Coming to an End

Blog Group!

I just wanted to say that I have really enjoyed blogging about a topic that interest all of us! It has been a great experience. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn about blogging, because I would like to continue blogging when I am an educator. I could not of asked for a better group!

Also, I would like to thank everyone else for joining our blog and commenting on the blogs we tried to come up with to help others integrate technology into their classroom setting.

Significant Postings from the Blogging Experience

All of the postings offered many new and interesting ideas on integrating technology into the classroom. One of my favorite postings is from Heidi, “Technology Integration Made Easy.” The article from Education world offered creative ideas on implementing classroom technology, such as online weather forecasting, word of the day, SAT practice and Brain Teasers computer games. Ideas such as these are great for teachers who want to use technology, but don’t know where to start.
Another interesting post is from Carla, “Enhance Literacy through Cable News Internet Site.” The article discusses improving literacy through news stories from CNN. This would be a great way for students to learn about current events, along with technology skills. The site also has good follow-up activities, like vocabulary and sequencing.

Significant Postings from the Blogging Experience

Many of the postings on our blog provided useful food for thought with regard to technology integration in classrooms and media centers. Through this blogging process, as well as through much of the other research and learning in this course, my eyes have been opened to how imperative it is that school systems make the investment in technology a top priority in their budget every year. Prior to this class, I truly didn't see how critical that is.

One of my favorite postings was made by a friend of mine, Ellen, on March 17, 2008. I found the information she shared to be a true reflection of what many media center specialists face on a daily basis around the country -- and what I myself may face in my own position in a few years. She is already in a position as a media center specialist in a Cobb County elementary school that has a 73% hispanic population. She knows first-hand about the language barriers and the digital divide. She shared a little about the challenges a school system faces having such a high percentage of ESOL students, and she spoke to some of the ways they are meeting those challenges. From reading what she had to say, it is clear that caring educators will work everyday to do the best they can, and with good leadership they will overcome many issues, but there will always be more to do -- it will never be finished.

Many times when you think of technology integration in the classroom, one might just think of the general classroom, but technology can also be beneficial for at-risk students. In the article, "Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students," it is harping on how important technology integration can be to help engage students that are considered at-risk. In the article it states, "Technology has tremendous power to help students obtain, organize, manipulate, and display information. Using technology for meaningful activities also helps integrate a variety of disciplines, more closely resembling activities that people undertake in the world beyond the classroom." I feel that this statement shows how important it is to integrate technology into the classroom. Not only can technology integration be beneficial for at-risk students but it can also help prepare students to understand technology-based skills, which can prove to be essential to them when they are through with school.

Source: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at400.htm.

Significant Posting from the Blogging Experience

I feel that all of the postings have been pretty significant and I have taken something from each piece that I have read. I felt like all of the contributors of this blog had something meaningful to say to help add to this blog. I really enjoyed hearing why it was so essential to have technology integrated into the classroom, and ways to help make sure that this was possible. I believe one particular posting that was significant to me was one of my postings. I had researched articles showing why technology integration in the classroom was significant for special education students. I believe all of the research that I found on special education will be essential to me because I am wanting to be a special education teacher when I am through with school.

Insights About Myself Given This Blogging Experience

I feel like I have really learned a lot from this whole blogging experience. First of all I did not even know what a blog was until this class. So by participating in blogging, I have come to learn about what blogging really consists of. I have enjoyed collaborating with my group members on a topic that I believe peaked all of our interests. I feel like I have really learned a lot about the benefits of integrating technology into the classroom, and I will carry this blog with me for when I become a teacher. When I finally become a teacher I will ponder back on this blog and remember the benefits of incorporating technology into the classroom setting. I believe that I would like to continue blogging on other topics that are of interest to me. I am really glad that I have had this experience to blog and learn about blogging.

