Technology Integration: What I've learned

Throughout this course, I've been given an extensive amount of new information with regards to technology integration. Having taught school since 2005, I believed that I was ahead of the game when it came to using technology in the classroom. I create daily power points, use Prezi religiously, have my students use computers to conduct research, and use programs from the Web (such as BrainPop and Edmodo) to present material in different ways; however, now I realize that I am not doing enough. Technology integration is so much more than the teacher using and presenting the material; the students must be involved in conducting their own learning through technology use.   

Another thing that I've learned is the importance of not using technology in place of learning but using it to enhance the learning. Technological tools must be implemented to enhance standards, curriculum and activities. As teachers, we need to find a way to do this without compromising the integrity of the lesson we teach. Connection with the standards is the key and with todays availability of applications, programs and softwares, it's easier than ever to make this connection. As an English/Language Arts teacher, I find that locating types of technology to use to enhance lessons is easy. I use programs like Grammaropolis and Mad Libs for grammar lessons, use videos from TeacherTube and YouTube to present new concepts, and have my students conduct research on their own devices and take quizzes using the Socrative app to name a few. My learning of how to use technology has grown by leaps and bounds and I try now to implement it daily into my content. 

A few of the things I have enjoyed most about this course is not only developing the WebQuest, but also reading the numerous articles as well as the book Leading 21st Century Schools. In my reading of 21st Century Schools, I annotated my book so much that I won't be able to sell it back :) I discovered many quotes and ideas to help me within my own classroom. One of the drawbacks is that though the times are changing, schools aren't necessarily caught up. "...a climate of inquiry that challenges the school community to continually re-purpose itself by building on its core values and beliefs about its preferred future and then developing a pathway to read it" (Schrum and Levin, 2009). When I read this, I thought "if we KNOW this, why don't we do it?" and I still think that. Another note I made was "so because of NCLB the technology standards necessary were ignored in favor of standardized testing....how does this make sense?" and I still feel that way. Technology integration is more important than testing, so why can't our politicians see that? 

All in all, I am glad this is the first class I took because it has opened my eyes and enhanced what I knew about using technology in the classroom. I look forward to taking what I've learned into my new classroom in Beijing and using it to enhance my design technology class!


Works Cited: 

Schrum, L., & Levin, B. B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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Equal Access to the Digital World

What does it mean to "provide equal access to the digital world"?

Providing equal access to the digital world is an overwhelming concept, proposing that all students have access to technology in their educational endeavors in order to be successful. Unfortunately, this is not the case in all schools. There is a "gap in access to information technology that is more significant for certain schools, specifically those with high minority populations or those in rural areas, with individuals who are physically challenged, and with females. The goal of equity is not just to put the same number of boxes, wires and pipes into every classroom; rather, we need to concentrate on equitable integration, training and support for all students and teachers." In my school, we have four laptops for each classroom; the teacher laptop and three for student use; however, it's difficult for all students to have access because there are over 25 students per class. Computer lab time is also at a premium with our 1200 students having to share two computer labs. So how do you allow students equal access when there isn't enough equipment or time? The simple answer is you can't. I would love it if my students were each given a laptop or tablet for classroom use, I would love it even more if all of my students had computers, tablets or smart phones of their own; however, it isn't realistic and a low SES population makes it even more unrealistic. Providing equal access in my district would take financial resources that we currently do not have, along with teacher training, improved software and technology upgrades. In the future, I know this is coming, but as for right now, providing equal access is almost impossible.

Sources:
Schrum, L., & Levin, B. B. (2009). Leading 21st Century Schools. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.

Social Media in the classroom

Welcome to the wonderful world of technology! As we embark on this journey, you will find your student more immersed in the use of technology than ever. WebQuests, Edmodo, and blogs! Oh My!Speaking of which, we are now starting to use more social media in the language arts classroom. Social Media has been a huge part of everyone’s lives in the past few years, and growing all the time. Therefore, we will be starting to blog on our Edmodo site even more in the coming weeks. Please visit https://www.edmodo.com/mstroutspage to learn more.

I understand that you may be leery about allowing your child to use social media in the classroom, but let me reassure you, it’s perfectly safe. Our school has Internet security systems in place that block sites considered not content driven and therefore unsafe for student use. Also, students must have a code to get into the site, which they get through an invitation from their teachers. Social media allows students to keep in touch with each other regarding classroom materials in a safe, productive way and is monitored constantly (by me). Students will be more engaged with the material and connected on higher levels.


In a world where students thrive on the amount of time they spend connected each day, a profound shift must occur in the traditional classroom environment. Students in the Net Generation do not want to be lectured to; they want to have their opinions valued, they want to follow their own interests, they want to create, they want to connect with peers to express and share opinions, they want to share control, they want immediate information, and most importantly, want an education that is not just relevant, but real. (Prensky, 2010)


Research shows that students are more engaged in learning, more interested in the material and actually learn more when connected. When we teach students that social media sites like Facebook, and Twitter aren’t just for entertainment, but allow them to learn in a way in which they are already accustomed. So let’s get blogging!


These articles were used to conduct the research:


Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.


Scott, S. M. (2012). Go ahead ... be social: Using social media to enhance the twenty-first century classroom. Distance Learning, 9(2), 54-59. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034600860?accountid=3783

What is a WebQuest?

Hello Parents/Students! Welcome to the online world of Steven Alper and Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie! For this unit we will be conducting a WebQuest utilizing tools from the Internet as well as your students' brains! Through this activity, students will explore the author, learn how to connect to a text and discover what it would be like if the novel was written from another character's point of view. Students will be assigned various tasks to perform as well as be expected to log in to Edmodo to take quizzes and participate in class discussion. The final project will be an online journal, much like a blog, written from Steven's little brother's point of view. This project is ongoing throughout the Quest and students should use their knowledge of the material and creativity to convince me that they ARE Jeffrey. This is going to be a lot of fun! Happy Drumming!

Videos and Presentations!

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie


For this assignment, I chose to create a book trailer for the novel we will be reading in a few weeks because my Web Quest is all about the novel study. Animoto is something I've used before for other things, but not for use in the classroom. I truly believe that this tool is an incredible way to capture student interest and motivate them to take charge of their own learning; especially when they have to be really careful about which pictures to choose and the caption to write due to time and character limitations. This would be a great final project for novel study, poetry presentations (so the students don't have to read theirs aloud and be embarrassed), as well as for persuasive techniques. I look forward to using this in class very soon!

Educational Applications of Word Clouds

Educational Applications of Word Clouds

Word cloud programs like Wordle and Tagxedo are tools that allow anyone to create fun new ways to look at words. In the classroom, these can be used to introduce new vocabulary, concepts, terms or units. Programs like Wordle and Tagxedo will "perceive" the most important words and make them stand out using larger fonts or bold lettering. I use Wordle all the time because I find it more user friendly than Tagxedo. On Wordle, I can insert my own text but on Tagxedo, I haven't been able to figure out how to do this and cannot locate an answer in the FAQ's. I use Wordle to introduce new units into my classroom. My next unit is a novel study on Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. The wordles I've created for this unit look like this:

Concepts Wordle: 

Vocabulary Wordle: 

I love using wordles in my classroom and having my kids create them as well. They love the ability to change the colors, fonts and styles.