Chapters 4 and 5 and Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

Chapter 4 reminded me that there was a process to getting lots of things in teaching that I take for granted. It talked about the struggle America faced to get to schools with Universal Teaching. I was reminded of the process America traveled of creating an actual classroom where children could learn skills such as read and write instead of just being taught them by their parents. I learned how classrooms evolved from the one room school house to an actual full school. I was reminded of how teaching wasn't always part of the labor force and eventually became a paid position. I learned how aspects of school I just take for granted like attendance, grading, period switches, textbooks and curriculum units were implemented. As a future teacher I will remember the history of teaching and what fellow past teachers have gone through to get to where the teaching world is today.

Chapter 5 talked about the new opportunities (or possibly threats) are approaching the teaching environment. There's been large growth in homeschool, school in the workplace, distance education, adult education, learning centers, educational television and videos, educational computer software, technical certifications and Internet cafes. The face of education is changing rapidly and we have yet to see what form it will take. I learned it is important to stay up to date on these new improvements in the world of education to be aware of what today's children and adults are learning. This chapter went into great detail about these different faces providing pros and cons which will impact how children learn and I how I should teach my everyday classroom. We need to make sure as teachers that we don't let our students think of some of these technological tools as replacements of schools but rather as helpful insights.

Final Submission of Interactive Whiteboard Lesson

I have finally finished my Interactive Whiteboard Lesson (IWB) for the Smart Board and I am glad. It was a lot harder than I expected. I had a lot of trouble with little nit-picky things. I also found out that Smart notebook, for whatever reason, doesn't work well on my laptop. It slows everything down and tends to freeze very easily. I had to redo my work at least 4 times due to this, and I also had problems with transferring my lesson between computers. It was very frustrating. I don't think this project will stop me from using Smart Board lessons in the future, but I might prefer to use pre-made ones that can be found online or from other colleagues.

PLC Presentation

Well, I'm finally done with my Professional Learning Community (PLC) presentation. We presented about Smart Pens. It was exciting to learn about them, and I feel like I learned a lot. I've shared my learned information with people inside and outside of the classroom and I feel like a smart pen specialist. (haha). I think our presentation went very well. We were very organized as a group and we each had our own insight to bring to the table. The speaking during the presentation could've been a lot better. We used an almost infinite amount of ums, and I learned that the way I talk to a crowd is very casual and I need to work to make it more professional during presentations. It's hard, because how I talk is so much a part of my personality, but I can still tone up the professional scale so I sound less like a college student and more like a future educator. This was a great project and I feel I will use this knowledge as much as I can in my teaching career. I also got to make some new friends which is always a plus!

April 14th Exit Slip

Today we had a very interesting student-lead discussion about the difference views between skeptics views on technology and non-skeptic views. It was interesting to talk more in depth on the pros and cons. We also talked about different ways to lead discussion. One group had an activity which had people stand in either the skeptic area of the room or the non-skeptic area and debate their views with the opposite group. The other group's activity had us divided in to separate groups and organizing the different values in the classroom based on importance in the technological world. It was very interesting. I wonder what the next groups will do!

Chapters 2 and 3 of Rethinking Education in the Classroom

These two chapters talk about the many opportunities technology can create for education in the classroom. Chapter 2 focuses mostly on the Enthusiast's argument. This includes how technology in education is changing every aspect of the way we learn. It affects reading, reflection of our own work, the rate at which we learn a subject, the social interaction we have and much more. Technology makes work more accessible to the common person. It allows us to meet communities all around the world to share experiences and culture. Education is no longer just shared locally but globally as well. Chapter 2 also talks about the way teaching outside of the world of technology has become very "Just in time" types of learning, in that there is no ease in to what we are expecting students to learn. We give them the big picture right away before explaining how we get there, or what is needed to learn the basics first. With technology however, we are able to give students those steps that they need. Technology creates more time and online learning by letting students work at their own pace. Scaffolding is now available due to trouble shooting guides to aid a student's help if the teacher or lesson is going too fast. This can also even be learned through multimedia and video games where not everything is presented right away and the player needs to ask questions or explore to finish the main adventure.

Chapter 3 talks about the Skeptics' Argument. It talks about why teachers are afraid of technology. Why this change can sometimes be harder before it is easier. It explains the barriers schools face such as cost and access or classroom management. It brings up important aspects that make it hard to classrooms to experience the new ideas of technology. It also reminds us that computers can only do so much and that it is ultimately the teacher's job to make the most out of technology and the changing society of education. And while this is true, I think as a teacher, it is our job to work to use technology to make the most and make the most engaging and most filled lesson plans and classroom environments we can.

April 7th Exit Slip

Students only spend 14% of their time in schools. That's scary. That's what I learned today in Dr. Boyer's class. We spent our time talking about Ch. 1 and some main ideas of it. We also talked about homework and Scratch (including any questions people might have)

Preface and Chapter 1 of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

This book is very intriguing. The writing got me hooked right away (I never thought I would enjoy reading homework!). It is about how technology is changing the way people view learning and education. It talked about how technology makes people of this generation to expect answers with a click of a button, making their patience less and less. Students would much rather learn things from the internet than from lectures. This can make teaching harder since the teacher has to move quicker and work harder to keep their students engaged. As a future teacher, I plan to stay updated on the technological society and world in order to apply what I've learned to the classroom. It will be hard to create lesson plans that are more fast-moving to ensure I get the students' attention, and it will be hard to find new and exciting ways to get my students involved, but I think it is worth the challenge.