Journal 10

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

This article is the most amazing one that I have read in this course. The accomplishments that were never before possible bring tears to my eyes. It is about assistive technology, and it has enabled communication for those who had no means of communication. It has enabled people with arms that don't work to play instruments that they never dreamed of playing. It has given a voice to those who didn't have one. It has allowed students that don't have full mobility to participate in classroom and school activities.

My favorite story is about a good-natured boy who does not have use of his arms & legs, but wants to play a musical instrument. He chooses the euphonium, which he can blow through, but without the use of his arms, he can only play one note. He patiently waits for his note and plays it with abundant enthusiasm. He inspires a school employee to search for someone that can modify the boy's euphonium, so that he can play more notes. Voila!! They find someone who designs a euphonium with a joystick that electronically instructs the valves to move. That boy is now completely in the band and able to play many notes.

Question 1: Do the costs outweigh the benefits for assistive technology?
Answer: In my opinion, there is no cost that could outweigh the benefits to both the individuals and our society for this type of technology. It gives hope to those who didn't have much before.

Question 2: In what ways, can I help insure that we can get funding for assistive technology?
Answer: Good, old-fashioned letter writing to our legislators and bringing awareness to the public on how much benefit assistive technology is to our disabled students would be a great way to get started.

Journal 9

Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning? Dave Nagel, The Journal, April 2008

This article had several good points. It states that due to our concern for protecting our children, we are actually inhibiting our children's access to Internet knowledge. They spoke to many teenagers who agree. There are many websites blocked by over-vigilant security systems, and too much "fear" on the parts of the administrators, educators and parents.

Mobile technologies are also on the rise. Administrators, teachers, students and parents all agreed that mobile technologies are here to stay, and that they would greatly enhance the learning experience. The best choice was of course, 1:1 laptops for all students. Well, they've definitely got my vote on that one!!

Question 1: Am I guilty of letting fear of the unknown guide my judgement on explorations for my students on the Internet?
Answer: In some ways, I am. I want to make sure that I have taken every precaution necessary to protect my students, but in some ways, due to my own ignorance regarding technology, I am definitely hesitant.

Question 2: How can I best benefit my students in this constantly changing world of technology?
Answer: I will simply have to do my homework and try to stay ahead of the game. I will explore the Internet on my own, as well as collaborate with my peers through some of the professional organizations that I belong to. The collaborative websites that we have been exposed to through this class will definitely be a great resource.

Journal 8

Meet the Parents. Matt Villano, Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 35, Number 6, March/April 2008

Parent notification technologies are on the rise and are receiving a good "report card" by all who use them. Originally used for emergency notification, these technologies have replaced the old phone trees and dittos sent home to parents. Most of which were never seen or in the wrong language for all parents to understand.

The new parent notification technologies not only inform parents when the next parent-teacher conferences are, but they also let the parents know if their children are actually in school, tardy, what assignments have been turned in, what assignments or exams are coming up, etc. These technologies are enabling parents to become more involved in their children's education, and as a result of their involvement, the children are doing progressively better.

Question 1: Is this a feasible system for all schools?
Answer: This system would be ideal for all schools. It would be great if it could be implemented by our government, so that the schools wouldn't have to cut costs elsewhere. The possibilities are endless, and it is available in many languages, so that all parents can understand it with minimal effort on their part. They would be able to keep track of their child's education and team up with their child's teachers.

Question 2: What are the challenges?
Answer: One of the biggest challenges is access. Not all families have access to the internet or cell phones for that matter. They could utilize public terminals at libraries, but is that too much to expect?

Journal 7

Envisioning the Future of Education: Learning While Mobile., Mark Van 'T Hooft. Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 35, Number 6, March/April 2008

In today's society, we are in constant contact with technology. On a daily basis, we have continuous access to the tools of technology - cell phones, media players and wireless computers. Students are learning as much outside of the classroom as they are inside the classroom. They are able to personalize their education as well as collaborate with their peers in ways never before possible. Technological tools allow students to be both static and mobile, and they also allow opportunities of both formal and informal learning.

MyArtSpace is an excellent example of a mix of both formal and informal learning while allowing students to be both static and mobile. Students discuss an open-ended question in the classroom then travel to the local museum to explore the answers to the question. At the museum they use mobile phones to collect representations from the museum that support their answers, then store them in an online gallery. The students can then access, modify and share their web galleries with peers.

