The articles regarding sexting and teen suicide are both extremely upsetting and disappointing on the schools' part. In both cases, the schools dropped the ball and disregarded certain signs that could have prevented these tragedies. Schools need to play a bigger role in preventing cyber bullying, which could lead to depression and suicide.
Lessons on safe and responsible web browsing need to be implemented into the curricula. Teachers should be responsible for raising student awareness on the dangers of internet and technology, which include three important lessons that I believe need to be enforced. The first point teachers should make in their internet safety lesson is that nothing is private in the "internet world." Even with privacy settings, pictures on Facebook and videos sent through text messages or emails can be accessed by anyone. A second key point that teachers should stress is that no one is invincible. Many people think that it won't happen to them; that the pictures they send won't go viral. Unfortunaely, it is very easy to share anything and very hard to trust people with personal pictures or videos. The final lesson that should be taught, is that once a picture is out there the cyberworld, it is there forever, even if it's deleted. Incriminating pictures can affect future employment and college acceptances. Sexting will always be harmful, if not tragic. In health classes, the dangers of sexting should be taught along side with lessons on self- esteem issues. If students are well educated about the dangers of the internet, then hopefully cases of sexting will decrease.
Schools also have the responsibility for having a zero tolerance on cyber bullying, as well as face-to-face bullying. The schools need to create a comfortable environment that will allow students to annonymously report and instances of cyber bullying, and then take the approriate action to put it to an end. Teachers and school staff also need to aware of signs of depression and suicide that could be linked to cyber bullying, and always keep the parents informed. In Hope Witsell's case, it's unbelievable that the school didn't inform her parents on the signs on self-inflicted harm that they noticed on her body. By keeping the parents involved, more tragedies like this case can be prevented. Also, schools have the responsibility to monitor internet usage on school property closely and carefully. In Melanie Paradis's case, a racy video she had texted a fellow boy classmate was uploaded on a school computer. Schools need to prevent that from happening and take immediate action to carry out the consequences of doing such a thing.
With sexting on the rise, schools have a responsibility to educate students on approriate internet behavior and carry out the consequences of any cyber bullying that is reported.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Week 13: Copyrights, Fair Use, and Education
Because of the unlimited access to an abundance of information thanks to the internet and technology changing at a rapid pace, the copyright laws have become many shades of grey. The copyright laws protect the owner and creator of information by means of distribution and reproduction. However, because it has become easy to reuse copyrighted information without permission from the owner and by going undetected, many people believe copyright infringement is a victimless crime. Other people may not even realize that they are infringing copyright laws. When it comes to education, the boundaries of committing a crime by copyright infringement are becoming blurred because the copyright laws are constantly changing. "Fair use", as defined in section 107 of the Copyright Act, provides terms for a "legal defensible position" (A Fair(y) Tale Use) against copyright infringement cases. With copyright permissions becoming difficult and time consuming to obtain, it is very important for educations to become aware of the terms of "fair use" since it applies to the profession directly.
Fair use of copyrighted material means that as long as the material isn't being used as a means to avoid purchasing it, then it can be used for educational purposes. Of course there are four guidelines that must be met in order for fair use to be defendable. These four factors that must be considered for the determination of whether fair use is legitimate are the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, the portion of the whole work used, and the market effects because of use. (Thompson, K. 2005) As long as those factors are met, then material used to enhance the classroom my be defendable against copyright infringement lawsuits. The public domain, Creative Commons, and The Art Museum Image Consortium are alternatives for avoiding confusion by using copyrighted material. When the copyright expires, material then goes into the public domain and can be used freely by the general public. The life of a copyright equals the life of an author plus 70 years. The Creative Commons search engine facilitates the use of material for educational purposes without infringing copyright laws. Educators can use the search engine to find material that is permitted for reuse by the author for educational purposes. With a license, The Art Museum Image Consortium allows access to copyrighted images to be used in the classroom.
