Journal #10

Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged
By Diane Curtis

This was a very heartwarming story. Who wouldn’t want to see these students succeed? They should be given every opportunity and chance to have what everybody else has, just like all students should. Thanks to the district wide programs like TACLE, and DO-IT, students today are being given many opportunities to use their minds since their bodies have unfortunately been disabled. Technology has made it possible for students to able to communicate in many ways, such as using their eyebrows and their cheeks. This may sound unreal, but do to computers that can sense certain movement, many students are now finding a new way to communicate. There are also many tools that are being made so that students can participate in different activities. Through technology, tools are being created that can assist students who wouldn’t otherwise have the capabilities to play music, or other physical activities. DO-IT’s Burgstahler feels that every student should be included when it comes to receiving the best education possible, and has no tolerance for schools that do not want to invest in tools for disabled students. How does Burgstahler feel about these students? “They can have the American dream,” she says.

QUESTIONS:

#1 - Should schools have limits in investing in tools for disabled students?

Although limits need to be set everywhere, I believe that there are certain areas that should be exempt from being cut. Just like Arnold keeps cutting education in order to balance the budge. Education should be one area that should be exempt from cuts. I would also put tools for disabled students in this bracket. They aren’t asking for more, they are just asking for tools that will give them the advantages that the rest of us already have.

#2 – How do these tools help the students feel more independent?

Having these tools gives the student’s opportunities that they could in no way have without them. So many students can now take part in a number of physical activities, and can now communicate with friends and families. These tools also give the student’s a new level of confidence that will help them envision a brighter future for themselves.

Journal #9

Are Schools Inhibiting 21^st Century Learning?
By Dave Nagel

This article discusses the statistics of parents, students, administrators, teachers, etc… and whether they feel that our students are being adequately educated in technology in today’s classroom. It focuses on sites that many schools filter, like Myspace and Youtube, and talks about how omitting these sites can hurt them more than help them. It also talks about gaming and how a majority of students feel that they benefit from it because it tends to give them an understanding from a difference perspective. Online courses were also a big area of concern. As far as mobile technologies (cell phones, laptops, media players etc.) 52% of those surveyed felt that mobile technology helps engage students in learning. Out of all the technology, laptops were rated the #1 device that could enhance technology and learning. The survey is called The Speak Up Survey, and is conducted annually to assess current issues in education.

QUESTIONS:

#1 – Should students have certain sites filtered on school campus? How do you feel about this?

I work at a public school and spend each day with about 100 or so different high school students. I know that they get really upset that Myspace is blocked, but I don’t see the benefit of having Myspace in the classroom. I would agree with blocking this one. Our school is currently thinking about shutting down Youtube. I personally think that Youtube is great, and I see a few students use it for important research and for Math tutorials. But in all honesty, the majority of students use it to secretly listen to music and to watch violent videos. All day I tutor and monitor, and a minute doesn’t go by when I don’t walk by a computer and see the little Youtube window at the bottom of the screen, and as soon as I pull it up, I have to tell them to shut it down. I want to believe in these kids and I would love to offer them every resource possible in order to learn, but they just don’t seem to be mature enough to use it in an educational way.

#2 – Overall, do you think that our schools are enhancing learning, or limiting it?

This one is easy for me, because I’m not big on technology to begin with. But I really do think that we are enhancing it. There are so many programs and tools that are popping up everyday and we are making these available to our students. They are learning how to write better papers, and how to research. To say that we are limiting them would be an ignorant statement to me. Everybody needs to have boundaries. We need to assess our students daily and take the necessary precautions to make sure that they are being educated in technology, while at the same time being monitored for their own safety. After all, they are still children.

Journal #8

Spotlight: Free Sciences Resources Online
By Dave Nagel

This article basically tells us about 3 extremely good and creditable sources that can be used to help students take more of an interest in the field of science. They offer free multimedia and other tools, and also lesson plans and curriculum that will help make the most of these tools.

