHONES
Overall, the majority said they feel cell phones shouldn’t be used in schools and I agree. Sure, cell phones have features that allow them to be used for educational purposes, but there are plenty of other technologies that can do the same things. I liked some of the ideas people shared of how cell phones could be used in school, but I don’t think it will work until students learn not to misuse the phones during school hours.
PROS AND CONS OF PRESENTATION SOFTWARE
PowerPoint can effectively enhance your presentations if you do it the right way. Don’t have so many words on the slides, and don’t just read your slides (the audience can do this themselves). Try to use more images because these will stick in people’s minds more than a bunch of words. People on average are more visual learners too, which is another reason to use images. Use real images instead of clip art. The PowerPoint shouldn’t be the lesson. PowerPoint presentations shouldn’t last more than 20 minutes (or if you’re using the PowerPoint for the whole lecture, break it up and do other things during the lesson so that students aren’t just sitting there staring at slides the whole time).
When students are creating presentations, make sure they know the basics of using technology so that they can complete the assignment effectively/correctly. From here students can use their own creativity to come up with ideas on doing the assignment.
PowerPoint doesn’t just have to be for lessons. For example, it can be used to create quizzes, allowing all the students to get involved.
One problem with this discussion is it seemed like everyone was saying the same thing about PowerPoint (what to do and what not to do). I’m glad however that some people tried to make their posts a little more original by sharing experiences of what they’ve done when using PowerPoint. I also liked how they shared presentations they’ve witnessed that were good or bad and why.
When students are creating presentations, make sure they know the basics of using technology so that they can complete the assignment effectively/correctly. From here students can use their own creativity to come up with ideas on doing the assignment.
PowerPoint doesn’t just have to be for lessons. For example, it can be used to create quizzes, allowing all the students to get involved.
One problem with this discussion is it seemed like everyone was saying the same thing about PowerPoint (what to do and what not to do). I’m glad however that some people tried to make their posts a little more original by sharing experiences of what they’ve done when using PowerPoint. I also liked how they shared presentations they’ve witnessed that were good or bad and why.
ONLINE RESOURCES
This discussion was very different from the other ones, but it was definitely worth it. Everyone shared so many online resources such as websites, lesson plans, teacher resources, homework helper, etc. I’m glad to have knowledge of these resources. Many of them I’ve never even heard of! These will be useful for me as a library media specialist when I collaborate with teachers (I can share these resources with them).
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING
What Did Technology Add?
I agree with what the majority of people said about technology in the classroom. Whether we like it or not, technology is here and is being used in just about everything. As educators we have to incorporate technology into our curriculums to better educate students. If we don’t, we’ll be hurting our students because they won’t have the necessary skills they’ll need for their careers.
How Does Student Interest and Motivation Change?
Overall, students are more interested and motivated when technology is present.
How Do Classroom Dynamics Change?
As wonderful as technology might be, it’s not perfect so we need to be prepared for technology errors (have backup plans). Etiquette will also be a problem. We need to find ways to help keep students involved to reduce the temptation to surf the web during lectures, whether it’s asking questions or changing the layout of the computers in the room.
Overall, this seemed to be a lively discussion. Everyone thoroughly shared their thoughts and experiences, and I liked how people shared their own strategies with each other for combating bad computer behavior among students (and adult students).
I agree with what the majority of people said about technology in the classroom. Whether we like it or not, technology is here and is being used in just about everything. As educators we have to incorporate technology into our curriculums to better educate students. If we don’t, we’ll be hurting our students because they won’t have the necessary skills they’ll need for their careers.
How Does Student Interest and Motivation Change?
Overall, students are more interested and motivated when technology is present.
How Do Classroom Dynamics Change?
As wonderful as technology might be, it’s not perfect so we need to be prepared for technology errors (have backup plans). Etiquette will also be a problem. We need to find ways to help keep students involved to reduce the temptation to surf the web during lectures, whether it’s asking questions or changing the layout of the computers in the room.
Overall, this seemed to be a lively discussion. Everyone thoroughly shared their thoughts and experiences, and I liked how people shared their own strategies with each other for combating bad computer behavior among students (and adult students).
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Technology and Education Critique
Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants
I don’t feel like I’ve learned much from this subject. In the discussions, it seemed like everyone was saying whether or not they were a native or immigrant. They were just reciting thoughts that have been said before (who the natives are and who the immigrants are).
The video game discussions were interesting, and there seemed to be good arguments for both sides (if video games are educational or not). My view on video games has been slightly influenced by this discussion. I used to think educational video games were a good thing, but now I’m wondering if students really do learn anything from them or not. If students are playing educational video games, are they missing out on other important learning opportunities? They play enough video games on their own; so maybe games in the classroom isn’t necessary. Students should be focusing on other learning skills in school.
