Chat+Questions


 * 1** **  . Discuss with your group the blogs you followed on the Internet and what you learned.  **

One of the blogs I followed this month was The Tech Savvy Educator. Initially I have to admit I wasn't very excited or interested in doing this piece of the assignment. I failed to see how reading or following a blog could be time effective when I had so many other things to get done. Needless to say "I stand corrected". As I occasionally checked in to see what was posted a few caught my eye. One in particular was "What to do when you have to punt?" The nature of the blog is the technology isn't working (which is something I have experienced a lot of lately). And how to take limited technology and apply what you have using a "win-lose-or draw" game on the whiteboard to review technology related terms. Another one that I particularly remember is the importance of educators understanding how the technology works to some extent to help them with using the technology most effectively. This post was related to the use of google docs and the overload of teachers who tried to contribute to a project. Because of the numbers of educators all trying to collaborate at the same time they themselves were frustrated as well as others because of the limited or slow response time.

a. On p. 122 it lists four things that need to be implemented in the classroom to dump the Industrial Age model of teaching and replace it with Net Gen-friendly schools: - Instead of focusing on the teacher, the education system should focus on the student; -instead of lecturing, teachers should interact with students and help them discover for themselves; -instead of delivering a one-size-fits-all form of education, schools should customize the education to fit each child's individual way of learning; and -instead of isolating students, the schools should encourage them to collaborate. **Do you and the teachers in your school building do these things? Are you encouraged by your principal to do these things? If you are not implementing these changes, what is the reason?** I would be able to say that our school district is implementing two of the four, working on a third, and failing miserably on one. I believe we are doing a good job of focusing on the students needs in our district; it is normally the first question that is asked in any professional meeting that I attend. Some of this is a reaction to the Iowa Core Curriculum that is being implemented by the state. I also think our school distric as a whole sees the value and encourages collaboration in the learning process. I know of many projects that are being assigned as group collaborative assignments that allows and fosters students to work in small groups to master and present the material. We are diligently working to move away from the one-size fits all approach to education and consistantly trying to customize the education process for each student; by allowing alternative assesments, allowing choice in how students show they have learned or mastered the material, and providing for follow-up learning opportunities if the benchmark was not met. However this one isn't at the stage our school needs to be at, there isn't a consistent effort by our entire staff to customize the student learning. Unfortunatey we are failing miserably, in my opinion in allowing students to discover for themselves about a topic or content. I am guilty of this as well and need to work to change and get away from the teacher lecturing rather than allowing students to explore and discover on their own. My principal is diligent and encouraging and fostering our staff to get "unstuck" and allow some of these methods of teaching to be explored and also encourages teachers to collaborate in their teaching styles as well as across content areas. My concern is not administration, but rather lack of effort on the staff to explore new methods.
 * 2. Discuss with your group Chapter 5 "The Net Generation as Learners: Rethinking Education"; **

b. "Computers can't live up to their potential as an educational tool if they are deployed in the old-fashioned educational system that relies on teachers to deliver content." (p. 143) - Is this happening in your school? Without a doubt this is the case in our school. Too much of our staff think employing technology means lecture/notes and use a word processor to type the paper. When the entire lesson could be done in a digital format using visual media, wiki pages that could serve as the text on the topic, and presentations could be given using google docs. Frustrating how many of our current staff complain about their lack of technology and when they recieve a new item (Smartboard) noting changes, they use it as a white board.

c. Why is collaboration so important in our classrooms today? How do your students collaborate in your classroom? Collaboration is vital because it allows students to challenge, assess, and support their own knowledge on a topic. It forces them to perform a life-skill that is essential in modern day job markets. It allows them to problem solve rather than regerutate information. Students are allowed to collaborate in my room in a variety of ways; I allow them t use a peer-to-peer messenger to ask and talk about questions relating to the content in class that day. They are encouraged to assist each other in daily work; so long as they "don't take the mouse" of the person they are helping. Some projects are done in groups of 2 or 3 and presented in front of the class.

d. Which strategy on p. 148 do you need to work on? ; Using technology to get to know each student is the one I need to focus on the most. Allowing students to use alternative applications to demonstrate understanding and mastery of the content that I teach. 3. Discuss with your group  Chapter 9 "The Net Generation and Democracy: Obama, Social Networks, and Citizen Engagement" a.  What two things surprised you in this chapter? Two things that most surprised me in this chapter was how involved Net Generation was in the past election. Knowing that President Obama and his political advisors tapped into a previously unheard of promotional campaign. Usig digital tools and media that allowed individuals to connect, communicate, and organize to assist him. Using the social networking sites to communicate with his supporters and connecting with them in a way that no other candidate could or would. Allowing vast number of Net Generation voters to get involved using a media that they were comfortable with. The second observation is the footprint that they have left in politics from this point forward. They have the ability to be heard, and want our politicians to be held accountable and act with integrity. They want what they have always wanted the ability to interact, collaborate, and communicate instantly. Allowing a more participatory democracy.

b. Have you taken part in any of the political collaboration sites online? If yes, how? ** No, I haven't.