This past assignment has really opened my eyes. First, to the fact that technology needs to find a bigger place in our classrooms. Expanding and using new technologies as a teacher widens the scope of ability for the teacher. Technology provides you with so many more options and ways of teaching than in the past. Not only do you have technological resources but also advice and help in the form of websites where advice and tips are offered to teachers of all content areas.
It has become more apparant that technology rules the world in which we live. It's not leaving. As a teacher, I want to embrace this; learn all I can about technologies and use them to help my students. Perhaps even the best ways to learn about new technologies is from your students themeselves! How beneficial would it be to the classroom feel and teacher student relationship if students new their teacher wanted them to approach them and share the new app they downloaded and how it helps them! Lets learn from each other! This will be one of my goals. If we could help each other learn new technolgies, as a teacher, you will be so much more able to help students and the students will be more prepared for college and the work force.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Lessons Learned!
1) Educating the Net Generation: One of the things I really enjoyed and learned about this presentation was that it stated that life is much faster paced now days. This is something that you know but sometimes don't internalize until you really think about it. I mean EVERYTHING is faster! Information, they way we recieve information, cars, buying things ect... and because our world is so much faster this new generation is used to things happening fast; instant gratification. It's just important to realize this when talking about their psychology. Another thing I learned and liked from the article is that students and children are online and creating all the time. Whether its from facebook to my space to blogging, they express individuality online all the time. If thats what they know then why not utalize that and then help them become better at it. After all, most of the skills students learn with computers and technology are more than applicable in most jobs and are almost a necessity!
2) Why Integrate: Being the history major that I am, my first thoughts were, when I read this title, immediately thrown to civil rights. Then, after reading the article, civil rights were really on my mind! Back in the 60's, people were wary about integrating schools because of preconceived ideas about those who were racially different. Its the same with technology. It seems that older generations are so wary of integrating technology becuase its foreign and different! So, I feel that the era we live in today is kind of like Technology Civil Rights. Is that going to far? I don't really think so! Anyways, one thing I learned from the article is that if one teaches with technologies, then the role of a teacher grows "into a role of advisor, content expert and coach" and prepares you to better help your students. What an awesome way to grow and expand. It made me more motivated to impliment new technologies into my own classroom.
3) 21 Century Skills: I liked the idea that 21st Century skills were built on the basics but what was built on that foundation has morphed into a more 21st Century student and I really liked that about this diagram. Students need to learn how to impliment technologies with the information they are learning at school.
4)Teens Learning Skills Online: I did think this article had value, I can see how adults see all this time children spend on the internet as a waste of time. Even though I do agree that adolescents are learning how to get along with others and learning to manage a public identity, there is still nothing that can replace face to face interaction. The ideal situation is to have both, and really you can't have one without the other. So its important to still be human AND communicate through the virtual world.
5) The New WWW: I loved this one and learned so much from it! I learned that WWW stands for whatever, whenever, wherever. Meaning that people can have whatever they want whenever they want it wherever they are. This totally describes our society today and in the article, the postition is that is isn't always a good thing. I also really like the part that says"banning in order to avoid change" has done no good as far as education is concerned and that as educators, we should be the ones helping! I also loved the advice, "turn them [the students] over to themselves." Let them create a movie! Let them express their creativity! This article was very informative and motivating.
6) Engaged Learning: Interesting movie. I understand that there is a huge learning curve for the older generations but we have to embrace it! It's the world we live in. To me, this video really coinsided well with the growth mind set and how the older generations really need to develop that concerning technology. It's really not an option. The longer somone waits to jump on the technology train, the more behind they are going to be. This video really made me realize how dire the need is for more technology in the classroom.
7) Games and Simulations: This article calls for an evoltuion of education rather than a revoltuion. I liked how it stood up for teachers when it said there is a lot of good teaching going on, it's just not percieved that way publicly. We have many good teachers who just need to learn to capatalize on the technology around them. However, I don't know how I feel about gaming in the education world. Saying World of War craft has educational value is a shot in the dark. However, thats just my opinion. I do see more value in the game Civilization.
2) Why Integrate: Being the history major that I am, my first thoughts were, when I read this title, immediately thrown to civil rights. Then, after reading the article, civil rights were really on my mind! Back in the 60's, people were wary about integrating schools because of preconceived ideas about those who were racially different. Its the same with technology. It seems that older generations are so wary of integrating technology becuase its foreign and different! So, I feel that the era we live in today is kind of like Technology Civil Rights. Is that going to far? I don't really think so! Anyways, one thing I learned from the article is that if one teaches with technologies, then the role of a teacher grows "into a role of advisor, content expert and coach" and prepares you to better help your students. What an awesome way to grow and expand. It made me more motivated to impliment new technologies into my own classroom.
