EDLD 5362 Week 5 Final Project

http://youtu.be/o5b6Ww1uSbY

EDLD 5362 Week 5 Reading Reflection

This week’s reading on web filtering caught my attention. This is such an important thing.  “A district can take many steps to ensure that its students are protected from harmful, obscene, or otherwise unworthy websites. It can establish guidelines for appropriate Internet usage, create acceptable use policies, or provide training for teachers.” We have all of this in place from the web content filter to the acceptable use policy to the trained teachers. Yet last week we had an issue at one of our elementary campuses.  A student typed in lesbian and the filter let everything through.  The teacher was mortified when she walked past the student’s desk and saw the website the student had up.  She quickly had the student close the screen and she called the technology department and asked them how this could happen.  It did happen and it happened because the district web security product vendor ran an update several weeks earlier and the default had been changed when searching through Google on what to allow through. As soon as the vendor was called they told the district about the update and the district changed the default back to block specific things.  My question was why would a vendor do something like that and not notify its users.  If you can’t trust your web filtering vendor, who can you trust? We have to have web filtering because there’s just too much out on the web. Unfortunately several weeks went by while this filter didn't work and we can only hope that not many students were affected by this and we wouldn't know without doing much research.  We have to be more careful to be checking for things in the future.

Ullman, E. (2009, July 23). Web filtering that works. Tech and Learning. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from: http://www.techlearning.com/article/22092

EDLD 5362 Week 4 Reading Reflection

Wouldn’t it be sweet if we could all have a perfect technology classroom.  From this week’s reading, The Model of a Modern Technology Classroom, “Each year the program would recruit about 10 to 15 teachers, who would receive technology equipment for their classroom plus training on how to use the equipment and, most importantly, how to integrate technology use into the learning process.” The key to this statement is the ‘training’ that the teachers are going to receive.  Not every teacher is as literate in technology as every other teacher, but the training will be helpful.

Each teacher is going to have to embrace it and run with it.  I know in this reading they are talking about the program selecting the teachers and that’s great because the ones who yearn for the technology will stand out, but at some point, all teachers will need to be on this same page in order for them and their students to excel and keep up with other students.

Richard, V. (2007, April 1). The model of a modern technology classroom. Tech and Learning. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7146

EDLD 5362 Week 3 Reading Reflection

This week’s reading makes me think the words, what was and what is. I found this sentence, which is why it started, but no longer the only reason. “Distance education emerged in response to the need of providing access to those who would otherwise not be able to participate in face-to-face courses. It’s not really even called distance education anymore.  Back in the day you had a camera and a classroom and you did video streaming for distance learning.  Today this is more of a staple and it’s called collaboration.  Most of the video streaming isn’t done anymore and you have online collaboration for learning like the blackboard system.  

Blackboard certainly isn’t the only vendor offering this service, but is one of the largest. Students from all over the world are taking classes nowhere near where they live.  This is something else that has spread like wild fire and the days of everyone meeting in the classroom is nearly archaic. I am excited to see what it’s going to be like in another 20 years.  Will kids even meet in the classroom.

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27.2, 139-153.

EDLD 5362 Week 2 Reading Reflection

Data warehousing is a pet peave of mine.  It seems like we never have the data we want or need when we want or need it.  In this week’s reading a quote popped out at me, “But we were never quite sure we were collecting the necessary data, had no appropriate storage system to house the vast amount of information and had no acceptable way to connect our data sets to determine relationships and trends. Further, data were not easily readable and usable by staff, parents and students. Without a functional data system, we were unable to use our data to make the instructional and program decisions necessary to raise student achievement.” This is very true and not only do we need the information to keep our children safe, but we also need the information to make sure our students are getting the instructional programs based on their needs. 

We need all three tiers of data the state is asking us to collect and we need to make sure it’s warehoused in a system where all district officials needing access to the data can find the information they need in a timely manner.  This is not always the case and school districts need to get better about it. The data can be secure and given out to those with proper credentials and this is still important to remain in effect, but we’ve got to get the information to those that need it in a more timely manner.

Thompson, T., & Gould, K. (2005, April). A homegrown design for data warehousing. School Administrator, 62.4.

EDLD 5362 Week 1 Reading Reflection

This is something that I think is really important for us to learn from.  From our reading this week, I found this quote: “The single greatest barrier to Internet use at school is the quality of access to the Internet. Many schools confine Internet use to certain times of the day or certain places in the building (especially computer labs). It is also common, these students say, for schools to place further social and technological restrictions on their use of the Internet by, for instance, employing surveillance systems or requiring special teacher or administrator approvals.” We have to stop this and start making the internet and technology a staple product in our students hands.  I believe we are currently getting them access to the internet, but we are not getting all the current technology in their hands.  Once we start doing that, we are going to be flying high because it’s going to catch like wild fire.

The younger generation thrives on learning and technology and the teachers are really going to have to go outside the box in their learning style to keep up with the kids.  The kids are already teaching us so many new things.  Even technology savvy adults are learning from the younger generation.  It fuels them and there’s a need to learn and grow.

Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The internet and education: Findings of the pew internet and American life project. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf

EDLD 5362 Week 1 Teacher Interview

The “Then and Now” of Teaching English

Teaching English can be a challenge no matter what you do or how you do it. When I asked Mrs. Sherri Bell what she thought about teaching English then and now after the internet came in play, her reaction was “Wow! Do I have a lot to say about that.” What it used to be and what it is now, is completely different and the students are grasping this at a pretty rapid pace. When listening to Mrs. Bell talk about what she used to do and what she does now it’s apparent the internet in schools along with additional technology features has vastly improved the learning curve of today’s students.

