Reflections on Literacy & Technology

Bittersweet Ending

2009-05-06T11:01:00.005-04:00

Class has ended two days ago and I have mixed emotions. I am glad I finally have some time off from school since I took three grad. classes this past semester. However, I looked forward to this class every week, because I couldn't wait to see what I'd learn next! This class took me by surprise because I did not realize how much I would like it.

I never heard of Web 2.0 and this class has introduced me to everything I need to know about Web 2.0 and how to cater to the digital natives I will soon teach. I can't wait to get into a classroom to start teaching and incorporating these new tools I've learned to love!

I have nothing but great things to say about this class. Yes, it is a lot of work but totally worth it in the end. I would like to thank all my classmates and Dr. Smirnova for a wonderful semester and I wish everyone the best of luck on their future endeavors!

It's been too long!

2009-04-27T21:41:00.003-04:00

It has been way too long since I posted a new entry! I have been so busy with our ICP assignment! Since I presented my project tonight (wheeew) I can start blogging again! I thought my presentation went fairly well. I do wish I had more time because Digital Storytelling is such a wonderful and extensive topic to talk about. I hope everyone was able to have a better understanding of the role digital storytelling has in developing 21st century skills.

Tonight we had our first set of presenters and I think everyone did a fantastic job! I learned so much information I did not know. For example, Steve enlightened me on all the different uses a digital whiteboard (SmartBoards) can be used for. Heather did a fantastic job illustrating how different type of microblogging tools can be used in the classroom. I cannot wait to try to incorporate some sort of microblogging into my classroom. I'm am definitely looking forward to next week's presenters!

Do you know your United States Capitals?

2009-04-13T20:02:00.005-04:00

I created the online quiz, "United States Capitals", using the MyStudiyo.com website. I thought this website was more visually appealing than proprof.com so I decided I was use it to make my quiz. I created an account which took all of 20 seconds- loved it! There were many templates to choose from and I chose one that was more universal. What I really enjoyed about MyStudiyo.com is having the ability to add a movie or picture to the quiz. For example, I have a picture of the United States for the title of my quiz. Then after each United State capital question, I inserted that states' flag. For example, I have the New York Flag for the question that asks,"what is the capital of New York?"

I am glad I created this quiz and was able to learn about this website. When I become I teacher, I will certainly use this website in my teachings.

Here's my United States Capital Quiz. See if you know some of your United States Capitals :)

Engrade.com, fabulous tool for all teachers willing to embrace technology

2009-04-10T13:59:00.005-04:00

Engrade.com Evaluation

On a scale from 1(worst) - 10 (best), I give Engrade.com an 8.5. No matter what content area a teacher specializes in, Engrade.com can assist educators with their gradekeeping, attendance, announcing upcoming events, and allowing teacher-student messaging. Any teacher will find it time consuming to use their gradeslider to find what the grade would be for a student who scored 17 points out of a possible 40 on a Math test. Then the teacher must take that grade and input it in her/his gradebook. At the end of the quarter, the teacher must add up all the Math grades and come up with an average. For one student, this may take a total of five minutes, possibly. Now multiple that by 150 students! A teacher may spend up to 12.5 hours computing a classes' quarter grade. That is insane! It's no wonder why some teachers are burnt-out by their second year of teaching. With Engrade.com, cut the 12.5 hours down to one possible hour, max! I believe Engrade.com is a wonderful software program teachers can utilize which will ultimately save them precious teaching time and sleep!

Engrade.com is an user-friendly software. You do not have to be extremely fluent with technology in order to understand how to use it. It is really quite simple. I find the physical layout of the program welcoming and non-intimidating as well. I believe teachers who are hesitant at first to utilize this program in their teaching will definitely consider using it due to its welcoming appearance.

The features it has to offer can be helpful for teachers who are willing to utilize them. I believe giving students and parent’s online access to grades, assignment scores, attendance, upcoming events, and teacher-student messaging is a wonderful perk of this program. The teacher must set the student up with a "unique secret access number" which will permit the student to enter the website. This will allow students to see what assignments they may be missing without asking the teacher numerous times. Also, this will allow students who are absent to see what they've missed. Parents can benefit from this program by monitoring what their child should be doing as well as feeling as if the parent knows what is going on in their child's classroom.

