I can't believe our two weeks is coming to a close already! Although it was a very short class session I can say I walked away with a HUGE understanding of what I need to do in my classroom to become an effective teacher in this growing technological age.
Here are some of the things I have learned--I plan on continuing my education when it comes to technology.
1. You most certainly CAN teach an old dog new tricks! We all have lessons we taught during student teaching or during a practicum that worked out really well. However, there is indeed a way to make it even better by adding technology! Bringing in technology is not always a necessity but it will benefit us to take a little more time and see if we can use technology in an innovative way to make the students' learning more enhanced.
2. Talking with friends can be so much more than talking. Social networking has brought on a whole new aspect when it comes to chatting with friends online. The uses of Facebook and Twitter has astounded me! I have been on both Facebook and Twitter for many years but had never thought about how to make it educational. I slowly got into using Twitter for professional development during my CI 406 Multicultural class because my professor told us about some of the people she followed to keep up with educational news. However, after our class about social networking, I began following the people Dr. Crawford recommended and I already feel more aware of what's going on in the educational world! (I knew about Ames's plans to go 1 to 1 as soon as Karl tweeted it!)
3. Blogs are more than what I thought they were. For some reason, when I heard the word blog I felt like it was a place people who were much smarter than me went to fill their friends in about what they've been doing a learning. I still get mixed reactions from people when I tell them I get to blog for my class. After using our blog to reflect and comment on other people's posts, I feel like it is a VERY VALUABLE resource. I frequently visit other teachers' blogs now to find out about their classrooms and idea they have come up with to make their classes run more smoothly. I also visit health and fitness blogs to stay motivated and get workout tips. I would recommend people use blogs on a personal level and educational level in a heartbeat! Students can and do get as much out of blogging as I do.
4. Don't be afraid! There are times when your technology won't work just the way you planned it. There will be times when you have to discover new ways to run your classroom or manage behavior. But DON'T BE AFRAID! Everything will work out just fine and the skills you learn and will teach your students while going through it all will be priceless. I know students can tell when you are excited about teaching something and when you aren't. If you are excited about showing them how to use this new piece of technology but it doesn't feel like cooperating, don't give up. When you figure it out and it works, the students will have learned 2 things from you. Never give up AND the intended lesson you planned! :)
This class has been one of the best and most fun courses I've taken at Iowa State. It is awesome when we have the opportunity to learn about a topic and then get to use it. There have been too many times throughout my educational career when I have learned something and it went in one ear and out the other because I never used it. During every single lesson Dr. Crawford taught, we got a chance to use hands on approaches to learning the skill. I hope to have the ability to do the same in my class one day.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Researching Technology in TESOL
One of my specializations is English as a Second Language (ESL) so when I was deciding what kind of research article to read I thought it would be interesting to see how the use of technology has affected English language learners.
I read an article by Mark Warschauer that described some different approaches to how people view technology in education.
One approach is called the determinist approach. This approach says that computers are an all powerful machine that creates the needed results all by itself. In most ESL environments the main technology used is the computer. Professionals in the ESL field call this computer assisted language learning activities or CALL activities. Warschauer says, in the article, that since a computer is not a method, using the determinist approach to evaluate the effectiveness of computers in TESOL is not accurate or a good measure of how technology is helpful.
Another approach mentioned is the instrumental approach. This approach states that technology is merely a tool used to serve the purpose of their users. This view of technology removes the emphasis put of the computer that the previous approach had but it also minimizes the affect new technology has on the broader aspect of language learning; the approach basically says that "language, learning, and the learner are all seen unchanged by the introduction of new technologies." Warschauer says that if we look at language learning through this approach we are ignoring the growing impact technology is having in our world. We would still evaluate a learner based on oral and written language but now we need to add the electronic environment these forms of communicating are used. For example, language learners will most likely need to learn how to write an email, us the internet to search for things, access online libraries. Most of the CALL research done evaluates the old oral and written skills of the past.
