"Kids Can't Compute" and "A Conversation with a 'Bad' Teacher" Reflections

Mike Elgan makes the point that kids today have grown up in the era of computers, yet they know less about them then older generations. He says that it is the assumption that this generation can work a computer better than any other, but they were exposed to such ease in using technology that they did not take the time to figure out the anatomy of it. He gives his personal example of owning cryptic computers in which you had to learn and memorize how computers worked in order to use one. These days, a child can pick up an iPad and work it with ease; therefore, they have no reason to be curious about how it works. Elgan brings up a point in this article that I had not previously thought of. If none of the younger generation is learning how to build/work these technologies, who will continue to produce them? Another thought this article spurred was that of too much ease for these younger generations. The fact that they have grown up receiving everything from a click of the mouse will likely result in a more spoiled nature of children than those that got entertainment from playing outside. Not only will they not know how to work the technologies, they will become a victim of the technologies. John Owens, an employee of a magazine company at the time, one day decided to go back to school in order to become a teacher. Once in the school system, he quickly realized that this school in the South Bronx did not care to see students succeed. Their main priority was showing data and proving that the students were passing. Owens only lasted a year but posted about it online. The post went viral, he was set up with an interview with MSNBC, and he later wrote a book on his experiences. This article records a short interview taken with him on the experience. Though this school differs from many found in Mississippi or Alabama, I fear that schools here will soon be behaving like this with the implementation of the Common Core, which puts a heavy emphasis on test scores and retention rates. I fully agree with Owens in that teachers should also be teaching good behavior and good character, rather than solely forcing them to pass. I was most shocked by the little girl who approached the teacher with the rape story. Legally, and much less morally, I am not sure how she was able to ignore that. If society has gotten to the point that we are willing to ignore cries of help simply because we are trying to prove a point, that is not a world I am interested in teaching in.

"From Advisees" Reflection

The advisees listed several things that would be beneficial for a teacher to know how to utilize. The first of these was the ability to work an LMS. The doctorate students believe that each aspiring teacher should know how to create a class from one of these in order to benefit their students in the future. Secondly, they recommended extended knowledge of how to work a SmartBoard or other kind of electronic whiteboard. Aspiring teachers also need to consider how to handle the concept of BYOD in the classroom, seeing as it is an extremely new concept to teaching. Finally, they recommended being very familiar with the SAMR model. Most of the concepts and tools listed I was already very familiar with. However, the SAMR model interested me because I knew so little about it. Upon researching it, I found that it is simply a model to illustrate the progression of technological learning. It offers a framework for teachers to follow as they integrate technology in the classroom and line up with the guidelines. The four aspects of the model are substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. One aspect of the advisees I particularly liked was how they distinguished between teachers being given tools and the actual use of the tools. Teachers are taught to manipulate all kinds of technological tools, yet few of them are relevant or useful to teaching. I agree with the advisees in that teachers should learn to use tools that align with their classroom age and learning content.

"EDUCAUSE Sprint 2013: Beyond MOOC's" Response

This article defines the transition most higher educational facilities are making to MOOC's, which are basically massive online classrooms. It is stated that these classrooms offer more versatility and room for change than do the old, lecture style classrooms of college campuses. The benefits of MOOC's are the immediate response of a professor, the ability to work on the class at any hour, and the incorporation of simulated aspects that can supplement learning. It also states that these MOOC's offer the possibility of finishing a class based on competency rather than time. An accelerated student may finish in 3 weeks whereas one that struggles may finish in 20. The article makes clear that we have taken a shift from being the "informational age" to the "connected age." Whereas I do agree with some of the beneficial aspects of the MOOC's, there are some glaring negatives that were not mentioned. As I am currently in an online class, the most inconvenient aspect is the inability to get in contact with the professor. If your professor is not communicable by email, you have no way of getting in touch with him/her because you are not able to meet face to face. Also, I, personally, have felt that I have learned nothing from my online class, whereas I absorb substantially more information from my face-to-face lectures. Finally, I am concerned about the ability to finish a course based on competency. I would love this transition for myself, but I must say it creates a distinct division among students. Those that are not quite as fast of a learner will be notably left behind in college. Whether that is fair or not, I do not know, but it would be a definite change in how things are run.

