The Biggest Impact

I think the thing that made the biggest impact on me was how much technology there is that I didn't know about, and how much money has been spent on putting technology into education with the poor result that has followed. I was surprised at all the software and programs that I had no idea existed and I was surprised at what I didn't know! Everyone in the class seemed to be so familiar with everything we worked on and with the computer at large and I didn't know anything about anything! I thought I knew some things before I took this class, but I was wrong! That was definitely an "AHA" moment for me! Another one was when we had to do the blog. I had heard of blogs, and seen my student workers typing on them, but I had never had any personal experience with one. It seemed difficult at first, because I didn't really understand what to write, but it got easier and it is just kind of like writing in a diary, really, its just that everyone in the world gets to read it! :) Of course I had a Aha moment every time we learned some type of software, because the only things we did that I had any experience with were Microsoft Word and Excel and a little experience with desktop publishing. But most of what we did, I had never experienced. Even with Word and Excel and DTP, I learned something I'd never done before, so it was a good experience for me. It was a huge surprise to me to find out how much money has been spent by the federal and state governments on putting technology into schools with such a poor result! It is definitely time for the schools to have something to show for all those dollars that have been spent and to begin to use technology for their students. That was another Aha moment for me. It has been my experience that technology in schools is a by-stander and not anything considered important to use in the education of students. Of course, teaching to the test is what is considered most important these days in Texas schools. If they can find a way to do that with a computer, then I guess we'll use them a lot! To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I'll use this blog after this class or not. I'm guessing I probably will not use it, but you never know. I may want to go back and re-read what I've written to gain a new perspective when I'm taking the other two ETEC classes I need for my degree (which you are teaching!) in the Fall semester.

I think Romano's idea of Technology Enhanced Curriculum is realistic. It seems like an idea that would work in schools and more importantly be accepted by school districts and teachers. There is the rub, is that it has to be accepted by teachers and it has to be something that teachers will do and use and it has to be something that is easily phased into the classroom routine. It is definitely something akin to what I would come up with for using technology in my classroom or in my school. I think as far as developing my own model for using technology in my classroom, I would have to have computers in the classroom for those students who are working below grade level. I don't think Romano took those students into account and as we know, there are always those students in every grade level. Those students are not going to be able to make 90 and above, even with the tutorial on the computer. They are going to need more than just the teaching/test/tutorial that the rest of the students are getting. Having the tutorial on the computers in the classroom or having the lessons on the computer so they can listen to the lesson again and again on the computer would be something that I would add to my model. I like the idea of having a computer lab, but I feel it is important to have computers in the classrooms as well, especially for those students who are behind. I also think the expectation of 90 and above for all students is a high expectation. Some students just aren't going to be able to do that. That is a thing about Romano's model that I think is unrealistic. Yes, there are many things in life that we expect 100% out of, but it isn't realistic for us to, because quite frankly, it isn't often that we get 100% of anything. But when you are dealing with students, it just isn't realistic to expect to get 90% from every one of them because you have too many that are working too far below grade level (in most schools, that is.) Otherwise, I think my model would closely resemble Romano's, using television/video, a computer lab and then adding the computers in the classroom for those students who can't keep up for whatever reason. I really like the idea of using the television in the classroom. I think it is a medium who's use has finally come into its own. I think it has a lot to offer today's classroom if it is used in the right way.

More About Online Schools

Thanks, Mrs. W, for clearing up the book thing for me. I agree that being online makes students more susceptible to learning more. I liked the fact that VHS does not want its students sitting in front of a computer all of the time, but wants them to go out on field trips and such and then come back and write about their time away from the computer. I liked what Droste said, "You need the handshake and the hug. You need to bump into the student in the hall. You have to have that personal contact. people need to know how to act face-to-face with each other." That is one of my main concerns about online classes is that students don't get to know their teachers and their classmates. I believe they need to be in class. I'm not including college students in this which I say "students." I'm only thinking of K-12 students, because that's the business I'm in. I know college students can handle not knowing the teacher and their classmates, although I think they'd do better in the online classes if they did. At any age, there is no substitute for an onsite teacher, in my opinion. But I do believe technology has a definite place in schools and it is time for public schools to face that fact and do what they need to do to get it in place and use it.

