Week 12, exit slip. What I learned in class today...

Today's group discussed chapter 18 which outlined ways in which the learning should change in order to facilitate technology into the current educational system. In groups we talked about topics from the chapter such as accreditation, epistemic frames, topics that teachers usually have trouble teaching, commercial video games, course management systems, and technology as an equalizer.

Accreditation has a lot of pros such as individualized learning but a draw back may be that students could lack motivation to choose what career and learning paths they want to take. Epistemic frames are beneficial because they are game-based and focus on particular learning interests, but may not encompass all fields of interest. Commercial video games could be effective since they are fun and interactive, but they could be too time consuming and controversial in terms of content for the classroom. Course management systems, such as E-Learning, are helpful organizational tools for teachers and students (and even parents). It is a time-saving and convenient methods, but it is possible for teachers to overly depend on this system instead of personal interactions. Using technology as an equalizer in the classroom can bridge the gap between low SES students and more advantaged students. It is important that all students are provided with equal access to all technologies for this to be beneficial.

We discussed other ways for technology to be integrated into the classroom such as various modes of media (videos, internet access, word processors, video games, blogging, etc). These are simple ways that teachers can incorporate technology while maintaining a balanced classroom. These technologies can be used to meet the curriculum needs and standards in a meaningful and functional way. The concepts and strategies that were discussed in the chapter are more clear to me now that they have been presented in an organized manner.

We talked about more contemporary issues in technology. Lorin presented the issue of using calculators and how that effects student learning. This is controversial because some believe that the concepts should be learned first, then calculators should be used as a tool to supplement and reinforce. I think these are good tools to use for reinforcement and motivation. Young kids would be excited to use these tools, but as kids get older they may abuse these tools (especially more high-tech calculators). Like in most situations, there should be a balance between using this tool and using your brain! Caley talked about the ipad which is a new computer tool being released April 3rd. It seems like a bigger version of Apple's iphone and is a touch screen computer with internet access. I really like this computer and am interested in buying one. I think this could be really useful for early childhood students, especially those with special needs and sensory issues. Liz brought up the issues of social networking and how this can effect a professional's career. This is an interesting topic since facebook is popular among many professional individuals and can be used as a personal and a professional networking tool. I disagree with states forbidding teachers from using social networking tools, but I do think that professionals must be aware that their actions WILL be judged on these sites by parents and other professionals. Finally, Whitney talked about using technology to enhance literacy instruction. This involves using multimedia to create and publish. I like this tool because it allows students to compose and publish their works even if they struggle with writing.

More cool technology tools were presented to the class. Angela showed us poll everywhere which was new to me. Its a polling website where you can create a poll to ask a question for any type of project or activity. This can be used as a way for students to respond to a question during a presentation or to provide input on a topic. I like how the audience can respond to polls via text message or online. Kim presented kadoo.com which is a file sharing website (photos, videos, documents, etc.) and its usually used for uploading photos for friends/family to see. It seems useful but reminds me of other tools like this like flickr, shutterfly, photobucket, etc. Courtney's cool tool was woome.com which she informed us is actually a dating site...not quite relevant to this course. Hopefully Courtney will have some luck on this site ;) Finally, Emilie showed us ooVoo.com which is a communication tool. You can write messages, watch live and recorded videos, etc. I like this site because it reminds me of skype, aim chat, and other communication tools that I already use. It allows you to have more than one person on a video chat (unlike skype) which could be helpful for conferences or group chats.