SPRING II WEEK SIX DISCUSSION (DIS 01 & 02)

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Christian Reynolds on April 26, 2014 at 7:42pm

Tom, I think it is great that you are looking into finding new way to get your kids more excited about learning.  I know how hard it is to get students in that lower end to be excited about something like that.  The fact that you have iPads for them could play out to your advantage once we get you and the students more up today with how to use them.  When I am looking for fun apps that you may not know about because their are so many apps in the app store I suggest just going onto google and searching for an app to do what you are looking for.  I know it sounds weird but I have found some great apps for myself and for school just by doing that.  My biggest problem with blogs like this is that it is someone else's opinion.  And sometimes they are not looking for what you are so their best would be completely different then your best.  Good Luck with everything.  

Permalink Reply by Lauren Lucca on April 15, 2014 at 7:24pm

Blog: http://www.teachthought.com/ipad-2/10-simple-tips-for-better-teachi...

This week, I read the blog post “10 Simple Tips for Better Teaching with Tablets.” Since my school is trying to embrace incorporating Ipads into the classroom, I’ve been trying to include technology based learning into my lesson plans for my 7^th graders.

The first tip encourages teachers to strive for a mobile friendly classroom. As a teacher in a school where cell phones are not allowed, I find myself stuck in a difficult position. I want to encourage my students to learn through resources that are available to them, including their cell phones. But since they are not allowed in school, it is difficult to do that. I also find myself concerned with the obvious difficulties: if students were allowed to use cell phones in school, then that would lead to a lot more distractions in the classroom. My school is just starting to embrace tablets in the classroom, but we only have one set for the whole school. I have tried a few times to use the Ipads in the classroom and the kids really do enjoy it. However, they get distracted from educational content very easily. This ties in another tip, to limit internet use. While I trust the majority of my students, some of my students can’t handle the temptation of being handed a tablet and being asked to only go on certain websites.

Some of these tips that truly encourage the online classroom are a bit unrealistic for my school district and school. While the idea is great, I just don’t have enough access to technology (with the exception of cell phones) to really incorporate technology on a regular basis. I only have one ipad cart for the entire school and only a few laptop carts that are used for DCAS testing a lot. It is unrealistic to truly turn my classroom paperless. In addition, some of my students read and write better on a piece of paper than they do with a digital screen. I know that I myself can’t retain information for content on a computer- I must print it out and highlight information.

It is my hope then to try to do as much as I can to keep up with this trend with the resources I do have. I want to work together with my administration to encourage the students to use their available technology “for good, not evil.” Ultimately,  I want them to feel comfortable enough with me that I can use cell phones and tablets to my (and their) advantage and trust that they will do as I ask and not be texting their friends instead and using the internet inappropriately.

Permalink Reply by Krista Attix on April 19, 2014 at 7:51pm

Lauren,

What a great article! Unfortunately, my school does not currently have tablets, but I imagine that many schools will be getting them in the near future. I would love to use tablets in my classroom, and feel that my students could really benefit from the use of these technologies. I really like the idea from the article to allow students to explore different apps and find resources. I have no doubt that students know just as much, if not more, than us about technology. They are naturally curious, so I feel that it would be something that they would enjoy doing. As you mentioned, I feel that having the students use their cellphones in the classroom could be helpful. My school also does not allow cellphones in the classroom. It would take a lot of discussion about rules and expectations, and trust in our students. The article mentioned that using airplane mode could be beneficial, which would certainly be something to consider. I am in the same boat as you; many of the ideas would be unrealistic at this point, but I am hoping that will change in the future. Thanks for sharing!

Permalink Reply by Christine Smith on April 16, 2014 at 3:27pm

For my Technology Based post from TeachThought blog, I chose to read and respond to "11 Underlying Assumptions of Digital Literacy".  The post lays out the difference between being literate and digitally literate.  Is there a difference?  Should there be a difference?

