Digital Portfolio

My website is finally complete! Click here to visit. 

A lot of hard work went into making this website, but I think it gives a great description of all we have learned over the course of the semester. Not only did we learn how to make a website, but we learned a lot of new techniques to create different projects. All of these projects are featured on my website. You'll also find information about me, my educational philosophy, and links to some cool resources.

I'd love to know what everyone thinks about how my website turned out, so take a look and leave me some comments!

IConn and Digital Equity

     I definitely think that IConn is a great resource to ensure digital equity because it gives database access not only to faculty and students, but to all CT state residents as well. All you need is a valid CT public library card, which is free! This kind of data base allows adults and children to access millions of articles and other sources of information regarding many different topics. The database is great for personal enjoyment or for completing school projects.

     There is clearly a divide in regard to technology in our country. Just in our state we have so many different groups of people that live in many different ways. Unfortunately, many do not have access to much of the technology available today because either they cannot afford it, or their school districts do not have the funds to include it in the school curriculum. Today, most public and school libraries have at least a few computers, and with just a library card, anyone can gain free access to a multitude of information, which is surely shrinking the digital divide.

     For my own personal use, I found that Educator's Reference Complete database seemed useful. My future career as an educator would definitely benefit from having access to the newest research articles about new teaching methods or new breakthroughs in child development. I hope to work in the elementary grades, and therfore the Kids InfoBits database would likely be beneficial to utilize. My higher-functioning Special Education students would likely be able to use the database to work on class projects or search for some fun new information.

Computer Delusion

     The article "The Computer Delusion" by Todd Oppenheimer addresses the issue that school districts are using technology as a "fix all" solution to the problems that exist in our education system. The newest technology is always sought after as the best way to enhance and improve our classrooms and lesson plans. But how far are we going to go before computers and other technologies are running our classes for us?

     I definitely believe that computer delusion is a real issue in not only our classrooms, but in society in general today. New technology is NOT the answer to our problems. Of course certain technologies have improved our students' learning experience in the past, and it will continue to improve also, but we as educators cannot let these improvements take over our teaching responsibilities. There are many things in school that children cannot learn via technology. Let's make it clear that it is also not a good thing for students to be sitting at a computer or staring into another electronic device for too long every day. Too much computer use can cause headaches and pain in the eyes and hands/wrists.


     In Todd Oppenheimer's article, he addressed a new technological school in California where students completed all classes and lessons on computers. I immediately thought of their social well-being. Sure, we have social networking that allows us to interact with friends online, but do these students get the chance to simply sit and have a conversation? You have to make friends the old fashioned way before you can chat with them on Facebook or Twitter (or at least, you should). Technology classes are also replacing classes that focus on the arts and technical/vocational trades, with the fear that students who do not participate in these classes will not be prepared for the tech-savvy world that sits before them. Let's make it clear that college and computers is NOT right for every student, and without the opportunities to learn a trade in high school, where are they left when the graduate? These opportunities should continue to be available for students who may not succeed academically or who do not fit into the college mold.


     I am not against technology at all. In fact, I love to be up-to-date with the latest products, apps, sites, etc., but there is a fine line between enjoying and benefiting from technology and becoming dependent on it. Yes, the world is changing and we are relying on technology more to get us through each day. It definitely has a place in schools, but we cannot let it take over a majority of the learning that needs to take place.

Digital Equity

     After reading the articles provided to us, it is pretty clear that there is a digital divide in certain areas, namely in gender differences and in areas that are socio-economically different. One article discusses the notion that female students tend to avoid classes or programs that focus on the narrower aspects of computer science. This may be because this area lacks creativity and is very straight-forward. Another article addresses the fact that school districts in low-income areas can be so desperate to raise their under-achieving students' test scores that they purchase programs that drill information into students' heads, yet lack any opportunity for real comprehension. School districts in higher-income areas may not have this kind of an issue, and therefore their students are able to use programs that allow for a deeper understanding of the information because less pressure is on them to improve test scores.

     As educators, the notion of a digital divide implies that we need to correct it in the best ways possible. For some teachers, this may mean adding some creative or personalized components when studying computer science or similar subjects, in order to encourage more female students to gain interest. Unfortunately, for teachers in low-income areas, there may not be as much opportunity to improve this divide because of mediating factors. Because of No Child Left Behind, teachers and administrators are under immense pressure to raise test scores and improve rates of proficiency. Unfortunately, this means that many students will be drilled with information in order to regurgitate it on future assessments. This does not leave much time for new methods to be introduced. However, teachers must do the best they can to ensure that students are able to comprehend what they are learning. This can be done by asking students to apply the information they have learned to new situations. Without the ability to manipulate a piece of information and apply it to a new situation, students will not have gained the deeper understanding necessary for full comprehension.

