Review: Google Docs

Google Documents: 


This is a great tool for schools to use as it is FREE.  It has so many capabilities that are very similar to the Microsoft Office Suite, but also some extra features that are very attractive as well.  Besides the fact that it doesn't cost anything to use, it is available to multiple users (and at the same time if needed).  When creating a google document, the author can allow others to view and access the document too.  This reminds me a lot of the Wiki pages that we had created before and has a lot of the same capabilities that I wrote about with the Wiki pages.  What I like though about the google documents as opposed to the Wiki pages is that the educator is able to see who did what if the students are working in a group project.  This means a lot to the students who do their part in the projects because they will get a fair grade for what they completed.  For the students to did not do their parts, their grade will reflect that because the teacher can see what effort each student put in.  I also like that it is accessible from any computer with internet access.  When a student saves his or her work on a school computer, laptop, or personal/home computer, there will be times when they cannot access it or didn't print it out.  This may eliminate the use of paper in some situations, making it better for the environment too.  This is not only just for a "Word" document (text) but you can use it for the other parts of Microsoft Office Suite too.  There are similar "PowerPoint" presentations and spreadsheets like Excel.  The cost of buying the Suite is so much.  For a school that does not have the budget to provide this on each computer and in each classroom, google documents is a great option.  


Picnik: 


The program Picnik would be useful in a classroom for projects, especially for culture-related topics.  Students could use this program to edit and enhance photos that were taken of different countries or hispanic cultural items.  The ability to put text into the picture would be useful for both the teacher and the student to label and point to certain items.  The creative abilities of Picnik would make the lessons more appealing to the students if the teacher used them as a project cover or as part of a presentation of a project.  The students and teachers could also make bulletin boards using the creative things created with Picnik.  It is also free, which is a bonus.  There are enough features on the free version of this program for anything that a teacher or student would need.  You are able to purchase a more extended program for more options, but I cannot imagine that any basic classroom use would require the upgraded version of this.  

Week 13 Reflection

Reading about rich media on page 312 of Chapter 30, to me, defines why we are here studying what we are studying. The book states that "...current technology has greater capacity to deliver information to learners than learners have psychological capacity to assimilate that information." That statement is why this degree exists. We can teach so much more incorporating technology because it is much more efficient and effective. The book also spoke about how rich media is used in training. The training also then becomes more effective as well. "Rich media will only benefit learners to the extent that its capabilities are harnessed in ways that support human cognitive learning processes." I don't know if I can think of an instance where rich media (as defined by the book are products that incorporate high-end media such as video, animation, sound, and simulation) would hinder the learning process when used correctly. But, then who is to define what the "correct" use of technology is? And, who is to say that the use of technology may not confuse a student who might otherwise understand the concept through the use of paper and pencil only? I guess the first statement I cited from the chapter could not be true for all situations. 

But, then as I continued reading the chapter, I came across the section about the evidence that visuals can improve learning on page 315. I really think that this section is saying that in all cases, a visual, that could be a form of rich media, will enhance learning. When I think about the evidence and the tests that were done, I now feel like there really isn't an instance where a visual could not NOT improve the learning process in every situation. Hard to say. 

Another section of Chapter 30 that I really enjoyed reading was about minimizing the unnecessary visuals and text. Sometimes, teachers use too much which can make the lesson more confusing. I have experienced this as a student and also I have noticed myself doing it a couple of times when I was teaching. I was really excited about a lesson and used every trick I had in the book to try and explain this lesson. I thought I was tying everything (all of the materials) together very nicely and that it was all going to come full circle at the end of my lesson, but I had confused the students with all of the different visuals and worksheets. I would now be much more aware of the amount of extras that I am implementing into the lessons. Like the book says, the visuals and text need to be relevant to the lesson and not to distract the learners. They can be used to get the student's attention and interest, but not to the point where the point of the lesson is being lost.

Website

https://sites.google.com/site/spanishcarpenter/ 

Above is the link to my website.  This is a site that I would use as a classroom resource to find homework assignments, calendars, extra credit opportunities, contact information, course documents, and other important information.  I would include this web address in my syllabus at the beginning of the semester to ensure that each student and parent is aware that it is available to use.  I also have extra help resources on there if students need assistance.

Week Eleven Reflection

(Referring to page 275)...

There are three areas that I feel like I would like to develop more professionally. Although I am not currently a classroom teacher, I plan to be someday and have learned a lot from the experience that I have had in the classroom. I would like to see positive growth from myself in the areas of (1) Analyzing the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their use in an instructional environment (2) Establish and maintain professional credibility (3) Demonstrate effective presentation skills. 

