This summer has been my most challenging semester, possibly ever. Although I knew it was a heavy load, I took on four online courses. I have had my ups and downs, but have made it to this end. Because of this class, I have learned the implications of telecommunications in education. More specifically, I have gained knowledge and experience in using blogs, different search engines, Twitter, Diigo Social Bookmarking, Google sites, Webquests, and Eyejot. I also participated in discussions about blogging in education, web design and development, web-based instruction, using Webquests, and acceptable use policies and filtering software. These discussions gave me the opportunity to collaborate and learn from my peers and their personal thoughts and experiences.
The tool that I feel is most beneficial to me as a third grade teacher is the Webquest because it allows students to complete a problem-based task in simple steps using Web and non-Web resources. I also feel that Diigo Social Bookmarking tool has a practical use among the third grade teachers at my school as we learn to collaborate about technology content. Furthermore, I will use my newly-created Google site as my classroom website to communicate weekly information to students and parents.
The strengths of this class are the following: it included a variety of useful educational tools, it gave me an opportunity to collaborate with my peers, it was well organized, and the blogfolio provided an opportunity to self-reflect. Upon completion of this course, I felt that I received a well-rounded exposure to telecommunication tools and how they can be used in education. One weakness I found in this course was the lack of sufficient examples for each of the assignments. In former classes, examples helped me to understand exactly what the professor expected, and I felt more confident as I worked on my assignments. The lack of examples cause me to be unsure of myself as I completed coursework.
Personally, because I had three other classes besides this one, I had difficultly completing assignments early, as I am accustomed to doing. I found myself constantly beating on the door of deadlines to finish on time. To improve on this weakness, I will not only be more prudent in selecting my course load, but also better organize my time to complete assignments early. I have two semesters remaining in my Master’s in Instructional Technology degree, and I plan on learning from my weaknesses to make myself a better student and teacher.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Assignment #7: Eyejot
In assignment 7, Dr. Yuen challenged us to create a 40-50 second Eyejot message, and I found it to be an interesting and easy assignment. My biggest challenge was simply getting access to a webcam. I was able to borrow a friend’s, since I have none and could not buy one right now. However, now that I have completed the assignment, I see the purchase of a webcam in my near future!
I had never used a webcam before this class, but because eyejot was so user-friendly, I completed the assignment with ease. As a third grade teacher, I am always looking for tools that are simplistic enough for a child to use, and this was definitely one of them. One idea I had was to assign the students to record a message from the point of view of the characters in one of our Reading stories, then we can post the message on our blog! I’m sure the students would love to see a recording of themselves on the blog, and would even be excited to show off their work to their family members and friends. When students “show off” what they’ve learned, they are reviewing and reflecting on the content. And the best part is that they won’t even realize they are learning while “playing.” I think at the beginning of the year, I will reserve this privilege for students who demonstrate intrinsic motivation in the classroom, as an incentive to participate.
One drawback of Eyejot (at least of the free version) is that it has no authoring capabilities. Therefore, your video is unable to be easily edited. Also, the clips are only a minute in length (again, for the free version) which may limit educational implications. A final concern that I have (as always) is getting Eyejot approved through the filtering software of the school district. But, once these concerns are addressed, use in the classroom should be effortless.
Please view my eyejot message by clicking here, or by viewing the message below:
I had never used a webcam before this class, but because eyejot was so user-friendly, I completed the assignment with ease. As a third grade teacher, I am always looking for tools that are simplistic enough for a child to use, and this was definitely one of them. One idea I had was to assign the students to record a message from the point of view of the characters in one of our Reading stories, then we can post the message on our blog! I’m sure the students would love to see a recording of themselves on the blog, and would even be excited to show off their work to their family members and friends. When students “show off” what they’ve learned, they are reviewing and reflecting on the content. And the best part is that they won’t even realize they are learning while “playing.” I think at the beginning of the year, I will reserve this privilege for students who demonstrate intrinsic motivation in the classroom, as an incentive to participate.
One drawback of Eyejot (at least of the free version) is that it has no authoring capabilities. Therefore, your video is unable to be easily edited. Also, the clips are only a minute in length (again, for the free version) which may limit educational implications. A final concern that I have (as always) is getting Eyejot approved through the filtering software of the school district. But, once these concerns are addressed, use in the classroom should be effortless.
