Professional Development Website Link: Adaptive & Assistive Technologies
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Thursday, April 7, 2016
WebAnywhere
WebAnywhere is a web-based screen reader that does not require any download. It can be accessed from any computer which enables blind people or those who have a challenge seeing the opportunity to work anywhere. The video showed an example of a blind person who signed into WebAnywhere on a computer at a university, checked his email, sent email, and checked bus routes and schedules. It appeared amazing. The one thing that I noticed that people would have to become in-tune with is the fact that abbreviations were said as they appeared. That can make some things sound jumbled unless people are paying attention. For sight people, it can be very apparent and we can just breeze over things we do not need to pay attention to. With WebAnywhere the voice reads through everything.
In order to make this work, there had to be a lot of studying that went into it. For example, not all webpages are created equally. Google, Yahoo and MSN accounted for a third of the traffic, so these pages definitely had to be accessible. Not as much context was available to blind people, so browsing became more difficult. Blind people tend to probe while browsing which means they click on a link and stay there for a minute or less, then go back. They obviously do this because they are not sure what is there whereas sighted people can see it and have more of an idea if it is what they want/need. It was also found that text is available to images clicked on by blind users. Also, blind users do not use mice as much as sighted-users.
My thoughts regarding WebAnywhere are that it was very confusing to use and I think it would take a great deal of getting used to. First of all, the voice was difficult to follow because not only did he have an accent, but he did not read as clearly as I would have expected. There has to be a lot of initial help, then memorizing (the commands) that goes along with using the screen reader. I could not remember the exact address to my blog, so I finally figured out to go to Google and type in what I could remember of the link. (This was after I tried to click on the tab where my blog was opened and found that the WebAnywhere only worked on the link where it was open.) I finally found it, but I had trouble going through and reading what I had. It went through every word, abbreviation and link which took a long time. (I did not have the shortcuts memorized.) The other thing I noticed was that I would have to open WebAnywhere on each tab I wanted opened. I admit that I cheated by opening my eyes. This makes me have a greater appreciation for the blind or those with very poor eyesight. I would imagine that if I lost my sight and I did not have another way to surf the web, this would be a welcome opportunity.
In order to make this work, there had to be a lot of studying that went into it. For example, not all webpages are created equally. Google, Yahoo and MSN accounted for a third of the traffic, so these pages definitely had to be accessible. Not as much context was available to blind people, so browsing became more difficult. Blind people tend to probe while browsing which means they click on a link and stay there for a minute or less, then go back. They obviously do this because they are not sure what is there whereas sighted people can see it and have more of an idea if it is what they want/need. It was also found that text is available to images clicked on by blind users. Also, blind users do not use mice as much as sighted-users.
My thoughts regarding WebAnywhere are that it was very confusing to use and I think it would take a great deal of getting used to. First of all, the voice was difficult to follow because not only did he have an accent, but he did not read as clearly as I would have expected. There has to be a lot of initial help, then memorizing (the commands) that goes along with using the screen reader. I could not remember the exact address to my blog, so I finally figured out to go to Google and type in what I could remember of the link. (This was after I tried to click on the tab where my blog was opened and found that the WebAnywhere only worked on the link where it was open.) I finally found it, but I had trouble going through and reading what I had. It went through every word, abbreviation and link which took a long time. (I did not have the shortcuts memorized.) The other thing I noticed was that I would have to open WebAnywhere on each tab I wanted opened. I admit that I cheated by opening my eyes. This makes me have a greater appreciation for the blind or those with very poor eyesight. I would imagine that if I lost my sight and I did not have another way to surf the web, this would be a welcome opportunity.
Adaptive and Assistive Technologies
Assistive Technology: Tools that Help with Learning
Assistive technologies are devices or software to aid people in everyday living and learning, however not all assistive technologies are high tech. An example of assistive technology is being able to speak into a device that turns the spoken words into written text. For some people, this type of software may be a convenience, but to others who encounter various issues in their daily lives this is a tremendous help. Assistive technologies help boost deficits while encouraging strengths. However, it cannot fix inadequate teaching or attention deficits.
Assistive technologies do not cure disabilities, but they aid in learning. Sometimes students need accommodations in order to learn in the best way s/he can. Assistive technologies are accommodations made for students who learn in different ways. There are four main types of accommodations: Presentation, Response, Setting, Timing and Scheduling. Examples of each type:
Assistive technologies appear within the examples above. Audiobooks are played on a machine so that the student(s) can hear aloud. S/he may even listen on headphones to make the sound clearer and it may help the student(s) to remain more focused with fewer distractions. Student(s) may also use a timer to remain on track with certain assignments. These accommodations enable student(s) to learn the same material as others, but in a different way. Accommodations must be written in a legal document with the school district. Concerned parents may contact the teacher to further pursue the need for accommodations and assistive technologies.
Assistive Technology: An Overview
There are different levels of assistive technologies to accommodate the varying levels of learning. The low level may be something as simple as a laptop stand. Some students need some medium accommodations that might include alternative mice or keyboards whereas other students may need higher level of technology where specialist training may be necessary. Overall it is necessary to find what fits with individual needs. The bottom line is that it takes expertise and persistence to find what will work depending upon individual circumstances. The computer era has allowed people at all levels to have a greater amount of educational opportunities.
Along with the many benefits that assistive technologies provide, there are also setbacks or negatives to assistive technologies. For example, technology changes so rapidly that new and improved products become available so quickly. With that being said, student(s) need to be reevaluated periodically, just as the technology being used needs to be reevaluated to determine its effectiveness. Another negative is that technologies can be very expensive and cost prohibitive. Another downfall may be that the person who needs the assistive technologies may be against using it if it emphasizes the disability too much.
MY THOUGHTS
Assistive technologies give people tremendous opportunities through many levels. Whether a student is in need of something simple, such as a highlighter, or something more involved, such as an app for web reading, there are accommodations to meet all levels of ability.
I am a member of a book club. Last night at the beginning of book club, a friend happened to walk past and said that she would like to join the club, but she cannot do anything until she gets new glasses. She told us that she had not been to an eye doctor for over seven years and she already had poor eyesight. Suggestions we gave her off the bat were large print books, audiobooks, or magnifier. She said that she already uses a magnifier at her work. There are a couple bits of advice from this story:
1. Assistive technologies are available.
2. Do not wait seven years to see an eye doctor, especially when you have glasses already.
Although I do not need assistive technologies, I see the whole idea of any technology that can help a wonderful idea. Assistive technologies can enable learning to take place where it may not have without it. It can provide people with dependence and a brighter social outlook since technology is a large part of today's society. If an assistive technology seems out of range to obtain, I believe that if someone wants something badly enough, there is a way to get it. Of course, there has to be enough reason and evidence of need to pursue the technology.
Assistive technologies are devices or software to aid people in everyday living and learning, however not all assistive technologies are high tech. An example of assistive technology is being able to speak into a device that turns the spoken words into written text. For some people, this type of software may be a convenience, but to others who encounter various issues in their daily lives this is a tremendous help. Assistive technologies help boost deficits while encouraging strengths. However, it cannot fix inadequate teaching or attention deficits.
Assistive technologies do not cure disabilities, but they aid in learning. Sometimes students need accommodations in order to learn in the best way s/he can. Assistive technologies are accommodations made for students who learn in different ways. There are four main types of accommodations: Presentation, Response, Setting, Timing and Scheduling. Examples of each type:
- Presentation - listening to an audiobook instead of reading text
- Response - speaking an answer instead of writing it
- Setting - studying in a separate room with fewer distractions
- Timing and Scheduling - allowing extra time to complete assignments
Assistive technologies appear within the examples above. Audiobooks are played on a machine so that the student(s) can hear aloud. S/he may even listen on headphones to make the sound clearer and it may help the student(s) to remain more focused with fewer distractions. Student(s) may also use a timer to remain on track with certain assignments. These accommodations enable student(s) to learn the same material as others, but in a different way. Accommodations must be written in a legal document with the school district. Concerned parents may contact the teacher to further pursue the need for accommodations and assistive technologies.
Assistive Technology: An Overview
There are different levels of assistive technologies to accommodate the varying levels of learning. The low level may be something as simple as a laptop stand. Some students need some medium accommodations that might include alternative mice or keyboards whereas other students may need higher level of technology where specialist training may be necessary. Overall it is necessary to find what fits with individual needs. The bottom line is that it takes expertise and persistence to find what will work depending upon individual circumstances. The computer era has allowed people at all levels to have a greater amount of educational opportunities.
