This lesson is planned for the early stages of my Pre-Algebra Class. My plan is to use technology to help students to use manipulatives (Algebra Tiles) to balance and solve equations at the early stages of algebra. As the foundation of everything that the students will learn in the coming years, I feel that it is especially important that students understand every aspect of this lesson while being able to enjoy it (especially something as fundamental is solving equations).
With the numerous digital options such as a SMART Board (which has templates specifically for this task), I plan to immerse my students into the world of algebra in a fun and interactive way. The students will be able to visually learn how manipulatives can be used to solve equations as well as being able to perform the tasks themselves on the SMART Board.
While a student or myself, would use the SMART Board to demonstrate how to solve an equation, the rest of the class would use algebra tiles on a hand-out. This hands-on activity will allow the students to grasp a better understanding of how to balance and solve equations.
This lesson should take 3 days (allowing every student a chance to use the SMART Board) with a quiz on the material at the end of the 3rd day. I would plan on allowing the students to use a java style program (Trying to find one at the moment) to allow students to use manipulatives while taking their quiz. My goal would be an average grade of 90% from my students on this quiz.
PS - These tiles can be used for many other activities such as adding/subtracting integers, adding/ subtracting/multiplying/dividing polynomials, factoring polynomials or even fun styles of related math games. -SCHAMA SIGNING OFF
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Week 10 - Sexting
When I went to school (which wasn't that long ago), cell phones were not permitted. If you were caught with them, they were confiscated and the owner (usually your parents) was given them back at the end of the school day. This policy protects the schools from litigation that I feel should be mandatory for all school districts. Allowing cell phones on school grounds does nothing but open a school for liability.
By that same point, it is irresponsible for a school to look the other way and ignore that their students have cell phones. By that reasoning, I feel it is the responsibility of the school to educate the students that there ARE consequences for their actions when using technology. Unfortunately, the invincibility that most teenagers feel prevent them from realizing the severity of their actions. They think that every relationship will last forever, they think that every secret they tell their friends is safe, they think that they can drive recklessly without consequence. They need to be educated that you can be killed in a car crash, you can become the subject of ridicule and you can even be registered as a sex offender if you are found sending inappropriate photos of yourself or your friends.
However, the final responsibility does fall with parents. Jesse Logan's mother's outrage at the school's lack of involvement with her daughter, and primarily the police officer who did not notify her of this video dissemination. The officer has no right to tell the parent if the child is 18 or older. Unfortunately in this technological world where any information is available instantly it becomes even more important for parents to be aware of what their children are doing socially, especially if your child is 18 at which point parents are no longer required to be contacted by authorities.
So overall, it's not the responsbility of the school to regulate children's use of technology (that falls upon parental discretion). Yet, they should educate students of the many dangers that come with technology. As much as we feel the schools can affect the situation, they really can't (they can even ban cell phones and cyberbullying will still happen). So in the end, as a parent, if you allow your child to use the internet or have a cell phone, you need to have rules in place to regulate the usage (regardless if your child feels like their privacy is being invaded). Unfortunately, bullying has now become much more personal and instant in this day and age and we must all work together to help today's youth understand the dangers that are out there. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
By that same point, it is irresponsible for a school to look the other way and ignore that their students have cell phones. By that reasoning, I feel it is the responsibility of the school to educate the students that there ARE consequences for their actions when using technology. Unfortunately, the invincibility that most teenagers feel prevent them from realizing the severity of their actions. They think that every relationship will last forever, they think that every secret they tell their friends is safe, they think that they can drive recklessly without consequence. They need to be educated that you can be killed in a car crash, you can become the subject of ridicule and you can even be registered as a sex offender if you are found sending inappropriate photos of yourself or your friends.
However, the final responsibility does fall with parents. Jesse Logan's mother's outrage at the school's lack of involvement with her daughter, and primarily the police officer who did not notify her of this video dissemination. The officer has no right to tell the parent if the child is 18 or older. Unfortunately in this technological world where any information is available instantly it becomes even more important for parents to be aware of what their children are doing socially, especially if your child is 18 at which point parents are no longer required to be contacted by authorities.
