Journal #6
AACEJ: http://www.aace.org/pubs/aacej/
CITE Journal: http://www.citejournal.org/vol4/iss1/
I was going to start off with talking about T.H.E. Journal, but since it was given to us, I figured I would find others that you might not have heard about. The first one I found is called the AACE Journal (Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education).
This journal began as a print journal and is now an online journal. The people who subscribe to the journal are allowed to add their opinion or start a discussion to an article. One does not need to be subscribed to read the articles.
The next online publication I found is called the CITE Journal (Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education). It is monitored by 5 organizations which specialized areas of education. The think I liked best about this journal is it breaks down each discipline and applies talks about how to apply technology to that area. Like the AACE, the articles can be read for free online.
If you decide to subscribe to either of these journals, there is an option to subscribe to seven different educational technology publications. The AACE monitors the subscriptions to all of these publications.
Q: Are the sites easy to navigate?
A: Yes! They both were incredibly easy to navigate through. I think I liked the CITE Journal better, because it broke the technology down into subjects. If you want an article more specific to your needs, this would minimize the search time.
Q: Do you have to pay to use these sites?
A: If you only want to read an article every now and then or it is a one time use, then no, I wouldn't recommend to pay to subscribe. If you want to read it often, I would say to subscribe to the journals.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Journal #5 ~ Social Networking
http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=socialnetworking
Social networking is a way to build a community of people on the internet who have a similar interest. The social network community can provide useful information as well as a support system. These teachers were having trouble getting their colleagues to join and participate. One man talked about how he had to put up useful tools that others could only get through joining. Even though he got them to join, many of them do not participate in discussions. There needs to be topics that people can relate to in order to further a discussion. The people who are not really comfortable with the site will most likely not start a conversation, but would probably respond to one already started. In another discussion, a teacher talks about how he wants to create a Wiki to tie in with his science class. His vision is to have his Wiki be in collaboration with others all over the world. Other teachers sounded very interested and enthusiastic about joining in on it. The Wiki would include lessons, videos, pictures, and comments/suggestions from those involved. The major problem I see with this is making sure that it incorporates all the curricula of the schools involved. Then there was a discussion on the content that is blocked by their school districts. Web 2.0 is blocked for some and the teachers were complaining because it can be a useful tool. Others were saying that all sites that include blogging, social networking, and file sharing are blocked. I could see how these sites could be abused and not used in a educational way during school hours. I liked the way one district had the teachers apply to use the blogging site and if it was acceptable, they would be approved. If the blogs are limited, then the district can keep track of the content easier to ensure it contains appropriate material. I think social networking can be incredibly useful if it is used properly.
Social networking is a way to build a community of people on the internet who have a similar interest. The social network community can provide useful information as well as a support system. These teachers were having trouble getting their colleagues to join and participate. One man talked about how he had to put up useful tools that others could only get through joining. Even though he got them to join, many of them do not participate in discussions. There needs to be topics that people can relate to in order to further a discussion. The people who are not really comfortable with the site will most likely not start a conversation, but would probably respond to one already started. In another discussion, a teacher talks about how he wants to create a Wiki to tie in with his science class. His vision is to have his Wiki be in collaboration with others all over the world. Other teachers sounded very interested and enthusiastic about joining in on it. The Wiki would include lessons, videos, pictures, and comments/suggestions from those involved. The major problem I see with this is making sure that it incorporates all the curricula of the schools involved. Then there was a discussion on the content that is blocked by their school districts. Web 2.0 is blocked for some and the teachers were complaining because it can be a useful tool. Others were saying that all sites that include blogging, social networking, and file sharing are blocked. I could see how these sites could be abused and not used in a educational way during school hours. I liked the way one district had the teachers apply to use the blogging site and if it was acceptable, they would be approved. If the blogs are limited, then the district can keep track of the content easier to ensure it contains appropriate material. I think social networking can be incredibly useful if it is used properly.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Journal #4
Journal #4
Dr. Reid, Richard. “Innovations in Prevention & Intervention- RtI.” 10th Annual Summer Leadership Institute.
Dr. Reid was not as entertaining as Dr. Villa, but he had some interesting things to say. There was even an overlap at one point. They both agreed that in order to produce change, there needs to be vision, skill, incentive, resources and action. His presentation was focused on RtI (Responsiveness to Intervention). He said that he thinks that relationships are important criteria that need to be met in school. He stressed that schools need to have a leadership team who influence, support, and challenge their colleagues to participate in the change. Change can only occur if everyone is involved in the process. The leaders of the school act as coaches as they assist and support those around them. They also need to remember to take care of themselves while taking care of others. Like Dr. Villa, he stressed that change cannot occur immediately, but instead it is a gradual process. He listed the stages that need to occur when implementing change and they are: exploration and adoption, installation, initial implementation, full implementation, innovation, and sustainability. He talked about how many people will go to seminars and watch presentations, but they only use about 5% of what they learned there, even when they think that the ideas are great. There needs to be motivation and support from others to try to implement more of the ideas. With the support and feedback from others, they can figure out what is working and what isn’t. This requires fidelity and integrity on the teacher’s part.
