Excel Reflection

This week for our class assignment, I was given the opportunity to work with Microsoft Excel on a stimulated grade book. Excel is a spreadsheet software application. “With spreadsheet software you can create worksheets that contain numeric data arranged in rows and columns” (Gunter, 2010).

This was an extremely engaging hands-on activity. Working with Excel is an efficient tool that many educators use on a daily basis. Excel can be used as a grade book, attendance book, lunch book, and much more. I have had a lot of experience working with Excel. When I was completing my undergraduate degree I took a computer class where I worked a lot with Excel and its many capabilities so this assignment was more of a refresher than a challenge.

The objective of this assignment was to show the importance of the use of Excel to keep track of student’s grades. While working with the grade book I created and edited information. We were also asked to complete a variety of different tasks. The first task was to make each column a different color. This wasn’t too hard of a task to complete. I then had to create columns and come up with formulas to average the students test, homework, and over all grades. Even though I am familiar with Excel and its functions I had a little trouble creating the test and homework averages. It didn’t take me long to figure out how to complete this task, but it took longer than the others. Something that I learned from this assignment was how to make the students name dynamically appear on the other three worksheets which means automatically appear. This is something that is very useful. I can see myself using this feature in the future in my classroom.

All and all I enjoyed this activity. It gave me the opportunity to work with Excel. It also provided a hands-on refresher of the important features of this tool. I look forward to applying what I learned during this lesson in my classroom.

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R.E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom(6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

   

Using iPods in the classroom

While searching the web today, I found many interesting articles about the integration on technology in the classroom. With the increase in the use of technology from day to day, it is important that we as teachers expose our students to technology in the classroom. “Using iPods in the classroom”, is an interesting article about the use of iPods as a teaching tool. At a time when many school are making rules to ban the use of iPods in school, others are allowing them to be used as a teaching tool.  There are many ways that technology can be integrated into the classroom.  The article talks about how one school allows their students to use iPods in music classes. Yet another school is providing the iPods to students studying foreign languages. The students use the iPods to download lessons to their devices. By having the opportunity to download lessons to their iPods I feel that it helps to motivate the students to study inside and outside of the classroom. This is not the only way schools can integrate iPods into the curriculum. Many students are coming up with new ways to study outside of the school facility using this tool during times when they would normally be idle.

My nephew was completing a paper and presentation on classical music. He used his iPod during his presentation to provide his classmates with a sample of the music. This helped to make his presentation more effective. Giving students the opportunity to use these new forms of technology in school not only helps to motivate the students but also helps with their creativity.

In the article the author also talks about how many educators and institutions are resisting these new delivery methods. Using iPods as educational tools is clearly a risk. Schools have to worry about how to positively and effectively integrate this tool into the curriculum as well as how to prevent students from abusing the policies set for school use. One school has created an iPod club to monitor the use of the tools. I feel that we should allow the use of this technology. Because of the increase in use of technology it is important to provide students with the opportunity to use these tools in school. By doing this it will help teach students how to properly use these tools. It will also help with their success in life because technology is only going to improve and use will continue to increase.  

Parott, J. (2007) Using iPods in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/23065/using_ipods_in_the_classroom_promotes_pg2.html?cat=4

Ethics

The question was asked, "Is it more unethical to allow threats to students/schools or to deny students/teachers access to instructional-relevant Web-based tools and content?" When I read the assignment for this week I was immediately intrigued. This is a subject that many educators have their own opinion about. When evaluating my thoughts on this topic as a teacher I found that I had a two sided viewpoint. As a teacher I feel that it is important that we are allowed to access websites that will help with the success of our students. At the same time I think that students should have some restrictions because many tend to take advantage and misuse their internet privileges. As discussed in the reading for this week, "Parents and teachers biggest concern is the availability of objectionable material on the Internet." They feel that by not denying students of internet usage they will access sites that contain racist literature, obscene pictures, and age restricted items.

