Blog #8

Each of the readings this week focuses on the use of databases in education. The first article, “The World Wide Web: Interfaces, Databases, and Applications to Education”, offers a more technical view of databases. This article points out that a common interface, such as the Web, allows for a more wide variety of accessible databases. It is explained that there are three different parts involved in entering information into forms on the Web. The three components are: database, interface, and the actual Web form. Information gets from the Web forms to the host’s database through a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script. It is a complicated process but there are prepackaged CGI scripts available. Prepackaged CGI scripts help teachers with the creation of databases without knowledge of the “complicated programming techniques” (p. 41). This article also points out that databases can be used for forums, which can be used to hold online class discussions of pre-determined topics. Also, databases can be used to “hand in” assignments using the computer and conduct online class evaluations.

“The Database: America’s Presidents” talks about how databases can be used to create in class group assignments. This article highlights the shift in fundamental skills from the three Rs to the six Cs. The first four of the six Cs focuses on problem solving and includes: computing, communicating, concluding, and confirming. The final two of the six Cs focuses on information management and includes categorizing and classifying. Managing information found is an important skill needed in relation to the abundance of information that can be accessed through technology. In addition, databases play on the students’ natural tendencies to want to categorize items and information. This article suggests that a database activity be used to introduce the new skills involved in the use of databases. This type of activity is best as a group activity in order to enhance cooperative learning. Databases allow students to “arrange, sort, view, filter, and manipulate data in a variety of ways” (p. 10). The hands on aspect of this type of information based activity helps in the retention aspect of learning.

The final article, “Bells and Whistles: Organizing Data for Whole-Class Use”, also focuses more on the in class uses of databases. It is pointed out that database activities are great for one-computer classrooms. The class is given the task to research a certain topic, enter the found data into the one computer, and then discover relationships between the data. Databases are good for classroom learning for four main reasons. One, it involves working with electronic information, which there is more and more of everyday. Two, creating, defining, and categorizing information involves higher order thinking skills. Three, database use involves such critical thinking skills as: classifying, defining, categorizing, inferring, comparing, and contrasting. Four, the different formats available allows for greater flexibility.

Blog #7

The Wiki assignment has interesting because it is a “behind-the-scenes” look at how multiple author sites are made. I have always been told that Wikipedia cannot be trusted as a credible source, which to an extent is true. However, I was under the impression that just anyone on the Web could contribute anything that they wanted to the site. I found out, through the course of this assignment, that any additions or changes to Wikipedia have to be preapproved by the original author before the actual page is altered. Through this assignment, I have also been given the opportunity to experience how a web page is actually made. In addition, I have been researching the acceptable use policies and common computer lab policies for different schools, which will give me a head start for when I get my own classroom.

The article, “Bridging the Digital Divide: A Building Block for Teachers”, is full of important information. In fact, all of the articles that we have been assigned to read have been helpful and eye-opening in a lot of ways. I have created a folder on my computer in which I have been saving all of the assigned readings so that down the road I can reread them and refer back to them as needed. I think that the authors made an important point in saying that, as it pertains to classroom technology, there needs to be equal access to in addition to equal educational experiences with technology (p. 11). In my opinion technology is as important for students to learn as any other skill or subject. I believe that our future will be even more heavily based on technology than it is now. Therefore, students who are not given the opportunity to learn about technology will be at a serious disadvantage in higher learning and in the job market. Unfortunately, in this day and age, school funding is severely limited in most cases. Even worse is that fact that unequal school funding, and subsequent unequal technology access, follows along the same social hierarchy that is already in place; meaning, the schools that have less resources are the school that need them the most (usually the low socioeconomic and minority communities). In America we need a drastic shift in our political priorities that would allow more of our nation’s wealth to be designated for education. Having said that, I really like how the article both recognizes this problem but then shifts the responsibility back to educators. It is, after all, our job as educators to give our students the best education possible regardless of how much or how little we have access to resources.