Along with the many benefits that assistive technologies provide, there are also setbacks or negatives to assistive technologies. For example, technology changes so rapidly that new and improved products become available so quickly. With that being said, student(s) need to be reevaluated periodically, just as the technology being used needs to be reevaluated to determine its effectiveness. Another negative is that technologies can be very expensive and cost prohibitive. Another downfall may be that the person who needs the assistive technologies may be against using it if it emphasizes the disability too much.
MY THOUGHTS
Assistive technologies give people tremendous opportunities through many levels. Whether a student is in need of something simple, such as a highlighter, or something more involved, such as an app for web reading, there are accommodations to meet all levels of ability.
I am a member of a book club. Last night at the beginning of book club, a friend happened to walk past and said that she would like to join the club, but she cannot do anything until she gets new glasses. She told us that she had not been to an eye doctor for over seven years and she already had poor eyesight. Suggestions we gave her off the bat were large print books, audiobooks, or magnifier. She said that she already uses a magnifier at her work. There are a couple bits of advice from this story:
1. Assistive technologies are available.
2. Do not wait seven years to see an eye doctor, especially when you have glasses already.
Although I do not need assistive technologies, I see the whole idea of any technology that can help a wonderful idea. Assistive technologies can enable learning to take place where it may not have without it. It can provide people with dependence and a brighter social outlook since technology is a large part of today's society. If an assistive technology seems out of range to obtain, I believe that if someone wants something badly enough, there is a way to get it. Of course, there has to be enough reason and evidence of need to pursue the technology.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Troubleshoot
Computer Troubleshooting for Teachers and Students
This website is a very useful site for teachers and students to use when something does not go right when they are using computers, printers, scanners, interactive whiteboards and Microsoft products. It picked out common difficulties teachers and students face, broke down the area where the difficulty is happening and walks them through the troubleshooting process so that the Technology Coordinator does not have to be bothered every few minutes by something so minor that the teacher and/or student can remedy the situation themselves. This saves time, money, and stress and allows the teachers to become more familiar with the technology they are using.
My thoughts regarding this website: I like the way this website displays the most common difficulties and puts them into an easy-to-follow, clear format. This is a website that I would share with other teachers, especially those who do not feel so comfortable with technology.
A Computer for Every Student and Teacher
This article was describing the planning and implementation of a learning initiative where students and teachers from twelve high schools in North Carolina received laptops or tablets to use for class. Much data was collected and compiled from surveys, interest groups, interviews and classroom observations. The analysis of the data was shared to give other groups and school districts what types of items need to be reviewed/decided upon before doing a 1:1 computer initiative. The following items were some of the key items mentioned.
1. Teachers should receive the computers in the spring in order to be trained and have time to adjust to them; students should then receive theirs in the fall.
2. "Schools need to ensure that wireless Internet access, server access and bandwidth are appropriate given the substantial demands of student usage." (p.2) School should be evaluated for sufficient technology connectivity within the school(s) and determine the costs regarding ample electrical circuitry.
3. Evaluate the type of computer being purchased with regard to how it will be used and will any peripheral devices be used with it. Also consider the operating system and what can/will be installed.
4. Consider the life of the battery and the number/placement of outlets to recharge.
5. "School staff recommended that students receive USB drives or that teachers receive external hard drives to store student work in lieu of a more robust school network for backing up student documents." (p.5) Teachers were also interested in other devices such as interactive white boards, projectors, and printers. Other science-specific peripheral devices were mentioned such as a digital microscope and a digital thermometer.)
6. Other interests of teachers were applications such as Microsoft Office and the Internet to support lessons, as well as classroom monitoring applications.
7. Many other learning software and applications were listed such as note-taking, presentation tools, and utilities. Teachers also felt that email would be helpful so that teachers and students can communicate regarding any questions and concerns about classwork.
8. Rules and regulations regarding computer borrowing and usage responsibility are important to for the school to create and communicate with all who are involved, including parents. The acceptable use policy (aup) must be clearly written and understood. Schools may wish to collect an insurance fee from students and a permission slip from the parents allowing students to participate in this laptop/tablet program.
9. In order to avoid teachers from creating two lesson plans for the day due to the anticipation of students forgetting the computers at home, some not participating in the program due to the cost or some computers may be getting fixed, keep loaner laptops/tablets on hand. (Purchase 5 - 10% extra computers.)
10. Theft and loss was not a major issue, but it still should be addressed. Maybe there could be a special shelf where computers could be stored when not in use. Also, a reliable and easy-to-use tracking system should be in place.
11. "Many schools found they could successfully prevent most viruses by routing Internet access through school/district server whether a laptop is used on- or off-campus." (p.9)
12. Many teachers during this initiative felt that it was important for them to have administrative access in order to download and upgrade educational software and access blocked sites they feel would be beneficial to their lessons.
13. Rules in the classroom must be adjusted to include inappropriate use of computers such as checking e-mail during a lesson.
14. Teachers felt that a central shared drive is very important in order to save work and backup important data.
15. Evidence showed that cheating and cyberbullying was not an issue.
16. Monitoring software had mixed reviews. The bottom line was that just the threat of being monitored kept students on task.
17. Teachers reported positively having a Technology Facilitator who performed professional development, troubleshooting, modeling technology use and co-teaching.
18. On-site technicians also proved positive for schools in that technical issues were resolved within the school much faster than having to send computers away. On-site technicians also allowed Technology Facilitators the opportunity to remain focused on the learning side of technology instead of the fixing part.
19. Student technology teams are being formed with the help of the Technology Facilitators to provide a variety of useful technology support and help in creating consequences for breaking rules.
20. Professional Development is vital to the success of this initiative. There are many focuses which PD can take: hands-on activities, content specific, instructional, classroom management, site visits, etc.
21. It is important for the principal to be open, supportive and thoughtful of all needs through the process of acquiring a 1:1 initiative.
22. It is also important to keep community members and possible business partners on good terms as the need for long-term costs will most likely be a factor to consider.
This is an important article to read if your district is considering a 1:1 computer initiative. The article includes an in-depth study comprising of many factors that will help make district and school decisions for such an initiative. I think all of these factors have to be considered, but not all districts will require all of the same outcomes. Every district is different, based on finances and number of students and teachers. This would be a very exciting program to help accomplish. One thing that always has to be kept in mind is that technology is changing so quickly that once this type of program is initiated, it will need to be reevaluated at least every couple years, if not sooner.
ACTIVITY
This website is a very useful site for teachers and students to use when something does not go right when they are using computers, printers, scanners, interactive whiteboards and Microsoft products. It picked out common difficulties teachers and students face, broke down the area where the difficulty is happening and walks them through the troubleshooting process so that the Technology Coordinator does not have to be bothered every few minutes by something so minor that the teacher and/or student can remedy the situation themselves. This saves time, money, and stress and allows the teachers to become more familiar with the technology they are using.
My thoughts regarding this website: I like the way this website displays the most common difficulties and puts them into an easy-to-follow, clear format. This is a website that I would share with other teachers, especially those who do not feel so comfortable with technology.
A Computer for Every Student and Teacher
This article was describing the planning and implementation of a learning initiative where students and teachers from twelve high schools in North Carolina received laptops or tablets to use for class. Much data was collected and compiled from surveys, interest groups, interviews and classroom observations. The analysis of the data was shared to give other groups and school districts what types of items need to be reviewed/decided upon before doing a 1:1 computer initiative. The following items were some of the key items mentioned.
1. Teachers should receive the computers in the spring in order to be trained and have time to adjust to them; students should then receive theirs in the fall.
2. "Schools need to ensure that wireless Internet access, server access and bandwidth are appropriate given the substantial demands of student usage." (p.2) School should be evaluated for sufficient technology connectivity within the school(s) and determine the costs regarding ample electrical circuitry.
3. Evaluate the type of computer being purchased with regard to how it will be used and will any peripheral devices be used with it. Also consider the operating system and what can/will be installed.
4. Consider the life of the battery and the number/placement of outlets to recharge.
5. "School staff recommended that students receive USB drives or that teachers receive external hard drives to store student work in lieu of a more robust school network for backing up student documents." (p.5) Teachers were also interested in other devices such as interactive white boards, projectors, and printers. Other science-specific peripheral devices were mentioned such as a digital microscope and a digital thermometer.)
6. Other interests of teachers were applications such as Microsoft Office and the Internet to support lessons, as well as classroom monitoring applications.
