What is your favorite thing about technology? (5 total responses)
-it's untapped potential
-Thrill of trying something new
-constant change and new technology
-ease in connecting cross-culturally, cross-generation, etc
-Makes me do things in a very efficient way.
What is your least favorite thing about technology? (5 total responses)
-it's mystery, and fear associated with that mystery
-Not receiving enough training to use it properly
-it is often overcomplicated
-it's not reliable
-Sometimes it fails to operate the way you expect it to.
How would you describe your confidence in using numerous types of technology? (6 total responses)
-33% were average
-66% were high
When something goes wrong with the technology you're using, what are you most likely to do? (6 total responses)
-16% said they would ask someone how to fix it
-83% said they would try to fix it themselves
In general, describe where you think technology will be in 20 years from now? (5 total responses)
-full virtual immersion complete with video, audio, and verbal interaction.
-We will all be robots
-It will become an integral part of life for all ages.
-wow, 20 years is a long time, well.. There's the science fiction approach where technology will be the teachers, but in reality, I think it will be used on a daily basis and will hopefully better be able to connect students who are absent from the daily classroom. (but it won't replace the teacher to student interaction)
-Technology will be all around us, closer to us than ever before. I envision a person being able to do just about anything from any place in the world.
The responses to question # 2 are all things I think we can agree on that we don't necessarily like about technology. Based on responses in general, I think we all have a pretty positive attitude about technology and are willing to continue to work "with" technology to better ourselves professionally.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
WebQuest
The WebQuest I did is located at http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/alexmariano/. I enjoyed this WebQuest, as it gives students chances to practice numerous math skills, such as gathering pertinent information and using it to accurately fill in a table, calculating the costs of postage, invitations, party items, etc. It also engages students immediately in that the majority of students love birthday parties, and it provides web sites at the end of the quest that studnets can access for craft ideas, other party ideas, etc.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
WISE Inquiry
The link to my inquiry is http://wise.berkeley.edu/teacher/projects/projectInfo.php?id=2626
I like how the project allows students to engage in a variety of learning activities including surveys, virtual field trips, causal modeling, and developing a plan to control the yellow starthistle. The project is designed for grades 7-10, but I think it could be adapted and modified for grade levels in upper elementary and also in grades 11 and 12.
I like how the project allows students to engage in a variety of learning activities including surveys, virtual field trips, causal modeling, and developing a plan to control the yellow starthistle. The project is designed for grades 7-10, but I think it could be adapted and modified for grade levels in upper elementary and also in grades 11 and 12.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
TQ#1
I started my reading with the text book. While reading the preface, I was pleased to see that the authors' views of changing the way we teach match my views. More specifically, I absolutely agree with the authors in that we need not teach our students how to use technology, but rather how to work WITH technology. I was exposed to the constructivist approach to learning that is mentioned in the preface early on in my schooling to become a teacher, about four years ago. I agree with this approach to teaching as well and believe that students and people of all ages benefit from their experiences rather than from from memorization that teachers spit out at them. Unfortunately, all too often we enter a classroom at any grade level and and in any type of school and witness this type of ineffective teaching. I can say this because I am guilty of this myself; however, with the information presented in the preface and the first couple of chapters in the book, I am reminded of the effectiveness of experiential learning, and I am excited to use technology to learn with my students.
Comparing the text book reading and the the article, I got the sense that the text book was written in a much more positive and reassuring light, whereas the article was written in a more linear, cautionary light. For instance, although the text book mentions about evolving technology by the second and the mass of technology that is available to us as teachers and as students, the authors stress that learning with technology can be very beneficial provided that both teachers and students are flexible with their learning experiences and are willing to go beyond their comfort levels. It also proposes that teachers need to let go of the control they feel they need to have all of the time in the classroom, and that makes me feel good about my philosophy of teaching. Regarding the Koehler and Mishra article, I immediately felt a sense of apprehension, as in the second paragraph, they proposed to view teaching with technology as a "wicked problem." Further reading made it clear to me that teaching with technology as a "wicked problem" is not necessarily "wicked," but complicated and involved. The article went on further to give teaching with technology a negative connotation by referring to is as an "ill-structured discipline." Again, after further reading, I came to realize that the negative connotation given to teaching with technology with the use of negative-sounding terms is not all that negative, but "dense and inter-connected."
Summarily, the text book reading left me with a much more positive attitude about teaching with technology in that the reading was not so technical with a million references consuming pages of text. Conversely, the article reading left me with a much more apprehensive attitude about teaching with technology. Although I viewed the article in a more negative light, I believe, from personal experiences, that the article presents views held by more teachers than those who hold the views presented in the text book. I think the authors of both the text and the article present the view that teaching with technology is interconnected and can be complicated, but I think the views are presented very differently, as evidenced by the information contained in this thoughtful response.
Comparing the text book reading and the the article, I got the sense that the text book was written in a much more positive and reassuring light, whereas the article was written in a more linear, cautionary light. For instance, although the text book mentions about evolving technology by the second and the mass of technology that is available to us as teachers and as students, the authors stress that learning with technology can be very beneficial provided that both teachers and students are flexible with their learning experiences and are willing to go beyond their comfort levels. It also proposes that teachers need to let go of the control they feel they need to have all of the time in the classroom, and that makes me feel good about my philosophy of teaching. Regarding the Koehler and Mishra article, I immediately felt a sense of apprehension, as in the second paragraph, they proposed to view teaching with technology as a "wicked problem." Further reading made it clear to me that teaching with technology as a "wicked problem" is not necessarily "wicked," but complicated and involved. The article went on further to give teaching with technology a negative connotation by referring to is as an "ill-structured discipline." Again, after further reading, I came to realize that the negative connotation given to teaching with technology with the use of negative-sounding terms is not all that negative, but "dense and inter-connected."
Summarily, the text book reading left me with a much more positive attitude about teaching with technology in that the reading was not so technical with a million references consuming pages of text. Conversely, the article reading left me with a much more apprehensive attitude about teaching with technology. Although I viewed the article in a more negative light, I believe, from personal experiences, that the article presents views held by more teachers than those who hold the views presented in the text book. I think the authors of both the text and the article present the view that teaching with technology is interconnected and can be complicated, but I think the views are presented very differently, as evidenced by the information contained in this thoughtful response.
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