Before reading this chapter, I had been considering purchasing the book for future use. Now, I'm certain that I need my own copy. The practical applications discussed in detail are exactly what I need. The authors provide numerous links to blogs, podcasts and websites for resources as well as examples.
The sections on social studies gave helpful examples about using podcasts to let students record their own stories or the stories of others. What a great motivator for students to learn about an event, conduct interviews then create and share podcasts. There are several examples from students across the country using audio and video production to bring social studies alive.
Several examples for using Google Earth, Geography Matters and even National Geographic were given. Links are given for resources and maps that allow students to post their own descriptions about locations shown.
I also found the information about using web 2.0 tools to post newspapers, newsletters or even video announcements interesting. This is an area I'm interested in exploring with my students, so the information provided here was a good reminder that this is a doable project. Several links to student samples are listed, so I'll need to spend time exploring those while I develop ideas about how I can implement similar learning experiences for my students.
With all the great sites mentioned in this chapter and throughout the book, Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools will have to be added to my collection.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Chapter Nine: New Schools
Certainly with web 2.0, schools are rapidly changing. New teachers are familiar and comfortable with technology, but don't always know how to use it with students for educational purposes. On the other hand, those who have been teaching for 15+ years are less certain about the benefits of technology and can easily find any number of reasons to stick with the tried and true. Bridging this gap will be imperative if we are to bring schools into the 21st century.
In this chapter, the author reported several surprising ideas about the future of education. 20% of those who were surveyed thought that the physical location of schools would matter little as technology began to connect students far and wide. For those living in small, rural towns or villages, this will truly open their world. Another finding was that 20% felt that students would no longer be grouped by age, but by ability; a touchy concept in the educational world. In addition to this, 43% of respondents agreed that student achievement would be monitored by software. We are already seeing this trend as students work with Lexia Reading or Larson Math, for example. Clearly, teachers and schools are in for big changes as we move forward to meet the new challenges and opportunities provided with technology.
In this chapter, the author reported several surprising ideas about the future of education. 20% of those who were surveyed thought that the physical location of schools would matter little as technology began to connect students far and wide. For those living in small, rural towns or villages, this will truly open their world. Another finding was that 20% felt that students would no longer be grouped by age, but by ability; a touchy concept in the educational world. In addition to this, 43% of respondents agreed that student achievement would be monitored by software. We are already seeing this trend as students work with Lexia Reading or Larson Math, for example. Clearly, teachers and schools are in for big changes as we move forward to meet the new challenges and opportunities provided with technology.
Chapter Seven: Online Safety and Security
As a parent, this chapter confirmed that I'm doing many things right when it comes to monitoring my kids use of the internet. Our computer is in the living room, I often check the history and we talk about how to use the internet safely. We don't have any blocking software installed, but, at this point, we don't see a need to either. I think that having close relationship and staying connected with one's kids goes a long way to protecting them both online and in the real world.
As a teacher, I'm trying to find ways to use the web2.0 tools I've learned about in this course with my students. Unfortunately, I've found out that in elementary schools, the rules are different in regards to use of the internet and online tools that require email addresses.
For this reason, I was particularly interested in the last section of the chapter, Other Alternatives. Several sites were listed that offer both the web2.0 abilities as well as a more secure online environment. I'm going to spend time exploring www.elgg.org which offers blogging, electronic portfolios, student podcasts and even social networking. Controls allow the space to be private, available to selected users or public. This seems ideal in many ways for the needs and age of my students.
Another site, http://classblogmeister.com, offers teachers the ability to use class blogs that are very controlled. Students are able to view and peer edit through each other's blogs, but the teacher posts student blog entries. This may require more management than I can provide, but it does provide an alternative to more uncontrolled blogging for first time users.
Think.com is another resource addressed in this section. This site allows teachers and students to work collaboratively with others across districts, states or even countries. As a teacher of geography and world cultures, this could prove to be an incredible resource. It seems that I now have more web 2.0 learning ahead of me.
As a teacher, I'm trying to find ways to use the web2.0 tools I've learned about in this course with my students. Unfortunately, I've found out that in elementary schools, the rules are different in regards to use of the internet and online tools that require email addresses.
For this reason, I was particularly interested in the last section of the chapter, Other Alternatives. Several sites were listed that offer both the web2.0 abilities as well as a more secure online environment. I'm going to spend time exploring www.elgg.org which offers blogging, electronic portfolios, student podcasts and even social networking. Controls allow the space to be private, available to selected users or public. This seems ideal in many ways for the needs and age of my students.