So overall, it's not the responsbility of the school to regulate children's use of technology (that falls upon parental discretion). Yet, they should educate students of the many dangers that come with technology. As much as we feel the schools can affect the situation, they really can't (they can even ban cell phones and cyberbullying will still happen). So in the end, as a parent, if you allow your child to use the internet or have a cell phone, you need to have rules in place to regulate the usage (regardless if your child feels like their privacy is being invaded). Unfortunately, bullying has now become much more personal and instant in this day and age and we must all work together to help today's youth understand the dangers that are out there. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Week 9 - Fair Use
So after taking the "Fair Use Copy Right" quiz, I have to admit, I don't know nearly about copyright law as I thought I did (I scored a measly 50%). Being from the "Napster/Kazaa Generation" I thought I had a basic understanding of what was allowable and what was illegal. However, I found that whenever I received an incorrect answer, it was because I was being overly cautious with fair use. I guess this is because of all of the instances in the news of people being sued for copyright infringement.
According to the Thompson article, fair use is a listing of allowable instances where people can use copyright material without fear of legal consequences. This fair use clause in copyright law is especially helpful for teachers since we are allowed to use copyrighted material IF we use the material for teaching, scholarship or research. As for interpreting this law, I find it is a very difficult law to translate into our everyday usage. I liked how in the article by Johnson & Simpson that each district/media specialist will have to be an expert in copyright law. This is advantageous to a teacher since he/she can go to that person/guidelines if they are unclear about using certain material. However, the basics should still be understood by most teachers (for example: copying copyrighted software / downloading movies / sharing music)
I just have 2 questions about copyright law that I can still not answer after reading the articles.
#1 - If I am showing a copyrighted movie to my friends at my house, does that technically breach copyright as well? If not, how is that different from showing my class - Does the location matter or is due to the number of people I am showing it?
#2 - Do BBC/History Channel programs (which are usually very educational in nature) fall under the same "Bill Nye" program list that was mentioned in the quiz? (PS - I got that question wrong)
SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
According to the Thompson article, fair use is a listing of allowable instances where people can use copyright material without fear of legal consequences. This fair use clause in copyright law is especially helpful for teachers since we are allowed to use copyrighted material IF we use the material for teaching, scholarship or research. As for interpreting this law, I find it is a very difficult law to translate into our everyday usage. I liked how in the article by Johnson & Simpson that each district/media specialist will have to be an expert in copyright law. This is advantageous to a teacher since he/she can go to that person/guidelines if they are unclear about using certain material. However, the basics should still be understood by most teachers (for example: copying copyrighted software / downloading movies / sharing music)
I just have 2 questions about copyright law that I can still not answer after reading the articles.
#1 - If I am showing a copyrighted movie to my friends at my house, does that technically breach copyright as well? If not, how is that different from showing my class - Does the location matter or is due to the number of people I am showing it?
#2 - Do BBC/History Channel programs (which are usually very educational in nature) fall under the same "Bill Nye" program list that was mentioned in the quiz? (PS - I got that question wrong)
SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Week 8 - Technology Integration Matrix
This week we had to look at the Technology Integration Matrix made by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Looking at this matrix I was then instructed to choose one of the examples of from the TIM and see how that example facilitates the NETS for Teachers. I chose to discuss Constructive Learning at the Infusion Level in a Shared Atmosphere for my cell of the TIM since I feel that this is where many of my current students' abilities lie as well as the type of computer atmosphere I can offer in my classroom (i.e. shared).
Among the many NETS there are many standards that I feel are specifically addressed in this example.
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
a. Teachers promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. This is shown through the designing process of the rocket.
c. Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative processes. This is demonstrated in the budgeting aspect of the experiment as well as the planning of the rocket specifications before the actual experiment.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
a. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. Through the use of the NASA rocket modeling program the students will be able to evaluate their rocket's flight before they even build it. This application is used in real life with all engineering endeavors and can be related to the students beforehand.
d. Teachers provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. The use of both the computer as well as the real life "launch day" allows the student to truly appreciate the lesson and the competition aspect (who can create the most cost efficient rocket) of the lesson will further engross the student to the material presented.
The other aspect of this weeks assignment was to assess where I feel my comfort level is based on the skills that I have learned this semester while taking CURR-518. I can honestly say that while I felt very confident in my skills before this semester began I feel a little intimidated. I do feel that while my technology skills have improved immensely this semester, I have also realized that I have much to learn when it comes to all of the possibilities of integrating technology into my classroom. So I am very confident that I am at an infusion level capability, I do believe that I am ways away from being able to have the knowledge and preparation needed to have a transformation level in my classroom. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Among the many NETS there are many standards that I feel are specifically addressed in this example.
