Problems with Technology and Schools
Teacher Competency and Comfort Level
If the directives from the administration were concise and provided a follow through method of implementation all teachers would understand where they should be with technology. Teacher evaluations, job descriptions, and requirements should clearly state and enforce these expectations. There needs to be a plan of execution so that teachers are given ample time and opportunity to meet these challenges. If the teacher chooses not to follow through then disciplinary action must be taken. These methods prove successful in the licensing of teachers and need to be implemented so that all schools can offer their students the best advantage to learning with technology.
What Training and Resources are available?
Having a technology coordinator either on the district level or individual school level would give access to the teachers a host of valuable resources available. CESA #1, here in the Milwaukee area, provides ongoing training and guidance to schools in the area of technology. If teachers were aware and offered these courses either onsite or at convenient locations they would be more likely to attend them. There needs to be incentives offered that make the extra work worth their investment. Paid training, pay raises, in-service days, continuing education credit are some ways to entice teachers to comply.
Administrative support - who has the final answer? District admin/principal/curric direct/school board
This area of responsibility needs to be address. On a state level an outline needs to be written of where the responsibility lies. Who is to make these decisions? How will the level of competency be addressed and evaluated? When technology first entered the education scene there were many directives handed down. But the follow through has been lacking. Technology plans are approved but then there are no checks and balances to prove its implementation. Unless the expectations come from the top, nothing will be done to improve technology in schools.
What are the expectations of the teachers and the technology coordinator?
After our school merged with 5 other schools I wrote up a list of responsibilities for the teachers and technology coordinator. Each building had been doing technology in vastly different ways. To say the least I was not and still am not a favorite among this staff. I expect the teachers to be involved in technology. I expect them to know the software, how to use the lab, how to use the computers in their classrooms and how to integrate technology into the curriculum. They have other ideas. It has been a struggle getting them into the lab and collaborating with me on lessons. Some teachers are great and love to work with me on lessons and it makes for a wonderful experience for all involved. It definitely makes a positive impact on the students’ abilities. I am still climbing that mountain to reach the goal of being completely technology integrated. Each baby step, each time a teacher collaborates with me, every time they are able to use the software themselves, we get closer to that goal.
Do we have the funds? Is it budgeted?
The technology plans states that we are to allot X amount of dollars for technology each year. The money is to come from home and school fundraising. Since the merger, I have yet to see that happen. I am not sure where that money is going, but prior to the merger I was careful with using the technology money. I left $8,000.00 in the account so I would have something to work with after the merger. I should have spent the money. The first time I asked to buy something, I was told I had no budget and no money. It has been challenging. This is our 4th year and I am now demanding things we can no longer do without. I am open to ideas and suggestions on how to keep our technology program going!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
DabbleDabbleDabble Database
The database website we went to was DabbleDB. The database activity in class was quite complex. But I can see its usefulness for large-scale operations. It is good to know this type of service is available on the Internet. Dabble is a prepared database that one can plug the information into and it does most of the work. It can handle a lot of data if one chooses to pay for the upgrade. The site gives the user a basic spreadsheet for free, but is limited so if it was truly put to use, the upgrade would be a must. The spreadsheet we used Wednesday night in class was already loaded with information. We had to resort the information in a variety of formats, add to, and change the information. It gave us a good sample of what a spreadsheet can do and how to do it. I felt the lesson was a bit overwhelming for first time database users, but I am experienced so I was able to follow along even though my log in gave me trouble again.
Databases are used every day in our society and help keep the world running smoothly. I like to use common analogies with my students to prove to them how databases are prevalent in their lives. My favorite example is restaurant birthday clubs. Sign up for the free birthday meal and within weeks the mailbox is overflowing with junk mail trying to sell to the student’s age group. I use spreadsheets in my classroom, but I have the students design them so they understand them from the ground up.
I have the kids do statistics on presidents, states, their classmates (that’s a fun one), weather, sports teams, and anything else that is relevant in their lives and fun to keep track of. After they have designed the fields I have them gather the information, usually from the Internet, but sometimes from each other. Then we spend time sorting and putting the information into spreadsheet, which leads into graphing.