Blog #6

Using Excel to create spreadsheets is an extremely valuable tool for teachers. There are so many things that teachers are responsible for these days that they don’t have time to track grades manually. Furthermore, using a computer program, with its automatic formulas, makes it so that there is less of a chance of error. I like the fact that you can create one type of spreadsheet and then reuse it year after year. It is also very useful that you can isolate certain data to make into graphs. I had to learn a little about Excel to pass the CCR exam but I have to admit that I was still very uneducated about how and for what to use Excel. I liked that, as a class, we went through Excel and practiced using it right then and there. I feel that I have a much better grasp of Excel and all of its features and tools. I took the Excel quiz and got one hundred percent (9/9), a good sign.

I found the article, “Teaching Students to use the Internet as a Research Tool”, very informative. I will use the information found in the article, not only for educating my future students, but also for my current status as a student. I have always used the Internet as a research tool but have also always had trouble isolating what information is appropriate and what web sites might prove less reliable. I wasn’t aware that different search engines will produce different results, so in the future I will be sure to use more than one search engine and/or to use the search engines suggested in the article. Also, I didn’t know that each search engine page has a “how to” feature that will describe the best way to get the best results for a search. It is interesting to learn that there are search engines just for kids, knowing about those search engines will prove useful in my future classroom. The web sites for teachers section will be very practical for my career as a teacher. Being that the Internet is used more and more for research, it is important for teachers to know, and for students to be taught, the most effective ways to search for, validate, and cite Internet information.

Blog #5

I loved learning about power point this last week. I was kind of familiar with the basics regarding power point but was not aware of all of the great features available to me. I have already put what I learned to use in a few of my other classes. I have used power point to make presentation before but, now that I have learned more about it, I realize that I had made previous presentation too wordy and distracting. Power point can be used many ways in the classroom. Of course, it can be used for lectures so that all of the students can see as well as hear what I am teaching. It can be used to create fun games that relate to classroom material. Power point can be used to create a visual agenda for each day so that students can know what the day will be structured like. Also, students can be taught how to use power point for their own presentations. The Inspiration software was also really neat. I think that Inspiration will be very valuable in helping students to organize their writing. For both teachers and students, the technology that we learned about this week will provide a more fun, more engaging, and more interactive learning environment. Bloom’s taxonomy was interesting, I’m not sure that I really understand how it can be used as a study guide for students but I think that it is a great template for teachers to use when creating tests and assignments.

Blog #4

I loved the idea behind the assignment presented in the article, “Mapping Student Minds” by Ariel Owen. I was amazed at how this one assignment gave every type of student the chance to use their personal strengths and improve upon their weaknesses. It is an assignment that every student can be successful at and that every student will be able to learn from. Furthermore, by observing the students at work and grading the finished assignment, teachers are given the opportunity to evaluate each individual student’s learning style and intelligence strengths. The outcome being that the teacher will be better prepared to tailor future assignments, for each individual student, based on his or her dominant learning intelligence. As we learned in class last week, there are many different types of intelligences that students may possess. The multiple intelligences include: kinesthetic (body smart), logical (number smart), intrapersonal (myself smart), visual/spatial (picture smart), linguistic (word smart), interpersonal (people smart), musical (music smart), and naturalistic (nature smart). The assignment in this article incorporated nearly every type of intelligence and promoted critical thinking skills at the same time. Much of the assignment is completed as group work, which covers interpersonal intelligences. The students go on at least two actual field trips and observe the natural environment, which touches upon naturalistic intelligences. Students use logic to debate and agree upon causal relationships. The causal relationships are displayed as a causal maps, using word association, which benefits both visual and word smart students. Students are encouraged to self-correct their work, which might be beneficial to intrapersonal learners. Finally, students present their projects to each other, which will help auditory learners to better absorb the material. If you add appropriate music while the students are working in the classroom, it might benefit music smart students. There are countless other ways in which this assignment touched on various learning intelligences. The most impressive thing about this assignment is that the basic outline of how the assignment is done can be used for a variety of different subjects and topics. This assignment also took advantage of the many forms of technologies that can be used in the classroom to enhance student learning. They took virtual field trips, used online databases, incorporated causal mapping tools, and conducted research on the web.