The first area, analyzing the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies, is one that is constantly changing and therefore can always use professional growth. It would be very easy as a teacher to have a curriculum that is effective and just continue to use it year after year. But, what should be happening includes the use of technology to improve and enhance the existing curriculum and lesson plans. This is something that I would like to work on. I have used lesson plans that did not include technology at all and now look back and think of how much more effective the lessons would have been if I had incorporated some of the technology tools that we have been learning about in this class. I also feel that using these technology tools and analyzing their features before selecting the best way to implement them into the lesson will allow the teacher to reach different types of learners. Truly understanding the different uses of the tools will allow me to reach the maximum number of students throughout each lesson. 

Establishing and maintaining professional credibility is something that I feel I need to improve. This sounds like an intense statement because of how it is worded-"professional credibility" here is extreme and very serious. But, the way that I look at this statement is very different because of my situation. I am a very young person to be a high school teacher and therefore is extremely hard to prove to the students that I am credible and have the right to be in front of the classroom teaching. It is so hard to be so close to the age of the high schoolers and make sure that they know that I am the professional and that I am the teacher. It is difficult to separate myself from their generation (although we are in the same one) and to become the professional in class. When I am able to relate to so much that they are going through because I was not there too long ago and some things carry over to early 20's, it is very hard to become totally separated. I have never not been professional or had any reason to make people believe that I am not credible, but to the students, because of my age and lack of experience, I may seem like I am not credible. I don't know why I worry about this, I just do and would like to work on earning the same respect and credibility that the older teachers have. 

The third area, developing my presentation skills, is something that I would like to work on as well. I feel extremely confident in front of a classroom of students and feel extremely confident in my subject area. What I feel that needs improvement is the way that I present information sometimes. I have noticed that the more I do it, the easier and more fluid it becomes. So, this area is one that I believe will improve only with experience and time under my belt. It is difficult sometimes to explain a concept that makes so much sense to me "just because that's how it is". Well, when trying to explain that to high schoolers is a different story. In particular, I had an extremely intelligent student who could finish a concept correctly but needed to know and understand why it was how it was. In language, sometimes things are the way they are just because and there is no clear explanation. Presenting this to that student and then to the rest of the class who also then inquired is hard and something that I wish I was better at. Like I stated before, I feel that this will come with experience. 

Concept Mapping

This is an example of a concept map that I would have students make for a culture project.  After being assigned a specific city, the students would be responsible for presenting that city to the rest of the class.  This would be an outline that the students would make to start brainstorming for their presentation.  It would help organize their ideas and may also be of use when deciding which group member is responsible for which information.  Students could also use it as a "checklist" to make sure that each area of the project requirements was met.  It really would be a great tool for students to get used to using before large projects, especially when preparing for higher education.  

Week Ten Reflection

After reading these three chapters, I have found that they have something in common with many of my minor classes. When learning to complete lesson plans for specifically my minor, the PIE method was used. I don't think this is an official term, but it was something that we used. P stands for plan. I stands for implement. E stands for evaluate. Though the chapters were not focused on writing lesson plans at all, I was reminded of PIE several times when I was reading. It seems as though there was a common theme in the chapters. Whatever the plan is, it needs to be reviewed after it is implemented in order to improve it. Specific things may work in the original plan, but most of the time, something needs to be re-evaluated. 

Another thing that I see in these chapters is how the district should be viewed as a whole. The book speaks of several different roles (in more of a business setting, but when applying it to education, it works too) that need to be fulfilled in order to carry out a plan. To me, this idea is spread out over the three chapters. Training and meeting in order to come to an agreement needs to happen before the new progress can begin. Each person will have a role in this-whether it be writing the plan or process for change or being a "pawn" and having the very smallest role. These roles need to pull together as an entire "business" (district/school/building) in order to see improvement in the focus area. 

The biggest idea that is common throughout the chapters (sometimes not directly, but it is there) is the idea of implementing technology. Even when the author was speaking of a strategy/method and not specifically mentioning technology, that is what I was thinking about. The nature of the class obviously puts that in my mind when I am reading, but I believe that it can be applied to each of the chapters in several different ways. Each of the different processes can be improved with the use of technology, in my opinion. 

