Week 8: What I've Learned

On-line communication tools should help people share information, allow for productive conversations and promote thinking among various individuals and groups.  These tools can be used to facilitate communication between all groups of people, be it administrators and staff or between students and teachers.  Either way, the tools should be a means to an end. 

As a future educator, I am very excited about the possibilities that on-line communication tools offer.  These tools are all designed individually, but work together so well.  In my future classroom, I hope that I can combine various online tools to provide the best flow of information and collaboration within the classroom and outside to parents and other staff. 

I am partial to the blog for general information and a location where the teacher can provide answers and ‘need to know’ information.  Using a blog to communicate information is easy and straightforward; there is a small learning curve as to how to use the blog.  But I like most that there is no new equipment or software required.  If you have a computer and an internet access, you can have a blog.  It’s also easy for the end-user.  It’s easy to access, read and reply to if necessary. 

However, when you are using online communication tools, you must always consider the issues of security.  The security issues that educators must consider run the gamut…from individual PC security to the security of yourself and your students.  Not only do teachers and administrators have to be concerned about the physical security of the software and hardware, but they also have to be concerned about the security of information and identity. 

The potential for viruses, malware, worms, and Trojan horses is unending.  By opening your computer to the internet, you automatically open the door for these unwanted ‘bugs’.  It is vital that the computer and the network being used have sufficient protection against these invaders.  Firewalls and virus protection must be installed and updated regularly.  Your computer must be ‘checked’ regularly for viruses.  Often times viruses can be on your computer without your knowledge.  So, it’s important to regularly check your computer.  In addition, it’s important to check sites such as Microsoft Security Bulletins for messages and warnings about potential hazards for your computer.  As a further precaution, it’s important to backup your data regularly.  While this is not a ‘preventive’ measure, it is a smart option to protect your data in the event that your computer is ever compromised.

But in addition to the ‘technical’ security that educators must consider, it’s also imperative to model appropriate behavior when it comes to responsible behavior with internet use.  This includes instructing students to not give out personal information that could be used to identify them.  As much as we would like to believe the world is a safe place, it’s not and we must be responsible and not open ourselves and our students to potential threats.  Further examples of ‘secure’ use would include instructing students to be cautious of what sites they visit and what types of attachments they should and should not open.

In general, using passwords, firewalls, virus protection and all-around responsible behavior will reduce the potential for an attack from the outside to your classroom.  However, there is always a chance that your computer will be attacked.  Remember to use caution when accessing any information on-line and to always be prepared with back-up data.

Until the next time…be safe!

Week 7: What I've Learned

This week’s assignment once again leaves me exploring the universe.  As I’ve stated repeatedly here on this very blog, I’m amazed each week when I realize the amount of information that is available to us all and how little I am actually accessing.  On one hand, it makes me very excited at the endless possibilities.  However, on the other hand, I get depressed and weary; pondering all the things I still need to find and how much I just don’t know!  Ok, enough of my neurosis…..here’s what I’ve learned this week!

In review, there are seven different types of educational software, including Drill and Practice, Problem Solving, Creative, Tutorial, Simulation, Image and Draw/Paint.  After reviewing the different types of educational software, I’ve found that I really like several of those types.  Each type can be tailored to specific goals and that makes choosing difficult.  The problem with picking software is two-fold.  First, you must know that it will meet your educational goals.  And two….well, you have to consider purchase price.  Part of this dilemma is solved by free software, known as shareware and freeware.  However, again, there are limitations to the ‘freeness’ as you are sometimes given demos and/or expiration dates on those freebies. 

Being a student of education rather than a teacher at this point, my experience with educational software is from a strictly academic standpoint rather than a user’s perspective.  In general, I want to use Drill and Practice software such as those used in balancing chemical equations.  This type of software can offer immediate answers to student attempts.  In addition, it can show the corrected equation and give information (i.e. Tutorial) on how to complete the process for future equations.  Drill and Practice type software is great for younger learners as they are learning concepts and definitions for the first time. 

Discover! Science also offers a great software package that caters to learners in middle and high school.  http://www.scienceschoolhouse.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=5  This software combines several of the different types of education software (BONUS!)  It offers pieces of drill and practice, problem solving, tutorial and simulation.  In this software, the student is given presentation in tutorial form, but then they are assigned quizzes.  One of the most exciting pieces of the software for learners would be the virtual lab.  Virtual labs like those presented in this software or others, like Froguts, offer the student the excitement of lab work without the expense or potential hazards.  Students love the hands on of labs, but administrators worry about the cost and the risks associated with lab work.  This software helps with both sides of the issue.  The lab work is done through the virtual world and is ‘game-like’ to the student.  While the blood and guts are absent, it does provide the student with a true ‘view’ of the lab without the dreaded expense or mess of a live lab.  Of course, as with most software expense may be an issue here.  But again, teachers and administrators must consider the costs of individual labs with the cost of software that can be used repeatedly.  (Insert rubric for cost effective software here!)

As usual, this week has been a great learning experience and once again, an exercise in, “What?  Who knew THAT was available?!”  I love that feeling though…and am truly happy that I’m finding all this incredible information.  Have a great week!

Week 6: What I've Learned

Week 6 has proved to be challenging once again.  Before this week, I had no knowledge of WebQuests.  In fact, if I had been asked to define such a thing, I would’ve responded that it was what you do on the web…quest!  And in fact, I suppose that definition would’ve been close to correct.  A WebQuest is defined as an on-line inquiry model, first established in 1995 by Bernie Doge and Tom March.  These WebQuests are established to break a large project down into smaller tasks.  It aids the student with the learning process and allows the learner to work individually or collectively.

