MY BLOG POST ARE NOW COMPLETE

My blog is now complete! I really enjoyed this class as I think most of us did. I can't wait for this much needed break so that I can do what I love to do most: JUST BE A MOM!! I hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! I wish you all the best. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

What I learned in EDM 310

Well, I will say that when I left the first class I was feeling very intimidated. It seemed like the workload was going to be way too much for one person to handle and I wasn't sure that I would understand the material either. It seemed way beyond my grasp: blogs, podcasts, etc... I am happy to say now that I really gained a greater understanding of technology and its importance in the classroom.

I really enjoyed this blog. I know that I will use this wonderful free resource in my classroom. I think that blogs provide a wonderful communication tool between the parent and the teacher and even more than that I think it provides the students a wonderful avenue to display their writing and other works. I love that they can also be given immediate feedback from a wide audience. I enjoyed learning about podcasts as well. However, I enjoy watching and listening to them more than I like making one. I do believe that they can be used as an educational tool whether students be making them or watching them. It was also great getting to learn about all the free resources that are available.

The only thing I would like to have learned that we didn't was how to create our own web page. I think that could have been a very useful tool as well! Otherwise, I really enjoyed this class!!

ACCESS Daphne High School

Alabama Connecting Classroom, Educators and Students Statewide also known as ACCESS, is a wonderful resource for high school students in Alabama. Students can now take many different courses including: core, advanced, honors, AP, dual credit, elective, remediation, and supplemental courses via the Internet. This allows students, no matter where they attend school, to access courses that in the past weren't always readily available. The courses are taught on the web, as well as interactive video conferencing. A blended approach is also utilized to address students varying learning styles. Not only will this help high school students with their current learning objectives but it will also prepare them for college as well. They will learn how to navigate the web and the computer with ease. Not only will the students benefit from this new distance learning program but the teachers will also gain extended resources and will have the opportunity to provide feedback for course improvement. I think that this opens the door to many new and wonderful opportunities for students and teachers here in Alabama.
I visited the ACCESS lab at Daphne High School. Mr. Roe showed me around the lab and demonstrated how the equipment works. The lab is really cool and highly advanced. Unfortunately it is not being used to its fullest potential. It is mainly used as a web based instructional tool. The only class that it is currently used for is Latin which is only an elective. The classes have to be approved by the county and so far not many have been. They have tried to use the interactive video but had many technical issues along the way. There have been problems with getting through the firewalls at each location. Also, their are two different brands of equipment that the schools can purchase: Tandberg and Polytech. However, the two different brands don't work well together. So if each school does not have the same equipment then they have communication problems. The state has required that all students be using the lab by next year but according to Mr. Roe they can only handle 200 students and they have over 300 students in the Freshman class alone. The state just told him to figure it out.

One thing that I thought was very cool was the capability to take virtual field trips. Mr. Roe hopes that more teachers take advantage of this capability. He also wishes that more teachers would be willing to teach in the lab but most teachers are very hesitant. They would have to leave their classrooms and move their things to the lab. Most teachers don't want to do this or they are intimidated by the advancement. Another great thing that is used in the lab is a Promethean Activboard. I thought that it was a wonderful tool with a lot of great features. Mr. Roe hopes that the school can purchase more of these smartboards to use in the everyday classrooms as well! I think that ACCESS is a wonderful tool. However, I don't think that it was a well thought out plan. I believe that the state needs to provide more support to the schools. More research needed to be done to prepare these schools to use this technology. There is so much more that these schools could use this wonderful technology for!! I think that as some of the problems get worked out this will be a wonderful tool for students and teachers!

Electronic Conversation - Technology in Todays Classroom

For this assignment I spoke and corresponded with Hope Jones at Viewpoint College Preparatory School in California. She has been working in education for 18 years and has seen technology change drastically. Below are questions that I asked and her responses:

What is the name of your school?
-Viewpoint College Preparatory School – K-12

Where is the school located (city and state)?
-Calabasas, California (West San Fernando Valley – Los Angeles County )

What grades are taught?
-Kindergarten through Grade Twelve

What is your title?
-Primary and Lower School Curriculum Coordinator (Grades K-6)

How long have you worked in education?
-18 years total
-4 years in Alabama Public Schools
-14 years in Private Schools ( Washington D.C. and Los Angeles County )

How do the teachers at your school use technology? (grade books, blogs, podcats,email, etc..)
-Online grade book, report card system, attendance
-Blogs
-Class WebPages
-Online class assignments
-E-mailing
-Pod casting
-PowerPoint presentations
-Push e-mails about announcements or new flashes
-Communication with parents via e-mail
-Faculty meetings/conference calls
-LCD projectors
-iTunes for audio books (using iPod in class)
-laptop program for teachers (every teacher is given a laptop to use)

How do the students use technology? (online resources, educational games, personal blogs, etc...)
-Online databases
-Word processing
-Computer programming
-E-mailing teachers and other students
-Blogging
-PowerPoint presentations
-Podcasting
-Typed homework
-E-mailing assignments
-Computer games are used to reinforce concepts being taught in class
-Using laptops in class for note taking

Is technology used to enhance what the students are learning? YES!!
-Technology component to many assignments and projects
-PowerPoint presentations
-Interactive media components
-Computer games are used to reinforce concepts being taught in class
-Websites provide additional resources for students beyond the lesson in the classroom

What is your school doing to prepare students for the fast growing world of technology?
-Modeling the use of technology in the classroom and in meetings
-Requiring technology components to projects
-Building state-of-the art secondary library and technology center
-Sending teachers annually to computer conferences
-Making students dependent on the school website for assignments, projects, online databases,and due dates
-Placing importance on e-mailing
-Increase school budget to include more technology funding

What if any concerns do teachers have about students and technology?
-That students will become more technologically advanced than the teachers
-Plagiarism with online websites
-Ethical issues and honor code

What is your opinion of sites such as facebook and myspace?
-DANGEROUS at this unregulated stage

How have you seen technology change during your time as an educator?
-Teachers are now required to use technology in the classroom
-All homes have personal computers now
-Students are required to use technology
-Students are exposed to more technology and in many cases know more than their teachers
-Some teachers are being left behind in the world of technology (Can’t teach an old dog new tricks!!)
-Classrooms have computers not just the computer lab
-Many assignments are turned in typed
-Resources are available online, not just at libraries
-Students are not utilizing libraries as much
-Less out-of-class writing assignments at the secondary level due to plagiarism, more writing assignments completed in class