Using Wilkis in My Classroom

Post to your blog about using wikis in your classroom. In your post, you may consider any of the following questions:

Is there a particular example of a classroom wiki which inspired you?
What was most challenging about creating a wiki together as a group in
Activity 4-C-1?
What did you learn from the group wiki project?
Has your opinion of Wikipedia changed at all this week?
Are you encountering resistance to using wikis in your class, either from others or from yourself? If so, how do you plan to respond?
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Paperless Classrooms

If I had access to computers for all of my students, I would love to switch to a “paperless” classroom.  With today’s technology, paper is obsolete.  I would be able to organize my units into folders on the server and students would be able to access the folders for their work.  My students would be able to click on internet links, watch video clips, listen to podcasts, and read online articles.  Their learning would be more self directed.  I would be able to act as more of a guide by providing them the tools they need to discover what they need to know. 

By using Web 2.0 technologies, students would have more opportunities to collaborate and could participate more in discussions that would involve the whole class.  There would be countless way to assess student learning rather than the old paper and pencil tests. Instead of reading descriptions in textbooks, students could take virtual tours and view actual video footage of places they are learning about.  They would have more outlets to express and share their thoughts and ideas.  Parental involvement would increase because parents could access their child’s work and even provide feedback. 

There would be a variety of ways to measure student learning in a paperless classroom.  Teachers could have students keep online portfolios that would easily show student progress.  Teachers could monitor students’ discussions to check for understanding.  Students could work on programs that monitor and report their progress to the teacher.  Teachers could check students’ work for plagiarism.  Teachers could easily assist students with editing their work in a digital format without wasting time with rewriting.  Of course, these are just a handful of ways in which learning could be measured. 

I do believe that a paperless space would make it much easier to build a learning network.  Students could network beyond the classroom.  They could collaborate with other students across the world.  They could participate in discussions with students from other cultures they may be learning about.  Students could receive feedback from more than one teacher providing different perspectives.

 Overall, I think paperless classrooms will be the future of education.  Paperwork reduction is a goal of many industries.  More and more companies are moving to online means of doing business and students need to be prepared with these skills.

My Vision For Education By The Year 2020.

It seems there are daily new advances in technology and we, as educators, need to keep on top of these technologies and learn how to apply them and integrate them into our classrooms. At the rate of technological advancements, one could only imagine what kind of technologies we will see in ten years and we need to have students prepared for this technology rich future.

I do anticipate big changes in the way we will educate our students in ten years. First, I think we will move from being the dispensers of information to guides. No longer will teachers simply transmit facts and information to their students. Instead they will teach their students how to find the information they need. The focus of education will shift from knowing information to knowing how to find information when you need it. Because of the amazing wealth of information available on every conceivable topic, it is no longer necessary for students to memorize. Instead, they need to learn the skills to find what they need to know.

Our students will need the skills to function in the workforce of the future. I see students learning more through collaboration so as to learn how to share thoughts, ideas, and opinions and how to give and take constructive criticism as this is the reality of the “real world”. More and more jobs require global networking. They will need the skills necessary to work together with others across the world. They will no longer be leaving town to attend conferences, but rather will be conferencing with colleagues across the world from their own office. Schools will begin using new technologies in order for students to network and collaborate with other students throughout the world. Students will be able to take classes being taught by teachers in other countries through video conferencing.

Students will learn through submersion rather than through textbooks. They will be able to learn about other cultures and languages through video interactions with students in other countries. They will be able to take virtual field trips to museums in Europe. They will be able to learn about anatomy through watching a live autopsy being performed in a medical school in another part of the country. I think within ten years, textbooks will be obsolete. Every student will have a notebook computer and classrooms will be paperless. Lessons will be presented through online means. Assignments will all be done using Web 2.0 technologies. Teachers will conduct assessments of students’ learning through their digital portfolios. Students will be able to learn at their own pace rather than have to wait for whole class instruction. Students who demonstrate understanding will be able to advance to the next level while students who need additional time can continue to work on the skill until they master it. Classes will no longer be organized by age, but by progress. Teachers will teach at a specific instructional level rather than a grade level and students will move from teacher to teacher as their skills and learning are mastered. Gifted students will be able to graduate school when they have mastered all of the requirements and will be able to move on. Learning disabled students will have the opportunity to continue to work on the skills they need instead of being rushed and pushed through the grade levels.

