My last blog, for now!

Thinking about this class and how I think it will help me makes me proud. I know that all the items we have learned are going to prove to be very helpful to me in my teaching experience. I have learned a lot of important tools that I have already put into use in my classroom (even though I am not the teacher). I have shared many things with my staff and even taught the kids a few things. I do believe that it is important to know these things we have learned because our kids are learning them. If we are out of date with our students then we will not teach them. I am overwhelmed by the things I have learned to do, Blog, make a website and social bookmarking to name a few. I would have never imagined I would create a website with links and the whole nine yards. I think now that I am comfortable with it I will use these things more often. I found myself bragging to my mom tonight telling her that I have an electronic portfolio. Who would have thought? I told my kids today how easy it is to do. I explained that it can be started now and added on to because it is a "living document". They were blown away. I will use these things. Even if I can not find a reason I will make one. I feel that it is important not only for my future as a teacher but for their future as students!
E- Portfolio site: www.chauncywatts.weebly.com

Interactive White Boards

I have had the chance to see a classroom with a IWB and without in the alternative education setting. It has been a saving grace for our students. When a teacher knows how to use them and is using them to the best ability it really engages the students. They enjoy being a part of the learning and being able to teach some of the teachers how to use them. It has gotten students involved in some many topics and subjects that I witnessed them not being interested in. However, when a teacher does not use them to their potential it can become a major distraction. When a teacher is simply just popping on videos it does not interest the students. It is really just being used as a VCR. I do believe that it is an amazing addition to any classroom and offers the students the ability to use hands on for things like science experiments that they may not have had the ability to use before. I would love to have one when I am a teacher because I have found so many things that are useful and with the tools that I have acquired in this class it has strengthened my ability to not be scared of the IWB. I love them and I wish I would have had them when I was in school!

You tube site

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NipS2z_Skrc (I think)

Video Project

I was very surprised how my group worked together. In the busy life of ours and not getting to really know one another we worked awesome. We (together) were able to combine thoughts, ideas and knowledge about the project and get the job done. I was unsure how much of the information I was able to learn and retain about the computer and I surprised myself. I was able to help my team cut what needed to be cut and work through some of our difficulties. We had an original idea of how we were going to present the chat between the child and skanky scotty and it just did not work out. Together, we were able to utilize what we had learned to come up with an alternate. I feel like I learned how to utilize this video program and make it work. From the way the team worked together and really were not stumped I feel they learned too. I really think that the project could not have gone any better and in my mind we could have completed something longer and more complex if needed. Being able to take what was taught and apply it really gave me a boost when it comes to being back in school. I was afraid that I could not take the information given to me and apply it and I did. It really helped to take a video that I had my hands in and use the cut, fades, music and other options to get the true understanding of how it works. I really see this as being a valuable tool to students if it is available to them. It could make projects so much more interesting and bearable to complete.

Video

Video was mostly utilized with me in the past by taping presentations and playing them back. It helped me to become a better public speaker and to watch my mistakes that I made. I certainly could have used video to "spice" up any presentation I had. I did use a lot of movie clips and other things like that to emphasize my topic. I could have seen more use in my drama classes then anywhere else. It would have been fun to tape things and play them. I could see using video in my classes (especially in Literature) to have students describe or reenact the plays and classic novels in their own words. They could add music and turn it into whatever they wanted. It would be easy to teach a students something if they can make it their own. I would enjoy seeing the creative sides of the students in my class. When you allow someone to make something their own, I feel you are going to get a better response.
I also could see utilizing video instead of a school newspaper. Allow the students to tape the events that will occur almost like a news show. That would be the perfect assignment for an English class. I would imagine that you could use video with just about anything and allow a lot more creativity and there would be a job for everyone. If a person did not like being on the camera he/she could operate, write or make the story line allowing for all to be involved. The more hands on stuff a student can be involved in the more engaged that student is.
It is also important to utilize the things that are out there to enhance ones education. History channel, Aand E, youtube, etc. When a student can watch something and take it in they will understand it. When video is used to reinforce the idea then it is well worth it.

