S'Cool Tools Article

            The author of this article, Maureen Yoder, creates an mixed list of resources that could be used in the classroom to increase the level of interest among students of different grade levels. Before something could make her list, she asked if the resource could improve teaching, whether it was easy to learn or a supported program, and whether or not the program was innovative in its field of study. The first resource, the Lego Education WeDo Robotics Construction Set, is useful for younger students, such as the Kindergarten level, to "prepare them to better understand more complex theories later on." The students use the peices of the resource to create objects from an alligator to an airplane using different pieces of technology to simulate sound and movement.
           Another resource is an innovation that is starting to be seen more and more in the schools that can afford them: smart tables. Similar to electronic whiteboards, teachers can use these boards for interactive group assignments with the students. Another resource, the AVer Pen, has similar capabilities as the smart table, but is much more portable. One of the things I really like about it is that you can actually project a presentation or image on any surface in the room without needing a bulky machine to do it for you. I also really like how the article states that "a teacher's pen can interact with up to six student pens simultaniously," meaning an interesting way for teachers to create lesson plans that involve the students.
           Another resource is one that, as far as I have heard, has been largely associated with electronic games. Apparently Second Life, a virtual world where people can create an electronic alter-ego has been used in the classroom to help teacher anything from ethics to science, with the example of a competition being held where students created their own solar system and society. I think that this would be an awesome way to grab the attention of the students, where they can actually create their own setting of learning and how that can be incorporated into the classroom. However, I would be worried about the technology that would be required to run such programs in some schools, as well as the ability to work on it outside of the classroom.
          The finial resource discussed is one that we ourselves have been using in the class: Google Apps. Being able to share presentations, information, and keep in contact with our peers and professors. It is also a resource the the educator, as they will be able to stay in contact with other teachers, and to share their ideas and lessons that had a positive impact on the students.
          I believe that these resources cover the breadth of the NETS standards that are important for students and educators. The Lego product alone covers numbers 1, 2, and 6 with its focus on creativity, the need to communicate with one's peers, and the need to understand and use a new kind of technology. The Second Life resource covers numbers 1, 3, 4, and 6 if put in context of the competition to create a solr system, where students would need to know how to use the system as well as research the history and science behind the creation of a solar body.

Yoder, M. (2009-2010, November). S'Cool Tools: 5 Great Tools to Perk Up Your Classroom and Engage Your Students. Learning and Leading with Teachnology, 37 (3). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/NovemberNo3/L_L_November_2009.htm

Article 2: Computing in the Clouds

             The article that I read was titled "Computing in The Clouds" by Doug Johnson, and has a good deal of information that connects to our activities in class. The article discusses cloud computing, or the use of "productivity tools that allows the creation of documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and surveys" (Johnson). Johnson concludes that free online services can provide a cost-effective and important alternative to the limited technology assets that schools have access to. The programs that he talks about are very similar to the ones that we used and critiqued in class together, and had similar traits such as free use, using the internet to access documents instead of taking space up on your hard drive, the ability to create and show presentations with different forms of media integrated, and the need for only a basic computer to be able to run the programs. Johnson feels that, soon enough, parents will be asking their children's schools to require that cheap netbooks be required for the student's use.
              I can sya that I wish that I had access to these kinds of programs in high school and even in my undergraduate work. Being able to have multiple people working on a document together would have done away with some of the hassels of a group project, from a failure to make meeting times to having a pseron not turn in their portion of their work in time and made the project seem disjointed. In my classes where I am the teacher, I would look forward to having students use these kinds of media, becuase it would do away with some of the daily problems of having a school with poor technological resources. Just a simple, inexpensive computer with internet access is just about all you need to make a presentation for the class, and would be an interesting way to liven up a lecture for the students.
             These kind of cloud programs also make direct connections to the ISTE Profiles for students and the NETS standards. I want to teach at the high school level, and these programs will allow the students to complete the necessary standards. Such a program will allow a student to "create and publish an online art gallery with examples and commentary that demonstrate an understanding of different historical periods, cultures, and countries" (ISTE Profiles), which is in connection with numbers 1 and 2 from NETS. They can use these prgrams to research, criticize, and create an in-depth presentation about a real world issue that can be shared with the class to create a major point of dicsussion, which covers areas of the first five NETS as well as several of the profile standards for students of that age.              The article was very interesting, considering we had just critiqued several different forms of this technology, as well as discussing its application in the school setting. I look forward to be able to use these kinds of technology in the classroom, and hope that it will make the students interested in the content and increase their overall learning.

References

Johnson, D. (2009-2010, December/January). Computing in the clouds. Learning & Leading with Technology, 37, (4). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume3720092010/DecemberJanuaryNo4/Computing_in_the_Clouds.htm (accessed 9/20/10)

ISTE National Educational Technology Standards. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS_for_Students_2007_Standards.pdf

Profile for Technology Literate Students, Grades 9-12 (Ages 14-18). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/2007Standards/NETS-S_2007_Student_Profiles.pdf

Summary and Personal Connection to 'Speak Up' Article and NETS

The Speak Up program is a National Research Project conducted in many schools throughout the United States. Its main focus has been on the use of technology in the classroom and how students have been wanting or needing a greater use of pieces of technology such as computers, internet searches, personal social networking sites, and even smart phones in the education setting. It has been a growing worry among the researchers that students that do not have ready access to such pieces of technology are finding themselves behind the curb of instruction compared to those students and schools that have such resources available to them.

Over 50% of high school students use communication tools such as social networking sites to keep in touch with each other, and there is a growing percentage of students using such technologies to communicate with their teachers as well (Speak Up 2009, 5). Many of these students want to increase their capacity to communicate with their educators at this level, and even the parents of such students are promoting the idea and approving of their use of such technology.

Even in the classroom, there is a growing want for students to be able to use their mobile devices to increase the information available to them. Among high school students, 70% of students with phones with internet access use them for online searches, and 56% of them use their phones to record lectures and to take notes (Speak Up 2009, 9). However, there are still worries brought up by teachers and administrators about allowing the use of these phones because of the possibility for distraction caused by students. This, along with the disparity between students who have access to such devices and those that don't are the two main concerns for teachers allowing their use at school (Speak Up 2009, 11).

However, the potential for the use of such devices can make a positive change in the education system, especially when compared to the National Educational Technology Standards for Students. Each of the NETS has specific cparts that connect to this research. This includes the research, organization, and ethical use of information found in electronic seaches, to the basic understanding and use of electronic equipment. it is important that these skills be learned by the youth of today, since so many jobs are becoming more technical, and requrie these kinds of skill. Even adults today are needing to brush up on their technical skills if they wish to remain competitive in today's job market.