The Benefits of Technology In The Classroom

The Benefits of Technology In The Classroom

            I believe that in today’s day and age the use of technology in the classroom is very important.  We are living in a world where technology surrounds just about everything we do during the course of a day.  This being the case our children are being exposed to technology at much earlier ages than that of the previous generations.  Our children are growing up watching television, playing on the computer, or playing with a handheld gaming device while traveling.  I think it may be a bit naïve to think that this technology should be shut off when students are in the classroom.   Students should be able to use all of the tools available to them, including technology, during the course of their school career.  To expect that students will be engaged in and stay focused during the course of a traditional “sit and get” type lesson is a bit off target.  Because students are growing up being surrounded by technology I believe it is not only important but also necessary that technology be incorporated into the classroom.  The addition of Smart Boards in the classroom is a major break through.  Using technology such as a Smart Board can in fact help students stay engaged in a lesson. 

            Although I believe the use of technology in the classroom and in particular the Smart Board is a great addition to the classroom, I do not believe it is necessary for good teaching.  After reading multiple articles on the subject I do believe that there is absolutely no substitute for great teaching.  However, the use of technology can surely aid great teaching.  I believe the one of the biggest benefits to the students is that using technology is something that is very familiar to them, at least to most, so they are able to stay focused on the lesson.  The biggest benefit to the teacher is that once the teacher becomes familiar with the technology it is a smooth and easy way to deliver a great, multi-media driven, lesson for the students.

            Although technology is great and should be used, at least in some capacity, in the classroom it is not without its drawbacks.  One of the biggest, and most frustrating, is when the technology fails to work properly.  It would be a very bad day at the office if everything you planned on doing that day was using technology, like a Smart Board, and for whatever reason it is not working.  That is why technology is not a substitute for great teaching but a tool to be used for great teaching to take place.

            The one thing that I am going to take with me from this class is that the use of technology can be fun and make life easy once you get over the anxiety of actually using it.  I challenged myself during the course of this class to try new things using technology and found that it is not as hard to use as it may appear on the surface.  In addition it can actually make things quit fun.  I hope that I will continue to have this enthusiasm about technology for years to come as I can see now how the use of technology can make life fun and easy for students and teachers.

Electronic Portfolio

I want to start out by saying nice job to everyone on the article projects.  Though we were to only choose three to blog about I ended up checking all of them out to see what everyone had to say.  The first article project I chose to take a look at is the project on video games and learning.  I did not find it surprising that video games can have a great affect on improving hind-eye coordination.  What I did find surprising, at least somewhat, is that playing video games can improve performance in science, math, and literacy.  The second project I took a look at was the project on Bugscope.  This was really interesting to me.  I had no idea that something like the Bugscope was available.  Being able to have students get so in depth into a project like this and have support available to the teacher and students, in my opinion, a very worthwhile project to do with students in the classroom.  The final project I took a look at was the video on ESL and Technology.  I was shocked to learn that there are more than 400 spoken languages in the United States public schools.  This seems to be a huge number.  Using technology to help ESL students learn seems like something we should definitely be doing.  We need to help ESL students get the same out of their school day as their English language natives.

http://durak.org/kathy/portfolio/index.html

            Above is the link to what I believe is a not so good digital portfolio.  The components seem to be there but I still feel as though it is lacking.  I think it is lacking artifacts that show how the teacher has grown professionally.  I think it is important to include artifacts showing how the teaching professional has grown along with his students.  If those types of artifacts were to be included in this portfolio then it would bring it up to par and make it a meaningful professional portfolio.

http://depts.washington.edu/tepacct/tucker/indexl.htm

            The above link is to a digital portfolio that I believe is a great example of what a digital portfolio should be.  It includes all that proper artifacts and entries and is very well structured and organized.  I will try to use this as a template for putting together my own portfolio.

