Blogging & Microblogging

Wow, I’d never thought I’d see the day where blogs became such an essential part of my education. Besides Tumblr, I really don’t spend that much time blogging, or at least using it in an educational way. Using this site and Twitter, I’ve come to realize that blogging can actually really benefit students and make learning a lot more fun and interactive.

While Twitter isn’t seen as an educational site to teachers, there are ways for students to use the social media site to their benefit. For instance, I participated in a Tweet Chat and messaged with other educators on Twitter, sharing links we found interesting and other educational ideas. Teachers can easily have students set up a professional Twitter account, and instruct the students to follow a hash tag or trending topic, and then converse with others on the subject matter. I had never participated in a Tweet Chat before this, and I definitely found it fun and interesting.

Blogging on this website has also taught me more about technology and teaching. I always thought blogging was just reblogging things I found interesting, and rarely adding my opinion on things. On this site, I’ve blogged about everything from iPad apps for the classroom, to teaching media literacy. Blogging helped me organize my thoughts and share them with others. Most of my blog posts came from links that were shared on Twitter by other educators. Blogging and tweeting go hand in hand!

I definitely think that integrating technology into the classroom, whether through tweeting or blogging, can encourage students to focus and involve themselves in their school work. Students already live on their cell phones and laptops, so why not put these technological devices to use by adapting them into a classroom setting?

Start Teaching Web-Literacy

Sure, we all know how to get to Google and how to Tweet at one another, but does anyone know how to analyze an HTTP web address? Didn’t think so.

Web Literacy is basically a formal term for “Learning How to Decipher and Understand URL’s and Webpages”. While many schools are now integrating technology into their curriculum, it’s been found that they’re not teaching Web Literacy to their students. This is an important aspect of technology that should be taught in schools, especially ones where technology is the most prominent. Knowing how to read URL’s so that you can tell if the source is reliable or not will save time when trying to look for valid webpages. You wouldn’t teach someone how to read without educating them on vocabulary and grammar first, so why aren’t we teaching students how to read the web before searching for things? In the below article, it mentions how in 1998, a student took his professors webpage from the university thinking that he was getting valid information, simply because the URL had a “.edu” at the end of the link. Unfortunately, the student acquired historically false information off the page, and used it in an essay. By education students and teachers on how to be web literate, these mistakes can be avoided, and students can surf the web safely and efficiently.

Article on Web-Literacy: http://www.k12educationtechnology.com/2012/05/18/schools-arent-teaching-web-literacy-start/

School-based Mobile Apps

I know I’m not the only one who’s thankful for the Blackboard and Double Map apps. The Blackboard app really helps me keep my classes and assignments organized, while the the Double Map bus app lets me know when and where the bus on campus is running. I also appreciate the fact that Cortland coordinates with both of these apps. Especially since we live in an age of technology, I love being able to just whip out my iPhone and check up on both of these apps. It makes me think: do other colleges, or even high schools, have apps that coordinate with their school as well?

Jordan Riggs, founder of the SchoolInfoApp, is the answer to that question. His company helps schools create apps for their students and community. This app includes calendars, maps, picture galleries, notifications of school closings and school news. The app is beneficial to not only students but to parents and teachers as well. Schools contact Riggs’ company with the schools info needed for the app, and the company then designs and puts out the app within 30-60 days. Schools also have the opportunity to put local ads within the app as well. Schools everywhere are recognizing that technology is moving forward and that schools and communities need to be up to date on technology as well. Having a mobile app that’s convenient and updated daily is something every parent can only dream of.

I definitely think more schools, high schools and colleges, should have mobile apps! Students, especially college kids, practically live on their smart phones, so why not design an education mobile app for their convenience?

For information, read the article here!  http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2013/04/app-all-should-every-school-build-its-own-mobile-app

Radio, Regents, Essays, Oh My!

When creating a radio show, one thing that doesn’t come to mind is the New York state Regents exams. What does a state wide test have to do with music and talk shows, anyways? Surprisingly, a radio show can help students prepare for a Regents-style essay in the classroom.

One concept that is demonstrated in both essays and a radio show is organization. Radio shows, while spontaneous and fun, have to be organized in some manor. Radio show segments have introductions and conclusions. They introduce new music or special guests, and then end the segments by the radio hosts signing off or with music itself. Either way, it’s clear to the listener whether the show is beginning or ending when they’re listening in.

Radio shows also must be creative in order to bring in listeners. Essays, likewise, are made to have the reader interested and intrigued. If the reader is turned off or bored, they’ll be more inclined to stop reading. In radio, if a listener is bored with the music played or by the radio hosts, then they’re more likely to switch stations.

Another aspect of radio shows that is evident in essays is the use of language and acknowledgement of audience. Much like in essays, radio shows have to be aware of the audience they’re streaming to. If it’s a kids radio like Radio Disney, they have to know not to play explicit songs or talk about racy topics. Each genre of radio show is conscious of their audience and creates their radio show accordingly. In essays, most of the time the audience is to the teacher or professor. With this in mind, students know that they should use proper, formal language when writing. Student’s shouldn’t be writing using “slang” words or grammatically incorrect.

