"The Computer Delusion"

I thought that Todd Oppenheimer's article presented a very interesting view on integrating technology into the classroom. Having been written in 1997 I think it represents the fearfulness many had about bringing computers into the classroom. I think about my encounters with computers in the 1990s and what comes to mind is Oregon Trail and the phrase "apple, control, reset." I was pretty young, but I definitely did not know much about computers. There are many valuable skills to be learned from interacting in the classroom in a very traditional way. I believe that students need to learn how to write first through the typical paper and pencil technique, as Oppenheimer reported the executives for Mobil Oil greatly believed in. But as my education progressed I don't see how I could have reached the point I am at now without computers. So much of my learning was centered around writing and research. The projects were lengthy and would have taken twice or often three times as long without access to computer databases and word processing programs. Thinking about high school I can remember late nights on the computer typing essays with many windows of research open all over the screen. I can not imagine having to sit in the library hunting through hoards of irrelevant information just to find a few useful and necessary facts. Computerized research has greatly changed the way high school and college level academics can function. In the days of book-based research 10 or 11 sources would have seemed outrageous, now it is a minimum requirement for most work. My college thesis would have been an impossibly daunting task without the use of my laptop. I feel that the ease in which information can be accessed and translated into projects for school has greatly increased the expectations of the modern student and the amount of information the modern student learns. Without access to online research students would miss out on much of the valuable information put in their projects. When a teacher assigns a 10 page research paper in 2010 it would most likely have translated to a 20 page hand written paper before the use of computers.

I also believe, however, that Oppenheimer was expressing an important and viable fear. It is understandable to be worried about what the effects of computers would be on younger students and their development because there was no way to know what would happen. This fear reminds me of the current fear around cellphone radiation and cancer. People are scared because they do not know what would happen because it was new. Often people are scared of the new, because it pushes them out of their comfort level. But new does not always mean bad. From personal experience I would not have the academic successes I have had without the use of technology in and out of the classroom. I believe that the fear of programs that would undermine a child's development has been overcome because the new educational programs have proved themselves to be great. Oppenheimer spoke for a generation of people faced with something new and unknown. I would be very interested to see how he would feel about the multitude of technology uses being realized in today's classrooms.

"Digital Divide"

I believe that there really is a "digital divide" today. It spans across not only genders and SESs but also generations. The articles, especially the article disussing the gender issues surrounding technology really got me to thinking about my own school. The majority of the staff members in our school are female and do not consider themselves "tech savvy." They can do the basic e-mail, powerpoint, microsoft word, and internet but their knowledge of other educational technologies seems to fall very short. They also seem to be very unwilling to learn about these new technologies. I think this unwillingness comes from a place where women do not feel as comfortable with technology as men because they are not as interested in it. This only does a disservice to the children. Women are often afraid to break through barriers of discomfort and struggle with unknown tasks. I feel its very important for women in education to willingly dive in and explore technology for the benefit of their students.

I also notice in my own work place a digital divide among the generations. Younger staff members are much more willing to integrate new technology into the classroom to better their teaching habits, while older staff members feel they "don't get" technology and stick by a mindset claiming "you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

I feel that a solution to these types of problems can come from more educational technology trainings in schools. If teachers know what technology is available to them and how to best use these technologies they will become better teachers. Technology can be very dauting, but if school administrations work to help increase comfort levels with technology teachers will feel more comfortable using the tools available and the students will flourish.

Non-Linear Powerpoint

I really enjoyed non-linear powerpoint! As soon as we discussed its uses I began to look back at lessons I had taught throughout the year and ways to improve them. For my non-linear powerpoint example I took a health lesson and game that I had put together using index cards this year and turned it into an interactive, fun teaching tool. I think that it is a great way to interact with students because they are being presented with informating, choosing and answer and being provided immediate feeback on their response. It also provides a more forviging arena for making mistakes. In a non-linear powerpoint the students are not writing down their answer for someone else to check over, they are self-checking and making their own corrections without having to commit to one choice permanantly. Its a much more forgiving and fun tool than traditional classroom techniques.