After thinking more about the subject and evaluating both sides I believe that it is more unethical to deny students/teachers access to instructional-relevant Web-based tools and content. It is our job as educators to provide students with adequate instruction. With the encouragement of the integration of technology into the classroom, denying teachers the use of certain websites and videos is making it impossible to do this effectively. As long as the websites being accessed are educational appropriate, I feel they should be accessible. With that being said, it is the school and teachers responsibility to monitor, provide, and demonstrate to students how to properly use the internet.

When I was in high school each student was provide with his/her own laptop. When we received the laptops we were provided with demonstration and instructions on what we were allowed and not allowed to do. We also received a list of websites that we were not allowed to access. Of course there were a share of students who violated the rules and had their computer taken but for the most part they were extremely useful.

Technology is continuing to enhance and change our lives each and every day. Through the use of smart boards, computers, and gaming websites technology in the school system is evolving. Cellphones and Ipods will soon become another way to integrate and enhance technology in the school system. These new types of technology were once banned from schools, but now at many schools students are allowed to possess the devices just aren't allowed to use them. Even though these devices are still not being  used in schools, I feel that in time these rules will change. This shows that cellphones are becoming more acceptable over time. Instead of looking at the negative aspect of these tools in the school system there are ways we can make this a positive step towards the integration of technology. In Knox county a group of local youth is proposing changes to their school system's cell phone policy, among which would allow high school students to use the devices during school."The culture is changing and (phones) are becoming a larger part of life" (Alapo, 2010). Because cellphones are becoming more appropriate for educational use these students feel these tools will be a benefit.

Ipods are now also being allowed in the school system. In Roswell Georgia students are now allowed to use this device in history class. As stated in the article, “Five years ago iPods were banned, but we got overwhelmed with trying to discipline kids and fight the technology,” says Edward Spurka, we’ve allowed all those resources out in the world to be on their person (Manzo, 2010).” All and all I feel that these tool are  something that will only benefit each student. Why fight the use of new technology in the school system. This is something we should embrace.

Alapo, L. (2010). Group purposing allowing cellphone use in school. Retrieved from  
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/22/group-proposes-allowing-cell-phone-use-in-school/

Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

Manzo, K. K. (2010). Educator embrace Ipods for learning. Retrieved from
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/03/18/26ipods.h29.html

The WIRED Classroom

The WIRED classroom is an amazing website based on the use of wires to enhance technology in the classroom. With the increase in the advancement of technology from year to year, this article raises the question, "Are there enough computers and resources in each classroom to promote the continued growth of technology? At most schools each classroom contains about 3 to 5 computers. With each class having about 18 to 22 students is 3 computers enough for each student to receive adequate time participating and interacting with this technology. I believe that it depends on the way the teacher is integrating the use of technology into the curriculum. With my Kindergarten students I allow each of them about 15 to 20 minutes a day to use the computers on their own. I do this by integrating the computer use during centers. They use the computer to play educational games. It is important to give our students the chance to use the computers rather than just seeing it.

The article also ask the question, "What is a technology enhanced, student center classroom? "Connected to an exciting new world of hot and lively current information, students make meaning and develop insight while the teacher shows them how to navigate and reason through the labyrinth of new sources." As educator it is our responsibility to demonstrate and show students how to completely utilize networking and the use of these technology tools.By doing this it will help with our students success in the future.



McKenzie, J. (1998) The wired classroom:creating technology enhanced student-center learning environments. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://fno.org/mar98/flotilla.html

The Networking Students

After completing this week’s reading, it is becoming more and more clear how important networks are becoming in education and today’s society. The “Network student” is an interesting idea to me. A film that I watched, “The Networked Student,” by Wendy Drexler shows a variety of useful ways that students can use technology to help with their academic success in school. This is a very intriguing video. This video is about a young boy whose use of networking helps him to succeed in his 21st high school class. He doesn’t have a textbook and is instructed by his teacher to create a blog. On the blog he posts his reflections on topics. What initially stood out to me about this video was the fact that the students at this high school didn’t have any textbooks. This made me think, with the change in technology and networking from year to year will text books soon become a figment of the past.

