Final Blog

In the next five years I see technology expanding rapidly; it seems that every few months there is a new version of a seemingly fine technology (i.e. iPads, iPhones, Tablets, etc.) I believe every day technology is perfected just a little bit more and apps and tools are becoming more functional and readily available. My hope for  the next five years is that cutting edge technology can somehow be slightly cheaper than it is as of now, I say this because I find it extremely unfair that there are amazing technologies available that could benefit so many students and their families and yet due to the hefty price tags, they are left behind.

Technology is changing education by providing students with new avenues with which to express themselves and to learn and by providing teachers with new ways to teach various subjects. For example, visual learners are given new ways to see subjects through Smart Boards and iPad apps, audio learners are able to learn with podcasts, and hands-on learners are able to figuratively do the work themselves through hands on apps and using Smart Boards. In higher level education, such as high school, students are able to participate in things like never before. For example, a high school student who is too squeamish to actually dissect animals is able to still learn the information through an electronic way via iPad app; students are able to technologically study abroad and view the world’s greatest monuments.

Teachers are able to use technologies such as podcasting, classroom websites and cloud sharing to reach students who are unable to come to class as well as all students parents. Teachers are also able to make students more involved in the lessons that are taught through hands on technologies such as the iPad and SmartBoard. 

As an aspiring teacher I look forward to one day being able to use these technologies in my classroom to be a better teacher, in the following AudioBoo posting I will discuss which technology I am most excited about using and how I plan on using it in my classroom.

listen to ‘Future Technology’ on Audioboo

Graphic Organizers in the Classroom

Graphic Organizers. What are they, how can they be used and why are they beneficial to students within a classroom setting? These are all questions that can be answered by reading this week's blog posting. First of all, a graphic organizer (or G.O.) is, simply put a way of using images, diagrams and organization to help students learn a concept--a familiar graphic organizer is the Venn Diagram used to compare and contrast ideas. Within the classroom, graphic organizers are a great way to gauge students' knowledge of certain subjects without giving the dreaded pre-tests that many students are accustomed to taking. For example, a science teacher could use graphic organizers to test students' knowledge on classification of animals by creating a G.O. with a main idea bubble of Animal Kingdom, then sub-ideas of each classification and having students list as many animals in each category as possible, possibly even giving them a word bank to choose from.

Another way a G.O. could be used is within an English classroom, where it could be used to discuss a story. This is beneficial because students can see the story being broken down into various different parts such as: characters, setting, morals, etc.

In a younger classroom setting a G.O. could be used to teach basic math by showing addition facts using different colored boxes. Or in a science setting, having students divide animals by how they travel: by wing or by legs.

An example the latter graphic organizer that could be used in a Kindergarten to 1st grade classroom setting can be found below:

This G.O. was created using a software called Inspiration 9.

Podcasting in Education

 Podcasting is a audio/video broadcasting technology that could be used in education for a variety of things. To teach students it could be used to explain different concepts in depth, discuss authors of literature being read in class, discuss an artists techniques in a specific piece of work or for foreign language practice. By using a podcast, students are able to learn topics from home, whether it be on sick days or on breaks where an educator wants students to do enrichment work.

Another option is to podcast lessons for students to listen to and then respond to through homework, quizzes or tests. This is a great option for students who may have to miss long periods of class time, or for parents of these students who may want to hear what their students are learning in class. Teachers could also use this option to help subs out when they must miss; in this way all the substitute would have to do is play the podcast for the students and hand out any supplementary work that may go with it.

Some disadvantages to podcasting include the lack of personal interaction when used as a teaching substitute, and the fact that students are unable to ask questions throughout.

Recently many different universities have been allowing their faculty to produce their own podcasts, whether they be video or audio and post them to iTunes for free downloads. This has allowed people who may not be able to afford the "Harvard education" to hear a Harvard professor give a lecture on any given topic.