You may think that radio shows are far from Regents essay exams, but they’re more similar than you think! Both require thought process and creativity, and encourages students to become organized and efficient.

Quiet in the Studio!

Wow, I never thought I’d see the day where I actually made my own radio show. It was definitely a lot more fun than I had expected. My partner, Rachael, and I originally lost a team member in the very beginning, but we made things work. We started off by meeting together and coming up with a basic script to base our radio show off of. Our main theme was music, so we spoke about DJs, local clubs, music genre’s, and even had band members on the show. The most difficult thing about this process was definitely the technology aspect of it. The program we used to record or show was Audacity, which neither of us have used or heard of before. It was pretty rough to start out with; I didn’t know how to add in music or record over things. After a couple of trial and error procedures we finally got the hang of it, and the tools on the program turned out to be pretty useful. The most stressful part of this project though was uploading the file to SoundCloud. I don’t know if it was just my laptop, or if others had this problem as well, but I couldn’t upload my Audacity file to SoundCloud. Instead, I had to export the initial file and turn it into an iTunes file, which SoundCloud finally accepted. However, because our radio show is almost 20 minutes long, it took forever for it to upload to SoundCloud, which was highly frustrating since we had deadlines to meet. Despite those cons we came across, I actually had fun while making this radio show. It’s a project I’ve never done before and I really enjoyed the experience of working with Rachael, who’s really good at British accents by the way, and can’t wait to hear everyone else’s radio show!

Check out the link below to hear our show:

https://soundcloud.com/solaurensayys-1/audience-of-one-radio-show

Lights, Camera, Teach!

In this video segment, we meet high school English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling from Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. She explains to us that she tapes all of her classes with her flip camera set on a tripod in the back of the classroom. She does this because after school, she downloads her video tapes, and reviews them. Wessling takes notes on how she teaches, how her students conduct, and what she can do to improve her lessons in the future. In the video, she mentions that she invites the principal in to come and review her video clips. He gladly accepts her invite, and offers her constructive criticism and praise for her teaching techniques. Wessling wants to contine to improve her teaching skills, and she feels that recording her classroom lectures and reviewing them will help her reach this goal.

I really like this idea that Wessling uses, a kind of “DIY Teaching Video”. Many teachers may know how they teach and what they teach, but they never really take the time to look back at it and see what they could improve on. I think that by recording classes, teachers can see exactly what they’re like in the classroom and how they’re teaching techniques effects students and their work. For an even better critique, I would do as Wessling did and have an outside come in and view the tapes and offer insight on their skills. I also noticed in the video, Wessling used iPads for her students, which shows how she’s able to incorporate technology into the classroom, a huge aspect many schools today are trying to cover.

I think recording yourself can not only be beneficial for teachers, but for students as well. For instance, a student could record themselves  practicing doing a presentation that they may have to give in class the following week. Then, they can watch the video and see where their flaws are and correct them before presenting in front of their peers and teacher!

Click the link here to watch the video! http://www.edweek.org/tm/section/teaching-channel/index.html

Media and Self-Image

Media and Self-Image.

There’s an App for That!

Schools are integrating new technology into the classroom every day. But it seems that everyone is more focused on technology that can benefit just the students, and not the classroom as a whole.  Teachers should concentrate on using technology as a way to inspire and encourage students to learn subjects, and not just use the technology as a new toy in the classroom. Show students that technology can benefit them in and outside the classroom. Technology will become more prominent in the future, so why not teach students how to use them effectively and beneficially. These are the  7 ways to use technology in the classroom that involve teachers, students and even parents! (For extra info, I also looked up some specific apps that go along with each category!)

