Susan_Jones

= ** Technology in Today’s Classroom ** = = = =**__ Introduction __**= = Technology is not just having one computer in your classroom and being able to use the Microsoft programs provided on your desktop. We still rely heavily on these programs such as Word, Power Point, and Excel, but we are using programs such as STI to bring our attendance records, grade book, and planner all at our finger tips that information can be easily shared with our administrators and parents. This eliminates the paper and pencil method and helps teachers to mainstream their work load. = = = = However, it is not just about these tools that make classroom management simpler. The focus is about keeping our students focused in this new digital era that Americans find themselves in. We as a society have moved from that of an industrial age (our grandparents and great-grandparents) to the information (our generation). Pink states that the latest instance of this pattern is today’s transition from the information age to the conceptual age once again fed by affluence (the abundance that characterizes Western life), technological progress (the automation of several kinds of white-collar work), and globalization (certain types of knowledge work moving to Asia). Pink goes on to state that we are know progressing to a society of creators and empathizers, of pattern recognizers and meaning makers. = = = = ** From the Agriculture Age to the Conceptual Age ** = = = = = = = = = = = = Teachers are not only dealing with this new age, but with the learning styles of the students themselves. Woolfolk defines learning styles as the characteristic approaches to learning and studying. She goes on to state that learning preferences is a more accurate label because most of the research describes preferences for particular learning environments-for example, where, when, with whom, or with what you like to study. Do you know what kind of learner you are? Are you a Right brain/Left brain learner? Is your style visual, auditory, or kinesthetic? Teachers have to discover what type of learners they have in their classroom in order to effectively teach their students. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =** Right/Left Brain Chart **= = = = = = Pink states that the Right brain style of thinkers used to be the passenger with Left brain style being the driver. Right brainers are now grabbing the wheel, stepping on the gas, and determine where we’re going and how well get there. Left brainers are still needed and necessary. He says, “It’s a dizzying-but ultimately inspiring-chang = = = = = =** Learning Styles **= = Learning changes throughout time! = = = = = = = = = = **Learning Styles Explained! ** = = **It is how we learn** **…**= = Pink states that, in the Conceptual age, we will need to complement our L-Directed reasoning by mastering six essential R-Directed aptitudes. Together these six high-concept, high-touch senses can help develop the whole new era demands. The six senses are design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning. Let’s take a closer look at new technology that can meet the needs of our future leaders of tomorrow. = = = = The six uses of technology that I have chosen are as follows: = = Digital Storytelling = = Social Networking = = Video Conferencing = = Smart Phones/Handheld Technology = = Virtual Learning = = Learning Games = = All six uses of technologies can be used in K-6 environments to certain extents. = = = = Pink,D. (2006). A whole new mind. New York: Penguin Group. = = Woolfolk,A. (2010). Educational psychology (11th ed.). New York: Pearson Education. = =// Learning styles, culture and Hemispheric dominance. // Retrieved September 17, 2009, from mathpower.com Web site: [] = = = =** Digital Storytelling **= = In today’s classroom which of us does not have digital cameras? As educators, we have access not only to digital cameras but digital video recorders and other equipment needed to create digital stories. These can be accessed through our schools and universities for our use in our classrooms. Most of us have at least one computer or more in our classrooms. This gives us the tools at our fingertips to research, create, and communicate with our students/parents and colleagues. = = = = Daniel Meadows defines digital stories as “short, personal multimedia tales from the heart.” The beauty of this form of digital expression, he maintains is that these stories can be created by people everywhere, on any subject, and shared electronically all over the world. Meadows goes on to describe digital stories as //"multimedia sonnets from the people" in which "photographs discover the talkies, and the stories told assemble in the ether as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, a gaggle of invisible histories which, when viewed together, tell the bigger story of our time, the story that defines who we are."// = = = = Daniel Pink states that story is an ancient art-but like all art, it can be enhanced with modern tools. Digital cameras, inexpensive audio and video editing programs, Photoshop, and CD burners are allowing anyone with a story in their hearts to tell it with pictures and sound. = = = = Digital Storytelling is a prime example of using Bloom’s Taxonomy. According to Edtech, Bloom’s taxonomy follows the thinking process. You can not understand a concept if you do not f irst remember it, similarly you can not apply knowledge and concepts if you do not understand them. It is a continuum from Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) to Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). = = = = = = = = How might we use and incorporate this software you might ask? I started by downloading my digital pictures to my computers picture software. I use either Microsoft or Hewlett Packard’s photo software. I then drag and click the pictures to Microsoft Photo Story and then I add music or sound to my story. This is a great project to put on your teacher website to share field trips and special events with students and parents. I can not take credit for this next idea. Another way to use Photo Story is to scan student’s work into the computer and have the student narrate the story through the use of digital recording software found on most computers. The lesson would start by me reading the story to //Mrs. Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip;// this can lead to great class participation. An extension activity would be to have the students draw and label the different parts of the story. Then scan the best drawings that follow the story arc to //Mrs. Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip// and scan them into Photo Story. I would have the students narrate the story for the sound clip. This can then be used to enhance further learning and to share with parents. I have even seen teachers use digital recording technology to have students record Fry’s high frequency words to use on her website and for use as a learning center. = = = = = = Pink,D. (2006). A whole new mind. New York: Penguin Group. = = Cassinelli, C. (2008). //Updated bloom’s Taxonomy.// Retrived September 21, 2009, from edtech Vision Web site: [] = = The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling, University of Houston. //Digital Storytelling.// Retrived September 21, 2009, from University of Houston, College of Education Web site: [|http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu] = = = = = =** Social Networking Sites **= = Social networking is defined as software that allows people to come together around an idea or topic of interest. You can not turn on the computer without using some form of social networking. Who can not say they are not thrilled to open their inbox and hear the three most powerful words, “you’ve got mail.” We are a social people that have the need to reach out and communicate with our fellow friends. Not only do access our email but talk to our friend through instant messaging and texting. We also have the world at our finger tips through powerful search engines such as Google. It has been said that Google is to internet searches what social networking is to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. = = = = For most educators social networking is still outside our comfort zone. Most of us feel that social networking is a new and scary frontier. Our students have found their way onto face book, twitter and you tube. By becoming familiar with these sites we then are taking an active role in finding out what our students are doing both in and out of the classroom. = = = = According to Woolfolk, when planning computer activities they should be open ended and encourage discovery, exploration, problem-solving, and understanding of cause and effect. Children should be able to remain in control of the activities through a variety of responses. Finally, content should be appropriate for and respectful of diverse cultures, ages, and abilities. I want to address two ideas for using social networks in your classrooms. One is creating a class blog or tweet. This is very much like our teacher web pages. Blogs and tweets should not be used to replace your teacher web page but used as an extension. Only with twitter you can actively and instantly communicate with your students and parents. Think of it this way; you assign math homework after introducing a new concept. The student gets home and is having trouble. They can then send you a tweet that you can respond to and help that troubled student. For the young learner it might be that the parent needs more understanding about that new math concept. As a teacher you can use twitter or a blog to create a response journal. Talk about ways to save money on paper and copies! = = = = Another great social networking site is one that I did not know about until last spring, Delicious. Delicious is a social bookmarking site. We all know what is going when allowing our students get on the internet to look up research information //on Pearl Harbor. Eventually your student will find a site that she/he does not need to see. Delicious allows you to create a folders with multiple bookmarks included within that folder. So imagine that student accessing your bookmarks for that particular folder with approved links to Pearl Harbor information. The nice thing about Delicious is that you can share your bookmarks and get your bookmarks from any computer.// = = = = = = Through using twitter and delicious appropriately you can better manage your classroom. You are also creating a social classroom that can learn to communicate with others. Social networking is a delicate balancing act that must be learned by educators to better inform our students the dangers that can come with social networking. Who knows, your third grader just might teach you something. = = = = Woolfolk,A. (2010). Educational psychology (11th ed.). New York: Pearson Education. = = The Mill. (2009). //Social networks for everyone. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from The Mill: Technology in Eduacation Web site: []// = = = = = = Sotir, J. (2009). //The new social networking frontier.// Retrived September 30, 2009 from Web Site: [] = = = =** Videoconferencing **= = According to Thomas Friedman, collaborating with all this digitized data is going to be made even easier and cheaper thanks to another burgeoning steroid-voice over internet protocol service, known as VoIP. Friedman goes on to state; VoIP is going to revolutionize the telecommunication industry. Phone companies charge you or the school for how long you talk and over what distances. This revolution can then in turn lower your monthly phone bill. = = Imagine sitting in your classroom and being able to have a parent/teacher conference over the internet. This software can be used for teachers to easily communicate with other teachers, students with other students, and classrooms with other classrooms. All it takes is a computer, web cam, and VoIP software. VoIP is not a replacement for face to face meetings or for direct hands on learning. = = = = The first thing that comes to mind is