Please view my eyejot message by clicking here, or by viewing the message below:
Assignment #6: Webquest
Assignment 6 was to create a Webquest that would engage students in a problem-solving activity using Web-based and non Web-based resources. My first and biggest obstacle in designing my Webquest was deciding upon a topic. In undergraduate school, I vaguely remember creating an interactive PowerPoint Webquest on the Water Cycle, so I thought I would re-visit that topic. However, as you may remember from other posts, I will not be teaching science this year, and I wanted my project to be something that I could immediately utilize in the classroom. Therefore I asked myself to determine the Reading unit that tends gives my students the most trouble. Fables is a genre of text that is very symbolic and abstract, and thus difficult for a third grader to comprehend. So, I resolved to create my Webquest on Fables, in hopes to supplement the Reading unit on Fables next year.
The name of my creation is “Tell Me a Tale: A Fable Webquest” and is broken down to five lessons. Although this assignment was quite extensive from start to finish, I believe it was the most exciting of the semester! The lessons teach the students the parts of a fable, to compare and contrast fables, and to utilize the writing process to create a fable of their own. The final artifact will be a short PowerPoint presentation that will include the title of their original fable, the beginning, the middle, the end, and the moral lesson of the fable. I kept in mind that my audience is going to be a third grade classroom, so I broke down the project into small, collaborative tasks, and even created a PowerPoint template for them to use.
Like mentioned before, I had a blast on this assignment, partially because I know that using it next year in my classroom might really help the students to master the fable unit. I know that I would love to create more Webquests in the future, because they give the students a step-by-step process in which to complete a task. I learned that designing instruction integrated with technology can be challenging and fun at the same time, but will be rewarding in the end.
I do have one concern for using Webquests in my classroom, and that is having sufficient time in the computer lab. I only have one working student computer in my room, and therefore will have to reserve the laptop lab for completion of the assignment.
The following is a link to my Webquest: Tell me a Tale: A Fable Webquest or you may copy and paste this link into your browser: http://sites.google.com/site/fablewebquest/
The name of my creation is “Tell Me a Tale: A Fable Webquest” and is broken down to five lessons. Although this assignment was quite extensive from start to finish, I believe it was the most exciting of the semester! The lessons teach the students the parts of a fable, to compare and contrast fables, and to utilize the writing process to create a fable of their own. The final artifact will be a short PowerPoint presentation that will include the title of their original fable, the beginning, the middle, the end, and the moral lesson of the fable. I kept in mind that my audience is going to be a third grade classroom, so I broke down the project into small, collaborative tasks, and even created a PowerPoint template for them to use.
Like mentioned before, I had a blast on this assignment, partially because I know that using it next year in my classroom might really help the students to master the fable unit. I know that I would love to create more Webquests in the future, because they give the students a step-by-step process in which to complete a task. I learned that designing instruction integrated with technology can be challenging and fun at the same time, but will be rewarding in the end.
I do have one concern for using Webquests in my classroom, and that is having sufficient time in the computer lab. I only have one working student computer in my room, and therefore will have to reserve the laptop lab for completion of the assignment.
The following is a link to my Webquest: Tell me a Tale: A Fable Webquest or you may copy and paste this link into your browser: http://sites.google.com/site/fablewebquest/
Discussion #5: Acceptable use policies and filtering software
Discuss the dangers associated with using the Internet and the strategies teachers can use to minimize risks. Also, discuss the effectiveness of internet filtering in schools and libraries.
Dangers—Although the Internet has many valuable uses for education, there are many dangers associated with using the Internet. Because the Internet itself is not regulated, students are in danger of being exposed to inappropriate and/or inaccurate material. Inappropriate material could be pornographic, slanderous, or even just too advanced. Inaccurate material is a real concern for educators and students, and careful steps should be made to ensure that content from a site is credible and accurate. Another concern is that students are often naïve, and may give away personal information that could by Internet predators. The ones listed above are only a few of the dangers of Internet use in education, and therefore strategies should be implemented to minimize these risks.
