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Week 14 - Chapter 31 and Favorite Web 2.0 Applications

I personally enjoyed learning all of the Web 2.0 applications but the two that I loved the most were Delicious and Blogs.  While I see and understand better now the other applications and will continue to utilize them, I ended up using Delicious and blog on a more regular basis. 

The first application is Delicious.  Since being introduced to this concept, I am a regular user to organize all of the websites I use for teaching.  Many of the videos we watched in class, I have saved and shown them to my Technology Fundamentals class.  I have folders for different topics and it makes my life a lot more organized and easy.  It also adds enrichment to my lesson plans.  Watching a video on how to do something sticks longer with my students.  I also can supply the link to my students through our Moodle system.  So, if they are attempting to do a project, they can access the video any time they want at home.  Also, through Delicious I can connect with others that have similar interests and use their information.  I learned through my professors that it is okay to steal lesson plans on the internet.  That is what they are there for.  We all share and it saves us so much time!  On p. 300, Terry Anderson states, “The value of this application (bookmarking) thus increase because of the aggregated input of others.  This allows discovery of the most popular sites, annotating, discussing, sorting, and selecting resources based on the value and tags attributed to the Web resource by other users.” 

The second application is a blog.  I am excited to have my students create a blog in the upcoming weeks.  I believe they will see the benefits and realize how easy it can be.  It is a great way to stay connected as well as informed.  On p. 303 Anderson cites a 2008 study of Web 2.0 in British high school done by Crook and Harrison, “Publication was felt to enhance a learner’s sense of ownership, engagement and awareness of audience.  Publication online was used by some teachers as a key element in peer assessment and was found to encourage more attention to detail and improved the quality of work.”  I think this is a wonderful way to teach the students but at the same time, they will feel the same type of ownership that I did when I was able to create my first blog.  It felt so empowering and I would love to share that with my students.  However, at the same time it is the perfect opportunity for me to teach my students about privacy issues, especially at such a young and vulnerable age.  They need to be taught (or firmly reminded) about what is appropriate to post in a blog, who should have access to the blog, how to respond to comments, how to comment on others’ blogs, etc. 

Week 13 - Application Reviews

Google Docs

Google Docs is a free web-based office suite offered by Google.  It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users.  Because we already have a plethora of documents already created and saved in other places, we are also able to upload pre-existing documents to Google Docs for future use.  It is especially useful when collaborating with other people for one project.  You can create a document and then invite those who you want to be able to view and edit your document.  Multiple people can view and edit the same document at one time.   You can see who revised the document, how they revised the document, and when they revised the document.  With Google Docs there is nothing to download.  Everything is stored online, saving storage on your personal computer.  Not only can you utilize Word, you also have access to Excel and PowerPoint.  Just as you would on your computer, you have the capability of file management by a folder system.  Once your document is completed, you may publish it to be a web page by just one click; you can publish it to the world or just to who you want to give access; or you can post it to your blog.  I would definitely recommend this application as your documents are secure and easily accessible.  (That is unless someone hacks Google Docs and destroys everything ;)

PicMonkey

PicMonkey is free and there is no registration required.  This would make it easier to use in a classroom setting.  Users can create photo collages to capture their thoughts in images instead of text.  Some interesting suggestions are to use PicMonkey for the following projects: summarize a unit of study, retell a story or novel, illustrate vocabulary and definitions, showcase student work, define mood or tone of a book or a piece of music, create an advertisement, create a persuasive poster, etc.  All a student needs is their computer and pictures already downloaded to their computer.  This sounds to be a very useful product to integrate into assignments.  I plan on doing this in the last few weeks of school and have my students create a collage summarizing what they learned throughout the entire trimester (perhaps one picture for each unit covered). 

Week 12 - Website

Finance Website

I decided to create a Finance website because of all the possibilities.  I wish I had endless amounts of time to truly create it to the best of my ability, but unfortunately, time is not on my side these days.  However, I will be forever grateful that my professor assigned this for me to struggle and learn how to create a website.  I believe that when you struggle through something, you are able to learn and retain more knowledge because of the struggle. 