As I read the chapters, I definitely think that some of the methods could be used in a professional setting. I have written about ways they could be used in a school district in other reflections, but at Michigan Works, it could function the same way. I was in charge of creating a curriculum, implementing it, and then evaluating it and adjusting it for the next group that I would be teaching. I also needed to meet and collaborate with the rest of my team when I was going to make a change or teach a new class in order to let them know what was going on and what I needed from them. We worked together, most of the time through the use of technology, in order to achieve the goal. All of these ideas were mentioned and explained in the book (and given official names). 

Screencasting

Study Spanish Tutorial 

This is a screen cast to show students how to use an extra resource for Spanish class.  If students need extra assistance with a concept that was taught in class, they could use this tool.  I would present this tutorial on the first week of the semester or trimester and let them know that it is available when and if they were to need it.  I would present this on the projector machine as part of my introduction lesson when I go over the syllabus and other class material.

Week Nine Reflection

Chapter 21 has a lot of information in it and a lot of different ideas that make me think about my experiences in the classroom or future experiences that I may have in the classroom. The two ideas that I would like to speak more of are Step Up To Excellence and Product vs. Process Approaches to Change. 

Step Up To Excellence is something that I was interested in because it deals with changing the entire district and improving the district as a whole instead of just a specific classroom or a certain school in the district. I believe that school systems as a whole need to run smoothly together. Starting from PK or K, students should be exposed to the same type of ideas as they are in high school. Obviously not the same academic performance standards, just the environment of the schools should be similar in how they are run and their expectations of students as people. When an entire district strives for excellence and leaders from the schools in the district are making changes that are the same across the board, educators and students will feel more comfortable and confident because the district is working together toward a common goal. The transition from elementary to middle school and middle school to high school will become easier for students if leaders at each level have the same goals and ideas for excellence. The five steps to this process seem intense though. The first step, "Redesign entire school system" is overwhelming in itself...but in some schools (failing districts) it is absolutely necessary. Aligning the different levels, buildings, and leaders would also be a tough task. I know that this would take a lot of time and manpower to implement a design that will change an entire district, but if the system is failing, is there another choice? The book gives a lot of great ideas of how to strive for excellence as an entire district. I can see these things being extremely effective in maintaing a school system at a great level. To start from scratch with these tools (Strategic Leadership Teams, Cluster Improvement Teams, Site Improvement Teams...pg. 215) would be much more difficult. 

The second idea that was interesting to me was Product vs. Process Approaches to Change. This section speaks about product based change processes and how we need to find a "better understanding of the process of transforming schools and districts" (pg. 211). I agree with the book when it says that we should be able to have a process that will work in any situation or can be applied to several different things and still prove to be effective. I do believe that many times, educators are so worried about the end result, the product, and are not concerned about how we are ending up with that product. It is so much about the process to me, especially in an individual classroom with a specific student. Is this student really understanding how he or she got the answer or was it a lucky guess? What is the process that this student went through in order to get this result? How can I improve this process to make it easier for the student to understand the concept? If the process is polished, the product will be what we are looking for more often than not in the end.

Google Maps Lesson Plan

I focused on my teachable minor for this assignment, health education.  I created a map of my hometown and marked several different community resources for health issues.  In a lesson plan, students could create a map of their hometown or an area that is assigned to them and mark similar community resources.  They could also be broken down into the groups of health education.  For example, one group could be assigned to sexual health.  This group could mark all of the OBGYN offices in town as well as childbirth centers, hospitals, health clinics, health departments, free information centers, counselors, etc.  Another group may be assigned tobacco use and mark down similar resources but focused on tobacco use (smoking cessation). The students could make maps in groups or individually.  This would be a great assignment because it would make the students more aware of resources in their communities and would create an awareness for the ADVOCACY part of health education.  


View Health Resources in Hastings, MI in a larger map">
View Health Resources in Hastings, MI in a larger map

Baby

Also...just a little side note: 


My husband and I welcomed our first baby, our daughter, into the world last week.  We got home from the hospital this weekend and are getting used to life at home while trying to recover from a very long and physically hard week.  We're hanging in there though and trying to get caught up with everything!  


:)  

Week Eight Reflection

After reading Chapter 18, a couple of different ideas came to my mind about how to use this in the professional world. I taught classes through Michigan Works! on employability skills. My training for these classes consisted of computer-based training as well as presentations that included PowerPoint presentations from an overhead projector. The training meetings were set up via a program on the internet through e-mail that allows us to pick our top three dates and times that we are available to train. E-mail was also used to attach training resources and meeting minutes that the absent trainers were able to use. All of this training, as explained in Chapter 18 on page 180, is part of "Enhancing Training Effectiveness and Efficiency" by using technology-based training delivery. In the end, I was teaching clients, but this is a business type situation. They hired an outside corporation that had developed a curriculum for what I was supposed to be teaching, brought in a trainer with technology-based training tools, and trained the people who were actually going to be implementing the lessons. This would have taken more time without technology. 