1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity
a. Teachers promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness. This is shown through the designing process of the rocket.
c. Teachers promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative processes. This is demonstrated in the budgeting aspect of the experiment as well as the planning of the rocket specifications before the actual experiment.
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
a. Teachers design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity. Through the use of the NASA rocket modeling program the students will be able to evaluate their rocket's flight before they even build it. This application is used in real life with all engineering endeavors and can be related to the students beforehand.
d. Teachers provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology standards and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching. The use of both the computer as well as the real life "launch day" allows the student to truly appreciate the lesson and the competition aspect (who can create the most cost efficient rocket) of the lesson will further engross the student to the material presented.
The other aspect of this weeks assignment was to assess where I feel my comfort level is based on the skills that I have learned this semester while taking CURR-518. I can honestly say that while I felt very confident in my skills before this semester began I feel a little intimidated. I do feel that while my technology skills have improved immensely this semester, I have also realized that I have much to learn when it comes to all of the possibilities of integrating technology into my classroom. So I am very confident that I am at an infusion level capability, I do believe that I am ways away from being able to have the knowledge and preparation needed to have a transformation level in my classroom. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Tech Lab 4 - Podcasting
This podcast is me reading off the answers to the homework I assigned to my 8th graders over the weekend. The assignment was found in their workbooks, Lesson 9-2, #'s 1-51 odd. I read off the answers to the homework as I believe it would be an assett to any student (even those who were absent for the class).
I personally love the idea of making podcasts like this one (despite very boring to listen to). The amount of time spent during class reading off the answers from the previous night's homework I've always felt could be better spent on either troubleshooting issues or on presenting new material. That being said, even if I offered this to my students it would heavily rely on them to do 2 things. First, I would have to make sure that my students are not embarassed/ashamed when they do not understand a problem from the homework (I am constantly trying to get my students to overcome this fear) and to make sure that they voice their concern in class/extra help or via email. Secondly, I would also have to trust my students to check my podcasts every night (via subscription) as well as trust that they would LISTEN to them as well. Maybe it is because I currently work at a small school, or maybe it's because of the grades I teach, but at my school the responsibility is on the teacher to make sure the students check and understand the homework (a task I currently have no objection to). If I could have a classroom policy stating that since the material is available to the student (i.e. podcasting), it is the students responsibilty to check it on their own time, I would implement podcasting to my classroom immediately. This would easily save 10-15 minutes of classtime that could be better spent.
Regardless of the concerns, I feel podcasting, (not just homework, but small lectures and reviews) would be a great assett to any classroom in the form of time saved towards learning new materials/troubleshooting problem areas.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Week 6 - The Philosophy of 21st Century Skills - Task 2
I found this video of Sir Ken Robinson to be very intriguing and I loved what he had to say. I particularly agreed with his statement concerning the concept of being wrong. I try in my classroom to make my students overcome this fear of being wrong, and I can personally associate that as a student gets older, it becomes harder and harder for that student to accept a mistake. As a math teacher, I truly believe that we learn more from our mistakes than we do from our correct answers. I like to use the line, we use a pencil in math because we are bound to make mistakes - and that's alright...because you have an eraser. This concept that our education system forces children to understand that mistakes are bad is indeed killing creativity. Think about it, every single advancement of human kind wasn't done correctly the first time. Mistakes had to be made in order for the correct method to be discovered. It is this concept that mistakes are acceptable needs to be implemented into our classrooms in some form (but standardized testing and other grading systems fight against this daily).
This use of testing and preparation for college system that is currently implemented in our education system does not account for all students. Some students excell differently. A great example of this was the ballet student that is mentioned in the video who was considered a poor student, but she found her calling as a choreographer, which is something that our current education system does not adapt for.
While I agree with everything Sir Robinson said in his video, my question to him would be, we have over 100 million different children, with different needs, different quirks, different difficulties, different strengths. Now go create an education system that helps the MOST children at a time. Unfortunately, the creative student will suffer due to the structures that MOST students need to be prepared for the workforce. I hope that we can see the potential that every student possess in each every field, but given our limits right now, we are simply a funnel for colleges. I hope that changes are made, but like I said with the implementation of 21st Century Skills in my last blog, it will be difficult. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
This use of testing and preparation for college system that is currently implemented in our education system does not account for all students. Some students excell differently. A great example of this was the ballet student that is mentioned in the video who was considered a poor student, but she found her calling as a choreographer, which is something that our current education system does not adapt for.