To start, I included a quote from Dave Ramsey and would continue to update that on either a daily or weekly basis.  I am a huge fan of his and believe in many of his principles.  He also is a very funny man and his blog is full of great information.  I, next, included a spot for a "Student of the Week" (my girls are there right now because I didn't want to use a student's picture without their parents' permission.  However, I believe it is extremely important to encourage and recognize students for their work, attitude, effort, etc.  I also added a "Homework" spot because I know how important it is for students to quickly be able to see what is most important to them.  In that same section, I put in an "Announcements" section for anything of great importance and to them, spring break is very important!

The gadget I decided to include on the home page was a "Top Stories" gadget because I believe it is important to stay current on all news, financial or otherwise.  It helps a student to be more well-rounded and generally knowledgeable on a variety of topics. 

On the left of my home page, you can click on a "Syllabus" link which leads you to what a dual enrollment class is all about.  It also includes an attachment of their actual syllabus and what they can expect for each and every day of the trimester.  I put another picture of my daughter here with her little Superwoman costume on in order to add a little fun and humor to the topic but also to convey that you can be "super" with your finances and live life freely without debt.

On this page I also included a calendar gadget as it pertains to their syllabus schedule.  I thought that they might want to check their days to an actual calendar. 

Concept Mapping

I have used and will continue to use concept mapping in my Career class. I used bubbl.us, had my students create their own account and assigned them to create a concept map including the following information: 1. The middle circle is titled "Career Interest Areas" 2. The middle circle of bubbles should include all of the 12 career interest areas. 3. In addition to what you see here, my students went even further and added 5 different types of jobs to each of the career interest areas. In the end, their concept map was enormous but they were very engaged and learning. Some students will take the time to change the colors of the bubbles and do extra formatting.

Jing for Uploading Picture Demonstration

I use Jing in order to demonstrate to my Yearbook students how to upload a picture they've saved to their desktop to our Pictavo website. Pictavo is the website we use to create our yearbook. Students are required to upload a total of approximately 12-10 pictures per week depending on how many pages they have been assigned to. I demonstrate in class how to upload but many times the students will forget and need to be refreshed on how to do it when the time actually comes.

Google Map - Walt Disney

View Famous Entrepreneur - Walt Disney in a larger map

Week 8 Google Map Lesson Plan

GOOGLE MAPS ASSIGNMENT I would be able to use Google Maps in about all of my classes as an assignment but the class that came to mind first was my Entrepreneurship class. Bell Work: When students walk in the classroom, their bell work would be to sit down, open their laptops, and research an entrepreneur they would like to know more about. (5-7 Minutes) I already have them do a Prezi about a famous entrepreneur and present it to the class. This would easily be an added bonus to the presentation. They could have a link to their Google Map in their Prezi. After bell work time is complete we would go around the room and mention who each student would like to research so we don’t have any duplicates. After each student knows who they will be researching, I would show the video and informative links to Google Maps I had to do for this assignment (I have them saved in my Delicious account). Once we go over how to create a map, I would ask for any clarification and then give them the guidelines and expectations for their maps. I would also show them an example that I have created in order for them to see what is expected of them. Guidelines would include the following: • Where the entrepreneur was born and when • Any cities they lived in • Schools they attended • Where they are now or where they died • What they are known for • Any other points of interest they might find during their research o Favorite spots of that person I would give them about 2 days during class to work on this (2 hours total) and anything else would be homework outside the classroom. They would all then present their Prezi to the class with the Google Maps integrated as a link.

Week 7 - Instructional Design in Business and Industry

As I read chapter 18, I was amazed by the many connections to the teaching profession. Because we teach a multitude of students, we are encountered by a multitude of cultures and learning abilities (or disabilities), not to mention all of the family and emotional/mental situations behind the scenes. “Instructional design today encompasses much more than simply producing instruction. It is now associated with analyzing human performance problems, identifying root causes of those problems, considering a variety of solutions to address the root causes, and determining and implementing the appropriate solutions (Rothwell & Kazanas, 2008)” (p. 178). Immediately I thought of struggling students. As a teacher we need to identify where and why the student is struggling and from there implement a strategy to provide a suitable solution. Not only do we have the great responsibility of designing lesson plans and teaching, we also have the great responsibility of evaluating, revising, and implementing new strategies. Along these same lines is the fact that we are teaching cross-culturally every single day. “In one instructional event, numerous societal cultural factors may be present in the representation of a cross-cultural workforce” (p. 182). While it is not the exact same thing, we do have different situations we are teaching to every single day. Another similarity I found in this chapter from business to teaching is the idea of a client role. “One problem designers face when starting a new project is identifying the client with the primary decision making responsibility” (p. 180). So many times, a teacher will get different answers from different people, causing misunderstanding and confusion. It is great when the roles of each teacher and administrator are clear. Also in this section, it discusses “instructional designers may experience frustration when designing instruction due to the lack of client understanding of the instructional design process” (p. 180). If administration is going to be requiring teachers to implement something new, they themselves need to make sure they know what it is all about and are trained on it themselves. The next area I found that tied to teaching was the “Better, Faster, Cheaper” section (p. 183), particularly when it discusses technology-based training. We have recently implemented a one-to-one laptop policy this past year in order to expedite several different processes. The administration followed several different schools who had done the same thing in order to provide for a “prototype” for what our school would model.