The actual gradebook section of this program is an excellent tool. I honestly cannot believe how simple it is to set up a class and how fast it is to input grades. I briefly inputted grades into a program called GradeKeeper and this program is so much easier to navigate through than Gradekeeper. For example, in Engrade.com, you can tab down to the next student. Gradekeeper does not allow you to do that, you have to hit the down arrow which I find inconvenient.

Here are some of the features I enjoy using and believe are extremely helpful for educators who use Engrade.com:

Ability for students to have access to their grades
Ability for parents to monitor their child's' progress in school
Teachers being able to send out messages
Calendar feature which will allow teachers to post assignments and news/notes
Weighted percentages in the gradebook. This allows teachers not to have to constantly look at the grade-slider
The EC, extra credit, and drop the lowest grade feature
Printing options: gradebook, student reports, missing work reports*
*Missing work reports is probably my favorite feature on here because it does not require the teacher to physically look through the gradebook and write down all the assignments that are missing for each student. With just a click of a button, the teacher has the printable report in her hand!
It's FREE!

The only potential problem I can see with Engrade.com is that like any other website, it can possibly stop working at anytime. Whether the website is temporary down or if a teachers' internet is not functioning, this may cause a problem. I also feel that if someone really wanted to hack into the system, they probably could. Therefore, I would question the security of this program. I am not a teacher yet, so I do not know what aspects I would change regarding this program. I'm sure if I was more familiar with another program like Gradekeeper, I could compare the two and be able to discuss the similarities and differences between them.

The overall grade I would give Engrade.com is an 8.5 for its user-friendly and welcoming appearance. I would consider using it when I begin teaching if my district does not have a program already set in place. I believe it is a great program teachers can utilize in their career. Of course there will be teachers who will not use the program because they are comfortable with their pencil and paper gradebook method. However, these teachers are losing precious teaching time and sleep! Hopefully, these teachers will come out of their comfort zone and try this program, or one like it! It can only benefit them in the long run.

Assessing is Key

2009-04-04T14:37:00.010-04:00

Assessment is an integral part in education. It MUST be done and done correctly in order for teaching to be effective. Formative assessment can be seem as being more important than summative assessment. I did not realize this until I read one of the articles that drew my attention to do. I do know now I should focus a bit more on formative assessment rather than summative assessment.

The idea of an electronic portfolio is interesting. "An electronic portfolio provides an environment where students can: collect their work in a digital archive; select specific pieces of work (hyperlink to artifacts) to highlight specific achievements; reflect on the learning demonstrated in the portfolio, in either text or multimedia form; set goals for future learning (or direction) to improve; and celebrate achievement through sharing this work with an audience, whether real or virtual. When used in formative, classroom-based assessment, teachers (and peers) can review the portfolio document, and provide formative feedback to students on where they could improve."

At times when I create a lesson plan, I get the formative, summative and diagnostic assessment mixed up. I found the information on the A Conceptual Framework for Classroom Assessment website extremely helpful. Here is what really helped me dicpher between the three:
Diagnostic Assessment – Pre-Assessment (Finding Out). The teacher uses different tools to find out the prior knowledge of the students on the concept, which is connected with the upcoming theme or topic: KWL charts, brainstorming, graphing, inventories, checklists, observation, self-evaluation, questioning, etc. can be very helpful for this. Formative vs. Summative Assessments. The idea of providing feedback that helps people improve is often called formative assessment (e.g., see Stiggins, etc. NEA series). This is different from diagnostic or summative assessment, which usually occurs in the form of tests that attempt to "summarize" what has been learned in the end of the lesson or Unit instruction.

Photstory vs. VoiceThread

2009-04-04T14:37:00.009-04:00

And the winner is..... PHOTOSTORY!

I enjoyed creating my digital story using Microsoft's Photostory 3.0. I found this program very user-friendly. Navigating through the program was simplistic whereas, I found Voicethread more challenging to navigate through. The only positive thing I can say about Voicethread was that the sound quality is much better than Photostory. Both of these videos can be used as an ice-breaker activity/welcoming assignment for a second grade class.

Here is my video using Voicethread

Here is my digital story using Photostory 3.0.