The second idea that I see usable from Chapter 18 is "Advanced Evaluation Techniques" also on page 180. After classes were completed by each branch, we had phone conference calls to give feedback about how the classes were run, what went well, what went poorly, and ideas for change during the next classes. This is what is described by the book as a "traditional summative evaluation endeavor to adequately measure transfer and organizational impact". We would have a conference call, which involves technology, and it would result in organizational change. There was always something that was altered in the curriculum or implementation of the curriculum because of these conference calls, which ultimately makes the outcomes change for the classes that were planned for the future. This may also be categorized under "Globalization of Training" on page 181 of Chapter 18.

Week Seven Reflection and Podcast

Chapter 14 described a lot of different information and focused on Human Performance Improvement (HPI).  I like how the chapter says that "The vision of HPI is relatively simple: achieve, through people, increasingly successful accomplishments that are valued by all organizational stakeholders: those who perform, their managers and customers, their peers and colleagues, shareholders, regulatory agencies, and ultimately, society itself."  We can take all of the roles that the book listed in that statement and assign them to people in the education world.  When we add mediums through which the performance and behavior is being delivered, we can then achieve the "improvement" part of HPI.  The chapter emphasizes that HPI is the accomplishment through people and that there are various means of reaching this.  I agree that this is how it is in the classroom.  I really like the idea on page. 136 that we really need to be thinking systemically versus using linear thinking and acting.  In this particular section, the book focuses more on the workplace, but it is true in the classroom as well.  We need to not be just thinking about the end number or end goal and step by step how to get there, we should have a system set up for our students-a web of options for each student to meet that ending goal.  I also believe that teachers need to focus on performance as well.  Instead of grading based on only right or wrong, we need to be sure that we acknowledge their "hard work, knowledge, and strong motivation" (pg. 137).  The book states in that sentence that "Hard work, knowledge, and strong motivation without valued accomplishment is unworthy performance."  This statement is arguable.  In my own classroom, I feel I would be willing to take all of that into consideration, but to what extent?  This is something that each teacher will have to decide for him or herself.  The chapter also discusses the future of HPI and how it is looking to be expanding.  I believe that it will but agree when it says that it "has emerged slowly but forcefully" (pg. 143).  I think teachers naturally use some of this in a classroom, but more will be developed specifically for education purposes.  




Check out the podcast that I found:  


http://teacherspodcast.org/


As described on their "About" section of the website (directly from teacherspodcast.org): 

"A New Generation of Ed Tech Professional Development for Educators is Here!

News, views, research and resources you can use are featured in every episode of The Teachers’ Podcast. The popular podcasting team of Mark Gura and Dr. Kathy King are teachers, ed tech experts, authors and professors.

Note that this is not your usual podcast, nor PD experience. Instead it includes fun, abundant resources and crisp insight from the perspective of what you can use today and tomorrow."

My own summary of the podcast: 

It is a bit on the casual side, but Dr. King and Gura really try to make good conversation about the use of technology in education.  Some of the podcasts begin with some small talk and some organization, but once they get into the subjects of focus, it is some good information that really makes you think about your own personal opinions on the topics.  They speak of things beyond in the classroom such as meetings, conferences, and methods to get people used to using technology.  They speak of different ideas to use students to help teach technology to their peers, parents, or anyone else involved in their education.  The podcast also uses a lot of networking.  They have several connections from higher education facilities, K-12 education facilities, and businesses from different states in the nation that are mentioned and referenced in several of the podcasts.  Dr. King and Gura feed off of each other's information and comments and get into some great conversation.  They give great examples of podcasting in the classroom, which I like because that is our topic for our class this week.  The examples that they gave are great and some that I would not have thought of myself.  