Blog #3

I found the article "Oh the Changes" very interesting. I think it is crucial for every teacher to know the difference between first-order technology integration and second-order technology integration. The first-order is known as amplification and is considered more "old fashion" in that it uses technology to perform tasks that are used in the classroom already, such as flash cards (p. 7). My early educational experiences focused on first-order technology integration, which was effective in achieving repetition and fact memorization but wasn't nearly as exciting as second-order technology integration. Second-order integration uses technology to actively engage students in their own education and allows for more student independence and critical thought; aspects that benefit both student and teacher. Overall, the progression of technology in the classroom has moved towards a constructivist approach where the learning becomes student-centered and the teacher's role moves from being "Sage on the Stage" to "Guide on the Side", which encourages students to become motivated learners. The most interesting part of the supplemental article was the concept of multi-age student grouping where a teacher is responsible for two consecutive grades of students. This classroom concept allows for teachers to get to know their students better and allows for the older grade students to act as peer tutors to the younger students. I think that the implementation of multi-age classrooms would allow for more quality instruction and student collaboration since there would be a much smaller learning curve for both the students and the teachers. In class this week, I learned about the advantages, for students and teachers, of providing rubrics for all assignments. Rubrics provide a guide for students while they are working on projects and assignments; thereby, allowing the student to better focus their work. For teachers, rubrics keep the grading process more fair and precise. Furthermore, rubrics provide a solid reference point for teachers to stand behind if parents and students feel the need to argue a grade. I thought that the web site we visited in class was of great value. I am sure that all of us in the class will be using this site to create rubrics in the future!

IMPORTANT: I posted this blog on Sunday (2-10-08) but I accidentally posted it as a "new blog" instead of a "new post" (I e-mailed you about it). So, today I moved it here (in the correct place) and deleted the old blog (2-12-08).

Blog #2

I found the tools that we learned about in class very helpful. I especially liked Yahoo Briefcase and Yahoo Groups. I think that being able to create a web page that parents and students can go to for information about our class will be very useful in the future. I will definitely be using the Yahoo Groups tool in my career as a teacher. One of my biggest fears about becoming a teacher is the possibility of not knowing what the heck I am doing, so Yahoo Groups will be an extremely valuable tool in getting advice and ideas concerning curriculum and classroom management.

The "Teaching for Understanding" article made a lot of sense to me. In my past a lot of the information that I learned was just that...facts that I memorized and then immediately forgot after I was tested on the information. This article stresses the need for students to understand information in order to be able to put their knowledge into action. Prior to reading this article I hadn't really considered that preconceived notions affect how and what a student can learn. I like the idea that by using technology in the classroom you can reach and then challenge every student. The technologies outlined in this article make it possible to relate the material being taught to every student in a way that is relevant to then; thereby, reaching every student regardless of their background and learning style. At the same time, once a student's learning style is assessed you can use technology to make sure that each student is challenged in an engaging manner. I intend to save this article so that I can refer to the various programs mentioned when planning my curriculum in the future.

I also learned a lot from the "Netiquette" article. Although I have always found chain letters annoying, and so never inflicted them upon my friends and family, I never knew that they were illegal. Furthermore, a tip that I found useful was to, when replying to an e-mail, always include the original message so that the receiver has some way to reference what you are talking about. Also, I think it is a great tip to always include some form of signature when writing an e-mail to someone so that they can quickly assess who you are and in what context you are writing to them. Finally, and most importantly, I will always re-read my messages before sending them to make sure that I am portraying myself the way that I intended in order to avoid misinterpretations and to always put my best foot forward.