The internet makes it easy for teachers to find supplemental information to be used in the classroom, such as copies of articles from magazine, videos clips, and song clips. It is very important for educators to be aware of copyright laws and the terms of fair use because copyright abuse is more common than expected in schools, both intentional and unintentional. Installing a program with a single license purchases on multiple computers and showing movies for entertainment are copyright infringements and something that goes on in schools often. Having a librarian and technology director as a copyright specialist on staff, and keeping admininstrators and educators up-to-date on copyright laws are ways to prevent copyright disputes. Teachers also must convey the important of copyright laws to students and stress that copyright infringement will not be tolerated in the school.
The internet is a great tool for expanding learning in the classroom, and if used properly is beneficial to students. As long as educators and administrators are aware of copyright laws and "fair use", then supplemental material will enhance the learning process.
Resources:
Video: A Fair(y) Use Tale
Copyright 101- Kate A. Thompson
Fair use of copyrighted material means that as long as the material isn't being used as a means to avoid purchasing it, then it can be used for educational purposes. Of course there are four guidelines that must be met in order for fair use to be defendable. These four factors that must be considered for the determination of whether fair use is legitimate are the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, the portion of the whole work used, and the market effects because of use. (Thompson, K. 2005) As long as those factors are met, then material used to enhance the classroom my be defendable against copyright infringement lawsuits. The public domain, Creative Commons, and The Art Museum Image Consortium are alternatives for avoiding confusion by using copyrighted material. When the copyright expires, material then goes into the public domain and can be used freely by the general public. The life of a copyright equals the life of an author plus 70 years. The Creative Commons search engine facilitates the use of material for educational purposes without infringing copyright laws. Educators can use the search engine to find material that is permitted for reuse by the author for educational purposes. With a license, The Art Museum Image Consortium allows access to copyrighted images to be used in the classroom.
The internet makes it easy for teachers to find supplemental information to be used in the classroom, such as copies of articles from magazine, videos clips, and song clips. It is very important for educators to be aware of copyright laws and the terms of fair use because copyright abuse is more common than expected in schools, both intentional and unintentional. Installing a program with a single license purchases on multiple computers and showing movies for entertainment are copyright infringements and something that goes on in schools often. Having a librarian and technology director as a copyright specialist on staff, and keeping admininstrators and educators up-to-date on copyright laws are ways to prevent copyright disputes. Teachers also must convey the important of copyright laws to students and stress that copyright infringement will not be tolerated in the school.
The internet is a great tool for expanding learning in the classroom, and if used properly is beneficial to students. As long as educators and administrators are aware of copyright laws and "fair use", then supplemental material will enhance the learning process.
Resources:
Video: A Fair(y) Use Tale
Copyright 101- Kate A. Thompson
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Week 10: Flipped Lesson
This flipped lesson is intended to take place of the typical paper and pencil homework that students would normally have in a math class. Students will be assigned to watch the flipped lesson for homework and write down any questions that they may have about the material that is being covered.
The following day in class, students will have an opportunity to ask specific questions for clarification on the lesson. They will then be given a worksheet with selected problems relating to the material. After completing that in class and asking any questions about it, students will then master the lesson by completing a group project to apply the lesson.
The group assignment will divide the class into four groups. Each group is assigned to survey a specific group, and every group will have the same topic. Since each team is assigned a group to survey, every group will have a different set of data even though the topic is the same. The groups will then analyze the collected data using GoogleDocs spreadsheets by finding the fractions of the total for each segment of the survey. Students will also need to convert the fractions to a decimal as well as analyze what each fraction and decimal means regarding the total. On the spreadsheet, each group will also present two different types of graphs and explain what each part of the graph represents. After all groups present their findings, each group will then analyze the class total in the same manner regarding the topic based on their findings from the survey and compare the conclusion with each other.
The following day in class, students will have an opportunity to ask specific questions for clarification on the lesson. They will then be given a worksheet with selected problems relating to the material. After completing that in class and asking any questions about it, students will then master the lesson by completing a group project to apply the lesson.
