this is it! (blogpost 12)

Here we are, at the end of a month-long road, armed with all sorts of technological tools to guide us in the classroom.

In the beginning of this class, we were asked to reflect on our use of technology in and out of the workplace. I talked a lot about my use of technology at home and my comfort levels. I feel the same in comfort level - I still am fiercely attached to my computer, but now there is a little more I feel more eager to do with that computer.

I have subscribed to a lot of great RSS feeds on education and technology that will help keep me in the loop. I have learned a ton of new techniques on ways to integrate technology in the English classroom, and why it's so important.

This class has helped me define my future goals as and educator and a leader. I want to make sure my future students are able to use technology to their full advantage, in a way that will stretch their minds and understanding.

I would say the biggest challenge I faced in this class was something I hated ever since I was little. I hate hearing my own voice played back - you would never find me eager to record the message on our answering machine back home - but I was forced to do that THREE TIMES in this class - once for the digital story, once for our podcast, and again for our educational technology philosophy. Just doing it and getting over that bizarre phobia was a challenge - and it reminds me of the way a student might feel when we ask them to do something equally uncomfortable for them.

Overall, I enjoyed this class. I would even dare call it fun. Thanks to Jenn, our instructor, and to Fairfield for supplying us with the computers, programs and web host.

the comp delusion? (blogpost 11)

We read The Computer Delusion for class, and I must say, I don't think it's all that relevant anymore. It is definitely an interesting piece of text to read if you're thinking about the use of computers in classrooms in 1997, but not 2010, over a decade later.

For instance, Oppenheimer mentioned that art and music programs were cut from schools to fund computer purchases, even though research has shown that art and music are both extremely beneficial to the development of brain function. I do agree with him that such programs and teachers are very valuable and should only be cut in extreme circumstances. However, now you can use computers to create and manipulate art and music in amazing ways. It has become a way to enhance art and music classes, not cut them. So much has changed since this article has written...

He also argues that most programs are too complicated and only appropriate for older students. I think a lot of programs have been adapted for younger students to use, and that his argument doesn't stand anymore.

Oppenhiemer seems to have one hell of a bone to pick with former President Clinton's decision to get more computers in the classrooms, but I think it shows tremendous foresight. Look at my class right now! We're all glued to our computers learning the millions of ways in which technology can be used in the classroom - any classroom.

After reading the entire article, I felt a real sense of paranoia and contempt radiating from the author. I agree in some ways that computers are not the end all and be all of our existence, but they are a necessary tool, and we should treat them as such. Students should use computers to enhance their learning and become as comfortable as possible with them before they go on to college and then into their working lives. No, not all of them will need how to manipulate software or build a computer, but I would wager that a large majority will come into contact with a computer on a daily basis in whatever job they perform. We cannot ignore that fact and leave computers out of the equation of education. Nowadays, they're as essential as the skill of holding a pen or pencil.

(blogposts 9 & 10)

You may (or you may not) be wondering why it has been quite some time since I've done my homework. Well, lately we have been asked to post comments on our class blog rather than on our own. If you would like to keep up on the going-ons of class, please visit

http://fairfieldmd400.blogspot.com/


for the latest and greatest comments on technology in the classroom.

the hardest button to button, ah oh!

Hello! If you'd like, you can completely ignore this post. I am only trying to get a blog button to work for me:)

the halfway point (blogpost 8)

I can't believe the class is half over. I feel as though it just began. I am grateful that this course has introduced me to a few new technological experiences, like created my own website. Without this course, I probably would not have tried to make my own website. I haven't blogged since 2005, so it's good to get back in the swing of things. I love the idea of a class blog for my future English students, and I hope to create one in the future.

In a lot of ways, Ed Tech is all about demystifying technology and revealing its practicality. I appreciate the way in which our instructor introduces us to many different ways to do the same thing, even if we only do it one way in class. She has provided so many valuable links and resources, and has encouraged us to catalog the resources we have found on our own. I am very grateful for that, because once this course is gone, I can still revisit the website I created and have that valuable list of resources at my fingertips.

I don't know if I would call this class challenging. I think there is a very wide variety of technological comfort in the students in our class, and I don't always feel that I can sprint ahead when I want to. I do wish there were some way to accommodate those students who want to move at a faster pace and learn a little more. That would be my biggest suggestion for our instructor. But don't get me wrong, I've learned a lot. I just want to test things out while I learn, and at times I find that very difficult to do because of our pace.

My favorite assignment so far has been the copyright assignment. I am so thankful that we have been introduced to these critical laws.

Copyright (blogpost 7)

After doing the readings for tomorrow, I feel like a lot of educators are either ignorant of copyright laws or care to ignore them. I, personally, was ignorant. I'm very glad that we took a brief detour into the world of copyrighting, so I can feel as though I'm making good decisions about "fair use" and the use of copyrighted material.


All of these copyright laws make me rather nervous. It makes me want to create everything I need and not rely on copyrighted material, which, of course, is insane. The implication this has for me as an educator is that I need to become familiar with the copyright laws and legislation so I can feel comfortable and secure when using copyrighted material in the classroom. I should not have to want to rely on my own creations (photography, for example) and take advantages of all of the resources that are out there. There are tons of websites that collect different kinds of things that can be used free and clear, like


magnatune
or creative commons


These sorts of sites should give the educator piece of mind when it comes to using resources that won't cause a stir.

udl and the power of digital media (blogpost 5b)

In our readings for this weekend, we read a chapter from an online textbook called Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. In our two assigned chapters 3 & 4, the power of digital media was broken down into its advantages, and its implications for teachers in the classroom along with a detailed definition of UDL and how to implement it.

This reading made the advantages of digital media very clear in chapter three, even if those advantages were rather obvious at times. I found the implications for educators to be somewhat vague, and it left me wanting more. I did appreciate its attempt to encourage educators to use digital media to assist the learning of every student. The text made the reader aware of changing culture, the move away from a text driven society to a more multimedia environment, and encouraged educators to follow that change and adapt the classroom to make it a more multimedia learning environment. However, it does make me wonder if something might be lost if we more away from text and into multimedia. What does it mean to abandon text? I don't know.

I found our second reading, Why Won't More Teachers Set up a UDL Classroom, to give a good definition of UDL, and to give more concrete examples of what it means to create a UDL classroom. Her blog made it clear that educators have the responsibility to adapt their teaching and their classrooms to the individual needs of every student. To link this to the first reading, that adaptation could, and should, include the use of digital media.

I've created concept maps for the first reading, shown below.

Chapter 3 concept map




Chapter 4 concept map