Chapter 6

This chapter was really interesting. When I think of a community, the first thing that comes to mind is a group of interacting people that share common interest. I never thought that the idea of a community could be found through technology. This chapter has introduced me to many ways that I, as a future teacher, can expand a sense of community in my classroom through technology. Web 2.0 is a new term for me. The book explains it as “the capacity to bring people together and support sharing online communities through the use of technology.” This idea is the focus of this chapter.

In schools around the country, students’ knowledge is sometimes undervalued. Many times, teachers evaluate student knowledge merely on their understanding of the curriculum. As a student myself, I have noticed this in my past. Chapter tests are the main source of evaluation. But this doesn’t necessarily capture the true fundamentals of meaningful learning. The book talks about Knowledge Forum, an electronic group intended to support the development of knowledge-building. Through forums, students are able to share their opinions and beliefs about a certain subject through online writing assignments and live discussions. As a teacher, one of my goals will be to foster knowledge-building communities. I feel that forums are a good way to get a deeper look into students’ knowledge while forming a community with other students.

Wikis are a method of constructing knowledge that this chapter discusses. When I began to use the internet for school related work, I was always warned against wikis. Since anyone can generate and revise wiki pages, the content may not be correct. The book, however, brings some interesting points that I had never thought about prior. Most web pages are not necessarily subject to review before being posted so it is important that students know how evaluate all online media. This is something that I plan on helping my students with.

The book mentioned that wikis are always being checked which allows for constant peer review of content. Wikis can not only help students with writing skills but it is used as a collaborative setting to engage in design work. The book gave an example of a Holocaust Wiki project that a history teacher assigned to his students. I thought this project was such an appealing way of teaching students about this important moment in history while creating a collaborative environment through wikis. The book suggested many other ways in which teachers have used wikis in the classroom as a useful learning tool. This section in the chapter has changed my views about wikis and I plan on incorporating it in my future classroom.

The next section was finding colleagues with interactive blogs. I had never really been exposed to educational blogging until this specific course. I think it is a very useful and creates a space for dynamic connections of ideas and critiques. The book introduced me to Technorati. This company offers a search bar for blog content which can help students connect to each other. Chapter 6 mentions many different kinds of blogging. One that I thought was interesting is teacher-created blogs. This is a way to allow students to explore further on information that wasn’t covered in class. It also encourages students who don’t normally participate in class discussions. Blogging is definitely a possibility in my classes. But in order to ensure that students are engaging in meaningful learning through blogs, I will provide guidelines and always preview student blogs before posting.

Personally, one of the most interesting parts of this chapter was building international communities through technology. I had never heard of online learning circles until this book. Online Learning Circles usually supports an explicit project or online activity that is integrated into the curriculum. The book talked about iEARN. The goal of this program is to bring students and teachers around the world together by creating an understanding of each other through projects. KidLink is another program that can be used for international connection. I was amazed that it is available in over 30 languages. Students are able to interact with each other by posting comments on the pages of this site. All of these programs are really fascinating to me because you can learn so much about people from all over the world. I feel that one of the most meaningful ways to learn about other cultures and languages is by being exposed to them. These online international communities make it easy to expose students to so many cultures.

Another very intriguing section of this chapter is the programs available to build professional teacher communities. The book introduced me to Tapped In. This is an online workplace for K-12 educators where you can have informal collaborative activities with colleagues. Tapped In offers online discussions about important topics for all teachers. It even has private online spaces where you can talk to a teacher about a specific idea or problem. This is a very useful source for me as a future teacher. I plan on participating in these kinds of workshops.

I really enjoyed reading this chapter and learning about all the useful resources available through technology. Like I mentioned before, building a learning community is very important for me as a teacher. These resources will all be extremely helpful in helping me achieve my goals.

Chapter 5

This chapter focuses on the idea of using computers as Mindtools for creating meaningful models. It introduces a range of important information that all teachers should use to promote meaningful learning. The chapter explains that Mindtools can be used to model content, systems, problems, stories, and reflective thinking. I feel that this is important for students because by having different way of representing their knowledge they will have a better chance of understanding.

This semester, I have been introduced to a few different models to use in my future classroom. One that has appeared in a few of my classes is the concept map. In our science class we were asked to create concept maps using an online resource. I had never used one before, but I felt it was very useful for me today and in my future. The book shows a concept map of a topic in chemistry. This is a great example of an effective concept map because it provides visual relationships of the topic, which are essential in understanding the overall concept. I feel that concept maps are the most useful tool for elementary students. It is stated in this chapter that students learn more from creating their own maps then by studying premade maps. As a future teacher, I plan on allowing my students to create their own maps in order to insure meaningful learning.

