Week 6

Does the Digital Divide exist in your school?
I think you would be hard pressed to find a school that does not have some sort of digital divide.  I am not saying that they are not out there- but perhaps they took steps to remedy the problem in their district.  We live in a pretty affluent town, yet last year our administrator told us that we qualified to be a Title 1 school.  This economy is going to play a huge role in the divide.  We all know that it is becoming harder and harder for the average family and the school budgets don’t allow them to help as much as they once could. 
In order to allow access to technologies in the district they have been putting SmartBoards in many of the classrooms.  We have 17 computers in the kiva, team area, and we have a computer lab that the teachers can sign out on a first come first served basis.  Is it perfect? No, but it is a start.
We are also required to make accommodations for our students who do not have access. We give class time to use computers, print out activities that would otherwise be on the computer, and many teachers who give up our lunch time to work with students who need to have access to computers.

What instructional strategies and approaches promote technology integration while addressing the participation gap?

In each of the elementary schools they have computer as one of their “specials.” This class meets once a week for the entire year.  In the middle school they have a course called “Tech Ed” and all kids take it for 1/3 of the year.  This allows all students to have access on a regular basis, even if it is limited.  I think that the incorporation of SmartBoards in the classroom helps with accessing technology.  I know that my classroom has it as well as my daughter’s kindergarten class and my son’s second grade class.  My daughter’s class also Skypes with a student who is unable to attend because of health issues.  She is always coming home with stories on Skype days.   
In the middle school we have a site license for Study Island.  It is a program that we use for Math and Language Arts instruction that is web-based and can provide instruction, practice, or assessment.  This program is available for the students can use in school and if they have internet access, at home.

What responsibility do you have, as an educator, to bring informating technology experiences into your classroom?
Simply put, of course it is our responsibility to incorporate informating technology in our classrooms.  How can we not?  We live in a digital age and technology will keep on growing and expanding.  I think that the most challenging thing as a teacher is staying on top of what is out there, and what is available to us.  That is why this experience has been invaluable to me.  I have learned so much from the others and know that I can integrate more activities into my teaching.   

Final Reflection:
As with all the courses so far- what matters to me the most is, what can I take away from it?  And, what can I use in my classroom?  This course has given me a nice little toolbox that I can choose from when thinking about units, lessons, activities, and projects to do with my 5th and 6th graders.  I think that actually having something that I can and will use makes all the work worthwhile.  Were there moments when I was frustrated by some of the technology- absolutely!  In the same sense we got through it. I now have a new appreciation for all that the other teachers do!  I didn't realize all the possibilities for using technology in the early primary and preschool grades until this course.  I mean, I know that they work hard and I know that I am not cut out to work with the little ones, but I now appreciate what they do that much more.  I am also more aware of the technology being used in my own children's classes- because I know what to ask them besides what did you do in school today?  And I cannot leave out the secondary people- wow, do they work hard too!  I think that for them staying fresh in the technology world is even more important than where I am.  I am always looking for new "stuff" but I could imagine at that level- there isn't much out there that the kids are not finding on their own.  Now we just need to teach them to use it appropriately and educationally.  No pressure.

Week 5

Should all teachers be encouraged to create online activities for students within traditional classrooms?
I think that teachers should be encouraged to create online activities but I do not think that it should be mandated or required for us to do so. I think that for some teachers they would feel stressed or feel like they are out of their comfort zone. I know teachers, and not all are well seasoned, that do not feel comfortable doing technology activities with their students. I do. I feel comfortable and enjoy learning new technologies...that is not to say that I am an expert, don’t get me wrong, I am no Barbara :) But I always sign up for a project in the computer lab with my classes. I am always looking for something new to do with them- because I enjoy it. Last year I was disappointed that I had to do a PowerPoint with my 6th graders. I felt like they would say, “been there, done that!” I was pleasantly surprised with how much more I could require of them, because they were familiar with the basics of the program. I required that they linked the slides to and from a main page, they linked to an outside websites, inserted videos, and sound into their presentations- and not once did I hear, “PowerPoint- again?” So, even programs that they are familiar with could be challenging if planned. I am not saying that I want to always do PowerPoint- I had wanted my kids to do Prezi, but they were not 13, the minimum age to create a Prezi and I did not feel comfortable teaching them to lie about their ages.
So, yes and no. I think that even a teacher that is not confident in their technological abilities can, with baby-steps, grow and teach their students with online activities. It all starts with a step in the right direction and you never know, you may surprise yourself.