Strategies—The first strategy I would recommend is to educate students on Internet safety at a young age. I believe that schools should incorporate technology and Internet safety into their curriculum goals, starting in the early elementary grades. In my third grade class, we discuss ways to safely navigate the Internet, both at school and at home. We talk about using educational search engines that are age appropriate (such as FactMonster.com) and why using age appropriate sites is important.
Another strategy to minimize risk is to constantly monitor student activity on the Internet at school. When arranging my computer center for the year, I always make sure that I can view the monitor from my desk and from the front of the room. That way, at any moment, I can glance up to ascertain whether the students are on task. I also periodically check the Internet history so I have knowledge of what sites my students visit most often. I post a list of “approved sites,” such as funbrain.com, that they allowed to visit when they are awarded with computer free time.
Furthermore, a teacher should ensure that a student’s use of the Internet is designed for them. This can occur by designing individual and collaborative learning activities where Internet activity has a specific goal and objective associated with it, and Internet use is appropriately implemented. Even computer “free time” can have a goal attached to it by using Internet logs in the classroom. For example, next to my classroom computer center is a notebook with worksheets (created by Excel) inside. The worksheets include the following categories: date, name of student, website visited, what I learned, and new questions. This way the student is made responsible for appropriate use of the Internet.
Internet filtering—School systems have also implemented strategies to minimize risk of using the Internet, including Acceptable Use Policies and Internet filters. Although many teachers and students complain about Internet filters, the use of them is highly effective to minimize the dangers of using the Internet. Filters are effective in blocking students from accessing a lot of inappropriate Internet activity. Of course, not all dangers can be completely eliminated by using Internet filtering, therefore it is most important for teachers to educate their students on proper use and be aware of their students’ Internet activity.
Dangers—Although the Internet has many valuable uses for education, there are many dangers associated with using the Internet. Because the Internet itself is not regulated, students are in danger of being exposed to inappropriate and/or inaccurate material. Inappropriate material could be pornographic, slanderous, or even just too advanced. Inaccurate material is a real concern for educators and students, and careful steps should be made to ensure that content from a site is credible and accurate. Another concern is that students are often naïve, and may give away personal information that could by Internet predators. The ones listed above are only a few of the dangers of Internet use in education, and therefore strategies should be implemented to minimize these risks.
Strategies—The first strategy I would recommend is to educate students on Internet safety at a young age. I believe that schools should incorporate technology and Internet safety into their curriculum goals, starting in the early elementary grades. In my third grade class, we discuss ways to safely navigate the Internet, both at school and at home. We talk about using educational search engines that are age appropriate (such as FactMonster.com) and why using age appropriate sites is important.
Another strategy to minimize risk is to constantly monitor student activity on the Internet at school. When arranging my computer center for the year, I always make sure that I can view the monitor from my desk and from the front of the room. That way, at any moment, I can glance up to ascertain whether the students are on task. I also periodically check the Internet history so I have knowledge of what sites my students visit most often. I post a list of “approved sites,” such as funbrain.com, that they allowed to visit when they are awarded with computer free time.
Furthermore, a teacher should ensure that a student’s use of the Internet is designed for them. This can occur by designing individual and collaborative learning activities where Internet activity has a specific goal and objective associated with it, and Internet use is appropriately implemented. Even computer “free time” can have a goal attached to it by using Internet logs in the classroom. For example, next to my classroom computer center is a notebook with worksheets (created by Excel) inside. The worksheets include the following categories: date, name of student, website visited, what I learned, and new questions. This way the student is made responsible for appropriate use of the Internet.
Internet filtering—School systems have also implemented strategies to minimize risk of using the Internet, including Acceptable Use Policies and Internet filters. Although many teachers and students complain about Internet filters, the use of them is highly effective to minimize the dangers of using the Internet. Filters are effective in blocking students from accessing a lot of inappropriate Internet activity. Of course, not all dangers can be completely eliminated by using Internet filtering, therefore it is most important for teachers to educate their students on proper use and be aware of their students’ Internet activity.
Discussion #4: Webquest
Strengths—Webquests have been great instructional tools. The following is a list of the strengths that I extracted from the readings and from personal experiences. A webquest:
• is motivating because it uses visual stimuli and the Web as a problem-solving tool, and the inquiry/discovery design is interesting to students.