The bottom line is that technology has brought on a whole new way of communicating.  How we communicate is what being literate means.  It's all based on how we write, speak, and listen.  Literacy means communicating and being communicated to.  Technology changes literacy into digital literacy and involves it's four stages: comprehension, interdependence, social factors, and curation.

I agreed with the post stating that literacy affects all forms of learning, both formal and informal, as well as across all content areas and grade levels.  Students can verbally respond with answers or pose questions or they can also technologically do the same.  There are times and places for the appropriate type of literacy.  This is where I think students lack in understanding.  Most students do not distinguish between "texting" or "social networking" language from formal writing.  There are things you just do not write in a formal assignment such as a research paper, report, or even job application.  This is a problem that will only get worse as more and more students are bopping between ideas and answering in short, sporadic spurts.

With all these changes in what constitutes literacy, teachers need to take on the new form of what it means to read and write.  I agree with the statement to a point, however, I do not feel teachers need to totally transition to a new thought process.  We need to teach our students when and what is appropriate in the various forms of literacy.  As far as keeping up with this technology, I think it's a matter of knowing how kids communicate with each other nowadays and doing what we can to educate them on when their language is appropriate and when it's not.

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/11-underlying-assumptions-of...

Permalink Reply by Aaron Curley on April 19, 2014 at 9:41pm

Christine,

I totally agree with your last sentence.  My school is really focused on teaching our ninth and tenth grade students how to perceive social cues to know what is appropriate.  I agree that students are becoming more and more used to online language and  becoming less familiar with traditional formal writing assignments.  In math there is not as many opportunities for formal writing assignments. But I do have them write at least one assignment each year.  Typically is revolves around a mathematical theorem.  Students always seem to resist writing any assignment that is of significant length.  I tried to have my students use Google docs for the last assignment this year and I felt that students were more accepting of using an online tool than microsoft word.  To me it is not any different but I think that because it had google in the name that they accepted it more. Most of the students gave feedback that they liked that they did not have to email or same the document but that once they shared it that I could access it with out any hassle.  Just a little idea that seemed to work with high school students.

Aaron

Permalink Reply by Megan Rice on April 17, 2014 at 7:49am

The technology-based article I chose from TeachThought is entitled, "Creating an iPad Workflow for Teachers, Students and Parents".  I chose this article, as it can be geared towards just teachers owning their own iPad (or tablet) or if the whole class has access to one, or a lab of them.

Currently, I possess an iPad and use it daily.  I use it for leisure as well as for creating, and searching for personal, educational and professional items.  The district I am in has some schools with iPads, but not all.  My school has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) opportunity, but not all of the students have one.  Therefore, the school is hopeful that either each pod will receive a set of tablets to share or each class will get their own, in the near future.

I like the way the article provided a visual flow chart, showing how different applications can be organized and used towards students, teachers and parents, or to all three.  The flow chart and article explains how a teacher can use an application to share information with students, some good applications for students to use and how to share all with the parents.  The article also informs the readers of additional visual charts that teachers can use to share and create information.

I try to find any useful information in regards to technology but also has to how to organize myself better, as I am always looking for ways to help me stay organized.  This article gave me some great ideas as to how to make the flow of matters more seamless, by using my iPad.  It will also serve me even more in the future, when hopefully our students have iPads/tablets too.

I will try to keep up with technology emerging trends by continuing my educational twitter account, that links me to other educational accounts; therefore, informing me of the latest educational technology updates.  I will also continue to bring up the conversation of educational technology to other educators and administration around me.  Sometimes I feel my best resource for new and improved information is from administrators, other educators and classmates.

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/creating-ipad-workflow-for-t...