Q: If schools across the country are losing 7000 students a day, shouldn’t there be more motivation to figure out the problem?
A: The simple answer is yes, but sadly, many teachers (administrators too) don’t want to put in the extra energy to ensure that students are receiving the proper monitoring. Granted students drop out for different reasons, but many of them slipped through the cracks and are way too far behind to catch up. Teachers should be able to tell if their students are improving throughout the year and if there is little/no improvement, there needs to be some sort of intervention. Teachers need the tips, support, and encouragement from their colleagues in order to get the motivation to monitor all their students. No one said it would be easy, but I think it will prove to be worth the effort.
Journal #3
Journal #3
Villa, Richard. “Special Education.” 10th Annual Summer Leadership Institute.
Dr. Richard Villa was a very entertaining presenter. He talked about how he considered special education as the last form of segregation in schools. Dr. Villa was enthusiastic and hopeful toward the future possibility of special education in schools. He focused his presentation around 5 questions to answer. While he gave the answers to these questions, I started to think about how schools work as I know them to. His ideas did not seem to be unrealistic and in fact, he even stressed that it would take time and energy to achieve what he was proposing. Schools need to bring their focus back to the students. It is there where we are raising our next set of adults who will run the country, invent things, be our doctors and lawyers, etc. Schools should help all students realize their potential, work as a team and still have the motivation through what he describes as “equalence.” Through all of our trial an error in schools, equalence seems to be the best answer for solving the issue of special education as segregation. Through equalence, all children will be able to play and win in the game of school. Dr. Villa used the game of musical chairs to show his point and I thought that was a great way to show what he was proposing. I especially liked his stress relieving tips he gave at the end.
Q: Is mainstreaming all subjects beneficial to all students?
A: I honestly do not think so. I do think that special education is holding some students back and they should be mainstreamed into some of the subjects. It is important for all students to interact with those who are different than them. At the same time, special education allows for more one-on-one time and they are given extra help where they need it. I am not sure where the happy medium is where the benefit is maximized for all students.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Journal #2
Journal #2
McFarlane, Sarah H. (2008). The laptops are coming! the laptops are coming!. Rethinking School Online, 22 No 4, Retrieved
This article was written by a teacher who has incorporated the use of technology in her classroom. At first she was happy about her students receiving laptops to use. She soon discovered that her excessive time spent on the computer was taking away from the face-to-face communication she should be having with the students and parents. Sarah talks about how she felt like she was more of a computer monitor than a teacher. I think it is creepy that people can monitor other computers so closely. She began to notice the increased distraction of her students the more they used their computers. Sarah also noticed that the students began to have less communication amongst one another. There was a discomfort about how the laptops were introduced to the students. It seems as though everyone was too eager and did not take the time to plan ahead. Some students are not as computer savvy as others and it takes them longer to complete the steps and end up getting lost way behind the other students. Sarah ends her article by saying that technology can be a good thing in the classroom, but it needs to have the proper planning for execution. The DYN is an interesting group, because they encourage personal contact and still explore technology as it advances. The participants are learning to work together on technological projects.
Q: Who really does gain through an excessive use of technology in schools?
A: I think that many people benefit from the technology. Schools benefit even though they spend the money on the products, because they get to tell the community that they are using the technology. Technology use might make the school more appealing to some. Advertisers benefit, because it gives them a higher chance of their ad being seen if students are constantly using the internet. The manufacturers are benefiting financially. It seems the only people who have a negative side to their benefit are the teachers and students, who are spending less time communicating face to face. In the case of the DYN, everyone sounds like they are benefiting.
Q: Will everyone have an experience like this?
A: Not everyone will have the same outcome as Sarah. I thin that as technology emerges into the classroom, teachers need to be willing to learn about the technology they are incorporating. This way they can better control the usage by their students. Maybe they can only allow the use of some technology at specified times if they are abusing the use.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Journal #1
Journal #1
Shifflet, Rena, & Toledo, Cheri (2008). Extreme makeover: updating class activities for the 21st century. Learning and Leading in Technology. 34-35. Retrieved on July 13, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes
This article talks about how classrooms today should upgrade their technological activities. There are so many Web-based activities and tools that one can access for free. It is thought that by using the social networking sites, the students will be more inclined to stay focused on the activity. There are programs that offer many document writing tools (essays, spreadsheets, presentations, etc), which can be posted to a website or to a blog and can be accessed by other people. Creating a blog for class should be for academic and not personal purposes. When the class is involved in social bookmarks, they will have easy access to the websites they need without being on the computer they saved the site to., as well as accessing other’s bookmarks. Students are also encouraged to upload their photos to a site where they can access them from any computer. There is a possibility of misuse of Web-based activities, but we can always use the misuse as an example of what not to do. As technology continues to advance, we need to teach our students to be knowledgeable.
Q: Will printers be a thing of the past and blogs become the new way to submit all work? A: I think that this is definitely possible. There are people out there fighting to slow down paper production. This would be a good way to keep all the work organized. Plus, it would be fairly easy to check for plagiarism.