On the downside, I do see education becoming less personal. There are already virtual schools where students don’t have to leave their homes to receive their education. I see this trend continuing. Maybe one day, all high school students will attend virtual school as way to keep costs down for schools. As web technologies are used more and more, students will interact less with each other and their teacher. They will write their thoughts and ideas on online blogs rather than participate in class discussions. This would obviously interfere with students receiving vital opportunities for socialization. Students don’t just learn academics in school, they also learn social skills that they will need for the rest of their lives in order to function in society.

In my opinion, many schools are already very behind the times when it comes to using technology. We are still using teaching tools and resources that we have been using for over 100 years. Before my vision will become a reality, there has to be a way for schools to secure the equipment needed to take full advantage of the technology out there. There is so much potential for so many innovative ways to educate our students. I am looking forward to the day when my classroom looks like the one I envision in 2020.

Google for Educators

I use Google several times a day in order to search for resources, tools, information, and lesson ideas. I had no idea there was a web application called Google for Educators. This application complies all of Google’s useful tools for teachers all in one place. This site includes tools such as a book search, news, a blogger, a calendar, Google Docs, Groups, and Google Notebook, just to name a few.

An example of a situation in which I could recommend this application to a student to support his or her individual learning style would be if you had a student who had a verbal/linguistic learning style. They could use the Blogger tool to expresses their thoughts and ideas on what they have learned in class. Instead of choosing answers from a multiple choice test on the lesson, they could instead summarize and explain what they have learned in their blog. Because this tool can be set to private so that only approved members can view it, the student can share in their blog without worry about who else will view it. Access to the blog can be given to parents so they can view their child’s entries and keep abreast of what their child is learning. Teachers can access the blog and use it as an alternative for of assessment.

Because there are so many tools and resources on this web application, there are so many possibilities for its use in the classroom. A literature class could blog about their thoughts on a story they are reading and share comments and opinions with each other. A history class could use Google Maps to locate the places they are learning about. Google docs is an excellent application to use when teaching students how to write papers because the teacher and students can work together to edit their work while it is in progress. Google Book Search could be very useful for seniors doing research for their senior graduation project. These are just a few of the tools available on this site and suggestions for how they could be used.

Richardson’s Big Shifts In Education

In Richardson’s text, he lists and describes 10 “big shifts” that are occurring in education. Despite all of the advances we have made in the world just in the last few decades, teaching tools, (textbooks, pencils, notebooks, and chalkboards) have been the standard. However, that is finally beginning to change with teachers taking advantage of web 2.0 technologies.

The “big shift” I chose to write about is to Know “Where” Learning. I have always believed that it is more important for people to know how to find the information they need then to actually know it. While there certainly are essential skills that our students need to learn, there is a lot of information that we throw at them and expect them to remember when the reality is it is never really retained anyway. Instead of boring kids with lectures of information that they will likely forget a huge percentage of, we need to teach them the resources they can use to find information when they need it. If I am ever able to get enough computers for my students to work with on a daily basis, my role will change from teacher to guide. I think knowing where and how to find the information they need is a necessary life skill my students will need in today’s society.

I have my students conduct “investigation” projects at least once a week in my classroom. Basically, instead of having them read information out of the textbook and then giving them notes, I provide my students with activities that will allow them research and investigate the information. They still get the same information that they need to know. However, if they do not retain the information, they now know how to find it if they need it. These activities not only encourage my students to explore the wealth of information available to them, but it allows them to practice distinguishing between reputable and valid information and opinions.

My view on this topic has not changed since starting this course. However, my current practices were confirmed as being effective and necessary for today’s students.