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Storytelling-the digitial way

2009-03-25T14:07:00.003-04:00

I never been introduced to digital storytelling until now. What a fantastic concept! There were so many website Dr. S. supplied the class with on all aspects of digitial storytelling. One website that stood out to be above all the rest was Tips for digital story telling,
here is a section I took out that I thought will be extremely helpful while creating my visual effects when I start to create my digital story:

Transitions between images help tell the story. Students need to know what different transitions imply. I use a punctuation metaphor to teach transitions. A "cut", or no transition, is like a comma or no punctuation mark, and serves to quickly move between two closely related ideas. A "dissolve" resembles a period, and suggests a change to a related idea. A "fade" is like a new paragraph and suggests a change of topics or passage of time. A particularly effective technique is the use of a black screen for several seconds: with or without sound. Beyond these, most transitions are superfluous and distracting and should be discouraged.
Pans and zooms can add movement to static images, focus the audience, or give a sense of place for an object. In most cases, slow movement is best so as not to distract the audience.
Text as art can be an effective method for focusing the audience on a particular line, by using actual text on the screen. Select lines that are particularly important and use a plain font. Text can be used in lieu of narration or in addition. Printed words can also be used to emphasize song lyrics.

I still have not decided what my digital story will be about. It has to be something we would use in our classroom,however, I am not a teacher yet so I don't really know what I could focus on. I downloaded PhotoStory3 so I will be using that to create my story. Stay tuned to see what my digital story will be about.....

Puzzling Week

2009-03-20T12:03:00.006-04:00

I found this week's assignment enjoyable. Creating the crossword puzzle in excel was a bit challenging, however, the end product came out perfectly! The directions outlining how to create the crossword puzzle in excel was easy to follow. I had no trouble with them(and believe me, I do have trouble with following long directions at times). I did my crossword puzzle on the topic of nutrition and this concept in usually taught in fourth grade. Here is a snapshot of it, let me know what you think...

Also, I did another crossword puzzle utilizing a website, DiscoveryEducation.com. This website is associated with the cable channel, the Discovery Channel. This web 2.0 tool was so easy to use. On a scale from one to ten, 10 being difficult and one being super easy. I give it a one!! It was very user friendly! All the user has to do is input the word and the clue into a box and it is all set! I will make sure to bookmark this page in my Diigo! If I were to pick which program that I would use again to create a crossword puzzle, I would have to decide what I would use it for first. For example, If I wanted to create one with graphics, for students most likely in the younger grades, I would use excel. However, If I did not care about graphics and I did not have a lot of time to create one, Discovery Education would be the best bet!

Here is a snapshot of my crossword utilizing the web 2.0 program-discovery education!

Mind Map- Mind Meister

2009-03-04T21:17:00.002-05:00

For the HA2 assignment, I chose Midmeister to create a mind graph all about me. I looked at all three of the web 2.0 mind mapping tools Mrs. S, recommended to use. I did not like Mind42 because I felt like I could not be creative with it. I thought Gliffy looked too "corporate" and it did not appeal to me. It took me a while to get the hang of how Mind Meister works. For one, I was not used to having webs instead of boxes to indicated different topics. After creating the mind map, I have mix feelings about it. I like the webs but if someone we create a large one without using the "notes" function, it may be too busy and too much text for someone. However, I feel if the mind map is done correctly, utilizing the notes and other capabilities it has to offer(hyperlinks, attaching documents, images, etc.) it will be visually appealing. Do you think mine is visually appealing?!

Webquest

2009-03-01T22:16:00.008-05:00

This past week my group, Technologists, started the Constructivism Webquest assignment. I did not have any prior knowledge to this topic so I when I read about it, I found myself very interested. I am a believer in constructivism to an extent. I think if students can relate any new concept their prior knowledge, they will have a much better understanding of the topic. The Technologisits have created the powerpoint and during our next session, we will create a mind-map outlining the strengths and weaknesses of Constructivism.

