Bridging the Digital Divide

Colleen Swain one of the authors of my article specializes in the integration of technology into the daily curricula and distance teaching and learning. Tamara Pearson the second author encompass issues of equity. In their article they talks about the importance of having access to technological devices and being able to use them as much as possible. They gives tips of when, where, and how to manage technology use in classrooms, and how to prepare teachers in using more technology. They also give various resources about funding for technological devices. In addition they mention how important it is for teachers to be prepared with knowledge in the use of technology.

 

I believe they make a good point about the importance of using technology in classrooms. When children have those experiences it is helping them with their development in creating more knowledge about manipulating and using computers or other devices. In addition the devices being used can bring greater benefit to children by them being more creative in doing projects while having access to more resources rather than just paper and colors. With technology children can use technology to make digital stories, videos, and very creative newsletters and presentations in order to present various topics. I liked that she provided the links and resources as to where schools can apply or get funding to purchase more technological devices; I thought that is very helpful for schools and teachers to look in to.

I hope in the future I don’t have to deal with not having a computer in my classroom or maybe not having a computer lab for my students. I think schools in the future might be better equipped with technological devices of all kinds. If not I can always come back to this article and look up some of the resources mentioned or I can do my own research online. But I now know there are positive benefits to using technology in my class as long as my students learn digital citizenship and proper use of technology I think we will be off to a good start.

References

Swain, C., & Pearson, T. (2001). Bridging the digital divide: A building block for teachers. Learning and Leading with Technology, 28(8), 1-13, 59. Retrieved from iste.org

Assistive Technology

 

As educators and teachers our main purpose is to make sure all students learn and gain knowledge of what we are teaching them. Being that said we should all be aware of the importance of meeting every students needs in the classroom. We all know that not all children learn the same way that there are many different learning abilities that children pose. In addition we need to be more aware of those children with special needs that also need to have their needs met regardless of their condition. One of the ways we can help them is with the use of Assistive Technology, which are objects or systems that increase or maintain the capabilities of people with disabilities, in other words these devices are specially designed for people with special needs and disabilities. Assistive Technology is tools design to help students with multiple learning styles as well as with physical challenges. They help students with class work as well as with their homework and projects. These tools can make things easier to understand and see when working with a computer.

The article explains briefly how to find some of these tool that are already in our programs and applications that we use on a day to day basis. I speak for myself when I say that I was not aware of those tools in my computer, but after reading this article I think I will give it a try and use some of them just to see how they work. Some of these tool include magnification to see documents in larger print to read better; on screen keyboard to type using the mouse instead of fingers, for those students with hand coordination disabilities; a voice narrator to read for you; speech recognition to write papers without having to type; language translators; mouse keys that control the cursor; and visual and sound notification when there are things pending for them to do.

The author also mentions about using the IT department to help you set up some of these tools and programs in your classroom or computer lab for everyone to use. There are many other programs you can purchase online or sometimes get for free if you go through your district. I have attached some links that have special resources in regards to Assistive Technology, these not only guide you through what it is but they offer other resources in regards to getting the correct help you need for your students. These sites are also very helpful for parents and it offers various resources for parents too, making it easy for parents to get the help they need at home too.

These following links are sites that are very resourceful for, parents, teachers, and students as well, I hope they are very useful in reading more about Assistive Technology.

1.  http://www.parentednet.org/assistive-technology

2.  http://www.ncld.org/students-disabilities/assistive-technology-education

3.  http://www.enablemart.com/?leadsource=137&gclid=CKPxoLS1iroCFdBxQgodThoA7Q 

“From Toy to Tool: Audioblogging with Cell Phones”

 

“From Toy to Tool: Audioblogging with Cell Phones”

This was an interesting article to read because I would never imagine a teacher allowing her students the use of cell phones in class. This article makes it clear how to properly allow the use of cell phones in class and how to prepare students to properly use the program. To resume in quick the teacher shares with us how she uses cell phones with her students to give them the opportunity to interview and do other projects using their own cell phone device. She gives them step by step instructions in how to set up their account and how to use the blogging sites and then be able to post their messages and recording they do with their cell phones. She points out that most of the students if not all carry a cell phone to school, so what better way than to put them to good use in their education.

The teacher also shares with us various sites to use blogging and the instructions as to how to set up an account and begin blogging. The instructions seem very simple and easy to follow so it shouldn’t be difficult to set up an account and in the plus side these are free sites you can use through Google and Gabcast.com. In addition she point out the positive and negative things about this program starting with not everyone having a cell phone, and data plan not enough. She mentions some solutions like maybe using home phone or class phone, and maybe teachers doing research and then purchasing cost efficient cell phones for those students whom don’t have one.

This program meets the NETS for teachers and students because the teacher is aware and teaches digital citizenship by informing students about copyrights, what is personal and should not be posted, how to keep students protected, and how to post things that are proper, along with the teaching the use of technology. I am very surprised by the way this teacher is implementing a toy for students in their everyday lives, into the classroom setting as a tool to learn and develop skills. 

