Lynn's EDT 548 Blog

Class 13 Readings

2006-10-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Critical Issue: Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom

Lots of information to sift through on this one!! If I were to do this article justice, it would be far too much and my intention is not to bore my reader. So, with that...

Something we all know is that the Internet and technology skills are a necessity to survive in society. It increases exponentially with each generation and it is important for students to feel competent in these skills. Piggy backing that information is the fact that teaching these technology skills becomes increasingly difficult due to standards that contradict the implementation of technology.

Another reason technology is not placed as a priority is due to the contradictions that exist in the realm of education...there are opponents and advocates of technology integration in K-12 schools. It is no secret that technology must be used appropriately in order achieve maximum benefits and there are particular ways in which technology must support the educational process - it must not exist as it's own entity and teachers must be given plentiful training/professional development. This article lists a number of pitfalls that are experienced with educators and the integration of technology.

Class 11 Readings

2006-10-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Critical Issue: Using Technology to Impliment Student Achievement

This article was interesting to puruse! Bountiful ideas to bounce around in my head. This addressed all educators favorite subject... No Child Left Behind. (Yes, I am being fecicious in saying that people.) As most teachers know, many of the expectations of No Child Left Behind are required without having the means to support the goal. So is the case with technology! The goals for technology education are extremely vague and do not provide adequate funds, nor does it give adequate means to provide evaluation of these goals. Therefore, other NCLB directives have taken priority and, in most instances, have leaned away from technology - meaning archaic testing methods (something those of us in educational technology find completely foreign and absurd). So, the bottom line becomes that technology must be able to prove its support of other NCLB goals in order to be considered a priority. Because of this, there becomes disparity of funding because each school site decides their own spending on technology.

Class Nine Readings

2006-10-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Does It Compute? Relationship Between Educational Technology and Student Achievment in Mathmatics

This site was incredibly interesting. It depcited the research between technology and math scores - and how the integration of technology plays a large role in those higher scores. It points out that specific conditions (such as adequate access, use for higher-order tasks, and teacher training) must exist in order to see the increase in scores.

The first section addresses how technology can influence academic performance. When technology directly supports the curriculum, allows for collaboration amongst peers, when adjusted for ability, provides immediate feedback, when continually integrated into lessons, providing opportunities to design projects without standard testing following, and when the envioronment is supportive of technology integration allows technology to positively affect mathmatics scores.

Technology is also proven to improve motivation, attitude and interest in the subject area. Again, it must allow students to adjust the problem/task, produce, demonstrate, and share work. It also mentions that tasks that are "game-like" are also highly effective at increasing scores.

Other questions answered deal with preparing students for entrance into the workforce and the strategies that result in effective instructional applications with technology.

Locating, Using, and Integrating Internet-Based Mathmatics

This article points out the tremendous time restraints that teachers have for finding the appropriate resouces. (Strange...None of us can relate to that! yes, I am kidding) However, after seeing from the prior article how technology affects mathmatics scores, one questions why it is not made easier. Luckily, the majority of this article does just that...spoon feeds a number of technology based mathmatics ideas for classroom teachers.

Class 7 Readings

2006-09-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Mapping a Path for the 3D Web
This article was about a recent meeting of the minds (various industries involved in computer technologies) to discuss the "road map" and future of the world wide web. In particular, it was focused toward the metaverse that would exist in 10 years (2016). A conclusion was not devised...appearently there was a lot of varied opinions, which agreed on nothing conclusively. One thing that was expected by all was that in 10 years, there will be more time spent in 3D vitual worlds than is done today.

This article made me think about the tremendous things that could happen in the next 10 years. Technology is such an ever-changing beast that grows exponentially (even when you don't want it to). My mind can not even wrap around the thought of Internet capability in the future.

Lead Don't Lecture
This article begins with an example of a classroom that provides real world examples and processes in order to teach math concepts. A classroom where students are called upon to be experts in areas in which they excel. Further examples are given where tachers exist in the classroom as coaches to their students or the teacher becomes a student participating in the classroom activities, becoming a member of the "team". It emphasizes the importance of one-on-one instruction taking the place of lecture. Generally, this is an article that gives concrete examples of constructive practices.

