blog@geibtechforlearning

Technology with the use of web pages and projection monitors definately aid classrooms with better resources than the previous textbook dependent learning environment.
My concern is for the use of computers in a classroom by the students. There is a time management factor that cannot be ignored when assigning computer based projects in a classroom of 20-30 students. The work load must be distributed to the home or an afterschool setting to assist more students in access for quality time to build their learning projects.

The best use of computers in the classroom for the teacher and the student is the MS Office products and their many uses. The ability to bring powerful still images and video displayed through Power Point enhances stories, science and social studies to a level beyond the textbook and the publisher's control of content.
I think web based learning will be here in the next 20 years of my teaching career. This practice of building web pages and seeking out relavent information will not be a waste of my time. My hope is that it will save me time so that I can be more efficient for the community of learners I will be serving.

What would be an appropriate and useful pedagogical task via the Internet? What is mere "fluff" and a waste of time?

There are many useful and appropriate tasks via the Internet. Having recently completed a global learning course I learned many uses for the Internet that help create a constructivist learning environment. Students can use the Internet to connect with others, learn from experts, do research and many more knowledge building activities. These are appropriate and useful pedagogical tasks.

Can a teacher webpage help you to teach better and students to learn more? How? Why?

A teacher web page can help teachers teach better and students learn more. It can help teachers teach better because it helps teachers stay organized and within their timeline. Students can learn more. For instance, Josh Dinkler’s web site has links to places where students can practice areas of weakness. It allows students to take responsibility for their learning and provides extra help.

What are some examples of how you might be able to use blogs, bulletin boards, wikis, and webpages to do your job more professionally? How might the World Wide Web in your classroom enable students to learn more than they would otherwise.

Blogs, bulletin boards, wikis, and web pages can be used teach more professionally by providing feedback from the teacher and interaction from students. Students learn from each other as well as many other places. Blogs, etc. allow students to interact regarding the focus questions. Using the Internet benefits students because it prepares them for the real world.

Do you think the World Wide Web will play more or less of a role in our society? Will computers and Internet access become as ubiquitous as phones and TV sets? How might your teaching mirror these changing technological trends in the larger American society?

I think the Internet will play more of a role in our society unless something better comes along to replace it. Perhaps it will become obsolete like encyclopedias and card catalogues but if not then it will become even more engrained in our society than it is now. Teaching and teachers will evolve with the technology. For example, many teachers now check their email daily and have web site. Most schools have web site. When I began teaching my school did not have an active working web site. Now it does. Teachers are required to have continuing education hours in order to renew their credentials. Educational technology is interesting new material for teachers to learn. Teachers will use technology if it improves learning. Teaching is rewarding when students learn. Teachers want to maximize student learning and technology can help students construct knowledge and get them ready for the future.

My students are not self-motivated, so access to computers and the Internet is appealing to them. The challenge I face is motivating them to use the computers in a positive way. Since the new semester started, I have gained access to the computer lab every day for 45 minutes. The students use the computers for the first twenty minutes to complete one session on SuccessMaker, a math intervention program. Then they use the computers the last 20 minutes for Internet research and Microsoft applications. Occasionally, I notice my students trying to gain access to their home email, MySpace or something worse. I feel if I had my own webpage, my students would be able to access it every day after their SuccessMaker session for their daily computer assignment. Therefore, I do feel my own webpage would help me become a better teacher. I could also use it as a tool to communicate with my parents that have access to the Internet. I might use a daily Blog for journal writing, or to answer a question about the novel we are reading. I feel my students would be motivated to complete their assignments, if they knew I was going to post it on a bulletin board. I’m not sure how I would use a wiki yet, because I’m not sure what it is. However, I’m sure once I know what it is, I will find a way to integrate it into my program.
In the future, I feel the World Wide Web will play more of a role in our society. If computers and Internet access become as ubiquitous as telephones and TV sets, it will be because superior technology replaced it. Teachers who do not stay on the cutting edge of technology will be replaced along with the VCRs and Record Players. Many students today were raised with computers in the home. In some cases, they are more technologically savvy than their teachers. To keep students motivated, teachers are going to have to integrate technology into their every day teaching.