 I don’t know if I will be able to use a program like this in the future but it does seem temping to try and plus in the future every student would probably be using a cell phone as a regular thing in their life so there will be no need to spend my own money. I enjoyed reading this article and had the opportunity to share it too with some friends and family.

Passport to Digital Citizenship

Passport to Digital Citizenship talks about the importance of teachers and students gaining knowledge about digital citizenship and proper use of technologies. It also talks about ISTE releasing the book “Digital Citizenship in Schools” which mentions and explain the nine elements of digital citizenship, which are digital access, digital commerce, digital communication, digital literacy, digital etiquette, digital law, digital rights and responsibilities, digital health and wellness, and digital security.  These are standards that teachers, students, parents, and basically everyone who uses technology should be aware of and learn how to use them properly.

The article also mentions the Four-Stage Technology Learning Framework for Teaching Digital Citizenship. This method is intended to open discussions about what we know about technology and how we should be actually using it, it helps teachers know the knowledge students have about technology and then teachers can know how to help students in the areas they might struggle with. It’s a cycle that helps teachers and students to better understand the use of technology.

I think that these resources are important not just in a class setting but in your own private place or home. There are things that we are not aware of in the internet that can cause us harm or distress later in life. We post pictures, comments, and other personal information almost daily and sometimes we don’t even know who might have access to them. Now a days I am very cautious as to how much information I give out online, even in applications. Now I ask if they really need my information or if I could just leave some spaces blank. Just the other day at the dentist they were asking for my social and driver’s license number and I actually asked the lady in the front desk why they needed that information from me and she told me it was optional if I wanted to put it. So it made me think that they really did not really need that information from me and they were just going to keep it. And what would happen if that information accidently got into the wrong hands, well now they would have the opportunity to steal my identity.

This article made me realize that I need to be more cautious of where and to whom I give my personal information too. I believe that things you post online eventually get lost and can end up in someone else’s hands and those people can use then against you. I also have a Facebook account which I am glad I usually don’t post anything too especially family photos. I think there is a limit of how much personal things you can post. I also believe that if it’s something personal that you don’t want everybody to see or read then maybe you shouldn’t even be posting it or sending to anyone via internet, online, or even text, because you never know where it might end up.

"Digital Video Goes to School"

After reading the article “Digital Video Goes to School” I have concluded that both authors Helen Hoffenberg and Marianne Handler are speaking from the knowledge they both have from experience in technology and being teachers themselves. This particular article talks about the many uses of video recording that can be used in a classroom setting for any purpose or topic. Here they give examples of schools that have used video recording for research, interviews, narrating, theories, and investigation. All children did different projects and different recordings but they all got to do their own editing and final details on their own with the supervision of their teachers and maybe other peers if they worked in groups. Children were given the opportunity to use technology instead of just writing an essay paper about something. With video recording children had the experience of not just using technology but having fun doing a projects in which they could use their own imagination and be creative with it.

This article gives me the idea of using video recordings for them to do their own biographies and then present them to class. This way I can learn more about each child and know where they are coming from opening a door for me to know how to approach them and help them with their learning. I would probably do this at the beginning of school so I can have that info available to me for the rest of the school year. This would also help build community and relationships in the classroom by each other learning about everyone as we show each movie in class. I know that doing something like this might not be possible depending on the school and district I am in so a resource to this would be to buy or use my own video camera and give each child a time frame to which they do their own biography, that way everyone gets to do their own and then once everyone has done theirs they can be presented.

This article was clear in presenting the information about the benefits of using video recording in schools to better prepare students for newer technology and for them to have experience using it. Video recordings also give students a break from having to do research and then type up a paper about it; this is a fun way for children to enjoy what they are doing without them feeling like their doing work.

 

 References

Hoffenberg, H., & Handler, M. (2001). Digital video goes to school. Learning and Leading with Technology, 29(2), 10-15. Retrieved from www.iste.org.

ISTE Review

After reading the article “National Education Technology Standards (NETS-T) and performance Indicators for Teachers, I have found that the standard I feel stronger in is promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility. This standard explains how teachers have knowledge of the growth of technology and that there are rules, regulations, and standards to follow. It is the teacher’s responsibility to model and promote legal and ethical behaviors by themselves being cautious of how they use technology and sharing that with the students. For example now a day there is Facebook which is a social network that mostly everyone has, so as teachers we should be careful and aware of the things we post and comment on because anybody can see our status. As teachers we should be teaching safe, ethical, respectful technological practices to our students that way they too can be careful to know what it correct to post and what should be just kept to themselves. Most of all we should be teaching responsibility and respect when it comes to using and managing technology.

I think that now as a student I have followed rules, regulations and guidelines when it comes to using technology, not just in school but in my own personal computer at home. I am very cautious as to whom I have as friends, whom I respond to, and how, the language I use, and the pictures I post in my Facebook account. If you were to see my page you will see that I don’t have that many friends and the reason is that there are people I rather just send an email too instead of having them in my Facebook account snooping around in my personal life. I believe there are social networks which you can use to share personal information with people you truly trust and then there are those networks were you just talk with whomever you want to without sharing too much.