• is time-efficient and focus more on obtaining information rather than spending time on dead-end searches.
• promotes higher order thinking skills and depth of knowledge (DOK).
• allows students to work at their own pace and freely explore the content.
• integrates technology into regular and special education curriculum.
• can be designed for individual use or as collaborative learning.
• is accessible from anywhere at any time.
Weaknesses—The Web is not always an accurate source of information, and Webquest designers may find it difficult to find age-appropriate content to use. As a teacher, it is sometimes difficult to find appropriate websites that aren’t blocked by school filters. Also, good Webquest design is important to ensure ease of use and understanding, but not all Webquests are designed well.
Concerns/Issues—The unequal distribution of technology can make it difficult for some to take full advantage of Webquests. Students and teachers must be trained to properly use and/or create effective Webquests. Webquests should be pre-tested on the same machines that the learners will use during the activity, to make sure that each link is working properly.
Implications in my area—As a 3rd grade teacher, I can see how valuable Webquests can be in my classroom. What I like about many Webquests that I have used or seen is that they often are accompanied by a printable graphic organizer. These graphic organizers act as a guide to direct student activity. As my students make discoveries, they become more interested in learning, thus, Webquests are springboards to further inquiry! The motivation to learn is abundant when using tools that appeal to young children, and the Internet is one of those tools.
• is motivating because it uses visual stimuli and the Web as a problem-solving tool, and the inquiry/discovery design is interesting to students.
• is time-efficient and focus more on obtaining information rather than spending time on dead-end searches.
• promotes higher order thinking skills and depth of knowledge (DOK).
• allows students to work at their own pace and freely explore the content.
• integrates technology into regular and special education curriculum.
• can be designed for individual use or as collaborative learning.
• is accessible from anywhere at any time.
Weaknesses—The Web is not always an accurate source of information, and Webquest designers may find it difficult to find age-appropriate content to use. As a teacher, it is sometimes difficult to find appropriate websites that aren’t blocked by school filters. Also, good Webquest design is important to ensure ease of use and understanding, but not all Webquests are designed well.
Concerns/Issues—The unequal distribution of technology can make it difficult for some to take full advantage of Webquests. Students and teachers must be trained to properly use and/or create effective Webquests. Webquests should be pre-tested on the same machines that the learners will use during the activity, to make sure that each link is working properly.
Implications in my area—As a 3rd grade teacher, I can see how valuable Webquests can be in my classroom. What I like about many Webquests that I have used or seen is that they often are accompanied by a printable graphic organizer. These graphic organizers act as a guide to direct student activity. As my students make discoveries, they become more interested in learning, thus, Webquests are springboards to further inquiry! The motivation to learn is abundant when using tools that appeal to young children, and the Internet is one of those tools.
Assignment #5: Google Sites
Upon reading this assignment, I thought it was going to be a piece of cake, because I have created a Google site for a previous class. However, once I began the process, I realized that the assignment wasn’t as simple as I had once thought, because of all the requirements that were to be included on the site. But, I pushed on and completed the assignment the best I could.
I decided to create my site as a joint Webpage between my team teacher and me. Together, we will service two third grade homerooms in the coming year. This is the first year that our school has attempted team teaching, so we are the “pilot” class that will be used to determine if team teaching in third grade is a good idea for future years. The Google site I created, therefore, has a page introducing myself and the classes I will be teaching (Reading, Language, and Spelling), and another page introducing my partner teacher who will be teaching Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Actual creation of the site was not difficult, but I had trouble learning how to attach, embed, and link all the required artifacts. I realized quickly, though, that on a class website, I could post important weekly information, such as a homework schedule, important announcements, and even student-created artifacts. My new Google site, therefore, will be very useful next year as a tool to communicate with students, parents, other teachers, and administrators.
I can also see how Google sites can be used by students. Groups can collaborate to create websites about certain authors or text structures. For example, when studying text genres, I can assign different groups to create an introductory site on the different genres of text: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, etc. In third grade, however, the requirements will have to be very minimal and I will have to break down each task into manageable sub-steps. Higher grades may have more success in using Google sites in the classroom.