Insights About Myself Given This Blogging Experience - Baroni

I have really enjoyed this blogging experience, but in the beginning, I was a little apprehensive. I noticed a few blogs while surfing the net, but I didn’t fully understand how they were created. I assumed that it was similar to building a website, which had to be complicated. After learning more about blogging, I realize that it isn’t that difficult at all. I find that there are so many different blogs out there – from bird watching, hiking – to greyhound rescue blogs. I think blogs would be a great way for students to share ideas and communicate with each other. This has definitely been a good learning experience for me.

Importance of Staying Involved with the Latest Technology

I have worked for 23 years in the Information Systems environment of major corporations such as AT&T as a computer programmer and quality assurance specialist. Through the years, I have had to adjust and readjust and learn many new technologies to stay on top of the ever-changing world of technology. Back when I went to college, computer programming was done about the same way everywhere, and if you learned the basics in college, you were pretty well set to move into a programming position fairly easily. These days however, there is so much more to know and become acquainted with to make yourself appealing to an employer. It is imperative that our education system began preparing our students early on so they have plenty of time to build their knowledge. The technology will continue to evolve and they will have to make adjustments. However, having built their knowledge up over several years and having been exposed to many different tools, they will certainly be more adaptable to the changing environment.

Significant Postings N Smith

I really enjoyed the post on Pod Casting by Carla and the video clip of the Journalism Broadcasting teacher’s classroom. The teacher in the video took the initiative to secure a grant to purchase iPods for her classroom to use. I find this type of initiative admirable in the teaching profession. It is a gift to see a need and find a way to meet that need. I am sure that this particular teacher took the time to write this grant because she saw that her students could learn a great deal from the use of technology in her classroom. I am glad to see that she allowed some of the students to take the iPods home for the students to share what they are doing in the classroom with their families. What a great way to generate support for the school from the local community. I really was excited to see the level of evolvement that the students had in the video. So much is written about how students are bored in the classroom. Technology is a great way to stimulate student interest.

Insights About Myself with this Blogging Experience

I began this blogging exercise with a great deal of apprehension. When I initially looked at some of the blogs that were provided as examples, I was quite intimidated and feared it would be a difficult process to create one from scratch and give it a professional character. However, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to find that after only a couple of sittings with the Google Blogger tool my anxiety decreased substantially, and I developed a certain confidence that I could work with it quite successfully.

Along the way, I did have a scary experience when, in an effort to get creative and go a bit beyond the standards, I modified the html in hopes of changing how the posts displayed on the screen. I thought it would be neat to have only a few lines of each post show up with a button to click to see the remainder. I read through on-line blogger help and was directed to third-party source material to accomplish the task. However, it wasn't as straightforward as what I had hoped, and in putting different code into the html, I caused the entire blog to be inaccessible for a period of time. Thankfully, it was not a fatal error, and the blog was recovered within an hour thanks to some quick help from Dr. B and associates. The panic I felt knowing I could have potentially lost the blog for my team members was enough to discourage me from trying anything similar after that. However, when preparing my own personal blog to demonstrate to others down the road, I hope to learn some of the more custom features.

All in all, I feel very positive about this blogging experience. I see incredible potential for using it in the media center and sharing it's worth with teachers so they can reap the rewards of such a useful technology tool.

Applications of Blogs to My Practice

As a media specialist, I think blogs are great tools for use in education. They can be used as bulletin boards, student journals, or sources of research. Blogs can be informal and easy to use, encouraging everyone to participate. According to the article, “Blogging? It’s Elementary, My Dear Watson!” blogging is most often thought of as an activity for high school students. Today, though students as young as kindergarten now blog on a daily basis in a variety of exciting ways. Educators know that students write better when they have a real audience--not just a teacher with a red pen. There are a variety of easy getting started ideas listed in this article, including Web-based programs such as Blogger, LiveJournal, Blogmeister, and KidzBlog. These programs are easy to use, but teachers must be aware of the safety and supervisory features, in order to ensure student’s online safety.