While I agree with everything Sir Robinson said in his video, my question to him would be, we have over 100 million different children, with different needs, different quirks, different difficulties, different strengths. Now go create an education system that helps the MOST children at a time. Unfortunately, the creative student will suffer due to the structures that MOST students need to be prepared for the workforce. I hope that we can see the potential that every student possess in each every field, but given our limits right now, we are simply a funnel for colleges. I hope that changes are made, but like I said with the implementation of 21st Century Skills in my last blog, it will be difficult. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Week 6 - The Philosophy of 21st Century Skills - Task 1
I truly agree that the foundation of 21st Century Skills needs to be implemented into our schools more prevalently today. It is the key to our success in the workforce. I can personally attest that when people graduate from our schools that we are not prepared for the workforce. The requirements that businesses have today for our youth is ever growing and it is our responsibility as educators to prepare our students.
However, I have concerns of the implementation of 21st Century Skills in our classrooms today. One article that drew my attention to this topic was the critique by Daniel Willingham, Flawed Assumptions Undergird the Program at the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills. I am currently reading Willingham's book Why Don't Students Like School (A great read by the way) for my Learning Theories Class here at MSU and I must admit, am a little biased towards his opinions because of this. One major concern that we both agree on is whether or not we as teachers have the cognitive capacity to achieve 21st Century Skill implementation in the classroom. We are not gods, we have limits. This is true, but I believe that through preparation that begins here, in our own education as teachers, we are starting a trend that can lead towards full integration of these new techniques. Willingham goes on to say that if changing the classroom "were that easy, it would have worked by now, because it has been tried many times before." I will be a difficult transition, I don't think that anyone believes that this will be an overnight transition, but it can be done. I believe that we as an education community can achieve the implementation of 21st Century Skills in the classroom and would all be better for it.
However, I have concerns of the implementation of 21st Century Skills in our classrooms today. One article that drew my attention to this topic was the critique by Daniel Willingham, Flawed Assumptions Undergird the Program at the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills. I am currently reading Willingham's book Why Don't Students Like School (A great read by the way) for my Learning Theories Class here at MSU and I must admit, am a little biased towards his opinions because of this. One major concern that we both agree on is whether or not we as teachers have the cognitive capacity to achieve 21st Century Skill implementation in the classroom. We are not gods, we have limits. This is true, but I believe that through preparation that begins here, in our own education as teachers, we are starting a trend that can lead towards full integration of these new techniques. Willingham goes on to say that if changing the classroom "were that easy, it would have worked by now, because it has been tried many times before." I will be a difficult transition, I don't think that anyone believes that this will be an overnight transition, but it can be done. I believe that we as an education community can achieve the implementation of 21st Century Skills in the classroom and would all be better for it.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Week 5 - Slidecasting
So this week we had to incorporate audio to our powerpoints that we made last week. Now while it is extremely innovative and very technologically impressive, the audio attachment to the powerpoint was not worth the effort in my opinion. Maybe it's because I am a perfectionist, but it took me 2 hours to get my audio just right for a 5 minute powerpoint. I personally continue to use powerpoint in my lessons, but I will still prefer to use my own voice while narrating the slides.
One of my greatest fears is if we were to incorporate our voices to a whole lecture, I believe it would lead to the eventual replacement of teachers as we know it. If I could do it, then any teacher can do, and eventually a publisher would start creating it. Then all it would take is for an administrator to simply say "teachers you are now to use <insert publisher here> lecture slides in your classes from now on" and teachers would become nothing more than a proctor for their classes. The necessity for interaction in the classroom between the student and teacher is vital in the education system. I feel that with timed presentations such as the one above, it limits student interaction and students would be intimidated to interrupt the slidecast.