Again, a concern I have about using Google sites in education is the permission and consent of the parent and the privacy and protection of the student, because Google sites is linked to personal email accounts. Also, filtering software poses a challenge to using such resources in the classroom.
The following is a link to my Google site: Herring/Gilbert 3rd Grade Team
I decided to create my site as a joint Webpage between my team teacher and me. Together, we will service two third grade homerooms in the coming year. This is the first year that our school has attempted team teaching, so we are the “pilot” class that will be used to determine if team teaching in third grade is a good idea for future years. The Google site I created, therefore, has a page introducing myself and the classes I will be teaching (Reading, Language, and Spelling), and another page introducing my partner teacher who will be teaching Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Actual creation of the site was not difficult, but I had trouble learning how to attach, embed, and link all the required artifacts. I realized quickly, though, that on a class website, I could post important weekly information, such as a homework schedule, important announcements, and even student-created artifacts. My new Google site, therefore, will be very useful next year as a tool to communicate with students, parents, other teachers, and administrators.
I can also see how Google sites can be used by students. Groups can collaborate to create websites about certain authors or text structures. For example, when studying text genres, I can assign different groups to create an introductory site on the different genres of text: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, etc. In third grade, however, the requirements will have to be very minimal and I will have to break down each task into manageable sub-steps. Higher grades may have more success in using Google sites in the classroom.
Again, a concern I have about using Google sites in education is the permission and consent of the parent and the privacy and protection of the student, because Google sites is linked to personal email accounts. Also, filtering software poses a challenge to using such resources in the classroom.
The following is a link to my Google site: Herring/Gilbert 3rd Grade Team
Discussion #3: Web-based Instruction
The Web is a valuable tool to teaching and learning. It can be used for instructional purposes and for administrative purposes. In instruction, the Internet is can be used to administer educational content and to support interaction/communication. Blogs, wikis, social networks, and course management software each have a role in education, and if used properly can provide very effective educational experiences. Like mentioned, the computer and Internet can also be used for administrative purposes; to create and distribute resources (flyers, charts, slideshows), to manage grades, and to design lesson plans to name a few.
WBI has many advantages, for example it is accessible from all over the world at any time. Asynchronous communication allows for flexible scheduling and time management. In addition, Web-based instruction can appeal to a variety of learning styles by the use of the different multimedia forms.
Although Web-based instruction is pertinent to the educational community, it also has certain limitations. One to mention is the Digital Divide between those who have computer and Internet access, and those who do not. This limits some students from being able to fully participate in Web-based instruction, and thus gives others an unfair advantage. Another pitfall of Web-based instruction is the lack of continuity and regulations. Some courses are improperly designed to just mimic the traditional setting, and are therefore not student-centered learning.
Proper attention to course design is key in creating an effective web-based learning experience. Designers should carefully structure online education to encourage student-based learning and interaction (both instructor-to-instructor and peer-to-peer). Instructors should make sure that all expectations are communicated from Day 1. Also, it is important for assignments and evaluations to be meaningful to the student. Proper feedback is one way for an instructor to accomplish this.
Web-based instruction, if properly designed and administered, can be an effective teaching and learning tool.
WBI has many advantages, for example it is accessible from all over the world at any time. Asynchronous communication allows for flexible scheduling and time management. In addition, Web-based instruction can appeal to a variety of learning styles by the use of the different multimedia forms.
Although Web-based instruction is pertinent to the educational community, it also has certain limitations. One to mention is the Digital Divide between those who have computer and Internet access, and those who do not. This limits some students from being able to fully participate in Web-based instruction, and thus gives others an unfair advantage. Another pitfall of Web-based instruction is the lack of continuity and regulations. Some courses are improperly designed to just mimic the traditional setting, and are therefore not student-centered learning.
Proper attention to course design is key in creating an effective web-based learning experience. Designers should carefully structure online education to encourage student-based learning and interaction (both instructor-to-instructor and peer-to-peer). Instructors should make sure that all expectations are communicated from Day 1. Also, it is important for assignments and evaluations to be meaningful to the student. Proper feedback is one way for an instructor to accomplish this.
Web-based instruction, if properly designed and administered, can be an effective teaching and learning tool.
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