The group assignment will divide the class into four groups. Each group is assigned to survey a specific group, and every group will have the same topic. Since each team is assigned a group to survey, every group will have a different set of data even though the topic is the same. The groups will then analyze the collected data using GoogleDocs spreadsheets by finding the fractions of the total for each segment of the survey. Students will also need to convert the fractions to a decimal as well as analyze what each fraction and decimal means regarding the total. On the spreadsheet, each group will also present two different types of graphs and explain what each part of the graph represents. After all groups present their findings, each group will then analyze the class total in the same manner regarding the topic based on their findings from the survey and compare the conclusion with each other.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Week 8: Back to School Night
This "Back to School Night" presentation informs parents on what 21st Century skills are, the importance for their children to turn these skills into habits, and how my teaching style will reflect these skills in the classroom. Parents get an idea of the type of work their children will be completing in class and at home. The classroom website is linked at the end of this presentation. In theory, the website will have a a list of assignments and a calendar of due dates so parents can actively be involved in their children's education. This presentation is intended for parents to become aware of what is to be expected from their children to be successful in this class and to become acquainted with how I will be teaching the subject matter.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Week 7: Podcast
This podcast is designed to be extra help on a classroom lecture. Solving an equation for "x" is a very crucial skill to master because this skill will be used in almost every math class as the student advances. To help students master this math skill, the podcast gives a step by step method on how to solve these specific equations. Students are required to solve the problem along with the podcast to practice the steps involved. At the end of the podcast, the general steps are summarized so students are able to refer back to the podcast if they need help solving different equations of this kind. Math lessons can be overwhelming and the homework can be frustrating, so having this type of podcast available to students as a reference outside of the classroom will be beneficial in clarifying questions or roadblocks students may run into.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Week 5: 21st Century Learning
The goal of the education system from grades pre-k through 12 should shift it's focus from "producing university professors", as Sir Ken Robinson states, to creating productive, successful, and multi-talented members of society. How can that goal be accomplished? An answer may be by giving students the "thinking tools" necessary to achieve this, such as critical thinking, analytical process, comprehending new ideas, and collaborating with other people of a variety of different backgrounds to solve problems and make decisions. The focus of education should revolve around the question: "what can the school system teach, so students optimize their time spent in the school system and walk out with skills most beneficial to the workforce and real life? The idea is to stray from memorization and "fact cramming", and starting teaching ways to apply information. It's the method of applying new material that will be the most useful to students throughout their lives. The 21st century skills movement describes ways that schools can mold into this trend.
"The best learning happens "when students learn basic content and processes and at the same time they learn how to think and solve problems". (M.Banta, 2009). Going beyond core subject matter and integrating technology to help students develop crucial life skills are what supporters of 21st century skills are in favor of. However, it is easier said than done. Integrating most of or all of the skills that the 21 century skill movement dictates is nearly impossible for teachers because of the standards that educators need to meet under NCLB. However, the 21st century skills movement provides a great means for brainstorming lesson plans that promote deep learning. Sir Ken Robinson gives three points of intelligence, one being that intelligence is diverse. When teachers use different methods of teaching and different methods of assessments, more students will benefit in the long run.
Critics argue that 21st century skills aren't effective because there are certain constraints and simply that skill centered knowledge without the knowledge base will never work. I do agree that time constraint and having trouble assessing these skills are roadblocks to the 21st century movement, but there are ways to make room for this method of teaching in schools. One possible solution to the problem that there isn't enough time in the year to implement 21st century skills is to have teachers blend teaching content and the application of skills together. For example, teachers can have class time to teach certain skills, for example simple addition is math such as 4 plus 4. However, on assessments can be more problem based to promote critical thinking. For example, when assessing the knowledge of 4 plus 4, teachers can phrase the question in such a way: "If somebody has 4 apples and a friend brings over 4 more how many apples will the two friends use to make an apple pie".
Personally, I have learned the most skills taken with me into the workforce from being active in the music program for 10 years while in the school system. Supporters of the 21st century skills movement state that the experience that students have in the creative subjects such as art, music, and drama are "the most beneficial in the long run" (McLester S., McIntire T.). These subjects spark creativity in students, and also help them develop collaboration and problem solving skills that are necessary for life after school in the workforce. Due to lack of funding, time, and other various issues that school districts may face, these subjects get left behind. A question that ties into the 21st century skills trend is how can teachers incorporate these subjects into core subjects so that student learning gets optimized? I have had teachers throughout my education experience who have made that possible, therefore I am confident that future teachers can do that as well. The most memorable teachers I have had, are the ones who have fostered a classroom environment based on critical thinking, and those are the classes that I have gained the most from. The 21st century skill movement empowers more teachers to do just that, and with enough brainstorming and a little bit of creativity teachers can make room for that in schools.