7. Many other learning software and applications were listed such as note-taking, presentation tools, and utilities. Teachers also felt that email would be helpful so that teachers and students can communicate regarding any questions and concerns about classwork.
8. Rules and regulations regarding computer borrowing and usage responsibility are important to for the school to create and communicate with all who are involved, including parents. The acceptable use policy (aup) must be clearly written and understood. Schools may wish to collect an insurance fee from students and a permission slip from the parents allowing students to participate in this laptop/tablet program.
9. In order to avoid teachers from creating two lesson plans for the day due to the anticipation of students forgetting the computers at home, some not participating in the program due to the cost or some computers may be getting fixed, keep loaner laptops/tablets on hand. (Purchase 5 - 10% extra computers.)
10. Theft and loss was not a major issue, but it still should be addressed. Maybe there could be a special shelf where computers could be stored when not in use. Also, a reliable and easy-to-use tracking system should be in place.
11. "Many schools found they could successfully prevent most viruses by routing Internet access through school/district server whether a laptop is used on- or off-campus." (p.9)
12. Many teachers during this initiative felt that it was important for them to have administrative access in order to download and upgrade educational software and access blocked sites they feel would be beneficial to their lessons.
13. Rules in the classroom must be adjusted to include inappropriate use of computers such as checking e-mail during a lesson.
14. Teachers felt that a central shared drive is very important in order to save work and backup important data.
15. Evidence showed that cheating and cyberbullying was not an issue.
16. Monitoring software had mixed reviews. The bottom line was that just the threat of being monitored kept students on task.
17. Teachers reported positively having a Technology Facilitator who performed professional development, troubleshooting, modeling technology use and co-teaching.
18. On-site technicians also proved positive for schools in that technical issues were resolved within the school much faster than having to send computers away. On-site technicians also allowed Technology Facilitators the opportunity to remain focused on the learning side of technology instead of the fixing part.
19. Student technology teams are being formed with the help of the Technology Facilitators to provide a variety of useful technology support and help in creating consequences for breaking rules.
20. Professional Development is vital to the success of this initiative. There are many focuses which PD can take: hands-on activities, content specific, instructional, classroom management, site visits, etc.
21. It is important for the principal to be open, supportive and thoughtful of all needs through the process of acquiring a 1:1 initiative.
22. It is also important to keep community members and possible business partners on good terms as the need for long-term costs will most likely be a factor to consider.
This is an important article to read if your district is considering a 1:1 computer initiative. The article includes an in-depth study comprising of many factors that will help make district and school decisions for such an initiative. I think all of these factors have to be considered, but not all districts will require all of the same outcomes. Every district is different, based on finances and number of students and teachers. This would be a very exciting program to help accomplish. One thing that always has to be kept in mind is that technology is changing so quickly that once this type of program is initiated, it will need to be reevaluated at least every couple years, if not sooner.
ACTIVITY
|
ISSUE
|
SOLVING
|
|
There is no sound coming out
of the speakers on the student
computers.
|
1. Check the cables.
Be sure they are securely connected, both to the audio out jack or
speaker jack on the back/side of the computer and to the speaker itself.
2. Be sure the switch on the speaker is turned on and
the volume is turned up.
3. Check the internal Windows Volume application: Start, All Programs, Accessories,
Entertainment, Volume Control.
4. If still no sound – go to Control Panel and find
Sounds and Audio Devices. Access
General Properties, Levels, Enhancements and Advanced Properties.
5. Contact your teacher to contact Technology
Coordinator. Speakers will need to be
replaced.
|
|
I can't connect to the network.
|
1. Be sure you are inputting the correct username and
password.
2. Be sure the CAPS lock button is not on. (Password may be case sensitive.)
3. Be sure you are logged off everywhere else.
|
|
My computer keeps freezing up
on me.
|
1. Be sure to check the cable connections between the
keyboard and the computer.
2. Force restart the computer. (Updates may need to be loaded.)
3. Contact your teacher to contact Technology
Coordinator.
|
|
My printer won't print.
|
1. Be sure the printer is turned on.
2. Verify the printer you are sending the document to.
3. Be sure the printer is on-line.
4. Check the printer for a paper jam. (If so, remove the jammed paper carefully
and replace the cover completely.)
5. Print a test page (button on printer) to be sure the
printer is working.
|
|
My SMARTboard pens aren't working.
|
1. Be sure the pens/eraser are sitting in their trays
flat.
2. Pick up each pen/eraser, wipe each tray clean and replace
the pens/eraser into their correct trays.
3. Have the teacher calibrate the board.
|
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Interacting Globally
Educating for Global Competence
The world appears quite enormous, but thanks to technological advances it has become a smaller place. Students today are facing different avenues of education than previous generations have. According to this article, "the top 10 in-demand jobs projected for 2010 did not exist six years ago." (p.2) Students today must be able to find and incorporate information creatively. Students today need to be aware of globalization, the speed at which goods, ideas, people and capital travel around the world. "To be competitive, ethical and effective workers, today's students must understand key topics of global significance in areas like engineering, business, science, history, ecology and other domains that may constitute their future work." (p.2) Students becoming globally aware combined with the flux of global migration creates changing demographics which changes the outlook of education. Living in such a diverse society, especially one where information is just a click away, enables students to be one step closer to preparing for a future where everything they do will all be a part of a globalizing and technologically- rich process. Students should be able to recognize various perspectives when dealing with globalization and they should be able to communicate clearly and effectively with respect.
In addition to the globalization in culture and business, students need to be aware of the environmental issues that the world shares. We all breathe the same air even though we may be a far distance from each other. "Efforts to understand climate change, its causes and consequences, will continue over the next generations, when today's youth and their children are the decision makers." (p.6) People from all over the world need to collaborate to come up with answers to maintain an environmentally-friendly atmosphere.
The bottom line is that the generations today and tomorrow are completely different than the previous generations. They need to learn how to manage globalization on many levels with technology at their fingertips. They will be able to foster global relations while maintaining their individual work within their own societal realms.
Sister Cities
President Eisenhower was ahead of the game in 1956 when he thought of the idea of cultural partnerships among cities around the world for the purpose of peace and prosperity. These international relationships that have formed are based on cultural, educational, economic partnerships and humanitarian aid. An earlier relation was formed between Seattle, Washington and Tokyo, Japan for trade. Some relations were formed during post World War II to aid programs to western Europe. There have been relationships formed with China in the 1970s, too. Sister Cities is still going strong today and that is with thanks to the presidents after Eisenhower who have served/are serving as honorary chairman of Sister Cities. Many thanks to the people involved who keep it moving forward. Although the Sister Cities Organization are independent organizations, there are still a number of management structures. Mayors and highly-elected officials are ones who can sign an agreement to become sister cities. People who would like to become involved with Sister Cities should look up the primary contact for the city of interest.
One part of the Sister Cities organization which combines everything they stand for is their exchange program. High school students have the opportunity to study abroad through this organization for a semester or a year. Another program, Young Artists and Authors Showcase, allows students to present their original art and literature works expressing the Sister Cities mission.
There are numerous programs going on within the Sister Cities organization. For example, I read about people from Atlanta, GA travelling to the sister city of Montego Bay, Jamaica to provide medical treatment.
Virtual Field Trips
I checked out the Hershey field trip. It starts out by sharing the background of Milton Hershey and how it took him a few years to come up with a recipe for milk chocolate that had a shelf life. There are several links to learn about Hershey and where Hershey entrusted his money. There is a section on the Hershey school and the importance of the well-being of kids to Hershey. The school started in 1909 as a place for orphaned boys, but today it is co-ed and still incorporates the same philosophies on which it was created. Other links take you to the park and to other Hershey sites around the world. It obviously takes you to their online store! There is a place where people have posted their comments about Hershey. Links take you to the company profile and governance, too. This virtual field trip also shares information about their ingredients. The company covered itself well as it created this virtual field trip.
OER
Open Educational Resources is a place for teachers to acquire classroom materials at no cost. People can search by various options, such as grade level, subject, material type, media format, etc. People can share their materials, as well. This is a great resource for teachers. I used TpT, Teachers Pay Teachers, where you can basically buy and sell materials for the classroom. I like the way you can connect according to standards and places. I especially like the fact that the resources are free.
My Thoughts
Education today differs from past generations considerably. Today's curriculum is more involved with technology and the pace at which students find information to the extent at which/how they use the information. I think there is so much pressure on kids today. It goes beyond learning their ABCs and 123s. Students today need to understand how to take the information they have researched and put it to use. It is no longer writing research papers; it is how will I put that research into use.
