Journal 9- How to do More with Less

Pape, L., Sheehan, T., & Worrell, C. (2012). How to do more. Learning & Leading with technology,39(6), 18-22. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/20120304/?pg=20&pm=2&u1=friend

Summary:  The use of technological devices in the classroom is steadily increasing, and so are the standards at which teachers have to teach their students.  Unfortunately, the amount of available time and funding are decreasing, so many educators have turned to technology to help. There are many technological devices and online resources that are really beneficial to the teachers and students.  Some classrooms have become "blended" or "flipped," which help students develop independent learning skills.  The authors also give examples of many different online resources that are free to use.  Different online tools like blogs and social bookmark tools teach students to communicate and collaborate.  There are also different online tools that foster students' creativity; these websites help users create and edit videos, slideshows, posters, pictures, etc.  There are also organization and brainstorming tools.

Question 1: How could educators incorporate some of these tools?

Educators can utilize blogs and Podcasts.  By using a classroom blog page, educators can create posts to keep students updated and organized.  Posts can remind students about upcoming assignments, projects, or tests.  Different links and resources can also be posted to the blog, and students can post responses directly on the blog too.  Podcasts can be used to keep students engaged with learning when they are outside of the classroom.  They are usually easy to download and allow for children to learn from the comfortable environment of their own home.

Question 2:  Are there any negative effects of blended and flipped classrooms?

Blended classrooms require students to have Internet access and an available computer so they can review notes, powerpoint presentations, and assessments their teachers post online.  Some students may be limited in a blended classroom because they do not have access to the Internet or a computer.  The aspect of independent learning can also have negative effects.  In a classroom setting, students are forced to participate in and complete the activities, but outside of the classroom, students are responsible for their own learning.  There is no guarantee that students will do the work at home. 

Journal 8- Adaptive Technology

Communication

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies help individuals living with severe communication disabilities, such as, cerebral palsy, autism, brain injury, aphasia, and other conditions.  Different strategies help people successfully interact with others, express themselves, and learn about the world around them.


The BIGmack and LITTLEmack communicators can record up to 2 minutes of a single message, and can easily be played back by pressing on the activation surface.  The low-tech communication tool has 4 different colorful tops and requires a single 9 volt battery.  A student could use this communication tool in the classroom to communicate simple messages to the teacher, or a parent could easily record a message for the student to give to the teacher.

The DynaVox is a multimedia display device that was created to help those living with speech, language and learning disabilities.  The high-tech communication tool gives individuals the opportunity to speak their mind.  All the DynaVox devices use a language framework called InterAACT that allows the user to communicate, develop language skills, and express their feelings and ideas.  The concrete symbols make it easy to use by representing different ideas and objects.  It would be a great tool to help students with these disabilities in the classroom because it enables them to successfully communicate, and gives assists students with the development of their language skills.

Accessibility

An input device is used to translate information or data to a computer.  The most common types of input devices are keyboards, and a mouse.

TouchWindow is a hardware option that allows individuals with communication disabilities to interact with a computer monitor with the touch of their finger.  It is easy to attach, extremely durable, and the surface is scratch-resistant.  The user can select and move objects, operate drop-down menus, and draw by using their finger to point and touch the TouchWindow surface.  This is an excellent tool for students because it allows those with communication disabilities to participate in and complete the same assignments as their classmates.  Students are more engaged in the learning experience when they are physically involved, so interacting with the computer helps them learn the subject matter faster and have a better understanding.


CHIPSpeaking is an AAC desktop device that was created to assist vocally disabled individuals by storing up to 99 recordings.  The software records the users own voice and preserves commonly used phrases and sentences as is.  They are stored and easily recollected by the user's voice.  This is a great program for the classroom because students do not have a difficult time communicating and are able to ask questions if needed.

Journal 7- My Personal Learning Network

A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is a collection of people who connect together by sharing information, resources, ideas, and thoughts online.  A PLN can be really helpful because it is an easy way to connect to others involved in education, and find and share ideas and information.  I’ve created my own PLN by using Twitter, Diigo, and the Educator’s PLN.  My PLN will help me because it gives me the opportunity to learn from people who are currently working in the education system.  I can also find different lesson ideas, educational news, and collaborate with other educators.

Twitter is an online information network that connects you with people from all over the world.  It allows you to share resources, articles, opinions, ideas, etc.  When you find a topic or a user interesting, you "follow" their profile, and their posts appear on your own newsfeed.  Posts are called "Tweets," and they are only 140 characters long, so posts are quick to read and concise.  With my Twitter account, I am able to follow a lot of teachers, school administrators, and some educational news websites.  Some of the people I currently follow are Lisa Dabbs, Alina Davis, Robert Clay, and Seth Bramble.  I also follow a couple organizations like, ASCD (The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) and CTA (California Teachers Association).  There are always fascinating articles and new ideas posted on my newsfeed.  I’ve read a lot of various articles about the use of cell phones in the classroom, longer school days, and children’s involvement in activities outside of school.  Most all of these articles and resources I have discovered would not be found so easily anywhere else.  The cool things about my Twitter account is that I am exposed to information and resources that applies to my career and only things I am interested in.  Through my Twitter account, I was able to join a live educational chat with people from all over the world.  I chose the #K12media chat to participate in because I recently did a project about the effects of media on children’s aggression, so I was interested in the general topic of media.  The educational chat takes place every Monday at 8:00pm, and the one I participated in was on April 2, 2012.  Participants discussed issues of racism and sexism on school campuses.  People gave ideas on how to deal with these issues in the classroom, and gave examples of situations that had happened in their own classroom.  Some resources were shared too, and I was able to read over a couple related articles.  The overall chat was perfect for me because it is related to all grade levels, so any educator can relate it to their classroom.  I also found it interesting because I am currently enrolled in a “Cultural Diversity and Schooling” education class, and we discuss the topics of racism, sexism, equity and equality a lot.

My Diigo account provides an online bookmark for all the articles and websites that I want to save. It is a research tool that allows the user to "bookmark" a website page to their own library.  You can highlight sentences or paragraphs and leave virtual sticky notes on your bookmarked page.  You can tag different words or acronyms, making it easier to find articles or websites later.  I found an article on the ISTE website that gives information on Personal Learning Networks.  I bookmarked the page to my Diigo library and tagged with different phrases that described the article like; "PLN," "educators," and "blog."  If I am looking for this specific page or a similar one in the future, I can search my library using different tags.  It is also a social networking site that allows the user to follow other people and see the sites they have saved in their library.  Some of the Diigo users I follow are, Jil Wright, Doug Belshaw, Lacey Bridges, Jennifer Dorman, and Katie Day.  More resources are available to you when you follow more people because there are more articles, news events, and websites that are shared.  I follow other educators and some professionals who have updates from the technology world.  Since technology use in the classroom is rising, I want to stay updated with the new advances and tools.  

I have a membership for a Digital Discussion Forum that is a part of the Educator’s PLN, which is a learning network for educators.  There is a discussion forum, posted videos, and lots of articles, and many other resources.  I was drawn to the video, “What Is 21^st Century Education?”  The video was short but I was really surprised by some of the statistics and facts that were given.  It is a reminder for future educators to motivate and inspire their students so they can keep up with our world that is always changing.  One quote that really stuck with me advised educators to “make your classroom as dynamic as the world around us.”  It’s important for educators to continue to motivate and inspire students because education in the 21^st century is so different and so much more advanced.