References:
Sir Ken Robinson- Schools Kill Creativity
Banta, M. "The Value of Teaching 21st Century Skills" The Boston Globe. February 24, 2009
McLester, S. McIntire, T. "The Workforce Readiness Crisis" Technology & Learning
"The best learning happens "when students learn basic content and processes and at the same time they learn how to think and solve problems". (M.Banta, 2009). Going beyond core subject matter and integrating technology to help students develop crucial life skills are what supporters of 21st century skills are in favor of. However, it is easier said than done. Integrating most of or all of the skills that the 21 century skill movement dictates is nearly impossible for teachers because of the standards that educators need to meet under NCLB. However, the 21st century skills movement provides a great means for brainstorming lesson plans that promote deep learning. Sir Ken Robinson gives three points of intelligence, one being that intelligence is diverse. When teachers use different methods of teaching and different methods of assessments, more students will benefit in the long run.
Critics argue that 21st century skills aren't effective because there are certain constraints and simply that skill centered knowledge without the knowledge base will never work. I do agree that time constraint and having trouble assessing these skills are roadblocks to the 21st century movement, but there are ways to make room for this method of teaching in schools. One possible solution to the problem that there isn't enough time in the year to implement 21st century skills is to have teachers blend teaching content and the application of skills together. For example, teachers can have class time to teach certain skills, for example simple addition is math such as 4 plus 4. However, on assessments can be more problem based to promote critical thinking. For example, when assessing the knowledge of 4 plus 4, teachers can phrase the question in such a way: "If somebody has 4 apples and a friend brings over 4 more how many apples will the two friends use to make an apple pie".
Personally, I have learned the most skills taken with me into the workforce from being active in the music program for 10 years while in the school system. Supporters of the 21st century skills movement state that the experience that students have in the creative subjects such as art, music, and drama are "the most beneficial in the long run" (McLester S., McIntire T.). These subjects spark creativity in students, and also help them develop collaboration and problem solving skills that are necessary for life after school in the workforce. Due to lack of funding, time, and other various issues that school districts may face, these subjects get left behind. A question that ties into the 21st century skills trend is how can teachers incorporate these subjects into core subjects so that student learning gets optimized? I have had teachers throughout my education experience who have made that possible, therefore I am confident that future teachers can do that as well. The most memorable teachers I have had, are the ones who have fostered a classroom environment based on critical thinking, and those are the classes that I have gained the most from. The 21st century skill movement empowers more teachers to do just that, and with enough brainstorming and a little bit of creativity teachers can make room for that in schools.
References:
Sir Ken Robinson- Schools Kill Creativity
Banta, M. "The Value of Teaching 21st Century Skills" The Boston Globe. February 24, 2009
McLester, S. McIntire, T. "The Workforce Readiness Crisis" Technology & Learning
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Week 4: NJ Technology Standards
The NJ Technology Standards provide benchmarks for what skills students should be able to demonstrate at certain grade levels. Reflecting on the technology standard that dictates the outline for educational technology, I am going to discuss what 8th graders should be able to accomplish and provide certain learning activities in a math class that can help accomplish those goals.
The standard on educational technology provides six "sub-standards" that outline how students should use "digital tools" to research, evaluate, manage, and create information in order to solve problems and have the ability to communicate knowledge acquired by these means. Technology operations and concepts explains how to operate and use digital tools. By the end of eighth grade, students should be able to create documents on a word processor, create presentations on Microsoft Powerpoint, and create and calculate data and produce graphs on spreadsheets. A learning activity to demonstrate this ability could be spending class time in a computer lab creating graphs on spreadsheets. Students can learn how to switch from pie charts, to bar graphs, and to line graphs without creating a new table of data.
Under the standard for creativity and innovation, eight grade students should be able to publish information about a local or global issue on a collaborative web-based service. A great classroom activity is for the instructor to create a classroom blog and have students post graphs, charts, and videos from statistics that were created by various "classroom polls". For example, the instructor can poll the class on future jobs they might consider when they grow up, and create data based on that. Students will then be able to evaluate and organize that data, and post their findings on the blog. This will demonstrate their ability to upload information from spreadsheets and add links to the blog.