Online Learning and Virtual Reality

Well, in Chapter 5, it discusses using television as a medium for learning, but in the assignment you asked for discussion of online learning, so I'm not quite sure what you wanted. I'll stick to what you asked for in the assignment and forget the chapter in the book. I agree that the computer is a boon to the public school setting, which is in agreement with my educational technology philosophy. I don't think it is so much teachers being stubborn or being afraid as it is them being undertrained and being expected to figure the software, etc. out on their own. At least, this has been my experience. I believe that using computers as virtual schools is going a little far, though. I don't believe you can completely do away with the teacher; you need an actual person there to make sure the students stay grounded, answer questions and generally teach the crux of the lesson. You've got to take into account your slow readers or your students who work below grade level as well. Having the computer read it to them is doing them no good because their reading level will never go up if they don't practice reading themselves.

As far as the Second Life thing goes, I don't have much of an opinion of it. I cannot see myself doing it. It seems to me to be unnecessary, really. Something else to have to master in a sea of things to have to master. I don't believe that it is something adults need to have to use to have meetings and to confer with each other. In fact, I see adults using it as kind of ridiculous except to play with it. However, I can see kids seeing it as really cool and I can see it being a really great teaching tool, but I can see it being a difficult to use as a teaching tool in that you have to take so much time to build the sets and get it ready for use in teaching a lesson and I know that a normal school district is not going to put out the $ to hire a company to build for the teachers who use it! They'd be expected to do it themselves! So, I guess I'm not as into virtual reality as some of the other people in the class are. I have a hard enough time with real reality!!!

Primary Sources

My educational technology has changed somewhat since we wrote them in September. I feel now that teachers should be more open to technology in their schools and in their classrooms and that if they were they would have the world of primary sources at their finger tips. No more running to the library to look for books! No more looking through magazines for articles! They would be able to access the databases at any library and find journal articles, magazine articles, ebooks, personal interviews, and other things they could use for primary sources for their research. They could find websites like the NARA website that give them the unlimited potential to find whatever they need!

What Teachers Do

Human progress from the Stone Age to the Information Age resulted primarily from amplifying individuals' capacity to function, first by empowering them with crude implements, then tools, then machines, and now technology. This is basic to understanding how teachers can do what they do--better.

I guess it is a basic understanding of how teachers can do what they do. In the world of technology they are many times at a loss due to now knowing what to do with it. Some teachers go for it and try to use the technology and don't know what they're doing and some just leave it alone.

All human activity is driven by information; the more demanding the activity--the greater the need for information. Thus, information can be termed the fuel that powers the teaching-learning process.

I agree with this perception 100%. The best place to get that information, of course, is from the Internet. That is where people get most of their information today and they will tell you so! The more information a teacher has the more she/he can impart on his/her students, so I agree that information can be termed the fuel that powers the teaching. A teacher with no information has nothing to teach his/her students and therefore, should not be in the position of teacher.

The master teachers of the Information Age are those who develop the capacity to navigate the worldwide oceans of information and selectively retrieve that which can provide and enriched experience for their learners.

I agree wholeheartedly with this perception. This is something I cannot do. I can look for information and usually find what I need, but I cannot "navigate the worldwide oceans of information and selectively retrieve" information. It takes a pro for that and I'm definitely not a pro. Teachers who do this for their students are, I would say, few and far between, mostly because of the time factor involved. They simply don't have that time needed to get on the Internet and practice and learn all the skills necessary to become a pro at it.

How teachers manage information has a major impact on the outcome of of he teaching-learning process. Technology facilitates and amplifies the teacher's capacity to provide learners with information of higher fidelity in an individualized, interactive mode. Thompson said that the successful teacher primarily manages information, not students.