Using the internet in a way that moves learning forward is a compelling challenge. The first big internet learning experience I did was working with Richard on the 9th Grade Project here at Foothill, “Brave New World? Or Slouching Towards Gomorrah?” Designing a project-based curriculum was initially really overwhelming, but I learned a great deal from it and the results we have been getting from the students is gratifying. Designing projects takes a long time but it is time well-spent. To be truly useful, an internet assignment should pose an essential question and have specific learning outcomes.

A teacher’s webpage is a way of staying in touch with stakeholders; communication and clarity is good for teachers, parents, and students. Students and parents can look up assignments, download assignments, and check to see what the class will be doing in the future. I think that the more interactive sites can really get student dialogue going; some students may feel more comfortable articulating their thoughts in writing before posting on a blog; I think teacher-administered blogs are a way to get students to think beyond the thinking they might do during a class discussion. This definitely moves students forward as they really need to flex their brains. The effort, skill, and dedication that these web-based learning tasks takes competence and professionalism to an new level.

The advent of the internet in the classroom is inevitable; its ubiquitous presence in pervasive in society. It is important that educators are aware of the technological advances taking place and incorporate that awareness into their work; it is also important to recognize that not all students have access to these technologies. Students are often more tech-savvy than their parents, which raises concerns with online safety, so it is important to discuss appropriate internet use and disclosure of personal information. Today in Tech Lit we went over an article called “Teens Putting Themselves At Risk Online” by Matt Apuzzo. This article discussed problems that have arisen as a result of MySpace.com use. It is important to educate students about the technology that they are using in addition to using the technology for their education.

In this day and age, having a web page as a teacher is like having a third arm: two are great, but three are better. Besides the rejection from society because one might look like a monster due to the extra extremity, it would be quite useful. Imagine the possibilities with three arms! The amount of objects one could juggle (literally and figuratively) would increase exponentially. A teacher without a webpage can do a fine job educating her/his students; a teacher with a webpage has the potential to move mountains.

Blogs are a new tool in my classroom as of this year. I have noticed much improvement in students writing as they learn the ropes of an academic blog. With a blog, students no longer write solely for the teacher. They write for their peers as well, and we all know the power of peer pressure. Although still short of perfection and sheer brilliance sometimes, students rise to the occasion and contribute their best, knowing that it can/will be read by everyone in all of my classes. And what a way to reduce the paper load for the teacher! Bulletin boards –though I am only on the brink of using these—enable students to interact with each other more than a blog. Issues arise within their topics and they resolve them on their own through the written word. When I say students, I mean not only my students, but also students from around the world. Imagine teaching a Spanish class where students are in communication with students from Argentina. The Internet provides us with the ability to communicate instantaneously not only with our colleagues across campus, but also our “colleagues” across the world.

These opportunities afforded to us by the aforementioned modern technological advances bring relevance to our classrooms. A colleague of mine recently reminded me that students live in the world of myspace.com, meaning they know how to blog and have found it useful in their private lives. Out of curiosity, I decided to poll my classes the next day and found that roughly 95% of my students use that website frequently. Why not entice students with a similar venue in order to bring relevance to what we are doing in our classrooms? Blogs and discussion boards are the wave of the future, after all.

The World Wide Web is here to stay, and learning how to incorporate meaningful lessons using technology as a tool is by no means stooping to their level: it is survival and adaptation. Our world and our students are evolving, and educators need to be the “fittest” (technologically) in order to survive.

I believe that a webpage will help me be a better teacher. The page will help me reach out to the parents who are internet savvy. For those who are not able to use the internet this is a golden opportunity for them to learn and grow with their child. I would utilize blogs and or bulletin boards for volunteering to help in the class, or give the parents an opportunity to interact. I would love that opportunity.

The world wide web is not going anywhere. I believe that the influence the web has will only increase as time goes by. Computers will also be as common as a telephone in peoples houses and TV sets, just interactive. My teaching will have to keep up with the times or just be left behind. The web is not a waste of time, but that is also a matter of opinion. No matter how hard you try to make someone change their mind they won’t. The web is not just for one race or another, there are haves and have not’s, however in any society there are those.