Copyrights and Permissions: Giving Online Credit Where Credit is Due
As students begin middle school, their research assignments become more in-depth. They begin to actively troll for information on the web, a medium with which they are very comfortable. However, they don’t always know when to give credit where it is due. This how-to article offers valuable tips about teaching writing students about appropriate use of collected information. It provides clear explanations of what is copyright and fair use. The Cyberbee quiz is a great, interactive link that allows students to learn more about how and when they can use what they find on the web.
Using Technology to Motivate Middle School Students
Studies show that student motivation undergoes a great change during the transition from fifth to sixth grade. This decrease in motivation has been linked to the transition to a middle school environment of more teacher control and less student autonomy. With hands-on, inquiry-based learning, students are more actively engaged, and thus more motivated to learn. This how-to article gives specific suggestions on using technology to raise student motivation. What is interesting is that the three ideas suggested: WebQuests, digital portfolios, and e-pals, are all about reaching beyond the classroom. Students reach globally to complete WebQuests, post their creations in digital portfolios to present to the world, and communicate with people outside their classroom. Can it be that stretching outside the normal boundaries gives the students a sense of control they usually don’t have?
Podcasting Basics
With the proliferation of iPods among students, it seems only natural that someone would find a way to use them as an educational tool. This how-to article is ideal for those teachers who aren’t sure what an iPod is, let alone what to do with it for instruction. The examples used in the website are clearly applicable in my writing classroom. Instead of a traditional poster for a group book project, students can work together to create a podcast for a character, or research and synthesize a response to a debate question. The usefulness of this article for me was in the examples and the steps for getting started. This allowed me to visualize what a podcast project would look like from start to finish.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Class 8 Reading Responses
When the Book? When the Net?
Although this commentary makes a few notable remarks about the filtering benefits of books over the Internet, it is worth mentioning that thirteen years ago when this was written, the web was a much more immature creature.
With the advent of Web 2.0 tools, the information available to the amateur researcher is much greater than when this article was written. However, I do agree that searches for older data such as the Cuban Missile Crisis example frequently lead to hard copy publications and more distilled, vetted information. I tell my students that info from books carry more credibility simply because that information is usually checked carefully before someone is willing to pay money to publish it. Yet, as more and more people feel compelled to correct collaborative websites, the reliability of the data on those sites is also improving.
Critical Issue:
Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction
As a writing teacher, I have seen the benefits of using word processing, multimedia, and electronic communication with my students. For one research assignment, I required students to share their paper with me through GoogleDocs instead of submitting a hard copy. I found that I was able to give more timely feedback electronically than I could have if I had sat down to read each individual hard copy. Students were able to make revisions immediately and resubmit. In essence, this electronic capability has allowed me to extend my writing workshop conferences beyond the school day and classroom to evenings through electronic communications.
I can relate to the “moving target” comment that just as we begin to understand the benefits of a particular technology, it becomes obsolete. A few years, I started using PALM handhelds in my classroom. Ironically, just as we are finding better ways to use the handheld in the classroom, the PALM itself is quickly going the way of the dinosaur. Many of the things that we did on the handhelds can now be done better on laptops with full applications.
Although this commentary makes a few notable remarks about the filtering benefits of books over the Internet, it is worth mentioning that thirteen years ago when this was written, the web was a much more immature creature.
With the advent of Web 2.0 tools, the information available to the amateur researcher is much greater than when this article was written. However, I do agree that searches for older data such as the Cuban Missile Crisis example frequently lead to hard copy publications and more distilled, vetted information. I tell my students that info from books carry more credibility simply because that information is usually checked carefully before someone is willing to pay money to publish it. Yet, as more and more people feel compelled to correct collaborative websites, the reliability of the data on those sites is also improving.