Podcasting would have a great value in the classroom.  Having lectures on podcast available to students would be a great tool.  If the student misses a day, this would hopefully eliminate the 5 or more students a day that come up to your desk and need explanation "What did we do yesterday?  I was gone, I don't get it."  Who has time for that!?  If the students were able to listen to a podcast of your lecture that day, they would be able to hopefully spend a lot less valuable class time trying to play catch up.  Another way podcasting could be used is for extra help with certain tough subjects.  Teachers could re-phrase or summarize a difficult topic on a podcast and refer to it for students who may need extra assistance with that certain lesson.  If the student has listened to the podcast and still does not understand, obviously the teacher would step in at that point.  Podcasting could be used to give examples of what the teacher is looking for in a speech or a presentation.  As a student, it is hard sometimes to know what the teacher is looking for exactly if it is a project like that.  I think it would be helpful to have different styles of the completed project available for things that would be acceptable to the teacher.  It would also be helpful to have a podcast of instructions for a large project posted so that parents and students can refer back to it.  It may help a teacher cover too for when the students argue their grades after they receive them.  :)  

Map of Veracruz, Mexico

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Video: Educational Technology

Week Six Reflection

Based on what I know and based on what was presented to me in Chapter Three, I absolutely believe that the World Wide Web and Internet will have a major influence on the way instruction to learners. I almost feel that this question is too simple to answer because we are constantly using it already in classrooms, which means it is taking over and changing certain aspects of instruction. 

The book, in Chapter Three, discusses the history of instructional media and the important events that took place in the United States. I found it interesting that events from other countries were not included in this chapter at all when it was the "History of Instructional Design and Technology" chapter...not stating "in the United States". But anyway, the chapter starts from the beginning (1st decade of 20th century) and talks about school museums using slides and 3D photographs, then moves on to how we started using more films, viewers, and even more slides. During the years, audiovisual-incorporating sound into the media, along with radio, movies, and media that we would know better today, came into place. The book, while describing these events, also describes that these new forms of media were used in instruction for learners as they came out. The chapter goes on to speak of televisions, radio, computers, and then recent developments. The recent developments section was interesting to me because even though this book is not old at all, it is missing so much that we are using already in classrooms today.

Page 23 states that "Another reason that newer media are being used to a greater extent may be due to their increased interactive capabilities." This is exactly true and I believe it is why we are using the Internet and WWW in classrooms more and more. There are so many capabilities that save time, are more efficient, do not require one-on-one assistance from a teacher, and create more of an independence in the student. Page 23 also says that technology has "made it easier for educators to design learning experiences that involve more complex interactions between learners and instructional content than has previously been the case." This sums up the answer to the application question in itself. Why wouldn't teachers and instructors at every level want tools that helped them to do this? Different learning experiences for different types of learners is something that most teachers strive for and often times struggle to accomplish. The answer is of course...of course the Internet and WWW will have a major impact on all areas (K-12, Higher Education, and Adult Education). It already has major impacts on the instruction because of what it is capable of. Plus, the capabilities change and improve every single day and people are using these new features every single day to enhance instruction. The proof that people will not stop being curious about and implementing new forms of technology or new features of a technology tool such as the Internet of WWW is in the history that we read about in Chapter Three. Each time there was a new media, it was tried and used and changed until something new came out with the goal of enhancing instruction for learners. The history speaks for itself: technology will always have a major impact on instruction for learners, especially because it changes so much and creates so many new opportunities for leaners that were not available years ago.

Week Five Reflection

As much as I thought I would like the online photo sharing tools that we were to experiment with this week, I was a bit disappointed. I think the actual tools are great for certain things, but my concerns about the tools far outweigh the pros that I have. First of all, I can see so many ways that these could be used in the classroom. In a foreign language classroom, especially in a school that offers some study abroad options or that has student exchange students, this would be a great way for students to get to learn culture. Pictures of other countries, the food, celebrations, housing, schools...that would all be very useful, especially if it were coming from a peer who had visted there. I can also see it being used in culture projects when students create presentations about other countries and include pictures. Group members would be able to share photos easily. As I stated earlier though, even with all of these cool ideas I am thinking about, I wonder how a teacher would have time to monitor this. It seems that we really could have tons of accounts to tons of technology tools to use in the classroom, but we only have so much time in a day. A teacher may see up to 120 students a day. If he or she is using these tools for each class, and therefore each student, that is a TON of different accounts to monitor. I would love to be able to use this tool in a project, but I just don't see how it would be realistic to keep track of. With students being able to tag and comment and with some online sharing programs even upload to Facebook, it doesn't seem like it would work in a classroom (especially in a high school classroom). There is already enough that goes on with Facebook and pictures with high schoolers, I don't think I really want to give them another option. So, in general, I think the tool is a good tool for some certain things, but overall, I cannot really see myself using this often. It could be because I haven't tried it and had the experience to see how it could work, or it could be that my initial thoughts are right. I guess I will have to see when I actually get a chance to use it.

