Final Reflection C&I 579

•                What attitudes, skills, and concepts have you gained from participating in the course so far?

The most important attitude I have gained from this course so far is the idea that I can do it. I was very intimidated by technology before this course. I knew how to do what I needed to do for work, but exploring new websites and ways to interact with the internet was intimidating. I now, because of this course, am able to attack new tasks with confidence. I now know where to look for help if I do not know what to do (youtube) and understand the jargon of the technology world.

Other than that, which I view as being very important, I have also gained concepts and skills of interacting with the internet for the academic advancement of my students. I am excited and have already begun to build voicethreads and other interactive activities for my students to do at home with their parents. I teach early childhood so completely “flipping” my classroom would not be applicable, but involving parents/guardians with home internet activities will definitely add to my classroom environment.

•                What have you learned in the course that you will not forget tomorrow?

I will not forget voicethread and the jargon or vocabulary of the technology world. I have highly enjoyed voicethread and can see many benefits for my students, parents, and I. I will also not forget the importance of networking and interacting with others through the web. Connections, both professionally and personally, are important and can be facilitated through the internet. Having the opportunity to explore twitter for networking purposes has been very beneficial. 

•                How will you apply what you have learned to your teaching and future learning?

First and foremost I will continue to use the websites I have used during this course to involve my students and their families in their academic achievement. Aside from the obvious, I am also going to continue to explore what else is out their for my students and how I, as an early childhood educator, can begin building 21^st century skills for my students. I can also advocate and educate other educators in my district regarding the technology world, what is available, and how we as a district and team can help keep our students on the front edge of education.

As a future learner I will take the attitude I have built in this class of confidence when it comes to the “daunting” world of technology. I now know that I can and with time and patience I am able to accomplish what is asked of me. I am able to explore and learn in order to keep myself on the front edge of technology in the education world. 

C&I 579 Course Reflection (1)

- What attitudes, skills, and concepts have you gained from participating in the course so far?

  Above all I have gained time management skills. I had these skills prior, but becoming entrenched in following blogs, referring to twitter, and overall just staying informed does take time and an understanding that there is always more to see. However, setting time limits is important. I have also gained a better understanding there appears to be endless resources individuals can use in regards to technology. I have also gained a more comprehensive respect for individuals who embraced technology as it was appearing in our society and not trying to shut it out, as I did for many years. I am beginning to understand much more of the jargon associated with technology and the internet while just beginning to dip my feet into the technology world. This course has helped me understand how to follow blogs with googlereader, how to follow tweets more productively, and overall stay informed on a personal and professional level via the internet.

- What have you learned in the course that you will not forget tomorrow?

When reading this question the one thing that stands out to me is the Google video we watched. I have referred to that many times in conversations with people and have shared it with many of my friends and family. I never understood to what level Google or for that matter any other Internet source was so entrenched in our daily lives. Other than that life changing video I have also gained knowledge in websites that can be helpful and fun tools you can use on the internet, including Diigo, which I have begun using with a professional organization I am connect with and in my own research. Just having access and someone to guide the way to indicate where there are neat and helpful resources has been incredibly unforgettable, along with bookmarking these helpful sites.

- How will you apply what you have learned to your teaching and future learning?

The idea of using this knowledge in my teaching is a question I have been asking myself since the beginning of the course and am still contemplating the use of technology and how I can help build these technology skills within the 21^st century frame of mind. As a practicing early childhood teacher I can see using many of the websites or resources with parents as a way for us to connect. Being able to blog and link blogs for parents to read when they have questions, or being able to upload videos or recordings for parents to access as home with their students will all be helpful. Using these resources though with my actual 3 and 4 year old students is something I am still contemplating.

As far as my own future learning I am now open and willing to try new things on the Internet and with technology. I have to say at the beginning of this class I had a lot of anxiety and stress because I was diving into an area I had consciously ignored for a long time. I knew this class would open up my mind and my experiences and it has to all the possibilities with technology. I will begin building my professional groups of individuals, meeting people, following applicable blogs, and communicating my own ideas to people. I understand the push for incorporating technology into secondary classrooms after this class because of the huge network you can build and use as a professional. However, I do see the need to teach technology ethics and good use because some resources can be deceiving. I am still exploring and getting used to the technology, but it is a world I am ready to explore, thanks to this class. 

