Wiki Update!

After many grueling hours with the Wikipedia Help Chat, I have finally had my article accepted! It was a good experience in that I had to use a different technology than I'd ever used before to communicate to solve a problem. The biggest issue I had was that I "chatted" four times, at about an hour a session, with people, and the first three were terrible at helping me. That said, I've had many similar issues with phone help lines, as well.

Wiki

I made a Wikispaces page  and it was fun to work with.   I could share documents, provide a calendar, add video tutorials and give the kids an opportunity to have discussions with me or their peers.  I'm not sure I'll use it immediately, and I don't think I like it as well as my webpage because I'm not sure I want my students to be able to edit my content.  However, I like the wiki idea for group assignments.

The Wikipedia page has been frustrating.  I have not been able to get them to accept my page though I am still trying to make it work.  I've compared it to a Compass High School in Tucson and it does not seem to be any better than what I'm trying to have put on the page.  Also, the help desk has not been helpful either.  It's a matter of pride at this point!!!

UDL Guidelines

Here are some features and barriers of my Merlot goal-directed instructional design lesson plan using UDL Guidelines.  I think it is interesting how detailed UDL lesson plans are and how much mine was lacking.  I strongly believe that this lesson can benefit from UDL.


UDL Guidelines

MERLOT Evaluation

Larry Green’s Applet Page

Author: Larry Green
Lake Tahoe Community College

Content Quality 

Bravo, Mr. Green!  The quality of the content is second to none.  There is something for students of all levels of skills.  The only problems I came across were when I enter zero as the center of a ellipse and I would have liked a z-critical values chart (or a link to one).

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool

Mr. Green’s page has very high effectiveness potential as a teaching-learning tool.  There are dozens of interactive math tutorials covering topics that range from basic math to calculus,.  I like that he provides a link to typed, non-interactive notes for the student who has a more traditional style of learning.  Most of the applets provide hints and immediate feedback during the step-by-step process of the problems, and many of the newer applets offer video tutorials. The stage of the learning process (explanation, demonstration, practice, and application) that is most common is practice, but frequently, the other stages are utilized, as well.  Assuming the availability of computers, the software could easily be integrated into the curriculum, and at worst, could be used by students at home as a option for re-teaching a lesson.

Ease of Use  

The applets are simple to use, the instructions for each applet are detailed but easy to understand, and the controls are uncomplicated.  I did not encounter any complications in working with this program.

Cloud Computing

    One of the most awful days in my life was when I was taking a college class and I had a research paper due on this particular day. I saved the paper onto a floppy disk, and I double checked to see if it had saved properly and it had. The only thing remaining was to go to lab and print the paper-I had run out of paper so I couldn't print it on my old dot matrix printer. My worst nightmare then took place: I loaded the disk onto the computer only to discover that the disk had been compromised somehow between me saving the paper and then walking to the lab. I was fortunate that I had an understanding professor who gave me extra time to rewrite it and turn it in later. Because of this, cloud computing has piqued my interest.

    I like Google Docs in particular. Perhaps it doesn't have a few bells and whistles that Microsoft Office has, but I see this impacting my classroom quite a bit. The fact that it is free to sign up for means that all students get an account and it reduces the cost of paper and ink because it would reduce the amount of each that would need to be purchased. All they would have to do is complete the assignment and forward it to me for grading. Also, I love the fact that students can work together on assignments and be able to access and edit it at any time. Of equal or greater importance is that there will be no more "I lost my flash drive" or "I forgot to save my report"; it will be sitting on a "cloud"!

    Even being a math teacher, cloud computing can be a useful tool. I can have the kids do my quarterly writing assignment online and add more writing to my curriculum without adding more paper to my always crowded tray of assignments I need to grade. Also, I could give assignments on spreadsheets or use the "form" to make quizzes or standardized test practice. I'm liking this more with each keystroke.

    Implementing this could be a bit tricky because I have limited access to computers. My plan is to ask one of the Odysseyware teachers to let me bring one of my classes in so they can sign up for a Google account. Then they can do their next quarterly writing assignment on Google Docs! Also, I'm going to transfer my lesson plans and assignments over to Google Docs so I can eliminate the need to have a thumb drive. Ultimately, I'm going to have to go for it and play around with this program so I can better utilized it in my classroom.