As far apart as people may seem from each other, students need to understand that all of us are part of the same world and environmental issues concern all of us. Also, we need to learn from history and try to work together to make this world a more environmentally-friendly place. Chernobyl, Alaskan and gulf oil spills, earthquakes, tsunamis and even 9/11 are examples of disasters that required environmentally-sound answers. Students today can learn about these types of disasters and how they effect the earth.
As students around the world communicate with each other, they must be aware of cultural and language differences. For example, a Japanese person does not just strike up a conversation with somebody else due to societal levels. A teacher is spoken to with the utmost respect from a student, but a student to student (same grade level) can be much more casual. If two people do not know each other, they will not know the level at which they should be speaking. (There is even a special word meaning 'die' that was only used for the emperor upon his passing.) Students should also be very careful using a program such as Google Translate. The translation may not come out as they may expect.
Exchange students today have the advantage of instant communication via sophisticated technologies. When I was an exchange student in the 1980s, phone calls were exorbitantly priced and mail was as slow as a snail. Today students can instant message, Skype/Facetime, email, etc. and receive instant replies. The power of technology allows exchange students and their families assurances and satisfactions that only time told prior to the technology age.
My son's religious school class partners with another school in Israel to share information and to collaborate on various issues. It is amazing how far away the Israeli class is, yet so close. Students are able to discuss current events and how each country may be dealing with those events. Students today are learning firsthand how small the world really is.
To me, a virtual field trip resembles webquests (which I assume are in the past now) that enable students to travel the internet in pursuit of particular information. This virtual field trip appears to pack all the information into one place for students.
MY VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN
My trip begins in Toledo, Ohio, home of Libby Glass, Owens Corning and Jeep. It continues to Japan's capital city of Tokyo, then to Sapporo, Japan where there is an annual snow festival. Matsuyama, Japan which is located on the smallest of the main islands, Shikoku, is the next stop. Matsuyama is a city of about 400,000 people and it is famous for its castle called Matsuyama castle. I lived in Matsuyama in the 1980s as an exchange student. At the time, it was an unknown city to foreigners, but over the years it has grown in popularity. Nagoya, Japan, the fourth largest city, is the last stop before leaving Japan. I studied at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan back in the 1980s.
The world appears quite enormous, but thanks to technological advances it has become a smaller place. Students today are facing different avenues of education than previous generations have. According to this article, "the top 10 in-demand jobs projected for 2010 did not exist six years ago." (p.2) Students today must be able to find and incorporate information creatively. Students today need to be aware of globalization, the speed at which goods, ideas, people and capital travel around the world. "To be competitive, ethical and effective workers, today's students must understand key topics of global significance in areas like engineering, business, science, history, ecology and other domains that may constitute their future work." (p.2) Students becoming globally aware combined with the flux of global migration creates changing demographics which changes the outlook of education. Living in such a diverse society, especially one where information is just a click away, enables students to be one step closer to preparing for a future where everything they do will all be a part of a globalizing and technologically- rich process. Students should be able to recognize various perspectives when dealing with globalization and they should be able to communicate clearly and effectively with respect.
In addition to the globalization in culture and business, students need to be aware of the environmental issues that the world shares. We all breathe the same air even though we may be a far distance from each other. "Efforts to understand climate change, its causes and consequences, will continue over the next generations, when today's youth and their children are the decision makers." (p.6) People from all over the world need to collaborate to come up with answers to maintain an environmentally-friendly atmosphere.
The bottom line is that the generations today and tomorrow are completely different than the previous generations. They need to learn how to manage globalization on many levels with technology at their fingertips. They will be able to foster global relations while maintaining their individual work within their own societal realms.
Sister Cities
President Eisenhower was ahead of the game in 1956 when he thought of the idea of cultural partnerships among cities around the world for the purpose of peace and prosperity. These international relationships that have formed are based on cultural, educational, economic partnerships and humanitarian aid. An earlier relation was formed between Seattle, Washington and Tokyo, Japan for trade. Some relations were formed during post World War II to aid programs to western Europe. There have been relationships formed with China in the 1970s, too. Sister Cities is still going strong today and that is with thanks to the presidents after Eisenhower who have served/are serving as honorary chairman of Sister Cities. Many thanks to the people involved who keep it moving forward. Although the Sister Cities Organization are independent organizations, there are still a number of management structures. Mayors and highly-elected officials are ones who can sign an agreement to become sister cities. People who would like to become involved with Sister Cities should look up the primary contact for the city of interest.
One part of the Sister Cities organization which combines everything they stand for is their exchange program. High school students have the opportunity to study abroad through this organization for a semester or a year. Another program, Young Artists and Authors Showcase, allows students to present their original art and literature works expressing the Sister Cities mission.
There are numerous programs going on within the Sister Cities organization. For example, I read about people from Atlanta, GA travelling to the sister city of Montego Bay, Jamaica to provide medical treatment.
Virtual Field Trips
I checked out the Hershey field trip. It starts out by sharing the background of Milton Hershey and how it took him a few years to come up with a recipe for milk chocolate that had a shelf life. There are several links to learn about Hershey and where Hershey entrusted his money. There is a section on the Hershey school and the importance of the well-being of kids to Hershey. The school started in 1909 as a place for orphaned boys, but today it is co-ed and still incorporates the same philosophies on which it was created. Other links take you to the park and to other Hershey sites around the world. It obviously takes you to their online store! There is a place where people have posted their comments about Hershey. Links take you to the company profile and governance, too. This virtual field trip also shares information about their ingredients. The company covered itself well as it created this virtual field trip.
OER
Open Educational Resources is a place for teachers to acquire classroom materials at no cost. People can search by various options, such as grade level, subject, material type, media format, etc. People can share their materials, as well. This is a great resource for teachers. I used TpT, Teachers Pay Teachers, where you can basically buy and sell materials for the classroom. I like the way you can connect according to standards and places. I especially like the fact that the resources are free.
My Thoughts
Education today differs from past generations considerably. Today's curriculum is more involved with technology and the pace at which students find information to the extent at which/how they use the information. I think there is so much pressure on kids today. It goes beyond learning their ABCs and 123s. Students today need to understand how to take the information they have researched and put it to use. It is no longer writing research papers; it is how will I put that research into use.
As far apart as people may seem from each other, students need to understand that all of us are part of the same world and environmental issues concern all of us. Also, we need to learn from history and try to work together to make this world a more environmentally-friendly place. Chernobyl, Alaskan and gulf oil spills, earthquakes, tsunamis and even 9/11 are examples of disasters that required environmentally-sound answers. Students today can learn about these types of disasters and how they effect the earth.
As students around the world communicate with each other, they must be aware of cultural and language differences. For example, a Japanese person does not just strike up a conversation with somebody else due to societal levels. A teacher is spoken to with the utmost respect from a student, but a student to student (same grade level) can be much more casual. If two people do not know each other, they will not know the level at which they should be speaking. (There is even a special word meaning 'die' that was only used for the emperor upon his passing.) Students should also be very careful using a program such as Google Translate. The translation may not come out as they may expect.
Exchange students today have the advantage of instant communication via sophisticated technologies. When I was an exchange student in the 1980s, phone calls were exorbitantly priced and mail was as slow as a snail. Today students can instant message, Skype/Facetime, email, etc. and receive instant replies. The power of technology allows exchange students and their families assurances and satisfactions that only time told prior to the technology age.
My son's religious school class partners with another school in Israel to share information and to collaborate on various issues. It is amazing how far away the Israeli class is, yet so close. Students are able to discuss current events and how each country may be dealing with those events. Students today are learning firsthand how small the world really is.
To me, a virtual field trip resembles webquests (which I assume are in the past now) that enable students to travel the internet in pursuit of particular information. This virtual field trip appears to pack all the information into one place for students.
MY VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP TO THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN
My trip begins in Toledo, Ohio, home of Libby Glass, Owens Corning and Jeep. It continues to Japan's capital city of Tokyo, then to Sapporo, Japan where there is an annual snow festival. Matsuyama, Japan which is located on the smallest of the main islands, Shikoku, is the next stop. Matsuyama is a city of about 400,000 people and it is famous for its castle called Matsuyama castle. I lived in Matsuyama in the 1980s as an exchange student. At the time, it was an unknown city to foreigners, but over the years it has grown in popularity. Nagoya, Japan, the fourth largest city, is the last stop before leaving Japan. I studied at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan back in the 1980s.
*When I tried to link images to the destination points on Google Earth, nothing showed up but a box with a question mark. I am not sure why or how to fix it.
