Education in Second Life

Young, J. R. (2010).  After frustration in Second Life, colleges look to new virtual worlds. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/After-Frustrations-in-Second/64137/.

Student Internet Safety

Dunn, J. (2011). The teacher's guide to keeping students safe online. Edudemic.  Retrieved from http://edudemic.com/2011/10/student-online-safety-guide/

3 Challenges to Wiki Use

Reynard, R. (2009). 3 challenges to wiki use in instruction.  Campus Technology.  Retrieved from       http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2009/02/11/3-Challenges-to-Wiki-Use-in-Instruction.aspx?p=1.

Summary

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Wikis used in instructional settings offer many benefits including evaluating, synthesizing, elaborating, analyzing, problem solving, decision making, knowledge construction, argumentation, and learning communities.  A group from Wake Forest University says that Wikis facilitate collaborative generating, editing, and synthesizing of knowledge. This is a high-level thinking skill that teachers want students to develop.

There are challenges for teachers in using this technology.  The first challenge is creating a meaningful assignment.  The task needs to be well designed and have a meaningful purpose for the students.  A teacher can make it effective a number of ways.  First, the assignment should be dynamic, not static.  Participation must be necessary, and students' participation should move the assignment forward.  The next challenge is grading.  The assessment needs to reflect the whole process and not just the end result.  Areas that should be assessed in a collaborative wiki assignment are gathering of new information and synthesis of ideas.  A third challenge in using a wiki is collective knowledge use.  The wiki captures the work in progress, letting teachers assess how students are learning from the process.  Three potential barriers to effective use of the wiki are problems that are too simple, problems that the teacher has already solved, and not allowing enough time.  If a teacher an avoid the challenges that arise, a wiki can be a useful teaching tool.

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Web 2.0 applications are interesting tools to use for learning in the classroom.  Wikis offer teachers the opportunity to create collaborative assignments but the projects need to be made thoughtfully.  In order for students to really synthesize the information and form knowledge, they need to be working collaboratively on a problem that needs a solution and that challenges them to think critically.  Teachers need to let students have control so they can take ownership of the project and make it their own.  Wikis are an innovative way for students to collaborate and teachers need to embrace this technology for the benefit of their students.

Virtual Field Trips

Platoni, K.  (2008).  Internet explorers: Virtual field trips are more than just money savers. Edutopia.   Retrieved from    http://www.edutopia.org/virtual-field-trips . 

Summary

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Virtual field trips have been around since the Internet got its start, with the promise of exotic destinations that no bus could ever go to. This offered excitement for low-income schools that lacked money for field trips.  But the reality at the time was that the trips ended up being a lecture with some pictures and often more entertainment than education.  Finally, technology has caught up with the idea of virtual field trips, and students can actually interact with the people in the exotic locales.  Additionally, trips  can be adapted to standards-linked curriculum, making this a very useful tool in the classroom.  Here are summaries of four sites listed in this article, but there areothers to be found online.  

Blue Zones is the first site described.  The researchers for Blue Zones are trying to find out why people in some parts of the world live longer than others.  Students vote for moves researchers make in their quest to find information.  In addition to videos, photos, and standards-aligned lessons, there is a four week fitness challenge that encourages students to increase fruit and vegetable consumption while cutting back on screen time.

GoNorth!, although currently on a short break, lets students virtually experience a real-life around-the-pole dogsled journey.  Students will learn about Arctic ecology, its communities, and its role for the planet.  There is live chat, "collaboration zones", and standards-based curriculum.  The trip helps students be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Yellowstone National Park's Windows into Wonderland offers flash animations that are cartoons mixed with actual photos of the park.  Also included are short quizzes and games.  Students learn about natural science and history.  There are live Q and A sessions with rangers, but only for 2 days after a new video appears.  Lessons are offered that help students better understand the phenomena found in the park.

National Geographic: Lewis and Clark allows students to trace the path of Lewis and Clark while experiencing animals (photos) and descriptions of what it was like for the explorers.  You can learn more about the animals, many of which are now endangered species.

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Because schools are faced with the challenge of tight budgets, virtual field trips offer a fantastic way to get students thinking about and experiencing the world.  Although looking at a picture or video of a location isn't the same as going there in person, these online trips offer great learning opportunities.  Project-based learning can easily be tied to what is obtained from the people exploring these exotic and fascination locations. Additionally, information from these virtual field trips usually crosses many disciplines, which offers students a chance to make important learning connections.  This is definitely something I will use in a future classroom.

