New technology rich classrooms at Irving, Whittier
This article discuss a Technology Rich Classroom (TRC) that has been created for 3rd and 4th grade science classrooms. Two separate elementary school prinicpals, their science teachers, and a technology specialist wrote a grant to provide for four TRC's including laptops for students, smartboards, Elmo document cameras, LCD projectors, student response systems or "clickers", and other new technologies. The goal is to engage students in science and increase their learning. They will measure the success of the program by evaluating student scores on the 4th grade state assessment test, using student, parent, and teacher surveys, measuring perfomance on classroom projects and assessments, and by looking at attendance and discipline records.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Reader Response
Reader Response Meets New Literacies: Empowering Readers in Online Learning Communities
This article was about a researcher collecting data on the use of an asynchronous message board with literature. It also discusses other forms of online communication, such as email, blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. This occurred in a 5th grade classroom. The curriculum for social studies is American history, so the teacher combined historical literature and language arts skills for their postings. The students read the books, The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. The students responded to the literature on the message board through the use of classroom laptop computers.
The possibilities of online learning through the use of message boards, blogs, and wikis are enormous. The students are engaging in thought provoking responses to the literature. They are getting opinions of others and broadening their own world by hearing others’ opinions. These statements from the article were profound to me.
“While working collaboratively in response to the literature, students established a community of inquiry in which their sundry literature prompts elicited divergent responses inspired by multiple opinions and diverse perspectives.”
“The new literacies are here to stay, and it is the responsibility of all teachers to orchestrate learning opportunities in which students can collaborate and communicate within a technology-rich environment.”
“In this study, the fifth graders clearly relied on each other for guidance, support, and construction of knowledge. So should educators. By helping one another, sharing ideas, and supporting future research, teachers can provide their students with the literacy futures they deserve.”
Larson, L. (2009). Reader Response Meets New Literacies: Empowering Readers in Online Learning Communities. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 638-648. http://search.ebscohost.com
This article was about a researcher collecting data on the use of an asynchronous message board with literature. It also discusses other forms of online communication, such as email, blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. This occurred in a 5th grade classroom. The curriculum for social studies is American history, so the teacher combined historical literature and language arts skills for their postings. The students read the books, The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Bud, Not Buddy. The students responded to the literature on the message board through the use of classroom laptop computers.
The possibilities of online learning through the use of message boards, blogs, and wikis are enormous. The students are engaging in thought provoking responses to the literature. They are getting opinions of others and broadening their own world by hearing others’ opinions. These statements from the article were profound to me.
“While working collaboratively in response to the literature, students established a community of inquiry in which their sundry literature prompts elicited divergent responses inspired by multiple opinions and diverse perspectives.”
“The new literacies are here to stay, and it is the responsibility of all teachers to orchestrate learning opportunities in which students can collaborate and communicate within a technology-rich environment.”
“In this study, the fifth graders clearly relied on each other for guidance, support, and construction of knowledge. So should educators. By helping one another, sharing ideas, and supporting future research, teachers can provide their students with the literacy futures they deserve.”