Frequency 1550 is another amazing project that utilizes cell phones equipped with GPS devices to enable students to learn in new ways. The students compete to find a special medieval relic hidden somewhere in their city. The students compete against each other and use strategies to "win" this game all while learning and actually living history and exploring their community.

These are awesome examples of combining static and mobile learning along with formal and informal educational opportunities. The challenges to this type of education are familiar to out technological era. The participation gap caused by unequal access to technology is quite broad and is yet to be slimmed. The transparency problem makes it difficult to point out to students the many ways that media shapes and causes biases in the students' world. There are also challenges in ethics as well as fear of the unknown. Overall technology has and will continue to become quite an asset to educators.

Question 1: How will I prepare and educate my students concerning the Transparency Problem?
Answer: I think that just pointing out the media biases may be enough for older students to understand that they need to form their own opinions. Showing the discrepancies between true life and the portrayal of how life should be lived by the media may also be helpful.

Question 2: How will I combine both static and mobile learning in my classroom?
Answer: I think educators that stay on top of current happenings in their field can certainly discover and invent many ideas to keep education both static and mobile. I also think that informal and formal learning are both necessary to truly learn most subjects.

Journal 6: RSS

I have chosen RSS as my technology from the Classroom 2.0 website. I have to admit that I am quite intrigued by this technology, although I am not sure that I fully understand it yet.
In simple terms, RSS is a way to subscribe to blogs, news sites and podcasts. When something new is posted you are informed that there is something new. You have to have special software, called an RSS reader in order to receive the new content. You subscribe to certain sites and blogs, then your reader summarizes or sends the entire new information to you, whenever new information is added to the blog or site.

If you find a blog or site that you enjoy and would like to stay abreast of current happenings, you would subscribe to it by simply hitting the RSS icon ("") on the blog or site. This is a really great tool for everyone, but especially for teachers. It is a great way to learn new content from certain blogs and websites without spending numerous hours searching to see if anything new has been posted. I am currently researching whether or not to use a web-based RSS or a program-based RSS. The discussions on the Classroom 2.0 website go back and forth and are mostly about which to use. I like "free", but there are always downfalls.

I have included the Wikipedia definition because I know that my explanation doesn't quite grasp the potential of what RSS can do for you.

According to Wikipedia, "

RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts.^[2] An RSS document (which is called a "feed" or "web feed" ^[3] or "channel") contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with web sites in an automated manner that can be piped into special programs or filtered displays.^[3]

RSS content can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader" or an "aggregator". The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.

Basically there are two types of RSS readers: 1)Web based, such as the Google Reader. 2)Program based. There are lots of RSS reader programs you can download to run directly on your computer. In either case these RSS readers give you a handy interface to simultaneously monitor your favorite feeds from multiple sites and sources.. Just follow the directions for each reader.

The initials "RSS" are used to refer to the following formats:

• Really Simple Syndication (RSS 2.0)
• RDF Site Summary (RSS 1.0 and RSS 0.90)
• Rich Site Summary (RSS 0.91).

RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats. Although RSS formats have evolved since March 1999,^[4] the RSS icon ("") first gained widespread use in 2005/2006."

Journal 5

Making Field Trips Podtastic! Use of Handheld Wireless Technology Alleviates Isolation & Encourages Collaboration, Aliece M. Weller, John C. Bickar, & Paul McGuinness, Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 35, Number 6, March/April 2008

Imagine knowing that your students have learned all that it is possible to learn on their next field trip to the museum. Imagine also that you have instant assessments available to prove that they have learned the information available throughout the museum's exhibits. Well, you can stop imagining. Several students from the Harvard School of Education have created podcasts to use on handheld computers to enhance the field trip experience. These are interactive podcasts that allow digital photos and videos to be taken, audio interviews to be recorded, notes to be recorded, additional information to be accessed via the internet and assessments to be made before the student can go on to the next exhibit.

Their initial field tests with students show that the students increase their time on each exhibit, getting the full benefit of that exhibit and increase the amount of depth of engagement with each exhibit.

Question: When will this be available to the general public and when can I gain access to them for my students?

Answer: I would like to find out how to go about getting this for our school. We have ample funds, and it would be such a great tool for every grade. What an awesome concept. I will try to contact the authors, and give a copy of this article to our IT person.

