A Fond Farewell
So this is my final blog! Although I swear that I have posted previously but I then cannot account for many of the things I have thought to have done within the last week working on only minimum hours of sleep. Anyways, I cannot say that I am going to miss blogging at all. Mostly because I don’t enjoy writing and if I do have to write I like to feel inspired rather than required. Don’t get me wrong the task itself has merit and can serve as a good tool in the classroom but I would have preferred more structured writing prompts because there were many times when I was at a lost as to what to write about. I have included a picture of a flower as a reminder that warmer weather is coming although not soon enough. This picture is from the flickr storm website, which I have made great use of trying to create my webpage for class. Now that will be a site to see!
The Digital Divide….Do I really need permission if it is online?
There is a little bit of just about everything available online but can you use it in the classroom? The area of copyrights still baffles my mind, the amount of restrictions regarding the use of media available via the internet confuses me, my first reaction is to say if you did not want others to use it, why publish online? Although I know the threat of the copyright “police” is real, it is hard to imagine someone tracking the amount of times something is photocopied, listened to, or viewed. As educators making sure we have the correct clearance to use media is important, especially as we integrate more technology in classroom instruction and students are using the internet to publish projects.
Making Powerpoint Interactive
Powerpoint is complicated. The Powerpoint assignment took me much longer than I thought it would, but in the process I learned some valuable things about the ins and outs of computers. (1) Zamzar is a lifesaver, it allowed me to convert video to audio, which was helpful since some of the clips I had were visually distracting but had good audio. (2) Try and try again Macs and PCs are very different and you have to make sure you create something both computers “like” and (3) colors that work well on the computer monitor might not transfer so well to the projected image for a class presentation.
I enjoyed learning using an interactive PowerPoint activity and could see something like this easily incorporated in the classroom lesson as a self-guided review activity for students to check for understanding. It would be nice to also host the activity on the class website for continued use outside of the classroom if students had the available resources.
Research Paper Reflections
I researched the topic of Student Dropout and the Use of Technology in the secondary level classroom. Finding the relevance between academics and the real world is one of the primary things many dropouts thought was missing in their academic program. Technology is a great tool to help connect students to the real world and prepare them for the job market. It is also a very useful instructional tool at any grade level, however, there is a huge divide among teachers who are proficient enough with computers and advanced technology to effectively use in class or who understand how vital it can be in order to engage students.
Today’s generation of students do not value education the same as students 10, 20 years before them had, students feel as if it is something owed to them. It was surprising for me to find out that about 70% students who drop out of high school have grades high enough for them to graduate. This sense of complacent is not something that can be simply replaced by a teacher, but through the cooperation of all community members.
More studies are being done on the effectiveness of technology in the classroom but I think overall, findings will show a positive correlation between increased technology use and student achievement. Still, before technology can be truly effective teacher proficiency has to be improved and supported by schools and, families, schools, and individuals have to address student apathy concerning education.
High school dropout is a huge problem in America, especially in New York State. I have included a link to a Time Magazine article about the silent epidemic of our failing students.
A Garage Band with Studio Sound
We almost did not get a break during class tonight (thanks Jenna) because we got carried away tinkering with the program Garage Band. Garage Band is software used to create personalized musical tracks or podcasts. The range of sounds, beats, and animations available to enhance the podcast were impressive, especially considering the program comes standard with every Mac. Garage Band was very user friendly and could easily be taught to children. The ease of editing made it quick a simple process for teachers to use and students to make mistakes and revisions. I would like to use this program with my students just so I could “play”! When working with students it would be important to establish clear classroom management rules to accomplish task. Creating a podcast would definitely be a rewarding task for both teacher and student.
Podcast Possibilities
Examples in the readings outlined the benefits of Ipods especially students needing additional support by allowing them to go at their own pace, providing audio and visual clues. Often teachers see these gadgets as distractions that entertain, now if only we could find a purposeful use for cell phones in the classroom !
While researching for my paper I ran across the article, A (Pod)cast of Thousands, written by technology specialist Ann Marie Dlott. It has an inspiring story of a student who was able to demonstrate her accomplishments when she created her very own podcast. Her parents were overjoyed because they were able to experience first-hand the improvement their daughter made in her speech. The author explains many other successful projects done using podcasts.
I am looking forward to tinkering with the Garage Band program, for recording voice for use in a podcast.
More on Powerpoint etc…
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Our professor provided us with great resources to enhance our PowerPoint presentations. Most impressive: adding voice to written text via a webpage hosted by AT& T. A close second was converting online video into an embedded movie clip (without relying on the aid of the internet) when presenting. I was impressed with the level of detail and skill other students incorporated into their PowerPoint presentations. I feel like Power point has been reinvented for me, long gone are the boring linear slide show and hello to interactive, meaning, activities for the kids. I am looking forward to creating something useful for the classroom.
Still not really feeling the whole website thing….maybe because the instructional part of class is sooooooo slow and drawn out. I would have preferred an instructional packet with the basics (making a table, adding graphics etc) and we go at our pace rather than as a class. So the only thing I have changed within an hour and a half period is add hyperlinks and change the background color (by the way gray is pretty soothing on the eyes) I wonder if there is information regarding the background colors and combinations for fonts and ease of readability for the different ages groups (children, adults, and seniors) I will have to investigate.
Oh the Places PowerPoint will take you…..
Endless possibilities with PowerPoint. I actually credited myself with knowing a considerable amount about PowerPoint until today…. Some of the creative uses in the classroom were entertaining and seemed very easy to incorporate. I mean who thought of using the program as a timer, complete with visuals and audio or creating your own versions of audio books with video and cues for students. This offers great opportunities when making adaptations for students and helps teachers easily input technology in the classroom. However, teachers need to be careful that they are creating and using PowerPoint to make meaningful activities not just to produce a “wow” reaction.
I hope I have a classroom with up to date technology advanced enough to include PowerPoint with instruction.:)
P.S. (To anyone who just might happen to read this blog and have already viewed it in class).
Check out this comic’s routine about common blunders of PowerPoint presentations, it is hilarious!
2.0 Web
Welcome to the world of Web 2.0. Did you know the web development and progressed to a new stage? Neither did I. I just finished listening to class lecture about the new Web 2.0 and was still unsure of how to put in my own words. So how different is this from Web 1.0?! I did some searching to see what I could dig up about the new term. Participants at the O’Reilly Media Live International Conference sometime in 1995 defined it generally as “the use the web as a platform”. Basically the user becomes the authors of the web and it is not dictated by a website designed by someone else. Or another way to view it as using the web to create a community of users connected through shared information.
As an educator the new Web 2.0 sounds great, hopefully it can create endless possibilities for learners to experience different things without leaving the classroom. But we have to proceed with caution and to learn to navigate through reputable sites that offer legitimate information not just people random thoughts.
Speaking of random thoughts does this the web as a platform make more us more dependent on the computer and web for everything? What if our computer breaks, or the connection to the internet is lost, do we equip our students with enough resources to cope without the internet?