I came across a new web 2.0 productivity tool that I am sure I will use in the future, SlideRocket. While browsing through the list of web 2.0 productivity tools(Slideshare, 280Slides, SlideBoom, Authorpoint Lite, AuthorStream Lite) Mrs. S. posted, I found SlideRocket more visually appealing, right away. The large graphics and bold colors captured my attention instantly. I felt like my HP computer morphed into a Mac. for a split second. As I viewed the Demo I noticed that this program incorporates the Microsoft Powerpoint program as well as Mac's Keynote program. Like some of the other productivity tools, SlideRocket allows users to publish their presentations so others can view and use them. Everything can be tagged, searched, or and sorted for easy access. I really like how users have the cability to give the slides effects like a reflection or a 3D rotation. Lastly, having the ability to publish the powerpoint on this site and being able to present a powerpoint while people view it remotely is wonderful. It's great not only in the education field for in the business fields as well. A businessman can conduct a presentation to a potential client in Japan from the United States. Again, this is just my opinion but I do favor SlideRocket more than any other program.

Mind Mapping is not Mind Boggling

2009-02-27T20:51:00.003-05:00

Here is my mind mapping assignment that focuses all about me! I downloaded the free 30 day trial of Inspiration for this project. I have not used Inspiration before but I have used Kidspiration. I am a huge fan of Kidspiration so I figured I'd enjoy Inspiration as well. I was not disappointed with this program. It is very user-friendly and it offers a lot of features. I think I may have gone a bit over-board with it because my map is a bit on the large side. However, I feel that it is very informative! One feature in Inspiration that I believe can be very resourceful for students is having the ability to convert the map to an outline. I believe this can assist students when they start to create an outline for a project.

Out with the Old, In with the New

2009-02-24T19:24:00.004-05:00

Web 1.0 is a thing of the past! Who wants to be in a classroom where it is strictly teacher-based instruction and rarely allows collaboration with others? Not me and I would certainly hope not you! Educators today need to be able to effectively deliver material to their net gen. students. Teachers who are utilizing methods and tools of Web 1.0 will not deliver the best education to their students which leaves them with a negative experience.

The characteristics of a Web 1.0 classroom are: teacher centered instruction, not being able to work with groups, using only one media to relay a concept, a non stimulating environment, passive learning, and factual knowledge based. None of these characteristics seem to engage students. The only one I feel may be appropriate at times is the teacher centered instruction for certain content areas such as math. I believe math and any other topics that require more of a direct instruction approach can be teacher centered, however, the classroom environment still needs to be stimulating.

A web 2.0 classroom will be stimulating for students. The students will be taught with more than one means of media to relay a concept and student center learning is encouraged. Working collaboratively with others and learning through experimenting and inquiry based learning are present in a web 2.0 classroom. I prefer a web 2.0 classroom over a web 1.0 classroom because I learn through experimenting and enjoy collaborating with others. Some of the tools utilized in an Web 2.0 classroom are blogs, wiki's, podcasts, internet, email and more. In a blog posted earlier, I described my Web 1.0 high school experiences to the Web 2.0 college experience.

The only issue I forsee with Web 2.0 is the implementation of it with teachers who are not willing to utilize the tools or methods of Web 2.0. There are educators who have been teaching for 20+ years who are not willing to modify their instruction. Whether these teachers realize it or not, they are seriously hindering their students learning. Either one of two things need to happen so the education of these students are not seriously hurt. These teachers must be trained how to effectively teach using Web 2.0 methods and tools or these teachers must find a new profession. Honestly, the net gen will not benefit one bit from a teacher who teachers via Web 1.0.

Website Evaluation Assignment=A+

2009-02-22T13:09:00.002-05:00

I found the website evaluation assignment to be very resourceful. I believe it was resourceful because it will help me evaluate the types of websites I visit by taking into consideration the minor details I’ve taken for granted. The “minor details” I am referring to can be seen in the article by Kathleen Schrock, ABC’s of Website Evaluation. For instance, I did not consider a website’s efficiency as well as if it’s handicapped accessible. Schrock’s article as well as Cornell University’s article, “Five Criteria for Evaluating web pages” also provided great suggestions for evaluating websites. By reading these articles, this will allow me to make sure my future students will have the best websites available to them for assignments.