Question: Would this be difficult for teachers to program according to each classroom's needs?

Answer: The authors give the technological guidelines and tools necessary to create this awesome tool. They state that is user-friendly and simple for the teachers to program.

Journal 4

Mind the Gap; It's a high-speed, high-def, Wi-Fi world. But not for everybody, Cindy Long, NEAToday Technology Divide, March 2008

Most students today are so digitally connected that it's hard to imagine that there are still 30 million American homes that do not have a computer. Most of these homes are at or below the poverty level. The educational disadvantages are onerous for the students growing up having computer access only at their school or the local library. These students do not have time to explore the Internet and find out all that this digital age has to offer. They have to concentrate on how to use the computer instead of how to learn the lessons.

Teachers across the country are finding ways to get their students the Internet access they need to better their education. In Nevada, one teacher used the older computers that the school was getting rid of to pilot a 1:1 laptop program. His students will not be technologically-challenged when they go off to high school.

A small rural community was transformed by access to high-speed Internet. Only 14% of their students went off to college before the Internet access, now 78% go to college.

It is apparent through these and other stories in this article that access to the Internet has the power to change the future, especially for disadvantaged students. It's up to us to get it into their hands.

Question 1: Should Internet access be available throughout the United States regardless of income?

Answer: The answer is a simple and resounding yes, the logistics are the difficult part. Older computer donations and rural Internet access is one way to start. After school centers are another answer.

Question: How can we as educators insure computer access to all of our students?

Answer: We can make our computer labs available during after school and before school hours. We can also partner with the local libraries for basic computer classes for all students.

Journal 3

Five Don'ts of Classroom Blogging, Julie Sturgeon, T-H-E Journal, February 2008

Blogging has become a great benefit for students today. Online journaling is here to stay and can be incorporated into many different school subjects. It can be a fantastic supplement to daily lessons, as well.

The author puts together some advice from teachers who have already tapped into the blogging world with their students.

1. "Don't just dive in." Set up guidelines and objectives beforehand or you will have problems galore.
2. "Don't confuse blogging with social networking." This kind of blogging is for academic purposes. Make sure that your students are collaborating and creating thoughtful questions and comments.
3. "Don't leap at the freebies." Most of the free sites don't offer the structure or security necessary for schools to use them. There are advertisements aplenty and not all of them are appropriate for the school setting.
4. "Don't force a sequential style." Make the blogs easier to operate by structuring the entries topically, rather than chronologically.
5. "Don't leave the blogging to the students." Give your students feedback on your own blog. Point out the positive things they are doing. Let them know that you are part of their community and blog with them.

Question 1: Would my students be able to keep up with blogging along with all of the other coursework that is required of them?

Answer: If I could incorporate the blogging into the current lesson plans in place of some other coursework, it would make it more fun for them to finish and they would actually enjoy the learning!! It would be exciting to read each other's journaling and beneficial for them to read their peer's take on the lesson.

Question 2: Would this be a supplement that I could incorporate into all subjects?

Answer: Blogging can be used with every subject. Science project ideas could be written up and comments could help the budding scientist improve his/her original idea. Math vocabulary can be defined in a way that is meaningful to the student. Language Arts essays and original poetry can be written and commented on. The possibilities are endless.

Journal 2

Speaking Math;Using Chat in the Multiculural Classroom, Janet Graham & Ted Hodgson, Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 35, Number 5, February 2008

Online chats and forums are popular among young people, so a couple of teachers decided to make them available to their geometry and algebra II classes as a supplement to the traditional classroom setting. They focused their discussions on specific math vocabulary and concepts.

The two venues that were used were online chat rooms and discussion forums. The online chat rooms were real-time and the discussion forums were different times over the duration of the assignments. Full credit depends on whether the student uses the specific target vocabulary terms or not. The students chat with each other and help each other to understand the math concepts. The teachers moderate the chat rooms and forums to make sure that appropriate topics are being covered. The teachers also use the students' discussions to create lesson plans when it is apparent that the students need a better understanding of a concept. The teachers also found that this was an extremely beneficial venue for non-native speakers. The non-native speakers have time to process and plan out their responses, and that they all use the same online acronyms.

The authors did an informal study and found that electronic communication positively affects student learning.

Question 1: Would this be a good supplement to instruction in my classroom?