The end to endless possibilities

I am so glad that this reading addressed the lack of technology that is accessible to the children of the age of "net generation". I see this everyday at my program. The students at the school have the ability to text and some are on face book. (I have found that even if they are not on face book they will lie to the other kids and say they are to save face). This does effect how involved technology is in their lives. It would be wrong of a teacher at my school to assign a student a solely technology based assignment because whether it be for reasons of finances or the student has been legally banned from Internet and computer usage for legal infractions that student could not complete the assignment. I am a firm believer that all students want to learn so it is not that the concepts are far off. The kids in my building are telling the staff how to use the smart boards on a daily bases. They know more than we do when it comes to this. I believe to teach the "net generation" we must listen. Listen to their lives. What are they capable of outside of school and to teach on that level. Try and have everyone on the same page. If a teacher is going to teach a technology inclined listen put everyone on the same level of what is available to them. Do not assume that because they are in this age group that they know everything that the next 14 year old does. It is also not a good idea to assume publicly that they do not. I believe this will be one of the hardest generations to educate based on all the different socioeconomic statuses that are out there. The different religions, families, homes, availability to all the tools needed. It is assumed that we all have a computer, Internet and that we can all read how to complete lessons. I believe that now we may not be able to assume that of our students. It is the world we are in today, laid off parents, Internet shut off because the choice had to be made to pay the electric. This is not going to go away. The children will receive the brunt of this and as educators we may not know this. It will be our job to talk to and listen to the children we wish to teach. That will be the only way they will learn. We will have to learn with them.

Social Bookmarking as a tool

Social bookmarking could really be used in multiple ways in the classroom. It could be used to assist children who are out for illnesses. The teacher could post Reading assignments for the students so they would be able to stay current with the class. The students could place assignments on their blogs and post blog addresses in the social bookmarking site. Another way that it could be used is for extra credit work. The teacher could post extra assignments for students to do on their own time and receive extra credit points. It could also be used as a tool to provide reinforcement for a lesson for those who do not understand their assignments. The Readings could go into further detail than the teacher has time to cover in the classroom.
In my setting (Alsace) it may not be as effective because the students are not allowed to go on the internet in school and for that we do not do any instruction on the internet.
I picked Diigo to use and it was fairly easy to figure out. My only problem was when I made my excel sheet I took off some of the web addresses to shorten them not realizing that it would create a problem. When I placed them on my Diigo they would not open. I also used a couple of the same sights and it would not put them in twice as different sites. I do believe that I would get better and more comfortable using this and could go through the steps with ease once I have practiced more. It will be something that I can find use for and have shared it with many of my colleagues.
My Diigo address is http://www.diigo.com/user/chauncymb03

Lesson plans for Excel

Lesson 1

Students will be assigned to record a timeline of their day. They will collect the data for 1 week. The student will name the items: sleep, eat, play games, ride bikes, homework, etc. At the end of the week the students will place information in Excel. They will then create a graph and be able to compare and contrast the amount of time they spend doing each activity and see if they can change any of their schedule to maintain a more organized, healthy, happy life. Maybe they have lower grades than they would like but they play games apx. 20 hours a week. It would be possible to change that and see if their grades come up. This could go on for a month and the students would adjust their time spent and see what changes. Have the students report their excel data on power point. Choose the student of your choice and have them compile a class spreadsheet and compare the activities from student to student and see where the class as a whole could change. Make it a semester long project on self improvement.

Lesson 2
Have students discuss generation gaps and why they think the gaps are present. Have them come up with terms: music, cloths, age, food, etc. and use the generation gap as an independent variable and the dependent variable is the causes. Have the students collect the data utilizing sometimes, always, never type of questionnaire. Have them place the data in an Excel chart and make a graph. A student can form a hypothesis and collect all the data and see if the hypothesis they created is true or false based on the information. The student can then make a chart and show it to the class.

Lesson 3
Students would make a hypothesis about earthquakes and how locations, building, population, climate would effect the earthquake. Student would go to the earthquake simulation website and place in their information and get the answer to their hypothesis. Once all information is received they could place it in the Excel sheet and run a graph and see if any of the factors do in fact affect the earthquake.

Lesson 4
The students would play the Lemonade Stand Game. The students would receive a stipend of “$20.00” to start their business. The students would go to www.coolmath-games.com/lemonade/ and record decisions they make with their money. They would
utilize weather and other circumstances to see how well the lemonade stand does. They need to make a profit in order to win the game. If they are not able to make a profit they will go bankrupt. They will record money in an Excel spreadsheet and have labels like money spent, money earned, etc. to decide if a profit was made or not. They would be able to make a graph using the profit calculator and show the class the Lemonade stands success.

