While this was a short article, it definitely hit a nerve. I enjoyed reading it as much if not more than most of the others.
Rosenfield, Esther. (2008). Blocking Web 2.0 Tools in Schools: Creating a New Digital Divide [Electronic version]. Teacher Librarian. 3.
"Blocking Web 2.0 Tools in Schools," by Esther Rosenfield, touches on an argument fresh in the minds of most media/technology specialists across the country. Blocking useful web tools is a frustrating experience that I have experienced all too often. This article is about the need to un-block websites such as wikis, blogs, Flickr, Google docs, and many more from schools and districts across the country. This article is pertinent to teachers, media specialists, and administrators across the country. It touches on the importance of providing students with the type of web access necessary for success in today’s Web 2.0 world. This article is an opinion piece by the editor of Teacher Librarian. While Ms. Rosenfield does not back up her opinions in any way, she provides the reader with numerous approaches to reaching district administration and getting them to unblock such useful teaching tools from student use. I really enjoyed reading this article, as it is something that is often on my mind. It is so essential that we expose students to the technology tools that are part of their future.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
How do We Teach Technology?
It amazed me how much technology training has changed even in the 6 years since I completed my undergrad degree!
Honawar, Vaishali. (2008). Learning to Teach with Technology [Electronic version]. Education Weeks Technology Counts. 27. 28-31
Vaishali Honawar's "Learning to Teach with Technology" is about the process teachers go through when learning to integrate technology into their teaching. It goes on to talk about how teachers prepare themselves and are prepared by others to integrate technology into their everyday teaching. Most colleges and universities today require teachers-in-training to demonstrate their proficiency in basic technology. This article was interesting and useful because it talked about the trend that colleges are moving towards more specific and useful technology training in their programs. For instance, one program prepares future science teachers by teaching them to use a computer program called Starry Night, which teaches about constellations. The article is somewhat limited in that it does not have many practical applications for those already in the teaching field. Its focus is on how teachers are being trained prior to entering the workforce. I believe it has a broad audience, as it is important for it is important for all to stay current on how future educators are being trained. Learning to Teach with Technology is reliable and research-based. It will quickly become outdated, as technology is changing so fast, but it provides the reader with a snapshot of what technology training looks like today. I found the article interesting, though I don’t know that it greatly impacted what I do.
Honawar, Vaishali. (2008). Learning to Teach with Technology [Electronic version]. Education Weeks Technology Counts. 27. 28-31
Vaishali Honawar's "Learning to Teach with Technology" is about the process teachers go through when learning to integrate technology into their teaching. It goes on to talk about how teachers prepare themselves and are prepared by others to integrate technology into their everyday teaching. Most colleges and universities today require teachers-in-training to demonstrate their proficiency in basic technology. This article was interesting and useful because it talked about the trend that colleges are moving towards more specific and useful technology training in their programs. For instance, one program prepares future science teachers by teaching them to use a computer program called Starry Night, which teaches about constellations. The article is somewhat limited in that it does not have many practical applications for those already in the teaching field. Its focus is on how teachers are being trained prior to entering the workforce. I believe it has a broad audience, as it is important for it is important for all to stay current on how future educators are being trained. Learning to Teach with Technology is reliable and research-based. It will quickly become outdated, as technology is changing so fast, but it provides the reader with a snapshot of what technology training looks like today. I found the article interesting, though I don’t know that it greatly impacted what I do.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Patterns...
I'm beginning to notice where my interest is going. One of my professional goals this year is to develop a strong scope and sequence for the media program at my school. I've found myself drawn towards articles regarding the development of technology programs so far... We'll see where it goes!
Camuti, Carmen. (2007-2008). Model Program: Technological Education in Ontario Schools. [Electronic version]. The Technology Teacher. 4. 28-33
"Model Program," by Carmen Camuti, is about the technology program in Ontario Schools. What first struck me about this article is that the Ontario program believes that students learn best by doing, emphasizing on problem solving. This made the article incredible useful to me. Much of the article focused on the specifics of the high school program which really only applies to middle and high school teachers, but the section on the big picture was relevant across all grades. While the article is mainly a description of the program that has been created, it is obvious that a lot of research went in to its development. The article is absolutely reliable, as the author is an instructional leader in Ontario Schools. The author concludes that technology in Ontario Schools is full of challenges, mainly due to the size of the province. Despite this, a lot of great work has been done to provide the best instruction possible to students. I was inspired by the outline provided of their program, even though it was geared more towards older students. Developing a strong scope and sequence can be difficult and the more examples I can view the better.