Merit Pay for Teachers

One of the many controversies of school reform today is the use of merit pay to reward the performance of teachers. As with all debates over school reform issues, the idea of using merit pay to improve accountability in education has both opponents and proponents.
According to the United States Department of Labor, merit pay is defined as a raise in pay based on a set of criteria set by the employer. It is commonly used by employers in many different kinds of industries to compensate employees for their performance. In education, it means compensating teachers for what they actually achieve in the classroom.
The idea behind merit pay is that it will reward teachers, not for seniority and the number of educational credits they’ve earned, but for what they actually achieve with the students in their classroom. It can also be awarded for factors such as professional development, additional responsibilities, teaching at a high priority location, teaching subjects where there is a shortage, and even for excellent attendance. The rewards are typically in the form of bonus pay in addition to the teachers’ salary.
One of the reasons that merit pay is so controversial is due to the question of how to implement a successful merit system. The main goal of merit pay is to reward good teachers with additional pay and other incentives. The problem is determining what makes a teacher a “good” teacher. It is difficult to objectively identify good teaching. Criteria such as “demonstrate competence in teaching” is vague, subjective, and unclear. Before merit pay can be implemented, a school needs a plan with clearly outlined criteria for pay decisions. According to Tomas Ellis, there are three primary considerations for planning a merit pay program. First, objectives need to be defined. Then, evaluation criteria and methods used to evaluate must be determined. Lastly, well documented evaluation procedures must be carried out fairly and impartially by trained personnel.
Education reformers have several arguments for the implementation of merit pay. Proponents feel that merit pay will give encouragement to good teachers and drive away the bad ones, thus improving the overall performance of public schools.
Currently, in almost every school in the country, teachers are paid according to a salary scale based on years of service and amounts of continuing education credits earned. With this type of pay scale, a mediocre teacher gets paid the same as the “Teacher of the Year”. It is argued that teachers have little motivation to go above and beyond the job’s basic requirements. Merit pay can not only reward good teachers and motivate them to continue to perform at a high level, but can also motivate lower performing teachers to seek ways to improve. The key argument for merit pay is to boost teacher motivation. A motivated teacher is more likely to feel satisfied with his or her job and feel empowered to strive for excellence and growth. With additional pay as a motivator, teachers would likely work harder to produce better results with their students.
Opponents of merit pay have several arguments as to why they believe merit pay systems can be unfair and will ultimately fail. A number of studies have suggested that merit pay plans often divide faculties, set teachers against administrators, are plagued by inadequate evaluation methods, and are inappropriate in schools where cooperation and collaboration work are essential. One of the most common arguments against merit pay systems for teachers is that opponents feel these programs create competition among teachers which could destroy the teamwork necessary for successful schools. It would lower the overall morale of schools. Furthermore, merit pay may change the relationships between teachers and students. Teachers may see poor students as a threat to their reward and may favor the better performing students. Most other arguments opposing merit pay revolve around the obstacle of creating adequate, fair, and unbiased evaluations. It is difficult to objectively identify good teaching. One evaluator’s idea of a good teacher may vary greatly from another’s idea of what is an effective teacher. With subjective evaluations, there is also a concern of bias. Administrators may end up rewarding the teachers they like best, not necessarily the best teachers. Lastly, it is believed by some opponents of merit pay that such a high stakes system would encourage dishonesty and corruption. Teachers could be motivated to lie or cheat when it comes to testing results
Considering this information, how do you, as educators, feel about merit pay? Would you prefer that your compensation be directly tied to student’s performance and classroom achievements? Is merit pay fair to all teachers?

Connectivism

The group in our course that had to create a Wiki arguing for connectivism as a learning theory did a great job. Their arguments were very convincing. Even though I was assigned to the group that had to argue against connectivism, I actually do agree more with their arguments. I agree that it is necessary for the role of the teacher to change in today’s technologically advanced society. Teachers need to move to the role of being a guide and help students use the technology available to them to pursue their own knowledge. I do believe that it is a very important skill for students to be able to locate and identify reliable resources in order to discover and construct their own learning. These are the same skills our students are going to need to be able to be functional adults in today’s society and to be lifelong learners. With the technology available and the endless sources of instant information available today, student’s ability to know needs to be supplemented with the ability to know where to find what they need.