Week 5 Photo Sharing :)

AngieParker1978's photostream on Flickr.

Human Performance Improvement - Week 7 - Chapter 14

Reflection 1. Related to Chapter 14, what are some ways the ideas/concepts/principles discussed in this chapter could be applied in your professional work? Do you see opportunities where these ideas could help you or your students? Right off, I read something that stood out to me – “HIP is a movement with a straightforward mission . . .” (p. 135). Too many times, we have a broad vision with many interpretations. When teachers are given a direct vision and goals, it is so much easier to accomplish something and not feel overwhelmed. It might be something as simple as implement a new piece of technology every 2 weeks in one of your classes. When told to just implement technology, my brain goes into overdrive and I have a hard time defining what I should do. When not given a clear directive, I will then create personal goals in order to break it down better and not seem like such a huge task. The book states it well when it says, “By focusing on the array of elements affecting learning – learner characteristics, learning context, tasks to be mastered, clearly defined learning objectives, criterion measures, media, and delivery systems – a more comprehensive view of learning systems arose” (p. 139). I also agree that there is something to be said about someone whose sole job is to come in from an outside perspective and analyze how an organization could be more effective. “The PC is there to identify gaps between desired and actual performance, analyze them, isolate the systemic factors affecting the gaps, and recommend an integrated set of suitable interventions to rapidly and effectively eliminate them” (p. 137). While we may not always like the outcome, resources need to be put to their best use and an organization can accomplish so much more when extras are weeded out. However, I believe that people from all levels of an organization need to be surveyed and questioned from their perspective on better uses of resources. There are many areas I am never questioned about that directly involve my job and my classes. If they would have asked me if I thought we should cut elementary technology, I would have adamantly said no a hundred times over. They are now re-evaluating their rash decision from a couple of years ago and are seeing that we need it back. When teachers are clear about our objectives and goals, less time is wasted trying to figure things out and more time is spent teaching our students. 2. As described above under Option 1, profile the podcast(s) you chose to subscribe and listen to (you don’t have to do this if you choose Option 2) Portable TV, Ottawa Canada 4/5th Graders This video podcast, Portable TV, is created by 4th and 5th graders in Ottawa, Canada! This particular episode contained the following segments: • Junior Achievement – students built structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows in a timed format in order for them to feel a similar type of pressure an adult might feel in business; students assembled pens in order to feel similar to a person who might work in a factory; students created advertising posters for their made-up business and pitched their ideas • Student-Invented Game – a couple of students created a game to be played in the gym. They listed the items needed to play the game as well as demonstrated and explained how to play the game. • Top Ten – two students listed the top ten things to do at recess and showed video of students doing these activities during recess o Hopscotch, hide and seek, talking with friends, four square, playing on the play structure, racing, playing manhunt game, touch football, basketball, and soccer (from 10 to 1) • Snail and Whale Visit Our School - little stuffed animals were sent from a different school to theirs and they created a slideshow with them doing different activities • Very Snowy Day – the students documented a very snowy day on 12/21/12 and them playing in it • Teacher vs. Student Challenge – students challenge a different teacher to different competitions. This podcast in particular included a puzzle and playing Guess Who where the students described how to play and the rules of the game 3. What added value might podcasting have in your professional setting (company, school, etc.)? Podcasting could have great effectiveness in the life of a teacher. One very important reason for this is because of the ability to listen or view the podcast on their own time! It is something that can be done during a lunch hour or prep hour or during professional development days. Something to consider, however, is not to assign it as “homework” to the teachers because it will never get done. We have enough to do outside of school, i.e. grading, lesson planning, discovering new uses of technology, etc. What could be an easy way for teachers to accomplish listening to and subscribing to podcasts is to give a time frame of choosing one to listen to, then writing a brief description to share in groups. We have Professional Learning Communities at our school, so this would be a great opportunity to share different podcasts.