One way I plan to use blogs in the media center is by creating a book-talk blog. Students and teachers can post their favorite books, insert a picture of the book, and write a summary and review of the book. Other students can read and share opinions of the book. This would really help students at my school, because they are often undecided about which books to read. By participating in a book-talk blog, they can find out what other student’s favorite books are. The book-talk blog could continue through the summer. Students could check-out books from their local library and discuss them with friends. This would be a good way for students to stay in touch over the summer.

I could also engage students in creating story element blogs, famous American blogs, biography blogs, fiction/non-fiction blogs, etc.

I’m planning to conduct a teacher in-service on using blogs in the classrooms next fall during pre-planning. Teachers could use classroom blogs in a variety of ways in all subjects, including classroom management (e.g., posting assignments). Hopefully the teachers will understand that blogs support the collaborative element so important for peer to peer learning.

The Journal. K-12 Tech Trends: Moderating and Ethics for the Classroom: Instructional Blog. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from
http://www.thejournal.com/the/newsletters/k12techtrends/archives/?aid=20257

Educational World. The Educator’s Best Friend: Blogging? It's Elementary, My Dear Watson. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from
http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech217.shtml

Insights About Myself Given This Blogging Experience – N. Smith

I have never had a positive impression of blogs prior to this experience. I have seen some blogs were people are ranting on and on about particular topics. I could not see the usefulness of creating and participating in a blog. This experience has changed my impression of blogs. I now see that they can be meaningful tools to communicate information to specific groups of people. In a classroom setting they keep students in tune with what is going on. Students are so accustomed to using technology at home and in their everyday lives; we should continue to build these skills in school. I think so many students are bored because we do not incorporate new learning tools into the subjects that we are teaching. Technology can provide so many resources and many of theme are free to use. I hope to see the school systems provide teachers with more training on how to use emerging technologies in the classroom.

Applications of Blogs to My Practice

As a Business Education teacher, I can easily see how blogs can be used to contribute to the learning experience in the classroom. Blogs can be used to “help students connect to one another and to others outside the classroom, and to create networks of learning that promote reading, writing, and critical thinking.” (Nelson 2005) I will definitely create a classroom blog for the courses that I will be teaching next school year. I think that they are a valuable resource for students to express themselves. Additionally, I think that they are a great way for parents to know what is going on in the classroom. I will use a section of the blog to post the daily class work and homework assignments. In my middle school keyboarding class, I can use the blog to post links to the websites that we will be using for our classroom warm-up exercises. In the past I had to write the website addresses on the board and many students took a great deal of time to key the address correctly. By posting the link, the students can go directly to the site and begin their work. This will cut down on some of the time wasted and students can feel more confident about the assignment. I look forward to using this form of technology in my classroom.

Nelson, C (2005) How to use blogs in the classroom. Retrieved April 3, 2008 from http://secondlanguagewriting.com/explorations/Archives/2006/Jun/HowtoUseBlogsintheClassr.html

Applications of Blogs to My Practice

In my role as a media specialist, most likely in an elementary or middle school, the blogging experience offers an appealing learning opportunity for both students and educators. According to the American Association of School Libarians (AASL), a branch of the American Library Association (ALA), there are four major roles for a media specialist -- teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator. In the "teacher" role, the AASL states that the media specialist "is knowledgeable about current research on teaching and learning and skilled in applying its findings to a variety of situations--particularly those that call upon students to access, evaluate, and use infromation from multiple sources in order to learn, to think, and to create and apply new knowledge." I interpret this to mean, among other things, that I will need to provide a substantive learning experience that will be beneficial and applicable to what is going on in the world inside the classroom, but outside the classroom as well. Having never actually worked in the media center, it is not clear how often or in what ways opportunities will present themselves to use certain technology tools. However, I envision the blogging experience to be somewhat of a replacement for the past "current events" projects, and much more robust in its capabilities. I see the potential to collaborate with core curriculum teachers to develop an ongoing dialogue via a classroom blog about a very critical or interesting current event taking place in the world (such as the Darfur Genocide blog I was recently exposed to through this class). The possibility of truly digging into a subject, researching, following it, and posting comments about it on a regular basis seems like so much more of an in depth learning experience compared to just a one time "current event" write-up.