1) MIT

I’m sure everyone is familiar with this institute, which has been a leader in technology forever. MIT is trying to bring OpenCourseWare into education. Although it is available to students of all ages, MIT is trying to focus on secondary, or high school education at this time. OpenCourseWare would provide resources such as lecture notes, syllabi, video and audio, and assignments, which have been taken from actual MIT courses, in order to educate our high school students about the latest science technology.

2) NASA

NASA also provides many online resources about what is happening in science today. NASA also has many of the same resources such as video and animation, and the subject content is available for every grade level. NASA’s resources are not just for students, but are available to teachers, as well as anyone who has an interest in science, for whatever reason. NASA is also keeping it both fun and interesting by adding games, and virtual resources.

3) Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Education site if focused more on resources for the teacher. The site tries to stay focused on reality and offers historical materials and tries to stay within state and national standards with all its subject matter. The site can be searched by state, grade, and subject, and steps outside the box of science, by offering information in other areas like art and literature.

QUESTIONS

#1 – What site would be best suited to enlightened younger students about science?

The NASA site would be best suited. Although both the NASA and Smithsonian site have resources for all grade levels, the NASA site talks about games and trivia that can be used to make science more interesting. They even have a picture dictionary for younger audience members.

#2 – What site sounds the most interesting to you and why?

This is an opinion question. I’m really not much of a science person, so being that the Smithsonian talks about having material on a variety of subjects, like literature and language arts, I would think that I would definitely favor that site. But the NASA site actually looks the most interesting. It seems to make science more fun, for those of us who wouldn’t normally see it that way. And also when it talks about going beyond the classroom with a Solar System Simulator, and the latest space missions, I would say that the NASA site is the first one I want to explore in.

Journal #7 Online Meetings

Online Meetings are about how we can use Web 2.0 technology to facilitate online meetings in a number of different areas, and for a number of different reasons.

There were many different ideas that I picked up on from the tool discussions. Online meetings can be used for discussions, or to have monthly meetings for both staff and administration. They can offer everyone more of a chance to get his or her ideas heard. Also, people will feel more confident and powerful, but in a good way of course. Online meetings are also a great solution to conference calls, which can be overwhelming at times, by losing track of who is actually speaking. There can also be pre-postings before the meetings about subject content, so employees can be prepared for discussions and have relevant questions and ideas ready. We also have the option of making these meeting larger or smaller. They can start more intimate maybe for different topics that will be discussed, and then switch into larger group discussions. There are really so many options. There was also a discussion about online meetings for students that could help them with class scheduling, tutoring, and brainstorming ideas. These would also be kept private and would be by invite only. Both of these concepts seem very interesting. I hope they will be up and running by the time I enter the teaching profession.

Journal #6 - iMovie & Inspiration Reviews

iMovie

When I found out that we were gonna make a movie, I thought, “no way.” But it was actually kind of fun. I mean, all the steps were pretty easy to do. It was just putting them together that was a little difficult, for me at least. The most exciting thing about this was seeing the finished project. I was so excited. I was like “wow, I made this? Cool.” And then of course I showed everyone I knew, and they were all excited for me, at least they said they were. This could definitely be used in the classroom for numerous projects. The kids could make instructional videos, or use it to make movies about an array of topics such as history or social studies. They could also make movies about different genres that could be used for English, and they could even make autobiographies about their own lives. There’s just so much they could do, and the whole time, they would also be learning about technology. It could definitely follow under interdisciplinary education.

Inspiration

I thought this was really cool. But if you wanted it just right, it was also a little time consuming. But I did enjoy it. I did follow all the tutorials, and I don’t think I could have really got creative without them. I wanted to do a little more than the basics, and tried to use as many of the tools as I could. Students of all ages would have no problem using this program, or at least the basics. It would be up to them, depending on how creative they would want to be. I tried to use from a teacher's perspective rather than I student's, cause I wanted to see if I could easily put an assignment together, and I think I did pretty good. Students could use it as an outline to write a great paper. I think the diagrams would be more helpful than a written outline because they would really be able to visualize their main points. They could also use it to tell stories about books that they’ve read and even about things that have happened in their own lives. And just like with iMovie, I think they would be able to put together a great autobiography.