Podcast Link - Week 7

Portable TV, Ottawa Canada 4/5th Graders This video podcast, Portable TV, is created by 4th and 5th graders in Ottawa, Canada! This particular episode contained the following segments: • Junior Achievement – students built structures out of spaghetti and marshmallows in a timed format in order for them to feel a similar type of pressure an adult might feel in business; students assembled pens in order to feel similar to a person who might work in a factory; students created advertising posters for their made-up business and pitched their ideas • Student-Invented Game – a couple of students created a game to be played in the gym. They listed the items needed to play the game as well as demonstrated and explained how to play the game. • Top Ten – two students listed the top ten things to do at recess and showed video of students doing these activities during recess o Hopscotch, hide and seek, talking with friends, four square, playing on the play structure, racing, playing manhunt game, touch football, basketball, and soccer (from 10 to 1) • Snail and Whale Visit Our School - little stuffed animals were sent from a different school to theirs and they created a slideshow with them doing different activities • Very Snowy Day – the students documented a very snowy day on 12/21/12 and them playing in it • Teacher vs. Student Challenge – students challenge a different teacher to different competitions. This podcast in particular included a puzzle and playing Guess Who where the students described how to play and the rules of the game

Google Maps - Week 6 - Traverse City (favorite vacation spot in summer)

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Video of daughter drumming - Week 6

Static Image - Week 6

Psychological Foundations Application Question - Week 6

The first theory I will use is B. F. Skinner’s Behavioral Learning Theory which states that, “learning can be understood, explained, and predicted entirely on the basis of observable events, namely, the behavior of the learner along with its environmental antecedents and consequences” (p. 36).  As a teacher, I would first do a pre-assessment to determine what they already know.  Because I teach older student, it is always essential to first figure out what they already know in order not to teach them something they already know and waste precious time.  Based on that assessment, I would simply teach my students through lecture and demonstration how to figure out the price per ounce of different brands of a particular item.  Then I would give a worksheet containing several different problems to reinforce what was just taught.  After working on the problems independently, I would ask for volunteers to share their answers and give instant feedback whether their answer was right or wrong. 

The second theory I will use is the “Cognitive Information Processing” theory that “regards the environment as playing an important role in learning” (p. 37).  Using the same assignment of figuring out the price per ounce of different brands of a particular item, I would create more of a sensory environment.  I would set up a mock shelf of grocery items and have them use their calculators in order to figure out the problems on a worksheet.  They could work collaboratively to figure the problems out, talking and “shopping” together.  I would observe whether or not they were all able to figure out the problems by listening to their discussions as well as looking at their worksheet. 

The final theory I will use is the “Constructivism” theory.  In this assignment I would have students create their own scenario or mock grocery shelf to have the other students figure out the price per ounce of a particular item among different brands.  They would have to create a worksheet for their peers to figure out.  This way, they are learning while they are creating. 

Chapter 3 Application Question - Week 5

a.

Throwing teachers and students into such a massive undertaking is a sure cause for epic failure. The main reason is that nowhere in the case study does it mention that teachers were trained or instructed on how to use the technology or how to efficiently access all of the texts online. Now, not only do the teachers need to figure out what the best use of the laptops are, they also have to teach and train all of their students how to access their textbooks and upload and do assignments online. Throughout the decades, one of the biggest reasons why technology has been slow to catch on is because of "failure to provide teachers with adequate guidance as to how to integrate the new media into their instructional practices" (p. 27). Just because a technology is available and a great resource does not necessarily mean all teachers and students already know how to use or will be able to figure it out easily on their own. Dating back to the original use of film equipment, "teachers had difficulty in operating film equipment" (p. 18).