Non-Linear Powerpoints

     Prior to the class on non-linear powerpoints, I had never heard of this concept, considering that I had never been assigned a project that required anything more than a bunch of slides, clicking from one to the next. I actually had fun learning about and making this type of powerpoint, and think it could be a great resource for teachers to create quick and informal quizzes and tests for their students. If parents wish, they could also quickly create something to help their child prepare for a test in a fun way.
I can also see teachers using non-linear powerpoints as an interactive activity on a SmartBoard. Students could come to the board individually and select their answers, making for a great review lesson.

Reflections

     I have definitely found many things that we have learned in this class useful for my own personal benefit. For example, I have always wanted to learn how to use Photoshop, and although this is definitely a program that takes awhile to master, I'm glad that I at least caught a glimpse and was able to work on my own project. I won't go as far to say that the material we have been working on is challenging, because I am pretty computer literate and I think I pick up on things quickly. So while a program may be new to me, my prior knowledge about computers has allowed me to understand how to use these new programs or techniques fairly quickly. 
     I hope that during the second half of the semester we can touch upon some of the programs designed to meet the needs of students with special needs. I know that this information is not in the syllabus for the coming weeks, but it would be nice to discuss using SmartBoards or technology that serves as communication resources for students who have speech difficulties. Since I am studying to be a Special Education teacher, this material would be very beneficial to me. Overall, I believe that I have learned a lot in this class and hope that I can continue to benefit from it and put it to good use in my future role as a teacher.

Inquiry-Based Learning

     I believe that as a student I have definitely used inquiry-based thinking and learning, but perhaps I have not been aware of it. I find that asking questions during a lesson is a way to further your learning, not an implication that you are confused by the content and need further clarification. That being said, I think that educators at any grade level should encourage their students to ask questions, and not give the impression that questions are wasting valuable class time or diverting from the subject matter. Who knows, a question that one student asks could give another student the answers they were looking for, but were too shy or uncomfortable to ask. A question one student asks could help others to look at the curriculum in a new way that they hadn't thought of and create some new insight.

     This being said, I believe that I, as a future educator, will be encouraging my students to ask questions. Although my students will be receiving special education services and may not be capable of the deep multidimensional thinking that typical students can do, this does not mean that they will not be curious about what they are learning. Students should always be encouraged to become excited about the subjects they are learning about. Discouraging asking questions is basically saying that we want students to memorize information and regurgitate it on a test, plain and simple. Students should take away something more from their education, because school is about learning new things and taking these ideas to another level of thinking, not passing tests and moving on. Now that I have been made aware of this type of learning, I will definitely be making an effort in the future to encourage student inquiry.

Implications of Copyright Issues for Educators

     I was surprised to find out during our class lesson on copyright issues that we as educators actually have a lot of freedom when including copyrighted works into our lesson plans. It does make sense when you think about it though, that, for the most part, an educator is allowed to include many copyrighted works into lessons as long as they serve an educational purpose. And of course, as long as they are not kept and used for an excessive amount of time. This eases my mind a little because now I know in the future that I will not have to worry a whole lot about breaking the law when writing my lesson plans!

     However, it is important for all educators to be aware that they are likely breaking the law by including some kind of multimedia presentation in the free time they give their students. I was surprised to find out that schools are not allowed by any means to show movies for entertainment purposes without obtaining permission. Permission, of course, gets expensive. This made me think of all the times during my schooling when we would watch movies in class before a vacation or a holiday just for fun. And I'm sure that my school didn't have permission to do this. 

     Overall, I think the most important thing for educators to take away from this lesson is to simply be aware of the laws. Most of what educators and their students are doing with copyrighted works will be fine, as long as that educational component is recognizable. When using a protected work becomes more about enjoyment than education, you should probably step back and rearrange your agenda for the day, just to be safe.

