Week 4 Reflections

Spanning the Generations - Implications for Practice
After reading the article, Is it Age or IT: First Steps Towards Understanding the Net Generation, I am once again amazed at how different today’s students have become since I first started teaching. This Net Generation (as described earlier in the semester as Digital Natives), have grown up surrounded and immersed in technology. It is a part of their life that has always been there (at least for them). I grew up as a part of Generation X. I attended a small 1A school where there were no computers. I remember taking a computer literacy class and thinking how insane it was since we didn’t even have a computer in the classroom. I finally got my chance to use computers in college. I didn’t have a computer of my own, so I had to constantly go to the computer lab on campus to complete assignments. After graduating from college, I bought my first computer. That was then. Technology is now in the hands of almost every individual and a natural part of our life.

I was amazed at the fact that students still felt that the teacher was vital in the learning process. I loved what one teen said, “Learning is based on motivation, and without teachers that motivation would cease to exist.” Bill Gates said essentially the same thing, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.” Our roles as teachers will always be to motivate students and encourage them in the learning process. Our methods of teaching are the things that must change. Incorporating technology into the classroom to allow students to explore and discover new ways of learning is essential for the Net Generation. They still crave social interaction, so technology cannot be the sole source of instruction. The teacher still needs to guide and probe students in the learning process, but the learning needs to be delivered in a way that allows students the opportunity to discover knowledge through interactive, engaging activities. Teachers need to encourage students to spend time to reflect on what they have learned, how they can use this new knowledge in the future, and what they still could learn to better their understanding of the concepts.

We are products of our environment. I do agree that gradually we will assume many of the characteristics of the Net Generation as we allow technology to become more a part of our own lives. Even though I am in Generation X, I do have some of the characteristics listed for the Net Generation as well--such as the attributes of being hopeful and determined, liking the latest technology and my parents, and disliking anything slow as well as negativism. My responses to the questions posed in the article were surprising to me. In some aspects I am moving forward slowly by allowing technology to become more a part of my life. In other areas, I still have a way to go. My responses to the questions were:

• Are you more comfortable composing documents online than longhand? I am more comfortable composing documents online. The reduction of time spent in writing, revising, and finalizing a document to me is cut in half. The less time I have to spend in this process, means more time spent doing something else.
• Have you turned your "remembering" (phone numbers, meetings, and so on) over to a technology device? I am guilty of letting my cell phone do my remembering. I don’t remember phone numbers—I put them in my contacts and dial from there. I rarely ever dial a number unless it is someone I am calling for the first time. However, I still have a physical calendar on my desk and at home that helps me remember my appointments.
• Do you go to meetings with your laptop or PDA? I do go to some meetings with my laptop, but not very many. If I had a compact size laptop, that might change. I do not have a PDA—yet.
• Are you constantly connected? Is the Internet always on whether you are at home or work? Is your cell phone always with you? I feel like I am constantly connected, but not as connected as my students. This past year we finally got DSL. I love it. I log on whenever I have the chance to check email, Facebook, and just to browse at home. At work, the Internet is always on from the time I get to school until the time I leave. My cell phone is always with me, but I don’t use it like most people. I actually talk on it to my friends and family. I still haven’t given in to total texting. I still like hearing people’s voices.
• How many different activities can you effectively engage in at one time? As a teacher and mother of two small children, multi-tasking is a necessity. Now I may not be as good at it as my students, but I can juggle talking on the phone, checking my email, watching the kids play, and cooking dinner at the same time pretty effectively.
• Do you play video or computer games? Playing video and computer games has never been one of my favorites. I didn’t grow up with video or computer games, so neither interests me. I would much rather curl up with a good book or movie any day.

Week 3 Reflections

Portfolio Assessment
Assessment is crucial in education. But after reading the article, Electronic Portfolios as Digital Stories of Deep Learning, my ideals of assessment broadened and have changed. I am very guilty of using assessment primarily as a means of identifying weaknesses for individual students to discern what steps need to be taken next to help those students succeed. I was in control. My primary use of assessment has been assessment of learning not for learning. I can clearly see that I need to expand my assessment to be learner centered instead of teacher centered. Therefore, the AFL research based principle that I most related with was that assessment “develops learners’ capacity for self-assessment so that they can become reflective and self-managing.”

For the last several years, I have tried to incorporate portfolios into my Business Computer Information Systems class, but I have never been really successful--mainly because the students didn’t buy into the "assignment." I believe that by creating the portfolios using an online source, like Google sites, students will feel more ownership in their assessment. It will be their own “showcase” to the world. I loved the description of portfolios presented in the article: “A portfolio that is truly a story of learning is OWNED by the learner, structured by the learner, and told in the learner's own VOICE (literally and rhetorically).” A great example of this was the link to the “Choices” digital story at the end of the article. The students would love to create this kind of story of their own learning!