students in high school taking classes needed for a degree from another school in the area or country that offers that class. The students are able to interact with the teacher and classroom just as if they were in the same room. But the question remains, how you can use this technology in an elementary classroom. I found a school (Harts Hill Elementary) in New York that was able to provide this technology through a grant to communicate with a school in China. This allowed the students in New York to learn about the Chinese New Year and the Chinese students to learn about American customs. = = = = Let’s say you are planning a unit study on marine life in Prattville. How can you bring this to life for students when the closest ocean is two to three hours from Prattville? Simply through video conferencing you can connect with marine biologist from the Tennessee Aquarium. You could teach the concepts and use the VoIP software for your students to talk, share, and ask questions of an expert marine biologist. Teachers must guide their student’s research about dolphins and then prepare their questions for the experts. Then one day it might be taking a closer look into the specific marine animal that the class is studying. Another idea would be to talk to your congressmen through video conferencing technology to gain a better understanding of a new law that is being passed. What an enhancement to the fourth grade history curriculum on how laws are made and passed. The most important concept to teach before you even begin using this software is some basic guidelines on how to communicate and conduct yourself. = = = = Some of the skills that videoconferencing addresses are as follows: = = = = Friedman, T. (2005). The world is flat: a brief history of the 21st century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. = = = = Jobe, H. (1999). //Desktop video conferencing: novelty of legitimate teaching tool.// Retrived September 30, 2009 from Web Site: [] = = = =** Smart Phones/Handheld Devices **= == = At its conception a handheld device kept up with your calendar and contacts. Now with the iPhone you can keep up with your calendar and contacts but also have instant access to Wi-fi that allows you to send and receive email and surf the net. The iPhone also has a built in ipod that can play your downloaded music. Also, with built in Camera you can take pictures if your digital camera is not readily handy. Smart phones also allow you to take notes during the class lecture eliminating paper. However, handheld devices are more than just the iPhone. They can be handheld readers, GIS, and laptops. = = = = Let’s talk about the GIS since most of the schools in Alabama are now an AMSTI school. This being said, at some point in the science portion, students learn to use a GIS hand held device. Even if teachers did not have a program like AMSTI you could teach your students to learn to use a GIS hand held device and then send them on a scavenger hunt using the device and given coordinates. = = = = There are many skills that smart phones and handheld devices teach. They also cater to this new generation of technology savants. The overall consensus is that students are more engaged and plugged into learning using this type of technology. They are plugging into a technology that most are using at home. The skills that are being taught some of the productivity skills such as time management and note taking skills among others. The main idea to stress to students is when and at what times using these devices is appropriate. During school hours it is not just about socializing but learning. = = = = Hutchins,T. (2009). //Students use pdas, smart phones to learn.// Retrieved September 30, 2009 from Web Site: [] = = Delisio, E. (2009). Education World. //Students map neighborhoods with GIS.// Retrived September 30, 2009 from Web Site: []  = = = = = = = =** Virtual Learning **= = I ask who has the money with today’s economy and school proration to take their sixth graders to Washington D.C. However, with virtual field trips you can take your students to the Nations Capital to see congress and the Smithsonian museums. = = = = The one virtual field trip that stood out in mind as I was researching was the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. I have experienced first hand this museum and its moving tribute to a group of people that were wrongly persecuted. Experiencing this museum through the virtual realm might not be as soul stirring as first hand experience. However, you are instilling a sense of empathy in your students. Ask the question how you would have liked to live as a Jew during this time. = = = = Daniel Pink states that empathy is mighty important. Empathy allows us to see the other side of an argument, comfort someone in distress, and bite our lip instead of muttering something snide. But empathy is not sympathy. = = = = I like the quote from Oprah Winfrey, “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” = = What is Virtual learning you ask? Virtual learning is defined by Webster’s dictionary //as// being on or simulated on a computer (virtual books), occurring or existing primarily online (virtual library), and relating to or existing within a virtual reality (virtual tour). = = I have given example of a virtual trip to the Holocaust Museum. As a teacher you would want to use this at the end of your unit study on the Holocaust. This field trip enriches and brings first hand knowledge of the Holocaust to the students. Before you even log in to your virtual field trip make sure you plan and bookmark the sections that you want you students to experience. This field trip can be taken as a whole group using a computer and visual projector and projection screen. = = = = Another example of virtual learning is that of the virtual library. There are many libraries out there such as the Library of Congress, but why not start with Alabama’s own virtual library ([]). The AVL states that it provides all students, teachers, and citizens of the State of Alabama with online access to essential library and information resources. It is primarily a group of online databases that have magazine, journal, and newspaper articles for research. There is a great section of frequently asked questions and the library can be accessed at home as well as in the classroom. When I googled virtual libraries and there was an endless wealth of libraries out there make sure that you preview some of the sites and give recommendations and guidelines for selecting a library. Virtual libraries are great research tools for teachers and students. = = = = Pink,D. (2006). A whole new mind. New York: Penguin Group. = = = =Schulz, B. (2006). Benefits and drawbacks of virtual learning. Retrived September 30, 2009 from Web Site: [] = = College at Home. //Vitual learning 25: best sims and games for the classroom.