So, if both of these aged approaches don't apply anymore, how should we effectively determine if technology is helping to teach English?
Warschauer introduces a theory that Feenberg calls a critical theory of technology. This approach is more of an understanding that the world changes as technology changes and these forces are always intertwined. With this approach Warschauer brought up some great questions to consider when researching technology's affect on a second language learner:
1. What new literacies does multimedia computer technology demand, both inside and outside the
classroom?
2. How does the development of these new literacies intersect with issues of class, race, gender and
identity?
3. How does the sociocultural context of particular educational institutions or communities affect the
learning and practice of electronic literacies?
To conclude, Warschauer did a good job of bringing up the fact that as technology changes the way we educate learners, our evaluation and research methods need to change as well.
One approach is called the determinist approach. This approach says that computers are an all powerful machine that creates the needed results all by itself. In most ESL environments the main technology used is the computer. Professionals in the ESL field call this computer assisted language learning activities or CALL activities. Warschauer says, in the article, that since a computer is not a method, using the determinist approach to evaluate the effectiveness of computers in TESOL is not accurate or a good measure of how technology is helpful.
Another approach mentioned is the instrumental approach. This approach states that technology is merely a tool used to serve the purpose of their users. This view of technology removes the emphasis put of the computer that the previous approach had but it also minimizes the affect new technology has on the broader aspect of language learning; the approach basically says that "language, learning, and the learner are all seen unchanged by the introduction of new technologies." Warschauer says that if we look at language learning through this approach we are ignoring the growing impact technology is having in our world. We would still evaluate a learner based on oral and written language but now we need to add the electronic environment these forms of communicating are used. For example, language learners will most likely need to learn how to write an email, us the internet to search for things, access online libraries. Most of the CALL research done evaluates the old oral and written skills of the past.
So, if both of these aged approaches don't apply anymore, how should we effectively determine if technology is helping to teach English?
Warschauer introduces a theory that Feenberg calls a critical theory of technology. This approach is more of an understanding that the world changes as technology changes and these forces are always intertwined. With this approach Warschauer brought up some great questions to consider when researching technology's affect on a second language learner:
1. What new literacies does multimedia computer technology demand, both inside and outside the
classroom?
2. How does the development of these new literacies intersect with issues of class, race, gender and
identity?
3. How does the sociocultural context of particular educational institutions or communities affect the
learning and practice of electronic literacies?
To conclude, Warschauer did a good job of bringing up the fact that as technology changes the way we educate learners, our evaluation and research methods need to change as well.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Facebook and Podcasts in the Classroom
Today in class we talked about using social networking sites, such as FaceBook, in the classroom. After discussing the pros and cons I still feel torn between whether or not I think it would be a useful tool to use. Here's my thinking: Some of the pros that I can not ignore are that parents are most likely already on Facebook so they can easily check up on their students without remembering another username or password. Another pro is that students are already familiar with using Facebook so it isn't a tool that would require a lot of pre-teaching. Another pro to using Facebook is that the teacher could set up security that would prohibit people not in the class from joining the group; this would help keep conversations safe and on topic.
One of the cons I thought of during our discussion was the stigma Facebook has a just a social networking site. Would students really want to go on it for homework and class discussions? Another con I thought of was the fact that cyber bullying has become a larger issue in the past years and this would bring the possibility of students getting bullied even closer to school. As Haley mentioned in class, some school don't seem to have a set plan when it comes to addressing cyber bullying so that would concern me as a teacher. Lastly, I feel like a blog or a wiki would allow a much cleaner look and more academic feel to a discussion or online group board (but this may not attract students' interest as much).
Basically, I would have a hard time deciding whether or not to use Facebook in my classroom.
Podcasts on the other hand are AWESOME! It has been quick to learn and easy to accomplish the podcast assignments in both CI 201 and in this class. I can see many, many ways teachers and students could use podcast in the classroom and at home. I also like the fact that students and teachers can go out and gain more knowledge from other educators by finding informational podcasts. Students would enjoy linking with a school in another city, state, or country and swapping podcasts--it could be the new aged Pen Pal!