I go to workshops every summer to learn new ways of teaching and new technologies that can be used in the classroom. I always go back to school so eager to implement them in the fall. But without having the time to really learn to use them myself, I get bogged down and am only able to implement a couple of new ideas per year—leaving me way behind. This class has given me the opportunity and in a sense has forced me to take the time to learn to use technology to its fullest potential for the students. For this I am grateful. I see the use of creating my electronic portfolio as a means to measure my own learning of new technologies. By my personal increased understanding of the uses of today’s technology for learning, I can allow my students to use and grow their knowledge of those technologies while motivating them in the learning process to create their own digital stories of learning.

Week 2 Reflections

Not Analyzing Internet Information: The Implications for Students
The Internet now is the number one source used by students in research. We no longer have to go to the library to check out tons of books and read through massive amounts of text to find the information we are searching for. Unlimited information is now available with just a few keystrokes. However, all of this information still has to be filtered due to the overwhelming amount of fictitious information available on the web. The filters at school stop some sites from being accessed, but students access it all at home. So even though the information comes to us in a much faster speed, it still takes some time to analyze each site to determine its validity. Students need to realize this now—before they get into college and in their careers. It is our responsibility as educators to teach these skills to our students. If not, they could be led far away from the truth without even knowing it.

Information Literacy
I really thought that I had more knowledge about information literacy, especially since I teach students how to analyze websites. I was obviously wrong. My score on the Information Literacy Quiz was 6, which was only “moderately savy”. I have always warned my students to look closely at information on the web because anyone can put information out there, and I have warned them over and over again that just because it is on the web doesn’t mean that it is true. I teach students to analyze websites by analyzing the URL, looking at the author information, looking for update information, finding out who is affiliated with the site (usually in the copyright information), and by really looking at the content of the site for validity and bias. I always give an assignment at the first of the year for students to analyze at least two sites. I was not aware of http://www.easywhois.com/, http://www.archive.org/, or how to use the Link: in AltaVista to find all the web sites that were linked to a page. These are excellent tools, and I plan to incorporate these methods of analyzing sites as well as using the November Learning site next year in my lesson.

MAPping Activity
For the MAPping information activity, I went to “California’s Velcro Crop under Challenge” site. This site was pretty easy to analyze. The name of the author in the URL (http://home.inreach.com/kumbach/velcro.html) gave away the fact that it was a personal site. The only other link on the page was for the author’s name. When you go there, you see “Who is Ken Umbach?” as the title, and the subtitle reads, “A Totally Bogus Biography." Another link takes you to a sound clip that I think says, “Enjoy this.” This to me was the author's way of saying, "Gotcha!" When I used the easywhois site to find the publisher, there was no match found--another bad sign. The history of the site, according to the Wayback Machine shows that the site was created in April of 2001. I looked at the other years for the site’s history and found it had not changed since first created. The links proved the site to be even more unreliable. The first linked site was to “Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators” to use for critical evaluation of web sites, and the second link was for “Hoax Websites”—which listed this site among the hoaxes. When I used different search engines to look up the subject velcro crops, this was the first site listed on each (Google, Yahoo, and AltaVista). I was always under the assumption that relevance was what drove the order of the listed results for a search from a search engine. I only now realize, after reading the articles for this class, that some search engines display results by the number of hits to the site. I am so guilty of almost always using the first few sites listed instead of filtering through more. After analyzing this site, I really don’t understand why this site was created. Why would someone even take the time to create this is beyond me. It really makes me wonder, how many more thousands of sites are there out there just like this?

When I was in undergraduate school, I really mainly used books, magazines, and periodicals from the library (the old fashioned way) to research. I really didn’t start using the Internet for research until after I started teaching, and I never really analyzed my sources the way I should have until I started teaching BCIS in 1999. Even though I thought I was doing a good job, I realize now after completing this assignment that I really was not.

Delicious and Google Reader
This was my first experience with using Delicious and Google Reader. After creating my own Delicious account (jarledge.sshs) and accessing my Google Reader, I see definite advantages of using each. Delicious bookmarks are exciting! I have a long list of Favorites on my computer at school. I do organize them in folders, but it still takes a little time to find what I am looking for. If I was on my home computer, I didn’t have access to my Favorites from school so I would have to look them up again at home. Delicious is so easy to use and since organization is one of my necessities, this is great for me. Google Reader is also a great organizational tool that allows you to access updates to sites that you follow. I like using this to see the blog updates for my fellow classmates rather than using the Dashboard in Blogger.