As far as Chapter Two goes, I do agree with the ADDIE model for the most part. I remember in my undergrad creating lesson plan after lesson plan that followed a model similar to this. At the time, I did not appreciate the sequence and the design of the model. After watching how lesson plans played out with actual students, I have learned that this is really how it works. Revision of lesson plans is so important and necessary in order to become an effective teacher. Evaluation is a major part of the revision process. Did the plan work? Was it effective? How did the students respond? What was my workload during the lesson? All of these things will be analyzed before the lesson plan is revised and re-designed, which is exactly what the ADDIE model demonstrates. The ADDIE model focuses on revision a lot and I think so do most effective teachers. Learning centered and goal oriented along with meaningful performance, outcomes, and teamwork are all mentioned in the chapter (p13) as being necessary in Instructional Design. These all should naturally be present in our lesson plans when we write them. If they are not, then to me, it is not a good lesson plan. Is it hard sometimes to write lesson plans that include such detail and thought? Yes, of course. To me, when you are trying to implement a lesson plan that has all of the above thought out already, the actual lesson will be much more effective and the teacher will be much more confident when teaching. If a lesson plan does not include these things, the lesson will not be as effective, may seem incomplete, or may be even hard to teach because the core goals or objectives are not there.

My Flickr Page

Hola!  


Find my Flickr page at: 


http://www.flickr.com/photos/blecarp/

Week Four Reflection

Social bookmarking was something new for me. When I created the delicious account, I was not quite sure how it was going to save me time at all. I then realized that it is an excellent tool because I can have everything that I need and want right there, in the same place, organized just how I want it. I often have had trouble with bookmarking on my own computer and then needing that information when I am working on another computer. Delicious made it so easy to be able to access the sites and information that I want wherever I am. This reason, to me, makes social bookmarking a great option for students. They will be working on several different computers (lab computers, home, library...) and will be able to obtain their previous work. The idea of sharing resources is great as well. It would be amazing to be able to share resources electronically in your department. It is nice because teachers can post new resources as they find them without having to worry about emailing links to several people, making copies of materials, or remembering to share in the next department meeting. It can be available at our fingertips, 24/7 and accessible from any computer. That seems like how I would use a delicious account the most (with my fellow teachers). I also see though how in a group project, students could use social bookmarking just as well. I would want each student to do his or her own work and research, but I think that because of how it is set up, teachers can monitor it pretty easily. My next thoughts about social bookmarking involve parents. I would love to set up a delicious account for parents to be able to access and use. I would bookmark things from the school's website such as the calendar, important announcements, staff directory, and other schedules. I would also bookmark the class website, the online system used for grading and attendance, other online class tools (maybe we would have a blog or a wiki), and resources for help with the most current topics of the class. It seems like a parent would love to be able to have access to these sites all in one place. If his or her student is struggling with a certain topic in class, a bookmark to each topic would be available on a delicious account to help the student. Sometimes a different explanation (and sometimes from someone else) is all it takes. Overall, my opinion about social bookmarking is that it is a positive, useful, and efficient tool for educators, students, and parents as well. 

In chapter one of our book, I read about how the field has been defined over the years. Before the chapter even began, in the Overview, the book states that "It is unlikely that there will ever be a generally agreed-upon answer to this question." (Referring to which definitions are best). I immediately agreed with that statement and went into reading the chapter with that mindset-no one will ever agree on it and I may even like some parts of some definitions and some of others. 

It was interesting to me how the name of the field has varied so much. "Audiovisual" seems so outdated and definitely not appropriate for what we do today in our field. I believe that "Educational Design and Technology" is appropriate for now based on the explanation from the book (that it includes both design procedures and the usage)...unless I read more that changes my mind! 

I did not realize how far back this field goes and that it started with simple educational films, slides, and even pictures, models, and exhibits. To me, flat pictures are not technology...but I'm sure they were in the early years of our field. As the technology improved, the definitions became more and more complex and involved. By more complex, I am not referring to the language used, I am referring to the devices, processes, and skill sets that the new technology allows. Some of the definitions (such as the first definition of 1970) are extremely limited in what is considered "technology" in the classroom. The 1994 definition, to me, is too broad and does not necessarily include any form of specific technology. That definition, "the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning", is one that could be for the term "education" or "teaching" or I'm sure several others. So, after reading the entire chapter, I am convinced that my favorite definition is that from AECT that was created in 2006. "Educational Technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources". I really like this because it includes a little bit of everything-the educational piece, the processes, and the actual technology tools being used. It is not limited nor is it too broad. Can anything be too broad with the abilities that we have today? I don't know. The definition also mentions ethics, which I think and have previously expressed my opinions that technology cannot take over the learning processes. I see this definition being used for awhile in our field, but as things change, I'm sure it will too.