The enhanced podcast we created in class was easy to do and was fun. It could be used as a fluency activity, a review of a science lesson or even as a poetry project! There are a plethora of uses for podcasts in class!
One of the cons I thought of during our discussion was the stigma Facebook has a just a social networking site. Would students really want to go on it for homework and class discussions? Another con I thought of was the fact that cyber bullying has become a larger issue in the past years and this would bring the possibility of students getting bullied even closer to school. As Haley mentioned in class, some school don't seem to have a set plan when it comes to addressing cyber bullying so that would concern me as a teacher. Lastly, I feel like a blog or a wiki would allow a much cleaner look and more academic feel to a discussion or online group board (but this may not attract students' interest as much).
Basically, I would have a hard time deciding whether or not to use Facebook in my classroom.
Podcasts on the other hand are AWESOME! It has been quick to learn and easy to accomplish the podcast assignments in both CI 201 and in this class. I can see many, many ways teachers and students could use podcast in the classroom and at home. I also like the fact that students and teachers can go out and gain more knowledge from other educators by finding informational podcasts. Students would enjoy linking with a school in another city, state, or country and swapping podcasts--it could be the new aged Pen Pal!
The enhanced podcast we created in class was easy to do and was fun. It could be used as a fluency activity, a review of a science lesson or even as a poetry project! There are a plethora of uses for podcasts in class!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Blogging in the Classroom
Blogging in a college classroom makes a lot of sense, but as I thought about how to incorporate blogging into an elementary classroom it seemed a little harder to rationalize. But then... BAM... it hit me. What is something that most classes do weekly that uses paper instead of technology? A newsletter!
I think when I have a classroom of my own I would like to incorporate blogging into my classroom by letting my students write their own daily/weekly newsletter describing what they did during class. It could be used as something their parents could go to in order to see their student's work and to find out what is happening at school.
Along with getting the students to write more often, the students will also be able to see their progress as writers throughout the year. I think I would have students in charge of the different aspects of the learning throughout the day such as literacy, math, science, social studies, and specials/special events. Students will work in groups to update the weekly newsletter but to prevent the students from getting bored with their topics, I will rotate the groups so they each have a chance to write about each content area.
With tools such as blogger and wiki spaces creating an online newsletter should be fairly easy. I know as a first year teacher I will have a lot to learn when it comes to managing classroom activities but I am excited to give it a go!
I think when I have a classroom of my own I would like to incorporate blogging into my classroom by letting my students write their own daily/weekly newsletter describing what they did during class. It could be used as something their parents could go to in order to see their student's work and to find out what is happening at school.
Along with getting the students to write more often, the students will also be able to see their progress as writers throughout the year. I think I would have students in charge of the different aspects of the learning throughout the day such as literacy, math, science, social studies, and specials/special events. Students will work in groups to update the weekly newsletter but to prevent the students from getting bored with their topics, I will rotate the groups so they each have a chance to write about each content area.
With tools such as blogger and wiki spaces creating an online newsletter should be fairly easy. I know as a first year teacher I will have a lot to learn when it comes to managing classroom activities but I am excited to give it a go!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Keyboarding in the Classroom
After today's class discussion on keyboarding I started thinking about my own experience with learning how to type. I remember my parents buying a software to teach us how to type. I don't remember the name of the program but I did enjoy using it. However, when it came to choosing between typing on the computer or playing outside, the choice was easy; Outside I went! So, I didn't really learn typing at home.
During elementary school my teachers got us on the computers early on, creating PowerPoint presentations and doing other projects. What the school didn't teach us was how to properly type. I imagine those class projects probably took quite a long time for us to complete! (valuable class time wasted.)
In middle school, again, we did many projects that required typing but we still didn't have a formal class to teach us how to "properly" type. At my school we got to select our own courses in middle school and I took a lot of math and science courses so this could also be a cause not having a typing course.
