Journal 6

“Mapping Student Minds” by Ariel Owen is an article mainly for future educators that will be teaching the science subject. This article is very interesting, and it provides ideas on how to teach students cause and effect relationships and encourage critical thinking. The author explains in seven steps using the “Pine Creek” project how mapping helped students learn cause and effect relationships.
“Gathering Data”- a field trip to Pine Creek provides hands on investigation and data collection. Other tools used to analyze and collect data are spreadsheets. By looking at the data students see “variations in measurements and begin to understand that the creek is a dynamic entity.
“Building Casual Maps”- this allows for students to collaborate, and it is a map designed to portray the relationship between cause and effect. “Cause and effect is developed throughout the process as they define relationships, create a casual map, refine map, and present to others.”
“Define Relationships”- teacher presents a project in which it encourages students to discuss the consequences as cause and effect.
“Creating the Map”- students begin preparing the actual map while discussing and negotiating. This encourages students to think out loud.
“Refining the Map”- Encourages critical thinking, and also student and teacher learning and listening.
“Presenting the Map”- Chose one map and then present in class students take positions on defending the map.
“Troubleshooting”- encourage by helping students focus on the main ideas.
This project portrays the relationships in a visual and tactile way. The casual mapping tool can not be applied to every situation, but whenever “there is measurable data and dynamic cause and effect relationships in that data.”

As a teacher would I use the casual mapping tool?
I think I would, specially being a social studies teacher, a lot of historic events can be better understood by the cause and effect relationship. I also think it is a fun learning experience for students.

Can this be used just for science?
As the author states, casual mapping can only be used whenever “there is measurable data and dynamic cause and effect relationship.

Journal 5

The article “Can you hear me now?” by Sherry Turkle is very interesting and fun to read. This article describes how technology has taken over our lives. Her first quote states: “Thanks to Technology, people have never been more connected-or alienated.” This is the main idea of the paper. She argues that technological devices such as laptops, blackberry’s, and other type of devices have us “tethered.” The only lives we want to live are the ones we create on the internet. She believes that such devices have us working “even on downtime because you can always have easy access to work.” With these devices at hand our presence is no longer required; we can be at different places at the same time. The author focuses on five troubles that have us attached to the virtual world:
“There is a new state of the self”-basically the internet is full of resources an imaginary people that we create our own world. Different from what our real lives are, “blend their real and virtual lives,” is what the author argues.
“Are we losing the time to take our time?”-we are doing more of answering e-mails, texts, IM, then thinking, or we often let these devices do the thinking for us. An expression was “I look at my watch to see the time; I look at my blackberry to get a sense of my life.” To make more time, the author suggest turning off devices.
“The tethered adolescent”- teenager are experience life different now with such technology available to them. There are pros and cons in having such devices available to them like staying in contact with their parents and being able to get help easier if involved in a dangerous situations, the negative aspect is new freedoms
“Virtuality and its discontents”- like exposing our lives, living public, this gives government more access to our lives, giving up privacy.
“Split attention”-texting while talking face to face with someone, “Being put on Pause”
What can we do to be more connected to the world?
Turn off technological devices, engage in conversations, and don’t always use technology!

As future educators we teach students to use technology, should we present students with the dangers there is in using the internet?

I believe the author is not arguing against technology, she just portrays how this has affected our lives and how dependent we have become of these devices, so I do think is important teaching students the dangers of using the internet.

Journal #4

In the article “Moderating and Ethics for the Classroom Instructional Blog,” by Patricia Deubel she gives really good advice for using blogs in the classroom. Deubel gives her point of view on why it is important to blog, “The blog is a vehicle to ensure that everyone is heard and is a valued member of the learning community. As future educators incorporating technology in our curriculum is very important. Blogging can not only teach students to use the new tech resources, but it is also a way to communicate, collaborate, and participate. Deubel gives four basic guidelines on how to successful create a blog and use it for online teaching:
Posting Guidelines-a grading system must be applied in order to get participation.
Provide HTML support-teacher must know and be able to answer questions about the technology being presented.
Teacher participation-give students comment on their posting, and perhaps can lead to a new discussion.
Involve students in summarizing and moderating discussions, assessment and evaluations are crucial to determine discussion effectiveness.
As with all the internet resources one must keep in mind the ethical considerations so it is highly important that the teacher monitors comments and teaches students about the dangers and ethical issues there is when using this tool.

As a teacher will I use blog as an instructional tool?
I think I would use blog as an instructional tool. This will allow students to collaborate and learn more about each other. I would also use this for parent’s participation since many parents work and have not time to get involved.

