Don't Be Decieved

Kathy Schrock provided a great deal of information to think about. The internet is relied on so heavily for gathering information that it is important that people ensure they are collecting reliable information. Anyone can post misinformation on the web and it is important that when gathering information you are not misled or deceived. It was good to evaluate websites to know why they are helpful ones to use in the classroom. In the past I would select websites based primarily on aesthetics, navigation and reading level, not considering authorship, bias, citation, dates or any other criteria. In the future I will be selecting websites with a purpose.

Parents' Passion

Parents want the best for their children because they intensely love them. Therefore, parents have high expectations for teachers because they are entrusting teachers with their child's future. If a parent reacts inappropriately to a situation, I have to remember some of the cause of their reaction is the passion they have for their children. Even though the reaction maybe inappropriate it is rooted in love. Remembering this will help me be less defensive and judgmental if a situation was to arise with a parent.

Surfing the web

Students need to know the basics of how to use the internet, but more importantly they need to learn to evaluate websites. Kathy Schrock identifies five evaluation criteria, which are useful for students to know so they can assess the validity of a website. Students need to know not everything on the internet is true so they can use the evaluation criteria so they don't get the rug pulled over their eyes. In the past I judged websites based on if they had dead links as a quick rule of thumb, because most likely the content was outdated and therefore not the most reliable source.

Moving into the 21st century and relying on the internet for information sources has made it very easy to plagiarize. Students need to be taught what plagiarism is and how to site sources to limit the amount of plagiarism. Plagiarism is tempting because it is very easy to simply cut and paste. This is why it is important for students to know how to properly cite the materials they use.

I think it is unfortunate that some teachers shy away from using content and resources from the internet because of fear of plagiarism. I am happy that fair use exists to protect teachers from issues of copyright, when they use of content for educational purposes. There are so many worthwhile materials to supplement our curriculum that teachers should be able to use them without fear.

Teaching the Net Generation

What is the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 bookmarking?Briefly discuss the shift of paradigms -- from school/classroom 1.0 to school/classroom 2.0.

Web 2.0 focuses more on community and social interaction opposed to Web 1.0 dealt with an individual. Web 1.0 had an individual create a web site, primarily of words and users would read the information. Web 2.0 allows for multiple contributors who not only read content, but also write and share information in a variety of mediums. The 1.0 classroom involves lecture and students are more passive, using lower level thinking and the 2.0 classroom has children engaged, learning by doing, creating, thinking, analyzing, and evaluating.

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

The children of today are born into a digital world. They are accustomed to multi-tasking and using technology to create and communicate. They will most likely respond to teachers who incorporate technology into the classroom because they are accustomed and comfortable with this medium. The net generation spends a substantial amount of time with multimedia. Ultimately, we learn best when we are comfortable.

Information technology has students discovering, inquiring, searching, collecting, organizing, verifying, expressing, and reflecting. These are necessary skills for students to be successful in the world both in and out of the classroom. Also students are learning through being engaged and using higher order thinking skills as they construct new meaning, which is valuable. Teachers need to be able to assist students as they use technology to create and communicate and teachers need to create opportunities for students to be engaged and learn by doing. Teachers are educating students to perform many jobs that do not even exist yet.

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?

The six 2007 National Educational Technology Standards for Students

1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

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.

3. Research and Information Fluency

Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

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.

5. Digital Citizenship

Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.

6. Technology Operations and Concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

The standards that are well implemented are research and information fluency and technology operations and concepts. The students use technology to gather information, but do not use critical thinking, problem solving or decision making skills with the information. I feel prepared to use technology and teach my students how to use technology themselves, but not prepared to foster higher level thinking experiences for my students. As teachers incorporate the NETS-S they must facilitate creative thought processes, which is different then teaching content.

Briefly share your experience with del.icio.us, diigo, slideshare, mind-mapping tools from the point of view of opening an account and using it in your teaching career.

This is when I feel out of touch and realize how fast technology changes. I created an account at del.icio.us, but I am still trying to figure the in and outs of the program. The idea of a social bookmarking site would help direct students to specific sites and save them time typing in URLs. Also if a teacher is on his/her home computer and finds a great site, he/she can bookmark the site on del.icio.us and access it easily at school.

Discuss the Internet Safety issues you learned from the posted resources and TDC chapters 7 & 8 content.

Children are frequently using the internet so they need to be educated and using it safely. Parents and teachers need to be involved in children’s online use. Parents need to set boundaries for their children such as the amount of time on the computer, appropriate sites and the location of the computer. Children need to be spoken to about internet safety and using privacy controls, uploading appropriate content, protecting their passwords and avoiding strangers. Finally, remind children that everything on the internet is not always the truth. They have to be taught how to verify information and identify unreliable sites.

WizIQ: Didn't feel like a wiz at times

This week I spent a great deal of time familiarizing myself with Moodle, wiziq, and using the DF. I also set up this blog, a wiki and a personal web page. I like how user friendly the tools are that I chose. There is step by step guidance to create each of these applications. There was a great deal of exploration going on. It was also helpful to reflect on my level of technology and even though I was confused a lot this week the survey helped reassure me I know something about using a computer and the Internet. I was pleased to learn how to turn a Word document into a PDF. This is a helpful skill to create professional looking documents and a reliable means to share important documents.

Our group met and struggled at first with wiziq, became frustrated, but then got the hang of it. It was exciting to all have microphones and webcams. It is amazing how technology brought us together in such a real way, despite all being in different towns. We learned the hard way that everyone can't have their mics on at the same time, because there is HORRIBLE feedback if some of us don't mute them. It was helpful to have classmates share the process of becoming familiar with the expectations of the class and having people to answer questions. We certainly found strength in numbers. If someone didn't understand something, someone else was there to guide them.

LoTi has good goals as it helps prepare for the 21st century, but certainly requires a shift in the operation of the current classroom. LoTi helps shift from how many current classrooms operate to creating student centered learning environments that promote higher level thinking skills. This is ultimately trying to make learning more meaningful. In order to prepare ourselves for this shift teachers have to be open to the idea of relinquishing control as they become more of a guide on the side.