I believe this is true. The teacher has to manage their information in such a way that it is easily accessible in order to have an impact of his/her teaching process. Students do well in an atmosphere where the technology facilitates and amplifies the teacher provides learners with information of higher fidelity in an individualized, interactive mode. I can see where the learners are doing well when they are receiving interesting, true information to use in a project if they are working alone or even if they are working with a group. It is important for the students to get high fidelity information.

Teachers plan, communicate, guide, and evaluate. Information technology can be adapted to allow the teacher to do these better and, thus, impact positively the efficiency of the teaching-learning process.

There are marvelous software packages that are written for writing lesson plans, email, and evaluation documents, such as rubrics, that are available for teachers. They definitely positively impact the efficiency of the teaching/learning process and provide more time for teachers to teach.

There is compelling evidence that learning is heightened when teachers create visually rich experiences, thus engaging the learner's entire brain--rather than only half.

This is an example of teachers providing students with high fidelity information and how the students' will react. They are using most of their senses, and so, most of their brain. This is what we as teachers want to make happen more and more.

Worst Fears and Best Hopes

The one thing that got me in reading the 3rd chapter in Romano's book were the words, "no one knows how to do it..." That is what teachers have been fighting forever! We don't necessarily not want the technology...we need to be TRAINED in and on the technology and we are not getting that training that we need. At least not enough to feel comfortable using all the wonderful software available in our classrooms!

As a teacher of 14 years and knowing a lot of other teachers, I disagree with Godfrey that teachers will perceive computers and other technology as a threat. Indeed, we would love to have it to use if only we knew what to do with it other than drill and kill with it.

Teachers' negative attitude towards technology has not been towards the technology itself but towards the administration who just expects us to KNOW what to do with it and incorporate it into our students lives with no training or knowledge, and they DO expect that. In fact the book says that a 1999 survey conducted for Education Week says that teachers are inhibited by the use of technology by lack of training.

I'll overcome my fears and use technology for empowerment by taking classes and by learning as much as I can about computers and software.

In Romano I definitely identify with number 1. It it is the main thing I identify with. Number two runs a close second. It is like getting teeth pulled to get the administration to tell you anything, let alone get them to explain something like an explanation of how technology works

What I've learned in this class has both empowered me and scared me. I feel like I've learned some things, but I feel like if I have to do some of these things out of the class I won't be successful. But all in all I have hope that I will learn many things that I have wanted to learn for a long time.

I know I will, in the future, be more collaborative. It is easier to learn and muddle your way through when you have someone else there with you. As far as shifting control, I believe I have shifted control or will soon shift control of the computer to myself. I don't like the idea of it controlling me, but it has been because I haven't known enough about it to wield control over it. But I'm learning!

Well, what jumped out at me from the Romano book was where he talked about the guy saying there were pieces of true revolution for schools everywhere, they just needed to be put together. I can see that in hindsight as a previous teacher. The problem is WHO Is going to do the putting together? Everyone thinks someone else should do it. Or everyone else thinks someone else is going to do it. And the pieces keep laying around. It is a shame that so much money has been thrown into technology for schools and they are where they are with it. And I guess everyone is to blame. The Education System just doesn't want to change.

I loved the idea of fax buddies in the kindergarten classes! Isn't that cute. That is a fantastic idea to teach technology to the children; however, there are schools I have been in who would not allow using the fax machine. So, it's a good idea if you have cooperative administration. I have worked in several schools and I've never worked in one that the parents were interested in coming and seeing how their children were doing or coming and participating. They sent their children to work every day and that was it. Of course I've always worked in low socio-economic areas, too, where the students didn't have computers at home, but the idea of being able to conference over the internet and have other school to family connections with the computer are great ideas. You just have to land where everyone has a computer either at home or one they can access. I love the duck hatching project where the students are in touch with people at San Diego State! The computer can take children anywhere! With a lot of planning on the teacher's part the students can do anything, go anywhere, or see anything right there from their classrooms! Someone needs to put those parts together, huh?

