Week 3 - Topic 2: Technology Integration

Technology integration is the incorporation of technology resources and technology-based practices into the daily routines of schools. Technology resources can be anything from computers to network-based communication. Practices include collaborative work and communication, Internet-based research, remote access to instrumentation, network-based transmission and retrieval of data, and other methods. Its impossible to be completely on the ball when it comes to technology integration because of Moore's law. Soon as you get some neat new equipment its out of date. In a school setting its best to achieve the highest level of integration and allow for students to adjust before moving on. Its a continuous process of changing, learning, and improvement.


Successful technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is:

• Routine and transparent
• Accessible and readily available for the task at hand
• Supporting the curricular goals, and helping the students to effectively reach their goals

When students are not only using technology daily, but have access to a variety of tools that match the task at hand and provide them the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of content. it come s in many shapes and sizes. You got the online and blended courses, project based activities incorporating technology, game-based learning and assessment, learning with mobile or handheld devices, instructional tools like smart-boards, web-based projects, exploration and research, student-created media like podcast, videos or slideshows, collaborative online tools like wiki-pages or Google Docs, and using social media to engage students.

I think the important thing to remember when integrating technology is Moore's law. You don't want to reach out to far and bring in such a new technology that students can completely bring it into there daily routine. Then there is a reverse you don't want to bring in old technology they either don't care about or have no clue how to use because it is so out of date. Adults love email, teenager don't. One thing I noticed when in college is that most freshmen in college would rather things be sent to them via text rather then deal with email. they are accustomed to text being the normal means of communication, where older students and adults  are use to the idea of email being the appropriated way to send information. Thus freshmen college students don't check their email everyday. That is just a personal observation but it serves as an example of why old technology can be over powered by a newer one.

I ultimately think that its a matter of what subject you are teaching. Its harder to incorporate technology depending with some subjects then others, but there is always a way it can be done. History class are great for project based activities, exploration and research. Math is good for smart-boards and games. English is good with videos, Google Docs and even social media. I've had the wonderful pleasure of using tons of PowerPoint's, videos, research, games and collaborative tools, and some social media. Most of them worked OK, most felt forced into place just for the sake of using which is wrong. I never want to see another PowerPoint again because it is over used. Luckily in computer science classes we always have the pleasure of incorporating technology into our everyday routine.

Week 3 - Topic 1: Portal to Media

Way too long of a video! Grant there are a lot of interesting points he makes, within the first few minutes the speaker states that "Learning is the hallmark of Humanity" which I agree with completely. We are born with curiosity in our heart and we always want to know more. One of the issues the speaker is trying to address is why do students hate school but enjoy learning? The length of this video is one of reason I feel. It's over an hour long. I don't have a day job and was bed ridden for most of the week with food poisoning and I still found this impossible to sit through in one go. I had to break it up into section in order to watch it. If I wanted to take a lecture I would have signed up for a physical class. In the first five minutes the speaker shows pictures of students in his class holding signs that state what they do during class. I am no stranger to wandering off into cyberspace to find something more engaging. Somewhere done the line we lost our way when it comes to teaching.

".01% of information in 2008 was on paper" - That is scary and comforting at the same time.

Not all classes are going to be interesting, and chances are there will always be someone bored in the class. The next step in education needs to be interactivity and get the students brain mojo working. Easier said then done. Small steps can be taken like in the video, the speaker uses every application which are common to the younger crowds. Twitter, Facebook, and Skype are a good start but aren't anything to prefect because they give students the chance to wander off into cyberspace. You don't need technology to make a classroom more engaging for students. One thing I can say is that this video does a poor job of making a point because its an hour long. You have to sit for an hour, only listening to one man drone on. The worse part I think for students beside the droning is where a teacher drones on with big words and concept that can be simplified to one quick statement. I know I hated that in high school and college. I'm not saying txt speak it to me, but add a lot less fluff to that moon pie!

So I ranted a bit about how school can be boring, but what can I say about making it less boring? Technology is a good answer because it simple and everyone is doing it. If I haven't state it yet I am a computer scientist and I find that technology isn't the cure all of the education world. I don't believe you need the biggest and newest technology out there to be up to par, because it doesn't work like that. I'm not saying old school stone and chisel is the right way to go either. Technology is a tool and should be treated as such. If you over use a tool it becomes dull or even broken and thus no longer useful to you. Simple answer is moderation. Facebook application are going to let students stray off into Facebook land. Twitter can be useful to updating students on assignments and classwork, maybe even discussion if students can handle it. Wiki's and many other websites are great entrees but aren't the main course. You have information on them, assignments, resources, and even multiple ways to communicate between peers and the teacher. You can spice up the curriculum with brochure, videos and many other activities! Doesn't mean someone won't be bored. I take classes now where we have range of presenting material, doesn't change the subject matter thus doesn't make it any less boring.