Blog Post 3

Blog Post 3

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/jp/high-tech-vs-no-tech-schools-take-opposite-approaches-to-education/ (blog)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/high-tech-vs-no-tech-dc-area-schools-take-opposite-approaches-to-education/2012/05/12/gIQAv6YFLU_story_1.html (article)

Interesting aspects from post:

In the same week, about a dozen miles away, another set of sixth-graders is on a similar lesson. Only they are in a spare, birch-hued classroom that looks like a throwback to the Norman Rockwell era. There are no computers here. The only tools being used are spoons and forks tied together with purple yarn. The students listen to the clang of utensils change pitch as the yarn is shortened and lengthened. Nina Auslander-Padgham’s eyes widen with the discovery, and she rushes back to her wooden desk to write her reflections on the blank pages of a red hardcover journal…..The Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda is trying its best to stay unplugged. Its teachers think technology is a distraction and overhyped. They believe children are better taught through real-world experiences in the school’s vegetable garden and woodwork shop. Educators here fear that the immediate gratification of texts and Wikipedia threatens face-to-face communication and original thinking, so they ban cellphones, laptops and tablets and require students to hand-write papers until high school….Some research shows that software programs such as smartphone applications help improve kids’ vocabulary and math. Children ages 3 to 7 who used an app called Martha Speaks increased their vocabulary by as much as 31 percent in two weeks, according to a 2010 study commissioned by PBS. Some educators say technology allows them to personalize teaching plans and offer free online tutoring, a way to break free from cookie-cutter lessons that don’t resonate with every student. On the other hand, child development experts say children are developing shorter attention spans and multi-tasking too much online — habits that will become more ingrained over time. Technology is changing the way kids learn, too; ideas aren’t as original when cobbled together through Google searches and recycled from opinion blogs, teachers at Waldorf say. And students are increasingly skipping over basic disciplines such as spelling and handwriting — practices that have diminished in importance in the workplace but are still key to wiring the young brain, some child-development experts say.—This is an issue with the pull between technology and no technology in schools. Even when schools do not have rules that are as strict school districts are still contemplating with the issue of what is too much technology and what is not enough technology in schools. There are developmental and academic findings related to technology. It will take time to see what happens to our students who are in the “smartphone” age.

Response/Comment to Blog:

The two schools show stark differences in educating. I, as an early childhood educator, can see the pros and cons of each schooling style. Children need to learn how to handwrite, they need to develop their fine motor skills through actually writing and experiencing life, rather than using a touch screen, that requires very few strengthening exercises for fine motor skills. However, when students get older it is important to incorporate technology. When students, who have not been exposed to technology, enter college or the work force they will have a learning curve that many of their counterparts will not. They will have the learning curve of learning how to collaborate and interact with technology. This is much of what we are seeing now with the different generations of teachers. The teachers who are not in a technology age and do not use email and those who are part of the technology age. 

Blog Post 2

Blog Post 2

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/05/schools-and-students-clash-over-use-of-technology/

From the website/blog: More than half of students – 56 percent of middle-schoolers and 59 percent of high-schoolers – reported that they would like to be able to use their own devices and learning tools in the classroom, something that many parents surveyed said they would support. But the idea is still met with resistance from administrators, 52 percent of whom said they don’t allow students to use any personal mobile device in class, at least partially because a blended learning model represents a shift in the relationship between teacher and student…….Blended learning classrooms, where students can fluidly use technology as learning tools, may encourage more interest in science and math subjects, too. In the survey, 20 percent of students in classrooms without much technology expressed a strong interest in STEM careers, whereas 27 percent of their counterparts in more student-directed and technology focused classrooms reported interest in the subjects. This indicates that the way kids learn seems to influence what they’re interested in pursuing.--- This is a current issue in middle and high schools around America because of the generational gap and understanding of how to use technology in the classroom. There is a link here because it taps into making students 21^st century scholars by digging into what is available to help students learn in regards to technology.

Response/Comment to blog:

Using technology in the classroom, including cell phones, helps students understand the importance of connecting to the outside world. More importantly when students are “banned” from using their cell phones in school buildings it encourages them to “fight the system” and be devious with their devices. If school administrators and teachers (which I am one of) would take the responsibility and educate their students in a technology invested age not only in the core subject areas but now in the new area of technology and its uses our students would become better global competitors. It is time for educators to think outside of the box and understand how influential technology can be (including cell phones) in the classroom for all ages.