Mader, Jared, & Smith, Ben (2008). Blogging right along. Learning and Leading in Technology. 36. Retrieved on July 13, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes
This article talks about how a blog can help to tell if a student comprehends the class material being taught. It enforces them to think about the topics covered and actively interact with other students. They can be asked to write a weekly blog discussing what occurred in the classroom, where they should make specific references to class. Each student will be responsible for a certain amount of time that they should be online working on the blog. Photos should be used to remind those who are visual learners. This way everyone gets the reminder in case they need it. If the teacher sets up the blogs to send an e-mail when a change is made, they can easily keep track of what the students are doing. This will help the teacher stay organized and be able to grade easily. Other students can help monitor others as well and help fix mistakes that their classmates have.
Q: What about the students who do not have internet access at home?
A: There are libraries that offer internet access. Schools also offers internet access. They can go over to a buddy’s house who does have the internet. There will also be time allotted in the classroom to work on the blogs. This way everyone will have a chance to get as much done as possible inside the class where they have the guaranteed access.
Shifflet, Rena, & Toledo, Cheri (2008). Extreme makeover: updating class activities for the 21st century. Learning and Leading in Technology. 34-35. Retrieved on July 13, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes
This article talks about how classrooms today should upgrade their technological activities. There are so many Web-based activities and tools that one can access for free. It is thought that by using the social networking sites, the students will be more inclined to stay focused on the activity. There are programs that offer many document writing tools (essays, spreadsheets, presentations, etc), which can be posted to a website or to a blog and can be accessed by other people. Creating a blog for class should be for academic and not personal purposes. When the class is involved in social bookmarks, they will have easy access to the websites they need without being on the computer they saved the site to., as well as accessing other’s bookmarks. Students are also encouraged to upload their photos to a site where they can access them from any computer. There is a possibility of misuse of Web-based activities, but we can always use the misuse as an example of what not to do. As technology continues to advance, we need to teach our students to be knowledgeable.
Q: Will printers be a thing of the past and blogs become the new way to submit all work? A: I think that this is definitely possible. There are people out there fighting to slow down paper production. This would be a good way to keep all the work organized. Plus, it would be fairly easy to check for plagiarism.
Mader, Jared, & Smith, Ben (2008). Blogging right along. Learning and Leading in Technology. 36. Retrieved on July 13, 2008, from http://www.pdfdownload.org/pdf2html/pdf2html.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjheil65.googlepages.com%2FJournal1.pdf&images=yes
This article talks about how a blog can help to tell if a student comprehends the class material being taught. It enforces them to think about the topics covered and actively interact with other students. They can be asked to write a weekly blog discussing what occurred in the classroom, where they should make specific references to class. Each student will be responsible for a certain amount of time that they should be online working on the blog. Photos should be used to remind those who are visual learners. This way everyone gets the reminder in case they need it. If the teacher sets up the blogs to send an e-mail when a change is made, they can easily keep track of what the students are doing. This will help the teacher stay organized and be able to grade easily. Other students can help monitor others as well and help fix mistakes that their classmates have.
Q: What about the students who do not have internet access at home?
A: There are libraries that offer internet access. Schools also offers internet access. They can go over to a buddy’s house who does have the internet. There will also be time allotted in the classroom to work on the blogs. This way everyone will have a chance to get as much done as possible inside the class where they have the guaranteed access.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Introduction Letter
Hey all! My name is Sarah Sentianin. I was born in Orange County and moved to Palm Desert when I was 5. All my schooling through my AA were all done in Palm Desert. I graduated from Palm Desert High School in February 2000. I then spent many years screwing around in a community college, COD (College of the Desert). I now attend CSUSM, where I will graduate in the spring of '09. I am a Liberal Studies major with an emphasis in Child Development. I hope to start the credential program in the fall of '09. EDUC 422 is my last prerequisite class to complete.
I use my computer daily. I recently bought a new HP laptop. I love it, but I would have rather gotten a Mac. I think I settled for the PC because I am familiar with how things work. I love to explore the internet and I do a lot of communication through email. About 2 years ago, I had a teacher assign a powerpoint project and I had no experience with them. I was a little embarrassed when she stated that her 4th grade daughter knew how to make them. I am becoming more and more comfortable with them each time I make one. I absolutely hate the new set-up for Microsoft Office, so I use the 2002 version. I hope that I will be able to continue to use it for quite awhile.
In my search for what I wanted to be when I became a bigger kid, I stumbled upon teaching. I did not always want to teach. I had always wanted to be a chemical engineer. I went to help a friend in her classroom for a week and immediately fell in love with her students. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I began to look at a few different schools and my little sister begged me to check out CSUSM, because that is where she was going. In my research, I found out that CSUSM was ranked very high for teaching. The first time I read the mission statement for the College of Education at CSUSM, I felt at home. So, I applied and here I am, making the necessary steps to become a bigger kid. It was like someone was reading my thoughts. The part that really stood out was when it said "life-long learning." I love to learn knew things and I was glad that they thought it was important as well.
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