Class Reflections

I have learned SO much from this class. I used GoogleDocs the first day when I sent pictures to one of my friends after class. I didn't consider myself very tech-savy but I guess the class I took in college really preped me to understand a lot of what's been going on in this class. I'm enjoying all the new programs and concepts I've learned. Its really great. I'm really excited about all the new things I've learned and am anxious to bring them into my classroom. I have first and second graders but I'm itching to work with them on Inspiration concept maps, photostory, digital photography...its really great! I find a lot of the programs that we've been learning are easy to use. But I definitely understood everyone's frustration with Photoshop...I've felt their pain. I really like the way this class is structure to "discover" our own ways of doing things. I'm a very hands on learner who thrives on trial by error, and this definitely works for me. Having to sit as a group and go step by step on programs can be really tedious, so I'm very happy that we are exploring new things on our own!I also found the copyright segment on the class very informative. I evaluate the way I use materials much differently now that I ever did before. I was really interested to see how the law has been able to keep up with the technology...something that is very different!

Inspiration Concept Map

It took me a long time to get "Inspired" to make this concept map. It was a daunting task, but I turned out loving it. I was really afraid of it. I began making a rough draft on paper of what I wanted my concept map to look like. In reality once I got into the program I didn't bother finishing my hand drawn map because making it in Inspiration was far easier and less time consuming.

I loved the way it turned out, and how it feeds my organizational needs. In a school setting students can use it to help them build their own concept maps. In special education we use mapping of ideas all the time on the whiteboard or large papers. Inspiration is much more interactive and organized than a paper and marker ever could be.

Copyright - have we all been copywrong?

Before reading the article about copyright I had no idea of many of the rules and stipulations, and had never really considered them before. In my mind if I googled it, I could use it. I think that school districts need to do a much better job of educating their staff around copyright issues. Teachers need to know how to teach their students where to find good information and how to access that information appropriately. The implication of this is more training and more consultation with experts. Copyright laws and training would be a great teacher professional development day topic. When teachers are taught how to appropriately find and use information it will be much easier to pass these practices on to their students.

In the digital age, teachers need to be more aware of the information their students use and where it was taken from. Teachers should require not only a bibliography of information used but a list of pictures and other digital media. I feel that teachers now need to be more discerning with what they allow students to use in their classroom and set stricter guidelines around the way in which presentations are done.

Inquiry-based learning

After reading the website on inquiry-based learning, I feel that I have experienced it in my own life and that I do try and bring it to the classroom in the subjects I teach.

Having done my undergraduate studies in English at a liberal arts college, I feel like my English literature often used inquiry-based thinking to guide our classroom discussions. One professor in particular would often read us a passage of literature, ask us what we thought and sit there until someone was brave enough to answer the question. I was often that someone brave enough. My college fostered an environment where any answer could be right, if you could adequately prove your point, but even if you weren't right, they were happy you were thinking about it. They were not afraid to sit in silence. I feel that this means of discussion is important because the students learn more about what they notice, and what they find interesting about a body of literature, rather than spending the class breaking down the technicalities of the work.

With my own students, though they may be in first and second grade, I like to bring this type of approach to my lessons. I always encourage questions and do my research to find the answers. During my lessons I like to sit with them at their desks or at a table and have a discussion about the topic rather than teach them facts. I feel the education process is better when it teaches the basics, then works on the difficult questions, rather than merely instructs with no room for inquiry. Letting the kids really wrap their brain around the subject matter gets them interested and excited.