Personal Learning Reflection

    CEP-810 has been better than I could have imagined. I have, not only, met my goals for the class but I have surpassed them. Many of the applications are adaptable right away to my classes in spite of not having a great deal of technology at my disposal. Social networks stick out immediately; I can start a blog for each of my classes to upload notes and assignments, imbed videos and links that can aid student learning, and provide forums for student to student or student to teacher interactions. I like the potential of Twitter (and similar), and though there are some privacy issues, many of those issues have been ebbed in my mind, and it is great the professional development ideas that are offered on the networks. Overall, the course has rejuvenated me and has me trying to think outside of the box like never before.

    I wish we could have gone over Prezi, Capzules, Time Toast and Cloud Computing. Curse the person who did not unlock the classroom door! However, it turns out that we were using Cloud Computing applications w/ Google Docs and Diigo. Very tricky, Tammy! Google Docs and Diigo were very useful for our group assignment. It was great that we could edit and/or improve each other's work. The others could be used in my classes as alternative method of presenting the sequential problem solving techniques that are prevalent in math. Also, I wish we would have been able to go into website design because I think students would have fun designing one for their class or whatever research they were doing. I would not be surprised if that topic comes up in a future class.

    The assignment that I felt exemplified good teaching was the SIG presentation. It had us in cooperative groups where each member of the group had to research a topic or topics, and it had us using many of the technologies that were taught in the class such Google Presentation, social networks, and screen dumps. The beauty of it for me was being able to communicate with my group members via the internet and not having to play phone tag or meet at a central location. All of these traits and more have my brain working overtime to think of ways to integrate the internet and other technology into future lessons.

    I am very enthused about Educational Technology, and I have three long term goals. First, I will continue taking classes toward a Master's in Ed Tech. I love the hands-on nature of technology and I need to keep up with its rapid changes. Secondly, I am working on plans to give the kids more opportunities to use technology, such as internet video tutorials, interactive lessons, and social networks, to help kids learn math. Finally, I will be a leader at my school and district in advocating the use of technology in the classroom. We're too "20^th century" and need to help students meet the demands of the modern workplace.

Hud's Personal Technology Plan

My Vision of Technology In Education in the Future

            I envision that technology will become more and more prominent in schools.   However, I do not believe that humans will be eliminated from classrooms.  The trick is going to be how to find equilibrium between teachers and technology.  I compare the situation to my wife’s jobs in sales.  I always complained that she would travel too much for work and that Kellogg’s should rely on video conferencing to do handle sales calls.  After all, it was going to save on travel expenses and time away from family, but she would say that trying to make sales from long distance, and they were never as successful as when she was face-to-face with a customer because the interaction provided her the ability to read and react to her customer’s emotions .

            The same holds true in the classroom:  I can see if a kid is shy and needs for me to go to him or her without being asked and help them or if a kid is getting frustrated and needs assistance.   In fact, my experience with Odysseyware is that some kids like the ability to work on their own, but many like the face-to-face communication with teachers.  Additionally, a major function of a teacher is that of role model who shows kids how to behave, interact with others, and learn.  No computer can replace that.

            Some people envision computers replacing teachers.  However,  Lem Smith of the University of Michigan states, “From research, it can be concluded that CAI (Computer-Aided Instruction) is best used when it is in addition to the instruction of a teacher and not when it replaces the teacher.”  I believe that to be true, but computers will be used more frequently to instruct students in a variety of courses. 

The Promise of Technology

            It is all too common to see a report on television or in a periodical that bashes traditional teaching methods.  Some of the criticism is well founded and technology in education has great potential to squash some of the complaints. 

            The ability to type well and to use the tools of Microsoft Office, such as Word, Excel and Power Point, is critical in many careers.  I believe one of the reasons my wife has been successful in business is that she has mastered those applications.  School is a great place to gain experience with typing and Office.  Many enjoy the simple advantage of being able to find information for a research paper in a fraction of the time it took prior to the existence of the Internet.  Others like the ability to improve their academic skills at websites such as http://www.interactmath.com/ that provide interactive lessons for students. 

             Students and educators can benefit greatly from social networks like Twitter, blogs, and messenger sites to receive help quickly on assignments, to get links to video lessons, and more!    Though some are concerned about the value of blogging, I am very enthusiastic about blogging. In 2005, Drs. Brock and Fernadette Eide of the Eide Neurolearning Blog did research that stated, “ Blogs can promote critical and analytical thinking…Blogging can be a powerful promoter of creative, intuitive, and associational thinking...Blogs promote analogical thinking…Blogging is a powerful medium for increasing access and exposure to quality information…and Blogging combines the best of solitary reflection and social interaction.  Melanie Eve Miller writes in Views On Technology in Education, “Educational weblogs allow for opportunities to use technology in countless, meaningful aspects, such as e-portfolios, collaboration, construction, perimentation, and development. I believe weblogs are viable in virtually all disciplines, and they endorse the varied learning styles of unique individuals. Blogs promote ownership–pride of ownership–over one’s work, raising the standards of productivity. Blogs may incorporate the use of text, design, digital images, video, and audio, all of which can be used toward a purpose of creating a bridge between school and world by allowing students to intellectually interact with peers, teachers, and professionals on a global level.” 