The article ends with the commentary that teachers are, for the most part, coming into the profession learning traditional methods of teaching and not using "thoughtful" lessons/activities to instruct. Yes, it is agreed that not much emphasis is given in undergratuate education to include new ways to instruct. However, I think all teachers that go into the profession would be willing to do such activities - it is more of an issue of time than knowhow. Also, it is a problem when it comes to testing and grades. Is it possible to have a real-world application to teach all the skills tested on the AIMS test? I'm not so sure, but even if there were, nobody in education has the time to plan out such extensive lesson plans. I love the concept but I question the feasibility. I do think real-world lessons need to occur in the classrooms more frequently than they do today!

Class 4 Readings

2006-09-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

Standards for Math, Science and Technology
This article defines standards and gives a history on how standards emerged throughout the years. For example, events in history encouraged science and math teachers to reconsider what was taught in schools, such as the launching of Sputnik. These standards were embraced to improve education for the changing society. Also, the standards made sure that all groups were held to the same expectation - benefiting groups such as females and minorities who had been largely left out of math and science education.

Helping Your Child Reach Standards in Math, Science and Technology
This article was written by the Governor of New Jersey. I applaud her greatly for publishing such a document. It begins by listing multiple things the parents will expect to see in the math, science, and technology courses. She lists things such as active involvement, being held to achievement, collaborative work, writing and literacy expected within these disciplines, focus on learning skills for the workplace, increased use of computers, meaningful applications of the learning and teaching of technology skills (gee, sounds very similar to constructivist theory here).

What was even better than the statement of what parents should expect to see from teachers was the list of things the Governor expects of the parents!! She encouraged the parents to have high expectations of their child, be upbeat about the learning of math and science, encourage their curiousity, point out math and science in their daily lives, talk with their children about their learning, watch math and science on television, take children to museums and learning centers, and do activities together.

I loved that her expectation was of both teachers and parents because, as teachers, we have all experienced frustration about not getting support from home. It is impossible to educate the child without some reinforcement at home.

Class 2 Readings

2006-08-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning:

First of all, I must comment that this was by far the most clear and informative article I have read on the constructivist theory of learning. Having read many other articles through this program of study, I found this one to be the most precise definition of constructivism. I was also impressed by the historical background behind constructivist learning and that it offered criticism of the practice.

This article gives the basic requirements of constructivist learning. This is a practice that moves far beyond the traditional expectation of “learning,” where you would see a teacher as the presenter of information and the students as the receptors. Constructivism requires a great deal of reformatting of roles and expectations from both teacher and learner. However, constructivism cannot happen without a complete transition of the learning environment from the teacher. If the teacher will comply with the requirements of the constructivist theory, the learners will comply and not even realize the learning is taking place until they are able to reflect on their experience. That is the joy of the constructivism in the typical classroom! Both teachers and students will find themselves enjoying the process of learning instead of going through rote memorization and labeling it as learning.

Applying Technology to Restructuring and Learning:

This article presented field based research findings from classrooms implementing constructivism and technology. By looking at the list of conclusions, I think it was very obvious that the role of technology in constructivism is paramount. It would be fair to say, in my opinion, that constructivism and technology go hand in hand and must exist together.

Characteristics of Constructivist Learning and Teaching:

This article points out many of the same fundamentals of constructivism as the first reading, but comes from individual professionals who have practiced and studied the theory of constructivism. Key aspects that each specialist pointed out were as follows:
Student centered
Makes students construct knowledge (not regurgitation) and relies upon their prior knowledge
Problem based and stimulates higher order thinking skills
Cooperative in nature
Scaffolded learning makes students reach beyond their expectations/limitations
Keeps assessment authentic

What is a WebQuest:

There are a multitude of definitions for a WebQuest; however, most agree that it is a basic lesson that requires interactive learning using the internet/technology through a guided process. WebQuests have grown in popularity within recent years because of their ability to engage students and allow for genuine learning. A WebQuest typically includes all the qualities that a good teacher looks for in a lesson for their students: active involvement, problem solving, collaboration, interdisciplinary, guided practice, and much more. A WebQuest also fits into the constructivist ideals.

A WebQuest is comprised of a particular clear process: introduction (gives background so students understand the relevancy), task (clearly defined assignment for students to work towards), process (step-by-step instructions on how to meet the expectation), resources (gives students the tools to be successful), evaluation (explains grading), conclusion (wraps up learning), reflection (gives students the opportunity to internalize what they learned), extension (furthers learning), and teacher resources (for successful execution by the teacher).

I've used and created WebQuests successfully in my teaching and cannot say enough about the positive response I have received from both students and teachers. I am looking forward to developing a huge repertoire of Quests for my students to enjoy; it is a lot of work upfront, but well worth it in the long run!

Greetings!

2006-08-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Hello there everyone!!