Inspiration - from ideas to programs

Inspiration is a great program that I hope to be able to take advantage of in my own classroom. I love the concept of taking words and placing them in picture format. Often with special education students they have trouble visualizing interrelations of ideas. In my classroom I find myself drawing concept maps, Venn diagrams, pictures, charts, etc many times each day. Inspiration would be a great tool to integrate into our reading program to help with visualization of concepts. The reading program used in our class often has students create charts and map of ideas around topics of stories. They make concept maps of ideas and characteristics of characters in stories, vacations, settings, etc. Including Inspiration as a part of this program would be very beneficial. The teacher can make a sample map for the students and begin a map for the classroom. Then students can work on the map, taking turns editing and adding ideas until completed. This idea integreates Inspiration technology and better team work into the classroom.

Copyright and Educators

Copyright can have many implications on teachers. Working in a classroom I quickly assume that I can pull things I find online and use them as long as I cite my sources. In studying copyright I have learned that it is NOT that simple. There is much research and time spent in making sure that fair use is practiced and fair for all - educators and producers alike. Educators should be aware of the copyright laws and make sure that their students are practicing fair use in their multimedia presentations. This can be tedious, but worthwhile. As a future educator before asking children to search the internet and create multimedia presentations I will conduct a small seminar on copyright law and make sure they have a full and accurate understanding of what they are allowed to use and how they must use it.

Schools should also be more cognizant of informing their teachers about copyright law. It would be a great short seminar to begin the year. If the schools make sure that the teachers understand the laws then they are protecting themselves and their staff.

Teachers need to be aware of what they are allowed to use from the internet and how they are allowed to use it. I feel like awareness of copyright in schools is low among teachers at this point in time. Teachers often don's know what they are allowed to use and how they must use it. Raising awareness among staff in schools will help ensure appropriate use of copyrighted information that benefits the creator, teacher, and students.

Integrating Technology into my classroom

Instead of reviewing a state standard, I decided to reflect upon a few ways in which I can integrate technology into the classroom in which I work. I work with first and second grade special education students in a self contained classroom. We do lots of fun activities with them, yet we do not use the computer and different technologies very often. We have access to NetBooks in school, yet have had trouble thinking of ways to bring them into the classroom.

Today we were working with our students on composing stories about imaginary planets in imaginary galaxies. We had the students first fill out a graphic organizer with information about what they saw, smelled, heard, and felt on the planet. They worked on paper and this would have been a great opportunity to have them work on Inspiration. They could have organized more ideas about the sensory information using Inspiration, which could have helped a few of our students who had difficulties visualizing their maps. Their information would have been much more organized and their writing execution much more precise and accurate then with the forms we created for them.

Digital Image Upload

My family and friends are very important to me! Here are a few pictures of my family, friends, and places I love!
My roommates and friends at the end of our senior year at St. Anselm

My younger brother, Michael, and I in Ogunquit, ME
The sun and sand!

Photoshop Image Distortion Project

I have always been inspired by Audrey Hepburn's grace, elegance, and spirit. Her style was timeless and her personality perfection. For this project I used the lasso tool to scale down the original picture I found. I then copied the image three more times. Each time I edited the image I applied filters and effects. Although the images may be distorted from the original Audrey's originality still shines through!

Follow Up to mp3s and iPods in education

As a future special educator I was worried about the use if ipods and other technologies in my classroom. Working with students with emotional disturbance and technology worries me because of their explosive and often uncontrollable behaviors. I also worried that my students would not be able to find an appropriate use for the technology or even be able to work the technology. I found a video about the use of iPods in special education at a school in St. Louis. I loved the new perspective on the use of the technology in the classroom. It got me to thinking...my second graders come into school each day with Nintendo DS's and PS3s. They were more than comfortable with technology, the trouble with the technology is me! I need to become more comfortable with the idea of my students using these technologies!

mp3s

I like the idea of being able to turn bookd into mp3 format. I think it is a great way for people who are not normally "readers" to acess information. I think it should be used supplementally though. We do live in a technology-based society and with the development of Kindle, Nook, and iPad we are beginning a shift away from actual books. I feel, however, that "real books" do provide an area where a student can actively take notes and give feedback alongside text. The shift to digital books is far easier, but in education I believe this shift should be used as supplement.