            With the financial squeeze that many districts face these days, many free or low cost online tools could find their way into schools.  E-textbooks and Open Sources can lower costs on buying new books and productivity software.  E-portfolios have the potential to significantly reduce supply costs, and an added bonus for http://www.interactmath.com/ is that it’s free!  I already use sites like kutasoftware.com and microsoft.com for classroom activities and lesson plans.  While these examples may not be for everyone, they will have their place in education and do so already in many cases. 

            More and more institutions of learning are offering courses online where you do not have to leave the comfort of your home.  In fact, I will soon be taking an online course for MSU and a friend of mine, who lives in California, recently earned a degree from a college in Arizona. The reasons I’m liking the idea of online classes is that it will allow me to work and to be home with my kids when my wife has to work late or is travelling yet I’ll be able to take classes toward a degree.  I work at Compass High School, and our curriculum includes Odysseyware, which offers all of the courses required to get a diploma in Michigan and dozens more.  One of the benefits of Odysseyware is that students can do work at home which is important because a significant number of our students are teen mothers and/or have to have employment to their pay bills.  Hence, they can continue the path toward a diploma without having to leave their children or quit their jobs.           

The Pitfalls of Technology

                Along with promise, technology in the classroom has its drawbacks.   The drawbacks include negative effects of technology on students, acquiring the technology, providing support, how the technology is used, and the ability of all students to access the technology.  These are no small issues and can affect success or failure.

            A major issue is that the cost of technology is not low.  A Rand Corporation study concluded, “The costs of providing technology-rich learning environments in the nation's schools are not inconsequential. Based on the experience of the eight schools we have examined, the costs range from $10 to $20 billion, depending on the richness of the environment assumed.”  To make things more risky, districts spend large amounts of money but results are not guaranteed.  Lem Smith says, “Another con of educational technology is that school administrators tend to spend large amounts of money to integrate computers into schools when the effectiveness of programs on students’ achievement is unclear.

            The Rand study also mentioned that “…adequate time is needed to for teachers to acquire skills and plan…”  I cannot say that adequate support is taking place everywhere and that is a problem.  I am an example of receiving a lack of tech support as I have been at three schools that had online curriculum, online grading, and attendance software, and I have received less than five hours combined of formal training.  I know I am not alone in receiving a lack of training; my students have not had any formal instruction on how to use the Odysseyware or Carnegie Math.  Tech support is necessary to maintain, update, and repair equipment, and I’ve experienced that there are occasions where down computers have not been fixed for several days which caused problems because I had more students than computers.  I haven’t even mentioned the cost of wiring and/or wireless equipment, accessories, and equipment upkeep which is not cheap.

            The effects of technology are not always great.  I have noticed that more math students, even when I taught Algebra 2 and Finite Math, have woeful basic skills, like multiplication and division.  The typical response from students about this issue is that they don’t need to memorize their arithmetic facts because they can use a calculator instead.  I have observed that kids’ and adults’ spelling skills have gotten worse, as well.  Why?  I believe it’s because folks choose to use “Spell-check” instead of working on their ability to spell.  Also, the advent of text messaging is resulting in people’s grammar skills plummeting.  Heck, I’m guilty of not capitalizing properly and using correct punctuation sometimes when I text, and I had to chuckle at all of the times I saw text message abbreviations (lol, omg, etc.) on argumentative essays I assigned this year.  Karen Hollowell of EHow.com comments, “With this increased access to knowledge also comes a probable loss of communication skills and interactive abilities between students and teacher, and students to peers…conflict resolution and socialization used to be two prominent reasons children came to school. The emphasis now has shifted away from these areas.”   Unfortunately, I see this trend getting worse before it gets better.