Dexter's eTIPS and Universal Design for Learning

     I think that nearly all types of technology that are appropriate for classroom use, not just those that we have been using in class, add value to the teaching and learning experience and contribute to UDL. The vast amount of technology that is available to us as educators give us so many more possibilities to meet the needs and interests of diverse groups of students. I immediately think of web 2.0 and the ever-expanding list of websites that allow students to learn interactively and be creative with their school work. Web 2.0 resources are available for every grade level and for many different intelligence levels as well. I feel very comforted knowing that I will be able to find web 2.0 resources for my future students who may present great difficulties in learning. Not only are technology resources available for students with different intelligence levels, but I should also be able to find and utilize resources that allow my students to learn in ways that benefit them the most (i.e. visual, auditory, kinesthetic), which definitely fits in with the UDL model.

Photoshop

     We used Photoshop in class this week, and I sent my dog to Washington! I'm clearly obsessed with her because I've been using her for all of my photo manipulation projects. I used two pictures to create the final product - the original of my dog from my previous post, and a picture of the Capitol Building that I took during a trip to D.C. in 2009. This was quite a complicated program to use, but after we get used to it, I don't think it will be that hard. Time consuming, but it turned out to be really fun. And I had always wanted to learn how to use Photoshop - check that off my bucket list!

     When I think of how this program could be used with my future special ed. students, I immediately think of fine motor skills. Using this program takes a lot of concentration and precision to use, especially when cutting an image out of one photo to use in another or blending colors together. This may be difficult for students with special needs who struggle with these motor skills, but a program like this could definitely strengthen these skills.

Tableau Vivant

     Last week in class, we participated in the making of a "Tableau Vivant," or living picture. Basically, it is a way of telling a story through one or more pictures. Our group had the fable of the grasshopper and the ant. The ant toils all year to collect food while the grasshopper doesn't worry about the future. The ant tries to talk some sense into the grasshopper, but he ignores the ant's advice. When the winter comes, surprise surprise - the ant is happy and full while the grasshopper is starving because he had not prepared for the cold months.

     I thought that this was a fun way of learning a story and could definitely be beneficial to a classroom environment. By getting students more involved with a story and giving them some control over a related project will likely make them take more away from the story than they would otherwise. It was also cool to be creative and think about ways to describe the different scenes from the story. It didn't just have to be about playing an ant and a grasshopper, there are many ways to show someone working hard and the other being lazy - that's what makes this a fun activity.

Picnik Photos

I edited this picture of my dog in Picnik, on the left is before and the right is after. Not much editing done, but she's so pretty that she doesn't need it! :)

Teaching Standards

     I will be using the Special Education standard as a target of focus this semester. I am studying to be a Special Education teacher, so focusing on this standard of teaching will benefit me by allowing me to focus on how I can use this new information I am learning to assist my future students in their own learning.

     I think that being a Special Education teacher means that I will have to be in tune to the different ways that my students learn (visual, auditory, etc.) even more than other teachers. When students have difficulties learning, teachers are responsible for accommodating them and modifying their work, not necessarily to make learning easy, but to make it more accessible. Many typical students have preferred ways of learning that they benefit from the most, but these preferred learning styles are not necessary for learning to take place. For students with disabilities, they may be limited in the ways that they take in information and process it into memory, and it is my responsibility to make these learning styles available to them.


     Assistive technology is great for Special Education teachers and students because it provides activities and resources for accommodating different learning styles. For example, iPads and SmartBoards allow for both visual and auditory learning because it presents information in both ways. Students can see what they are learning about, and audio is also available for reinforced learning. These examples are also a great way for students to interact with the lesson because both are very user friendly and easy to activate. Even students who are very low functioning can benefit from this type of technology.


     Overall, I believe that the teaching standards for Special Education teachers requires rather than allows for the accommodation of different learning styles, because our students may be limited to these ways of learning. Fortunately, there are many resources currently available to us that enable us to assist our students in the most beneficial ways possible.

Teddy Bears Go Blogging

     I enjoyed the "Teddy Bears Go Blogging" article and believe that the idea behind the project can be very beneficial to students and educators involved. Not only does the project give students the ability to communicate with new people from other parts of the world and learn about new cultures, but it also teaches them how to use new means of communication that they may possibly want to continue using in the future. Blogging is easy to use, but still a great tool to understand and now about for future learning. This project might spark some creative abilities in students who may decide to continue writing and realize that they really enjoy it. Let's not forget that this is still a school project, and any new idea that gets students excited about learning and being in school should be encouraged!

     I liked the fact that students were given the opportunity to use the blogging project independently and also in small groups together. The teacher had the ability to monitor what the students were writing and the option to post or reject their comments, but very indirectly. Students were writing the posts and comments by themselves, sharing their own ideas with each other without the pressure of pleasing the teacher. This also allows students to be more honest in their posts and have the opportunity to come up with and stick to their own original ideas, rather than what their teachers may have hinted at them or what they think their teachers want to hear.