Education Evolving---Tech Savvy Students
I liked the responses in this subject. Everyone was sharing his or her thoughts and experiences with technology. I liked how a lot of people were reflecting on their own habits when using technology. :)
It appears that overall we feel multitasking can be a good idea at times, but not when it comes to doing schoolwork. Students today might be more tech savvy, but it’s not always in the best ways. They might be reluctant to ask for help and will try to figure out how to do something on their own (which doesn’t always have good results). As a future educator, I’ll have to do my best to keep up with the new technology that develops. I think students will probably always be a step ahead of educators just because they have a lot more free time than adults to play around with technology.
Learning with Laptops
I’ve never seen laptops used in schools, so I was interested to see what people had to say from their experiences. It sounds like students do gain skills from using the laptops (not just computer skills but social skills too). But as others mentioned there are negatives too. For example, laptops have shorter life spans and are more prone to breaking. Wouldn’t it just be easier if we stuck to computer labs?
Teacher Views on Technology Integration
This subject was kind of hard for me to follow. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not a teacher (or have experience yet working in a school), but I had trouble following/understanding everyone’s input in the discussion. Maybe this will make more sense to me later on. (For example, someone mentioned the constructivist teaching method, and I’ve heard of the constructivist method but I don’t remember what it is).
Two Perspectives of Technology Integration
What I’m getting from people’s reactions is technology is only effective if it’s used correctly in education. We also shouldn’t use every technology that gets created. For example, someone pointed out laser discs. This technology never became popular. So educators need to figure out which technology will enhance learning. If the technology is never going to be used then it’s just a waste of money, time and space.
Overall, I learned a few things in this Technology and Education topic. I can’t really pinpoint what I learned, but many of the comments have given me some things to think about that I’ve never really thought about before. I’m assuming most of the people here are educators, and it’s interesting to hear about their experiences. I can’t think of anything that I would change to improve this discussion.
I don’t feel like I’ve learned much from this subject. In the discussions, it seemed like everyone was saying whether or not they were a native or immigrant. They were just reciting thoughts that have been said before (who the natives are and who the immigrants are).
The video game discussions were interesting, and there seemed to be good arguments for both sides (if video games are educational or not). My view on video games has been slightly influenced by this discussion. I used to think educational video games were a good thing, but now I’m wondering if students really do learn anything from them or not. If students are playing educational video games, are they missing out on other important learning opportunities? They play enough video games on their own; so maybe games in the classroom isn’t necessary. Students should be focusing on other learning skills in school.
Education Evolving---Tech Savvy Students
I liked the responses in this subject. Everyone was sharing his or her thoughts and experiences with technology. I liked how a lot of people were reflecting on their own habits when using technology. :)
It appears that overall we feel multitasking can be a good idea at times, but not when it comes to doing schoolwork. Students today might be more tech savvy, but it’s not always in the best ways. They might be reluctant to ask for help and will try to figure out how to do something on their own (which doesn’t always have good results). As a future educator, I’ll have to do my best to keep up with the new technology that develops. I think students will probably always be a step ahead of educators just because they have a lot more free time than adults to play around with technology.
Learning with Laptops
I’ve never seen laptops used in schools, so I was interested to see what people had to say from their experiences. It sounds like students do gain skills from using the laptops (not just computer skills but social skills too). But as others mentioned there are negatives too. For example, laptops have shorter life spans and are more prone to breaking. Wouldn’t it just be easier if we stuck to computer labs?
Teacher Views on Technology Integration
This subject was kind of hard for me to follow. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not a teacher (or have experience yet working in a school), but I had trouble following/understanding everyone’s input in the discussion. Maybe this will make more sense to me later on. (For example, someone mentioned the constructivist teaching method, and I’ve heard of the constructivist method but I don’t remember what it is).
Two Perspectives of Technology Integration
What I’m getting from people’s reactions is technology is only effective if it’s used correctly in education. We also shouldn’t use every technology that gets created. For example, someone pointed out laser discs. This technology never became popular. So educators need to figure out which technology will enhance learning. If the technology is never going to be used then it’s just a waste of money, time and space.
Overall, I learned a few things in this Technology and Education topic. I can’t really pinpoint what I learned, but many of the comments have given me some things to think about that I’ve never really thought about before. I’m assuming most of the people here are educators, and it’s interesting to hear about their experiences. I can’t think of anything that I would change to improve this discussion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)