Through this website evaluation assignment, I discovered the three websites I chose: Scholastic, White House 101, and Reading is Fundamental are fairly decent websites. None of these sites seemed biased and they all had one goal; educating students, teachers, administrators and parents. I will put these website on my website under resourceful website as well as posting them in my blog. I cannot wait until I am able to share these websites with my future students.

An emotional week four!

2009-02-15T21:06:00.005-05:00

During week 4, my group meet twice, Feb. 11 and 15(to make up a Monday class) for a significate amount of time. We worked together on two assignments, our group letterpop " 21 Century Skills Teacher Resource ToolKit" and our wiki. Our group member Lisa volunteered to create the letterpop while we gave her information to put on it. I felt like this was not the best way to create this assignment because it did not allow other group members to insert their own information. We had to feed them to Lisa. I would not suggest to use this web 2.0 tool for another collaborative project.

Our second collaborative project was to create a group page on our class wiki as well our own personal page. Here is where I struggled the most so far in this course. I had a hard time trying to create my page. It seemed like whatever I did, I could not save my information. I found this process tedious. After several attempts, I was able to successfully create my wiki page, check out my accomplishement!

I found the Recommended Search Engine Website and the Best Search Engine website to be extremely helpful. I was not aware of the search engine, Exalead, and I enjoyed how noodletools gave me an indepth description of each search engine. The article regarding the Q&As on copyright was resourceful as well as the copyright chart, because it I now know what I can and cannot "legally" show my students in my classroom.

Lastly, the APA & Plagaiarism podcast was extremely beneficial! I believe citing in the APA format can be difficult at times, especially when you're citing from an online article. Thanks to this podcast, I am confident my lesson plans along with any papers that require the APA format will be done correct! Woohooo!!! :)

When this week started, I became frusturated with the Wiki assignment. Then when I came across the APA podcast, my frusturations went away and I became relieved and sort of excited!! Like I said earlier, I now know how to correctly cite my resources thanks to the podcast!! What an emotional week this was! Let's see what I'll be in for with week 5!

Bookmarking, Del.icio.us, Diigo, and Slideshare, Oh My!

2009-02-14T11:05:00.007-05:00

Bookmarking, Del.icio.us, Diigo, and Slideshare, OH MY!!! All of these are useful tools that will be utilized throughout my teaching career, whether I use them for myself or with my students. All of these can be used to organize and implement wonderful lessons which our net gen students will enjoy.

Bookmarking has become such a useful tool. Again, there are so many differences between how bookmarking was done in Web 1.0 compared to the new bookmarking in Web 2.0. Web 2.0 allows people to do much more than save a website in their tool bar only one one computer like Web 1.0. Now, people can download free bookmarking services like del.ic.ious and DIIGO, which allows users to store their bookmarks, categorize them, highlight important passages, attached notes to pages, tag them, and even share them with friends. But most of all, Web 2.0 bookmarking tools allows users to access their bookmarks from any computer.

I had nothing but positive experiences with del.icio.us, diigo and slideshare. I loved the fact that del.icio.us created a toolbar on my menu which allowed me to have shortcuts to my blog, website, and MSMC's online class page. I can use this in my teaching career when teaching a lesson on flowers. My students can then access what bookmarks I have saved for this lesson on flowers because del.icio.us is a social, networking bookmarking site.

Diigo allows people to highlight passages, add comments, and bookmark pages along with tagging. You can also views these in a slideshow of your pages. I personally believe DIIGO offers more than del.icio.us. I would use this service rather than del.icio.us because I can add comments and highlight information. I can also create a DIIGO group which allow my students and I to collaborate and share information regarding a lesson I may be teaching.

Slideshare is one of my favorite new tools I have come across. With slideshare, I can archive my powerpoint presentations, PDF and Word Files and create picture montages which are all shown as a sort of movie, like youtube. I even have access to thousands of other presentations because this is a social tool. This is extremely beneficial to all teachers because they do not have to worry about where they stored their latest powerpoint lesson. I have not had the opportunity to use this but I am extremeley excited and eager to do so!

I was victim of Web 1.0!!!!

2009-02-14T10:32:00.006-05:00

When I was in High School, I was victim of the Web 1.0! I thought this was boring and non-effective. Maybe that is why I did not do as good in high school compared to college. In college(MSMC), I had professors who incorporated technology into their teachings which kept me engaged and steered away from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.

