The fisch bowl blog is about being technologically illiterate. Karl blogged about how times have changed drastically. We use to be able to get a job and be successful if we couldn't read or write back in the beginning of the 20 century. As the years have gone by it's nearly impossible to find a job without being able to read or write, let alone be considered successful. As times go on technology is becoming more and more important to understand because it is apart of our everyday lives. It's no longer acceptable to just shrug off computers because you just don't get it or understand them.
"If a teacher today is not technologically literate - and is unwilling to make the effort to learn more - it's equivalent to a teacher 30 years ago who didn't know how to read and write." -Karl Fisch
I think this quote by Karl Fisch is completely true! It's time for everyone young and old to realize computers are here and becoming more and more involved in our everyday lives! In classrooms attendance and grades are now posted to an online site. How can you expect to live up to your schools expectations if you can not operate a computer. I believe if you want to be a teacher you should also want to learn. It is our job to guide children and teach them new things. Computers are a way of life now and we need to be able to implicant that to our students. I believe Terry Freedman is correct in stating that all teachers should have some basic achievement in technological capabilities. My final thought on this matter is that I believe everyone and especially teachers should have the basic computer skills that they use in everyday life. There should not be anymore excuses because technology is NOW.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Web Accessibility and Adaptive Technologies
John Sullivan presented to the class the different technologies that are available to deaf and blind people. He discussed web accessibility and showed us a special computer blind people can use. He also passed around a LED magnifier that uses a small camera to zoom up on objects. He also demonstrated the program that repeats what keys he touches on the computer.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Week 6 Assignment
The first school I found was The Green School in Bali, Indonesia. This school uses classroom blogs for students from preschool to year 8. The blogs give students an opportunity to reflect and share what they have learned with others. It also gives parents a chance to read about what their child is doing in school. Each grade level blogs multiple times a week. This school is brand new, therefore the blog is very active. I enjoyed learning about their unique views of education through nature.
www.greenschool.org
The second school I found is in Wadenswil, Switzerland called Zurich International School. Their blog is used to inform parents of upcoming events. Its purpose is to serve as a newsletter. There were posts about sports teams, signing up for lockers, and service projects. The site says that the purpose of the blogs is to show major issues and the future direction of the school. This blog is an easy way for students and parents to be more involved in their school. Now they can see all the opportunities they have and parents can also help their children stay on task.
http://moodle.zis.ch/blogs
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Week 5 Assignment
The first example of a blog being used in the classroom is from Noel Elementary School. This 5th grade teacher uses the blog to show parents the different scientific experiments his class does. Mr. C, as he calls himself, videotapes his students doing their experiments and posts them on the blog website. This allows students to show their parents what they are learning in class. For example, the students created boats out of soap bars and the one obligation was that the boat had to float. The next experiment was to make a boat out of a soap bar that could not float. The students soon learned that no matter how many holes you put in the soap, it will still float.
http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/
A teacher from Nixa, Missouri set up a website for her 3rd-6th graders. She called it Summer Reading Camp. The theme was going camping. The way the blog was used was during the summer months the teacher, Ms. Young, set up a blog for summer reading. She blogged about the reading assignment and students would write to her about what they were enjoying in the book. That way students were able to talk about the book as they read it and not be expected to remember the whole book whenever they get back to school in the fall. She also offers a link that shows what chapters they should be reading each week.
http://jyoungblog.blogspot.com/
http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/
A teacher from Nixa, Missouri set up a website for her 3rd-6th graders. She called it Summer Reading Camp. The theme was going camping. The way the blog was used was during the summer months the teacher, Ms. Young, set up a blog for summer reading. She blogged about the reading assignment and students would write to her about what they were enjoying in the book. That way students were able to talk about the book as they read it and not be expected to remember the whole book whenever they get back to school in the fall. She also offers a link that shows what chapters they should be reading each week.
http://jyoungblog.blogspot.com/
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Week 4 Assignment
The video made by Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod is fascinating. I could not believe all the statistics they had through out the presentation. It made my jaw drop quite a few times. I had no idea how technologically advanced we are becoming. The statistics that the video shared were so interesting. It makes me wonder how much the numbers have changed now in 2008 from 2007. It would be interesting to see the new statistics if they redid this video in a couple a years to show what's new out in the world.
Some of the interesting statistics that I saw were how 100% of college students in India speak English. That just blows my mind because I took two years of Spanish in high school and I have no idea how to speak that language. I might be able to pick out a couple words I know from memory, but I there is no way I could carry a conversation with someone who spoke that language. I find it amusing how most Americans have no idea how to speak another language fluently, but other countries can speak our language just as well as we can. I also found it very interesting how the video pointed out the new college majors. It made me wonder what kind of opportunities my children will have. My brain can not even begin to comprehend all the new technology that is coming our way in the future. The part about the average 21 year old and all the television, video games, instant messages, and emails we have spent our time on really makes me wonder what happened to the simpler things in life? Instead of talking a walk or a bike ride we now stay inside to play on facebook and myspace. The statistic that said that 70% of four year olds have used a computer is just astonishing. When I was four I played with Barbies and made mud pies. What is happening to our youth? It almost feels like we are being taken over by technology. The thing that really made my jaw drop was when it said that if Myspace were a country it would be the 8th largest in the world. That is mind blowing. I just can not even imagine that the web community is that massive just for Myspace. I also can not believe that the computer will soon exceed not only the human brain, but the human race.
