Journal 9: Teaching Green (NETS-T I, III, V)

Journal 9: Teaching Green (NETS-T I, III, V)

Waters, J. (2011). The journal: green is good. Teaching Green , 38(4), Retrieved from http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/1105/journal_201104/#/12

Summary: This article gives very powerful websites that educators can used to teach about environmental issues. I like this article because it shows a variety of different websites for different age groups. Each website has its own unique characteristics and all should be used. Students should understand and use "GREEN" in their lives and should know how they can help our world go "GREEN". I like the power up website because it gives a lot of information but is a video game. This will give a attitude for students who are younger to understand what is going on in this world with the environment. I believe that students need to understand at a younger age so they can create a habit to live their life in a "GREENER" way!

Question 1: How can you incorporate these websites to your lessons?

There are many ways to incorporate these websites. Depending on the age group I would use whichever websites corresponds with the age group. Like the power up website, I would use this site for students who are at a younger age. Even older age groups will love to play video games yet still have an educational experience. I believe if something is fun, students tend to understand more and remember better. Other websites I would use for their appropriate age group because some websites might be a little more difficult for other students.

Question 2: Which of the websites demonstrated do you like the most and why?

I like the Classroom Earth because there are so many information to enhance our understanding to make the world green. There is even a guidance page where the website will explain how to get funding for green education programs. This will help teachers as well to teach the concepts of "green" education in order to teach their students the informational given. This makes teachers very knowledgeable as well.

Journal 8: Point/Counterpoint: Should Schools Be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying? (NETS-T I, III, V)

Journal 8: Point/Counterpoint: Should Schools Be Held Responsible for Cyberbullying?

Bogacz, R. (2011). Should schools be held responsible for cyberbullying?. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Point_Counterpoint_Should_Schools_Be_Held_Responsible_for_Cyberbullying.aspx

This Journal was very interesting. It talked about cyberbullying which is something we are working on in class. Cyberbullying is something that occurs all throughout the classrooms. This journal argues if the schools should be held responsible for cyberbulling. It talks about Yes, schools should and No, schools should not. For the people who said yes, they believe that schools should be accountable for cyberbullying. Teachers should listen more careful to students who have been cyberbullied. Teachers should also address the negative aspects of cyberbullying and how to know you are being cyberbullied. Parents should spend more time looking at their childs cellphones and be with them when they are online. Those who said no to schools not being held responsible for cyberbullying argues the opposite. They state that students who have these behavior problems have had problems that cannot be resolved in the classroom. The lack of their parents involvement in the classrooms and in education has a huge role. Parents are the first educators of their child when they are first born. If parents do not spend quality time helping their child grow through education, then it should be the parents at fault and not the school/classroom.

Question 1: What ways can teachers help stop cyberbullying?

I believe there are many ways teachers can help stop cyberbullying. One way is to teach it. If students understand what cyberbullying is, then there will not be confusion later on. If students are well educated then these problems should not occur. I also believe that students should understand the cons of cyberbullying and how it can affect ones life.

Question 2: What ways can parents help stop cyberbullying?

Parents should be involved in their students education. I hate it when I see students struggling and their parents do not care. It is very sad to see this and the parents wonder why their child is doing poorly in school. Parents should be involved when their child is on the computer while they are chatting or researching or just browsing the web. This can help stop cyberbullying since their child will know the difference of cyberbullying with the help of their parents!

Journal 6: Grow your PLN (NETS-T I, III, V)

Journal 6: Grow your PLN

Warlick, D. (2009). Grow your pln. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(6), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-march-april-2009.aspx

David Warlick talks about many interesting facts about PLN (personal learning network). Back then your personal learning network could be your teacher, your friend, parents, books. The author also talks about 3 different PLN's: Personally maintained synchronous connections, Personally and socially maintained semisynchronous connections, Dynamically maintained asynchronous connections. Personally maintained synchronous connections are used for personal use to get answers. A lot of people uses texting, skyping, etc. in order to get their answers. The personally and socially maintained connection is another type of PLN where you used twitter, facebook, etc. Lastly the dynamically maintained connections connects us to sources instead of personal use such as diigo; a bookmarking source or even twitter.

Question 1: If you had one website to choose from to start your PLN, which one would you use?

If I had only one site to use to start my PLN I would use Diigo. The reason to use Diigo is because it is a very powerful and useful tool to find valuable sources with a click of a button. You can join groups such as educational groups or teaching groups and find great websites that other people know about that you never knew about. The internet is going to be the future in teaching so being able to have ALL the websites in the palm of your hands is extremely important.

Question 2: How can you use twitter as a useful tool in teaching besides personal use?

I can use twitter in many ways. First of all having all my colleagues as a follower and also following them is a great way to network. Another way of using twitter as a powerful tool is to follow others such as teachers, professors in the same profession and ask questions and answer questions as well. We can use twitter as a group chat and help one another.

ALL ABOUT ME!!

