Reflection # 6

What?For my final reflection for this section, I would like to point out that the internet boosts creativity (or at least has that potential). As I was searching for a costume for Halloween themed events, I could find nothing in my closet or my roommate's closet that would give me any viable options. I searched online and looked at idea after idea of easy, last minute costumes. So what?  I didn't use any of them. No, as I read and read through page after page of witty and slightly irreverent costume ideas, the best ideas were forming in my own head. I thought of an electrocuted AC/DC fan, a bracelet made of lollipops (sucker punch), and other ideas that were doable with what I had on hand. My brain was stimulated by the ideas that others shared. Now what? Students need to be able to share their ideas, just like that digital natives article toward the beginning of the semester said. Letting kids post and share project ideas through blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other digital sharing sites is a great way to do that. Yes, there is a greater potential for cheating, but due to plagiarism detecting services the risk can be greatly reduced and the benefits of sharing online can only be limited by the bandwidth! 

Reflection # 5

What? Computers in classrooms. Here at NU, I've had several teachers request and require that students bring a laptop to class for notes and tutorials. However, if you were here last year, you will remember the huge kerfuffle about how teachers were banning computers from their classrooms. I had classes where you had to ask for specific permission on a daily basis to bring a computer to class as well as classes where computers were just outright not allowed. So what?  The teachers were concerned that the tech was a distraction to students and their peers. Students were accessing Facebook and other social networking sites or online gaming sites. This was a problem, and still is, but is banning computers the solution? Now what? Now there is very little students can do about  this issue. At the college level, I don't think banning  computers is appropriate; I say, let us be stupid and not pay attention to class if we so desire. It's our class, our responsibility. (That being said, I usually hate having my computer in class. I prefer note taking on good, old-fashioned paper). Stay strong NU community, soon the schizophrenia of where and when computers are allowed will subside... or you will graduate. Either way, you will be free. 

Reflection #4

What? As I prepared for my advising appointment, I reveled in the glory of what might be the most challenging and dis-organized system for class scheduling that I could imagine. Papers piling high, scribbled upon by uncertain hands, the pawns of a cruel and hapless system. So what? So what? I'll tell  you what.  There has got to be a better way. I need to graduate, and I cannot afford to stick around at this school, selling my soul in cash to fix the mistakes of the administration. Now what? Now, I will keep buggering on. Someone should come up with another section of the SelfService website that has the registration and planning documents online in an editable capacity. It can't be me because I can't write code. I wish that I could. This would be an all-star opportunity for technology to make a difference for the better in higher education! Unfortunately, I just have to deal and do my best to catch the errors that could prevent me from graduating on time! (10/12/11)

Steph's Glog

Week 8 Post

This Website has some great, interactive games for kids learning to read, as well as lots of online books that kids can read. I really enjoy how fun the site appears and how much there is to learn. This could be a great, safe, fun site for me to send kids to when they finish their work early or if they  have trouble sitting still. Autistic students would probably have a blast and learn a lot from this site. I would definitely incorporate it because of the fun animation, easy to access games and activities. It would make my life as a teacher much easier, if you ask me.

Week 7 Post

After surfing around on some teacher blogs, I found some things tat I like about technology and math. I love the idea of posting learning targets for families to see and for kids to refer to while they do homework. Also, at least one blog posted an image of a student example of how to solve a problem. This is a great way to help kids with homework at home. This could be very helpful to those kids who don't get enough support with homework from their parents/families during the weekend or on school nights. I would love to incorporate this for my students when I am a teacher.

Reflection #3

What? NU Wireless. What a joke. In a world with increasingly technical forums for education, how can I complete my assignments when the provided internet access is so desperately unreliable? Because of my busy schedule, I have very specific times that I am able to work on assignments and class work. It is vital to my grades and class performance that I be able to access online instructions and resources when I have the time. So What? This is a problem that spreads farther than just my own life. My roommates have similar issues, my friends in the dorms. Is this a world-wide bandwidth issue? Or is this a Northwest University Foux pas? Now What? I will speak AGAIN to the IT department. I know many other people who have sent complaint after complaint after question and humbly submitted argument who will be doing so one more time. I think that this is an issue that teachers must be aware of, because even if students have computer access, that doesn’t mean that, they will always have internet access, because they rely on someone else to pay for that service. As a teacher, it will be my responsibility not to assume that my students will have the technological means outside of the classroom to complete what I am asking of them, and to then provide those means during school time. 

Reflection # 2

What?Last semester, I took a writing class at Northwest. It began as a very good class with lots to learn and lots of writing practice to be had. Then the class took a turn for the worse. The concept was to write papers based on the cultures discussed in class. Unfortunately, the dual professors were technology illiterate and it took them up to 20 minutes every time to turn on the film. Also, calling IT to turn on the sound was a regular occurrence. We would watch maybe 30 minutes of film in one class and have 15 minutes of unrelated lecture. This would cause the class to take 4-5 class sessions to finish one film. By the time we finished the film, we had already started working on our NEXT paper. So what? Now, I think that this could have been a useful learning experience if the concept had been executed well. The idea of taking themes from a film and writing a paper based on the characters, relationships and cultural themes present could have been enjoyable, educational and even productive. It is just too bad that in the lack of technological knowledge, learning was lost. In the end, I would have to say that that was on of the most pointless and boring classes I have taken in my life. I didn't learn a thing. Now what? I will not include tech into my classroom that I am uncomfortable and unpracticed with. I will have back up plans in spades. I will not let myself fall into the trap of 'oh, I'll just show a film, and that will take up the time.' If an aspect of technology becomes a distraction or starts to take away from learning time, it is better to lose it than to force it into the curriculum.

Week 6 Post

Upon reading the IM Generation article, I was surprised by the idea that kids not only wish to connect to learning through technology, but through creating their own media to be shared. Thinking about it, it makes sense that kids would want to contribute to the world on the web. I really appreciated the different ways to incorporate technology into a classroom. In a Science class, I might use a classroom blog to allow kids to write and share their observations of a class project, or a project at home. I love that parents could have access to the links and forward them to grandparents etc. It's a new way for families to remain involved in a human way, despite the takeover of technology. Also, I was struck by the different websites for simulations and architecture that are available online for classroom use. In a Science classroom, I might use theses sites to create podcasts and films that include home made graphics with my students in order to continue allowing them to share their learning with the world.

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Reflection # 1

What? In a class the other day, the professor played an old, made for television documentary on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Although the information was interesting, I was easily distracted by the bad quality of the film. You see, the professor has this film recorded on VHS from many years ago, and the tape is full of cracks and lines running across the screen. Sometimes, the sound even cut out completely for as much as 15 seconds. Then, a few days later, I was in a DIFFERENT class, and that professor played part of  the same film for us making a very different point. However, this second professor found the documentary on Netflix streaming and had previously loaded the video. As I watched the film for the second time, I realized just how much of it I had missed the first time because of the bad quality, and how much better the second professor's approach was. So what? I realized that it is not enough to use technology in a classroom, but a teacher must use technology effectively in order to captivate students and truly make their point. It may be a good idea to have a vhs copy of the film as a back up, but it loses its effectiveness when the technology is not negotiated in a relatively seamless manner. Now what? I, as a future teacher, am becoming aware of the necessity of negotiating technology as an old friend, not just a tool to be implemented (to use a cheesy analogy). I will consider, before I use tech in my classes, if I have the skills and familiarity to make it relevant and accessible to my students, thinking ahead to what might go wrong, or if tech could possibly hinder learning.