I do honestly believe that because of my high school who was stuck in the traditional teaching methods, Web 1.0, is why I did not do well as compared to College where new educational strategies, Web 2.0 were utilized. My high school educational experiences consisted of, teacher centered instruction, not being able to work with groups, using only one media to relay a concept, and a non stimulating environment. These are only a few characteristics of Web 1.0 that I personally experienced in High School. Now, once I got to college I was able to experience the fabulous Web 2.0! In college, concepts were introduced with more than one means of media, there was student center learning, I worked collaboratively with others, class was multi-sensory stimulating and learned through experimenting and inquiry based learning.

I am forever grateful that Mount Saint Mary College was able to save me from the out-dated and non-effective Web 1.0.

I am a PROUD Digital Native/Net Gen!

2009-02-11T19:48:00.006-05:00

I have to admit that I am learning so much than I expected! During these past few weeks, an abundance of information was presented to me and I honestly cannot believe how much I did not know. I was introduced to the 2007 National Educational Technology Standards as well as to the terms Digital immigrants and Digital Natives. I am proud to say, I am a digital native!

What are the six 2007 National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) and which of the standards you think are well implemented? How do you feel about your readiness to meet those standards?

1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.

2. Communication and Collaboration Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Students: a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.

3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.

4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students:
a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation.
b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project.
c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology.
b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.
c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning.
d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students:
a. understand and use technology systems.
b. select and use applications effectively and productively.
c. troubleshoot systems and applications.
d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.

Out of these six standards, I believe Standard six- Technology Operations and Concepts, Standard two- Communication & Collaboration, and Standard three- Research and Information Fluency are implemented fairly well in the elementary grade levels. I say this because the "net gen," like myself, has grown up with technology and the majority of them know how to search the web via Google & Yahoo(standard six & three) and use instant messaging devices(standard two). These standards may frighten baby boomers and maybe generation x people. However, I have an advantage. I was born with the net generation- I'm a part of the generation who was able to experience, Web 1.0 and the shift to Web 2.0. Even though these standards may be demanding, I feel I will not have too much trouble having my students meet those standards.

· Discuss the Net generation. Why are the digital students different from the previous generations of students? What are the implications for teachers?

The net Generation is the future of America! This generation was born with technology already put in place; they do not know life without it. The students in the NG were introduced to technology at a young age. According to the article, Is It Age or IT: First Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation, " by Diana Oblinger and James Oblinger, Children age six or younger spend an average of two hours each day using screen media (TV, videos, computers, video games), which nearly equals the amount of time they spend playing outside (1:58 hours versus 2:01 hours). Both significantly exceed the amount of reading time (39 minutes). Half of the children in this age group have used a computer; among 4-to-6-year-olds, 27 percent spend over an hour a day (1:04) at the keyboard. "It's not just teenagers who are wired up and tuned in, it's babies in diapers as well." While earlier generations were introduced to information through print, this generation takes a digital path."

Net Geners are goal oriented, enjoy working in teams and like to learn by experimenting/doing. They are very social beings. They are not afraid to pour out their emotions on their blog or myspace page. They do not like boring lectures- there needs to be interaction. As being a net gen myself, I prefer to learn by interacting with others and experimenting. I feel by experimenting and actually using the specific skill that is being taugh, is the only way for someome to learn how to do it. Student teaching is a good example of this. It is not until a student teacher enters the classroom is when he/she is going to really learn how to operate a classroom and implement lessons. We can have all the schooling needed to prepare us for teaching, however, student teaching is where we learn the most.

Net Gen students like to receive information almost immediately because of the technologies they are accustom to. For example, if a net gen had the option of calling or looking through the newspaper for movie listings or the opportunity to go the internet to do so. This person would choose the internet. He/she can go onto yahoo.com or fandago.com to get movie listings and times for theathers 5-10 miles away from where they live in just one click of a button! It takes only seconds to search and is more convientent for them. THis is what the net generation is different than any other generation. They have the world at their fingertips with just a click of a mouse. To them, this is such an easy process. To babyboombers and possible Generation X'ers, they may beg to differ. Babyboombers and Gen. X'ers otherwise known as "Digitial immigrants"are most likely to use the internet as a second place of reference, not first.