This is just one idea that comes to mind for the use of a blog. I am certain far more opportunities would present themselves. As a media specialist, it is critical that I am aware of these tools and know how to use them and share my knowledge with other educators and students. Blogging is happening on the web in incredible volume on every topic imaginable on a minute by minute basis. That means it is very applicable in our culture today, and therefore, is something our students should know about.

American Association of School Librarians. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning: Roles and Responsibilities of the School Library Media Specialist. Retrieved April 3, 2008, from http://www.ala.org/aasltemplate.cfm?Section=informationpower&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=19930.

Applications of Blogs to My Practice

I am working right now on getting my Master's degree in Special Education, so as a future educator I find using technology in the classroom to be essential. From what I provide in this blog and my fellow peers, I believe this information will prove to be very beneficial for when I become an educator. After reviewing many articles I found that Assistive Technology can be very important for students with disabilities. Assistive technology for kids with learning disabilities can be defined as, "any device, piece of equipment, or system that helps bypass, work around, or compensate for an individual's specific learning deficits" (http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=286).
The International Business Machines (IBM) 1991 training manual stated, "For people without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible." I believe that statement right there sums up why integration of technology will be very vital for me to do as a Special Education teacher.

Source:
Raskind, Marshall, & Stanberry, Kristin (2008). Assistive Technology for Kids with Learning Disabilities - An Overview. Retrieved April 1, 2008, from http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=286.

Enhance Literacy Through Cable News Internet Site

I ran up on this great website that offers web-based instruction to improve literacy using new stories from CNN and CBS 5 KPIX-CBS Broadcasting, Inc. which was developed by Cable News Network, Inc. It is referred to as Learning Resources. The news stories are categorized by subject content. You are able to view the story, here it read, and watch a video clip. The original intent was to encourage adult literacy; however the value is evident for all learners and educators. There are follow-up activities such as vocabulary, multiple choice, sequencing, word selection exercises, and more that test overall comprehension.

Cable News Network, Inc. (1999-2004). Learning Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2008, from http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/home.html

"Tech Talk"

I enjoyed an found this blog useful...thank you in advance for educating me further. We share the ideas about technology usage in the classroom.
will cont' to navigate through the site thanks again.

Technology Integration Made Easy

Integration of technology in the classroom can be a slight bit intimidating to teachers unfamiliar with the different aspects of it, and needless to say time consuming. The Education World website helps give teachers easy ways to integrate technology into their classroom routines. The following is a list from Education World. com of some ways to help educators incorporate technology in their classroom setting.

1) Access an online weather forecast. By looking at the weather online, this will also allow students to notice the weather of other countries.

2) Introduce a word of the day. Teachers can do this by finding an online word of the day, which can be found at Word Central (http://www.wordcentral.com/) or Vocabulary Builder (http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/wod.shtml).

3) Offer online SAT practice. This can be very beneficial for students preparing to take the SAT.

4) Incorporate online news sources into discussions of current events. This can be essential in updating students on what is taking place in the world today.

5) On Friday's, if there are enough computers for the students then the teacher can allow some computer time for the students. During this computer time students can do Brain Teasers (http://www.eduplace.com/math/brain/index.html) which can keep the students engaged in learning.

These are just a few quick ways teachers can incorporate technology in the classroom, if they do not have enough time to complete a whole lesson plan with technology-based tools. It is very essential that teachers to try to integrate technology in the classroom in some sort of way, since society is now technology enriched.


Source:

Starr, Linda (2007). Technology Integration Made Easy. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml.