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Digital Age Communication and Collaboration Tools
Tweeting the Night Away: Using Twitter to Enhance Social Presence
Effective online learning not only requires the internet, but it apparently needs the social aspect of learning, too. "Many online educators tend to design the scope, structure, and function of an online course based on the tools available within a learning management system (LMS)." (p.1) The LMSs resemble a classic classroom setup, but it is just done online. There is just one thing missing - the social aspect, the time before and after class when students chit chat and catch up on different things in their lives. This article discusses the idea of Twitter (and mentions other microblogging tools) as an additional tool to use during class. "Contact between students and faculty in and outside of class is critical for student engagement because it influences student motivation and involvement." (p.2) Teachers can have huge impacts on students. Communication is an enormous factor that can play an important role with a student's success in learning.
"Because students and faculty have to login and navigate to several different locations in the course to engage in discussion, collaboration and sharing, the communication is sometimes forced and out of the context of day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute experience." (p.2) In other words, there are missed opportunities for communication due to all of the other links students and teachers need to follow through LMSs. Twitter and other microblogging tools allow thoughts to be expediently transmitted to others.
This article shared a few uses for Twitter:
1. As a student reads, s/he can send a question about the reading via Twitter;
2. A student can share a question about a project while working;
3. A student can send a message to the teacher during group work
4. A student can share newsworthy information;
5. A student can share links for a project, etc.
There are a couple thoughts lingering with the above example uses of Twitter. People can become too distracted with the many notifications popping up and people can become obsessed with checking responses. Another downfall might be the fact that people type so quickly and abbreviate and/or misspell/misuse words quite a bit. It can take a toll on writing abilities.
Some other positive aspects of Twitter in addition to the ones above are:
1. Connecting with many people, including professionals
2. Supporting informal learning
3. Maintaining relationships
The bottom line is that Twitter can be a beneficial form of social media to use in and out of the classroom. Twitter is a tool which can be used "for establishing informal, free-flowing, just-in-time communication between and among students and faculty, and with the professional community at large." (p.6)
The Design of an Online Community of Practice for Beginning Teachers
Many beginning teachers feel an isolation within their classrooms. When they are studying how to be a teacher, pre-teachers have the opportunity to have a sort of built-in mentor to help when they need it. Once they enter their own classrooms, those beginning teachers are left to fend for themselves, thus feeling an isolation - no mentor to help them when a problem occurs. This paper describes ways to help with the feeling of isolation via websites that accommodate this problem.
Unfortunately younger teachers struggle to survive in the profession for very long. "In the USA, Smith and Ingersoll (2004) found evidence to indicate that beginning teachers who participated in induction and mentoring activities in their first year of teaching were less likely to leave the profession." (p.121) This article shares two sites of online support for beginning teachers. One is from the Ontario Teacher's Federation and the other is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The site from Ontario, Survive and Thrive Virtual Conference for Beginning Teachers, was geared toward teachers within their first five years in the profession and provided online conferences by experts that covered a variety of educational topics. The Novice Teacher Support Project, the project from the University of Illinois, was geared toward teachers within their first three years in the profession and it "provides resource support to e-mentoring and incorporates face-to-face meetings as part of its mentoring program between novice and expert teachers." (p.122)
In order to reduce the number of teachers prematurely leaving the profession, younger teachers should find a way to lessen the feelings of isolation. There are plenty of resources that could help. Unfortunately regional and rural areas experience more teacher attrition than the larger, urban areas. However, in general, resources should be equally available to all new teachers to acclimate themselves to life in the classroom. Even older teachers could use extra resources and motivation as times are changing ever so quickly.
5 Steps to Better School/Community Collaboration
I agree with this article in that it takes a community to raise a school. There are plenty of opportunities within the community that could enhance our schools. When those opportunities are pursued, students can learn what is relevant to the society in which they live. The author of this article, Brendan O'Keefe searched for ideas that would enable a successful school transformation. The themes he considered were: Community/business school partnerships, parental collaboration, curriculum connected to real world experiences, student voice, cross generation learning, and locals designing solutions to local problems. When the community is involved with the kids, things happen! An idea O'Keefe has stated (and I totally agree) is that there have to be "ways to connect core curriculum beyond the classroom." The more students hear something, the more it will get ingrained in their minds. Another thought O'Keefe had was to meet people who can help and actually speak to them. People's enthusiasm is contagious and when enthusiastic p,eople meet others, they want to get in on the action to become just as enthusiastic. Students can gain lots from people. The next idea is to create a resource map in order to understand and know where those helpful resources are in the community. Maps or spreadsheets can be created to identify those resources. Another idea is to connect the curriculum with the real world so that students can understand why they are learning what they are learning. This is a question that students have been asking forever. Project-based learning is a way to connect the curriculum to the real world. The final idea is to challenge the community "to encourage discussion, empower youth, teachers and communities to design and facilitate change locally." (p.3) This does not mean re-designing schools, but it could mean to create a community garden (learning the why, the math, the science, etc.), creating a new design style within the classrooms or schools, and designing a class that may coincide with your own community. (On a side note - when I taught in Las Vegas, the last class of the day was designated to your own class. Each teacher was responsible for creating a class based on something s/he wanted to teach and something the students would appreciate. I taught Japanese language and culture. It was definitely a lot of fun and it was nice that we had that opportunity to teach without being watched over to make sure that what we were teaching was based on the curriculum.)
What Parents Want in School Communication
Communication is the key to success. This is what I told all my students when I taught. Communication is a way to know what is happening whether it is from teacher to students, students to teacher, teacher to parents, etc. There has to be communication within the school district. This article discusses the importance of how relationships are built on communication and how parents want to receive communication from teachers and the district. According to this article, parents are not interested in social media, yet they do prefer instant electronic information. The way parents are interested in obtaining school news is via e-mail, online parent portal, district/school e-newsletter, district/school website and telephone/voice message, and in this order, according to a survey by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The types of news for which the parents are looking from teachers, regardless if the school is elementary or secondary, are updates on student progress, timely notice when performance is slipping, information on what students will learn during the year, and homework and grading policies. Elementary parents also want information on behavior and secondary parents want to be able to communicate directly with teachers. Parents also want certain information from the schools, such as curriculum descriptions, a calendar of events, student safety and the quality of teaching, and educational program changes. Elementary parents also want to know how their school performance compares to others, while secondary parents want to know information on graduation and course requirements.
Parents want to know decisions "as often as decisions are made." (p.3) More than a third of the parents who were surveyed would like monthly decision and about thirteen percent of the parents survey said they would like information quarterly.
MY THOUGHTS
One nice thing about being online, and specifically using social media tools such as Twitter, is that you do not see anybody and they do not see you. People get to learn who others are through words, not looks. Seeing is a powerful sense which gives people the opportunity to judge others as they see them. This is not always a beneficial situation.
A positive idea of using today's social media tools such as Twitter is that although it is provides instant expression and feedback, people can (should) think about what to write before posting. I am one who likes to think about what I write before I post to make sure my thoughts are what I really want to say. (I must say that I have trouble verbalizing what I want in just 140 words or less. I am sure that the more I use, the more comfortable I will become with Twitter.)
School and community support is critical, in my opinion, for student success. My children's school district offers a slew of extracurricular activities that promotes community involvement and academic success for every student. If a student cannot find an extracurricular activity in which to participate, then there is something wrong with either the student and/or the parents. Parents are as responsible for their student's success as the student him/herself is.
After reading the article regarding school and community collaboration, I went to my son's elementary school where they were hosting a grandparent's bingo night. They were sold out! (The reason I went was because my in-laws were not feeling well and my mom lives out of town.) This was a wonderful fundraiser where all of the teachers participated in one way or another. There was a photo booth, book fair, tech area and, of course, the bingo with the grandparents (or relative) and then afterward grandparents were invited to the classrooms to check out student work. This was a first time for this event and it appeared to be a huge success! This is just one way that my son's school interacts with others outside of school.
Junior Achievement is another way students learn from community members about real world issues. My son took a couple weeks to meet with community members to do a variety of activities regarding the real world.
As far as communication is concerned, I used to stamp agenda books daily and write notes to parents in them. Parents would also write back in the agenda books. My main communication was to call parents to speak directly to them or e-mail them (to have documentation). I have not taught for nearly six years and great changes have taken place since then. My son's elementary teacher uses topoftheclass.weebly website. She updates information weekly so parents know what is happening in each class and links to many helpful sites are posted. The school also sends a weekly newsletter to keep everyone up to date on events and other information. Communication is the key!