     Finally, as the article points out, the project focuses on communication rather than technology. Students are given the opportunity to communicate with new friends that they would have otherwise never meet (probably), and also improve their writing and communication skills. However, this project is also giving them a lesson in technology and providing them skills that they can use in the future.

Recommended Blogs

     The blog I chose to read from the recommended list was "The Innovative Educator" by Lisa Nielsen. Lisa is an advocate of new and innovative ways to teach and learn, including using the latest technology that may not be widely accepted among the average classrooms. Her moves and opinions are risky and controversial, but her innovations will probably be used often in classrooms within the next couple of years. For example, Lisa encourages the use of cell phones between students and educators, and even adds her students as friends on Facebook. For those of us who currently work in schools, we might think that these practices are completely inappropriate, but who knows, we will probably adapt to these practices ourselves before we know it. When I was in high school, parents and teachers did not even communicate via email, and now both would be lost without it.

     I thought it was fun and interesting that Lisa allows guest posts on her blog, and frequently references other blogs or articles to agree or disagree with. One particular guest post caught my interest. The blogger was a mother of four who home-schools her children. She was responding to an article written by a teacher who wants parents to stop hovering over their children's school careers and admit that their children are capable of making mistakes. He frequently interacts with parents who do not believe him or take offense to anything other than praise he is willing to give their children, or parents who believe that their child is an excellent student based on his or her grades (implying that some teachers only give good grades so they will be left alone). The blogger responded with outrage that someone would dare expect her to not take her child's side or think him or her capable of poor behavior.

     My response to this blog post does not have much to do with technology as it does to my beliefs about home-schooling, but I promise to make a connection. I do not believe that home-schooling allows children to reach their full academic or social potentials, especially when the educator is the parents themselves. I do not believe that a parent is capable of having an objective opinion of his or her child's school work the way that a regular teacher would, thus risking the validity of the child's grades and the amount of knowledge that they are really obtaining. Home-schooled students also cannot thrive in the social environment that schools provide and will likely have a lot of trouble later in life when they are no longer sheltered by the walls of their kitchens during the day.

     In terms of technology, schools, which receive funding from the state or from student tuition, have the ability to provide students with types of technology that they would likely never be able to benefit from at home. Let's face it, iPads are expensive enough, can a family afford to install a SmartBoard in their home? Also, certain programs that students use on computers in school are not available for individual purchase, you have to be affiliated with a school or company to buy it. Overall, students are exposed to and learn how to operate certain technology in schools that their parents would not be able to provide. The technology in schools helps students to learn in new and innovative ways that stray from the traditional pencil and paper methods and improve the learning experience.

Response to USA Today Article

     While reading this article about using MP3s for educational purposes, I immediately thought how great it would have been if some of my previous professors had suggested or encouraged this type of learning. As a college student, one is generally assigned more reading than seems feasible. It takes great amounts of time out of a person's day to simply complete the readings for a class, nevermind the papers or assignments that usually accompany them. Using MP3s to listen to readings can allow a person to multitask while completing assignments. Of course, you have to be engaged enough to actually comprehend what you are listening to, but you might be able to grocery shop, exercise, or do the dishes or laundry at the same time.

     I also thought of how this type of learning would benefit young readers. Children who have no yet mastered fluent reading can still gain the same understanding from a story as the child who has mastered this skill. As mentioned in the article, reading outloud and hearing the words boosts literacy.

     Overall, I believe that the use of MP3s as an educational tool is just another example of our rapidly changing world and the advance of technology to benefit our everyday lives. Some are very against this change and feel that we are relying too much on electronics and things that do a lot of the work for us. I believe that this change should be embraced, for these changes are truly revolutionary and do in most cases strengthen or quality of life.

     If we simply compare the way classrooms operated when we were in elementary school with the way they operate now, we can see the obvious differences. Many more classrooms are equipped with computers, many have smartboards, and these change the way that students learn. I believe that exposing them to technology and teaching them how to use and benefit from it is preparing them for their lives in the real world. We are expected to know how to use technology in many job fields, and by the time our students are in the work force, these expectations will only be stronger. Technology is our future, no matter if we like it or not, and I believe that any kind of technology that is available to us and can make learning easier or more enjoyable should be embraced.