Mainstreaming Exceptional Students with Technology

Technology allows exceptional students to be easily mainstreamed into the classroom. In this article by Rosemary Shaw (2004), she states that computers “help equalize the learning and playing field for a lot of students. Also, when working in technology, students have a better opportunity to learn at their own pace, as well as to learn in their own unique ways.” This is important because students with learning disabilities do not have to feel singled out and different. Technology has something to offer every student.

Shaw, R (2004) Mainstreaming exceptional students into technology classrooms. Reterieved March 24, 2008 from http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=18400987

Using iPODS in the Classroom

One school in Oklahoma, Howe School, is successfully using iPods along with Podcasting to promote technology know-how among the students. At a cost of approximately $300 each, it's a little less expensive than laptops and has the ability to encourage students to use modern day technology in their learning.

In the Cutting Edge Technology video produced by Howe Public Schools and David McDaniel, the broadcast jounalism teacher explains how she was able to secure a small grant and purchase four iPods for her class. Her students are involved in producing recorded presentations which they load onto their class website and present as podcasts. They also put the presentations on the iPods, and the students are allowed to take the iPods home to share their performances with friends and family. The teacher believes that by sharing in this way, it is creating more interest and support from the parents and community. Watch the video from the link below.

McDaniel, David, (n.d.). Cutting Edge Technology. Retrieved March 24, 2008, from
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid713321302/bctid1420196006

Arguments for 1:1 (Student / Laptop) Initiatives

Apparently, the idea of every student having his or her own laptop is not just a cooky idea of one Cobb County Georgia School Superintendent, but an actual initiative that is gaining momentum across the nation. Some school systems have actually already introduced such a program and many more are giving serious consideration to the idea.

In his weblog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, Wesley Fryer made a post on March 15, 2008, entitled Podcast237: Unleashing the Transformational Power of One-to-One Computing in K-12 (COSN Panel). Here he provided the opportunity for interested parties to here the discussion at the recent COSN (Consortium for School Networking) 2008 Conference held in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2008. The panel session explored the best practices for beginning and sustaining a one-to-one laptop computer intiative. Mr. Fryer warns that the 1:1 program must be intelligently implemented and the success of the program in individual school systems relies heavily on the existence of leadership. He is a great advocate of this initiative and praises it greatly for its tremendous potential to move students forward into new models of 21st century literacy.

Fryer, Wesley (2008). Podcast237: Unleashing the Transformational Power of One-to-One Computing in K-12 (COSN Panel). Retrieved March 24, 2008, from http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2008/03/15/podcast237-unleashing-the-transformational-power-of-one-to-one-computing-in-k-12-cosn-panel/ .

In a March 21, 2008 post entitled Scarcity and Collaboration: An Argument for 1:1 Initiatives, Ben Wildeboer promotes the 1:1 concept and provides an argument for doing so. He discusses the dilemma faced by educators in schools all across the nation. In many schools, probably still in the majority of them, teachers have to sign up to get the laptop cart so their students can have use of a computer on a specified date to complete a technology-enhanced project. He points out that among other problems this process creates, the practice does not promote technology sharing and expertise among teachers. This is primarily because, consciously or sub-consciously, teachers know the more "technology savvy" their cohorts become, the more likely they are to begin signing up for computer time, therefore, escalating the computer "scarcity" issue. To avoid the computer scarcity issue and promote sharing of technology expertise among educators, Wildeboer's solution is to provide a laptop for each student. Refer to link in citation below.

Wildeboer, Ben (2008). Scarcity and Collaboration: An Argument for 1:1 Initiatives. Retrieved March 24, 2008, from http://sustainablydigital.edublogs.org/2008/03/21/scarcity-and-collaboration-an-argument-for-11-initiatives/.