My point is boredom comes with the territory and the best way to prevent it is to make material engaging and keep their minds moving. Don't do a straight shot of an hour of talking at them, do like 15 to 30 mins then give them an activity to do which allows them to process information and apply it. After that get them into a discussion where they can analyze and critically think about what just happened.Always switch up the media you use, throw them for a loop. One day use a whiteboard, next day use a smart-board  next day use some interpretative dance! Notice how I don't throw new techno ways at you, that is because its not what makes every lesson less boring. It chances the pace and allows students to be engaged differently and even on something they may consider their "ground" or "level".

This blog has some good links on it! - Check it out!

Week 2 - Topic: Thoughts on Course

I have done the online learning thing before and in a variety of ways. I have been in classes which only use Moodle or Blackboard, classes which use wiki spaces  classes which just used emails been I haven't used some of the tools that we are using in this class. This class doesn't even have a Moodle page which for most Plymouth online courses is a bit strange. That was the first glue this class would be a bit different.

The wiki page is well constructed which is saying a lot because most of the time they are poorly put together and hard to navigate. The site is easy to navigate and read. The links are useful and the fact that the articles change throughout the course is a plus because it shows that the course is up to date. The articles aren't boring and long at least not yet.

After years of public schooling crushing my spirit of speech when it comes to many topics I can say without a doubt I am not a blogger. I can't see the myself doing it much after this class, but the chance to try it is more then welcome. It difficult to do because I'm use to academic writing, or normal everyday speech/writing and not some informal academic hybrid child. Its nice, but again I worry about my words coming back to bite me or my opinions to be thrown through a shredder. One lesson I have learned so far is I am not a very good collaborative learning when it comes to being open with my thoughts. I can do the work well enough but it doesn't mean I'm completely open about my thoughts, so I'm not sure how this whole blogging thing will work out for me.

Diigo is wonderful! I find myself using it anytime I am online reading things for my classes. I use it for more then just this class too, bookmarking anything that I use for my education courses. Its like book marking except neat and more organized and doesn't kill my browser. I have even used it to look back on some links for other assignments. In truth I don't have too much of a digital footprint. I only have a few email accounts, I don't do online shopping, I don't blog, its really just Facebook and some art profiles. I know my way around art sites, forums, role-playing sites, and programming help sites. I have experience with Moodle and Blackboard and the use of wiki-spaces, and a few computer science sites along with some tools like Google Docs and other collaborative tools. Technology is always evolving so we have to get evolve with it. There is always something new tool to learn. I'm hoping I find some new tools to use and play with.

Week 2 - Topic: Chapters 1 & 2

The reading is straight forward. Right off the back there is the quote from Cisco which says it all. In summary its all about the human aspect in the digital age. We are all connected now, everything is connected in many different ways. We find ourselves evolving as learners, escaping that traditional style with a newer modern style. The do it yourself style where the learner is placed first. Learner are becoming self-reliance and has more of a can-do-spirit. I love this style because it gives me the chance to find my own information and resources along with it the fact that it feels more natural to discover and learn for oneself then to be forced to learn something you can't seem to get interested in.

"Collaborative problem is as old as fireside chats in the cave" - from the textbook

I enjoy this line from Connected Educator because it is simple but says a lot. Collaboration isn't something new to us, but with technology we see it from a whole new light. It is all about the communication, talking, and thinking. Two heads are better than one, so clearly the more heads the better off we will be when learning. I like the idea of a human network, a place where many like mind individuals can come together to learn and help one another in the process of learning.

In the world today we need to build a community in both an online and offline using all networks available to us like our personal, professional and global networks. This ensure a meaningful flow of information from many different sources. The text in Connected Educator brings up a good problem with the common language used in our learning communities. This is more then just a language barrier because people use terms and vocabulary with differently. This happens in every community and even just general social groups take for example the term brunch, it is a term referring to a mealtime but this time is different to me then it is for some of my friends. In education terms like "Principal" or "principle" can be confused because they sound alike and it only gets worse from there when we start talking about the meaning of the words or what they imply to different people.

The three different communities professional  personal and one of practice all serve different purposes. Professional is generally a community where you work in collaborative in grade-level or subject area teams, this isn't something new to educators as we do this anyways. Personal communities is where you gather information for personal knowledge or to supplement a professional community. The last community is where you collect knowledge around shared interest and goals. I make a point to summarize those communities as they are new concepts to me or at least the wording is new to me.

Ultimately I want to a computer science teacher and I want to do more then just have students create programs or anything else. I want students to interact with more then just what they are working on, and I know the need for students to learn to be self directed when it comes to subjects like computer science because you will never keep up with the world of computer if you stop learning. I diffidently want to provide a way for students to get outside peer help on assignments and projects because its important to learn from those around you, and in today world that pretty much everyone.