Another site, http://classblogmeister.com, offers teachers the ability to use class blogs that are very controlled. Students are able to view and peer edit through each other's blogs, but the teacher posts student blog entries. This may require more management than I can provide, but it does provide an alternative to more uncontrolled blogging for first time users.
Think.com is another resource addressed in this section. This site allows teachers and students to work collaboratively with others across districts, states or even countries. As a teacher of geography and world cultures, this could prove to be an incredible resource. It seems that I now have more web 2.0 learning ahead of me.
Chapter One: New World, New Web, New Skills
After taking numerous technology courses and working with web 2.0 tools, this chapter provided clarity about the 21st century skills. This is a term that is often used, but rarely explained in the depth it was here.
The 2004 report Learning for the 21st Century stated "Today's education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gab between how students live and how they learn." I think it's important to recognize and honor that fact that our students do, already, live in a 21st century environment. Many use web 2.0 tools to communicate or gather information or even play games. As teachers, we need to guide their use so they see the educational and work-place value of those tools.
I found Binder's statement interesting as well, "In the future, how we educate our children may be more important than how much we educate them." The world we live in changes so rapidly that it's not enough to merely teach students. They need the skills to learn independently so they will be able to grow and change over the course of their lives.
When I was in school, the internet wasn't even in use and computers were used primarily for word processing. Had my education stopped at that point, I would be very ineffectual in both my job as well as my life after the changes that have come about in the past 20 years. Fortunately, I have the skills, interest and confidence to continue learning. We can't prepare our students for jobs that don't even exist today, but we can help them develop the skills they will need to adapt and be successful in the future.
The 2004 report Learning for the 21st Century stated "Today's education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gab between how students live and how they learn." I think it's important to recognize and honor that fact that our students do, already, live in a 21st century environment. Many use web 2.0 tools to communicate or gather information or even play games. As teachers, we need to guide their use so they see the educational and work-place value of those tools.
I found Binder's statement interesting as well, "In the future, how we educate our children may be more important than how much we educate them." The world we live in changes so rapidly that it's not enough to merely teach students. They need the skills to learn independently so they will be able to grow and change over the course of their lives.
When I was in school, the internet wasn't even in use and computers were used primarily for word processing. Had my education stopped at that point, I would be very ineffectual in both my job as well as my life after the changes that have come about in the past 20 years. Fortunately, I have the skills, interest and confidence to continue learning. We can't prepare our students for jobs that don't even exist today, but we can help them develop the skills they will need to adapt and be successful in the future.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Question
I don't see where to resize the Implementation Plan so the entire presentation is visible. Any suggestions?
Week 9 Thing 23
I had not seen "A fair(y) Use Tale" before and thought it was both educational and fun to watch. I'd like to share it with my students in the future. They would be interested by the format of the video as they learned about copyright issues. What a great idea!
Creative Commons is a term that I was familiar with from other courses I'm taking, but the video from their site was helpful. I hadn't realized how many different levels of sharing were available. This is something I want to look into further so I can help my students find images that are available for sharing.
When I signed up for this course, I was both excited and nervous about the format. I had never blogged, created an avatar or heard of many of the web 2.0 tools mentioned. Fear set in as I realized that I needed to jump in and just explore them on my own. After I got started, I saw how great the video tutorials are and learned that I can learn about online tools independently. I don't need a class with a rigid meeting schedule that will be impossible to work around my family's schedule. It's exciting to have learned about the tools introduced here, but I know that I can continue to explore those as well as dive into other 2.0 tools too. Thank you so much for your encouragement and feedback throughout this process.
Creative Commons is a term that I was familiar with from other courses I'm taking, but the video from their site was helpful. I hadn't realized how many different levels of sharing were available. This is something I want to look into further so I can help my students find images that are available for sharing.
When I signed up for this course, I was both excited and nervous about the format. I had never blogged, created an avatar or heard of many of the web 2.0 tools mentioned. Fear set in as I realized that I needed to jump in and just explore them on my own. After I got started, I saw how great the video tutorials are and learned that I can learn about online tools independently. I don't need a class with a rigid meeting schedule that will be impossible to work around my family's schedule. It's exciting to have learned about the tools introduced here, but I know that I can continue to explore those as well as dive into other 2.0 tools too. Thank you so much for your encouragement and feedback throughout this process.
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