Another reason why the total integration of laptops and wireless capability did not have much effect on the instructional practices employed by teachers is because of cost. Now that the district paid for laptops and wireless capability at home and school for all teachers and students, what money is left over for anything else? When something of this magnitude is implemented, there is also the cost of managing it. Technology is constantly needing to be updated and monitored, especially when students are given access to the internet. So many things are being added to the internet every second of the day which allows for more temptations and distractions. In order to avoid as many of these distractions and temptations as possible, more money needs to be used.

The last reason why the integration did not have a great effect is due to over-exaggerated optimism from experts in the area. There should always be a pilot program before jumping in to a project of this magnitude. In 1913, Thomas Edison said, "Books will soon be obsolete in the schools . . . " (p. 18). Look at how long ago he said that and was wrong! It just goes to show that we have many looking further ahead than their own lifetime and think it will be the norm. When, in reality, change this big takes time and much careful modification along the way. Another great statement came from Papert in 1984 that "the computer was going to be a catalyst of very deep and radical change in the educational system and that by 1990 one computer per child would be a very common state of affairs in schools in the United States" (p. 21). Change is definitely great, but sometimes it takes a lot longer than predicted in order to be successful.

b.

I have actually gone through this whole process myself this past school year and can definitely tell you what could have been done better in our particular situation. The biggest strategy would be guided instruction on how to best use the laptops and wireless capability. Teachers do not have endless amounts of time to research ways to best use technology instructionally in their classrooms. Proper guidance and time to figure this out is essential in order to equip teachers enough for them to feel in control. Because teachers are not given adequate training and time, they feel helpless, overwhelmed, and underappreciated. These feelings, therefore, run over into the classroom and how they are able to relate with their students.

Another strategy would have been to gradually employ the laptops to teachers first and then students. Teachers need to have time themselves first with the devices before the students so they are familiar. Give the teachers a year with the laptops and then give them to the students. Too much all at once is never a success. We all know that teachers are also given more than one new thing a year, so to add this huge integration as well as all of their other things that pop up during the year, can cause a huge amount of stress.

　

　

　

　

　

　

Social Book Marking and Defining Our Field

1)

I have not yet made social bookmarking a big part of my life.  I have read about it and visited such sites briefly but have not made the plunge until this assignment.  I have enjoyed perusing other people’s sites to find out their interests and discover things I might not have otherwise discovered.  Bookmarking is a great way for students to find others interested in the same things as themselves and to learn in a more efficient way about related things that interest them.  It is a great tool because of the time it could save students.  If I gave students an assignment about choosing a career, they could easily use a site such as Delicious to organize their thoughts and findings and find those in the career they are interested in and follow them.  Then, of course, my students could follow me in order to link to all of the things I think are important for them.  I believe this also creates a community within each class.  The author of the article 7 Things You Should Know About Social Bookmarking states it well when he says, “This process allows like-minded individuals to find one another and create new communities of users that continue to influence the ongoing evolution of folksonomies and common tags for resources.” Students who are not as verbal or engaging in class are able to express themselves without feeling embarrassed.  As for teachers sharing with teachers, I will always email a particular teacher whenever I find something that they would find interesting or useful for their own classroom.  However, if all of our teachers were linked in to Delicious and checked it on a regular basis, we could easily help each other out.  One major obstacle I have in my life overall right now is time.  Teaching full time, being a mother of two little ones, taking a class online, life, etc. allows for very little free time for me.  Or if I do have free time, I completely crash.  There is never enough of time!  If I searched something on Google, I could spend hours investigating one topic.  With a site such as Delicious I can see the possibility of being able to search something but removing any unnecessary elements in the process.  I would love to get connected with parents in a social bookmarking website.  Unfortunately, many are just as busy as myself or simply don’t know how to do it.  I would love to be able to teach parents how to become connected on the applications we are learning about in this class!  I believe it would allow for parents to also be more informed about what their children are learning and doing themselves on the internet.