Effective online learning not only requires the internet, but it apparently needs the social aspect of learning, too. "Many online educators tend to design the scope, structure, and function of an online course based on the tools available within a learning management system (LMS)." (p.1) The LMSs resemble a classic classroom setup, but it is just done online. There is just one thing missing - the social aspect, the time before and after class when students chit chat and catch up on different things in their lives. This article discusses the idea of Twitter (and mentions other microblogging tools) as an additional tool to use during class. "Contact between students and faculty in and outside of class is critical for student engagement because it influences student motivation and involvement." (p.2) Teachers can have huge impacts on students. Communication is an enormous factor that can play an important role with a student's success in learning.
"Because students and faculty have to login and navigate to several different locations in the course to engage in discussion, collaboration and sharing, the communication is sometimes forced and out of the context of day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and minute-to-minute experience." (p.2) In other words, there are missed opportunities for communication due to all of the other links students and teachers need to follow through LMSs. Twitter and other microblogging tools allow thoughts to be expediently transmitted to others.
This article shared a few uses for Twitter:
1. As a student reads, s/he can send a question about the reading via Twitter;
2. A student can share a question about a project while working;
3. A student can send a message to the teacher during group work
4. A student can share newsworthy information;
5. A student can share links for a project, etc.
There are a couple thoughts lingering with the above example uses of Twitter. People can become too distracted with the many notifications popping up and people can become obsessed with checking responses. Another downfall might be the fact that people type so quickly and abbreviate and/or misspell/misuse words quite a bit. It can take a toll on writing abilities.
Some other positive aspects of Twitter in addition to the ones above are:
1. Connecting with many people, including professionals
2. Supporting informal learning
3. Maintaining relationships
The bottom line is that Twitter can be a beneficial form of social media to use in and out of the classroom. Twitter is a tool which can be used "for establishing informal, free-flowing, just-in-time communication between and among students and faculty, and with the professional community at large." (p.6)
The Design of an Online Community of Practice for Beginning Teachers
Many beginning teachers feel an isolation within their classrooms. When they are studying how to be a teacher, pre-teachers have the opportunity to have a sort of built-in mentor to help when they need it. Once they enter their own classrooms, those beginning teachers are left to fend for themselves, thus feeling an isolation - no mentor to help them when a problem occurs. This paper describes ways to help with the feeling of isolation via websites that accommodate this problem.
Unfortunately younger teachers struggle to survive in the profession for very long. "In the USA, Smith and Ingersoll (2004) found evidence to indicate that beginning teachers who participated in induction and mentoring activities in their first year of teaching were less likely to leave the profession." (p.121) This article shares two sites of online support for beginning teachers. One is from the Ontario Teacher's Federation and the other is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The site from Ontario, Survive and Thrive Virtual Conference for Beginning Teachers, was geared toward teachers within their first five years in the profession and provided online conferences by experts that covered a variety of educational topics. The Novice Teacher Support Project, the project from the University of Illinois, was geared toward teachers within their first three years in the profession and it "provides resource support to e-mentoring and incorporates face-to-face meetings as part of its mentoring program between novice and expert teachers." (p.122)
In order to reduce the number of teachers prematurely leaving the profession, younger teachers should find a way to lessen the feelings of isolation. There are plenty of resources that could help. Unfortunately regional and rural areas experience more teacher attrition than the larger, urban areas. However, in general, resources should be equally available to all new teachers to acclimate themselves to life in the classroom. Even older teachers could use extra resources and motivation as times are changing ever so quickly.
5 Steps to Better School/Community Collaboration
I agree with this article in that it takes a community to raise a school. There are plenty of opportunities within the community that could enhance our schools. When those opportunities are pursued, students can learn what is relevant to the society in which they live. The author of this article, Brendan O'Keefe searched for ideas that would enable a successful school transformation. The themes he considered were: Community/business school partnerships, parental collaboration, curriculum connected to real world experiences, student voice, cross generation learning, and locals designing solutions to local problems. When the community is involved with the kids, things happen! An idea O'Keefe has stated (and I totally agree) is that there have to be "ways to connect core curriculum beyond the classroom." The more students hear something, the more it will get ingrained in their minds. Another thought O'Keefe had was to meet people who can help and actually speak to them. People's enthusiasm is contagious and when enthusiastic p,eople meet others, they want to get in on the action to become just as enthusiastic. Students can gain lots from people. The next idea is to create a resource map in order to understand and know where those helpful resources are in the community. Maps or spreadsheets can be created to identify those resources. Another idea is to connect the curriculum with the real world so that students can understand why they are learning what they are learning. This is a question that students have been asking forever. Project-based learning is a way to connect the curriculum to the real world. The final idea is to challenge the community "to encourage discussion, empower youth, teachers and communities to design and facilitate change locally." (p.3) This does not mean re-designing schools, but it could mean to create a community garden (learning the why, the math, the science, etc.), creating a new design style within the classrooms or schools, and designing a class that may coincide with your own community. (On a side note - when I taught in Las Vegas, the last class of the day was designated to your own class. Each teacher was responsible for creating a class based on something s/he wanted to teach and something the students would appreciate. I taught Japanese language and culture. It was definitely a lot of fun and it was nice that we had that opportunity to teach without being watched over to make sure that what we were teaching was based on the curriculum.)
What Parents Want in School Communication
Communication is the key to success. This is what I told all my students when I taught. Communication is a way to know what is happening whether it is from teacher to students, students to teacher, teacher to parents, etc. There has to be communication within the school district. This article discusses the importance of how relationships are built on communication and how parents want to receive communication from teachers and the district. According to this article, parents are not interested in social media, yet they do prefer instant electronic information. The way parents are interested in obtaining school news is via e-mail, online parent portal, district/school e-newsletter, district/school website and telephone/voice message, and in this order, according to a survey by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). The types of news for which the parents are looking from teachers, regardless if the school is elementary or secondary, are updates on student progress, timely notice when performance is slipping, information on what students will learn during the year, and homework and grading policies. Elementary parents also want information on behavior and secondary parents want to be able to communicate directly with teachers. Parents also want certain information from the schools, such as curriculum descriptions, a calendar of events, student safety and the quality of teaching, and educational program changes. Elementary parents also want to know how their school performance compares to others, while secondary parents want to know information on graduation and course requirements.
Parents want to know decisions "as often as decisions are made." (p.3) More than a third of the parents who were surveyed would like monthly decision and about thirteen percent of the parents survey said they would like information quarterly.
MY THOUGHTS
One nice thing about being online, and specifically using social media tools such as Twitter, is that you do not see anybody and they do not see you. People get to learn who others are through words, not looks. Seeing is a powerful sense which gives people the opportunity to judge others as they see them. This is not always a beneficial situation.
A positive idea of using today's social media tools such as Twitter is that although it is provides instant expression and feedback, people can (should) think about what to write before posting. I am one who likes to think about what I write before I post to make sure my thoughts are what I really want to say. (I must say that I have trouble verbalizing what I want in just 140 words or less. I am sure that the more I use, the more comfortable I will become with Twitter.)
School and community support is critical, in my opinion, for student success. My children's school district offers a slew of extracurricular activities that promotes community involvement and academic success for every student. If a student cannot find an extracurricular activity in which to participate, then there is something wrong with either the student and/or the parents. Parents are as responsible for their student's success as the student him/herself is.
After reading the article regarding school and community collaboration, I went to my son's elementary school where they were hosting a grandparent's bingo night. They were sold out! (The reason I went was because my in-laws were not feeling well and my mom lives out of town.) This was a wonderful fundraiser where all of the teachers participated in one way or another. There was a photo booth, book fair, tech area and, of course, the bingo with the grandparents (or relative) and then afterward grandparents were invited to the classrooms to check out student work. This was a first time for this event and it appeared to be a huge success! This is just one way that my son's school interacts with others outside of school.
Junior Achievement is another way students learn from community members about real world issues. My son took a couple weeks to meet with community members to do a variety of activities regarding the real world.
As far as communication is concerned, I used to stamp agenda books daily and write notes to parents in them. Parents would also write back in the agenda books. My main communication was to call parents to speak directly to them or e-mail them (to have documentation). I have not taught for nearly six years and great changes have taken place since then. My son's elementary teacher uses topoftheclass.weebly website. She updates information weekly so parents know what is happening in each class and links to many helpful sites are posted. The school also sends a weekly newsletter to keep everyone up to date on events and other information. Communication is the key!