The communication and collaboration standard states that eight graders should be able to participate in a global online learning community to identify and understand global problems from a different perspective and work together to identify a potential solution. Hosting a school-wide or grade- wide model UN, would be a hands on way of reaching that goal. Based on the country given, a group of students can collaborate with students from that given country through blogs and wikis.
Digital citizenship is a very important standard, because it outlines appropriate online behavior, summarized the "fair use and Creative Commons guidelines", and explains how controversial information found online can be biased based on the author's views. Having a 10-15 minute mini lesson on these topics before the computer lab, is a good learning activity to accomplish this at an eighth grade level. Extra emphasis should be placed on how online bullying will not be tolerated and explain the consequences of such behavior.
Under the research and information literacy standard, eighth grade students should be able to gather and analyze data to produce a solution. A learning activity for this would be having students create two different line graphs on a spreadsheet to show results in findings on unemployment rates in the US from 1991-2001 and 2002-present. The students will place these two lines on the same graph, and then find the slope of each line to integrate the pre-algebra lesson on finding the slope of the line. Students then can come to a conclusion on unemployment rates and produce an educated hypothesis of where it might be ten years into the future.
The critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making standard states that eight grade students should have the ability to use an "electronic authoring tool" to work with students around the world to evaluate and summarize perspectives of other cultures about events. This can tie into the model UN learning activity I mentioned previously. To give students exposure to creating books and sites through an electronic authoring tool, a learning activity could be to have students research the history of a math topic, such as the Pythagorean theorem, and create an ebook on their findings. Two electronic authoring tools I briefly research were "iBook" and "Thinglink". Setting up a blog or wiki with another country that is doing the same project will allow for student collaboration.
Sources:
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards: Technology
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards
The standard on educational technology provides six "sub-standards" that outline how students should use "digital tools" to research, evaluate, manage, and create information in order to solve problems and have the ability to communicate knowledge acquired by these means. Technology operations and concepts explains how to operate and use digital tools. By the end of eighth grade, students should be able to create documents on a word processor, create presentations on Microsoft Powerpoint, and create and calculate data and produce graphs on spreadsheets. A learning activity to demonstrate this ability could be spending class time in a computer lab creating graphs on spreadsheets. Students can learn how to switch from pie charts, to bar graphs, and to line graphs without creating a new table of data.
Under the standard for creativity and innovation, eight grade students should be able to publish information about a local or global issue on a collaborative web-based service. A great classroom activity is for the instructor to create a classroom blog and have students post graphs, charts, and videos from statistics that were created by various "classroom polls". For example, the instructor can poll the class on future jobs they might consider when they grow up, and create data based on that. Students will then be able to evaluate and organize that data, and post their findings on the blog. This will demonstrate their ability to upload information from spreadsheets and add links to the blog.
The communication and collaboration standard states that eight graders should be able to participate in a global online learning community to identify and understand global problems from a different perspective and work together to identify a potential solution. Hosting a school-wide or grade- wide model UN, would be a hands on way of reaching that goal. Based on the country given, a group of students can collaborate with students from that given country through blogs and wikis.
Digital citizenship is a very important standard, because it outlines appropriate online behavior, summarized the "fair use and Creative Commons guidelines", and explains how controversial information found online can be biased based on the author's views. Having a 10-15 minute mini lesson on these topics before the computer lab, is a good learning activity to accomplish this at an eighth grade level. Extra emphasis should be placed on how online bullying will not be tolerated and explain the consequences of such behavior.
Under the research and information literacy standard, eighth grade students should be able to gather and analyze data to produce a solution. A learning activity for this would be having students create two different line graphs on a spreadsheet to show results in findings on unemployment rates in the US from 1991-2001 and 2002-present. The students will place these two lines on the same graph, and then find the slope of each line to integrate the pre-algebra lesson on finding the slope of the line. Students then can come to a conclusion on unemployment rates and produce an educated hypothesis of where it might be ten years into the future.
The critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making standard states that eight grade students should have the ability to use an "electronic authoring tool" to work with students around the world to evaluate and summarize perspectives of other cultures about events. This can tie into the model UN learning activity I mentioned previously. To give students exposure to creating books and sites through an electronic authoring tool, a learning activity could be to have students research the history of a math topic, such as the Pythagorean theorem, and create an ebook on their findings. Two electronic authoring tools I briefly research were "iBook" and "Thinglink". Setting up a blog or wiki with another country that is doing the same project will allow for student collaboration.
Sources:
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards: Technology
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards
Friday, September 21, 2012
Week 3: Teacher Webpages
When comparing Mr. Petosa's webpage from the Brielle school district to Ms. Hansen's, I noticed that both websites provide important information to students and parents, but Ms. Hansen takes hers above and beyond a typical teacher's site. There are no extra "bells and whistles" or unnecessary items to clutter up Ms. Hansen's page. She keeps it professional and uses the site as an extension of her classroom outside of the school. Comparing her two pages provided, I thought that the newer one was easier to navigate. Both provided a ton of important information, but the current one was more simple and better organized. The homepage was less cluttered and a "for parents" link was available on the side navigation bar, which the other site lacked. For purposes of this blog, I will be comparing Mr. Petosa's webpage from Brielle to Ms. Hansen's most current site.
I really liked how Ms. Hansen's contact information is the first item listed on the homepage, with a link to her email address. It makes contacting her very easy because it eliminates the process of searching and scrolling around for this information. Mr. Petosa has his contact information listed on the homepage, but the user will have to scroll down to the bottom to find it. A unique feature that Ms. Hansen uses is the color coordinated school calendar on the homepage. Using different colors, she lists the class schedule as well as Chinese holidays, which brings current events that are relevant to the information being taught into the classroom.
Both teachers have a parents link, but Ms. Hansen goes that extra step by giving the parents a brief background on what their children will be learning. A brief history of the Chinese language is given, as well as information on how to read and write it. The curricula by each grade level is also linked on the parent page so that parents are aware of what their children will be expected to learn by certain benchmark points. This facilitates parent involvement at home.
Not only does Ms. Hansen list assignments that are due, but she also adds study guides and links for additional online resources to help maximize student achievement on assessments. Also, there's a link to a Chinese dictionary and links for certain educational apps to download, which integrates cell phone and tablet usage with classroom activities. Other uniques features that caught my eye were the final exam countdown, a link to "engrade" so both the parents and students can access it, "how to study" tips, and online flash cards to aid with studying.
Both Ms. Hansen and Mr. Petosa's webpages provide useful information and tools to guide the learning process, but Ms. Hansen maximizes the technology that is available to help with her lessons. Her website is not just for contact and informational purposes, it's an easy to navigate, essential learning tool for both the students and the parents.
Below are links to the webpages that were compared:
Mr. Petosa
Ms. Hansen's current page
Ms. Hansen's previous class page
I really liked how Ms. Hansen's contact information is the first item listed on the homepage, with a link to her email address. It makes contacting her very easy because it eliminates the process of searching and scrolling around for this information. Mr. Petosa has his contact information listed on the homepage, but the user will have to scroll down to the bottom to find it. A unique feature that Ms. Hansen uses is the color coordinated school calendar on the homepage. Using different colors, she lists the class schedule as well as Chinese holidays, which brings current events that are relevant to the information being taught into the classroom.
Both teachers have a parents link, but Ms. Hansen goes that extra step by giving the parents a brief background on what their children will be learning. A brief history of the Chinese language is given, as well as information on how to read and write it. The curricula by each grade level is also linked on the parent page so that parents are aware of what their children will be expected to learn by certain benchmark points. This facilitates parent involvement at home.
Not only does Ms. Hansen list assignments that are due, but she also adds study guides and links for additional online resources to help maximize student achievement on assessments. Also, there's a link to a Chinese dictionary and links for certain educational apps to download, which integrates cell phone and tablet usage with classroom activities. Other uniques features that caught my eye were the final exam countdown, a link to "engrade" so both the parents and students can access it, "how to study" tips, and online flash cards to aid with studying.