At what grade level should educators begin teaching students how to use social networks?
This is a tough one- my school blocks all social networks with filters. And to some extent I agree. Well, let me explain...We all know that left to their own devises students tend to get into trouble online. We all have heard or experienced the stories of online bullying and inappropriate comments, pictures, etc. One of my favorites happened a few years ago with one of my very own students. This was when MySpace was still the social network of choice, and one of my girls had a profile picture of herself that was not flattering and she had her profile information as a 26 year-old middle schooler. I mean, really? She didn’t see anything wrong with that?
On the flip side of the coin, I think that with proper introduction AND instruction social networking could be an incredible tool. We know that they kids are using it and to utilize something that they are drawn to, could be powerful. Although, I don’t really know what age to start. Is there a right answer? Should we all start using the same vocabulary with the kids at an early age, so that they are familiar with the lingo and know what having netiquette is and how to be safe online. For my students that would be the best. I think that my kids are a little too young; but so many of them already have accounts, so obviously I disagree with their parents. I have an account but I do not friend ANY of my students, present or past.
Actually, I heard a rumor that administration is thinking about putting something in our contracts about social networking with students. There has to be a happy medium, but I don’t know what that is. And unless you have an administration that is willing to let us go out there and try using these technologies, then we are at an impasse.

How can teachers us social networking sites as teaching and learning tools?

Well I hate to be redundant but I think it depends on the teacher, age of the students, and the willingness of the district. I think there are great opportunities to use social networking in higher education (high school and beyond), however it would be cool to ‘dabble’ in it with a younger audience. Fox News out of Arkansas mentioned back in 2010 that teachers were using it personally, “outside class to plan their lessons and network with others for ideas” (Fox16.com, 2010) but that using it with students was still not as common. “There is a lot of concern over privacy issues and there's a lot of schools who block social media on their campuses” (Fox16.com, 2010). Schools are not catching up with the technology and some say that they technology is still too new that there hasn’t been enough research on them to support using these networks. However, supporters believe that, “It's opening up the walls of the classroom and making more authentic learning possible” (Fox16.com, 2010). I don’t think Richardson could have said it better himself.
As for ideas the very same Fox article had a great idea of having “(the)student set up a Second Life scenario for some particular episode in history that would allow them to do more hands on learning” (Fox16.com, 2010). As a social studies teacher- that is right up my alley. How cool would that be to have my students create a Facebook page for Leif Ericson or Ponce De Leon?
Another website said that, “Social networking can be used to improve team-building skills or to create communities of students, teachers and/or others to discuss a specific subject—much the same way that people get together on Facebook to discuss stamp collecting or a musician” (Bumgardner & Knestis
“In 2010, a national survey of 1,200 principals, teachers and librarians found that most agreed that social networking sites can help educators share information and resources, create professional learning communities and improve schoolwide communications with students and staff” (Bumgardner & Knestis, 2011). So the interest is there…we just need to get on the bandwagon.http://www.fox16.com/content/news/education/story/Teachers-use-social-networking-as-teaching-tool/aM-gHqZoUEaDFMGevcZqiA.cspx
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/social-networking-tool-student-and-teacher-learning


Envision the role of social networking in the 21st century learning environment. Write a brief description of this vision.
The web that we know is replacing textbooks. Not that as a district we had them, however, it is bringing the world to our kids in real-time. Most of us don’t even subscribe to a daily newspaper because it is yesterday’s news. So as learners the social networking is another place where students can find themselves in a learning environment. They can have access to people with knowledge on topics that they could interview or have discussions with, groups of people with similar interests from around the country or around the world. The possibilities are out there and the tools could be right at our fingertips...as long as the filter is off.
Internet Project Reflection:
I must say that it is always a pleasure working with Jocelyn and Stephanie and this was not an exception. What I liked most about this project is that we are going to use it. I feel strongly about doing projects that will be useful to me in my classroom. I am looking forward to utilizing our project in our classrooms and having our students surprise us with what they do. As for all the other projects, it was amazing to see the Pre K activities and the high school projects and how much all the other teachers do in order to plan their lessons. It confirms that we are all working hard to challenge our kids and it doesn’t matter if they are 4 or 14.