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Diversity, Cultural Understanding, and Global Awareness
One Laptop Per Child Mission
The mission of OLPC is to give every child around the world, regardless of the language they speak or where they live, the opportunity to be connected. The OLPC is a nonprofit organization that provides rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptops to all children. The laptop, called the XO, is made to work in tough conditions and remote locations where it can be charged via solar power, thus rugged and low-power. The low-cost factor is so that every child can have their own laptop and so that each child can be connected via the internet. Each laptop comes loaded with educational software and a built-in camera. The screens can be read outside since so many kids they reach attend school outdoors. The power of education is the main mission of the OLPC where children can be engaged, inspired, share their projects, explore, collaborate and so much more.
What a terrific mission! You cannot beat a mission in which education is the top priority and laptops are created and geared towards children. I can also appreciate the fact that these laptops have the capacity to grow with the needs of the children. One question I have is if there are people from the organization who helps the children get started in learning how the laptop functions. I would think that children in remote and/or poor areas would open the box of the laptop and be perplexed. As soon as they take off, there will be no stopping them!
The Participation Divide
According to the article, The Participation Divide, there is not a difference between genders when it comes to actively creating and sharing online. Sharing online allows people to post and participate in posting without identifying themselves in any respect. "No longer must one have large budgets to finance production and the necessary influence to get past gatekeepers when attempting to disseminate one's work." (p.239) It has become easier to reach more people through posting online today than it was in the past. The point of this article is to determine if the amount of sharing with new opportunities through digital media is equal among genders.
"Those who share their content publicly have the ability to set the agenda of public discussions and debates." (p.240) According to this article, women have been under-represented when it comes to outstanding posting. The idea of being under-represented can be questioned as to whether or not women create as many posts versus men or if those posts from women are taken as seriously.
The research from this article found that "content creation in a digital age is not randomly distributed among a group of young adults." (p. 252) In fact, it has been found that regardless of gender, students who have at least one parent who has a graduate degree are the ones who will most likely create online/offline content. However, without certain reasons "women are significantly less likely to share their creations on the web." (p. 252) Perhaps once skill levels increase, perhaps this will show a more even creative input between genders.
The New Literacy: Scenes from the Digital Divide 2.0
The initial digital divide from the 1990's referred to basically children growing up with technology versus adults who were in need of learning technology and "those with access to computers and those without." (p. 1) A new digital divide has sprung with the world of social media: those comfortable with social media versus those still learning. Social media can refer to "Web 2.0 tools, including wikis, blog, micro-blogs, Twitter, linking, tagging, podcasting, forums, video sharing, vlogs, Drupal-based group blogs, social bookmarking, and virtual worlds such as Second Life." (p.1) This era of literacy is known as "digiteracy."
Teachers must keep up-to-date with the world of "digiteracy," otherwise there could be a new divide among teachers and students in schools. Educational grants are seeing a shift from "school reform and instructional improvement toward the socially mediated world of digital learning." (p.2) "A recent MacArthur Foundation study shows that each day, 80% of American teenagers use a computer. Half of them are creating digital-media content, and a third of them are sharing the content online." (p.2) With this in mind, classroom scenes are changing and are moving towards becoming digitalized. Teachers must remain focused on this move and understand that time online is not just playing, but it is actually learning. Students are actually learning how to find information on their own. Teachers are just their guides to direct them through learning and not to spew facts their way.
"Without digital connectivity, home computers might still have been useful, but probably little more than glorified typewriters or very expensive adding machines." (p.4) It is vital that people who are looking for jobs today understand technology because technology is ruling the -verse. Even Reverend Jesse Jackson has input on this digital divide calling it "classic apartheid" and NAACP's Kweisi Mfume calls it "technological segregation."
Slamming the Closet Door and Taking Control: Analysis of Personal Transformation and Social Change as LGBT Podcasting Blazes a Trail of Democratization of the Media
The idea in this paper is "to understand why and how the LGBT community has identified and made of this communication tool." (p.1) Podcasting among the LGBT community allows transformative learning to take place due to the varied backgrounds such as sexual identities and personas.
"These podcasts reveal LGBT adults discovering their voices, morphing their public self and building societal impact individually and collectively." (p.1) Basically by allowing everyone an opportunity within this form of media reveals a democratization of the media (as stated in the title of this paper). The internet in all its forms has become an open forum which is free from politics, social, economic and religious constraints.
Podcasting can be an informative avenue for people of all backgrounds. Podcasters, regardless of the forum, may altogether stop for a variety of reasons. "The most common reason people stop podcasting is because they did not realize the time commitment involved when they started." (p.4) Other reasons are possible technological difficulties, lack of interest, lack of fame, possible responses from listeners, and more. For the LGBT community, it may not fit with their personas.
Adult learners listen to podcasts mostly for (foreign) language learning.
"New media is used to meaningfully and effectively provide opportunities for LGBT adult learners to 'test the waters' of their closeted or new personas, gain voice, and embrace control in the dominate culture." (p.4) LGBT learners have the opportunity to experience freedom and validation through this new media. They can share with others and read/listen to what others have to say. It is an open forum for all.
Finding a Place in Cyberspace: Black Women, Technology, and Identity
The idea of this paper is threefold: "the current discourse on race and technology (the digital divide), the experiences of black women who work in technology, and the figuration of the race and gender on the Web." (p.48) The commonality that these things share is what place black women have in cyberspace. There is a myth that states that cyberspace is "raceless, genderless, and sexuality-free." "Lisa Nakamura argues that 'race is constructed as a matter of aesthetics, or finding the color that you like, rather than as a matter of ethnic identity or shared cultural referents. The fantasy of skin color divorced from politics, oppression or racism seems to also celebrate it as infinitely changeable, customizable; as an entirely elective as well as poitical." (p.48) Cyberspace is a wide open forum that apparently resembles the operations of the real world.
When this paper was written, African Americans and Latinos were among the fastest-growing groups on the internet. "Asian Americans were far ahead of everyone else." (p. 49) According to this paper, there is apparently a noticeable interest and user growth among African Americans on the internet when the hardware prices of the internet dropped. The paper also included details of three African-American women who work as senior systems analysts and the paths of their careers. It also discussed the roles of race and gender on their career paths. Two women mentioned experiences of racist practices during their careers whereas the other woman said she had not personally witnessed racist treatment. The two women who mentioned racist experiences said that it was due to several factors: "the economic slump, a general trend of African American white collar workers seeking careers outside the Twin Cities, and racist practices by management." (p.51) One woman mentioned the fact that their were insulting comments since her white junior colleagues had not acquired the skills she had. The researcher of this paper described how even though black women were achieving more in school, black men were able to find employment more with their advanced degrees than the women. The women apparently had the brains, but not the power.
According to this article, black women have increased their presence at universities by 400% within the last 20 years (from the writing of this article). However, it is noted in this paper that "in Web sites featuring black achievements and timelines of important events, black men dominate the pages." (p.56) That indicates a double whammy to African-American females: gender and race.
Can One Laptop Per Child Reduce the Digital Divide and Educational Gap?
This article discusses how the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) would bode, specifically in Beijing, China. The idea was to find out if there were any (positive) outcomes regarding the OLPC. The facts were that the OLPC (XO) computers were given to 300 third-grade students in 13 migrant schools in Beijing. Results showed that certain scores were increased, computer skills improved and there was less TV viewing. Overall, students' self-esteem rose. Testing, including locale and number of students, was very limited.
This study was also trying to determine "if the OLPC program could reduce the digital divide and benefit learning of disadvantaged children." (p.25) This includes "20 million school aged migrant children whose parents are not able to provide enough instruction, as they have low education levels and they are constantly on the run for work." (p.25) The migrant schools in China did not have the capacity to help students who fell behind. Fortunately the students were able to learn through the software provided on the computers.
Further testing is required before spending much more money on such an enormous endeavor.
MY THOUGHTS
I think that the idea of every kid in the world, regardless of where they live or what language they speak, receiving a computer which will connect them with today's society is a terrific idea. I think that you cannot just give the computers without having instructors who can help with the implementation of them. I think it is important to have a plan where various tests can take place to assure the (positive) outcomes. My plan would entail giving computers to a few poor areas in a few countries at a time, test to make sure the system is working and that the students are learning, thus reducing the digital divide. Whatever the students learn can be shared with the adults in the community, thus reducing the divide even further.
I tried logging into sistahspace.com without luck. This is the black women's website onto which more nonwhites and women are logging. I have trouble imagining the idea of racism taking place on the web since people can post anonymously. Apparently language is just as strong verbally as it is written.