Blended Learning

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2011)  Blended Learning: Combining Face-to-Face and Online Education. Edutopia.  Retrieved from     http://www.edutopia.org/blog/

Give Girls a Chance

Furger, R. (2003).  Give girls a chance: building a bridge to science and technology. Edutopia.  
   Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/techbridge-science-technology-girls

Summary

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Techbridge is a program, funded by the National Science Foundation to promote gender equity in science, engineering, and math.  It is a partnership between the Oakland Public Schools, two universities nearby, and The Chabot Space and Science Center.  The program is offered to girls only, and is designed to show girls what opportunities there are when they excel in science and technology.  The program offers hands-on experiences, field trips, and role models.  Throughout the school district, Techbridge is offered in many different ways.  At some schools, it is offered as a girls only after school club.  Other schools offer it as an elective.  Weekend and longer summer programs are also offered.  

A study in 2000 shows that girls who do well in science and technology way be viewed as aggressive and treated poorly by their peers.  On the flip side of that girls who do poorly may be ridiculed.  The hope is that Techbridge will offer an encouraging, supportive, and nurturing environment where it is OK for girls to excel but also to take their time and figure technological and scientific ideas out.  Girls who are taking part in the program are becoming more self-confident, speaking up in class, and taking on leadership roles.  They are also supporting and encouraging each other for getting good grades.

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This program seems like a good idea so that girls can be allowed to experience science without the normal peer pressure experience. Offering girls the chance to do more in science than they do during the normal school day is great.  Exposing girls to more science, technology and math is very important because these are subjects that girls tend to struggle in.  Offering children mentors and access to real-life applications to subjects can also create excitement because they see how it applies outside of school.  Helping girls see what sort of jobs are available in science and technology can help them feel optimistic about their future opportunities.

While I agree that girls need extra encouragement in these subjects, a similar program for boys would also be beneficial.  All young people can benefit from hands-on experiences in science and technology because these are areas that can often be too abstract. Helping them see how things really work will make these subjects fun and exciting.   When kids are more interested, they tend to perform better.

Flipped

Fulton, K. (2012).  Inside the Flipped Classroom.  The Journal.  Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/flipped

Summary

Byron High School in Minnesota has "flipped" its math curriculum.  Students watch lecture videos at home, and work on problems in class with the help of the teacher.  By watching the lecture at home and doing "homework" in class, the students can show the teacher how well they've understood the concepts.  The math teachers at Byron High School did not intend to flip their classes.  They needed to update their textbooks but didn't have the budget to do it.  Since the old textbooks didn't match well with the math standards, the teachers had to get creative.  They decided to develop their own curriculum.

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Originally, they thought they could get all of the material from the internet, but they discovered that it wasn't exactly what they wanted. The teachers worked all summer, using Kuta, a program for generating worksheets and Moodle, a free online learning management system.  On Moodle, each class got a website with lessons, homework, quizzes, and answer sheets.  They also asked the district to allow the use of YouTube.  They created video lessons that were embedded in their websites for students to watch at home.

With the changes, students take more responsibility for their learning.  They work at their own pace. Since they work on problems in class, the teacher is available if they get stuck on anything.  Students who are absent don't fall behind because they can watch the videos, and learn concepts at home.  Parents or grandparents can also watch the lecture video and help their children if there are questions.

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Flipping the classroom seems like one of the best concepts I've heard about in education lately.  It makes sense to have students get an introduction to a concept at home, and then come to school to dig in and really work on mastery.  Math seems like the most logical subject to "flip", but I think it could work well in other areas of the curriculum too.  For science classes, introduction to a concept at home would increase the understanding for students going into a lab.  Flipping also allows the teacher to get a real understanding of how well students are understanding concepts because they are getting more time to do the work in class.

I see some downsides to flipping classes.  First of all, it requires students to be motivated to watch the lessons outside of class time. If a student doesn't watch, then they come to class totally unprepared and behind the rest of the students, so the teacher would have to spend time catching them up.  Also, not every student has the same access to the internet to watch the videos.  This could make it hard for some students to stay on top of their work, or at least make it harder for them to view the lectures.  Flipping classes isn't a method every teacher or school should implement but in some cases it's an exciting change to learning.

Too Many Gizmos?

Welsh, P. (2008).  A school that's too high on gizmos.  The Washington Post.  Retrieved from 

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803271.html

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Summary

T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA was brand new in September 2007.  It was one of the most expensive high schools ever built, and much money was spent to make it one of the most technologically advanced.  Teachers have access to nearly any technology they could want, whether it helps teach students or not.  Which is exactly the problem.  Teachers have been told they cannot use traditional methods of teaching, and teachers now feel that they are being measured by how paperless they can be rather than how well they can teach.  Teachers are expected to change how they teach, even if they don't need to, to fit the new technology into their lessons.  This expectation to use technology is not only affecting the older teachers, who we refer to as "digital immigrants". Younger teachers complain that the technology is there to make the school look "cutting edge" rather than help kids learn optimally. Sadly, human interactions are also suffering at T. C. Williams because of technology. Because of the large amount of e-mail interaction teachers compare T. C. to a correspondence school "where all communication is faceless".  Technology is good when it enhances learning, but at T. C. WIlliams High School it has become a distraction as well as an obstacle to relationships.