1. Attendance & Behavior: While there are many apps out there that can help students with math and science, where are the apps that help out the teachers? There are several apps that track attendance and keep behavior records for the teacher. With these apps, it’s an easy and efficient way to keep tabs on students and their work. No need for messy papers that cover the desk, just a click on an iPhone or iPad and a students file will appear all in order for you.
   App to use: “Teachers Assistant” app allows teachers to track student attendance and behavior throughout the year. Keep notes on anything from student lateness, how prepared they were for class, and grades. Free in the Apple App store.
2. Collaboration: Apps are useful in the sense they provide visual aids, and many of them offer opportunities for interaction as well. This encourages students to become involved and participate in class. Turn dull homework worksheets into fun presentations that involve the whole class.
   App to use: “Tether: The Interactive Whiteboard” this app lets teachers use their iPads or iPhones as a mobile blackboard. The images that teachers produce on their iPads or iPhones appear on their desktop monitor or projector in real time. If teachers use an iPad, they can pass it around to students so they each have a turn adding something to the presentation or lesson on the screen in the front of the classroom. Free in the Apple App Store.
3. Learning is fun: As a student myself, I definitely think learning science and math is boring. But with the help of fun app games in these subjects, students will be engaged and willing to learn hard subjects.
   App to use: “Mathemagic” is an app that combines the fun of magic with learning math concepts like multiplication tables and division. The app even lets students take quizzes at the end to test their math skills. $1.99 in the Apple App Store.
4. Don’t make technology the main focus in class: Teachers shouldn’t spend all class period telling students how to use technology, but focus on the content itself. If learning grammar and spelling, don’t concentrate on how the keyboard on the iPad won’t work, but rather how spelling and grammar can affect sentence structure. Encourage students to create and invent things with the help of apps and gadgets, but don’t get too carried away with technology.
   App to use: “j2e” is an app that boosts students creativity inside the classroom. Students can create word process documents, videos and recordings, and even have access to paint tools. This is the ultimate app that fully encourages students’ mind to roam free and imagine whatever they want. Free in the Apple App store.
5. Involve Parents: As a teacher, students are your number one priority. However, parents also like being involved within their children’s school, whether it’s being apart of a PTA group or just staying up to date on their child’s in-class activity. There are many apps that let teachers notify parents about their child in school, whether it’s grades or when snacks need to be brought in for a fundraiser.
   App to use: “PowerSchool for Parents” is a great app that lets parents inside the teachers handbook. They have access to grades, attendance, school announcements and even lunch money balances. Simply just search for your school district, and all this is in the power of your hands. Great for any parent on the go, or for the in-class moms! Free in the Apple App store.
6. Track Lectures and Notes: Have a student who’s sick and missing classes? There are apps that let teachers record and track their notes and lectures, and then send them to students who missed class that day. This is not only useful for students, but teachers as well. Teachers can go back and edit notes if need be, and can even create study guides or pop quizzes from them.
   App to use: “Note Taker HD” allows teachers to upload notes and files, and even write directly on the iPhone or iPad. It saves and organizes the notes, and allows you to email them afterwards. $4.99 in the Apple App store.
7. Use electronic books and other multimedia editions: With budget cuts  and the state of our economy, textbooks are rarely seen in classrooms anymore. Instead, iPads or iTouches are the replacement, with the textbooks already downloaded on them. With the use of electronic books, or ebooks, schools are able to save money and paper. Many textbooks are available online whether through libraries or at major book retailers. For teachers, apps such as iBooks organize all downloaded books and magazines into one neat virtual bookshelf for easy access. Students who have issues with small print are able to zoom in and read at their own pace.
   App to use: “eTextbooks” is a great tool that organizes all downloaded textbooks into a virtual library for students. They can thumbnail and bookmark pages, and even take notes. A search section allows for quick access to a specific section or phrase a student may need. Free in the Apple App store.

While some may see technology as taking over the classroom, there are many ways in which it can be useful and beneficial to students, teachers and parents everywhere.The example of apps I’ve given are just one out of thousands of apps available for any aspect of education.  We live in a world that is continuously changing, and they only way to keep up with it is to change with it. Technology has brought us to where we are today, so why not use it and expand and create even more for the future? Click the link after the picture to read more about the article!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-steinberg/education-technology-7-wa_b_2758475.html

Nichole Pinkard on Digital Literacy

http://www.edutopia.org/nichole-pinkard-digital-literacy-video

In this video, Nichole Pinkard brings up the question of whether or not students are considered “illiterate” if they don’t understand how to use technology. She goes on to explain that her program called the “Digital Youth Network” (DYN) was to initially help bring technology into the classroom. However, because our world is constantly changing, she decided to use this program to help students use technology “for all aspects of their life”. It was then she discovered that students are more technologically advanced than teachers were, and because of this, students weren’t reaching their full potential in the classroom by the teacher teaching them how to use technology. The DYN program then decided to provide technology to students outside of the classroom, as an after school program. It was here that educators realized that without the pressures of school and instruction, students were creating and producing their own videos, blogs, or music. They noticed that ” students who were quiet in the school day come alive in the after school space”. Pinkard’s DYN program encourages students to become inspired by technology not just in the classroom, but on their own time as well.

After watching this video, I definitely agree with Pinkard in which that technology is beneficial to students inside and outside of the classroom. Students may become pressured or stressed when using new technology with instruction from the teacher, and this will create a bad learning environment for them. Students are constantly socializing and multitasking outside of school, so why not let them discover technology and its uses in their own ways that are most beneficial to them?

Click on the link at the top of the post to watch!

Will the Internet Ruin College?

Will the Internet Ruin College?

This article discusses how many people are now getting an education online. Colleges are offering courses online for students. Does this mean in the future that people will no longer leave their own homes to get an education? While many state that technology is helping students advance in the classroom, it also takes away how learn by interacting with one another. However, the internet distributes a wide variety of information, and not all of it is correct. I feel that students will still make time to actually go to college and make the effort to learn and interact with students and professors. No one wants to put off the college experience, right? College is not only a time to discover who you are and what you want to become, but learn new ideas whether sitting at a desk or in front of a laptop. While some schools offer hybrid classes, such as ours, face to face interaction is easily the best way to learn and help others.  Technology will constantly be changing, that’s for sure, and so will the school systems in order to coincide with it. While I do enjoy not leaving my comfy room to go to class, my laptop will never understand the great college experiences I’ve had so far with friends and professors!

To read more about this article, click on the title of this post!