3) 21 Century Skills: I liked the idea that 21st Century skills were built on the basics but what was built on that foundation has morphed into a more 21st Century student and I really liked that about this diagram. Students need to learn how to impliment technologies with the information they are learning at school.
4)Teens Learning Skills Online: I did think this article had value, I can see how adults see all this time children spend on the internet as a waste of time. Even though I do agree that adolescents are learning how to get along with others and learning to manage a public identity, there is still nothing that can replace face to face interaction. The ideal situation is to have both, and really you can't have one without the other. So its important to still be human AND communicate through the virtual world.
5) The New WWW: I loved this one and learned so much from it! I learned that WWW stands for whatever, whenever, wherever. Meaning that people can have whatever they want whenever they want it wherever they are. This totally describes our society today and in the article, the postition is that is isn't always a good thing. I also really like the part that says"banning in order to avoid change" has done no good as far as education is concerned and that as educators, we should be the ones helping! I also loved the advice, "turn them [the students] over to themselves." Let them create a movie! Let them express their creativity! This article was very informative and motivating.
6) Engaged Learning: Interesting movie. I understand that there is a huge learning curve for the older generations but we have to embrace it! It's the world we live in. To me, this video really coinsided well with the growth mind set and how the older generations really need to develop that concerning technology. It's really not an option. The longer somone waits to jump on the technology train, the more behind they are going to be. This video really made me realize how dire the need is for more technology in the classroom.
7) Games and Simulations: This article calls for an evoltuion of education rather than a revoltuion. I liked how it stood up for teachers when it said there is a lot of good teaching going on, it's just not percieved that way publicly. We have many good teachers who just need to learn to capatalize on the technology around them. However, I don't know how I feel about gaming in the education world. Saying World of War craft has educational value is a shot in the dark. However, thats just my opinion. I do see more value in the game Civilization.
Strenghts and Weaknesses
A couple of strengths I have with regards to the NETS-T is that I have the ability to communicate with students, parents and piers through several different digital tools such as email, texting, skype, facebook, or a blog. I feel comfortable in my skills to use all those and would hope that parents, students and piers would use whichever form they prefer to contact me. Another strength of mine would be to "advocate, model, and teach safe legal and ethical use of digital information." Plagarism is a huge offense in any subject and I feel that I have had enough experience with writting and citing sources in history that I feel proficient in citing sources. The gravity of Plagarism is something I feel I could accuratley express to my students. (Points 3c & 4a)
Some weaknesses I have include transfering exhisting knowledge to new technologies. I don't know alot about the new technologies to feel comfortable doing this. I think knowing more about new technologies and what I am capable of doing with them would help me a lot in being more creative with my content area. Another weakness that I have is that I don't "evaluate and reflect on a regular basis... current research of existing and emerging digital tools." I don't know a whole lot about what is happening in technology that could help me as a teacher, I don't really stay as informed as I should. (2c, 3a, &5c)
With regaurds to the students NETS goals, I feel one strong point of mine is that I could stress that students work needs to be their own. I feel a weakness of mine in this area is that I wouldn't know how to help the students learn about new technologies. I feel that if I new more about the new or exhisting technologies I could better help the students.
GOALS:
1: To stay informed about current and new technologies so that I know what they are, where to find or access them, and basic information about how they are used and applied in my contect area. Keep a list of those I find most beneficial.
2. Learn how to use new technologies and apply them to my content area.
(Sources were cited from the two NETS standards)
Some weaknesses I have include transfering exhisting knowledge to new technologies. I don't know alot about the new technologies to feel comfortable doing this. I think knowing more about new technologies and what I am capable of doing with them would help me a lot in being more creative with my content area. Another weakness that I have is that I don't "evaluate and reflect on a regular basis... current research of existing and emerging digital tools." I don't know a whole lot about what is happening in technology that could help me as a teacher, I don't really stay as informed as I should. (2c, 3a, &5c)
With regaurds to the students NETS goals, I feel one strong point of mine is that I could stress that students work needs to be their own. I feel a weakness of mine in this area is that I wouldn't know how to help the students learn about new technologies. I feel that if I new more about the new or exhisting technologies I could better help the students.
GOALS:
1: To stay informed about current and new technologies so that I know what they are, where to find or access them, and basic information about how they are used and applied in my contect area. Keep a list of those I find most beneficial.
2. Learn how to use new technologies and apply them to my content area.
(Sources were cited from the two NETS standards)
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