This video really showed how much we have accomplished through technology. It makes a clear point that we need to teach our children how to be successful in the 21st Century. New college majors and careers are being created every year to help in the progress of our world. This one video created five million different conversations. It shows the power of technology and the future advancements. Children whom may never of had the chance to own a textbook could have all the answer they needed with just one computer with access to the internet. As a future educator I need to be prepared to teach my children the fundamentals of technology so that I can help further their chances of succeeding in todays society.
Some of the interesting statistics that I saw were how 100% of college students in India speak English. That just blows my mind because I took two years of Spanish in high school and I have no idea how to speak that language. I might be able to pick out a couple words I know from memory, but I there is no way I could carry a conversation with someone who spoke that language. I find it amusing how most Americans have no idea how to speak another language fluently, but other countries can speak our language just as well as we can. I also found it very interesting how the video pointed out the new college majors. It made me wonder what kind of opportunities my children will have. My brain can not even begin to comprehend all the new technology that is coming our way in the future. The part about the average 21 year old and all the television, video games, instant messages, and emails we have spent our time on really makes me wonder what happened to the simpler things in life? Instead of talking a walk or a bike ride we now stay inside to play on facebook and myspace. The statistic that said that 70% of four year olds have used a computer is just astonishing. When I was four I played with Barbies and made mud pies. What is happening to our youth? It almost feels like we are being taken over by technology. The thing that really made my jaw drop was when it said that if Myspace were a country it would be the 8th largest in the world. That is mind blowing. I just can not even imagine that the web community is that massive just for Myspace. I also can not believe that the computer will soon exceed not only the human brain, but the human race.
This video really showed how much we have accomplished through technology. It makes a clear point that we need to teach our children how to be successful in the 21st Century. New college majors and careers are being created every year to help in the progress of our world. This one video created five million different conversations. It shows the power of technology and the future advancements. Children whom may never of had the chance to own a textbook could have all the answer they needed with just one computer with access to the internet. As a future educator I need to be prepared to teach my children the fundamentals of technology so that I can help further their chances of succeeding in todays society.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Week 3 Assignment
ACCESS, which stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide, provides options and opportunities for student in Alabama's public schools to take place in Advanced Placement, elective, and other courses that they may not have access too otherwise. This program allows students many opportunities to excel in programs they might not have without the help of ACCESS. This program provides students the opportunity to learn through highly qualified teachers and courses.
The problem with today's educational opportunities is the low income schools have limited offerings for students in their course choices. Schools in Alabama are required by law to offer the Advanced Diploma, but some schools simply can not because they can't provide physics, calculus, or trigonometry. Because of these low income schools the state of Alabama decided that their mission would be to offer these students the chance to participate in these types of courses. That is where ACCESS comes in. Some of ACCESS goals are to provide advanced diploma courses, additional courses, provide teachers with the technology tools they need to enhance their classrooms, and much more. The different ways the students can receive the opportunities from ACCESS is either web based or videoconferencing. Funds are provided for the delivery sites so that teachers can receive the additional training.
As I mentioned above ACCESS offers students either videoconferencing or web based to take their courses. Some of the benefits of videoconferencing are its close to the normal instructional methods provided in classrooms. It allows team teaching in schools. It provides the school with more teachers and it allows other teachers to grow professionally by taking part in the ACCESS program. Some of the challenges to videoconferencing is being able to keep the student interested and apart of the class.
Web based is another way for students to participate in ACCESS. An online course allows students to be able to take it during the day at school. With a web course the "E-teacher" can post videos, animations, and assignments. The E-teachers are certified real teachers in the state of Alabama. The teachers are able to interact with teachers through forum discussions, and review sessions in real time.
I believe ACCESS is very useful for students so that they can have the opportunity to excel in their school. I think this program is especially useful for high school students. I am going to be an elementary school teacher, therefore I am not sure if ACCESS will be beneficial for me. However if there was a case where I needed to use ACCESS I would defiantly consider it.
The problem with today's educational opportunities is the low income schools have limited offerings for students in their course choices. Schools in Alabama are required by law to offer the Advanced Diploma, but some schools simply can not because they can't provide physics, calculus, or trigonometry. Because of these low income schools the state of Alabama decided that their mission would be to offer these students the chance to participate in these types of courses. That is where ACCESS comes in. Some of ACCESS goals are to provide advanced diploma courses, additional courses, provide teachers with the technology tools they need to enhance their classrooms, and much more. The different ways the students can receive the opportunities from ACCESS is either web based or videoconferencing. Funds are provided for the delivery sites so that teachers can receive the additional training.
As I mentioned above ACCESS offers students either videoconferencing or web based to take their courses. Some of the benefits of videoconferencing are its close to the normal instructional methods provided in classrooms. It allows team teaching in schools. It provides the school with more teachers and it allows other teachers to grow professionally by taking part in the ACCESS program. Some of the challenges to videoconferencing is being able to keep the student interested and apart of the class.
Web based is another way for students to participate in ACCESS. An online course allows students to be able to take it during the day at school. With a web course the "E-teacher" can post videos, animations, and assignments. The E-teachers are certified real teachers in the state of Alabama. The teachers are able to interact with teachers through forum discussions, and review sessions in real time.
I believe ACCESS is very useful for students so that they can have the opportunity to excel in their school. I think this program is especially useful for high school students. I am going to be an elementary school teacher, therefore I am not sure if ACCESS will be beneficial for me. However if there was a case where I needed to use ACCESS I would defiantly consider it.
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