“It is not television anymore: Designing Digital video for learning and assessment”

The Article “It is not television anymore: Designing Digital video for learning and assessment”, provided an enormous amount of information on integrating the use of digital video to further enhance instruction and research. It presented many interesting ideas on the importance that video could have in education and also pointed out that this resource is being underutilized.

 I think back on my own education and I know that the use of video in education was beneficial. I attended Carlsbad High School where the use of video to enhance education was a priority. We were offered classes that we could take, there were video projects built into the curriculum, as well as a daily news show. I did not get to personally participate in the daily news show but had friends that did and saw how much they got out of their experience. However I really enjoyed watching these every morning, and creating videos in other classes.

I was interested by reading through the section titled the four common learning outcomes. It presented the topic cricket and then asked what the motivation was in creating the video. Was it so that someone could play the game? Explain the history of the game? Recognize a good play? Or to want to learn more?  Depending upon the answer to the question you had the style of video that you would be creating.

I think that this article addresses a tool that would support the  NETS standards. The standard that I have chosen to focus on is standard 2- Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessment Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. I think that this one is particularly important because the use of digital video coincides with the idea of incorporating contemporary tools to maximize content.

"Get Your Students Moving"

 I read the article, “Get Your Students Moving”. This article looked at how to incorporate physical education and technology in order to enrich student learning. This is something that I have been interested in looking into since the class began.  I have learned a number of ways to incorporate technology into the classroom but always wondered where physical education and technology crossed paths.

                The article really provided a number of great ways that you can incorporate technology, physical education, and classroom material. The article states, “Often by the time students enter the gym, they have been sitting at their desks for a long time. Allowing them to move and interact with their classmates in a different manner can refocus them and enable them to see classroom material in a new way” (pg 34). I think that this statement is really important to the success of students. For many of them sitting in a desk for 6+ hours is tough, and physical education gives them a chance to release some of that energy as well as reaffirm what they have been learning.

                One of the examples given in the article explains how a school taught their students about the 2010 Winter Olympics and used Skype to meet someone who worked on the logistics team for the Olympics. I thought this was a great way to incorporate technology while gaining the interest of students. 

                The article ends saying, “While it takes time to think of the new ideas to connect PE to technology and the academic classroom, ultimately the students are enriched. So start collaborating with your colleagues, be creative, and take some risks. Every discipline needs to teach digital age skills, creativity, problem solving, and global awareness (pg 35). I think as a future educator this statement is important to remember, especially when it comes to taking risks and working together with other educators.

                I think that this article appeals to all of the NETS standards in some way. However I am choosing to focus on NETS standard 2. This standard states, “2. Communications and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.” I think the use of Skype is a perfect example of fulfilling this standard. It says that many of the students asked to continue Skyping with the person that they meet from the Olympics which shows that this tool peeked their interest.

Fisher, Betty Ann. (2011). Get Your Students Moving. Learning and Leading with Technology. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading.aspx.

Spreadsheets

I read the article, “Scaffolding Math Learning with Spreadsheets”. This was challenging for me to read. During class on Tuesday we discussed how different people learn. That some would like to be walked through how to use something, while others preferred to read through written instructions. I found as I read through this article that I really needed something more than written instructions. The article encouraged teachers to incorporate the use of spread sheets to teach math. The article gave examples of math problems and then explained ways that you could use a spreadsheet to explain this to students. I was lost with the first example. I was unable to follow the written instructions and understand how I would then go about teaching my students how to use these. I did find it helpful that the article included pictures of what the spread sheets should look like. However, I now know that I would need some kind of hands on tutorial to become better trained

                I agree with the article that this would be a helpful tool to teach our students, especially in preparation for the real world. I think that it would be beneficial for students to be familiar with spread sheets. Another aspect that the article touched upon was how useful spreadsheets can be. I for one can vouch that in my previous jobs  having been familiar with spreadsheets would have been beneficial. I learned to use this tool on a guess and check basis and was always surprised to find just how much simpler it made what I was trying to do. I agree that it is important to equip our students with this tool. However, as a teacher I would need some type of tutorial that would help me learn the tool.