Permalink Reply by adfasedf asdfadsfa on April 19, 2014 at 8:27pm

Megan,

 

   I often wish that my students had access to iPads. I feel that tablet computers lend themselves to education more than traditional laptops. Tablets allows students to interact directly with the screen and they boast increased portability. My school currently does not operate under a BYOD policy, and I can understand how such a policy might highlight socioeconomic inequities among students. I've been thinking about applying for some iPad grants so my students would have the opportunity to use iPads in the classroom. You chose an interesting article, and I especially found the flowchart to be helpful. When students first engage in mobile computing, it can be an overwhelming process. There are thousands of application that can aid in education, and organizing them into categories helps educators and students pick the right tool for the right job. I think all teachers and students should have a toolbox of application that they're familiar with and that they can utilize to either deliver instruction or showcase meaningful learning. 

Permalink Reply by Ashlynn Maloy on April 20, 2014 at 5:38pm

Megan, the article you chose seems awesome! I currently own my own IPad that I also use for my own personal leisure as well as in my classroom. My school also has the BYOD but it is geared for the older students. Therefore my Kindergarteners do not get to benefit from this incentive. My principal is planning on using the budget she is getting to enhance technology within the school. We are not positive what exactly this means but we are hopeful that we will receive a few tablets for the classroom. The flowchart seems to be very helpful for everyone! I am also constantly looking for new ways to keep myself organized therefore this article seems very informative. I am excited to look into it! Great Choice!

Ashlynn Maloy

Permalink Reply by Samantha Delfeld on April 17, 2014 at 1:53pm

I chose "How to Save Time Teaching with Technology" from TeachThought. This blog had 46 tips on saving time in the classroom by using technology. The tip I liked the best was to minimize grading time by creating self-grading quizzes. The blog mentioned using Google Drive, but I could also use Blackboard. I have considered doing this in the past, but I know it is time consuming at first. The quiz or test needs to be set up (multiple choice, true-false, diagrams, matching, etc.) and an answer key needs to made. Once the setup is done, I could sit back and relax!

Another tip the blog provides is a way to organize your resources. I used to just bookmark everything (needless to say, my bookmark list doesn't fit on the screen), but now I use Delicious.com to store my resources and tag them. The cloud could also be used.

Some of these tips did not really relate to me. One category of tips addressed slow computers but I don't have computers in my classroom. Some other tips addressed student account access. At Del Tech, students are responsible for knowing their log on information.

I will try to keep up with emerging trends in technology by taking classes, listening and talking to students and other co-workers, and researching on the internet...if only people would slow down on developing technological tools, then I could keep up!

http://www.teachthought.com/technology/46-tips-save-time-teaching-t...

Permalink Reply by Eric Tsavdar on April 17, 2014 at 7:30pm

Samantha,

I think if you hadn't chosen it first, this would have been the topic I'd have gone for, because I'm all about saving time. No matter how much technology comes along to make my life "easier", I still seem to be stuck in the same "I don't have enough time for things" rut I've always been in. I suppose the trick is learning not merely to use these technologies, but to use them to your advantage.

Google Drive is something I'm personally becoming more and more fond of, but I've never used it for quizzes -- I'll have to look into that.

Good post!

Permalink Reply by Jillian Willey on April 18, 2014 at 6:59am

What a wonderful blog!  Any ideas to save time are awesome. I like the idea you mention for creating self-grading quizzes. I feel like half my time is spent grading. If the grading was done for me, well I can't say I'd complain. This could be done with various other assignments as well. I also think that taking some tests on the computer could be beneficial to student success, because technology has a higher engagement rate and if students are not always taking paper and pencil tests, then students may not get as bored with assessments. 

Great post!

Permalink Reply by Tom DeMatteis on April 18, 2014 at 8:06am

I’m going to delve deeper into this one.  Self-grading quizzes sound great.  As we continue to work out the kinks as we go through our first year of an iPad initiative, this may be something I can really utilize.  I am just beginning to utilize Delicious, and like you say, it is helping me to organize my endless list of bookmarks.  Also, I read the tips on slow computers.  They sound good if not a little expensive.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next ›
• Page