The mission of OLPC is to give every child around the world, regardless of the language they speak or where they live, the opportunity to be connected. The OLPC is a nonprofit organization that provides rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptops to all children. The laptop, called the XO, is made to work in tough conditions and remote locations where it can be charged via solar power, thus rugged and low-power. The low-cost factor is so that every child can have their own laptop and so that each child can be connected via the internet. Each laptop comes loaded with educational software and a built-in camera. The screens can be read outside since so many kids they reach attend school outdoors. The power of education is the main mission of the OLPC where children can be engaged, inspired, share their projects, explore, collaborate and so much more.
What a terrific mission! You cannot beat a mission in which education is the top priority and laptops are created and geared towards children. I can also appreciate the fact that these laptops have the capacity to grow with the needs of the children. One question I have is if there are people from the organization who helps the children get started in learning how the laptop functions. I would think that children in remote and/or poor areas would open the box of the laptop and be perplexed. As soon as they take off, there will be no stopping them!
The Participation Divide
According to the article, The Participation Divide, there is not a difference between genders when it comes to actively creating and sharing online. Sharing online allows people to post and participate in posting without identifying themselves in any respect. "No longer must one have large budgets to finance production and the necessary influence to get past gatekeepers when attempting to disseminate one's work." (p.239) It has become easier to reach more people through posting online today than it was in the past. The point of this article is to determine if the amount of sharing with new opportunities through digital media is equal among genders.
"Those who share their content publicly have the ability to set the agenda of public discussions and debates." (p.240) According to this article, women have been under-represented when it comes to outstanding posting. The idea of being under-represented can be questioned as to whether or not women create as many posts versus men or if those posts from women are taken as seriously.
The research from this article found that "content creation in a digital age is not randomly distributed among a group of young adults." (p. 252) In fact, it has been found that regardless of gender, students who have at least one parent who has a graduate degree are the ones who will most likely create online/offline content. However, without certain reasons "women are significantly less likely to share their creations on the web." (p. 252) Perhaps once skill levels increase, perhaps this will show a more even creative input between genders.
The New Literacy: Scenes from the Digital Divide 2.0
The initial digital divide from the 1990's referred to basically children growing up with technology versus adults who were in need of learning technology and "those with access to computers and those without." (p. 1) A new digital divide has sprung with the world of social media: those comfortable with social media versus those still learning. Social media can refer to "Web 2.0 tools, including wikis, blog, micro-blogs, Twitter, linking, tagging, podcasting, forums, video sharing, vlogs, Drupal-based group blogs, social bookmarking, and virtual worlds such as Second Life." (p.1) This era of literacy is known as "digiteracy."
Teachers must keep up-to-date with the world of "digiteracy," otherwise there could be a new divide among teachers and students in schools. Educational grants are seeing a shift from "school reform and instructional improvement toward the socially mediated world of digital learning." (p.2) "A recent MacArthur Foundation study shows that each day, 80% of American teenagers use a computer. Half of them are creating digital-media content, and a third of them are sharing the content online." (p.2) With this in mind, classroom scenes are changing and are moving towards becoming digitalized. Teachers must remain focused on this move and understand that time online is not just playing, but it is actually learning. Students are actually learning how to find information on their own. Teachers are just their guides to direct them through learning and not to spew facts their way.
"Without digital connectivity, home computers might still have been useful, but probably little more than glorified typewriters or very expensive adding machines." (p.4) It is vital that people who are looking for jobs today understand technology because technology is ruling the -verse. Even Reverend Jesse Jackson has input on this digital divide calling it "classic apartheid" and NAACP's Kweisi Mfume calls it "technological segregation."
Slamming the Closet Door and Taking Control: Analysis of Personal Transformation and Social Change as LGBT Podcasting Blazes a Trail of Democratization of the Media
The idea in this paper is "to understand why and how the LGBT community has identified and made of this communication tool." (p.1) Podcasting among the LGBT community allows transformative learning to take place due to the varied backgrounds such as sexual identities and personas.
"These podcasts reveal LGBT adults discovering their voices, morphing their public self and building societal impact individually and collectively." (p.1) Basically by allowing everyone an opportunity within this form of media reveals a democratization of the media (as stated in the title of this paper). The internet in all its forms has become an open forum which is free from politics, social, economic and religious constraints.
Podcasting can be an informative avenue for people of all backgrounds. Podcasters, regardless of the forum, may altogether stop for a variety of reasons. "The most common reason people stop podcasting is because they did not realize the time commitment involved when they started." (p.4) Other reasons are possible technological difficulties, lack of interest, lack of fame, possible responses from listeners, and more. For the LGBT community, it may not fit with their personas.
Adult learners listen to podcasts mostly for (foreign) language learning.
"New media is used to meaningfully and effectively provide opportunities for LGBT adult learners to 'test the waters' of their closeted or new personas, gain voice, and embrace control in the dominate culture." (p.4) LGBT learners have the opportunity to experience freedom and validation through this new media. They can share with others and read/listen to what others have to say. It is an open forum for all.
Finding a Place in Cyberspace: Black Women, Technology, and Identity
The idea of this paper is threefold: "the current discourse on race and technology (the digital divide), the experiences of black women who work in technology, and the figuration of the race and gender on the Web." (p.48) The commonality that these things share is what place black women have in cyberspace. There is a myth that states that cyberspace is "raceless, genderless, and sexuality-free." "Lisa Nakamura argues that 'race is constructed as a matter of aesthetics, or finding the color that you like, rather than as a matter of ethnic identity or shared cultural referents. The fantasy of skin color divorced from politics, oppression or racism seems to also celebrate it as infinitely changeable, customizable; as an entirely elective as well as poitical." (p.48) Cyberspace is a wide open forum that apparently resembles the operations of the real world.
When this paper was written, African Americans and Latinos were among the fastest-growing groups on the internet. "Asian Americans were far ahead of everyone else." (p. 49) According to this paper, there is apparently a noticeable interest and user growth among African Americans on the internet when the hardware prices of the internet dropped. The paper also included details of three African-American women who work as senior systems analysts and the paths of their careers. It also discussed the roles of race and gender on their career paths. Two women mentioned experiences of racist practices during their careers whereas the other woman said she had not personally witnessed racist treatment. The two women who mentioned racist experiences said that it was due to several factors: "the economic slump, a general trend of African American white collar workers seeking careers outside the Twin Cities, and racist practices by management." (p.51) One woman mentioned the fact that their were insulting comments since her white junior colleagues had not acquired the skills she had. The researcher of this paper described how even though black women were achieving more in school, black men were able to find employment more with their advanced degrees than the women. The women apparently had the brains, but not the power.
According to this article, black women have increased their presence at universities by 400% within the last 20 years (from the writing of this article). However, it is noted in this paper that "in Web sites featuring black achievements and timelines of important events, black men dominate the pages." (p.56) That indicates a double whammy to African-American females: gender and race.
Can One Laptop Per Child Reduce the Digital Divide and Educational Gap?
This article discusses how the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) would bode, specifically in Beijing, China. The idea was to find out if there were any (positive) outcomes regarding the OLPC. The facts were that the OLPC (XO) computers were given to 300 third-grade students in 13 migrant schools in Beijing. Results showed that certain scores were increased, computer skills improved and there was less TV viewing. Overall, students' self-esteem rose. Testing, including locale and number of students, was very limited.
This study was also trying to determine "if the OLPC program could reduce the digital divide and benefit learning of disadvantaged children." (p.25) This includes "20 million school aged migrant children whose parents are not able to provide enough instruction, as they have low education levels and they are constantly on the run for work." (p.25) The migrant schools in China did not have the capacity to help students who fell behind. Fortunately the students were able to learn through the software provided on the computers.
Further testing is required before spending much more money on such an enormous endeavor.
MY THOUGHTS
I think that the idea of every kid in the world, regardless of where they live or what language they speak, receiving a computer which will connect them with today's society is a terrific idea. I think that you cannot just give the computers without having instructors who can help with the implementation of them. I think it is important to have a plan where various tests can take place to assure the (positive) outcomes. My plan would entail giving computers to a few poor areas in a few countries at a time, test to make sure the system is working and that the students are learning, thus reducing the digital divide. Whatever the students learn can be shared with the adults in the community, thus reducing the divide even further.
I tried logging into sistahspace.com without luck. This is the black women's website onto which more nonwhites and women are logging. I have trouble imagining the idea of racism taking place on the web since people can post anonymously. Apparently language is just as strong verbally as it is written.
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