Networking has become more and more popular in the school system. Networks are an easy and efficient way to share videos, power point and fun activities with other teachers. Through networking teachers are able to integrate technology and tools that engage students and motivate them to want to learn. I use many forms of networking in the classroom. When introducing different topics, animals, holidays, etc., I use the internet to provide my students with information and pictures on the topics. These sites help to introduce the topics to the student and help to enhance the students understanding of the topics.

An interesting and fun idea that I want to try with my students, is to have them pick a social studies topic covered during the week and have them research the topic. They will then create a blog about the topics and share their findings with their classmates. This is a way to motivate and engage students in learning about the social studies topic and in my opinion motivation is the key. Without motivation there is no life in the classroom. It also gives the students an opportunity to teach the topic to their classmates. I believe this is something that will draw the students and engage them into learning. This is also a way to give our students the opportunity to interact and participate in networking, rather than just looking at it.

With the increase in networking we as educator are becoming more and more responsible for educating our students on the use of this new technology. By giving students the chance to interact with networking in the class through blog posts, creating web pages, and more, students will soon become comfortable with the use of these sites. Doing this in elementary school, will help the students to master and properly utilize this skill by the time they reach college.

Drexler, W. (2008). The networked student. Retrieved September 11, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA.

Students use of Instant Messaging

I have been reading "Boy Writers" by Ralph Fletcher, in this book the author talks about students daily use of instant messaging. This was a very interesting passage to read about because it talks about how millions of kids spend hour upon hour instant messaging at home. Some may look at this in a negative aspect because the messaging is full of errors, abbreviations, and misused verbiage. If many look deeper into the students use of instant messaging, it gives students a chance to practice writing outside of school and a chance to express themselves to their peers. Instant messaging is also a way to enhance students communication skill with peers

Whether students are instant messaging, text messaging, or using social networks, these are all examples of ways they can enhance their social, thinking, communication, and writing skills. “Don’t be surprised if ten years from now many look back and cite IM as a key to making writing important to them, a catalyst that helped them see themselves as writers" (Fletcher). This statement really made me think about the role of importance that social networking, text messaging, and instant messaging will soon play in students’ lives. A suggestion that I will take with me into my classroom after reading about instant messaging is how dangerous it is to dismiss aspects of kids writing/reading lives. When we disregard big chunks of kids’ reading/writing lives we risk missing the important stuff.With the change in technology from year to year it is vital for educators to integrate this into their curriculum.

Fletcher, F. (2006). Boy Writers: Reclaiming their voices. Pembroke publishers limited

Activity Reflection: Searching the Web

Researching topics and information has never been something that I would consider a problem for me. Throughout the years I have always found myself relying on Google as my primary search engine. Even though I was always advised to use ERIC and academic search engines, I would still refer back to Google. I felt as though I would always find what I needed on Google so this assignment immediately caught my interest. I was very excited about this assignment because I looked at it as a way to determine if many of my researching strategies and sources were valid. However, after beginning and completing this assignment I realized that there are a variety of resources and research tools that I didn’t even know existed.

The websites that were provided in the book were amazing. It is important as teachers to integrate technology into the classroom. These websites are a way to help guide teachers in the process of making this possible. I also like the fact that these websites are reviewed by experienced educators which help to ensure the content and links are appropriate for the students.

Ask for Kids was the first site that looked at and I was immediately impressed. This site provides teachers and students with an array of different educational websites, movies, games, images, and answers. Many of the educational sites that ask kids were providing, are the same sites that I use in the classroom. Brainpop was an educational site for games that was provided on the ask kids site. I use brainpop as an extra review to help reinforce information to my students. Another website that I visited was Google for Educators. This was a website that I never knew existed. While exploring the site I like the way it provides you with the opportunity to search books, provided classroom activities, and provided classroom poster. These are all tools that are beneficial and of great importance to teachers.

As I searched through the Department of Education for Florida I saw it offered information on data and statistics, public schools and districts, and early learning. These are positive bits of information that will help parents. The only thing that I feel would have enhanced the website is to provide learning tools, applications, and websites to help with students’ academic success. I also looked at the Seminole County Public Schools (spcs) websites. On this site I was provided with the opportunity to access different schools web pages. Through the schools web pages I accessed teachers’ websites. I believe this shows how technology is becoming more and more important in the school system.