The implications teachers have are because most likely, these teachers are "digital immigrants" and it is hard to get them out of their old ways of teaching. They are used to their lecturing and when the net gen's do not understand the material,they automatically assume their students "can't learn." Meanwhile, it is them who cannot teach in a way they learn best! The article, Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants by Marc Prensky states that "if Digital Immigrant educators really want to reach Digital Natives – i.e. all their students – they will have to change." This change he is referring to involves a new methodology of teaching, learn to communicate in the language and style of their students.

I wanted to end this blog with this graphic which I think pretty much sums up what society needs to be prepared for:

LoTi MUST start with Administrators

2009-02-06T13:48:00.002-05:00

With today's strict curriculum initiatives and state mandates, educators may feel overwhelmed and reluctant to incorporate any new methods or strategies into their teachings. However, once they realize it is only beneficial to them and their students, they may be more willing to integrate new technologies into their teaching. The LoTi Connection seems like a wonderful resource for educators to utilize while implement technology into their lessons. However, I feel districts and administrators must be supportive of it in order for it to be effective. With the support and the proper training, teaching with technology will reach our net generation in the best way possible.

The LoTi levels I have witnessed in the two districts I have conducted my fieldwork hours in are at a Level 2. I have seen students play educational games during literacy centers and teacher utilize their Smartboards during lessons. I only observed in an elementary level settings, therefore, I am not sure if the higher level grades are operating at any of the higher levels. I also feel that the higher levels cannot apply to the elementary grades because it seems too advanced for them. For example, fifth graders cannot, "create an actual online business venture involving cosmetics and jewelry as a culminating performance task in their marketing class."

Warning to Parents: You better be ready for your 2.0 savvy kid!

2009-02-06T11:22:00.006-05:00

I think this is self-explanatory. Hope it put a smile on your face :)

Throughout this first module, I have learned so much more than I expected in just two weeks! I have found all of the articles, videos, powerpoints so informative and beneficial. I could not agree more with the Expect Differentiation video. I believe MSMC does a fine job stressing this concept; we as educators must differentiate our teachings in order to be effective educators!

I really enjoy my experience with the web 2.0 tools. Creating my website was probably my favorite assignment thus far because I was able to create something that reflects who I am. In my about me section, I talked about my sister who's inspired me to be a special education teacher. Here's a picture of her and I at Universal Studios, Florida.

As I said earlier, I can't believe how much I've learned in these past two weeks. I look forward to this next week. I'm sure I'll be amazed in one way or another.

I am a tech savvy girl... or not..

2009-02-06T09:56:00.008-05:00

Q. The most memorable moments in the learning during the first week?

A. The most memorable moment I experienced this first week was realizing I am not as tech-savvy as I thought. Before this class, I considered myself "a tech-savvy girl" but quickly realized that was not the case. Even though I'm at a computer for at least 8 hours a day at my job, I never ventured out to learn about blogs, wiki's, and podcasts. I was content knowing how to check my email, navigating through the internet via Firefox, and operating several computer programs (Adobe Photoshop/Pagemaker, and Microsoft Works). I am excited to learn about the new technologies I can incorproate into my teaching which will foster my students education!

Another memorable moment I experience was learning about RSS reader. I enjoyed watching the RSS in Plain English video because was easy to understand and humorous at times. I now utlize this feature on my gmail account. I receive the latest news from CNN.com, and People.com.

"I'll believe it when I see it!"

2009-02-05T09:40:00.006-05:00

Q:
Comment on the meetings you had with the group and the whole class -- share insights about the online communication, comment on the power/magic of technology in learning and teaching and how it empowers both processes.

A:
I was torn about how I felt after our first class meeting. I was excited because I am eager to learn how to incorporate technology into my teachings. However, I also felt like the class went by too fast and I was not 100 % comfortable knowing what I had to do. When I was able to get home and explore Moodle and read the assignments, I had a better understanding of the class.

I was in MSMC's computer lab when I met with my group on Monday. I did not want to chance not knowing what I was doing at home in case I had trouble, which I did not. It did not occur to me until after the meeting when I was driving home how much technology has advanced in the recent years. If you were to ask me five years ago if I thought this class was possible-to meet in an online classroom and talk to each other via microphones about the course material, I would have said, "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, I am a believer and I think it is fabulous!