Both Ms. Hansen and Mr. Petosa's webpages provide useful information and tools to guide the learning process, but Ms. Hansen maximizes the technology that is available to help with her lessons. Her website is not just for contact and informational purposes, it's an easy to navigate, essential learning tool for both the students and the parents.
Below are links to the webpages that were compared:
Mr. Petosa
Ms. Hansen's current page
Ms. Hansen's previous class page
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Weeks 2: Brielle Elementary School
Brielle Elementary School is a fantastic school website! The layout is easy to navigate and very organized, making the site very user and parent friendly. The homepage, top panel, and side panel are the three main components that make up this website. The homepage has a friendly vibe. The first thing that will most likely catch the parent's eye (or whoever is accessing the site) are the important upcoming dates. A scrolling school calendar is provided on the main screen, but a printable version is available under the parent's menu. The current time and weather is provided as well as a picture gallery of various student activities. That made the biggest impression on me because it gives whoever is accessing the site a sense of community within the school system and also gives the parents an opportunity to see what various activities their children partake in during the day.
The side panel is informational. Links for directions to the school and contact information are provided. There's also a link for the school lunch menu, which I actually wasn't expecting to see but thought it is a great addition to any school page. The extracurricular and sports pages are very informative to both the parents and the students. Each sport has it's own unique page, which gives information regarding tryouts, team statistics, and other various information that can help both the students and the parents get involved in some way. For the parents, there is a link provided for various parent associations they can join to become involved in the school community. The school's anti-bullying program is provided, which allows parents to see the schools stance on bullying and talk to their children to prevent or correct bullying. This school also has a store that sells school supplies and various school spirit clothing, which is also linked to the school's main page. A link to the town library is available, which is an excellent resource for students, parents, and faculty.
The top panel has drop down menus for parents and teachers. The parents tab provides parents with a good amount of resources that are necessary, including a yearly school supply list that students will need. The teachers' websites are organized by grade level or subject specialization. Simply click on the teacher's name and you will be directed to that teacher's websites. Most of the websites are themed and fun, gearing towards the appropriate age level that they teach. A syllabus and homework tab, which are both easy enough for parents and student to follow, are on the sites which encourages parents to be involved and stay informed in their children's academic journey. Some teachers provide the handouts the were given in class as a PDF so students still have an opportunity to complete the assignment if it got misplaced or they missed a day of class. Important links, including the "scholastic book club" page, online textbooks, and various educational games are also provided on these websites. The teachers websites are great because the parents can have access to any homework that is assigned and an assignment calendar for future due dates of projects. It's such an efficient way for everybody (the teachers, parents, and students) to remain on the same page throughout the year!
The overal feel of this website is that Brielle elementary school is a fun and comfortable atmosphere to learn and that the teachers and administrators are approachable. When browsing, this school district's website was the one that most caught my eye because it has any information a parent and a student would need to access and is very effective with communication.
The side panel is informational. Links for directions to the school and contact information are provided. There's also a link for the school lunch menu, which I actually wasn't expecting to see but thought it is a great addition to any school page. The extracurricular and sports pages are very informative to both the parents and the students. Each sport has it's own unique page, which gives information regarding tryouts, team statistics, and other various information that can help both the students and the parents get involved in some way. For the parents, there is a link provided for various parent associations they can join to become involved in the school community. The school's anti-bullying program is provided, which allows parents to see the schools stance on bullying and talk to their children to prevent or correct bullying. This school also has a store that sells school supplies and various school spirit clothing, which is also linked to the school's main page. A link to the town library is available, which is an excellent resource for students, parents, and faculty.
The top panel has drop down menus for parents and teachers. The parents tab provides parents with a good amount of resources that are necessary, including a yearly school supply list that students will need. The teachers' websites are organized by grade level or subject specialization. Simply click on the teacher's name and you will be directed to that teacher's websites. Most of the websites are themed and fun, gearing towards the appropriate age level that they teach. A syllabus and homework tab, which are both easy enough for parents and student to follow, are on the sites which encourages parents to be involved and stay informed in their children's academic journey. Some teachers provide the handouts the were given in class as a PDF so students still have an opportunity to complete the assignment if it got misplaced or they missed a day of class. Important links, including the "scholastic book club" page, online textbooks, and various educational games are also provided on these websites. The teachers websites are great because the parents can have access to any homework that is assigned and an assignment calendar for future due dates of projects. It's such an efficient way for everybody (the teachers, parents, and students) to remain on the same page throughout the year!