The next section of the chapter talks about modeling systems with systems dynamics tools. After reading this section, I was still confused on what systems dynamics tool was. I decided to research a few of the examples that the book offered. I realized that they are basically a simulation tool that students can use to create and test a variety of models. I researched Model- it, one of the book examples, and felt that it is a very useful tool for high school student’s because a higher level of information is needed in order to create the models. Personally, I don’t think I will use system dynamic tools in my future classroom because it is a lot for an elementary student to handle.

Spreadsheet is the next Mindtool that the book explains. I have used Microsoft excel, which is a kind of spreadsheet tool, in my past. I used it to keep record of finances in a fund-raiser that I was a part of. I really liked using this program for finances because the cells can be related mathematically. I felt it was very useful when I had to do the final calculations. There are many other uses for spreadsheets. My boyfriend is currently using it to keep track of his medical school applications. He records due dates and things that need to be done for each school which has helped keep him organized so that he does not miss a thing. The book introduced me to an array of functions that spreadsheets can do that I never knew prior to reading the chapter. I never knew that you could create charts and graphs through spreadsheets. This is a good resource to have as a teacher because we can create graphs to show a concept or create charts to keep record of student’s progress.

Of all the models presented, I feel that expert systems are the least effective model to use with elementary students. Expert systems are good for teachers to use for their own class reflection. But I feel that it does not promote learning with technology but rather learning from technology. After looking at the example in the book, I feel that this model does most of the thinking rather than student thinking. I don’t think I will use this in my future classroom because I am having a hard time truly understanding its purpose.

The final kind of modeling that the book explains is databases. This is a very valuable tool for all teachers to use. I have used the UF library databases to find reliable resources for research papers. I hope that the school that I work at in my future will provide teachers with access to educational databases. I think that this is an important tool for students to know how to use because it will help them in their future. Databases can also be used with students to store all their school work. This is a great way for kids to keep record of what they have done and may even be a valuable source for their future.

This chapter was very interesting and introduced me to many different models that can be utilized through technology. The chapter showed me how each Mindtools are essential in creating different kinds of models. Out of all the Mindtools given in this chapter, I feel that concept maps are the most useful ones that elementary grade students can use. The others are great, but mostly for older students or for teachers to use in the classroom to enhance their professional knowledge.

Chapter 4

Supporting writing with technology was the focus of chapter 4. I really enjoyed this chapter because I learned about several different tools available in technology that help make writing more fun for students. Writing is a critical skill that everyone needs to have in order to be successful, not only in the classroom, but in today’s society. I have always struggled with writing as a child. I would always get anxious and ended up taking hours and hours to come up with an idea. As I got older, I became a little more at ease because of all the practice that I had accumulated throughout the years. But there are still times many times that I find myself struggling with writing. Students today are given so many tools in technology to help break down what can sometimes be an overwhelming process into an easier, step by step, development.

The chapter begins by introducing concept maps. These are helpful in organizing ideas prior to writing. When I was in elementary school, I remember doing concept maps in my notebook. But today, there are many programs online, such as Inspiration and Semantica that allow these maps to be made. These kinds of programs give students the opportunity to be creative and make the process a little more enjoyable. I have recently discovered in one of my other classes a concept map website called, Webspiration. I really enjoyed using this program to make something that I used to think was helpful, but tended to get messy and boring, into something really great. Concept maps are the structure for many writing activities and give students the chance to organize ideas as they think of them. The book provides details on how students can use these tools to help generate organized writing. As a future teacher, I plan to use concept maps through websites to help my students with the organization process.

The next section of the chapter talks about supporting presentation writing. Through out my time in school and until this day, I have always used PowerPoint for presentations. This chapter mentions many of the pros and cons of this program. I had never thought of the cons presented in the book. I never imagined that the amount of fonts and the different features that the program offers could be negative. Even though the book does mention PowerPoint’s cons, it does say that with regulation it can be a very useful resource for certain projects. Before reading this chapter and being in this class, I had never really been shown any other methods of presentation. But just in the past four weeks of class, I have been exposed to so many different programs that can be used for presentation, such as Prezi and Animoto. I plan on using these new programs for my future presentations in college and in my future classroom. I will also expose my students to these programs and show them how they can be used for their own presentations.