Lesson 5
The students would spend a month recording the true sunrise and sunset times of their areas. They would take and record the information in Excel to show the pattern in the area they are from. They could then use a graph to show their findings.

2 Lesson plans from Google

Lesson Plan 1
Language Arts 10-12
The students in the classroom will write a news letter about the classroom. The purpose of this assignment will teach the students how to write for content and address an audience. The students will "play" the role of editor and decide which part of their content is appropriate for their audience. They will publish their "stories" on Google docs. This allows the student to both learn written and web abilities while becoming comfortable in front of groups using net related terms and instructions. They will need to become fluent in valuable information using the web.

Lesson Plan 2
Social Studies 10-12
Students will combine efforts to make a classroom page entitled "Stories of America" . Students will choose a significant time period, person, etc. and (to adjust the assignment to fit to English) will choose between two options: A mock newsletter addressing the chosen topic and reporting it back to the class or an original creative/ persuasive narrative about the chosen topic and place a link on Google Docs to allow those in the class to view the works.

Google Apps...What???

While listening to the rather monotonous drones of the google employees, I did realize that I have really know idea what they are talking about. I did however understand the cool tool known as Google calendar. My understanding is this, I can sign on to use the Google calendar through my school or place of employment. Once there I can use it to do pretty much all of my planning. If my understanding is correct (and I would have taken the time to do this in school) it really would have cut back on the amount of wasted time sitting around waiting for a whole group of people to show up for a study meeting or for an information session. Instead, we could all sign on to the calendar at the same time and allow for others to download our calendars and then compare and contrast the times we are available. I spent many evenings in the science center waiting to complete senior thesis work and people not showing up due to simple miscommunication or last minute changes to their schedules. The ability to sign on and speak in real time is very interesting too. I can see where it would come in handy and allow to have many meetings from the comfort of your own chair. Like I said, I can see where much of this is handy but I am not sure that I would have used it. Probably from just the simple lack of understanding. The good thing about Google is it is sort of a one stop shop. Everything you need in one area and once an individual gets the hang of it it is easy to navigate through. However, I am not anywhere near that.
In my classroom currently, students are not allowed to sign on to the Internet for security reasons, so it is difficult for me to envision how this would help my student population. I do see a lot of promise for the teachers at this point. If they could all see what each one of the other is doing then there would be more likeness in the skills and tools utilized within our tiny program. It would allow for communication if a staff member was out to continue on with what they are teaching and not have to do "busy work". If the students were allowed to use Google and Google Apps it would be easy for them to maximize and keep in touch with the teachers if they were out (we have a very high truancy rate) and there would be little to know excuse for not having work due or having a lack of understanding.

R/W Web

Since the only thing I know of as a R/W was wikipedia (and to be honest I did not know that is what is called) Everything in the reading is new. All the tools are amazing and new. I am not sure if it is good that anyone can come along and put their data into something that I may be reading and not sure if it is real or not. I guess that just means one has to be very careful of what they believe.
Blogging I had heard of but never used. Never wanted to, never needed to. However, I wish now that I would have had this when I was an undergraduate so I could communicate with my professors this way instead of tests and papers. It is much better than the dreaded handwritten journal so the reading can be kept up with. I am sure I spent a small fortune in blue books when I could have just blogged the information. Wikis (wikipedia) being the one I have used, are great for quick info, links and some ridiculous information but I would never think to site this on any paper.
The interesting thing (both good and bad) is this has turned every person into an information carrier. Whether or not you have good info or bad info you are adding to something that will be read by hundreds maybe thousands of people. This is where the ability to change the information becomes good. It becomes all individuals responsibility to monitor the information. But this is my question. If there are little to no individuals that will approach someone on the streets and say "hey could you not use that language?" How many people are going to stop it on the Internet? Could this cause major problems?
Google docs is a real time online word processor. It allows an individual to write and post a piece online for people to read, critique and help edit your work. It is like an online study group or critique session. I have never even heard of this until now. So, of course I never used it. I would have. In college, my biggest problem was finding the time to go to the writing lab. With this you can do it at home while you are working on other things. My question would be the reliability. However, if you are inviting the people to your google doc I assume it would be people that you trusted and not just randoms. I think this is a pretty cool idea and holds a lot of potential for peer associated editing. This allows learning and teaching to occur at one time.

Is it foreign language?