It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I finally signed up to take a computer processing class that required us to learn how to type. By that point I had figured out my own way to type fairly quickly on a keyboard but I knew I could get my papers written much faster if I had a better method. After that semester I was SO happy I learned how to type "properly." The last two years in high school were much less painful when typing long research papers and filling out college applications.
When I look back to the way I learn how to type, I agree it could have been much more enjoyable. But I was of the age where I understood the importance of the drill-and-practice software. I didn't really care how boring it was because I knew it would help me a lot.
The same can definitely not be said for the young students who are taking keyboarding classes in schools today. As technology is hitting students at younger ages, we must start creating and using more age appropriate software. Young students don't have the same attention span as high schoolers and they don't see the importance of learning to type just yet. I hope when I start teaching, and if keyboarding is something I have to teach, that I can find a way to make learning to type a little more enjoyable. The sites we used in class could definitely be a start!
During elementary school my teachers got us on the computers early on, creating PowerPoint presentations and doing other projects. What the school didn't teach us was how to properly type. I imagine those class projects probably took quite a long time for us to complete! (valuable class time wasted.)
In middle school, again, we did many projects that required typing but we still didn't have a formal class to teach us how to "properly" type. At my school we got to select our own courses in middle school and I took a lot of math and science courses so this could also be a cause not having a typing course.
It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school that I finally signed up to take a computer processing class that required us to learn how to type. By that point I had figured out my own way to type fairly quickly on a keyboard but I knew I could get my papers written much faster if I had a better method. After that semester I was SO happy I learned how to type "properly." The last two years in high school were much less painful when typing long research papers and filling out college applications.
When I look back to the way I learn how to type, I agree it could have been much more enjoyable. But I was of the age where I understood the importance of the drill-and-practice software. I didn't really care how boring it was because I knew it would help me a lot.
The same can definitely not be said for the young students who are taking keyboarding classes in schools today. As technology is hitting students at younger ages, we must start creating and using more age appropriate software. Young students don't have the same attention span as high schoolers and they don't see the importance of learning to type just yet. I hope when I start teaching, and if keyboarding is something I have to teach, that I can find a way to make learning to type a little more enjoyable. The sites we used in class could definitely be a start!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Apps for the iPad
Today during class we got to search for iPad and iPhone apps. The resources Dr. Crawford put on the class wiki were awesome! I can see myself using the resources in the future when trying to stock my (hopefully) future iPad. I thought it was cool that we got to request the apps we liked so the CTLT would look into purchasing them. I found a few really useful apps for a lower elementary classroom. I found an app called PocketPhonics that helps students practice their phonics beginning at a very low level and working up to higher level. Another app I found that I would like to use in my classroom was ABC Magnet Alphabet. The app is pretty much like the refrigerator magnets teachers use in their classrooms. Students can use the magnets to create words and work with word patterns. I would love to use this in my classroom because it would really cut down on the amount of materials to carry around and get ready for each group lesson. One last app I found that I thought was really interesting was Whiteboard Free. This app allows you to write things on your electronic whiteboard and then share it with other viewers. This would be cool when allowing students to do independent work on their whiteboards. The students could share the work they did with the teacher in order to get evaluated.
If/when I get an iPad I will definitely go back to these websites to find some useful apps!
If/when I get an iPad I will definitely go back to these websites to find some useful apps!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
iPad Proves Productive for Math Tutoring
I tutor a first grader in math twice a week. This week I saw her Tuesday afternoon and this afternoon. Since Dr. Crawford let us take the iPads home I decided to use some of the applications under the math heading during our tutoring sessions. The student I work with has a hard time counting up to numbers past 200 and in the Ames district, first graders must count up to 500 forwards and backwards by 1's and 10s. They must also count by 2's to 100 and by 5's to 200. I used the app Drawing Pad to have my student write her numbers 1-500 counting by 10's. She really enjoyed changing the backgrounds and the types of writing utincles when she was getting a little tired of writing numbers. She picked up on how to erase the board, how to get to the main menu and how to use the undo button quickly! I know that her class doesn't use an iPad so this was a new experience for her and I wasn't sure how fast she would pick up on the technology. I was pleasantly surprised with how fast she picked up on it though!