2)

I agree with the text that the definition of this particular field we are studying is constantly changing and rightly so.  As innovation continues, so will our definition evolve.  Technology started out as a physical means to present instruction.  Now it involves a higher order of thinking.  The words “analysis,” “design,” “development,” “implementation,” “evaluation,” and “ management” all entail students being more engaged in and taking control of their learning.  Taking this class along with taking  EDT 6440 Advanced Instructional Technologies, I have come to learn how to use Web2.0 and how essential it is for my students to be taught these applications.  I love that I am able to use everything I learn from this class immediately in what I am teaching.  That is the benefit of being a Business Education teacher!  I am currently compiling a list of what I want to include in my Technology class I will be teaching next trimester.  It includes Delicious, Wikispaces, Flickr, Google Docs, Blogging, and anything else we learn in this class!  I want my students to be successful in college and the working world and it is my job to help them have an easy transition.  In reading the first chapter, nothing surprised me yet, but that is probably due to my job and being familiar with a lot of the terminology already.  What I found disturbing was the fact that the 1977 definition “consisted of sixteen statements spread over seven pages of text, followed by nine pages of tables, elaborating on some of the concepts mentioned in the statements, as well as nine more chapters that provided further elaboration” (p. 3).  It just seems that something like that is causing great confusion. 

del.icio.us Link

https://delicious.com/#angieparker1978

Wikispaces Week 3 Reflection

I have actually set up a wikispace prior to this assignment and have quite enjoyed it.  I wish I had more time to actually use it, though.  I had to use it to be a part of a debate on whether or not smartphones should be allowed in the classroom.  It allowed everyone in our group to participate and contribute our thoughts without having to actually set up a meeting time.  We were also able to see what every person contributed and when.  It helps tremendously with the accountability factor when working in a group for a project. 

In my job, I can see a wikispace being used in order to use our time more efficiently.  Whereas I can meet in a group for a meeting, it would seem like better use of our time to create a wikispace and contribute as we find the time, not extra time beyond school hours.  I am likely to have a few minutes during my day (lunch, prep, while students are working on projects, etc.) and prioritize my time better.  It also, therefore, serves as a note taker so we don’t have to remember what everyone said.  Creating a wikispace also allows me to collaborate and get ideas from teachers outside my school and state!  This is exciting to be able to discuss with other teachers what they are doing, what works well, and what doesn’t work for them.  We can share our knowledge and experience to help other teachers be a success. 

In my personal life, I had a great idea on how to use a wikispace.  Every year my immediate family take a family vacation somewhere up north (Silver Lake, Lake Ann) and we are all emailing each other and copying each other in the emails and replying to everyone.  Instead, if we all have access to the same wikispace, we can all share our ideas in one place to everyone.  We can then all add new ideas and things as they come up.  When we are searching for a place to stay, that is the most difficult thing to agree upon and I see a wikispace as a way to communicate more effectively and efficiently. 

I used a wikispace last trimester for the first time as an extra credit assignment in my Career class.  This stuff is all very new to them and many students are overwhelmed with technology, so I gave this as an extra credit test grade if they used it.  I actually had about half of the class create a wikispace for their final project.  During the whole trimester, my Career students worked on different documents (resume, letters of recommendation, references) to put into a Career Portfolio.  I gave them the option of either printing them out in hard copies and arranging them neatly in a 3-ring binder or creating a wikispace with a folder titled “Career Portfolio” and upload all of their documents.  What a great way to store their information.  And, can you imagine if they go to an interview and give their potential employer the address to their wikispace which includes their resume?!  They would impress the socks off them! 

As life goes on, I am sure I will find many more ways to better use my wikispace but as for now, life is so completely overwhelming that I just do not have the time to devote to it.  However, I am so glad that I actually know how to do it and that is the first step. 

Wikispace Address

http://parkeredt.pbworks.com

Dale's Cone and Siegel's Computer Imagination

Blogs are everywhere today and it seems like there are a million blogs for every topic.  I began taking EDT classes last semester and for my class I had to actually create my own blog.  It took a lot more time and effort than I originally thought but am so glad that I had to do it.  I learned a lot in the process and was able to teach myself how to do it.  Creating a blog for my EDT classes is great because I can really see the benefit of having all of my stuff in one place and also being able to share all of my research and thoughts with others.  By forcing me to get a little out of my comfort zone and create a blog of my own, I realize how much ownership and a sense of pride you accomplish. 

