Assessing Meaningful Learning With Technology & Inspiration/Kidspiration

I believe that technology based rubrics are an excellent tool that teachers could utilize in every content area and on every grade level throughout the elementary years.  Rubrics give the students the requirements of an assignment and tells them exactly what they are being graded on, point for point.  Teachers are held more accountable for their grading practices, also.  There are no questions as to what grade to give a student, because they are in print for all to see and understand.  In my classroom, I would use rubrics for projects, like a book report or science project.  I would list the required components and the range of points given for each required element. 

I believe that the student remote response systems, or clickers, could benefit a classroom of students who were above second grade.  With this device, teachers are able to assess student knowledge in an instant.  Students are able to respond quickly and efficiently, as well.  In my classroom, I would use this to assess knowledge in a multiple choice situation.  This would prepare the students for standardized tests.

Kidspiration is a great tool that allows students to learn in a visual way.  This program builds their skills in Reading and Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies.  Because I am a visual learner, I really liked this program and could see myself using it in my classroom in the future.  I loved the graphic organizers and images that could be used to brainstorm ideas and prepare for writing.  I would use this program to introduce and reinforce new ideas in Math, as well.  The geometric figures, fraction and counting tiles were easy to manipulate and seemed like they would be very helpful for students to grasp.  I believe that this program would be helpful in all Elementary classrooms.

Visualizing With Technologies

“Digital Storytelling” is an activity that allows students to create a desktop video from start to finish.  Students start with an idea and sketch out the story on storyboards.  They, then, begin videotaping and finish with editing their videos on the computer.  This activity allows the students to work with and understand all of the components and processes of how to create and edit video, but it also encourages the usage of critical thinking skills (Jonassen, 2008).

I believe that “digital storytelling” would enhance any classroom.  As an early elementary teacher, I could use this activity to assess the student’s knowledge on any given subject area.  Students could use this activity to explain the water cycle in Science, to teach the difference between shapes and figures in Math, and to create a dramatization of a favorite story or book in English/Language Arts.  Even the young children in Kindergarten or First grade could use these programs with some assistance and create well throughout videos that were developed using their ideas and critical thinking skills. 

Mathematics does come alive through the use of visual tools.  The book suggests the use of graphing calculators, which allow the students the opportunity to visualize linear relationships and make connections between the various mathematical relationships (Jonassen, 2008).  Table Tops and TinkerPlots allow students to see data that has been gathered and their patterns and clusters (Jonassen, 2008).  Geometric Supposer is another program that allows students to play with geometric objects and to prove relationships between them.  These programs all allow students to extend their thinking and expand their learning in Mathematics (Jonassen, 2008).

I do believe that one could learn from TV alone.  Is it the best approach to learning? No.  It is better to have an experienced teacher guiding you throughout the process.  But, it is possible.

References:

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D.  (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Podcasting-Communicating with technologies

Podcasting is a valuable development in technology that could be very useful in the classroom.  Students can listen to other’s podcasts or create their very own.  In listening to other’s podcasts, students are able to subscribe, and request information from a variety of sources on almost any subject imaginable.  Students who create their own podcasts could use them to extend and share knowledge that they have retained with others around the world.  This allows students to make decisions on who will produce the podcast, and what material will be included (2008).  Students are able to work on their communication and organizational skills, also.  Podcasts give teachers another means to assess subject based knowledge through a product that stimulates multiple intelligences, as well.

Podcast are similar to other 2.0 applications because they all are a means to assess knowledge that has been learned and applied to the different programs.  Students must gather, organize and communicate that knowledge in a meaningful way, regardless of the program.  Podcasts are different that other 2.0 applications because they become an audio and/or video representation of that knowledge. 

I do not own an iPod or MP3 player, personally.  But, I am an aide in a classroom that just received an iPod so I do believe there are advantages and uses for such equipment in the classroom.  I know that our class uses many CD’s and we would like to copy all of them onto the iPod so that we may use them wherever we go.  Because I do not know anything about this iPod, I will need some time to learn more about it before I can imagine the multiple uses for it, though.  I do see many advantages to online communication tools.  I use Skype several times a month to communicate with our previous exchange student in Germany.  I also use Facebook and chat online and believe that it has enabled me to stay in communication with people that I would otherwise not be able to communicate with.  Skype, especially, can allow for families to enjoy special moments together that would not be possible when distance is an issue.  But with so many people communicating online, I can see disadvantages also.  People must not use these online tools as there only means to communicate.  Otherwise, they miss out on the connections that people speaking face-to-face can enjoy.  Also, online communication tools lack the ability to reveal how someone says something.  You lose the tone, pace and body language that only face-to-face interactions can produce (2008).  I believe that both have a time and place, but one should not consume the other.

Reference:

 Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D.  (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Blogs, Wikis and Social Bookmarking...

Most of my focus has been in early childhood and wikis and blogs do not seem the most appropriate thing for students in PreK  to use, but I would definitely entertain the idea as the teacher in that grade level.  As an early childhood educator, I may use my own personal blog to provide information and communication to the student’s parents on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.  This would also prove beneficial in the other grade levels, as well. If I expanded my focus and included levels K through 6^th grades, I could definitely see opportunities for the students to use wikis and blogs, though.    Wikis could easily be used to help students with group projects and blogs would allow students to share information about subjects of interest or content that was covered in and out of class.  If my students were completing a unit on the water cycle, I could assign each member of a group to one of the varied concepts and then have the students use wikis to discuss the different cycles, with each student adding to the project as they discover more information on their part.  These wikis could be shared with the class and used to assess the comprehension of the material and would allow me to check on the time spent on the wikis as a participant of their groups (Osgood, 2009). 