Camuti, Carmen. (2007-2008). Model Program: Technological Education in Ontario Schools. [Electronic version]. The Technology Teacher. 4. 28-33
"Model Program," by Carmen Camuti, is about the technology program in Ontario Schools. What first struck me about this article is that the Ontario program believes that students learn best by doing, emphasizing on problem solving. This made the article incredible useful to me. Much of the article focused on the specifics of the high school program which really only applies to middle and high school teachers, but the section on the big picture was relevant across all grades. While the article is mainly a description of the program that has been created, it is obvious that a lot of research went in to its development. The article is absolutely reliable, as the author is an instructional leader in Ontario Schools. The author concludes that technology in Ontario Schools is full of challenges, mainly due to the size of the province. Despite this, a lot of great work has been done to provide the best instruction possible to students. I was inspired by the outline provided of their program, even though it was geared more towards older students. Developing a strong scope and sequence can be difficult and the more examples I can view the better.
Blogs in the Classroom
I have to admit, I've become intrigued by blogs. Can't wait to keep reading about them and to try them out with students!
Akbulut, Yavuz & Kiyici, Mubin. (2007). Instructional Use of Weblogs. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. 8.
Instructional Use of Weblogs, by Akbulut and Kiyici, is an interesting article, which brought up many points to be considered when using blogs with students. The main purpose of the article is to provide the reader with different uses of weblogs, as well as the pros and cons of using them within an educational setting. Although the article mentions the uses of blogs in non-educational settings, the audience is still those in education. I found the article especially helpful because it was broken up into both the upsides of using blogs in the classroom as well as the downsides. The authors conclude that all educators can and should use blogs in their classroom. The benefits of blog use are tremendous and far out-weigh the negatives. That being said, the authors caution their readers to be aware of blog use and to educate their students regarding its uses. I found this to be particularly helpful as the authors gave me any things to think about as I begin to use blogs with my students.
Akbulut, Yavuz & Kiyici, Mubin. (2007). Instructional Use of Weblogs. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. 8.
Instructional Use of Weblogs, by Akbulut and Kiyici, is an interesting article, which brought up many points to be considered when using blogs with students. The main purpose of the article is to provide the reader with different uses of weblogs, as well as the pros and cons of using them within an educational setting. Although the article mentions the uses of blogs in non-educational settings, the audience is still those in education. I found the article especially helpful because it was broken up into both the upsides of using blogs in the classroom as well as the downsides. The authors conclude that all educators can and should use blogs in their classroom. The benefits of blog use are tremendous and far out-weigh the negatives. That being said, the authors caution their readers to be aware of blog use and to educate their students regarding its uses. I found this to be particularly helpful as the authors gave me any things to think about as I begin to use blogs with my students.
Here it is...my first post!
I really enjoyed my first article and feel it was a great place to "dive in." I started broad on purpose, as I really don't know what my focus will be. I can't wait to read more and find out! Read on...
Wynn, Gary. (2008). Avenues to Success – Developing a Thriving Technology Education Program [Electronic version]. The Technology Teacher. 5. 29-33
Avenues to Success, by Gary Wynn, focuses on the role of technology education and how it has changed in the last thirty years. The intended audience is anyone in education, specifically technology educators. I found this article to be a great starting point. It gives an outline on how to create a thriving technology program. Specifically, I found the concluding paragraph to be the most helpful. The author sums up his article well here and offers what I belive is great advice. It was helpful to hear him conclude by saying that a thriving technology program does not happen overnight. Having a vision and working as a team will lead to the success of the program. The author also found that it is important to involve staff from all areas of the school while creating the program in order for it to be a success. This is a great article to read as I begin my job of creating a thriving technology program at my school. The author of the article is absolutely credible, as he is a technology education instructor at the school written about.
Wynn, Gary. (2008). Avenues to Success – Developing a Thriving Technology Education Program [Electronic version]. The Technology Teacher. 5. 29-33
Avenues to Success, by Gary Wynn, focuses on the role of technology education and how it has changed in the last thirty years. The intended audience is anyone in education, specifically technology educators. I found this article to be a great starting point. It gives an outline on how to create a thriving technology program. Specifically, I found the concluding paragraph to be the most helpful. The author sums up his article well here and offers what I belive is great advice. It was helpful to hear him conclude by saying that a thriving technology program does not happen overnight. Having a vision and working as a team will lead to the success of the program. The author also found that it is important to involve staff from all areas of the school while creating the program in order for it to be a success. This is a great article to read as I begin my job of creating a thriving technology program at my school. The author of the article is absolutely credible, as he is a technology education instructor at the school written about.
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