Journal 10

Don't Feed the Trolls
Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse
Karen Work Richardson

The article makes some great visible points in regards to how we communicate via the internet. Karen's message is that we need to teach students to adopt productive conversation instead of meaningless sounds bites. There is an idea that the internet is a different place, where civility is left at home, and people act like it. The question Karen poses is how do we harness the power of the internet and not abuse it?
The article illustrates several paths or guidelines into teaching students to behave with restrain and good manners while communicating via the internet.

Question 1; The article mentions that teachers teach the technological "rules of the road?" How might this help the classroom and the general learning environment for the learners?
The internet is brand new to us all. In life there are dangers, and those dangers are very real online. We as teachers need to teach students to behave properly in social settings. Teach the rules of the internet and the students will know how to better follow the rules... or break them.

Question 2 I found myself reading the last few sentences I wrote and I started to wonder where the line is drawn as a teaching profession. Are we teaching students how to behave? Maybe we are obligated to do this at the younger levels. Maybe all levels. I just worry sometimes about who is giving the advice to these kids when we start teaching them how to behave in all settings. I realize we need to teach the rules, but the rules for behavior never change. One of the biggest questions in education is how to handle the behavior problems. We can teach it out of some. Adding the internet makes it more difficult. There is no answer to this question. Teaching behavior is a long process, which we cannot do on our own.

Journal 8

Journal 8 The Future of Education “Learning while mobile”
Mark Van’t Hooft

The article starts by mentioning the changing world we live in. The world is more mobile. The advancement of technology is making the way we live and learn change. It talks about the future being very close and what it might bring to education. The author talks of learning while mobile. An education “on the run.” No longer are we waiting for people at payphones. Technology has given people the ability to be on the go, and education is no different. This article talks of the more informal side of learning.

Question 1: What will this mean to classroom collaboration? I spoke with one of my vice principal’s at the high school I work at about working with the English department when covering certain parts of history. For example, this vice principle told me that he thought it would be very beneficial if our history class covered the holocaust at the same time that the English classes are reading Night, or The Diary of Anne Frank. With this these ideas of mobile learning, where students are connected, how will teachers collaborate and share? If students are online and mobile, the classrooms could follow suit by staying in tune with each other to get the most out of each project. I think technology is giving teachers the ability to collaborate in a more efficient manner. I can see all the classes being connected someday using these new mobile technologies.

Question 2: If learning while mobile provides a bridge between schools and society, would this take away from the autonomy of the teachers and students? We now have the means to be forever connected, are we helping the educational process at the cost of freedom?
When school ended at 2:30 today, I felt like I was on an island again. I knew that I had more work to do at home, but I felt like I had an escape from the students. I wonder if this connection online will take the freedom out of teaching? Will we become all time teachers? Will our union allow us to work more than full time? I have this feeling something will be lost. I do believe that the education teachers can provide to students will be much better as the result of mobile technology and learning, but I have this fear something will be lost in return.

Journal 9

Journal 9
Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning?
Dave Nagel

The article poses the question of whether or not schools are training students for careers and future jobs. The teacher’s claim they are doing an efficient job, while the students feel teachers and administrators are limited the use of technology too much.

Question 1) How would implementing educational games help my students in world history?
I have tried several ways to study for tests, and I find that different approaches work for different students. Some like taking notes from the board, others like to converse, and some others learn more by studying on their own. If there is one thing in common all my students enjoy it is technology. It seems that every one of my students has an IPOD and a cell phone. I think technology will help keep the enthusiasm at a higher level. The students like playing games, and making education more fun would be more effective.

Question 2) how would a laptop help students perform better in the classroom?
I have a review test coming up when the students and I told my students to bring their old notes to class. Obviously, my good students all had their notes from first semester, but my students who are struggling, the students who need the most help threw the work away. If we had laptops to use the students could simply save their work on their hard drive or to a disk so that retrieval would be much easier. Also, it would be much easier to send homework to students.

Question 3) Do we lose anything with technology?
The article mentions the use of graphing calculators. It has been a long time since I was in a math class, but I remember relying on my calculator very much. Years ago, before the technological age, people had to learn math in their head. They could do it on the spot without the use of electronic equipment. I just can’t help but think that the mind loses and gains in terms of new technology.

Journal 7

Can computers tutor students as effectively as teachers?
Ken Luterbach and Jeanie Cole

This post from L&L discusses both sides of the argument for computer directed tutoring being more effective than actual live teachers doing the tutoring. Ken believes that in moderation, there is enough evidence to show that computers do just as good a job as people. Jeanie on the other hand believes otherwise. She believes the teaching process is too complex to even make the comparison. Both argue that the importance of teaching is keeping the students attention. Both disagree on the more effective method.

My question, math. Math in my eyes is a total mystery anyway, so just the word is enough of a question in my eyes. I wonder if computers could do just as good a job with teaching or tutoring math as a real teacher. Math is not as subjective as social sciences. In history a student can argue me about the causes of a world war, or the reasons behind actions in history, but math is totally different. I do realize that math is going more analytical. That is another argument, because I believe the curriculum should go back to the ways of old. I think it is ludicrous to think that computers could replace a math teacher. However, I do believe a computer could assist a social science teacher like me with math.

Will teachers ever be replaced? I already spoke on this, it is ludicrous. But I do think the value of computers as aides to education has no limits and I would love to have that kind of fast, accurate assistance.

How would a computer tutoring system help me out? I think having a history program that is interactive would help the students learn tremendously. It is another way they can get repetition.

Journal 6: Microblogging

Microblogging is a new way to communicate with people in short posts using instant messaging, mobile phones, email or the web.
There are several services which offer microblogging, including; Twitter, Jaiku, and Pownce. The tools provide and easy forum to share.