As alluded to earlier in this post, a Cobb County Georgia school superintentent by the name of Joseph Redden came under fire and subsequently resigned his position in 2005 due to his promotion of the 1:1 concept. There are many angles to the story, and perhaps the deal he made with the laptop provider to procure the 17,000 laptops was in question; however, some believe it was a great loss to Cobb County students when the deal fell through. In his weblog, Moving at the Speed of Creativity, Wesley Fryer made a post on August 24, 2005, entitled Joseph Redden Moves On From Cobb Schools. In this post he expresses his utter disappointment of the outcome of the laptop purchase initiative. He suggested that Joseph Redden was a man of great vision in the advancement of technology-learning who suffered undue criticism for his attempts to promote 21st century learning. He quoted a Cobb County insider as saying ".... The powerful efforts of a very few evil, dishonest men won out in the short term. As a result, the children of this county have been robbed and will suffer substantive disadvantage when they enter the global job market. In my opinion a criminal act has been perpetrated! The citizens of Cobb County will look back on this time when they are frantically trying to catch up with the children every place else on earth."

Fryer, Wesley (2005). Joseph Redden Moves on from Cobb Schools. Retrieved March 24, 2008, from http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2005/08/24/joseph-redden-moves-on-from-cobb-schools/.

Challenges of Technology in the Schools

I'm an elementary school media specialist at a school with a 73% Hispanic population and a very high poverty rate, so the challenges of technology here are probably very different than a lot of schools. Our kids don't bring as many computer skills with them as those in more affluent parts of the county, and they don't have as much access to computers at home as others. In addition, there are the issues of language, poverty, and transiency, all of which help to contribute to lower test results, and an overall lower-performing school. Where some schools in our county would be using technology to learn the "Big Six" and to do Excel spreadsheets and graphing, our students struggle to compose research papers using MS Word and presentations using PowerPoint.

Nonetheless, many teachers (myself included) incorporate technology anywhere they can. At our school, computer is on the specials rotation, along with Art, Music, and P.E. Although we don't have a certified person teaching computer, our teacher works very hard to try to teach the students keyboarding skills, and as many applications as she can. We also have several wireless laptop carts at the school, which can be checked out by teachers so that each student can use a laptop in the classroom. In addition, many teachers have access to (and actually use) LCD projectors in conjunction with their teacher laptops in order to present curriculum topics using Brainpop, videostreaming, and other online technology tools. Our county pays for several online databases and encyclopedias which students can access to do research, and our media center OPAC has the option to find Web sites in addition to books on a particular subject.

The demographics of our student population also present ways of using technology that many other schools don't have. Because of our high number of ESOL students, our school has access to several programs that help teach students English, such as Read 180 and Rosetta Stone. These programs allow the students to interact with the computer by listening to a voice reading English and then, using a desk microphone, recording their own voices speaking English. We also have access to a Spanish version of Brainpop, which is helpful for our older students who come in with the ability to read and write Spanish, but not English.

Overall, I think our students have a lot of catching up to do with students from predominantly English-speaking schools, but our teachers are working hard trying to get them up to speed. Knowledge of technology has become so critical in the workplace these days, and students really need to start early to learn all that they need to.

Students - Technology in the Classroom

I am happy to be a contributor to this blog on Classroom Technology. I am a media specialist at an elementary school. I hope to learn about some of the newest technology developments and share them with our teachers.

I read an article by Wes Rogers called “Students – Technology in the Classroom”. The article discusses how technology can benefit students in the classroom. Technology in the classroom has the potential to reach students of all learning styles. Technology also helps students stay interested and motivated, and prepares them for the future.

According to the “Report on Effectiveness of Technology in Schools 1990-1994, research shows that when using technology in the classroom, “at risk” students showed an improved attitude, improved confidence, and improved writing skills.

The article emphasizes how integrating technology in the classroom helps all students succeed.