Interactive Whiteboards

I like interactive whiteboards in the classroom.  However, I do not think they are a necessity for good teaching.  As part of my technology article notebook I actually took a look at an article about interactive whiteboards and it’s effectiveness in the classroom.  The essence of the article is that while interactive whiteboards are great tools for teaching, they do not replace great teaching.  I agree 100% with the article.  Interactive whiteboards can be a great tool to have in the classroom.  When used in conjunction with great teaching they can help get students involved in the lesson and perhaps help keep them engaged in the lesson.  However, the whiteboards cannot replace good teaching.  One study showed that teachers who were most effective using the whiteboards displayed the hallmarks of good teaching with or without the whiteboard.  They were able to pace the lesson accordingly and build on the lesson based on what students already know.  For this reason I believe whiteboards can be a great supplement for the classroom but cannot replace good teaching.

            Given the opportunity I would like to have an Interactive Whiteboard in my classroom.  I do believe that they can be a great tool and allow students to be engaged in the classroom in ways that they may not be able to be without it.  The whiteboard allows easier access to the internet and other media outlets in the classroom.  Having the opportunity to pull up a website or watch an internet based movie that can supplement a lesson is a great opportunity to have available. That is not to say that you must use the whiteboard for everything you do in the classroom.  You can use the whiteboard to supplement the classroom environment and hopefully keep students engaged in meaningful learning.  In some scenarios I believe that whiteboards can help to keep some students engaged in the lesson.  However, as illustrated in the article referenced above the whiteboard is not a substitute for a good teacher.  I believe if teachers are practicing all the methods of good teaching then they are able to keep students engaged with, or without, an interactive whiteboard in the classroom.  The whiteboard can help bring variety to the classroom but it is not a necessity.  The whiteboard can be a good tool and given the opportunity I would like to have one available in my classroom.

Video

Group Video Project

            Now that our group video project is finished and I am able to reflect on the process it is safe to say that I had great time learning about video and completing the project.  However, I must admit that at the start of the project I was somewhat guarded wary of how the process might play out.  Going into this project I had very limited experience with making videos and almost no experience with the video editing process.  I was not afraid of the project, because I am always open to trying new things, but I was a little bit anxious of how it might play out and come together.  I think the thing that helped the most during this process was laying down a clear vision and plan of what we wanted our video to consist of and accomplish before we started the filming process.  As the old saying goes “plan your work, then work your plan” holds very true today.  Once we were able to plan out what we were aiming for in our video the pieces started to fall into place.  This eased my nerves somewhat about the video making process but I was still nervous about the filming and editing portion of the process. 

            Once we had our plan of what we wanted to shoot for our video the next step was to actually go out and record our scenes.  For this step I think we went a little over board as a group.  We had a clear plan of what we wanted to accomplish, but I think we were trying to do a little too much.  By that I mean that we had a lot of ideas for different scenes and shot a good amount of footage.  This is a good thing in that it gave us plenty of material and footage to pull from for our video.  But it was a bad thing in that in order to fit within the time constraints of our project length we had to cut some footage out.  We probably could have made a 15 minute video with all the ideas we had floating around at the time.  I think this was due to the fact that our group as a whole only had limited filmmaking experience going into this project.  However, I do not see this as a bad thing because in this case we were able to let our creativity out and have plenty of footage to pick and choose from for our final video.

            The final part that I had probably the most concern about was the video editing process.  Going into this project I had little to no editing experience.  However, I always had the desire to try my hand at the editing process if for nothing else just to see what it was like.  This project gave me the perfect reason to test my skills and see what it actually takes to put a short video together.  Being a member of the Net Generation a great way for me to learn, and in fact prefer learning in this fashion for certain things, is to dive right in and do it.  We chose the iMovie program to edit our video.  We chose this for a variety of reasons but the biggest factor was that I, as well as others in my group, are making the transition to Mac in our personal lives and this enabled us to put our new technology to the test.  I was shocked when we started the editing process using iMovie at how easy it was to pick up and start doing.  This was the part of the project I had the most reservations about going in and it turned out that once we started doing it I realized it actually wasn’t that bad.  I started to enjoy the editing process.  It was fun to start moving things around, adding transitions and sounds effects, and seeing how the final project would turn out.  I don’t think that we are experts in the world of film editing, but I must say that as a group I believe we did an excellent job completing this film.  It is safe to say that every one of us in the group is extremely happy with the way our movie turned out.  I think we may even being looking for excuses to make videos as a group down the road together.  I can almost see it as turning into a sort of hobby for myself and the other members of my group.