I really enjoyed our first session. Four out of the five group members had microphones which were very useful. One minor problem we experienced was talking at the same time. But we managed to work out a system to eliminate this issue. After my group meeting, I was cleaning up my belongings in the computer lab and I apologized to two students in the room for talking so much. I told them I was taking an online class. They looked at me and asked, "Really? That's so cool!" I said, "Yes, it was actually."

Technology has made teaching and learning more exciting and feasible for people who wish to receive an education. Without it, online colleges such as Empire State College & University of Phoenix would not exist. These colleges make it possible for people who do not have the time to actually go to class because they are working multiple jobs, raising a family, etc.

When educators incorporate technology into their lessons, students are being reached in a way they may learn best. I say this only because the students I will teach, the net generation, are born with technology already in place; they do not know life without it. By the time these students reach elementary school, most of them are familiar with some sort of technology, whether it is a Game Cube, computer, cellphone, etc. Therefore, it is crucial that teachers must incorporate technologies into their teachings.

Roy Reese, the Superintendent of Goshen Schools and professor at MSMC, told me about a wonderful lesson one of his teachers conducted on the state of Alaska. This teacher collaborated with a teacher in Alaska and set-up a session where the students were able to see each other through a webcam. What an exciting experience for these students along with the teachers! This is an example of the power technology has given us. Students can experience learning about others in another state or even country. Again, ask me if this was possible a few years ago. I'd say, "I'll believe it when I see it!"

My first blog entry, EVER!

2009-01-29T15:12:00.003-05:00

This is my first blog entry, ever! This is very exciting for me because before this class, I was not familiar with blogs. I only read one blog and it is my wedding photographer's blog.

First Literacy & Technology Reflection:

Overview:
This week is for each of you to set up the environment for learning to teach with technology, to study and apply the tools that will help you to enhance teaching literacy with technology.

Learning Outcomes:
You will:

explore the Moodle course site and familiarize yourself with the content and the tools it offers; I find something new on Moodle everyday that I sign on. I am in the process of familiarizing myself with all of Moddle's bells and whistles.
learn how to use the Discussion Forum (DF) by introducing yourself to the rest of the class and responding to other class-mates' postings; I found the introduction post enjoyable. I liked reading about the other students in our class along with responding to their posts.
start your website, blog, wiki, and register on Tapped In Professional Development (PD) site; I created my blog,(ta-dahh), wiki, and website.
discuss with the group members what tool you will use to have your group meetings; possible options are: wiziq (recommended), gtalk (recommended), lively, ooVoo, sightspeed, or Skype. My group, Group 4, used WIZ IQ for our first meeting. I think WIZ IQ is very user-friendly which made my first group meeting go very smoothly.
conduct self-inquiry and submit to the professor the Test Files: "Teacher's profile," Learning contract, and other surveys; I thought these assignments were great to do. It made me reflect a bit upon myself and what learning styles work best for me, and which styles I like to teach. I thought these were useful tools.
reflect on the personal level of technology skills and start designing the philosophy of teaching Literacy with technology statement. I consider myself technology savvy in the business world. However, the educational world is much different. I look forward seeing what the differences are.
watch the introductory video clip "Learning to Change and Changing to learn" and reflect in your blog what you think you need to do to become prepared to change: This video had a lot of great points. I could not agree more with the three gentlemen who voiced their opinion about the No Child Left Behind Act and the 21st century literacy's. Just a few points in the video that really stood out to me were: Education was the lowest field that incorporates technology, NCLB enables creativity and innovations, students will not use the right/wrong answers "vending machine" approach in their jobs. In order to be prepared for change, I believe I will need the proper training to implement the change that is needed in our schools today.
How is Learning and teaching in the digital age different from the previous area?: I believe teaching and learning in the digital age is completely different than the previous area. Students today have the world at their fingertips just with the click of a button. They are growing up with all sorts of technologies and it is crucial that it is integrated in their teaching. Educators need to provide students with stimulating lessons utilizing technology, whether it be from a website, blog, podcast, wiki, etc.