What I'd Do with Publisher

I LOVE Publisher! I would love to use it to make all kinds of things, like cards, flyers and when I get to be a librarian, I would use it for all kinds of things for my students and my school. I can foresee needing a program like that for my job as a librarian. To me Publisher is very easy to learn and use. I've used it before and I usually use it from scratch instead of using the templates. I think it would be of great use to me in my job and to anyone!

I LOVE Microsoft Publisher! I LOVE being creative and using the capabilities Publisher offers you to create all of the different things it has! Cards, flyers, brochures, I've even used it to create business cards before! And calendars! Wow! I'm excited about using it and wish I were in a position to use it on a regular basis. Believe me, any time I need the skills this software offers I will certainly pull it out! Especially cards--they're so expensive! And you can now buy the right sized envelopes for them, so why not? I made something--a flyer--this morning to put in my portfolio and it was so fun! For awhile several years ago, I had my own business and I used it for everything and it was so cool! Even for a brochure describing my services! In the job I have now I might be able to use it every once in a while but when I become a librarian I will be able to use it all the time and I will!

Now using Word in those different ways, some of them I knew and some of them I didn't. I learned how to use the tracking last semester when I was taking my research class. It is really neat and is a great tool when you are working on a paper or book with more than one person or when you have someone proofreading for you. Using Word as a desktop publisher is very difficult. I have tried that and it isn't easy, but I will get something done.

The impact RSS and Del.icio.us had on me were minimal because I didn't understand them enough to use them. Like I've said before. The class is going at warp speed and I'm still at 70 mph. I don't know that I can make any changes to use information through these two things so as a result of these two things I don't really expect much to happen. I hate that, but I don't even hardly remember what we did, let alone how to use either one of them.

Well, I'm supposed to blog something for 2/6, but I'm not sure what to blog because the blog assignments on Dr. Wickersham's blog seem to be the same. Let's just put it this way...I don't know what I'm doing! I can't keep up with this class. Everthing seems to be going at warp speed and I'm only at 70 mph. So I will go to the next blog homework and take a hit on this one, 'cause thats the only thing I know to do.

I don't know about schools these days and I'm talking about colleges! This institution is having so much trouble with discipline it is unbelievable. I work in the library and we have a lot of trouble with discipline and plain rudeness. For every good patron there are 3 bad ones! People think the rules don't apply to them. Where does that come from? I'm really very curious that a person would have it in their mind that the rules apply to everyone else except them! Why them? High schools, middle schools and even some elementary schools have the same problems. How can teachers teach with discipline problems take up most of their time? I've been there so I know how it goes. The answer is: they can't. It's especially hard when administration won't do anything to help the teacher. But a college, of all places, isn't a place where I thought I'd hear the the words discipline problems being applied to the students of the institution. It blows my mind!

My pink background

Here's what I need. I need someone to sit down with me at this computer and show me the stuff I can do with this blog. And another thing. When I was first logging on I had to pick a "background" and stuff and when I go to my blog on the internet there it is but there is a sentence that says that there are no entries or something like that. I have to sign in and come here to write but nothing ever shows up on the pretty pink background. What is with that? I'm sure I did something wrong; I always do. I'm scared to play around in here because I'm afraid I'll do something I can't get back. Now I'm not saying someone else couldn't get it back, I'm just saying I couldn't get it back. I'm terrible with all this new-fangled stuff on the computer. Sometimes I wonder about myself. Here I am getting all worked up about getting the Article 1 commentary done and I find out it isn't due 'till Feb.13. I don't pay attention! I hate that about myself. I need to start working on it in earnest.