Just A Few Benefits Of Using Skype In The Classroom

           I have a coworker, Mary, who is in the Army reserves. Last April, she was deployed to Iraq. She really wanted to stay in touch with her students and we agreed that it would be a wonderful experience for our students to be able to interact with their teacher who is also a soldier serving our country over seas. Since I have all of the same students in my science classes that Mary had in her English classes, I offered to be the go between with her and the students. We looked online for a good way to keep in touch and found Skype. We created an account and Mary left for Iraq. Every Friday, at the end of the school day (which was the start of her morning), the students and I had a Skype session with Mary. It was a very educational experience for the students. We used the microphone and webcam for the most personal experience. They were able to see their teacher dressed in her uniform and were able to interact with her from another continent. The best part was that the cost was only 2 cents a minute. You would never be able to make an international phone call for such a cheap rate. Skype allowed us to not only talk to Mary but to see her and see her surroundings.

          Since I just returned to work last week after my maternity leave and Mary is still in Iraq, I plan to begin our weekly sessions again as soon as possible. This is just one example of how we could use this technology with our students. In my case, this was a fellow teacher but any class could “adopt” a troop and have the same kind of interactions with one of our active soldiers. Another way we could use this technology is to arrange for class collaboration with other classes across the country. One of my coworkers has a friend who is a teacher in South Carolina. One time, he and his friend connected their classes through Skype after both had completed a unit on the civil war. The classes were able to have a discussion together about the war which was interesting because on classroom was in the north and the other in the south. One other way I could see using this technology is for training purposes for teachers. I am new at co-teaching this school year. It was something I was just thrown into last minute with very little training. I think it would have been very insightful to be able to use a technology like this to observe a well established co-taught classroom at another school.

Example of Using A Podcast in My Classroom

After finding a podcast on a theory that bugs may have been responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs, I thought of how I might use it in my classroom. 

I would use the mobile computer lab in my classroom. I would teach my lesson on theories and have a discussion about how different people could have different theories and why none of them are definitely right or wrong. I would then ask them about some theories they are familiar with. I would wait for one of the student to name the theory of how the dinosaurs died because of an asteroid. If one of the students didn’t bring it up, I would then lead the discussion in that direction. At the conclusion of the lesson, I would have the students listen to the podcast describing the theory that small insects actually killed the dinosaurs.

I would use the podcast in my classroom to expose my students to other theories of the extinction of dinosaurs. The reason I chose this particular podcast is because I want my students to understand that theories are theories. I want them to understand that while some theories are more widely accepted than others, it does not mean that those are any more correct than another because theories are educated possible explanations, not scientific fact.

The link to the podcast is:

http://science.podcast.com/episode/40328112/707/

Using “Flicker” In The Classroom

Flicker is a photo management and photo-sharing site.  You are able to upload and organize your own photos and allow friends, family, or the public to view or even share your photos. There are several license agreements that would allow for you to use someone else’s photos as well.

 Flicker would be a great site to use when my students are creating their power point presentations.  I have my students create a presentation at least one time during each unit (which comes to about 1 or 2 times a quarter) on a topic related to what we are learning.  They then present their slide show to the rest of the class while the students take notes, fill in charts, etc. 

 As a part of the presentation rubric, I always require my students to include several visuals.  This would be a great site for students to use because you can be sure that they have permission to use the images. 

Another way I could use Flicker is on my class website.  I could greatly inhance the visual appeal of the site if I had some nice and professional photos on the site. 

Lastly, I could use this site to upload, store, and organize the picture I take of the students throughout the years as we go on fieldtrips and work on projects.  I could then allow parents to access the photos and save and photos of their child that they may want to have a copy of.

 I like that it has a search option so that you are able to find images related to a certain topic.  This will certainly make things easier for my students when they are searching for images to use in their projects. 

 I did a search for a photo related to “education” and here is one that I found on Flicker:

 

VIA. (2007, November 16). VIA Information PC for education. VIA Gallery. Retrieved NOVEMBER 6, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/viagallery/2110571280/.