My Delicious

Here is the link to my delicious site and some of my favorite sites!  Enjoy! 


http://www.delicious.com/lyndseycarpenter

My WIKI

Here is the link to my wiki....learning more and more about them everyday, so it will continue to improve!

http://ljcarpenter.pbworks.com/

Week Three Reflection

Wikis….where to start?!  I really enjoyed reading about wikis because although I am very familiar with Wikipedia, I had never really put much thought into how it got to be Wikipedia.  It was interesting to me to see how a wiki can become so large, and so quickly at that.  I was not aware that it was possible to create my own wiki until this assignment.  I think of myself as someone who is pretty tech-savvy, and felt “out of the loop” with wikis.  The videos were really neat to me.  I would love to be able to create something like that in my own classroom for a different way to explain things.  (The way they broke it down so simply just by moving small pieces of paper around and using a dry erase board and putting it into a video at the same time-genius idea!)  I think students would really respond well to it, I did!  When I actually went to create my own wiki, I thought the initial set-up was quite simple.  What I am struggling with a bit is what to put onto my wiki in general (so maybe I am now lacking the creativity gene!).  It will take some playing around with to get ideas and to create something that I am happy with, but I will continue to mess with it. 

As far as using a wiki in my classroom, I have about a thousand ideas.  In general, when I learn about a new tool like this, my mind starts racing and I seem to come up with so much.  Some may be total failures, some may work out perfectly.  I’m not quite sure yet because I don’t have any experience with wikis.  One idea that I imagine working would be to use a wiki as a base for my culture projects.  Much like the camping idea on the video, each culture project usually begins with a list of what needs to be done and who is going to do it.  Culture projects in the target language could be completed with 4 students.  The students would create a wiki to organize their project.  The home page of the wiki would include important dates and general information about the project and quick notes to the other group members.  Each student could then link a page to the wiki and display what he or she has accomplished or found.  I think this would also be helpful to the teacher because I would be able to see what each student is contributing (or not).  Internet pages that are used for research could be directly linked to the wikis so that each student has access to the other group members’ research.  Using a wiki for this type of project may reduce the amount of classroom time that teachers need to allow for group meeting time (and this seems to be a lot of extra time because “we have practice” and “we can’t meet any time outside of school” and “we don’t have rides” …you know what I mean).  This may create more of an independent part of a group project, but I think it would be more efficient that just sitting in the classroom having group meetings or maybe going to the lab to “research”. 

Overall, I think wikis could be very useful in the classroom, work, or general life environments.  I am excited to learn more about how to use them and how to make them the most effective. 

Week Two Reflections

My early impression of using a blog is quite positive.  I like the idea of a blog very much because it allows the author to express him or herself through the use of technology.  It is a creative way to organize thoughts and ideas.  As the blogs for class continue to expand each week, I’m sure we will notice “personalities” developing through the text that we read.  I like this because it creates an image of this person in the reader’s mind and an idea of what makes the author tick.  I see the endless possibilities of a blog.  In class, we are using it very basically right now.  As I experiment with the different features and designs, I realize that one could dedicate hours to this type of project.  I can see where having to create a blog as a project could turn into a true work of art, depending on where the creator takes it.

The RSS feeds are useful as well and make keeping up extremely user-friendly.  I really enjoy the feeds because of the way they are formatted.  It is easy to read and always up to date.  I was not aware how many RSS feeds are available to subscribe to on the internet.  I guess I knew there were several, but as I was searching, I never imagined that many were out there.  The sheer number of followers for some of the most popular RSS feeds tell me that these are useful, efficient, and accepted tools for technology users. 

I believe that an RSS feed would be considered an “exhibit” in Dale’s Cone Theory.  He states that an exhibits are “working models arranged in meaningful display”.  This may not an exact match because the Cone theory speaks mainly of this exhibits being strictly visual items such as pictures or video, but I believe that the point of an RSS feed is to organize a lot of material in a brief, chronological method. 