I do believe that social bookmarking would be very useful for all teachers and students.  In my studies, I have made many searches for information on lesson plans, themes, experiments and much more and wish that I had bookmarked the ones that I had found to be good sites.  Social bookmarking allows for teachers to share their favorite sites in an organized way and to have access to these favorites from anywhere at all times (Jonassen, 2008).  Social bookmarking also allows for teachers to share their knowledge and break down barriers that keep us separated (Jonassen, 2008).  Students could use social bookmarking to organize sites that they too had found informative and share these with other students and their teachers.  I am excited to start my own soon and believe that it will help me become better organized in searching the web.  Voice threads, on the other hand, are a bit out of my comfort zone.  I enjoyed the example voice thread on Women from Around the World, but am certain that I would need help in creating one with the students in my classroom.  I do like the idea of sharing information in the way a voice thread allows, and may look into that more in the future.

Although I have never explored Tapped In, I do believe that it would prove to be a valuable community to students and teachers around the world.  Many students may never be able to travel the world and experience communicating with students their age from another country.  Tapped In would allow for students to communicate and teachers to collaborate with people around the world.  Tapped in would allow teachers to expand on their knowledge and to elicit professional opinions from experts around the world, as well (Jonassen, 2008).  In order for teachers to grow as educators and continue to develop into the teachers of tomorrow’s students, we must all be willing to “tap” into the multiple and varied resources available to us.

References:

Osgood, J.  (2009). Using Wiki Spaces as a Teaching Innovation.  Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://frameset.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(38cab02022))/Main/AllMode/FramesetHybrid/NavigateView.ed?courseItemType=CourseContentItem&subItemID=119545655&expandUnit=22566018

 Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D.  (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3rd ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson Education, Inc.

E-Portfolios and Computer-based Assessments

Assessments are a necessary part of teaching.  They are useful in determining the extent of material that a student has acquired.  Assessments are also useful in determining the material that needs to be covered in order for a student or class to master specific content.  Such feedback can improve the learner performance by allowing for flexibility from one student to another, opportunity for review and suggestions from peers and teachers, and are easily adapted to fit the needs of individuals or groups of students (Jonassen, 2008). 

An e-portfolio is a way for students to submit digital pieces of work that documents the content in which the student was asked to address (Jonassen, 2008).  These are created by the students with their own personal flair on multimedia programs.  E-portfolios can allow the teacher to determine if the student can produce a specific product, follow certain instructions, or provide a means to determine the growth in a specific area of content (Jonassen, 2008).   Computer-based tests are test with multiple choice answers that are given on a computer, which allows for faster grading and can assess specific areas (Jonassen, 2008).  These computer-based tests can impact validity and reliability.

I found Chapter 10 very informative.  It provided the answer to why we must create an e-portfolio and why it is such a good idea that our students be allowed this opportunity, as well.  What a way to assess their knowledge and gain insight into what they have learned and what they can really do with that new knowledge.  I believe that many students would “knock our socks off” with the product they may deliver if given this type of assessment. 

Reference:
Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Marra, R., & Crismond, D.  (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology (3^rd ed.).  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  Pearson Education, Inc.

Fair Use and Copyright Laws

It is very important to abide by all of the copy right and fair use rules that are established.  Teachers must ask themselves many questions as to the work that they want to copy.  Like, is this covered under fair use?  Or, is this copyrighted material?  Without adhering to these rules, one could be held accountable for literally stealing someone else’s work.  This is not the example that any teacher should model for impressionable students.  We should exhibit characteristics that we would desire for the students themselves to display.  I hope that the students in my classroom will see me as one who encourages honesty and an appreciation for other’s work.  So the first thing that I will do to encourage such behavior is to do my best to adhere to the fair use policies and copy right laws.  I will, also, post the Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers chart that was suggested in our lecture and I will explain the importance of following the guidelines provided.  I will also use any situation that arises from “unfair” use as a teachable moment to encourage the students and allow them to learn from their behaviors.

Online safety should be a concern for every parent and teacher.  We all should desire for our children to access information from the internet safely and without being introduced to inappropriate material and harassment.  As students are required to do more and more research on computers, they can be exposed to many opportunities that are negative.  Cyberbulling is just one example of the negative issues that are faced by young people today.  Parents and teachers should place filter software on computers that children have access to.  But, they cannot rely on them to “babysit” our children while online.  We must also talk with young people about what they may see as they surf the web and what is expected of them if they encounter these negative situations.  Keeping the communication lines open and training them to handle themselves appropriately online can increase the online safety of those in our care while online. 

This week’s activities have taught me a lot about this very important topic.  Before this unit, I believed that any copying of material was illegal for anybody without approval.  I now know that there are some exceptions to the rules for educators.  The copyright quiz I took showed that I still have room to learn more about it, though.  Some situations seem so innocent and yet are illegal based on the information that I have since reviewed.  Even some of the sites I visited confirmed how confusing and unclear the laws can be for educators.  I will continue to educate myself on the laws and fair use rules and will try to be a good example to those around me.

References:

A Teacher's Guide to Fair Use and Copyright, retrieved on February 20, 2011 from http://home.earthlink.net/~cnew/research.htm

"Cheat Sheet" for Copyyright and Fair Use, retrieved on February 20, 2011 from http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/db_area/archives/TL/2002/10/copyright_chart.pdf

Bullying UK (2011), retrieved on February 20, 2011 from http://www.bullying.co.uk/