Should learners define their own blogging rules?
This question was asked by the author, and I think it is very important that students have a good understanding of the ethical issues, so yes; I would allow the students to create their own rules for the blog. After all, it is still consider classroom time and the same rules should apply to the blog just like in the classroom.

Journal #3

The article “Too Cool for School? No Way!” by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler is a very interesting article on how technological resources can be used for educational purposes. All of the new “tech toys” are not constructed for educational purposes yet the authors of this article argue that with enough knowledge, creativity, and teacher re-design these tools can be used in the educational field. First the authors describe what technology is. Then they introduce the term (TPACK) which is best described as technological pedagogical and content knowledge. Second, they describe in details how pedagogy and content and their relationship. The authors argue that just because one is fully trained in a subject area does not mean he or she will be a great teacher; however, the transformation of content in ways that make it intellectually accessible to students is quality teaching. Third, they explain how technology can be repurposed through (TPACK). TPACK “requires teachers to go beyond their knowledge of particular disciplines, technologies, and pedagogical techniques in isolation.” The goal is to use the new tech tools but to redesign to for educational purposes. Repurposing is possible when the teacher is knowledgeable of the tool. The authors give three example of repurposed technology for educational use: microblogging, visual search engines, and music DJ.

Will I incorporate TPACK in my classroom as a teacher?
I would use this new idea to incorporate technology in the classroom. I think it is great since students like to bring in their new “teach toys” to school. I believe this can make learning more interesting and introduce students to a fun an innovative way of learning.

Can most technological devices be repurposed and used for educational purposes?
Yes, I believe that as the author’s stated if the teacher is willing to learn all that there is to know about the device. They argue that “making it an educational technology required creative input from the teacher to redesign or even subvert the original intentions of the software programmer.”

Journal #2

This article “Social Networking for the K-12 set” by Jim Klein emphasizes the importance of technological use in education. The SUSD teacher and student community sites aimed to provide the tools and resources educators and students need to improve communication, collaboration, learning and growth not only among themselves, but with the community at large. Three staff members incorporated all of these ideas and designed the project, and so far it has been successful. As teachers and students become more familiar with the project they find new ways to use it. This technological source is very well controlled by staff, and secure. Only people that are part of the community can edit its contents, and if students edit or post anything it has to be revised and approved by a teacher. Currently teachers and students are using this site for things such as regular newsletters, updates, announcements, file sharing, and much more. The site has been successful in accomplishing its initial goal: to improve communication, and establish a sense of community.

How can this network be used for a student who is in the second grade?
Students as young as second grade are already using this network by posting podcasting and writing project. Although, they might not be as involved as older students, they are being introduced to this new network. Also, the parents can be part of the community and get involved through this site.
As an educator how would it benefit me to use this network?
I strongly believe that it would facilitate communication between teachers, parents and students. Instead of printing newsletter, announcements, and handouts I could post all this information on the site. Students could work on group projects from their home, and share each others work. This networking is also great for parents who have jobs without flexibility; they can become more involved through this network, and communicate with the teachers.

Journal #1

The article “Your Google Guide” by Doug Johnson gives simple suggestions on how to improve your Google search results. Although most of the suggestions are widely known it is a very informative article. The article gives twelve steps on how to make a search more effective. Some of the steps that I found useful were: interpret your search results, put your search in the form of a question, and learn to use operators effectively. What I learned from this article was to sign up for Google Librarian Central Newsletter.

As future educators, how important is learning how to use search engines like Google?

It is very important to learn how to use search engines like Google. As technology advances, as teachers it is important to be able to learn how to effectively search the internet so that we can teach our students. The author emphasis this by stating “I really do hope that the school media specialists reading this column have learned nothing new, that as the information specialists and the search experts in our schools, we have long since mastered the basics of Google and other search tools.”

Is this article suitable for teachers only?

This article has a lot of useful information for both the teachers and the students. I think that teachers should read it as well as the students. I believe that I can use this article as a teacher for my students because it is very easy to understand and at the same time entertaining.

Self-Intro

I am a first time blogger. I have successfully completed the CCR; however it has been quite some time since I have completed it and, I am not sure how much does passing the CCR count for technological experience.

My educational experience began when I was in high school I was a tutor/mentor for elementary students. I also have two younger sisters 11, and 14 years old, whom I help with their school work and get involved. I have been accepted to the Multiple Subject Credential Program for the Fall.

My goal for this class would be to learn more about MAC computers, and obtain tools that I can use in the classroom when I began my teaching career, and to try to keep up with the technological advances.

I chose this blog name because it reminds me of my 7 month old daughter whom I wish I could bring with me to school!