Blog Post 1

Blog Post 1

http://edudemic.com/2012/05/6-pros-and-cons-of-a-hybrid-education/#comment-17292

Copied from website that “sparked my interest”:

Cons to a hybrid education:

1.   Doing the majority of your coursework at home may be convenient, but if all your classes are hybrid or online learning courses you will miss out on the fun of being on campus on a regular basis. As much as college is about education, it is also about the college experience – making new friends, taking on new extracurricular activities, enjoying dorm life, etc. Someone who chooses a hybrid education may not be able to do as many of these things as a full-time, brick-and-mortar student would and could lose out on the chance to meet their life-long friends in a college setting.
2. Another criticism of online lectures that are used in conjunction with hybrid education is that you lose some of the personal interaction of the traditional classroom setting. For instance, there’s no friend sitting next to you for asking questions or making comments during a lecture. While Tweeting is an option for this kind of banter in a hybrid education setting, some students find it distracting to be Tweeting and reading Tweets, as well as checking out links that the professor tweets and discusses, all while trying to focus on the lesson at hand.
3. Hybrid classes are typically more expensive than traditional online learning classes. If you’re pursuing an online education and decide to take a few hybrid classes as part of that, be sure to first find out how much it will cost. In other words, do your homework before you start your class. Don’t assume that just because you’ll be going to school online, your hybrid classes will cost the same as your traditional online classes.— This is interesting to me because I believe that if done correctly, many of these cons could be changed to a pro and by using all the available websites and technology a “classroom community” can be achieved.

Blog Response:

I recently took my first hybrid course, which was not how you described it. I think it is true that there are many variations to what is considered “hybrid.” With the technology age, hybrid courses, at least in my own experience, give you the face to face contact briefly throughout the semester as well as giving you time as a student to learn how to work collaboratively and learn independently using the internet. It helps the student become more familiar and confident in using different forms of learning for when they enter the workforce and are required to interact using various forms of communication. I see many pros to hybrid courses and very very few cons. 

"One Drop Rule"

While reading information regarding race in the United States I continually see information regarding the most recent Census and how in 2010 it was the first time individuals were able to choose more than one racial background. Much of my research not only focuses around the country beginning to accept biracial classifications but also the history of race in the United States. In a class discussion (EAF 525 at ISU) I came across the idea of the "one drop rule." I had heard of this concept previously, but had forgotten about it until it came up again in class.

The "one drop rule" essentially classifies any individual with any percentage of African blood in their body as a person of African American decent. In America's history these individuals were many times enslaved, regardless of their perceived skin color, because of the knowledge of the "one drop rule." While many would like to believe this concept has be eradicated, it truly has not. Although we do not go around asking individuals we meet on the street what their racial blood type is we still make judgments and assumptions based on our perceptions of what individuals "racial blood type" is.

In classrooms around the United States with the implementation of interventions, RtI, and other ways to "help" students succeed one may see these on a superficial level and believe they are doing great things. However, when one looks at these implementations with a critical eye we will see a different story. A majority of students who look darker or in the past could have been considered black under the one drop rule are the individuals in these "intervention groups." Administrators, policy makers, and teachers are tracking darker students, no matter what "level of darkness" they may be. They are considered different, taught different in many aspects, and treated differently in the classroom.

One could argue the idea of "different" or "other" begins as early as early childhood grades. Many proponents of multicultural education advocate for the project in early childhood classrooms that discover differences between students by looking at their skin color in relation to paints in the classroom. This, if used correctly, is a great activity. However, as early childhood educators we need to make sure that we are discussing differences as okay and not as the infamous "other."

On a personal note, I have a biracial son who just turned three. On his third birthday is was almost like a light switch went off in his head and he began to understand the differences between skin color. Having this first hand experience I understand the importance of discussing differences in skin color in early childhood grades, however the approach needs to be one of equality and acceptance.

Anni Krummel
May 29, 2012

Education

Education Education Education. Education to individuals means different things. To me education means being a life long learner not only for yourself, but for others around you. Having knowledge is the key to success. Knowledge, however can be defined differently to different people. I am passionate about Early Childhood Education, involving parents, and ensuring our society's Biracial students are not classified into categories based solely on skin color, as it has been for so long in our nation. I hope you enjoy my blog as I make my way through a Doctoral Program at Illinois State University.

Anni K