Well, I feel kinda guilty about this so I'm going to talk about it. Earlier in my blog I talked about things for my educational philosophy that was just junk. I've since changed my mind and my philosophy but I have'nt written about it in the blog so I guess I should. My philosophy is based on the teachers and students learning about computers. But in the right way. Too many times students don't learn as much as they could from computers because their teachers have not had the opportunities to learn about the computer and what they can do with it. Adminisitration is selfish with dollars to send them to truly learn how to use the computer to make the lessons for the students thought provoking, fun, interesting and to teach them to think critically. So there. Now I feel better. I've already turned in my paper, so this come kinda "after the fact" but it is in the blog like it is supposed to be!

losing my education technology paper (this sucks)

I'm so mad I could spit! I wrote my philosophy and I could swear I saved it on the computer but now I can't find it. I must have typed it and then forgotten to save it and the crummy part of it all is I can't remember what I wrote! I have a thing with my brain (seriously, I am bipolar) and it just won't let me remember things sometimes. Now I'm going to have to do it over and I'm not sure what to say! I've got to get back in that frame of mind, I guess, I just don't have very long to do it in. What a bitch. I'm so so so so so mad at myself. Sometimes I just do the stupidest things. Everything was totally different than it was in my blog. I completely changed it from what I wrote about educational technology in the blog. I just wish I could remember what it was. I should've written it down then at least I'd have some idea what to write about.

I'm supposed to blog about my vision about educational technology is and I'm sure I have one! Guess I'd better start thinking! My purpose and expectations of this class is to learn what I need to learn to be a librarian. That probably sounds terrible but and its not completely true. I also want to learn more about computing and new things about the computer and how to use it. I just get tired of being so stupid about it! I'm obtaining my degree for several reasons. One because it is one of my goals to be the first person in my family with a master's degree (I want one, too!), next you need higher and higher degrees in the workplace to be able to get jobs, and you need a master's degree to be a librarian, which is what I am going to be if I ever get out of school!

My current goals are to finish school and do a good job for my employer. My long term goals are to use my degree to get a job as a librarian at a public school and enjoy my job. My educational technology philosophy--this is a hard one because I never feel like I have "philosophies" about things--I do, I'm sure-- I just don't feel like it. Let's try. I believe that technology belongs in schools. There are so many great things students can learn from computers that it would be a travesty for schools not to have computers. Much of the learning today comes from computers and is facilitated by teachers. The problem is teachers don't really know how to ues these computers to the best of their ability so it has become drill and kill on lots of things. I think the teachers need to be taught how to use these computers in their classrooms or in a lab and having the technology would be much better used. However, this said, just having the computers is a step in the right direction. Allowing those students who are computer savy to "Play" on them, supervised of course" you may find out some useful things and some ways to have some lessons on them yourself. My vision, put in a nutshell, is, "Educational/instructional technology supports instruction and student in schools." I used the following articles

Ausband, Leigh T., Instructional Technology Specialists and Curriculum Work, Fall 2006, 39,1,1-21.

Brill,Jennifer M., Galloway, Chad. Perils and promises: University instructors' integration of technology in classroom-based practices. British Journal of Educational Technology, Jan2007, 38,1,95-105,11.

I'm supposed to list some TSDs which is hard because I don't know what all computers can do, but for one thing:

I want to learn how to cut the heads off people and put them on someone else!
I want to learn Microsoft Work better.
I want to learn spreadsheets better.
I want to be able to read instructions from a teacher and be able to do the things he/she says to do on the computer without panicing.
I want to learn desktop publishing.

Well, I'm in no shape to share any technological skills, but the reason I want to learn these is because some of them are fun (the head, the publishing) but the majority of these I need for employment and my personal life.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Lisa Walden and I am attending TAMU as a master's student studying library science. I am looking forward to being a librarian in a public school sometime soon. I like to read, cook (when I get the chance) play with dogs (I have to play with other people's dogs now because I had to get rid of mine when I moved to Commerce :( , ride bicycles, spend time with my family and have fun! I taught in the public schools for 14 years and that was enough for me! Now I work full time in the A&M Library as a Library Assistant. It's a great job and one that allows me some time to study sometimes. I have a great boss and great people to work with as well. This is the first time for me to have or write in a blog so I'm doing something I'm very uncomfortable with. I'm not even sure I'm writing in the right place. Probably not! I don't know where this is going to go. Out into Cyberspace!