Another skill my student has to work on is solving addition and subtraction facts quickly. I think we probably all remember doing the timed tests where we tried to complete as many problems as we could in a minute. In order to have the student practice this skill I used the app called Math Drills Lite. The settings in this app provides a lot of scaffolding for students. There is the option to have a number line at the bottom of the screen and the option for hints to pop up after a certain number of seconds. You can also change the difficulty of the problems by allowing only certain combinations of numbers to be shown. The app does drills in sets of 10 so students don't get too worn out. I really enjoyed using this app with my student because we have been practicing the fast facts for weeks now and it was refreshing, for me and her, to use a medium other than paper and pencil!
Lastly, we explored some of the other math apps on the iPad that didn't necessarily have to do with what her class is working on but that helped her stretch her thinking. We did used the app Butterfly Brunch which had her work on moving a butterfly on a coordinate plane when given a coordinate. When we first started I had her go back to the coordinate (0,0) before finding the next coordinate. By the time she did five coordinates my student was able to figure out where the coordinates were from any point on the plane (this is a great skill for her to learn so young!). We also used the app Slice It! which has you slice shapes into equal parts. The app specifies how many slices you need to make and how many pieces you need to end up with, then once you cut the shape it shows you what percentage each piece is of the whole. It starts out pretty easy but gets very challenging. Towards the 11th stage my student started asking me if I could do it and when I tried I had a hard time too! It was fun and challenging for us both!
I have had a great time using the iPad during the last couple of days and can still see many possibilities to use it in the classroom.
Another skill my student has to work on is solving addition and subtraction facts quickly. I think we probably all remember doing the timed tests where we tried to complete as many problems as we could in a minute. In order to have the student practice this skill I used the app called Math Drills Lite. The settings in this app provides a lot of scaffolding for students. There is the option to have a number line at the bottom of the screen and the option for hints to pop up after a certain number of seconds. You can also change the difficulty of the problems by allowing only certain combinations of numbers to be shown. The app does drills in sets of 10 so students don't get too worn out. I really enjoyed using this app with my student because we have been practicing the fast facts for weeks now and it was refreshing, for me and her, to use a medium other than paper and pencil!
Lastly, we explored some of the other math apps on the iPad that didn't necessarily have to do with what her class is working on but that helped her stretch her thinking. We did used the app Butterfly Brunch which had her work on moving a butterfly on a coordinate plane when given a coordinate. When we first started I had her go back to the coordinate (0,0) before finding the next coordinate. By the time she did five coordinates my student was able to figure out where the coordinates were from any point on the plane (this is a great skill for her to learn so young!). We also used the app Slice It! which has you slice shapes into equal parts. The app specifies how many slices you need to make and how many pieces you need to end up with, then once you cut the shape it shows you what percentage each piece is of the whole. It starts out pretty easy but gets very challenging. Towards the 11th stage my student started asking me if I could do it and when I tried I had a hard time too! It was fun and challenging for us both!
I have had a great time using the iPad during the last couple of days and can still see many possibilities to use it in the classroom.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Engaging Classroom Activities
During the last two days of class I have really enjoyed the activities we have done. Getting up and moving during a four hour long class really makes a difference in my ability to learn. I can see myself applying this to my future classroom because, although I won't be teaching four hour long classes, my students will not have an attention span as long as a college student's. By having my students move around during class, physically doing the learning, I believe it engages their brains in different ways than doing worksheets or listening to a lecture. It is also a way to help better teach kinesthetic learns in my classroom. Projects such as the Spilt Milk book, the I Spy book and the Rosie's Walk book activities really give students the ability to bring creativity into their work.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
iPads in the Classroom
They are thin, sleek and very handy to use, but are iPads really valuable tools in the elementary school classroom?