She said when she first started teaching 40 years ago, they had typewriters and mimeograph machines. Any error meant careful scraping and praying that it printed. She is still nostalgic about that aroma. Then when the overhead projector happened, she said they all thought they were in heaven. What an improvement over the opaque projector. Of course, visuals in the classroom were still posters, filmstrips, and 16 millimeter film reels. Although we finally had our first computer in the English dept. in the late 80s, it had small capacity but made typing without errors a dream. Having a copy machine was divine.

To help her with the internet and technology today her room is equipped with an iPad cart containing 30 iPads and a Mac book. She also has available student response systems (no longer needed due to Insight 360) a document camera, a laptop, projector, and Apple TV. Two of the teachers in her department have the iPads and the department has a computer lab. She relates it to being in technology heaven and hell. When I asked why she thought that, her response was when it works, it is beyond wonderful but when it is glitchy, it is a nightmare. She said classroom time is so constrained that when things don't work the way planned, a teacher could lose an entire class period. She has a  rule of thumb and that is 10 minutes max. There is almost always a way to attack the assignment whether it is plan A, B, or C. Pen and paper still work, but it is much easier to read typed. One real drawback is cheating. Kids don't see much of an issue going to the internet to find information on a novel during a test. Their cell phones must be put on the desk face down during testing to try and prevent this. Many of her students turn in their work by sending it electronically and sometimes they have transmission issues. It is a modernized version of the dog ate my homework.  From the Pew Internet and Life Project, one of the things they covered was instant messaging as a homework helper. They said “For instantaneous help with vexing homework, online teens at times turn to friends, classmates, and teachers via instant messages or email. Forty-one percent of online teens say they use those communication tools to contact teachers or classmates about schoolwork. If we need help on homework, it’s great because you can get 3 or 4 people working on a really tough problem together.” Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1).

She loves having film clips, virtual field trips, and music at her fingertips. These kids have grown up with technology and far more advanced than she is. Sometimes she is the student, and they are the teacher and that suits her just fine. She said if she could have a wish, it would be to have  permanent IT help on-campus. She said without it, it teaches her something about patience. “According to the Pew and Internet, the most recent Pew Internet Project survey finds that 87% of all youth between the ages of 12 and 17 use the internet. That translates into about 21 million people.” Hitlin, P., & Rainie, L. (2005).

When asked if she had to go back, could she do it and she said, “Yes, but not willingly”. Technology allows students to create technologically developed masterpieces. It allows for collaboration among students, as well as students and teachers----especially during research. Technology enhances communication and creativity. 

            She said of all the education courses that she took in the early seventies, everything--and she did  mean everything--came back to Piaget and the stages of intellectual growth. Bruner (discovery learning), brain theory, Vygotsky and zone of proximal development, Gardner's intelligences, and even a newer appreciation for Dewey happened later. There are obviously more, but she’s sure she hit the ones later that best fit her philosophy and style. As far as she was concerned Lev Vygotsky is an educational God. He understood that you have to know where kids are starting (zone of proximal development), build on that capacity, and stretch them to higher levels of success. The gradual release model that is so popular now is just a repackaged version of his research. What students can do with teacher guidance and small group effort can eventually be done independently. It is all about building capacity. Since the Internet has everything on the planet--good, bad, and untrue, students are not terribly discriminating. They also see no issue with lifting information and claiming it as their own. With that said, I do not think the Internet is all bad. Students have the opportunity to research anything that would like to know more about in a way that is far easier and more enjoyable than searching through the rows of books in a library. When my students research, we often find many of our sources on the Internet. However, students have to be taught how to discern quality from trash sources. That is paramount for their success now and in the future. 

One of the greatest things she said was, “kids are so plugged into technology that, for some, it is like drug withdrawal when they can't use it. One day before I retire, I expect a student to break out in a cold sweat, have the shakes, and scream "I HAVE to have my fix!" (of technology). They never go anywhere without their phones. It is almost like a pacifier for them. Weird! I like my cell phone, but I don't want to be chained to it.” According to a quote in our reading that stated, “Change may not be easy, but it is necessary, inevitable and often beneficial. Whether your students succeed or fail depends in part upon how well you leverage your full intellectual capital.” Arsham, H. (2002, March).

Mrs. Bell has had discussions about social network sites and what they post. She reminds them that some universities make a practice of viewing those. If they are being pictured in any situation that would be inappropriate, that university is going to think long and hard about offering admission, much less a scholarship. 

In conclusion, the days of paper, pens, filmstrip, typewriters and good ole research out of books is pretty much gone. Research is on the internet whether it be good, bad or indifferent. Student’s desire to be on the internet and in every aspect of social media. They love it, they embrace it.  Teachers who are proactive with their learning will be the teachers that survive this round of technology and their students will be the advanced learners of this society.

Arsham, H. (2002, March). Impact of the internet on learning and teaching. USDLA Journal, 16.3. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAR02_Issue/article01.html

Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The internet and education: Findings of the pew internet and American life project. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf

Hitlin, P., & Rainie, L. (2005). The internet at school. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2005/PIP_Internet_and_schools_05.pdf.pdf