Now this is not to say that I will abandon all use of audio technology in my classroom. I still believe that podcasting my classes live will be a vital asset to my students who wish to use it. I also like the idea of having my students use slidecasting for projects or other similar assignments. Overall, I would say that this slidecasting technology is a great asset when used properly, but to integrate it to my everyday lesson plan is something that I would not see myself incorporating in the near future. - SCHAMA SIGNING OFF
Monday, February 14, 2011
Week 4 - Back to School Night
This was my first time using google docs for a presentation and I was skeptical at first. As someone who has been using powerpoint since he was in 7th grade, I was not expecting alot from a web-based program like googledocs. However, I was pleasently surprised at the amount of options and capability of the program and was quickly able to get to work. The relative ease of using this software was clearly an assett that I plan on using in the future.
Therefore, I proudly present to you my "Back to School Night Presentation 2011" that I made with google docs. I can't wait to see what it will look like in its final edition. -SCHAMA SIGNING OFF
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Week 3 - Task 2 - Core Curriculum Content Standards
I chose the CPI standards, 8.1.8.A.1-5 within the Educational Technology standard 8.1 which states that all students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge. I chose the 8th grade curriculum within Strand A (Technology Operations and Concepts) because I am currently teaching 4th through 8th grade mathematics. According to this strand, the students should be able to to do a multitude of tasks including professional documents on word, create a database, create a multimedia presentation, generate a spreadsheet and use appropriate tools to accomplish tasks and/or to solve problems.
My concept for incorporating all of these skills would be to have the students break into groups of 3-4 and present a whole lesson using power-point (I could even have be a weekly occurrence). The presentations would have to include a handout to their classmates of a detailed lesson plan ("crib-notes") as well as use excel to create a spreadsheet chart of the material that is going to be taught. As a math teacher, one example of a lesson that I would use would be the introduction of functions. The students would be required to use excel to create an input and output scenario for a function of their choice. Another lesson could be linear graphing and using excel graphs to show how different points can create different slopes. All of these tools can easily be incorporated into a power-point presentation that could be used to promote my student's knowledge of the technology available to them. There are many other possible concepts, but I feel that the idea of using a power-point presentation to teach a lesson, which is something I plan on using personally, would be a great asset for my students to learn as well. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
My concept for incorporating all of these skills would be to have the students break into groups of 3-4 and present a whole lesson using power-point (I could even have be a weekly occurrence). The presentations would have to include a handout to their classmates of a detailed lesson plan ("crib-notes") as well as use excel to create a spreadsheet chart of the material that is going to be taught. As a math teacher, one example of a lesson that I would use would be the introduction of functions. The students would be required to use excel to create an input and output scenario for a function of their choice. Another lesson could be linear graphing and using excel graphs to show how different points can create different slopes. All of these tools can easily be incorporated into a power-point presentation that could be used to promote my student's knowledge of the technology available to them. There are many other possible concepts, but I feel that the idea of using a power-point presentation to teach a lesson, which is something I plan on using personally, would be a great asset for my students to learn as well. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Week 3 - Task 1 - Get with the times...or be left behind?
I really enjoyed the videos we had to watch for this week's blog assignments as well as the overall tone of the videos. I believe that the videos portray how schools districts are being forced to integrate technology in our classrooms. Now I agree that technology is a vital part of our classrooms in the 21st century but what extent is integrated I believe is still for individual teacher to decide. Now my heart went out to the English teacher at Chatham High School and that the new technology made her feel like a "dinosaur.", but I believe that she should make some effort to integrate any type of technology into her classroom. Refusing to use the technology around you as it progresses doesn't work in the business world, why should it work in the classroom. Imagine if a reporter refused to use a computer and still wrote his articles on a typewriter - he would never be able to make the deadlines expected of reporters today.
However, I don't believe that technology should be replacing our teachers completely. If spark notes is used to interpret a book and summarize it, how is a student supposed to learn those skills that allowed the spark notes author to write? So when the history teacher said "What is cheating and what isn't cheating" I believe it is up to the teachers to define what is cheating. Show that getting someone else's material and claiming it as your own interpretation is plagiarism and is cheating. However, the responsibility is on the teacher. If you notice your students are using a tool like spark notes and not reading the material, make sure a few of your questions cannot be found on spark notes. Try to make yourself available to the same tools that your students are using and use them to your own advantage.