Video in The Classroom

            I believe video can be very valuable in the classroom.  Not only does it support working with others, if it is assigned as a group project, but it also teaches students how to be to the point if they are given a specific length that the movie should be.  This is a lesson we learned while doing our project.  We had to come up with ways to be more to the point to fit within the time constraints.  I believe this is an important lesson that a project like this can teach students.  When the get out into the job market and start their careers most employers will not want to waste time with irrelevant banter.  I believe they are looking for employees that are concise and to the point.  A project such as this video project goes a long way in teaching students this lesson, which will serve them greatly later in life. 

            Some challenges that groups may encounter in this type of project are agreeing on an idea for the video, the content of the video, and how the final project should look.  Although these seem like challenges on the surface, I believe that they are serving a higher purpose.  They are making the groups come together as a team.  This is building strong interpersonal skills and enabling students to get a glimpse of what life might be like when they enter the working world dealing with co-workers.  These are invaluable skills that a project of this type can get through to students even if they do not realize during the course of the project.  If students reflect on a project such as this they will see that they had to come together and work with one another in order to complete the task at hand.  You cannot get that type of lesson or training by simply filling out worksheets.  That is why I believe it is important that students encounter this type of project in the course of their curriculum.  I believe that one area that you could incorporate this type of project in the curriculum is in place of the standard presentation in front of the class.  Instead of having students work in groups and present material to the class they could work in groups to make a video to be shared with the class.  Not only will this allow students to work together on a project and share their knowledge with the rest of the class but it will help to build the interpersonal skills that are so valuable to students after their academic career. 

Copyright

Copyright

            Copyright law seems to be an ever-evolving concept.  With the emergence of new technology, such as Napster, the laws had to change to protect material that was now accessible with only a few clicks of a mouse.  Although there are guidelines for what is “fair use” of material, the law is vague and has a lot of gray area.  There are very few specifics on which teachers, or anyone, can base their decisions concerning fair use.  This is somewhat surprising to me, however, I believe it is a good thing as I will explain later.  The guidelines, in my opinion, seem to favor teachers.  They are more lenient towards teachers using material in an educational setting.  In this case I believe the gray area in copyright law are a very good thing.  This allows educators to use pieces of material in their classroom environment to help students understand concepts and also to make learning come alive for students.  Engaging the students in learning is a necessity so that students will grasp concepts and material in a way that is meaningful for them.  It is not sufficient to have students learn material only for a test, after which they forget most of the material that was covered.  That is why even though there is gray area in the copyright law, I believe it is not only a good thing, but a necessity to help educators make learning come alive for students.

            I can only recall a few instances of copyright law being broken that I am aware of now but was not at the time of the infraction.  I can remember watching movies in school as a reward.  The movies were not shown to one class but all students who were deserving of a reward.  I am now aware that this was in violation of copyright law.  However, I do not believe that the violations were intentional, but rather, they were done out of ignorance of the law.  This does not justify the violation, but it does enable one to understand why the violation may have occurred.  That is why I do think it is our responsibility as educators to teach copyright respect, and law, to students.  Students, nor anyone, should be expected to just know something that they have previously never come across in their studies or in life.  We must share copyright law and respect to students so that they do not violate copyright law out of ignorance.  It may be necessary to take a lesson, or a few, to help students understand what copyright law is and why it is important.  At least if students are informed of copyright law and how it applies in, and out, of the classroom they can make better informed decisions about how to properly use material.