Journal #2

The ABCs of Privacy Practices for Educators. By Melissa J. Dark, Clewin McPherson, and Joanne Troutner

This article talks about how much confidential information is lost due to stolen, lost, or misplaced PDAs, flash drives, and laptops. Over the past year, this number has steadily increased. School administrators and teachers need to consider ways in which they can protect the information they handle on a daily basis. Which is what “Welcome to the ABCs of privacy practices,” is all about.


1) Asset Identification and Classification
-The asset you are trying to protect is private information
-The next step is Classification, which is applying confidentiality
requirements to your information
-These 2 steps are mandatory in laying the foundation of what needs to be
protected

2) Building Privacy Policies
-A written statement that says how an organization will handle the information
it gathers and uses
-This sanctions allowable uses, and non-allowable uses

3) Choosing Technologies that Enforce Policies
-The most effective tools for privacy protection are authentication, access
control, and cryptography (authentication – who can enter a specific system,
access control – verifies the I.D. of the user, and then allows or denies them
access, cryptography – “hidden writing” to enhance confidentiality and
secrecy

4) Windows Operating System
-Files and folders can be encrypted by the operating system
Office Application
-Also possible to encrypt a file
Third-Party Encryption Tools
-allow for the encrypting of files and folders, and entire drives

5) Putting It Together
-The technologies you use should be able to enforce your privacy policies
with regard to the information you are trying to protect and where that
information is stored

*What are some good obvious guidelines for selecting a good password?
Password should always be more than 8 characters in length. Letters and numbers should
always be used together. They should be put together from things that you will be sure to remember, but not easy for others to remember

*What kind of information can be stolen and what are some things that can happen if private educational information gets in the wrong hands?
Lost financial information could result in identity theft, among other things. Private information about students can lead to an invasion of privacy and embarrassment. Phone numbers and home addresses can get out, and also emergency contact records and private medical conditions.

Journal #5

"Storytelling in the Web 2.0 Era" by Glen Bull

The article is basically discussing how this discovery is being used today for everything social, commercial and political. They are calling this the Web 2.0 Era. Because of its easy access, sharing, and affordability, the Web 2.0 Era is available to almost everyone. It then goes on to discuss Web 2.0 Storytelling, and how beneficial it can be to educators. Creating the same story in so many environments can offer the student many different storytelling tools to work with. Some tools may also be more effective for different subjects. For example, time lines and mapping may be more appropriate for a history class. The Web 2.0 Era has software that is available to schools at no cost. As far as the future goes, more applications will become available, and through thoughtful integration, Web 2.0 storytelling will continue to facilitate learning.

Questions:

I. Try and think of a storytelling idea, and how you would implement it into your classroom.

I'm not really sure what the scrapbook tool is, but I think it would be great to have the students use it to help them write an autobiography. With the scrapbook, they could record their memories, pictures of loved ones, special animals, and favorite memorabilia, etc. Then they could create their autobiography from their scrapbook, and maybe even read the story while they are displaying their scrapbook. Or they could turn their autobiography in, and do an oral presentation with just their scrapbook. Either way, they would be getting a lesson in writing and in technology.

II. Since these storytelling tools are free, and available to all educators, do you think that they should become a staple in today's classroom?

I absolutely do. I am not familiar with this technology at all, but from just reading about these applications, I would be very interested in seeing how they work. The slideshow tools seem like they would work with any subject, and comic as well as media would be great to use in English classes. The media would also work for drama and political science. They all just seem like they would be very fun and interesting, and those are two terms that I think should be involved in education.