Retrieved March 11, 2008 from:

http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/rms/faculty/wrodgers/technology%20int/students.html

Learning Disabilities

Technology can be very beneficial for students with learning disabilities. LD Online states, "Technology can open doors and break down barriers for children, youth, and adults with disabilities." This is why technology in the classroom is so essential, because technology-based tools can now break barriers that once prohibited a student from succeeding in the classroom. LD online also states, "Whether in the classroom or workplace, assistive technology (including devices, software, recordings, and much more) can increase, maintain, or improve the capabilities of individuals with disabilities. I believe that many times educators are unaware of all the benefits technology can have for students with learning disabilities.


LD Online, “Technology.” Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/technology.

Rationale for using technology and multimedia applications in the classroom

I read this article posted on a teachers website at Greenway Middle School in Phoenix, AZ. I thought that this was interesting. The article stated that “we find ourselves today, in a classroom full of students as diverse as the world in which we live. Research on the human brain has shown that not all students learn by one particular strategy.” (Carter 2007) Technology can allow students to achieve their goals in the classroom. By incorporating technology students of all abilities can:
1. interact with the use of a different medium other than just a text book
2. learn how to manage information
3. move from merely acquiring information to developing higher order thinking skills by learning how to analyze and present information

Technology gives students a chance to sort out and present their findings on a particular subject.

Carter, V (2007). Rationale for using technology and multimedia applications in the classroom. Retrieved March 11, 2008 from http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/hcarter/techrationale.htm

Using Technology in the Classroom

I am very excited to be participating in this blogging experience. I have never blogged before so this whole experience is an adventure in itself for me. I believe that integrating technology in the classroom is very essential because children need to be familiar with all the different aspects of technology, since it plays such a big role in society today. I know I personally was interested in having our topic on using technology in the classroom to improve the learning experience because it can be so beneficial for varied levels of abilities of students. I am interested in becoming a Special Education teacher, so I personally would like to research and learn all the different ways I can use technology to my advantage to help children with different learning disabilities. The purpose of this blog for me is learn all the different ways technology can be used in the classroom to help the student succeed in their academics. Some goals of this blog is to identify different ways that technology can be helpful for children with different abilities; whether it is learning disabilities or even advanced learners. Some future activities is to show teachers ways that they can incorporate technology in their classroom so that their students can be engaged in the material they are learning.

Using Internet for Senior Research Papers

We use internet research for senior research papers. I am amazed that they think the world revolves around Wikipedia.

Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students

I am looking forward to contributing to the contents of this blog. I am a Business Education Major and I teach technology courses. I have seen students that normally do not perform well in a traditional classroom setting, excel in a technology related course. According to an article published in Ed.gov (2007), “when students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information.” Technology enables students to be creative and active in solving problems. Active participation is a key to developing critical thinking skills. Active learning increases the opportunity for students to transfer knowledge that they have acquired in the classroom to real life situations.

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Why the sudden interest in Classroom Technology?

As a graduate student seeking a masters degree in School Library Media, I suddenly have a compelling reason to explore what has become, in the last several years, a hot topic in school systems and classrooms across America. Without a doubt, huge advancements have been made in the last ten years or so with regard to technology integration in schools across the country. However, I'm realizing that this has been no easy task and continues to be quite daunting. There are so many considerations, not the least of which is funding. Through this blog, we hope to gain a clearer understanding of the many issues involved, but also, we want to take a look at the success stories that make the efforts worthwhile.

From my initial glance into this topic, it appears that much research has been conducted, ideas have been (and are continuing to be) shared, and obstacles are being overcome. Little-by-little, step-by-step, school administrators, elected school boards, community leaders, businesses, teachers and parents have accepted the idea that because of technology and its impact on our culture, education in the 21st century has to be constantly evolving to meet the needs of our day. It is an ongoing endeavor to equip today's students with the knowledge they will need when they graduate high school, and hopefully college, and head into the working world to become productive citizens in a technology-driven society.

The hope of our group is that we, along with others with an interest in this topic, will become much more aware of the many and varied aspects of providing technology in today's classrooms. With the awareness and knowledge gained, we hope to make a greater contribution in our roles as educators.