So…of course…we had to create one!  I was all about starting the process.  Signing up for an on-line account through Quest Garden was simple!  But then…the hard part began.  I reviewed numerous WebQuests on various sites.  There were some that were juvenile and many that were much more advanced. The topics varied from researching corn and its properties to examining human body systems from an alien perspective.  These WebQuests were set-up to educate students in a creative and interactive way.  What could I do?

As I am still not teaching, I have to use my imagination and once again, my daughter’s science class information to try and create lessons for this class.  While that sounds like it should be easier because the world is your classroom, it’s also the reason it’s so tough…the world is your classroom!  I decided to stay in the Science world and look for a different angle to approach this task.  I didn’t want to just do a hunt and report type of WebQuest.  While they are informative, they are also quite dull for the student.  How could I make a science based WebQuest and make it creative?  How do you make something entertaining and informative?  This was my biggest dilemma.

As I researched, I decided to use the weather as the topic for my WebQuest.  While it is not always the most exciting of topics for students, it is very accessible.  Weather is something that is talked about at school, on the news, and over the dinner table.  So, how do you take something that is normal to the student and make it exciting?  Once again, I turned to my daughter.  Do something ‘different she says…make if ‘fun’ she says…make a video she says!  Well, I took the idea and went with that!

In order to make the quest something a little different, I took the idea of researching weather topics and gave it a twist.  My WebQuest is set-up as the task of interviewing for a meteorologist job for a local news channel.  The student must research one of three weather topics:  hurricanes, tornadoes, or thunderstorms.  After picking a topic, the student must research the important facts of their topic.  Then, the student will organize the data and create a ‘report’ of the weather.  The student has the option of submitting a script of a weather forecast or submitting a video of the forecast.  The forecast should be a mock weather forecast as you would see on the local news.  My hopes are that the student will not only learn about the weather topics being covered, but they will be able to creatively design a report to include the information and entertain.  This is a skill that will be essential in job interviews:  taking the information you have and presenting it in an effective and efficient way.  And the video presentation can be fun! You can be the forecaster and say all the crazy things that the meteorologists tell us and know the data behind them.  To view my WebQuest, go to http://questgarden.com/118/64/0/110213134654/ and take a look around.

I think the WebQuests can be great tools.  One fact that I enjoy is that they can be edited for future use after you see what works and what doesn’t.  Besides deciding what topic to use, I did encounter some difficulty in designing and setting up the WebQuest.  I found some of the graphics dull and cumbersome.  In addition, I had difficulty importing photographs.  I didn’t think my images were too large, but each time I tired, the application would tell me it was not able to upload the photographs. 

I am totally ready to try again however.  I think many of my ‘issues’ will subside with additional use.  And of course by continuing to review other WebQuests, hopefully I’ll be able to incorporate some of the great ideas that others are sharing!  Until the next time!

Week 5: What I've Learned

Well, as I’ve come to expect, this week I found out what I don’t know! I consider myself pretty tech savvy. Granted, I don’t own all the latest gadgets and gizmos.  I’m a single mom…my extra funds are spent on zebra throw pillows for a certain 10-year old.  However, I have been involved with computers and techno-type items throughout my business career.  I am becoming increasingly aware however of how much ‘stuff’ I left to the IT guys.  (Thanks to you all!)  I prepared Excel and Word documents and PowerPoint Presentations where I set-up the multi-media projectors, etc.  However, I had never given much thought to the blogs or wikis or websites.  My short involvement with website development left me less than excited about continuing in that line of work.  But this week (and during this term) I’m discovering the ease of developing blogs and wikis!

To be honest, I truthfully had no prior knowledge of wikis other than Wikipedia and Wikileaks (yikes!).  While I was quasi aware that Wikipedia was editable, I hadn’t given it much thought.  I certainly hadn’t thought about using a ‘wiki’ in a classroom.  As I am not teaching yet, I have never had the opportunity to use a wiki or a blog for that matter in a teaching environment.  But after researching these types of communication tools, I am really excited about their potential!

While learning about the various types of instruction and different types of learners, we have been reminded repeatedly that we must engage the students.  Now, all of us want to engage the students.  But sometimes it is more difficult than others.  Let’s face it; there is some material that is just BO-RING as my daughter would say!  So, as an educator I am always looking for the ‘hook’ to catch the students’ attention.  I think that wikis and blogs are just that….hooks!

In order for a student to learn, they must engage in the process of learning, right?  What a better way to engage than to participate in the development and presentation of the information!  Using a wiki, students can create a collaborative site that has interactive pieces.  Any visitor to the site can become a part of the creative process.  With guided instruction, the students can create a site that has them as the creator and developer of classroom projects.  In order to prepare the students for this type of work, we will introduce other sites that are currently using this technology.  After seeing other students working on these types of projects, my students will be able to apply what they are learning and start to develop their own class wiki.  There are incredible examples on-line and step-by-step instructions for classroom development.  We will start with ‘baby steps’ by developing a class concept of what we want our wiki to do, who will be our audience and what we want it to look like.  Once we have established these ideas as a group, then we can start the development process.

Many classrooms are using wikis now to display classroom projects, from science experiments to music appreciation.  The students are in charge of researching the content and presenting it.  They must work as a team and learn to edit one another’s work.  The must also learn to organize information.  Using a wiki is a great way to incorporate the standards for the discipline and for technology.  But more over, this type of student involvement engages the student and will most definitely help to foster their knowledge of the content and help them learn technology that is vital for their futures.

Learning is always an adventure.  The age we live in gives us the opportunity to learn in new and exciting ways!  I’m ready!