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The situation at T. C. Williams High School is a sad one.  With so much money being spent on technology, it should improve the education of students.  There is so much great technology available to help teachers more effectively reach kids.  But technology for the sake of making administrators look good is a mistake.  Teachers need to be free to incorporate technology into their lessons when it improves the way they are teaching.  Once it becomes a hassle and a burden to them, it's no longer an advancement.  Too much technology can even become a hindrance, if it obscures the lesson that is to be learned.

In addition, one key thing that happens in schools is relationship building.  Relationships between teachers and students, staff members, and administrators affect everything that happens in a school.   So much learning happens at school that is about the interactions between people.  If technology is being used to communicate instead of face-to-face interactions, the chance to relate to one another is lost.  With it, social learning is lost.

I am a supporter of technology when it improves a lesson, and I hope to be able to incorporate technology often into my teaching.  I just hope I'm never put into a situation where using technology becomes a burden and negatively affects what I am trying to accomplish.

Assistive Technology

Stanberry, K. and Raskind, M. H. (2009).  Assistive technology for kids with learning disabilities: an

   overview.  Reading Rockets.  Retrieved from http://readingrockets.org/article/33074/

Summary

Assistive technology (AT) for kids with learning disabilities is any equipment, device, or system that helps the student work around their limitation(s), while allowing them to use their strengths.  AT is not meant to replace remedial methods of working with disabilities, but it is an additional component that can lead to success for students with learning disabilities.  AT can also help students feel more independent, because they can accomplish more in school without help.  Some learning problems that AT can address are listening, math, organization and memory, reading, and writing.

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There are many types of AT tools, usually computer hardware or software.  Some types of assistive technology can be found on the internet.  While I will not be able to list all of them here, I'll describe a few.  Audiobooks allow a user to listen to text instead of read it. These help students who struggle with reading, allowing them to keep up on reading assignments.  Electronic math worksheets help a user organize and work through problems on the computer screen.  This alleviates the need for pencil and paper, which helps students who struggle with aligning math problems.   Graphic organizers and outlining programs help students who struggle with organizing their thoughts and ideas before a writing project.  Also for writing, proofreading programs help those who struggle with spelling, grammar, and word usage.  Speech-recognition programs allow a user to verbally dictate ideas, while their words appear on a computer screen as text.  This is helpful for students whose verbal skills exceed their writing skills.  This is a a small fraction of the tools available to help students with learning disabilities.  A more extensive list can be found at the Reading rockets website.

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I feel excited about this article because my attitude about students is that everyone has something they are good at, and if you can find it, you can build them up.  Students with learning disabilities likely spend a lot of time focusing on what they are not good at.  Assistive technology is a way to help them use their abilities and skills to take the focus off of their struggles.  Every student deserves a chance to shine, and I am glad to know there are so many tools available to help work around disabilities.  As a future teacher, I have spent time worrying about how I'll be able to help students who struggle because of their shortcomings.  This article gives me hope that it won't be as hard as I have envisioned, and that most, if not all, disabilities can be overcome.  Additionally, many of these technologies can also assist students who don't have learning disabilities, but who may just need a little extra effort to do well in particular areas.

  

Laptops for All

Furger, R. (2001). Laptops for all: using technology to go beyond traditional curriculum.  Edutopia. 

   Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/laptops-all

Summary

    This article describes the Mott Hall School, a math, science, and technology middle school in New York City.  Every student and teacher in the school has a laptop computer, as well as access to other types of technology.  The students learn primarily through project-based work.  Science classes use computerized probes to record and chart data, students create models of kites in Excel spreadsheets, and others create digital photo albums.  Rubrics help students understand what they will learn and how they will be evaluated.  The rubrics make the project goals clear, and help students and families understand how core standards are being met through the projects.  Both students and staff work collaboratively to refine the use of technology.  The success of this school has been used as a model for technology and project-based learning in other schools.

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   The use of technology and project-based learning noted in this article makes education exciting for me.  Students in schools today are "digital natives", growing up with technology all around them. Giving them access to use and master new forms of technology while learning the core areas of traditional studies makes it more applicable and real for them.  Project-based learning also allows teachers to cross disciplines within one project, which integrates the knowledge. While I am excited by the idea of every student having access to technology, the reality is that budgets are tight.  Access is not equal for every student. Schools need funding to offer access to technology for all students. With the heavy focus on standardized tests, money and resources may be used on test prep rather than how to integrate technology into the curriculum.