For the future, I plan on letting my students use Delicious to create bookmarks when we research topics throughout the year. Every six weeks, I change seating charts so students get to know other students. One downside for the student is that they lose their Favorites list when they move to a different computer. Now they won’t.


Wikis: Advantages and Disadvantages
Education seized the concept of cooperative learning a long time ago. Ever since I started teaching, cooperative learning was a vital component in instruction. Teachers had to implement group work throughout the year to develop skills in teamwork, critical thinking, brainstorming, problem-solving, and the list went on. The problem rose in the implementation of the cooperative learning activity. If not formed correctly, some students would end up doing most of the work. We had to monitor the activity closely to ensure that everyone did “their part.” Students were afraid to voice their opinions, and some were afraid to give constructive criticism. A lot of time was spent in the activity because of the time it took for everyone to get their part of the project together to create the whole.


I believe that by utilizing wikis, cooperative learning has taken on a whole new dimension for the digital native. Since wikis allow you to see who edited the page, you can see exactly who contributed to the project, how much was contributed, and the quality of their contribution. I think that those students who were afraid to voice their opinions orally in a group, would feel more comfortable to voice their opinions on a wiki. Time is saved because information is automatically being seamed together by the group as the work is being done. This real-time work would allow the students more time to improve the finished product rather that spending the majority of time just getting it all together. By allowing the use of this tool, teachers are allowing the students to multi-task between different web applications, they’ll be networked, the input of different students will be available instantaneously, they will be able to give one another instant feedback, they can add graphics/videos to the wiki, and enjoy all of this at the fast pace that these digital natives are accustomed to.


The disadvantages are going to be in making firm procedures on how to handle inappropriate criticism and possible inappropriate language or references to inappropriate subjects. The point that wikis are available for the whole world to see could be a two-edged sword. In one aspect, it will make the students more aware of their writing (this should cut down on spelling and grammatical errors), but it also could be harmful to another student or the school if used inappropriately. With the teacher having the ability to see the updates as they are made, close monitoring will be the key—which could mean a lot more time involved on the teacher’s part.


My Wiki: Mrs. Arledge’s Class Wiki
For my ETEC 524 wiki, I have decided to create a wiki that will either supplement my existing class web site or totally replace it. I teach Business Computer Information Systems, which is now being renamed Business Information Management, and Accounting classes. I want to utilize it as a place to post assignments, my calendar, notes, handouts, and online resources the students can use. More importantly, I want it to be a place for students to collaborate on class projects, hold class discussions, create student generated study guides to review for chapter tests, showcase student work (e-portfolios), and possibly as a tool to get parents more involved through assignments that require the parent’s input. I have started my wiki, called Mrs. Arledge’s Class Wiki using WikiSpaces. I have added several pages and have even transferred some of my information from my existing class website to this wiki, and have encorporated tools that I have learned in this class into the first assignment. I love this, and I hope that my students will enjoy this too.


Other Web 2.0 Technologies
When I ran my own search for Web 2.0 applications, I found a site that listed 192 applications for educators called Feedmyapp. With so many to choose from, it is really hard to decide where to begin. For now, I think I will start with the following:

• Google Reader, Google Calendar, and Google Documents (especially the forms feature) are applications that I can use personally as well as in my classes. I am already coming up with an idea to use the Google document forms to give warm-up quizzes. When they submit their answers, I will be able to quickly evaluate them from a spreadsheet. I am working on exporting my Google Calendar into my wiki for due dates and deadlines.


• Moodle is another Web 2.0 technology that I plan to explore. Several of the teachers that I spoke with at different workshops use it. Some use it to allow students to upload assignments, give quizzes, etc. I would like to learn more about it.


• I have found some good videos on YouTube, but I didn’t realize there was an area of YouTube for EDU, http://www.youtube.com/education?b=400. This is supposed to feature videos from their college and university partners. I want to check this out also. I love videos.

Week 1 Blog Reflection

Reasons to Create an Educational Technology Philosophy
Creating my educational technology philosophy helped me to open my eyes to what I really am—a "digital immigrant". I realized after reading the assignments, that I have learned to use new technologies as a means to automate instruction rather than using it to informate learning. I have always loved learning innovative things and new methods of teaching, but I have got to rewire my train of thinking to think more like the students in my class. I have got to learn their digital language. My teaching philosophy has not drastically changed—my objectives have remained basically the same, but my methods and role as a teacher have changed to include the benefits that technology can and will create and to give students the opportunity to learn "their way". I want the digital natives in my classroom to be excited about learning. The only way to achieve that is to allow them to use the technologies they are familiar with as well as introduce new technologies to them in the learning process.