In response to how I plan on developing with technology, one part of the Chatham School video really stood out with me, and that is the use of PODCASTS. I truly embraced this notion of using a podcast to make my lessons available to my students. This concept is one of many ways a teacher could make his/her knowledge accessible to his/her students outside of the classroom setting. As for what I look for in terms of technology when looking for a position, I am not truly picky as I currently work at a school where my books are over a decade old and I feel lucky to have whiteboard. But if I had to make a request, it would be that my classroom had a smart board or at the very least an overhead projector so that I could present my lessons in power-point form which would save me time during my class period that is usually wasted writing my notes on the board. I would prefer the smart board so I could interact with my slides on a regular basis. I feel that the interactive nature of a classroom does allow for a more "meaningful" atmosphere as shown in the 2nd video. If our students aren't doing meaningful work, then what is the point in assigning that work in the first place? We should use every tool available to us to make sure that our students truly appreciate and enjoy the knowledge we are sharing with them. TASK II COMING SOON!
However, I don't believe that technology should be replacing our teachers completely. If spark notes is used to interpret a book and summarize it, how is a student supposed to learn those skills that allowed the spark notes author to write? So when the history teacher said "What is cheating and what isn't cheating" I believe it is up to the teachers to define what is cheating. Show that getting someone else's material and claiming it as your own interpretation is plagiarism and is cheating. However, the responsibility is on the teacher. If you notice your students are using a tool like spark notes and not reading the material, make sure a few of your questions cannot be found on spark notes. Try to make yourself available to the same tools that your students are using and use them to your own advantage.
In response to how I plan on developing with technology, one part of the Chatham School video really stood out with me, and that is the use of PODCASTS. I truly embraced this notion of using a podcast to make my lessons available to my students. This concept is one of many ways a teacher could make his/her knowledge accessible to his/her students outside of the classroom setting. As for what I look for in terms of technology when looking for a position, I am not truly picky as I currently work at a school where my books are over a decade old and I feel lucky to have whiteboard. But if I had to make a request, it would be that my classroom had a smart board or at the very least an overhead projector so that I could present my lessons in power-point form which would save me time during my class period that is usually wasted writing my notes on the board. I would prefer the smart board so I could interact with my slides on a regular basis. I feel that the interactive nature of a classroom does allow for a more "meaningful" atmosphere as shown in the 2nd video. If our students aren't doing meaningful work, then what is the point in assigning that work in the first place? We should use every tool available to us to make sure that our students truly appreciate and enjoy the knowledge we are sharing with them. TASK II COMING SOON!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Week 2 - A School's Website
When I first read this assignment, I immediately said to myself, I should use my high school Alma Mater of Emerson High School. But upon further debate with myself, I decided that I should broaden my horizons and choose a different school district. Using the wiki website, I decided stayed within the 'GH' District Factor Group that Emerson also belonged to and decided to choose a school district that I had never heard of. That is how I came to decide to explore the Jefferson Township Public Schools website (it didn't hurt that the link to their website was right in the middle of my screen lol).
I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of detail to their webpage which seemed to have been recently upgraded (according to the District News its happened around 11/29/10). The front page of their website had all of the "trimmings" of a professional website and at the heart of this page was their district's "Philosophy of Education." On top they had a banner with your typical "school spirit" graphics, but directly underneath the banner was a scrolling ticker with updated news. For example, "Tuesday, February 1...All Jefferson Township Schools will be closed today. All afterschool and evening activities are canceled." was scrolling at the time I looked at the site. The site seemed very accessible to the public as it had tabs on the top of Schools, Parent's and Community, District Offices, Board of Ed., & Central Office and Superintendent, all of which had drag down sub categories with links. Furthermore, there are even quick links on the left side of the page with links to relevant information that parents would like quick access to (Teacher Web Sites, Lunch Menus, Athletics etc.). Of course the front page also has upcoming District Events as well as links to those events.
As per the assignment, I decided to delve into the teacher webpages of the district and found my way to 3 different math teachers webpages. All 3 of them had very similar webpages though it did seem that each teacher was able to have free reign in the design of webpage. Yet despite the aesthetic differences of Mrs. Millano's, Mr. Petric's, and Mr. Stager's websites, all of the sites conveyed the necessary information (such as contact information, upcoming homework assignments, classroom etiquette, etc.)