Databases are used every day in our society and help keep the world running smoothly. I like to use common analogies with my students to prove to them how databases are prevalent in their lives. My favorite example is restaurant birthday clubs. Sign up for the free birthday meal and within weeks the mailbox is overflowing with junk mail trying to sell to the student’s age group. I use spreadsheets in my classroom, but I have the students design them so they understand them from the ground up.
I have the kids do statistics on presidents, states, their classmates (that’s a fun one), weather, sports teams, and anything else that is relevant in their lives and fun to keep track of. After they have designed the fields I have them gather the information, usually from the Internet, but sometimes from each other. Then we spend time sorting and putting the information into spreadsheet, which leads into graphing.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Video
The videos Alaskan Stories-Read & Retold is very adaptable to my computer lab. We have the hardware and software mentioned in the video. This lesson was geared toward special education, which is an area I have not had a lot of training in. I selected this video because I am interested in the adaptive technology with special needs and I am curious how it is used. I have a few students that have special needs and after watching these videos I feel I have been on track providing my students with adaptive resources for their needs.
The alphasmarts came in very handy when the students needed to do their word processing and there was not a computer available for them to use. I find the alphasmarts extremely handy especially with students that find school challenging. The majority of the students that check them out are struggling to keep up with the class and require extra time to get their work done.
The software Inspiration helped the students create character maps from the story they were reading. Inspiration is great multimedia software that helps the student detail the story they have read. I have my students view the web in both the graphics context and the outline format. The availability of both views allows students to have the information laid out in an organized fashion, which is easy to follow.
The smart board was a great tool for the kids to actively engage in their PowerPoint presentations. They were able to stand in front of the group giving their presentation while interacting with the presentation. I often do this with the projector in my lab. I would love a smart board. I think the students are more likely to pay attention to the activities the presenter is doing, if they actually see her doing it. So often I have the kids looking at me when I am talking and not looking at the projection. They miss the steps of the lesson because they are looking in the wrong place.
The alphasmarts came in very handy when the students needed to do their word processing and there was not a computer available for them to use. I find the alphasmarts extremely handy especially with students that find school challenging. The majority of the students that check them out are struggling to keep up with the class and require extra time to get their work done.
The software Inspiration helped the students create character maps from the story they were reading. Inspiration is great multimedia software that helps the student detail the story they have read. I have my students view the web in both the graphics context and the outline format. The availability of both views allows students to have the information laid out in an organized fashion, which is easy to follow.
The smart board was a great tool for the kids to actively engage in their PowerPoint presentations. They were able to stand in front of the group giving their presentation while interacting with the presentation. I often do this with the projector in my lab. I would love a smart board. I think the students are more likely to pay attention to the activities the presenter is doing, if they actually see her doing it. So often I have the kids looking at me when I am talking and not looking at the projection. They miss the steps of the lesson because they are looking in the wrong place.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Spreadsheet Mania
In your Weblog - create an entry describing the spreadsheet activities we did in class. Include any observations you have regarding the activity and how spreadsheet programs can be used in your teaching.
We used google docs spreadsheet to create a college budget and a magic squares. The magic squares I use as a fun introduction to spread sheet formulas. It gives the kids a puzzle to figure out to see how flexible spreadsheets are. It is an enjoyable activity that allows them to work at their pace. I am able to get around the room and help those that need it while the ones who get it have fun solving the problem. The budget exercise shows many of the functions that a spreadsheet can do. It demonstrates the variety of information that can be calculated in a spreadsheet.
I use spreadsheets for a wide range of subjects. Having the students create grading spreadsheets, budgets, tally weather stats, calculate averages, keep track of inventory, and monitor prices on a wish list. The list is endless as for the learning objectives spreadsheets can be used for.
This class gave me many useful sites to explore for spreadsheet lesson ideas. Lessonplanpage. Com, nettrecker and nara.gov all came in very handy. There were so many great ideas on these sites and through the nettrecker search engine that I am set for this year. Also the information on the web site evaluation will come in very handy with my students. The kids need to be skilled at finding reliable information especially with the vast amounts on the Internet.