Scratch

I read the article, "Programing by Choice: Urban Youth Learning Programing Using Scratch". This article gave a brief description of what Scratch is and then showed a study were kids were given the opportunity to use it. The program was introduced in a "Computer Clubhouse", which is an after school program where students ages 8-18 went and were giving the opportunity to create scratch presentations. The results from this 18 month period were really inspiring to look at and consider. Many of the students took to creating Scratch projects on their own with little to no supervision and were creating projects of their own.
     The article touches on this notion that many of these students did not identify scripting in Scratch as a form of programing. In fact when many of the students were asked "What is computer programing to you?". Many said that they had no idea. As someone who has recently started learning scratch I would agree with many of these students. I would not have considered what I was doing to be computer programing. It is interesting that Scratch presents programing in such a way that it seems doable, not daunting, which I as a novice to computer programing appreciate.
     Another point that the article addresses is why this Clubhouse would have chosen to use Scratch. The answer ties in with what I addressed above. "Scratch makes programing accessible for novices by simplifying the mechanics of programming, by providing support for learners, and by providing students with motivation to learn to program" (p. 371). Scratch was really able to addresses all three of these areas  which I think helped it gain popularity among students. Another benefit to using this type of program is that that it eliminates syntax errors, provides feedback about placement of command blocks, and gives immediate feedback for experiments (p. 371).
        This article definitely supports the NETS Standards. I think in particular NETS standard 2. This standard states that "Design Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Scratch allows students to participate in authentic learning experiences by incorporating this contemporary tools and resource. Even after having read through this article I feel I have a better understanding on Scratch and think this would be a fun resource to integrate into the classroom.

"Template- Based Teacher Web Pages"

I read the article "Template Based Teacher Web Pages". It was about a project in Brewster Central School District that was stated to increase computer literacy. This was done by allowing teachers in the school district to create websites for their classrooms through the use of templates. It was encouraging to read about the change that this project brought to many of the teachers and helping them to feel comfortable with the integration of technology in their classroom. The project also helped to shine light on the issues that teachers faced in regards to technology and helped to come up with solutions to approach those.
  One of the issues addressed in the article was that teachers saw this project as a burden and something they did not have time for. The article states, "This feedback demonstrated to me that the initial message and purpose of the project translated quite differently when it fi ltered down to this teacher’s level. Unfortunately, this teacher considered it another burden and expectation. It was clear that we needed to demonstrate how Web pages could fi t in to existing programs and be relevant to teachers." I think it is important to remember that we as educators need to see technology as relevant and work it into the existing programs. I agree with the article that unless we are able to do this technology will be seen as a burden and something that we don't have time to use in our classrooms.
The end of the article summarizes their goals for the district in the coming year. It states, "This year, the district started the next phase of the technology professional development program, using technology to enhance existing curriculum. Teachers are receptive to and comfortable with these concepts, because most of them now have the requisite skills and insight to work in this medium with their students. The instructional benefits cannot be understated. The Websites have become a springboard for many technology activities, containing rich collections of lessons, links,and other materials that will enhance instruction in Brewster for many years to come." In this section two things stood out to me. First, that teachers were receptive and comfortable with taking technology to the next level. This was a direct result of the training and guidance they received in setting up their website. The second thing is that the website has become the spring board for enhancing students educational experience.
    I believe that this article touches on all the NETS standards. However, one in particular stands out to me. The is standard 5 which states, " Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership- Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning, and exhibit leadership in their school and professional community by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources." I think that by learning how to create a website for your classroom you as a teacher are improving your students quality of education as well as participating in lifelong learning. Many of the teachers from Brewster where able to take their websites and demonstrate how they could effectivly use those resources to their students, and parents advantage.

"What's Not on the Web"

 “What’s Not on the Web”, is an article that argues that there may be important information that cannot be found on the internet especially when students are conducting research. It also explores credibility and accuracy of information that can be found on the web, and suggests search engines and databases to use.  The article gives examples of the kinds of resources that are commonly not found on the internet and where you could find these resources.

I think that by conducting research on the internet you are meeting all 5 of the NETS Standards. By having your students research information on the internet this can facilitate and inspire learning. The internet maximizes student learning by providing them with rich content and context for what they are studying. As a teacher you can exhibit knowledge of navigating the internet by teaching your students to use specific search engines, or databases. This can also be acheived by teaching them key words and phrases to search by.  Lastly, by providing students with guidelines for conducting research on the internet you are promoting leadership in the classroom by effectively teaching your students to best use the internet.

This article suggests that when conducting research students are missing out on great resources because they are only searching the web. I think this is a very valid point and have felt this way in the past when conducting my own research. I had a professor in college that assigned a 15 page research paper and in the guidelines told us we needed to find at least 3 internet resources, 2 scholarly journals, 3 book resources, and 1 media resource. I thought that this was a great way to make sure that the information that we were gathering was from a lot of different sources, and it also taught me how to find these types of resources.

Another interesting point that the article brings up is that it is hard to tell how accurate and credible a source is on the web. Because there is no guidelines or regulations to setting up a website it is much harder to know the information you are looking at is accurate. The article listed a number of websites and sources that are reputable which I found helpful to read through. I agree that not all information can be found on the internet and think that it is important for students to know how to filter through websites. I also that think that it is important to teach students how to conduct research in a library using books, journals, encyclopedias, and articles.