After spending over an hour looking at many of the different pages and links of the district, I can say with confidence that this website easily meets James McKenzie's "Four Goals for a School Website". However, my major concern with this is the relevancy of the article. As I stated in my previous blog, technology is changing exponentially and are the expectations of a school website 13 years ago the same as they should be today. That's a discussion for another time. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of detail to their webpage which seemed to have been recently upgraded (according to the District News its happened around 11/29/10). The front page of their website had all of the "trimmings" of a professional website and at the heart of this page was their district's "Philosophy of Education." On top they had a banner with your typical "school spirit" graphics, but directly underneath the banner was a scrolling ticker with updated news. For example, "Tuesday, February 1...All Jefferson Township Schools will be closed today. All afterschool and evening activities are canceled." was scrolling at the time I looked at the site. The site seemed very accessible to the public as it had tabs on the top of Schools, Parent's and Community, District Offices, Board of Ed., & Central Office and Superintendent, all of which had drag down sub categories with links. Furthermore, there are even quick links on the left side of the page with links to relevant information that parents would like quick access to (Teacher Web Sites, Lunch Menus, Athletics etc.). Of course the front page also has upcoming District Events as well as links to those events.
As per the assignment, I decided to delve into the teacher webpages of the district and found my way to 3 different math teachers webpages. All 3 of them had very similar webpages though it did seem that each teacher was able to have free reign in the design of webpage. Yet despite the aesthetic differences of Mrs. Millano's, Mr. Petric's, and Mr. Stager's websites, all of the sites conveyed the necessary information (such as contact information, upcoming homework assignments, classroom etiquette, etc.)
After spending over an hour looking at many of the different pages and links of the district, I can say with confidence that this website easily meets James McKenzie's "Four Goals for a School Website". However, my major concern with this is the relevancy of the article. As I stated in my previous blog, technology is changing exponentially and are the expectations of a school website 13 years ago the same as they should be today. That's a discussion for another time. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Week 1 - My Expectations
Hi, my name is Chris and this is my FIRST BLOG EVER! I am an active follower of many social networking sites but the concept of blogging just never interested me. I never quite understood the obsession with blogs and its not because I am not technologically savvy. When I was a child, my family made sure that I was immersed in technology at a young age. As a computer technology consultant, my father had me in front of a computer by the time I was 6 years old (compared to today, not a big deal, but in 1990 I feel it was rare for a 6-year-old to have a personal computer). Also, by the time I was in 3rd grade, my school system had implemented a computer teaching curriculum where students had to learn to use software. This curriculum was a major factor in making sure that technology was always a focal point in my life. I have always been the type enjoy technology. I always try to purchase the latest gadgets (that are within my price range), read up on the latest tech news and I always try to stay connected with the outside world. I expect this class to teach me new techniques of staying connected with my students as I pursue my career as high school math teacher.
I feel that technology is necessary in the classroom today. Unfortunately, with the exponential increase in technology sophistication, the technology we have today, will probably be obsolete in 5 years. Think about it, 5 years ago had you ever heard of twitter? Yet despite these difficulties, the benefits from using technology (such as smart boards, updated websites etc) will allow teachers in the 21st century to connect with their student body in ways that were science fiction 20 years ago. This is supported by the article by Allen & Dutt-Doner and their reference to digitized documents in the classroom. I personally believe that kindles and Ipads are the next wave of textbooks in the classroom. The organization gained from not having to exchange books for every class as well as the physical benefits (no more bad backs due to heavy backpacks) are an amazing tool that should be utilized in schools across the nation.
Considering that this is my first online course ever, I am eagerly awaiting the coming semester and hope to adjust well to the challenges that wait ahead. That's it for now. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
I feel that technology is necessary in the classroom today. Unfortunately, with the exponential increase in technology sophistication, the technology we have today, will probably be obsolete in 5 years. Think about it, 5 years ago had you ever heard of twitter? Yet despite these difficulties, the benefits from using technology (such as smart boards, updated websites etc) will allow teachers in the 21st century to connect with their student body in ways that were science fiction 20 years ago. This is supported by the article by Allen & Dutt-Doner and their reference to digitized documents in the classroom. I personally believe that kindles and Ipads are the next wave of textbooks in the classroom. The organization gained from not having to exchange books for every class as well as the physical benefits (no more bad backs due to heavy backpacks) are an amazing tool that should be utilized in schools across the nation.
Considering that this is my first online course ever, I am eagerly awaiting the coming semester and hope to adjust well to the challenges that wait ahead. That's it for now. SCHAMA SIGNING OFF.
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