Monday after class I was intrigued by the use of iPads in the classroom so after I did my reading and blog post I went out in search of actual teachers who use iPads in their classrooms on the daily basis. I was surprised by what I found!
In my years tutoring and student teaching in Ames I have become familiar with the use of iPods to listen to books on tape. However, I was particularly interested in how lower elementary school teachers used iPads in their classrooms because of the game Chicktionary we played. I went to YouTube and found many, many videos of teachers using iPads, iPods and iPod Touches in the classroom. Students were using iPods to listen to stories (like the students I worked with in Ames), they used iPod Touches to record themselves reading fluently and then listened back to it to evaluate themselves. Students also used iPads to read along as stories were read by a narrator. One video I watched put a spotlight on Echo Reading. The students used a Dr. Seuss application on the iPad to listen to a page being read to them, then were able to repeat it aloud. If the student hadn't quite got the whole page memorized they could listen to the page again or listen to each word individually.
I have a math endorsement so I also searched for ways teachers use technology to help teach math. I saw a video of a teacher using an app with magnetic letters to help students understand the concept of numbers that come before, after and in between other numbers.
I was particularly fond of one teacher's videos on YouTube. Richard Colosi has really innovated technology into his classroom. His students really seem to have an understanding of how the technology in their classroom helps them learn in new, creative ways. I have attached some of the videos here for your to view. They are REALLY CUTE!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Web 2.0 Tools: Wordle vs. Tagxedo
When I got home from class this afternoon I sat down at my computer and began playing with the Web 2.0 tools posted on our Wiki. Of course I started with Wordle and Tagxedo! I had never used Tagxedo before so I wanted to compare it to Wordle.
I found that Tagxedo had a wider range of color themes and fonts. It was also easier to decide on what font to use with Tagxedo because each font name was displayed in the font itself. The thing I didn't like about Tagxedo was the difficulty in customizing my design. I was experimenting with a Green Bay Packers theme. On Wordle I was able to get the exact Green Bay colors and 'fixed' the word count so the words I wanted would be the largest. I had high expectations when starting with the Tagxedo website. I thought I would use a football shape or the shape of the United States but the closest thing I could find was an oval; there were the shapes of a soccer ball, Ireland, South America and China but those were of no help. I did see that I could upload my own picture but I didn't want to spend too much time on that part. Once I settled with the oval shape I wanted to pick Packer colors, however, it was much more difficult than I expected. I needed to find color codes for each color I wanted to use and I had to go to a website called ColourLovers to find color pallets.
Overall, I would say Wordle is a lot more user friendly. If you have the time and skills to figure out how to get the most out of Tagxedo the I would say it would rank far above Wordle because of its awesome final quality.
Here are the two images I ended up making. On Tagxedo, I switched from the oval shape to a heart because the oval was too boring. Enjoy!
I found that Tagxedo had a wider range of color themes and fonts. It was also easier to decide on what font to use with Tagxedo because each font name was displayed in the font itself. The thing I didn't like about Tagxedo was the difficulty in customizing my design. I was experimenting with a Green Bay Packers theme. On Wordle I was able to get the exact Green Bay colors and 'fixed' the word count so the words I wanted would be the largest. I had high expectations when starting with the Tagxedo website. I thought I would use a football shape or the shape of the United States but the closest thing I could find was an oval; there were the shapes of a soccer ball, Ireland, South America and China but those were of no help. I did see that I could upload my own picture but I didn't want to spend too much time on that part. Once I settled with the oval shape I wanted to pick Packer colors, however, it was much more difficult than I expected. I needed to find color codes for each color I wanted to use and I had to go to a website called ColourLovers to find color pallets.
Overall, I would say Wordle is a lot more user friendly. If you have the time and skills to figure out how to get the most out of Tagxedo the I would say it would rank far above Wordle because of its awesome final quality.
Here are the two images I ended up making. On Tagxedo, I switched from the oval shape to a heart because the oval was too boring. Enjoy!
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