Reported by Mike Conneen
Uploaded by mikeconneen on Nov 22, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GliKm-4uTYU


            Cheating is a big concern for all teachers and technology is not making it easier for us.  Steven Yaccino of U.S. News and World Report wrote, “…the Internet is inundated with places where lazier students can order custom "plagiarism-free" essays on any subject. These papers could be a major problem in classrooms because there is no way to identify them.”, and “Teachers are increasingly on the lookout for wireless earphones that could allow students to share answers via cellphones or prerecorded messages on MP3 players while keeping such devices out of sight.”  I’ve had experience with student cheating I caught a student trying to watch a video on his Ipod that showed him how to solve math problems. About.com’s Grace Fleming’s article on cheating has a list of scams that would make the strongest stomach quiver.

Uploaded by MACROPRENEURdotCOM on Oct 14, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji3loKGxUTk


            The lack of consistent access to technology is another pitfall of technology in education.  While students have access to technology at their schools, not all students have access to computers or calculators at their homes.  One does not need to be a sociologist to realize that socio-economics plays a role in this.  In my classes, the kids who own equipment tend have more success because they can complete work more easily at home, particularly Odysseyware, and learn computer functions.  This observation holds true at the district-level.  The more affluent district I’ve worked for have had much higher quality and quantity of equipment than the poorer ones.  This is one of the most unfair and unconscionable conditions we have in education.

            Overall, I stand by my thought that traditional teaching will not be replaced.   Its role will be a useful instructional tool, but will not solve all of the problems that exist in education.  I like that there are programs and websites that offer differentiated instruction to support teacher-led lessons.  For technology to its fullest potential, instructors need to not only have access to equipment, but also need to receive quality training and support.  Most importantly, they need embrace what it has to offer and not fight against progress.

           

How I Employ Technology at Work

            When I started to look at answering this comment, I thought my list would be small.  I was surprised at how much technology I have used in my career.  Currently, I am in frequent communication with others using email and an internet messenger.  Like most teachers, my biggest use is word processing because it is easier to develop and save worksheets and tests, but I’m not too bad at using Excel to make charts and graphs.  I’ve made some lessons on Power Point, though I don’t use it at my current school because I don’t have a projector.  This may change because I can use them on a blog for my students to add some spice to the lesson.  I have used web-based grading and attendance programs for many years.  In addition to computers, I have used graphing calculators (occasionally with an overhead projector LCD screen) and have assigned students to do projects involving statistics, graphing, linear programming, and others.  I look forward to adding to my list of experiences.

My Future Use of Technology

             Technology will have a much larger role for me in the future.  I plan on using a blog or Moodle to post assignments, notes, instructional video links and websites, and to provide a forum for students to communicate with each other and me on homework issues.  I will write grants to obtain more computers, calculators, manipulatives, and more.

            Longer term, I intend to improve my teaching by increasing the amount of technology I implement in the classroom.  Also, I plan to continue to take classes so I can earn a Master’s degree in Educational Technology.  With that, I’ll intend to do one of three things:  remain a math teacher, become certificated as a technology teacher, or become an employee of a district’s technology department.  Regardless, I’m excited about what the future holds.

 

           

 

           

References

Eide, D. F., & Eide, D. B. (2005, March 2). Eide Neurolearning Blog: Brain of the Blogger. Eide Neurolearning Blog. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2005/03/brain-of-blogger.html

Fleming, G. (n.d.). Technology and Cheating - Using Technology to Cheat - E-Cheats. Homework Tips - Help With Homework. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://homeworktips.about.com/od/cheating/a/echeating.htm

Glennan, T. K., & Melmed, A. (2010, October 11). Chapter 3 | RAND. RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR682/ed_ch3.html

Glennan, T. K., & Melmed, A. (2010, October 11). Chapter 4 | RAND. RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR682/ed_ch4.html

Hollowell, K. (2010, June 28). Advantages and Disadvantages of Technology in Education | eHow.com. eHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://www.ehow.com/about_4815039_advantages-disadvantages-technology-education.html#ixzz1G2yKgHCV

Miller, M. E. (n.d.). Reaction to: The Pros and Cons of Technology in the Classroom A Debate by Drs. Roy Pea and Larry Cuban. Views on Technology in Education. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://www.melanieevemiller.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/technologyineducation.pdf

Smith, L. (n.d.). Educational Technology. University of Michigan Department of Psychology. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/lem.smith/effectiveness_of_computers_in_education

Yaccino, S. (2008, October 3). Cheating Students Use Technology, Too - US News and World Report. US News & World Report | News & Rankings | Best Colleges, Best Hospitals, and more. Retrieved March 9, 2011, from http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2008/10/03/cheating-students-use-technology-too