Cyberbullying Website

https://sites.google.com/site/cyberbullyingforkids411/

Web

Erika: Bubbl.us- free concept map site. Account login is required. Very similar to Inspiration. Has the feature of importing pictures. Linoit.com- free memo website. Offers a way to post notes, pictures, videos, Word documents, and dates. Contains a calendar. This site functions off of the use of boards, and a multitude of various boards can be created. Very useful for teachers as far as agenda and planning features. Madeline: Photobucket- account required for login. Combination of Instagram and Pinterest. You are able to upload pictures and people can like or comment on them. There is also a feature that allows users to see what pictures are trending. You can search specific pictures or themes as well as share these. Free to upload a certain amount, but after that point you will be charged to buy more storage. Another tool featured is the "Edit" feature, which allows users to alter or crop their uploaded photos. Quintura Kids: search engine that is kid oriented. Maybe not the best search engine because it has very limited information. The website has potential, but it does not have access to enough information. Limits searches to kid friendly sites, but does not provide extensive topics. Callie: Duck Duck Go*- search engine tool. Easy teacher use. Directs all searches to information that is specific. It contains a filter bubble that pulls up valid resources rather than blogs. Has more extensive information than Quintura Kids. Go Gooligans- search engine for kids and teens. Simple, safe, and kid oriented. Pop-up accessible keyboard for people with disabilities. However....it will not go through with a search. Overall it does not work and needs to be revised. Rebecca: Padlet- basically a blank wall. Students go on website and post their comments. Notes can be posted on this site. Text2mind map- concept map. Able to type an outline and then "create" the map. Not alot of customizable options. Brittany: Stormboard- you can create different boards, invite users Social Studies- teachers can post questions and kids can answer and like them. Ally: Instagrok***- mixture of a concept map and a search engine. Creates a concept map out of your search. Very useful for teachers and classrooms. Offers videos, pictures, facts, etc. You can slide the difficulty button in order to set appropriate age range for the data. Journals offered at top bar. Quizzes are offered bases on the subject you search. Only downside is that ads are displayed on the side. Kidtopia*- search engine developed by a school library. The website offers many different subjects that specifies a search. Victoria: Slime Kids*- School Library Media Kids. search engine website that is a directory for various search engines. Kids Click! was her favorite search engine offered. An authors page is offered to take you directly to popular children's authors website. Games and book trailers also offered. Wiki Summarizer- takes search and summarizes the wikipedia results of that search. Develops a sort of concept map that you can edit. You can also display results in a tree view or a keyword cloud. Tommi: Pearltrees*- A place to college and share everything you like on the web. combination of pinterest and a concept map. Collecting ideas via a pearltree. You can create a category or select a website. This is a way to store websites that you favor under topical categories. I think this would be beneficial for projects to collect sources and information and store it in one location. NetVibes- "Dashboard Everything." combination of pearltree and a google search. you have dashboards that correlate to whatever you search. It saves the searches, so if you are doing a project then you can refer back to it. Mary Catherine: Glogster- online poster boards. You can create a timeline and drop images and information into the timeline space. Audacity- a free download. record music or any type of audio, such as speeches, reading, etc. one of the best free music/recording editing sites. Used often for bands. Could be used in the classroom by students making songs or other projects. Lauren: Vimeo- create and share videos. Similar to YouTube. You can also search videos on the site. Word Press- blog site where you can create and follow blogs, as well as find friends. more difficult but allows more flexibility. Allows you to reblog. Deanna: Ever note- Save ideas, tasks, projects, files, and more. Makes them available where ever you go. Has an accompanying app. You can search within your notes. Seems very beneficial for college students. Nicole: Compfight**- similar to Google images. free to download. allows you to download different sizes of the pictures. has a creative commons license. Diigo- you can build a library, organize and share info, have friends. Would work to share info with teachers. Emily: Blabberize- allows you to insert an image and construct a mouth to talk for the image. Could be used for school projects. Easel.ly**- create vhemes or visual themes. similar to a graphic organizer or concept map. Allows you to visually publish ideas. could be used for meetings, to show the class something, etc.. Britneii: Animoto*- upload pictures to create a video and allows you to add your own background to them. You can also add videos and text. The free version allows only 30 seconds. You can add your pictures to pre-made template backgrounds. Book Builder- allows you to create your own book. You can read books, create them, or share them. It allows kids to explore multiple languages. Weebly- helps people make their own website and blogs. can insert audio and videos. slideshows are included. highly recommended. Storyboard*- offers a section called education themes that offer videos people have made for classroom use. "Storyboards" are basically videos/moving images. Tiffany: Tagul- just like Wordle. This website isn't as limited as Wordle. You can make the words into any shape offered. You can also choose different fonts and colors. You can buy merchandise with your creation. Edmodo*-basically a facebook for teachers. Different categories are offered, such as Computer Technology. Teachers can ask questions and offer comments to assist one another. Socrative***- website that teachers can use to create quizzes, tests, and games for their students. Jonathan: Podbean- kind of like iTunes podcast. You can publish them and look them up. A teacher could post lectures if they taught college level. If you use enough of it, you have to pay for it. You can also post videos. Pixton- make online comic strips. you can allow characters to interact. Would be beneficial for english classes to tell stories and stuff. iCloud- same thing as on the phone, but you can also access the website. You have access to pages, numbers, and keynote via the website. Infogr- you can make charts and stuff. Would be very beneficial to make comparisons as a teacher.