This assignment opened my eyes to a whole different world of researching. I definitely learned a lot of useful information and academic resources by completing this assignment. These are many websites that I will use with my students in the classroom as well as recommend for them to use at home.

"Are we Doing What is Best For Our Students"

What do students of the 21st century need to be successful? This is a question that varies from generation to generation. As referred to in "Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom", "The digital or net generation is one that has grown up in a world that is constantly changing in terms of the use and ubiquity of computers." Today, students are more technology savy than ever. As students accelerate also comes the need for the classroom to adapt as well. The use of technology is something that will help with students’ success throughout life, to incorporate that while they are learning is the key.

The video "Did You Know" by Karl Fisch and Dr. Scott McLeod was not that surprising to me. Technology is continually challenging each year. Even though I wasn't surprised by how quickly technology is changing, it was simply amazing seeing all of the data points in the video. I have a laptop that I purchased when I graduated from high school in 2006, it's amazing to me how much technology has changed from then to now only 4 years later. When I use my laptop I feel as though I am using an ancient device. This alone shows me how rapidly this change is occurring. Not only am I seeing change in computers, I am also noticing the change in the capabilities of cellphones. Now many Americans use cellphones to surf the web, check social sites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter and send emails with attachments. Just a couple year ago this wasn't as easy.

The question was posed, "Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us? This is a very interesting question. It's a proven fact that technology has changed over the years but are we as educators adapting to the change. Adapting to the change doesn't mean just using technology in the classroom to occupy time. It pertains to making the technology that is being used in the classroom useful. When I was doing my senior internship, I integrated technology into many of my lessons. As a class my students and I worked with the smart board on a daily basis. We used the smart board to create digital stories and storytelling. This gave my Kindergarten students the chance to practice and enhance their writing skills. When I begin teaching and have a classroom of my own technology is something that I will integrate into my lessons. By introducing my students to a diversity of technology usage it will help with their future success because technology is everywhere and integrated into every aspect of an individual’s life.

Shelly, G. & Gunter, G & Gunter, R. (2010). Teacher Discovering Computers Integrating technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6th Ed.) Cengage Learning

Using the Technology of today in the Classroom

Technology is something that is continually changing from year to year. Cell phones, Computers, and iPods are something that has become a daily routine for many Americans. In the article, “Using the technology of today in the classroom”, it talks about the important power of digital games and social networking and how teachers can leverage them. “What is good learning? That may be a subjective question. But it’s likely that many educators would give answers that fall in the same ballpark such as students collaborating and discussing ideas, possible solutions, project-based learning, designed around real world contexts, connecting with other students around the world on topics of study, immersing students in a learning experience that allows them to grapple with a problem, gaining higher-order thinking skills from pursuing the solution” (Klopfer). What many educators don’t realize is that students are accomplishing many of these tasks outside of school on a daily basis. Students spend countless hours daily using technology. Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter to name a few, are many of the social networking sites students visit on a daily basis. “At first glance these sites may seem like a waste of time, and brain cells. But these genres of technology deserve a deeper look at what’s going on. This article intrigued me because of this very observation.

I never gave much thought as to rather the use of technology through video games and social sites outside of school had an influence on students success in the classroom. Through social sites and video games students are changing the way they operate, communicate, and interact with others. “The emergence of social networking technologies and the evolution of digital games have helped shape the new ways in which people are communicating, collaborating, operating, and forming social constructs. In fact, recent research is showing us that these technologies are shaping the way we think, work, and live. This is especially true of our youngest generations those arriving at classrooms doors, soon to be leaving them and entering the workforce and society-at-large” (Klopfer). The youngest generation of students are far more technology savy then those of earlier generations. Working with students using computers and smart boards, it is clear that they having a understanding of the operation of these devices.

I recently purchased an Ipod touch. I was having trouble putting music onto it through Itunes, my nephew who is only 12 immediately came over and showed me how to use the Ipod. It amazed me how quickly he was able to help me with my problems. This shows me how easy the use of technology has become to the younger generation. This also shows me how important and dependent technology will soon become.