In the Educause reading there was one thing that was clear to me. No matter how different the "language" the students these days use, the education is still most important. It really was not the technology. As a matter of fact I was shocked with all of the statistics that showed students really do not want 100% technology in the classroom. Students now still cherish the one-on-one involvement with staff and one another, actually enjoying group activities more now than when I was a student. So what does this mean to me? It comforts me that even though we are being shoved onto the information highway, the things that are most important (human interaction) are not being lost. I agree with needing the physical interaction as much as the technological. Technology should be a tool a teacher uses and not the only thing the student knows. So, after my emotions ran high on last weeks readings, I was more settled this week. It seems that a students perspective is pretty close to mine.
The classroom I work in is a great example. We received 'smart boards' this year and a lot of teachers felt as though their jobs would get easier. As a classroom specialist I get to observe 5 different teachers in the classroom. When the students arrived in the room and saw the smart board they were thrilled. They had clearly used this before and began to teach the staff what to do. As I watched the different teachers and their use of the board I began to note these kids were getting bored quicker that they ever had if the board was not used properly. If a video was just put on the board and the teacher sat down, the kids lost it. If the board is not touched at all the kids get mad. Few and far between are the teachers who can find that balance. The reading backed all of this up.
As of right now we are not completely on separate books from the students now. We might be on different pages or even a couple of chapters behind but not completely different books. This really makes the task of teaching the students not seem impossible. Difficult but not impossible.

What it means to be "Wired"

When someone asks me what it means to be "wired" I would say "I drank to much coffee." That is the answer from a digital immigrant. I am merely a visitor in this world of digital natives and the net generation. The individuals who make up this group are computer savvy, function better if it can be online, text messaged or downloaded. The days of printing off a paper and highlighting mistakes are over. They do not know how to operate a micro fiche (like I do) or what it truly means to use only the Dewey Decimal system. Does this mean they are wrong in their styles and their learning? No. They just learn differently. They learn very hands on, they must be shown. However, the articles are very adamant with the fact that in the eyes of the digital native, the digital aspect is very important but that does not excuse a bad teacher. The human interaction is still very important.
I think the concept of the digital native and net generation is similar to the concept of learning that the digital immigrant uses just in a more technical sense. Do I wish that I had all of this growing up? Well, yes, now that I am in the midst of it and most of the time have no idea what is going on. Do I think that I suffered because I did not? No. I have memories of being in the library and physically searching for a book. I have the ability to learn new things ( maybe I will never be as good as my 3 year old at them) but the digital natives may never know what a card catalog looks like. I understand that learning has changed and according to the text the digital immigrant's brain is even set up differently but I am a firm believer in nothing I have learned being a complete waste.
I have a feeling of fright in these new concepts. This is a digital native speaking but I fear the computer shut down while I am studying my text book for this very class and I do not have a hard copy to read. Then what? I fear the failure of my flash drive because it gets too close to the scanner at Giant and all of my info is gone. I fear putting all of my faith into a machine. I fear for the children of the Net Generation who do not know what to do if their computers do not work or they can not get service on their cell phones. They do not know what it is like to have to wait to talk to their friends until they get home or not to be able to check Twitter to see what Lindsay Lohan is shopping for. The digital natives are unequipped for life outside of the "network". They no longer have to make friends the old way, walking in and shaking hands, they can break the ice by being a different person on the Internet. I can not say if I feel it is right or wrong. Just different.
The concepts all make sense. The technology is there and it can be amazing when it comes to learning. I just can not help worrying about the rise in every diagnosis possible in children. If you do not have an IEP or you are not on your meds for your ADD you are a minority. The saying on the T-shirt mentioned in the reading "It is not attention deficit-I'm just not paying attention to you" plays continuously in my mind. The discussion of the half life of knowledge also scares me. When I learned how to do statistics in college without using a calculator I thought my professor was into torture but now I realize I will always know how to do those problems and it does not matter what changes. Sure, he could have showed me what to do on the calculator but with a new version and different software I may have only been familiar with it until I had to upgrade.
My thoughts are this, technology is fantastic but good old fashioned work never hurt anyone. It is not always necessary to have instant gratification. A person learns patience and appreciation sometimes if they have to spend time on something. This is all new to me. I do not know that I like not having a textbook in my hands. I even printed out my reading list so I could mark off what I read (old habits die hard). But who is right and who is wrong? Not sure. I know I am comfortable the old way but willing to learn and use the new. Maybe the Net Gen should be comfortable with the new but willing and required to learn the old as well.

It is late

It is late and I am sleepy!