Answer: Yes, I would like to implement electronic communication into my lesson plans. We have a great computer lab at our school, and I could designate a time during the week for math chat. I will have to look into which software to purchase, which brings us to the next question.

Question 2: What are the expenses and will this be something that our school can find the funds for?

Answer: I will have to do some research to find out the expenses associated with implementing this kind of program into our school. Depending on the cost, I may be able to take it out of our math budget this year.

Journal 1

Social Networking For The K-12 Set, Jim Klein, Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 35, Number 5, February 2008

Two IT staff members and one curriculum specialist created the SUSD community site, a social networking site for the district staff, teachers and students to use. It did not cost anything but time, and it was ready to work in three weeks. It allows the district employees and students access to user profiles, blogging tools, secure file storage, sharing, RSS and podcasting. It also allows the options of sharing with the general public, site members only, small groups or individuals. The teachers are using the site for newsletters, lessons, announcements, updates, presentation sharing, communicating and collaborating with colleagues, sharing lesson plans, video and podcasting. The students are using the site for posting podcasts and creative writing projects, collaborative research, and lesson reviews made by their teachers.

This is an amazing resource for both the students and the teachers, not to mention all district employees. It sounded like a fairly simple set-up (for the IT people, not me ;0}), no extra expenses, except time, and the users are thinking of ways to use it that the IT people didn't even think of!


Question 1: Would I be able to use this resource in my classroom?

Answer: I definitely would be able to use this resource in my classroom. I would also be able to use this type of site as an invaluable resource for communication and collaboration with my colleagues, perhaps we could replace the weekly staff meeting? {giggle}. I could communicate with my students, communicate with their parents, write lesson reviews, newsletters, blog, have great multi-media projects, access to group projects, and give the students easily-accessible assignments. The possibilities are endless.


Question 2: How will I implement this resource at my school or district?

Answer: I am going to talk to our school's IT coordinator tomorrow. I will show him the article and ask him how to go about getting this program started for our school. I will offer any services I can provide, which are limited, but I'm willing to learn and help. I will let you know how it goes...

Intro Letter of Jyll

My name is Jyll Curran. I am a wife, mother, teacher and student. I grew up in Orange County in what used to be a small town, called Brea. I lived down the street from a cute boy who was one of my best friends. I've been married to him since 1997, and, yes, he's still cute after all these years. We have two young daughters who attend the private school where I am currently teaching. I attended Mariposa Elementary school in my younger years, then I went off to Brea Junior High School, where I was class president. In high school, I attended Mater Dei in Santa Ana. I have always had a love for math and science, even while I was growing up. I had many experiments going on at any given time, some my mother approved of, but most were secret. There were a few spills, ruined furniture, and one or two explosions, but no humans or animals were ever harmed, except one very curious younger brother, and that was only once.

My computer experience goes way back to the 80's, when I was very good at maneuvering my way around X-tree pro. Does anybody remember that one? I worked in a real estate office while going to college, so that is where I learned to use it. At my first teaching job, I used a program called GradeQuick to keep track of my grades. It was only used for the staff's purposes at that time. The students did not have access to it. Currently, I use GradePro to keep track of and upload my grades. The students have access to their grades from my website, which is generated by TeacherWeb. My students also e-mail me for homework help in the evenings. I use a PC both at home and at school. I am proficient with WordPerfect, Microsoft Word and most e-mail programs. I also have a website for a small business that I run, where I upload pictures and projects and keep a short journal. On a daily basis, I use technology quite a bit, both in my classroom and for my home business. However, I am not familiar with very many of the technical terms associated with computers, so I do feel inadequate in terms of being up-to-date.

I do believe in educational equity for all students, unfortunately our society is definitely not there yet. I hope we will be someday, but in my opinion, we are getting further and further away, especially in the case of the lower socio-economic students and ESL students. I worked in a group home tutoring program in Orange County when I first graduated from college. Those kids were from many different backgrounds, although the majority of them were Caucasian. The things that they most had in common were that they were extremely uneducated, extremely poor and extremely discouraged, especially the high school students. I would like to be a part of changing their bleak futures, but it seems to be such a daunting task. I don't think our government truly realizes the problem or that the problem is so out of control that no one can grasp it. We, as educators, can give these students encouragement and knowledge, but at some point it is ultimately up to the kids themselves to choose success in the future. I just want to be there when they need the guidance, and to pick them up when they fall.