I think that as a teacher I will continue to model ethical and moral behavior when it comes to using technology and teaching my students. I will try my best to teach my students about copyrights, referencing, and being careful when searching, because if they don’t know how to use those techniques they can end up in trouble or they might get a bad grade. I believe that for now I have been a good role model and will continue to be especially when I have students overlooking everything I do.

The Verizon Foundation

ISTE partnered with The Verizon Foundation in supporting mobile learning initiatives across the United States.  There are about 24n schools that part of this program called Verizon Innovative Learning Program or VILS for short. The way that ISTE supports this program is by providing services lie program evaluation, needs assessment, and personal development. The VILS program was design primarily to increase effectiveness and use of student success with use of mobile technologies and engagement. Most of the services are provided onsite or online. Below I have attached the link to their web page.

 http://www.verizonfoundation.org/our-focus/#education

The Maryland Public Television

The Maryland Public Television in partners with ISTE contribute to Mathlanding.org which is a program which there is live online professional learning for teachers and students that apply to the common core state standards through the NETS. Mathlanding.org has tools and resources available to teachers to use to in order to teach math in different ways in order to meet children’s needs. Below I have attached the link to their web page.

http://www.mathlanding.org/

Both of these partners with ISTE meet the standards and help promote the use of them as well by providing schools and teachers with the resources necessary to follow the ISTE standards.

My article "Blog On" by Catherine Poling

In the article “Blog On” by Catherine Poling, she shares with readers how the different kinds of blogs have helped her to connect more deeply with the students and other staff at her school. She talks about and describes in detail these different blogs based on her own experiences of having used them. The types of blogs she has used are individual blogs, classroom blogs, collaborative blogs, and staff development blog. Individual blogs are set up to be used by each person individually in a way of keeping a journal type of blog. Each day students can write their own thoughts and ideas about a certain topic or they can just write about their day. Classroom blogs are created for students to communicate with each other in a classroom setting. There students can write comments to each other when doing research, or when they want each other’s opinion or feedback about a specific thing. Collaborative blogs are set up for students to be able to interact with students from other grade level or classroom. In these blogs students can share experiences from school with each other, for example if there was a career fair, students from two classrooms can communicate with each other about what they thought about the career fair. Staff development blogs are designed for teachers and staff to communicate with each other on a daily basis about events, meeting or other issues going on in school. She mentions how it helps teachers interact with each other more specially when everyone is busy all the time and they barely see or talk to each other. This article was very interesting to me because I got a better understanding about the different kinds of blogs there are and how they can be used. I believe she was very confident I using those particular blogs and at the end they were very resourceful and worked out well with her students. I would like to have more information about how to obtain these blogs and instructions on setting them up in a classroom setting. In the future I think I will definitely be using blogs because technology is moving fast and kids now days are very high tech so this will be beneficial in a classroom setting. I can see mu students interacting with each other without being shy or nervous about having to share personally with someone else in person.

 

References

Poling, C. (2005). Blog on: Building communication and collaboration among staff and students.Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(6), 1-4. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/store/my-virtual-products

Introduction

Hello everyone!! My name is Rocelia Mendez. I transferred this year from Mira Costa College in Oceanside. I am enrolled in in the ICP program for my time being here at CSUSM. This semester I am taking EDU 364, HIST 347, MATH 210, and DNCE 311, aside from this class. Most of the time I use my phone and I PAD  to log in for school and to check my emails. I love the website Pinterest and am very hooked on it now, it is a place were you can find ideas for anything you can think of. I think that technology is very well used everywhere we go. I see most of the students engaged on their phones most of their free time, in between classes and breaks. It seems that now a days everyone has a phone or device they use throughout the day. I also believe that technology has had a major impact in communication between family and friends, and some relationships have been affected by it as well.
Being in this class I know I will learn a lot and leave the semester knowing more and having a better understanding of some terms about technology and hopefully being able to teach it to others. I am very excited to be in this class. Some of the skill I have with technology is being able to use a computer, smart phone, I Pad, and knowing how to use certain programs. I don't know a whole lot but that is why I am in this class as well, to learn.
Now about myself. I am married, going on eleven years this year. I have two beautiful daughters, my oldest whom is 4 years old, and my young one whom is 1 year old. They are my inspiration to continue my education and my husband is the rock that supports me not just physically but emotionally as well. I have a great family that support me and helps me out in order for me to continue my education. my mother in law takes care of my girls when I am at school; my brother in law drops off and picks up my daughter from school; and my wonderful husband helps me out with everything. I am very excited to have started this semester here at Cal. State and I know I will have a wonderful experience. I hope to get to know most of you from this class and maybe work together sometime, but for now I wish everyone the best and hope for a great semester to everyone!