Another point that the chapter touches upon, one in which I had never thought of prior, is using technology tools to motivate students by publishing their work. I really love this idea of publishing student work. I feel that it gives them a sense of pride and motivates them to work hard. It also offers children the opportunity to look at other children’s writing. This is also a motivating factor because they will see that students, just like them, are writing and they may be encouraged to do so as well. Looking back, I remember spending so much time on a paper and then feeling unmotivated to continue writing because I knew that only my teacher would read it. Publishing student work can truly change this common frustration that many feel and encourage them to keep writing.

The book mentions many different programs such as Kidscribe, Poetry Forge, and the Scholastic site. After reading the chapter, I visited these websites and I was delightfully surprised in what I found. I was able to read student papers from all over the nation. I think that Kidscribe is a great website because it not only offers students the opportunity to publish writing in English, but it is also a bilingual site and allows for writing to be published in Spanish as well. This is a great resource for English Language Learners. Students who want to express themselves, but are still learning English, have the chance to do so on this site. The Scholastic website is great because along with student publication, it also provides teachers with sample lessons that they can use to teach different aspects of writing. Poetry Forge is also a great resource because students are able to learn and practice many different structures and styles of poetry.

I really enjoyed learning about collaborative writing with technology. As with most of what the chapter mentioned, I had never thought of this concept before. Students are able to learn from each other and see individual writing styles, compiling it all in one final paper. They have the opportunity to share their opinions or ideas about certain topics. This sections mentions that collaborative writing can either occur synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous writing is when an individual or a group of people are sitting together and writing. I have been exposed to this kind of writing in some of my past classes. Asynchronous writing is writing that is not necessarily done in “real time.” The book mentions a type of asynchronous writing called global collaborative writing. I had never heard of this kind of writing. This is very interesting to me because people in different parts of the world come together, via internet, to collaborate on an idea. Global collaborative writing also increases different cultural perspectives.

Collaborative writing not only provides students with support in writing, but it also helps build social skills. I personally feel that this is the most important aspect of collaborating writing. It is a skill that is essential for students of all ages. They learn to work together and respect each others opinions. The book provides some helpful guidelines for successful social building skills through writing. As a teacher, I will incorporate collaborative writing in my curriculum using the books guide for student success.

The final section of the chapter is supporting peer feedback on writing. I have experienced this in some of my classes in the past and currently in this one. The book mentions that student feedback has been documented as more valuable in improving their writing than feedback from teachers. I was truly amazed at this statement because in my own past experiences, I remember not truly knowing whether to trust my peers. But as a future teacher and after reading the chapter, I feel that this is actually very important because students learn to evaluate writing and to build trust among their peers.

Chapter 4, supporting writing with technology, has exposed me to many new and valuable ideas. As I mentioned earlier, writing was not always very easy to me and I still find myself struggling at times. I plan on using what this chapter has offered in my future classroom because I feel that by using technology to support my student’s writing, I will essentially help them become great writers.

Chapter 3

1. When I first entered Sodaplay, I was not sure what kind of microworld it was. I felt it looked very boring and didn’t seem to offer much. I was expecting to encounter something much more appealing. As I began to examine the website, I realized that it was a physics website. I found that this microworld was created to allow students to make their own games and are able to control many characteristics. Student’s can draw conclusions based on what they controlled. Many basic physical concepts can be taught through this website for students in elementary grades. Teachers can use this website to talk about lines and measurements. Students can use Sodaplay to create things such as robots and basically anything that they want to build.

2. My first impression of NetFrog was positive. The title “Online Dissection” made me curious to what this website would offer. It was very easy to read and follow. I realized how useful this website would be to use in the classroom. Online simulations are a great for teachers to use. It shows students something, in this case frog dissection. This promotes meaning learning because students can see how to do a specific task. Although it is a great resource, I do not feel that it should be the only source used on the subject. I think that students need to physically dissect a frog to have true meaningful learning. To me, hand on experience is the best way to learn. The online simulation is just an additional source to use, but should not be the only.

By the title of this website, Funderstanding Roller Coaster, I was first unsure on what to expect. But when I opened it I was delightfully surprised with the website. I enjoyed the the pop ups while the program was loading. I really liked playing the game. In the game you are able to control the roller coaster by changing different variables such as mass, speed, gravity, etc. This is a very entertaining website because kids love roller coasters and students can really learn through it. The concepts on this website are a little to advanced for elementary students, but I think it does stimulate meaningful learning.