Journal 5: Extra Credit (NETS-T I, III, V)

Journal 5: Extra Credit

Bloggers Beat: Are We Getting Distracted From What Really Matters

Fingal, D. (2011). Bloggers beat: are we getting distracted from what really matters? . Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Bloggers_Beat_Are_We_Getting_Distracted_from_What_Really_Matters.aspx

"The article contends that computers, cell phones, and other digital devices are rewiring kids’ brains and are “posing a profound new challenge to focusing and learning.” " I like this part of the article because many teachers and parents would disagree. Teachers and parents need to understand that technology is the future. We all get distracted by all the drama regarding if technology is harmful in the educational world. Instead of getting distracted we should look at what really matters. In this article what really matters is how powerful technology is. The internet is such a powerful tool and has made a huge impact for learners and students. The article gives an example on which with a click of a button on the mouse, you can find recipes on spice roasted sweet potatoes to learning that sweet potatoes are used for dye in Africa. That is what really matters: How powerful technology really is and what is most importance. Just by a simple click of a button, the internet gives us thorough information about ANYTHING we want. Back then we would have to use encyclopedia's and other books, but now we can just go on our computer at home and do everything PLUS a lot more simplistically.

Question 1: Why is it so difficult that teachers and parents only look at the negative impact on using technology in the class rooms?

I believe teachers and parents only look at the negative impact on technology in the classroom because back then the internet and technology was not as advanced as it is today or even 2-3 years ago. Even when I was in school, technology was not even close to what is it today. Teachers and parents need to open their eyes and see all the positive things that can be done using technology in the classroom. How powerful a simple software like word is, or how powerful a social networking website such as twitter can be, and to see it is more than a blogging site.

Question 2: How would you convince parents if they disagree on you letting their students use technology in the classroom in a parent/teacher conference?

If i was in the position where the parent of one of my students were angry that I was using technology, I would give them ALL the positive impact their student has done with it. Parents need to see and not hear in order for them to understand that technology has changed. I would show them projects we used that we incorporated the use of technology, I would show them scenarios on how a certain technology helped their student achieve optimal education. The more you tell the parents, the easier to convince them and let them know that these tools are not only used for chatting, or other things not used for educational purposes.

Journal 4: Its time to trust teachers with internet (NETS-T I, III, V)

Journal 4: Its Time to Trust Teachers with Internet

Schaffhauser, D. (2010, December 01). Its time to trust teachers with internet. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/12/01/its-time-to-trust-teachers-with-the-internet-a-conversation-with-meg-ormiston.aspx?sc_lang=en

The author of this article gives very interesting ideas. Where most schools and even in colleges blocks out social networking websites such as facebook, youtube, twitter, etc. Where most teachers would find no use to these social networking websites, D. Schaffhauser differs. When schools are more restrictive, teachers tend to sway away from technology and not learn new technology that has changed our generation on teaching. No matter how much the schools filter out social networking, students are still somehow able to get around the loop hole and still use these sites. Teachers should be able to somehow use their creative minds and use these wonderful social networking websites to their teaching advantage.

Question 1: How would you, as a teacher use social networking websites to incorporate it in your teachings? 

As a teacher I would try and collaborate with other teachers and school to see how we can incorporate social networking in our teachings. I believe that if every teacher gives their ideas, we will be able to figure out a strategy in order to minimize the use for personal purposes and maximize educational purposes. For my idea, I would try to incorporate social networking websites such as blogger.com and twitter where students will get homework assignments and projects to make a positive educational experience.

Question 2: Why do you think social networking websites are blocked in most schools?

I believe social networking websites are blocked in most schools because students use these site for their personal enjoyment rather than educational purpose. Teachers and schools would only see the negative aspect of social networking websites rather than collaborating together and figuring out how they can make social networking a positive aspect. Many students stay at the library or on computers and the first thing they will check is their facebook pages or twitter pages to see who has responded to their blog or page.

Technology Self-Assessment: School 2.0 (NETS-T IV)

Upon taking this assessment I realized that I am not as integrated with technology as I assumed. There were 2 interested topics that I researched furthermore.
The first topic I researched was "Help your class go Global." This is an interesting article because going global can expand a students learning an a teachers teaching. This article gives couple tools to expand the global learning such as "skype," "google earth," and "TagGalaxy" which can further enhance a teachers lesson. Technology these days has been crucial compared to back then when I was in school. Being able to do a simple video chat from a teacher from another state or even another country is going to change the world of teaching using different aspects/opinions and using a collaborative lesson.
The second topic I researched was "Top ten web 2.0 for young learners" I choose this article because I believe in this technological world we should learn how to use these tools. I believe traditional teachers who rarely use technology or teachers that does not want to participate in using technology hurts the next generation of students in their learning. I believe these tools will enhance our teaching and can only create a positive atmosphere in the classrooms. This article is a basic teaching of certain websites out there to get us started.

The nets that I researched was:

4. I involve students in opportunities to develop cultural understanding and global awareness through digital-age communications and collaboration projects with students from other countries.