This week, I reviewed a podcast found on iTunes posted by Eastern Connecticut State University's Early Childhood Educator's Center. The podcast was the second in their series and was a video podcast titled: "Introducing Technology to Young Learners". Below you may listen to my summary of the podcast.

listen to ‘Podcast Review’ on Audioboo

Digital Storytelling in Education

Using digital storytelling in education is a technology that I believe is highly underutilized. By using digital storytelling, educators are able to control what content is within the videos they show in their classroom rather than slaving over hours of YouTube videos to find that "perfect one". Teachers are also able to include quizzes within the video, and in doing so testing students knowledge as they go on and while saving paper. (Yay environment!) Students can also use it for presentations and prove their knowledge by including the information they've learned. It is by far a much more fun way of proving knowledge than writing a research paper or giving another boring PowerPoint presentation. I believe this technology is a cutting edge innovation that should make its way further into education and I fully intend to use it to educate in my future classroom.

An example of a way to use digital storytelling to teach a lesson can be found below, this lesson is over the life cycle of a butterfly.

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly on PhotoPeach

Twitter in Education

Over the past months, Twitter-a social networking site primarily known for being a source of celebrity updates-has become something more, it is slowly being introduced for use in the classroom as an educational tool. This new resource has sparked quite the debate of whether or not it is truly educational, whether it has a place in education, and whether or not it is more entertainment than education based. In this posting I plan to give my input to the debate, and address some solutions to the nay-sayers out there.

Is there a place for Twitter in education? If you ask me, I say there is and why it has taken us six years (Twitter was created in March 2006) to bring it in to the classrooms of the world? Teachers could use this tool for so many things: announcements, school closings, parent/teacher meetings, field trip reminders, etc. They can also use it to communicate with teachers not just in their district, but around the world. For example, let's say a teacher is wanting to do a lesson plan on any given topic but is unable to find a new and creative way to present it to her class. By using Twitter and making a tweet about her dilemma they now have an entire user interface able to bring solutions to her by replying to her tweet. This, in my opinion, is extremely beneficial; it gets ideas out there and helps them continue to grow.

People who say it is more suited for entertainment are looking at the most popular feeds on Twitter, but of course the celebrities are going to be more highly followed than an educators page. However, it is us who is feeding this, we are the ones following Ashton Kutcher and Leo DiCaprio instead of helping those teachers' pages rise to the top of the ranks. So try not to look at it as solely entertainment based; by doing some research it is possible to find those education based pages educators are looking for.

Beneficial Blogs and Resourceful RSS Feeds

One helpful blog I stumbled upon through research for this week's assignment was the "Topics in Early Childhood Education" blog through Blogspot; this blog posts articles that provide a broader view of the many pressing topics in Early Childhood Education. Topics as broad as the core standards and how to work those into lesson plans and use them in a way that is the most beneficial for our students and as narrow as various lesson plans such as this one on things to do with the fall season. For me as a teacher, this blog is helpful because it provides me with a broader sense of things within the classroom and gives me ideas of things to bring in to help with development.

A RSS feed I found that proved helpful to me was the A to Z Teacher Stuff Lesson Plans feed; this is because it is easy to see a few possibilities on my feed rather than go searching for new ideas every other week or so. Another great thing about this website is it sorts the lesson plans by grade level and subject so if I do have time to go to the actual website it is still fairly easy to find what I am looking for.

What it Means to be a 21st Century Early Childhood Educator

In the Early Childhood Education field, an educator will work with children ranging ages from birth to 5 years; within this age range there is a wide range of opportunity present to use technology to enhance your student's lives. Many parents and scholars may debate the harm technology at a young age can do, however, in my opinion at the speed our world is advancing technologically, it is vital to integrate technology into children's lives as early as possible. Who better to do that than early childhood educators?

Now, don't get me wrong, technology should not under any circumstances be used as a "babysitter". Parents and teachers that plop kids down in front of a television or a computer screen and expect an educational outcome drive me crazy; the key is to utilize technology as a cooperative learning tool. When properly utilized, technology can greatly enhance a good lesson. An issue with this in early childhood is that we as educators don't teach the typical lesson, it's more of setting the foundations for future educators.

A great example of technology in an early childhood setting that I had the privilege to observe was in a Montessori classroom in Fort Thomas schools. The teachers used iPads to work on printing and numbers and to reinforce their vocabulary. Applications that have children use the touch screen to trace numbers and letters, play games to enhance their memory and vocabulary all are viable methods of technology that a 21st century early childhood educator should highly consider using in their classroom.

It's time for a change, many educators that have been in the field for a long while are expectantly going to be resistant to the great change in classroom technologies. Over the next 30 years I highly expect that technology will become a great resource within the classrooms of the world.