Chapter 8 Reflection

Chapter 8 talks a lot about the idea of evaluating a website. This is essential for me as a future educator because we must assure sites are both appropriate and educationally sound for our students. There is no real way of knowing whether a site is appropriate until the teacher has analyzed the site himself/herself. While this may take extra time than a teacher would like to spend, it is a necessary preparation when dealing with students’ exposure to websites. So the question then is how do we know if a website is truly appropriate and effective?

The criterion the book lists is based on the structure/organization, text and graphic links, good visual design, and easy navigation. Of these criteria, I believe the most important of these aspects would have to be the effectiveness of the organization of the website. With dealing with younger students especially, it is essential that a website is organized in a format that is aesthetically pleasing. The organization of a website will thus naturally incorporate the other criterion required in an evaluation (good visual design, easy navigation). For example, a site that is organized effectively will likely have a quality visual design and will be easy to navigate through.

The chapter also discusses the creation of WebPages. The chapter presented pitfalls to avoid when creating a website such as “limiting personal information.” We must be especially careful if we are going to have our students participate in this Webpage building to not put too much pertinent, personal information. Such WebPages can often be found through search engines. One idea that could help to avoid this possibility could be to have students verify all their information with the teacher upon publishing the site to assure no dilemmas.

CRITERIA CHART FOR EVALUATING A WEBSITE:

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/webcrit.html

Chapter 7 Reflection

I think the internet can be a significantly useful and almost essential to using computers in the classroom with students. The amount of resources available on the internet is unimaginable, from using search engines for basic research or for the many teacher sources such as Webquests. However, with the internet come many pitfalls.

Some of the main issues concerning the use of the internet discussed in the book are inappropriate materials, privacy issues, viruses, and copyright issues. For starters, it is our job as educators to protect the safety of our students in our classroom. With this responsibility on our shoulders, we must be sure not expose our students to content that could somehow negatively affect them. This issue seems to be the biggest problem when discussing the use of search engines in the classroom. Many search engines can bring up inappropriate, unevaluated sites. Though many schools have some sort of filter to help limit the unprotected sites, there are ways for which students can still find access to undesired places. Similarly, if students are granted access to inappropriate sites, they put the computer and the network at risk of catching a computer virus or making their computer available to hacking. We as educators must also teach our students what is legal and appropriate when using others’ materials. It seems that this idea of copyrighting someone else’s work at all levels of education has become quite an issue. With the number of internet users growing today, it has become much more tempting for students to simply plagiarize a source they find on the internet. It is our job as educators to steer students away from this dilemma at an early age.

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Chapter 6 Reflection

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Hypermedia has become such an integral part of technology use in both the classroom and outside the classroom today. Of the many aspects of hypermedia, I think the authoring tool of “video production and editing systems” is the most interesting to use with students in the classroom. Teaching students to use video production or editing of media can be difficult depending on available resources. However, the program iMovie seems to come to mind that can be interactive for students. As a future language arts teacher, I think I can use this software as an alternative and interesting way for students than a traditional paper. For example, when teaching a unit on personal narratives, instead of having students simply write their personal narratives, I can have students create a script. Students would then pair into groups to help each other record their personal narratives using their script. As the chapter states, using such types of hypermedia creates motivation within students which will ultimately create a more effective learning experience.

To take the previously discussed assignment to a further level, I can pair students up to help each other conduct a storyboard that will serve as their framework for the movie. Storyboards are yet another part of hypermedia and can allow students to map out their movies event by event. This type of project will call on different learning styles such as those of visual and audio learners. It will also benefit students by encouraging collaboration and group work with their fellow classmates.

Chapter 5

I think the Materials Generators that the chapter discusses can be very beneficial for teachers. In my own experience, I have used an online rubric generator multiple times to create scoring rubrics for lesson plans in my own classes. These types of generators are great because they allow teachers to skip the organization and setup steps and time that they would otherwise have to spend much of their time creating. For example, with the online rubric generator (similar to those discussed in the chapter), the software provides the frame/columns of a rubric and allows the teacher to simply choose from a list of scoring criteria or to create their own. The site also provides many assignments that are common in a classroom. For example, I once created a lesson plan on “Persuasive Writing.” The generator happened to have this exact assignment and provided pre-established criteria for it.