Educause Reading

            Overall, the data in the Educause reading falls in line with what my expectations were about the use of technology by current students and Net Geners.  The study found that the highest use of a computer was in pursuit of academic activities such as writing papers or preparing presentations.  This was followed by the use of the computer for communication.  This is what I was expecting.  All college level coursework is usually required to be typed, not hand written, indicating that students would have to be proficient enough in the use of a computer in order to fulfill this requirement.  It would also suggest that students would have to spend time doing this activity, as it is what is required and expected of them.  Another finding in the study that actually fell in line with what my expectations were going into this reading is that students 1. Tend to overrate their abilities with software and 2. Moving beyond basic functions inside most programs can be problematic for students.  This is what I was expecting because most Net Geners have taught themselves the skills they need with most software as a requirement for their coursework.  In general, they seem to be lacking formal training.  This would suggest that unless students have had to do complex tasks with software they only know the basic functions they need in order to succeed in their studies.  I don’t think this poises a huge problem for Net Geners as most prefer to learn new technology by trial and error.  However, it could indicate a reason why students, and Net Geners, overrate their abilities.  It must stem from the confidence they have in themselves to learn new technology.  Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, because I would venture to say that in most cases they do have the ability to learn new functions inside a piece of software without too many problems.

            One question I would have included in this survey is if students have in fact had formal training with the software they are using or if they were left to learn the software on their own while using a piece of software during the course of their studies.  I think it would be interesting to see how many students actually received formal training and how many learn solely during the course of their studies to fulfill a requirement in the curriculum.  I would suspect that more students learned by trial and error while doing coursework than by receiving actual formal training with the software they are being required to use.  However, in most cases this should not present a problem for the Net Geners as we have seen previously that they are able to learn by trial and error and are usually not fearful to dive head first into a new piece of software.  Although most Net Geners are able to learn in this way, I believe we may be doing them a disservice by not giving them formal training with the software they are being required to use.  If we could figure out a way in which to incorporate this training into the existing curriculum we would help our students in a huge way.  This would allow students to be familiar with not only the basic aspects of the software but give them a more in depth knowledge of the software and a better understanding of the more complex operations they can perform.

Mac v. PC

The differences between Mac and PC’s in my opinion are negligible.  However, at this point in time I believe the Mac has an edge over the PC.  Both Mac and PC’s feel like second nature.  Sure there are some minor differences in the way things are presented to the user on the Mac as opposed to the PC. I feel that I have two advantages that help make using either platform a non-issue for myself.  First, I basically grew up using the PC platform.  Growing up using this technology allows one to feel right at home while using the program.  By this point in my life it almost feels like second nature.  The second thing that I believe using either platform a relatively easy is being a part of and growing up in the Net-Generation.  As a part of the Net-Gen technology surrounded everything that I have done.  The approach that I take to technology, as well as most of the Net-Gen, is to just dive right in and learn by trial and error.  To me, this is relatively simple on both platforms.

            Growing up through the 1980’s and 1990’s technology was becoming more and more prevalent in everyday life including personal computers.  My first home computer was in fact a PC.  In fact, until earlier this year PC was the only personal or home computer I had ever used.  I grew up with the standard PC running windows.  That said, I was able to become proficient in the use of the windows operating system and the common applications that were used in conjunction with windows like Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer.  The advantage of growing up using technology, like Windows, is that it allows you to get comfortable using the platform.  When you get comfortable using a specific platform it allows you to gain a sense of familiarity with the program and with that comes the feeling of knowing what to expect from the program, both good and bad. 

Usually gaining this level of familiarity with a program would mean you would be hesitant or unwilling to change or try something new.  Especially when the program you are using is suiting all of your needs.  However, this was no the case for myself.  A few months ago I had the opportunity to use a Mac.  While I cannot say that I instantly fell in love with the Mac, there was something that I liked about it.  The easy to follow and understand pictorial representations and menus and the easy to use interface where seemingly everything is customizable makes the make, in my opinion, a viable opponent to the PC.  While I still see the value of the PC operating system, about two months ago I purchased my first Mac.  The Mac to me seems smoother, easier, and faster to use because of it’s interface as opposed to the list, or text, based interface of the PC.  Mac has made the personal or home computer a cinch to use and operate, even if you have limited time using the Mac operating system.  Even though there are some minor differences between the Mac and the PC, I feel as though the differences are so minor, and easy to figure out, that it makes the Mac the better option.  The simple to use interface and the way in which the Mac seems to just flow so smoothly due to the parts and software being made for each other.  This has made making the switch to a Mac a no brainer in my opinion.  I am glad I have finally made the switch, even if I am a little behind the majority of others.