We used google docs spreadsheet to create a college budget and a magic squares. The magic squares I use as a fun introduction to spread sheet formulas. It gives the kids a puzzle to figure out to see how flexible spreadsheets are. It is an enjoyable activity that allows them to work at their pace. I am able to get around the room and help those that need it while the ones who get it have fun solving the problem. The budget exercise shows many of the functions that a spreadsheet can do. It demonstrates the variety of information that can be calculated in a spreadsheet.
I use spreadsheets for a wide range of subjects. Having the students create grading spreadsheets, budgets, tally weather stats, calculate averages, keep track of inventory, and monitor prices on a wish list. The list is endless as for the learning objectives spreadsheets can be used for.
This class gave me many useful sites to explore for spreadsheet lesson ideas. Lessonplanpage. Com, nettrecker and nara.gov all came in very handy. There were so many great ideas on these sites and through the nettrecker search engine that I am set for this year. Also the information on the web site evaluation will come in very handy with my students. The kids need to be skilled at finding reliable information especially with the vast amounts on the Internet.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Ixquick Metasearch Engine
I found the home page for http://us.ixquick.com neat and clean, with not a lot of visuals to over stimulate.The "my settings" feature allows the viewer to set filtering for both video, web, and picture sites. Ixquick is a metasearch website, which means it uses the results fromother search engines. At the top of the page it lists the website search engines that it uses. Ixquick searches Ask, EntireWeb, Gigablast, MSN, Netscape, Open Directory, Wikipedia, and Yahoo.
To the right of the website name there will be a check and an X. The X can be clicked if the user no longer wants to see that site in the results. The check mark can be clicked to add more of the same type of site. There is a star rating system to the right of the title. The number of stars indicates the number of search engines that agree with the search results. One star means one site agrees, five stars means all the search engines agree. There is an international phone directory right at the top left of the page. A very handy link for those in a hurry searching for someone.
To the right of the website name there will be a check and an X. The X can be clicked if the user no longer wants to see that site in the results. The check mark can be clicked to add more of the same type of site. There is a star rating system to the right of the title. The number of stars indicates the number of search engines that agree with the search results. One star means one site agrees, five stars means all the search engines agree. There is an international phone directory right at the top left of the page. A very handy link for those in a hurry searching for someone.
Best Internet Search Practices
Wednesday night's class was once again filled with lots of useful information. I can't wait to get back to the lab to teach these wonderful search tools to my student. Although I am familiar with some of the techniques, I was pleasantly surprised at the majority of information presented. I find the charts helpful for easily comparing what techniques can be used on which sites.
Viewing and comparing the other search engines opened my eyes to many features I did not know existed in cyberspace. Noodletools.com is a site I will definitely share with our teachers. I think I will make a poster of it for my lab, as the chart is simple enough to understand, even for 4th grade students.
Viewing and comparing the other search engines opened my eyes to many features I did not know existed in cyberspace. Noodletools.com is a site I will definitely share with our teachers. I think I will make a poster of it for my lab, as the chart is simple enough to understand, even for 4th grade students.
Word Proessing in the classroom
The first six weeks of every school year I devote to teaching my students how to properly word process. It makes such a significant difference in the quality of all their other projects that I want to make sure we cover all the steps before we delve into anything else. Even my youngest students get introduced to the keys of the board first. If they can at least get their names in print, everything will run much smoother. Word processing can open up many doors for students, especially those that have trouble putting their thoughts down in words. The wonderful software programs available to students go through the writing process step by step using fun graphics and multimedia tool that make the project seem less like work and more enjoyable.
Some examples of work I have had my students do would be: create a travel brochure for a distant location, a newspaper on current events, create legal size posters advertising the accomplishments of famous scientists, PowerPoint presentations on humanitarians, and Nobel peace prize winners, keep weekly journals, create outlines, the list goes on. I find the possibilities are endless once the child correctly knows the process and how to use the tools. Word processing in the classroom is a very handy item.
Some examples of work I have had my students do would be: create a travel brochure for a distant location, a newspaper on current events, create legal size posters advertising the accomplishments of famous scientists, PowerPoint presentations on humanitarians, and Nobel peace prize winners, keep weekly journals, create outlines, the list goes on. I find the possibilities are endless once the child correctly knows the process and how to use the tools. Word processing in the classroom is a very handy item.
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