3. The online simulation that I found is using base 10 blocks. The website is http://ejad.best.vwh.net/java/b10blocks/b10blocks.html. The program is very easy to use. This website gives teachers a complete lesson plan on how to teach base 10 place value. It also teaches basic arithmetic operations using the online manipulative. This program has a panel where you can click on any block size. The block sizes are represented by 1 unit, 10 units, and 100 units. All you have to do is drag them into the working panel. It provides lesson plans for any grade level and subject. For example if you are teaching a 3^rd grade multiplication lesson, you can use one of the lessons provided and students can use the base 10 block stimulation to visually see what is being taught. This website provides meaningful learning because it is helping students learn with technology because the resource is only used as an aid to the lesson. As a future teacher, I plan on using this stimulation because I feel it is a great support for teaching certain mathematical concepts.

4. Darfur is Dying- This online game was very interesting. When I first entered the website, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Darfur is a very strong and hard topic to discuss. Upon entering the game I was asked to choose a character. That character had to run, without being caught, to get water for his/her family. My character was “captured” and I had to choose another character. This is a very sad reality of what is happening, and it is important that children know this. This game allows for very meaningful learning. I think it might be too heavy of a topic to discuss with early elementary students, but I think that upper elementary and middle school students will do well and understand the topic. This website will help to depict the issues that are occurring at Darfur.

Aviti: The Cost of Life- This game also portrayed a very difficult topic to discuss with children. Its hard to understand the difficulties that many people face in other countries. It is important for kids to know this so that they can truly appreciate what they have. This game gives them an opportunity to get a glimpse of what many children around the world have to do to in order to survive. In the game, the player must make decisions in order to help their family. I think that this website promotes meaningful learning because children must truly involve themselves in the life of someone who is struggling. It also gives them a sense of the poverty, importance of health, happiness, education and many other meaningful topics. As with the other website, I feel that this should only be used with upper elementary and middle school.

3^rd World Farmer- I really enjoyed this game. I felt it was a little challenging, but is a great way to integrate math, (by having to sell and purchasing objects) science, and critical thinking. Players must make decisions that can change the life of their family. Student's are able to take risk and learn if they make mistakes. These are all reasons why this website provides meaningful learning. I would also only use this game for upper elemenetary and above. Student's are able to enter a whole different world, while learning the reality of others around the world.

5. http://www.abcya.com/addition.htm This game is taken from abcya.com. This website provides many educational games and is divided into grade level which provides easy access to teachers and parents. The specific game that I chose is an interactive addition game with manipulatives. It asks addition problems and provides images that the kids can count to figure out the problem. I believe that this website does address most of Gee’s principles. For example it covers the Practice Principle because it gives many problems for the students to practice on. Since it provides students with manipulatives, it provides Active, Critical Learning principle.

6. After doing research on virtual worlds, I feel that a lot of them are appropriate for student's to use, even elementary students. Many virtual worlds that I found were more entertaining rather than educational. I think that they are great for students to practice their social skills in a technological sense. Most of these sites provide students with a safe learning environment. Many teachers enjoy using them because they feel that they are helpful for students to learn about real life situations. If these websites are used as an aid, then meaningful learning can occur. I got my information by researching different virtual worlds and looking at teacher opinions about them.

7. I truly have no programming background. I have taken basic computer classes, but nothing to this extent. Before coming into this classroom, I thought that I knew a lot about computers, but I have realized that I really have so much more to learn. I have never had to do any programming in my place. I do not know how to write an HTML code or use any other programming language. This class has shown me how important it is for me to truly learn all the areas of technology that can help me in the future.

1. I really enjoyed using the Google Reader. I think it is a very interesting and useful tool that I will be using

2. Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus – When I first looked at this website, I felt that it provided a lot of information and legitimate looking images. But as I began to read the content, I realized that the context seemed very exaggerated. I began by evaluating the source of the information. Who provided all this information? I looked for any kind of outside source, but did not see anything. There was no way to check that what was being said was legitimate. I also tried to research two other sources that verified the information from the website, and I could not find any.

Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination- When reading the content on this website, I became offensive. It was totally against facts of the subject. I did not see any sources to back up what was written. I also looked at the treatment of the subject. I saw it that it was stormfront.org. After researching, I found that it is an organization of white pride, which does not give it authority on the subject.