Larson, L. (2009). Reader Response Meets New Literacies: Empowering Readers in Online Learning Communities. Reading Teacher, 62(8), 638-648. http://search.ebscohost.com
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Jessica- Post #3
I found this very interesting article in Education Week called Technology Links Students to Fieldwork. The article talks about how scientists in remote parts of the world are maintaining blogs in order to communicate in real-time with students in science classes around the world. This piqued my interest from the beginning because science is not a topic I am strong in or especially interested. Within the first couple of paragraphs, the authors say that the whole purpose of this on-line communication is to change that attitude. Logically, scientists would have a more difficult time engaging school-aged students in their everyday work because it often involves specific lingo and unfamiliar terms. But the live blog approach allows students to interact with the scientists as questions arise. The scientists participating in this project are also posting video and picture clip to show the students what they are seeing and working on. This is a positive step toward incorporating more technology into our classroom and may even expand interest in the field of science.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Post #2 Troy
The article Evaluating Online Learning Communities was very interesting. It tried to take a systematic approach to classifying how online learning communities are evaluated. It broke them down into four categories: evaluation purpose, evaluation approach, measures for evaluations, and evaluation techniques. This article found that it is not possible to generalize online learning communities into a one-size-fits-all measure of good or bad. Instead, this article recommends a comprehensive, on-going, diagnostic approach to measure clusters of indicators. Overall, I found this article a little dry and not as informative as it sounded at first. I thought it got bogged down in lingo and was difficult to follow. Overall, I was disappointed by it.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The New Digital Divide
The article Blocking Web 2.0 Tools in Schools: Creating a New Digital Divide discusses not an economic divide for student access to technology, but a filtering divide. Many school districts are blocking vital Web 2.0 tools that prevent teachers and student from these resources. Tools such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, and Google Docs are preventing students from valuable collaboration. This is not an economic divide, because most Web 2.0 tools are free. The article encourages us to lobby for equal access. There are schools that are using these tools successfully. They should be examples for the argument. There should also be a push for teaching proper use of these tools, but if they are blocked, you can’t teach them.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Post #2- Jessica
I found this article from the Boston Herald on Education Week’s website (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/09/15/04mct_books-extinct.h29.html?r=1511748751). It talks about the shift in instructional tools in the state of Massachusetts from print to digital. A recent survey by the state’s DOE showed that more than half of the states schools districts have already or plan to upgrade their curriculum into a more tech-savvy approach, specifically targeting textbooks. The state is also using federal stimulus funding ($8.5 million, to be exact) and grants to incorporate technology initiatives aimed at improving student achievement.
This is a classic example of history repeating itself. Massachusetts has always been a cutting edge state when it comes to education and has always clearly identified education as one of its top priorities. I believe they will find this effort to “modernize” the curriculum across the state will benefit all people involved. The students will feel more capable when they leave the public education realm and may even be more engaged while they are still enrolled. The parents will certainly appreciate the technology instruction being provided hand-in-hand with the state standards. And the businesses in the surrounding communities will benefit by having the next group of employees enter the workforce capable and familiar with the technology of today. With the biggest hurdle (money) being minimized, I say why not!
This is a classic example of history repeating itself. Massachusetts has always been a cutting edge state when it comes to education and has always clearly identified education as one of its top priorities. I believe they will find this effort to “modernize” the curriculum across the state will benefit all people involved. The students will feel more capable when they leave the public education realm and may even be more engaged while they are still enrolled. The parents will certainly appreciate the technology instruction being provided hand-in-hand with the state standards. And the businesses in the surrounding communities will benefit by having the next group of employees enter the workforce capable and familiar with the technology of today. With the biggest hurdle (money) being minimized, I say why not!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Rise of the Virtual Teacher (Troy Cornwell)
I found this article online: http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1884
I was interested in it because I have often thought of trying to teach online classes after I comlete my specialist degree. Cobb Couny, Georgia was one of the disticts this article examined. About 190 out of almost 6,900 teachers are involved in online teaching. That is about 2.75% of the teachers. This is definitely not the majority but I am hopeful that my specialist degree in IT may help put me in this small majority.
A survey through Boise State University found that most of the online teachers have taught 7 to 15 years in a traditional classroom setting before entering the virtual world. Many of these teachers still teach full or part time in a regular classroom while a small minority teach exclusively in the virtual world.
Most of the virtual classrooms are taught by teachers who are certified in the content area of the course as well as skilled in distance learning education. While there are some national standards for schools and districts to use when it comes to evaluating virtual teachers, most of the districts perform this function on their own.
I feel confident that this part of education is only in its infancy and will continue to grow. I would like to become a part of this movement in the near future.
I was interested in it because I have often thought of trying to teach online classes after I comlete my specialist degree. Cobb Couny, Georgia was one of the disticts this article examined. About 190 out of almost 6,900 teachers are involved in online teaching. That is about 2.75% of the teachers. This is definitely not the majority but I am hopeful that my specialist degree in IT may help put me in this small majority.
A survey through Boise State University found that most of the online teachers have taught 7 to 15 years in a traditional classroom setting before entering the virtual world. Many of these teachers still teach full or part time in a regular classroom while a small minority teach exclusively in the virtual world.
Most of the virtual classrooms are taught by teachers who are certified in the content area of the course as well as skilled in distance learning education. While there are some national standards for schools and districts to use when it comes to evaluating virtual teachers, most of the districts perform this function on their own.
I feel confident that this part of education is only in its infancy and will continue to grow. I would like to become a part of this movement in the near future.
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