I do not believe that a blog would be the base of the Cone, or at the “Direct, Purposeful Experience” level because the author of the blog is allowed so much creativity and imagination when composing.  Therefore, I would move blogs to the “Contrived Experience” level of the Cone.  The theory states that “a contrived experience is the editing of reality”.  Human nature will force author’s own opinions and ideas into the direct experiences they write about, making them easier to understand or more effective in getting his or her point across.  Ideas in the blogs may be simplified or complicated, depending on what the author would like to teach.  This idea is expressed similarly in the article. 

An imaginative educational use of a blog could be for pen-pals.  In a foreign language classroom, which is what I would be in, I could see a blog as an effective way to communicate with students from another country.  This would be more effective in a blog than in traditional methods of being pen-pals because it is easily accessible at any time of the day, any day of the week.  It would demonstrate culture because of the creativity that the author is allowed as well as several different sections in a target language for the reader.  There would be an ending goal, as stated in the article-for the communicators to display friendly messages and posts while practicing in the target language with someone from a foreign country.  Using a blog for means to communicate in the target language would eliminate the time for correspondence to be received, paper, and postage.   

An imaginative educational use of a RSS feeder would be to have an RSS feeder subscription to a foreign city’s newspaper-in the target language.  In a Spanish classroom, it is important to be aware of current events in some of the most important cities to the language.  To do this quickly and have the end result be receiving the news from a foreign city in the target language, a RSS feeder would be set up.  Students would be able to see the latest news at their fingertips daily.  This would eliminate the need for foreign newspapers, magazines, television programs, and even the need to search Google every day.  It would be set up right there for the students.

Week One: Readings Reflection

After reading Beyond Technology Integration: The Case for Technology Transformation and Of Luddites, Learning, and Life, several thoughts crossed my mind. The first and most profound was the date that the articles were published. The dates are July/August of 2002 and 1993, which automatically makes my mind tick. If these articles are 8 and 17 years old and we are talking about technology, there is much more to be said. 17 years of technology being used in the classroom and of researchers studying the use of technology in education would show leaps and bounds and many different opinions. The general message of the articles may be similar, but the ideas for the future and how we are going about it are going to be drastically different.

For example, the articles speak of the Industrial Age vs. the Information Age. I agree completely that the goal is to transform students-to create more active learners instead of settling for the old traditions of passive learning. This will ultimately cause the student to have more responsibility for his or her own learning, which is something that many educators strive to achieve. This can happen through the use of technology, but the opposite effect is always a possibility. Relying solely on technology could transform students into something that educators do not want to see-students who are no longer able to take out a pencil and paper in order to work out a math problem. In a way, over usage of technology could result in a more “industrialized” classroom. The articles express different opinions of this, but I am able to clearly see both sides. The thought of technology being a distraction and downplaying the “social and moral” issues of education also stands out. While using this technology to improve the quality of education, there must be rules, regulations, and constant monitoring by the educator. A happy medium is the solution. Educators need to create an atmosphere that allows technology to be used one among several methods of learning and communicating. We cannot allow technology to overtake the student’s ability to communicate well.


Personal learning plans were spoken of in the first article as well. The second article more or less displays the attitude that there really is no problem being solved by the use of technology in the classroom. I believe that each educator has a personal learning plan laid out for each student in his or her minds, but these are not always shared or expressed with the student. Expectations of individual students must be vocalized and set in stone as tasks appear. Personal learning plans would allow each student to maximize his or her education experience based on his or her level of knowledge, skill, and drive. These plans would not only challenge the more gifted students, but would not leave the students needing extra assistance behind. The only issues that may arise from personal learning plans are the “idealistic” practice of standardized assessments in some school districts and the “social and moral” issues that the second article speaks of. Technology may allow students to go above and beyond and to challenge their minds, but when it comes down to these assessments and fair treatment of students, how should they be carried out? If we allow students to work on their own using technology, how will we have a common measures system and how will we expect students to not get accustomed to using it? The manpower and changes required to create these personal learning plans and inventory of attainments instead of report cards would be large-would it be worth it? In an ideal world, to me, yes it would. I just simply do not see the path that should be taken in order to get there.


In conclusion, the use of technology is going to improve and is currently improving the quality of education when it is used correctly. I see an enormous task for educators laid out-we need to be able to decide what types, how much, and how often technology should be appropriate in the classroom. To have the perfect balance would create a classroom environment where each student is learning to his or her full potential daily using a variety of learning methods and where no student is “left behind”. : )