Podcasting

Well, I got my microphone, created an account at OdeoStudio, plugged in the microphone and began recording audio clips. It has been really easy up to this point. Last night my daughter and I just played around recording clips and then clearing them. The big challenge will be actually creating the podcast from the audio clip and getting it posted and sent to our instructors. It has been a lot of fun, so far. I am looking forward to completing this project. I'm interested in knowing if anyone has had difficulties and what they have been. I have to admit that I'm kind of disappointed that our podcast has to be limited to such a short period of time because of the saving issue. Good luck everyone on the completion of your project!

Social Studies and Technology

After reading Chapter 12 I was a little discouraged about the lack of attention and funds for the area of Social Studies. Because of social studies not being included in statewide assessements and standardized testing it does not receive equal resources for materials, especially in the area of technology. This is another challenge for teachers in the upper levels with a Social Studies concentration. As an educator in this field, one will be called upon to be creative and prudent in their use of provided materials and possibly use of some of their own resources. Investigating the free technology available will be necessary as a Social Studies teacher to be able to incorporate new and creative ideas into their lesson plans. Another glaring example of the lack of funding for areas outside the realm of statewide assessments and the reduction in offerings would be the arts. As a parent today I am very concerned about the narrow focus our children are exposed to in the schools today - english, math, and writing. Please don't misunderstand me - these are all extremely important in a child's education and probably, for a certain period of time, were not focused on enough. In an age, though, where the potential of unlimited resources are available to bring such vast and diverse information to our children I feel some of the schools today are falling short because of the obsession with standardized testing and assessment.

Mainstreaming

I have some real mixed feelings about mainstreaming and inclusion. 18 years ago a very good friend of mine fought to have her son mainstreamed when he began school. I wasn't sure how I felt about it then and to tell you the truth I don't think I have any better grasp of the situation now. I know that several of you have had classroom experiences and would like to know how you feel. Part of me understands as a parent wanting their child to have the same experiences as a normal child with exposure to the same stimuli, but on the other hand, are they getting short changed on time with the teacher (even though they usually have an aid) and adaptive technology that has to be shared among numerous classrooms - if children with disabilities were all together would they not have more time to experience some of the technology developed specifically for them? Also, is it fair to advanced students to be restricted in their own educational growth because the teacher is required to attend to such a diverse group of students? I guess I feel there has got to be a better way to address the variety of students' needs without sacrificing one group or the other. I would like to hear any of your thoughts on this subject.

How students feel

My youngest daughter was looking through some old papers of hers the other morning and came across this short essay she wrote last year in sixth grade. I thought it was kind of interesting to read the perspective of a sixth grade student on the subject of technology. I scanned the essay thinking I could upload it to my blog but it evidently was not in the correct format so I am typing it here, exactly as she wrote it, for you to read.

HOAGLAND SHOULD GO HI-TECH

To make Hoagland better I think each student should get a laptop to do all of their work on. Then the teachers don't have to worry about losing the assignments. Plus the students might want to do their work. The teacher just gives the assignments and the students do it on the computer. If the students don't get done they take the laptop home. Then when they finish they e-mail it back. They can make up any e-mail address they want.

Now what if it's a work sheet? The teacher just scans it on their computer and e-mails it to each student.

The students would still use textbooks to do their assignments, it's just it wouldn't be on paper. Just think you wouldn't have to worry about sloppy handwriting.

So if everyone has a laptop everything would be easier. That's why I think everyone should have a laptop.

More Cool Technology

I had parent teacher conferences this evening at my youngest daughter's school - she is a 7th grader. Her English teacher was telling me about a software program he uses to help the students learn how to write good essays. I can't remember the name of it but he gives them a prompt one day so they can create an outline and figure out how they want to write it. The next day they go to the computer lab and type their essay on the computer using this software program. As they are typing it the program assists them in recognizing run-on sentences, fragments, incorrect verb tense, etc. When they have completed the essay the program even grades the essay. The teacher only uses this grading as a guideline and continues to grade it himself. This seems like a great tool to assist students in learning how to write effective, grammatically correct essays. Of course, again, there is the problem of limited availabilty.

When it doesn't work

So here I am again questioning our society relying so heavily on technology. I had a conversation with my brother over the weekend that got me thinking this way again. My brother writes for the Journal Gazette and was very frustrated that the paper had sent him to Chicago to cover the Cubs but because of the "new" printing press and all its wonderful technology, couldn't print his article because they had to move the deadline up so early. They are having so many problems, even though they had like two months of dry runs, that they can't even get all the news in because of the early deadlines to accommodate the difficulties they are having with the technology of the new press. So all this news that doesn't get printed is put on the web. It makes me think that it won't be long before there won't even be a printed paper. I have to wonder if it is a case like many of us have discussed about how great the new technology is but the importance of knowing how to use it before incorporating it into the classroom.

Hypermedia Technology

Reading Chapter 6 again brought to mind the risks involved with the increased use of the internet and all the information out there. And again, I'm not trying to be negative, just cautious. With all the hypermedia authoring tools it is becoming easier to create our own multimedia/hypermedia products. With this comes a responsiblity to adhere to copyright laws, avoid plagiarism, assure accuracy in information presented, and verification of internet links. I was curious as to the increase in plagiarism offenses since the internet became such an integral part of our educational experience so I asked some of the professors around here what they have seen over the last 10 years. Undeniably, there has been a significant increase in students plagiarizing - it is so easy to copy and paste and present it as one's own work. There is software available to check for plagiarism but it is rather expensive. Google is often used to check if work is plagiarized but is very time-consuming. Well, my lunch hour is over - time to go back to work.

Did You Know; Shift Happens - Globalization; Information Age

Some of you may have already seen this YouTube on technology advances in the world today but I found myself shaking my head as I watched it because of the amazing pace at which existing technology is changing and even becoming extinct. Here it is.