Today was my very first experience using and setting up an RSS Reader.  I had heard the term before, but had no idea what it was or how it operated.  I was nervous at first when I read the assignment directions, but dove right in as soon as I found the time.  I was sitting during my prep hour in the teacher’s lounge and I easily created a RSS Reader and subscribed to everyone’s blogs as well as a few of my favorite news feeds.  I was so intrigued that the next hour, I had one of my students try it on their computer to see if anything would be blocked because I would like for my classes to use this!  I have plans to integrate an RSS Reader tomorrow in at least one of my classes.  My students in Entrepreneurship could subscribe to quite a few feeds dealing with current business trends and ideas.  It would be an awesome thing for me to introduce to them. 

Concerning Dale’s Cone, the blog fits into the ring of “still picture, realistic drawings, radio, records”.  Many of the blogs out there have pictures, artwork, links to videos, etc., that draw people into them.  They can be interpreted many different ways by different people depending on the viewer’s previous experiences and knowledge.  I also think that because the viewer of a blog needs to be able to navigate the different buttons that contain different symbols, that this would fit into Dale’s ring of “visual symbols.”  The last ring I see a blog fitting into is the “verbal symbol” ring because it is primarily words.  It is used as an outlet for entertainment or news.  Therefore, the creator of the blog has to be creative with their use of words as well as the placement of text and images in order to portray a certain  message. 

I believe RSS feeds fall into similar cones as blogs do.  I appreciate Dale’s statement on p. 130 that says, “Thus, the growing mind will obtain its nourishment from a cafeteria of stimulating experiences – an appealing mixture of the abstract and the concrete, the general, and the specific.”  The RSS feeds provide a lot of different sources of information all in one place and constantly updating.  

Considering Siegel’s concept of “computer imagination”, I agree when he states that “e-learning is more effective when designers use the computer imaginatively to increase understanding.”  One way I could creatively use the blog in my Entrepreneurship class is for the students to research different types of businesses (sole-proprietorship, partnership, and corporation) and contrast and compare and post to their own blog.  Then the other students could read each other’s blogs to see what everyone came up with.  It is a great way to share more information but in a more condensed and organized form.  One way my Yearbook students could use an RSS Reader is to subscribe to feeds concerning digital photography in order to keep updated on the newest and latest trends, ideas, etc.  This would be a great way for them to constantly be learning new things without me missing out on something.  It would also be good for them to share their own finds with the class so all of the students can learn what they have learned.  This would ultimately help to solve the problem of being able to keep updated on the constant influx of new technology and new uses of already existing technology. 

Reigeluth and Postman Reflection

Reading and digesting the articles written by Reigeluth and Postman resulted in a stark difference of opinions. I both agree and disagree with each of them in some of their statements. My background and current teaching situation offers me to truly see the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom. This school year, my administration implemented a BOYD (bring your own device) philosophy requiring all fourth through sixth graders to have a tablet of some sort and all seventh through twelfth graders to have a laptop of some sort. They were required to purchase them on their own. Every day they have to bring it and teachers are required to be using them a majority of the day.

When Postman discusses the idea of the "why" question behind things, I can relate. Just saying that we need to integrate technology necessitates more of an explanation. I completely relate to the fact that technology can be a "distraction" when it comes to students. I don’t believe they are mature enough to have the right amount of self-control to not play games, surf the internet, etc. In the same way, I agree with some of what Reigeluth is saying. "Technology is used to create methods that were previously not feasible" is a very true statement and we need to run with that idea. Technology has been fast in furious in its creation. Whenever we blink something newer and/or better has come on the market and we need to learn it.

The flip side of the coin is the idea that all students should "progress at different rates and pursue different goals at the same time" (Reigeluth). I understand the concept but what he fails to mention is the "how" of his theory. I would love to see an actual representation in practice of how this is done and what the benefits truly are. This is where I tend to agree with Postman in the matter of schools teaching children "how to learn and behave as part of a community." There is definitely something to be said about being in the presence of other students your own age, collaborating, discussion, interacting, and socializing while learning. I also agree with Postman when he states that children are suffering from "information glut". I see too many high school students not being able to process from all the information available to them. Sometimes simple research is hard for them to even get started on because they don’t know where to begin.

In conclusion, I believe that there is some combination of technology and classroom environment that is the right recipe for success. What that combination is, I have no idea. I believe that students need the interaction with teachers and peers as well as self-paced, self-directed learning utilizing a variety of tools and resources and assessments. One of the biggest hurdles is the way schools are under pressure for standardization and testing. There needs to be change from the top (government to state to local schools) down in order for change to occur effectively.