The overal feel of this website is that Brielle elementary school is a fun and comfortable atmosphere to learn and that the teachers and administrators are approachable. When browsing, this school district's website was the one that most caught my eye because it has any information a parent and a student would need to access and is very effective with communication.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Week 1: Technology Integration
Technology isn't just about the newest gadget or "App" that has been revealed, it has become a part of our everyday culture. Technology has been creating a new way of live, a new means to live. At first, I was very technologically resistant. Being somewhat stubborn, I wasn't committed to learning about how computers worked and would get frustrated when I tried. Why type a paper when I could easily handwrite it the way I was used to? That all changed when schools were requiring homework to be typed and my family bought our first computer back when I was in the fifth grade. It was a slow process adapting to the use of computers, but once I climbed over that learning hump, everything from there forward was nothing but obtaining the newest trend in technology. Looking over 15 years back, I would not believe that I would one day own a phone that does more than make phone calls, video chat instantly with friends and family overseas, complete tax returns as quickly as a half hour, and online bank wherever and whenever I wanted. Now, I could not even imagine a life without this luxury of growing technology. A professor from the video "Learning to Change- Changing to Learn" sums up my feeling on technology the best with this quote: "Much more learning is taking place outside the classroom. Information can now be retrieved on demand wherever, whenever". That is such a wonderful way to expand our knowledge and grow.
I grew up in the generation right before the technological boom of the internet. Today, generations are being born into this culture where iPods are the new boom boxes and iPads are the new books. Technology integration in the classroom is a must for successful learning to take place. But in order to the most effective, this integration must be the most up to date and follow the most recent trends. To define technology integration would be implementing the way that students use and interact with all aspects of technology into the lesson plan. Facebook is one example of the many resources that today's students use at least once a day, if not more. Setting up a classroom online network similar to how students use Facebook, by means of posts and allowing for comments, is an example of technology integration. Not to sound cliche, but the way that we are blogging in this class is a great example of that.
To quote the video "Learning to Change- Changing to Learn", the key to successful technology integration is to "turn the classroom system into a community system". Using Skype, GChat, and various email services are another way to implement technology into lessons. Without these various services, global connections that were made in the article "Friends and Flags: A Multicultural Learning Project" would not be possible. Not only are students today reading about various global topics, but they are able to connect to them and learn about them first hand. The article "Using Digitized Documents in the Classroom" explains how students can now access almost any piece of information that they desire and can customize it in a way that makes it the most comfortable for them to learn. Technology integration helps bring lessons to life and makes learning meaningful and, therefore, the most effective.
Technology is changing the way that we learn, and it's only getting better. Things that were at one time inaccessible are available, at most times, on demand. We as teachers or future teachers need to embrace this wave of new technology and implement it into everyday classroom activities. I'm going to end with a quote from the video "Learning to Change- Changing to Learn" that made the biggest impression on me. "It's the death of education and the dawn of learning". Traditional methods of teaching in the education system are being replaced by a new and most effective approach thanks to the ever changing technology.
Sources:
video: "Learning to Change-Changing to Learn"
"Using Digitized Documents in the Classroom"- Susan M. Allen and Karen M. Dutt-Doner
"Friends and Flags: A Multicultural Learning Project"- Karen Eini
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
About Me
Hi Everyone! :)
My name is Georgiana Lubrano and this is my second semester here at Montclair University as a grad student.
I'm an accountant by day at a private firm located in Bergen County, and pursuing a Master's of Teaching degree in math by night. I received a bachelor's degree in accounting from William Paterson University in 2010, but knew accounting wasn't for me my senior year. Now, I'm following my ultimate dream of becoming a math teacher, and so far it's been an extremely busy but very fun ride.
When I'm not crunching numbers, doing taxes, and working on school work, some of my favorite things to do include hanging out and exploring New York City, venturing to new restaurants, & going to concerts.
I look forward to working with everyone in this class and learning about different aspects of technology that will one day be useful to us down the road in our teaching careers!
Cheers!
-Georgiana
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