Critical Issue:
Using Technology to Enhance Literacy Instruction
As a writing teacher, I have seen the benefits of using word processing, multimedia, and electronic communication with my students. For one research assignment, I required students to share their paper with me through GoogleDocs instead of submitting a hard copy. I found that I was able to give more timely feedback electronically than I could have if I had sat down to read each individual hard copy. Students were able to make revisions immediately and resubmit. In essence, this electronic capability has allowed me to extend my writing workshop conferences beyond the school day and classroom to evenings through electronic communications.
I can relate to the “moving target” comment that just as we begin to understand the benefits of a particular technology, it becomes obsolete. A few years, I started using PALM handhelds in my classroom. Ironically, just as we are finding better ways to use the handheld in the classroom, the PALM itself is quickly going the way of the dinosaur. Many of the things that we did on the handhelds can now be done better on laptops with full applications.
Class 7 Reading Responses
Critical Issue:
Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom
As I read this article, I couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement with many of the points made. The contradictory belief that it is okay to use the Internet in our real lives but not in the schools constantly amazes me. With our increasing dependence on the Internet to read, write, buy, sell, bank, even pay our taxes, how can we deny that our students’ education must reflect our current culture?
One of the issues discussed revolves around the teacher as a key factor in the success of technology implementation in the classroom. That seems self-evident; teachers are the key factors in the successful implementation of any curriculum. However, increased computer use without instructional purpose adds no value. Students must be shown that technology can do more than calculate; it can also be used to problem solve and create. But if we are successful in this, then we must also adjust our assessment tools to reflect the change in the medium. I spend all year allowing my students to use the Internet and word processing software to write essays. Then, in spring, the standardized tests are traditional pencil-and-paper assessments. My students have trained their brains to drive the car using automatic transmission and now we are testing if they can drive with a stick shift. It doesn’t make sense.
While there may be valid obstacles to technology implementation, obstacles also arise for implementation of any new innovation in education. It is up to us all, board members, administrators, teachers, students, and parents, to overcome those barriers to prepare our children to succeed in the future.
Integrating Technology into the Classroom using Classroom Instruction that Works
It seems the Jordan School District has found a great way to tie Marzano’s brain-based research strategies to technology. For the teacher who is just beginning to integrate technology and instruction, the tips offered on this webpage can provide a basic roadmap on how to get started. For the experienced teacher, it allows you to see how to blend the proven activities with the technological innovation. This webpage will definitely be one that I add to my bookmarks.
Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom
As I read this article, I couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement with many of the points made. The contradictory belief that it is okay to use the Internet in our real lives but not in the schools constantly amazes me. With our increasing dependence on the Internet to read, write, buy, sell, bank, even pay our taxes, how can we deny that our students’ education must reflect our current culture?
One of the issues discussed revolves around the teacher as a key factor in the success of technology implementation in the classroom. That seems self-evident; teachers are the key factors in the successful implementation of any curriculum. However, increased computer use without instructional purpose adds no value. Students must be shown that technology can do more than calculate; it can also be used to problem solve and create. But if we are successful in this, then we must also adjust our assessment tools to reflect the change in the medium. I spend all year allowing my students to use the Internet and word processing software to write essays. Then, in spring, the standardized tests are traditional pencil-and-paper assessments. My students have trained their brains to drive the car using automatic transmission and now we are testing if they can drive with a stick shift. It doesn’t make sense.
While there may be valid obstacles to technology implementation, obstacles also arise for implementation of any new innovation in education. It is up to us all, board members, administrators, teachers, students, and parents, to overcome those barriers to prepare our children to succeed in the future.
Integrating Technology into the Classroom using Classroom Instruction that Works
It seems the Jordan School District has found a great way to tie Marzano’s brain-based research strategies to technology. For the teacher who is just beginning to integrate technology and instruction, the tips offered on this webpage can provide a basic roadmap on how to get started. For the experienced teacher, it allows you to see how to blend the proven activities with the technological innovation. This webpage will definitely be one that I add to my bookmarks.
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