Also in the chapter, the author discussed how Graphics software is helpful. I think this is interesting because it calls on how technology can be used for visual learners with different learning styles. Many of my future students will have varying abilities and with learn information in different formats. Graphic software provides collections of things like clip art, animation, sound, video. As a result, this software can be aesthetically pleasing for visual learners and audio learners. As part of my future language arts class, I can incorporate the use of these software tools within research papers or presentations that would otherwise be primarily text.

Rubric Generator Link:

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Rubric Generator Tutorial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htaMUOepNeM

Chapter 4 Reflection

I agree with the concept that Word Processing software can help the writing skills of students. I think that it encourages students to be more formal in their writing and allows the possibility of a professional design and organization that could not otherwise be created with handwriting and standard notebook paper. I also think that Word Processing is beneficial in that it prepares students for what they will be likely doing someday in their profession. In this world, there is a use for technology, especially word processing, in nearly every profession.

However, I think Word Processing creates a very interesting dilemma when using it with young students. It brings in the question: "Does a software program like Word Processing actually make students' writing worse?" As a future Language Arts Teacher I will certainly face this predicament. I believe that Word Processing has the capabilities of destroying a writer's sense of style and originality. Oftentimes these types of programs seek to correct what it seeks as grammatically incorrect. However, it is not always right and does not know the goal behind the writing. For example, there may be an instance where a student has intentions of writing something a certain way. If the computer tells that student that his/her writing is incorrect, naturally the student will quickly accept the computer's recommendation. When you receive a high number of students taking all these recommendations, as a teacher, this makes all student writing begin to sound similar. It thus kills the personality of a written piece that each student would had otherwise put in. As a Language Arts teacher, word processing software must then be carefully chose when to use and when not to.

CHAPTER 3 Reflection

This chapter discusses the uses of Instructional Software and how they can help to benefit teachers in the classroom. I think of all the examples of Instructional Software, the Simulation Software is the most overlooked and beneficial. Any aspect of instruction that puts students in a hands-on learning experience is extremely effective for both appealing and motivating students to actively learn. This seems to be the problem with much of the classrooms and instructors today, that they simply cannot keep students’ attention during their instructional process. By implementing software that places students in a real life setting, we are going to make learning fun and a joy for our students.

I also think teachers can benefit from learning to use tutorials (as opposed to just students). Much of the reason behind teachers’ lack of technological skills is that they feel they simply don’t have the time to learn a new computer skill or how to implement it in their classroom. With the assistance of tutorials, teachers can work at their own pace to learn the necessary skills for using a new piece of software.

Finally, similarly to the use of Simulation Software in the classroom, teachers can use Instructional Games to grab students’ attention and make learning an enjoyable experience. However, this type of Instructional Software may require the most consideration. If it is not used properly, that is, with an educational objective and result, it can take away from student opportunities for achieving effective learning. One way to be sure of this may be to assess the students on the intended learning goals from the Instructional Game.

Chapter 2 Reflection

Chapter 2 discusses Howard Gardner’s learning theory of multiple intelligences. I think educational technology can be integrated to touch on any of these intelligences to benefit learners. As educators we are frequently taught to teach in a variety of ways that calls on all the possible intelligences of our students. Technology makes this task simple since technology can be adapted to benefit any student’s intelligence. For example, students with a “linguistic” intelligence may use any kind of word processing software, or educational game that builds on their word vocabulary and structure. A student with a “spatial” intelligence can greatly benefit from the visual presentation that comes with the smart board and projectors. A student with “musical” intelligence may benefit from a number of Macintosh programs such as Garageband or iMovie.

As the text discuss, getting funding to support technology integration may be especially difficult. Oftentimes this is not just the case for technology, but any number of resources that the teacher sees as a necessity but cannot get the administration to assist them with. While this is a pitfall that educators cannot do much about, I think we need to push for it anyhow. A large part of the reason administrators are so reluctant to provide funding is that they do not see the purpose of it. However, if we as educators can demonstrate our expertise with technology, as well as its relative advantage, I think we will have the power to persuade both our administrators and the school board to allocate extra funding for technology integration.