Ideas Using Excel/ Google Docs v. Microsoft Word

Ways to Use Excel in the Classroom

1.  1.  Countdown to an important date: Test, Field Trip, Project, Holiday

2.  2.   Guess how many of each color jellybean are in a jar, make predictions then chart the results to make comparisons.

3.  3.  Help students collaborate by rating the school lunch from 1(not good) to 3 (great).  Use excel to chart the results.

4.  4.  Students in a phys. ed. Class can use excel to collect data on their fitness level: number of repetitions per exercise, and chart their progress.

5. 5.  For students learning letters type the alphabet into the cells in excel, have students call out the names of animals that start with each letter and use clip art to place the picture next to the appropriate letter.

I believe a fun way to incorporate excel into the curriculum would be to use excel to countdown to an important date.  The countdown could be used to remind students of an upcoming test, project, holiday, or even a field trip.  Depending on the grade level and the level of the students it could be a student run activity, with supervision from the teacher, that would get the whole class involved in a collaborative process.  The second way to incorporate excel into the classroom could be an ice breaking activity at the beginning of the year in which the students guess how many jelly beans of a certain color, or all colors, are in a jar.  This would get students to critically think as well as come together as a group.  You could use excel to chart not only the predictions but also the actually number of jellybeans to see how the predictions compare to the actual number.  The next activity using excel that I believe could be a fun way to incorporate excel in the classroom would be to have students rate the school lunch on a scale from 1 (not good) to 3 (good).  This activity, as well as the previous one, I think would be best suited for younger students.  In the rating of the school lunches it could be useful to have other teachers do the same with their classes and compare the results in each class as well as school wide.  This would allow students to relate to one another as well as be able to critically think and organize data.  The fourth way in which I think it would be a both a fun and useful activity to incorporate excel into the curriculum would be to have students chart their progress in a physical education class.  For this activity students could keep track of the number of repetitions they are able to complete of a specific exercise, or multiple exercises, in a spreadsheet.  They could then use excels graphing feature to chart their data and see their progress.  A fifth, but certainly not final, way to incorporate excel into the classroom for younger students would be to enter all the letters of the alphabet into a spreadsheet leaving a few empty rows in between each letter.  The teacher could then have students come up with the names of animals that start with each letter and using clip art the teacher, or students, could use clip art to insert a picture of each animal the students come up with into the spreadsheet.  This could be a fun way for students to make the connections to letters and learn the alphabet.

Google Docs v. Microsoft Word

           

            Although google docs is a great tool to use in certain settings, I do not believe it would be worth switching to completely for all of a school districts word processing needs.  Google docs is a very useful collaboration tool, however, because of its limited capabilities I do not think it would benefit students to switch to it completely.  The only way I would suggest switching to google docs completely would be if google docs would be upgraded to include more of the features available in Microsoft Word.  I believe that we owe it to students to give them every possible advantage and tool necessary to help ensure they have a successful school career.  Allowing them to have all the benefits of a full feature version of Microsoft Word while on campus will help to give them this advantage.  This way, they will be exposed to one of the most common word processing programs in existence during their time in school, so that when they move beyond the school they will have both know how and experience working with this program.  Getting students the familiarity with the full feature program will only serve to help them have the experience working with this software that is so valuable to them for the rest of their lives.

            However, Google docs is not without its place.  I believe that because the service is available free of charge the school could utilize it along side of the full feature version of Microsoft word.  Allowing students to have experience using both platforms.  Having used both will serve them down the road so that no matter the situation they find themselves in, they will have the experience and he confidence to get the job done on either platform.  This will also be helpful in the event that the people at google decide to upgrade google docs to a more full feature version.  In this event, then I would suggest a possible switch to google docs.  If google docs were to be upgraded and the school district would switch to using only google docs the students will have no trouble making the transition as they would already be familiar with both systems.