Dog Island Free Forever- I was very uneasy of this website as well. I could not find any other website that supported this website. They posted many pictures but it was hard to tell if they were truly from the location. I also noticed that on the “Rates” page of the website it stated “We apologize to not offer this to poor people.” I continued to read other content from the page, and realized that there was a disclaimer on the site stating that it was a joke

All About Explorers- When I first entered the site, I clicked on the Site authors. It provided a page of about 5 authors that seemed to have real knowledge of the topic. But then at the end of the page it said. “Not buying it? Click here for the real story.” This was very strange and I began to question the website. The information that was given on the ‘real’ author’s did not seem to have much authority in the specific field. I then looked at the “About this site” and read that the purpose of this website was to show kids that some websites are full of inaccurate, useful data. It specifically said that the information posted was false. This just shows how important it is to take a deeper look into websites.

History of Robots in the Victorian Era- This website did not provide a bibliography or resource list on the information that it presented. It did not have any source, beside one guy’s email to answer questions. The site was trying to sell their book, which displayed a more commercial approach to the topic rather than educational.

Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division- I had a hard time telling if this website was real or not. The website had the logo of the United States Environmental Assessment Center, which made it look legit. But when I clicked on the logo, it took me to an extension of the website. I then realized that this website was false because if there was any such thing as the Environmental Assessment Center, it would have taken me to the official website. Also at the end of the page it said Note: content veracity not implied. This means that the information provided is not inevitably true.

The First Human Male Pregnancy- At first look at this website, it seems genuine. The images, such as the U.S. News Magazine image, make it look real. But as I began to look further into the website, I could not find any reference page to back up what was written. The website says that it is supported by the Dwane Medical Center. There truly was nothing significant to support the content that was presented. It does not provide any kind of true evidence or facts on the subject.

o Which of these is the true World Trade Organization website? The www.wto.org is the true World Trade Organization website. When looking through the two websites, I felt that they both seemed very similar. But I then realized that the wto.org site had more credibility because of the amount of sources that it provided. It gave an alphabetical directory for the entire website. This showed legitimacy in the format of the site. The website was frankly from the WTO, unlike the other website that presented it through an outside resourse. Another small detail that I noticed was that since this is a big organization, it would make sense for the address of the website to be related to the actual organization (www. WTO.org).

3. The content that I chose was Science and the grade level was 2^nd. I actually had a hard time finding any good web- based scavenger hunt’s with the content area and grade level that I selected. The few that I encountered did not seem to truly promote meaningful learning. They focused on just finding answers but not engaging students intellectually. There was not much thinking or investigating that had to be done. It was merely plugging in “answers” and at the end the result was already there. I don’t think that these scavenger hunts do not promote meaningful learning with technology, only from technology.

4. The webquest that I chose is called “Break-Out at Rollins Hill.” This webquest would be for a 2^nd grade science lesson on animals. This specific webquest is a preparation for a field trip to the local zoo. The animals of the zoo have escaped and the purpose is for the students to come up with facts about each animal that escaped and persuade the mean zookeeper to take them back. The students will be put in groups of two and will also need to provide an appropriate traveling habitat to transport the animals back to the zoo. This can only happen if the students persuade the zookeeper to allow the animals to return. The students will then put the information that they researched on a PowerPoint. I feel that this webquest meets Jonassen’s criteria for a well- designed webquest. Since students are working with other in partners, it does incorporate cooperative learning. It also incorporates multiple learning perspectives. Students will have to do a lot of internet research on specific animals. They will also have to think constructively in order to come up with reasonable facts and methods to get the animals back to the zoo. Researching different animals and developing ways to get them back to the zoo incorporates analysis and synthesis of the information. Since students will be using PowerPoint and creating something different it does incorporate creation of original products and shows that knowledge was gained. This project is very open ended since they can provide any facts on any animal that they want. Students will be in charge of researching, producing, and presenting the project, therefore I feel that it is completely student- directed. The teacher will only be there for support. This webquest would be a great lesson to incorporate in a classroom.

5. The teacher that I found uses handhelds to learn phonics. Students who are beginners and ELL readers record letter sounds onto the iPod using a voice recorder. They then transfer these audio files back to iTunes on the computer. The teacher also records the directions for a lesson, creates a playlist of letter sound files on iTunes, and transfers the lesson back onto the handheld. The students then listen to the lesson and after hearing the prerecorded letter sounds they create words using the cards. Anyone can teach phonics the traditional way, but I feel that by using a handheld the way this teacher did allows him/her to do teach it better. Using a device allows children to get a deeper involvement and understanding of something that cannot be done by just a piece of paper and pencil.

6. Zoomerang is a very useful tool to produce surveys. It makes it easy to find answers fast.