The Potentials for Blogging
The potential uses of blogging according to the article, “Educational Blogging” by Stephen Downes, seem to be endless. The ones that stood out the most to me were being able to create a chronological archive for publishing student work as well as the ability to create a non-threatening, equal communication space between students, parents, and the world. Because of their accessibility, ease of use, and because most are free, blogs could be an essential part of every classroom. However the disadvantages stated in the article do merit consideration, and I think it is those disadvantages that school administration focus on instead of the many advantages. With the technology restrictions that schools place on students as well as teachers, the full potential of using blogs in my opinion have not been reached by many schools. I do not know of any teachers in our school district that utilize the use of blogs. To be honest, I have not used blogs. This is the first time that I have ever blogged, much less created a blog. So I am very new to all of this. But I think that I could really utilize blogging in my classroom. I’ve even begun to think of ways to implement blogging for next school year—of course with the administration’s approval.

November Learning: "Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning"
Several of the six changes in education and technology that were highlighted in the article really caught my attention, but the one that made me feel that my ideals of technology really must change was #5 “Automating vs. Informating”. In my CTE department, I am usually the one who steps out first to try to incorporate new technologies in my classroom. But the technologies I’ve incorporated really have only helped me to automate my teaching methods. I really didn’t realize that was what I was doing. This has made teaching a lot easier for me, but I haven’t allowed the students to really utilize the latest technologies themselves for their own learning. I really like the idea of creating an “information communication community network” and offering entire courses online at the high school level. This to me would drastically broaden technologies use in education and heighten students interest in education.

Digital Concept Map

This is my digital concept map created by using Wordle that pieces together the concepts of my definition of educational technology, today's learner, the reality of education today, and the potential impact technology can have on education.

I believe that educational technology not only promotes learning, but increases the learning potential of today's digital natives. By utilizing new technologies in the classroom as effective teaching tools and by allowing students to use those technologies to create and expand their knowledge and ideas, quality learning is produced.

Educational Technology Philosophy

The primary goals of education have remained the same throughout time—to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to become productive citizens and life-long learners. Even though the goals have essentially remained the same, education itself is continually changing, primarily because of technology. Technology has changed the way teachers teach and the way that learners learn. Technology can become the “wings” that will allow the educational world to fly farther and higher than ever before—if we will allow it.

As teachers, incorporating new technology as teaching tools is not enough. I realize now that this is just automating what we have already been doing in the past. It makes the job of the teacher a whole lot easier—saving us time and energy, but what is it doing to really help the students? We are teaching a new age of students—the "digital natives", one in which some of us ("digital immigrants)" are not as familiar. Teachers have to learn to use the same technologies that students are using and then incorporate them into the classroom not only as teaching tools, but to guide, instruct, and probe the students to utilize effectively in their learning.

My ideals of the role the teacher should play as well as the teacher objectives and student outcomes have foundation in both pragmatism as well as the constructivism schools of thought. I believe the role of the teacher should shift from being the center of instruction, to becoming a facilitator of student-centered instruction. Real-life situations should be used in the classroom to facilitate and teach problem-solving using cutting edge technology. Students need to learn to assess the uses of technology, determine which technologies should be utilized to solve the problem, and evaluate the solution for reliability and accuracy. Assignments should foster autonomy, increase students desire to take initiative for their own work, and create a setting to promote higher-order thinking. Teachers need to allow the method of learning to be as important as the subject matter being learned.

My objectives as a teacher are to create an environment in the classroom that reaches beyond the four walls of my room into the world to allow students to gain an understanding of the subject matter that they will actually be able to use, thus gaining an understanding of life experiences. I want students to make the connection between the educational content learned and life itself. Also in this environment, I believe that today’s digital students still have the need to feel recognized and seen as an individual. My goal is to make learning in the classroom personalized and show students that I not only care about them learning the content but that I care about them as individuals.

There is always a need for improvement. There are always new things to learn. As a teacher, I must constantly learn in order to be an effective teacher. In today’s educational realm, that learning process involves mainly learning the uses of new technologies and learning to communicate the subject matter in terms that today’s digital learner will understand. To be a successful teacher, my methods of teaching have to change not only because of technology changes, but because today’s students learn in an entirely different way.

Change is inevitable in today’s educational world. My teaching philosophy written in undergraduate school didn’t even include the word “technology”. My teaching philosophy today must change to include "technology" to be an instrument in allowing students to spread their “wings” and fly in this new technological age of education and of life.