People blog for all kinds of different reasons, and this microblogging is geared for the short quick communications. There was a study done which found that the intentions of most microbloggers were just trying to chitchat. Microblogging can be used as an "all alert." A few friends and I used to play ultimate Frisbee at night and we sent out group texts so everyone knew whether or not we had enough people. Using the appilcation twitter, you can do the same thing. Using a phone, or PDA you can send out an announcement to as many people as you want by clicking a few buttons. That kind of access is pretty cool. Especially because someone can set up everything on his or her PC at home and then access twitter on a PDA or by phone. This makes communication very easy, effective and efficient.

Microblogs can be set up for several people to converse or there is even a security feature, which only allows people who are registered through the administrator to post information.

The blog posts are very interesting. Some teachers comment on the problems of twitters or twitting in the classroom. One teacher points out the efficiency of quick communication, and another comments on the problems that may occur if kids get this kind of access in the classroom. It was actually pretty funny; one teacher mentions that he spent most of his day messing around microblogging instead of teaching.

There was some back and forth arguments on the benefits of a structured 55 minutes classroom included with a lecture, or if passing along information through twitter would be more efficient, because the students find this more interesting and more geared towards their understanding.

Many teachers around the country are experimenting with twitter and trying to find how it might be applied to help the educational process. Some seem to think it will help connect students on large campuses for field trips, or a type of scavenger hunt.

This brings me to my conclusion. As a coach it is often very difficult to get in touch with all the players on my soccer team. If you count football, then I have over 70 students to contact. But if I could use microblogging, and use the application twitter, than I can easily connect with the team and keep them abreast of any meetings, practices or team news.

Journal Five

Making Field Trips PODCASTIC!
Aliece M. Weller, John C. Bickar,
and Paul McGuinness


How might an interactive field trip help my students to better understand the lesson?
The article shows how students can explore in their own way and discover parts of the museum with their own guidance. I spoke to a student the other day and she told me she hated history. She said she did not find it interesting and therefore is unable to retain any information. Of course I could not believe her words. Who does not love history? After reading this article it makes a little more sense. If we took a field trip to the museum of tolerance and the students had interactive devices that they could navigate on their own, they will take more away from the experience. They get to go where they want to go. They can find an aspect of history that they do enjoy and that may expand or open their minds to history in general.

How might the idea of unlocking information help the students to learn important facts?
First of all, high school students love messing with technology. The idea of playing around on a Pocket PC through a museum would be much more beneficial than one of Mr. Chambers lectures. If they have to answer questions right to move on, this may help them to keep their motivation. I remember playing those kinds of games when I was in school and I always wanted to get to that next page. Nowadays when students seem to have the attention span of a toddler, it is refreshing when there are programs that interact with students and get them to the next page, rather than losing interest. In addition, this may lead to collaboration and interaction between the students. If this happens then the students are helping each other learn and that is fantastic.

With such a diverse student population, how can this interactive technology stimulate more learning?
First off, the article mentions that students go at whatever pace they choose. They facilitate their own learning and each other possibly. But by doing this it actually individualizes the learning. It is like a lesson plan tailored specifically to one student. The authors mention "customizing the learning for students, and how better to facilitate their growth than a customized education. If the educational shoe fit perfectly, we would have many more educated people walking around society.

Journal 4

Mind the Gap
It's a high-speed, high-def, Wi-Fi world. But not for everybody.
By Cindy Long


This articles talks of the problems facing disadvantaged kids in regards to technology. The students with less money and who spend less time online, usually perform worse in school that students who spend a lot of time online. The author talks about the importance of using technology in the classroom because they are people who do not have access to this necessary technology anywhere else.

Question 1- How will public schools find ways of helping lower income students keep track and avoid the digital divide?
The article mentions the digital divide that will grow between students with around the clock Internet access and students who are not as lucky. If a student has to drive a half hour to use the Internet he is already on the low end of the curve and things are getting worse. As educators we need to be conscious of the importance of technology and the digital world in terms of the students' futures. The idea of a universal Internet sounds rather exciting. If the technology is available to connect the country to the Internet, like PAC Bell connects our phones to dial tones I am in full support. Many times it is not the computer that is the unaffordable expense, it is the monthly access charge.

Question 2- What would high speed wireless Internet do for our educational system?
In the previous paragraph I mention the digital divide that is widening between students with Internet access and students without. This wireless accessibility may make that gap get bigger. but it would definitely help many students. With all the technology that my current students possess, I find it easy to believe that many would have lap tops if Internet was wireless. Some students bring lap tops now. As I am speaking they are typing away taking notes. The clicking is rather therapeutic. It would create a bigger divide between the haves and the have not's, but I do not see an answer to that question to ever present itself.

Question 3- If the students had instant access to the information of the web, how would that effect the classroom and the teaching?
What about the times I am wrong? I realize that I am fallible, I make mistakes all the time. i try to correct them but half the time I don't realize the mistakes I made on Tuesday until the following Thursday. The students would have instant access to whatever topic we were covering. It does not seem totally feasible at this point, but down the road it seems totally logical. I guess a better question is, how can we as educators start small and lay the ground work for the future of education and technology?

Question 4- There was a good comment in the article that made me think if teachers should start teaching students more navigational tools rather than teaching memorization?
My parents still tell me the problem with school is that there is not enough repetition for students to commit things to memory. They talk about education going the wrong direction. Now I don't think the direction education is going matters, because I think it will change again. We need to find new ways to teach the navigational tools to students who will live in an even bigger digital age than where we are now.