// Retrived September 30, 2009 from [] = = = =** Learning Games **= = When I think of learning games some of the first that come to mind are Accelerated Reader and Starfall. However, there is a vast world of both online learning games and learning software out there for our K-6 classrooms. = = = = When my child comes home from school she begs me to get on the computer to play on either the Starfall or Nick Jr. websites. Do I have a problem with this? The answer is no! Both websites boast skills that appeal to both the visual and audio learner. = = Daniel Pink states, that half of all Americans over the age six play computer and video games. In the United States, the video game business is larger than the motion picture industry. On average, Americans devote seventy-five hours a year to playing video games, double the time spent in 1977. Pink goes on to state, that Video games are as woven into this generation’s lives as television was into that of their predecessors. = = = = Computer games are not always associated with their educational value. However, as the World Wide Web increases in popularity we have found that online games are a great way to engage in learning while still allowing students to have fun in their classes. While not every game has value there are many out there that have something of value to teach, guide and grow the interest of kids both inside and outside of school. Daniel Pink states that today a play ethic can strengthen and ennoble the work ethic. Games are teaching a variety of whole-minded lessons to a new generation of workers and have given to an industry that demands several of the key skills of the Conceptual Age. If games can strengthen the work force imagine what it can do for our classrooms. = = = = As a teacher, the computer and computer games can not replace that of direct and explicit instruction. What computer (learning) games can do is enhance that instruction. It exposes students to hearing letter sounds in another visual and audio environment incorporating letters to words and words into sentences. Both learning games need to be used as instructional reinforcement after a concept is introduced. They need to be used in conjunction with the computer center. Allowing students to go to the computer center is a great behavioral motivational tool. While you want all students to have the opportunity to use the computer, if the student is misbehaving, abusing computer privileges, and not completing class work they do not get to play the game. These learning games can be used at home as reinforcement and enrichment. Let’s take a closer look at two learning games, Starfall and BBC Number Time. = = = = Starfall is primarily designed for first grade. It can be used in the pre-K through second grade curriculum. The site boasts four main sections ABC’s, Learn to Read, It’s Fun to Read, I’m Reading. In the section entitled ABC’s the students are exposed to letter sounds, simple words, and simple sentence structure. The Learn to Read section takes a step up from the ABC section and sight (high frequency) words, word structure, and simple repetitive sentence short stories are found. The It’s Fun to Read section introduce students to certain genres such as poetry, music, etc. to continue reading skills. The I’m Reading plays non-fiction, fiction and other stories. The Starfall Store boasts writing journals and books that parallel the site that can be purchased for a low cost. = = = = BBC’s Number Time is math games for preschool to primary grades. Students can play games, print and do math activities using addition, subtraction, matching and counting skills. The teacher and parent section give a description of each section and explains the games. Teacher section also boasts lesson plan ideas. There is also a song and Watch Addem section that is an animated video that enriches the math concepts. Beware the videos are in a British accent that might be fun for students. = = = = = = Pink,D. (2006). A whole new mind. New York: Penguin Group. = = Starr, L. (2003). //Pre-K-2 Students Play and Learn Online. Retrieved September 21, 2009, from Education World Web site: []// = = =
 * =** Left Brain (Analytic) **= || =** Right Brain (Global) **= ||
 * = Verbal = || = Visual = ||
 * = Responds to Word Meaning = || = Responds to tone of voice = ||
 * = Sequential = || = Random = ||
 * = Processes information linearly = || = Processes information in varied order = ||
 * = Responds to logic = || = Responds to emotion = ||
 * = Plans ahead = || = Impulsive = ||
 * = Recalls people’s names = || = Recalls people’s faces = ||
 * = Speaks with few gestures = || = Gestures when speaking = ||
 * = Punctual = || = Less Punctual = ||
 * = Prefers formal study design = || = Prefers sound/music background while studying = ||
 * = Prefers bright lights while studying = || = Prefers frequent mobility while studying = ||
 * = Appeals to students’ different learning styles, such as the visual and auditory learner. =
 * = Allows multiple classrooms at various locations to collaborate while learning about other cultures from primary sources. =
 * = Increases students’ motivation to learn. =
 * = Students improve many skills including communication and research skills. =