SchoolTechnology.org

Brad Flickinger makes many valid suggestions in his blog post “Educational Technology Bill of Rights.” In education, people seem to look at certain technology as a distraction for students. Brad Flickinger, on the other hand, advises that teachers take advantage of certain technologies and give students basic rights when using them. I agree with Flickinger when he states that students are not going to stop using technologies like cell phones, Facebook, and Twitter. I think it is smart to reach students through these means and as technology grows we as teachers must too. However, It also is important to ensure that students are taught appropriate ways to use these technologies and do not abuse certain privileges.
    I believe that the right to learn 21st century technology. It is important to implement these technologies that are as modern as possible so that students can keep up with the demand in their future careers. We are teaching children for a job they will have 10+ years down the road not for today. I also think it is important for teachers to continue learning and finding new and creative ways to use technology in the classroom. In most cases, it is true that students know more about different programs than teachers do, so teachers should be open to feedback and exploring new options. Other points that I fully agree with are that students have the right to be fully protected from things like cyberbullying, and that teachers should use technology to be efficient in planning and evaluating.
    The individuals that commented on this article also made many valid points. Due to financial constraints, not all schools have the opportunity to use the latest technologies. I do disagree with a lot of the comments that state that students do not have rights. Although they may not be legal rights, and teachers should have authority and set guidelines, students should still have choices and be treated with respect. Overall, I think that this article is very helpful in understanding the importance of technology and helped get me thinking about how I should implement the use of technology in my own classroom.

To read the article click on this link: 
 http://www.schooltechnology.org/2011/12/29/educational-technology-bill-of-rights-for-students/

Marc Prensky

Marc Prensky is a very intelligent man and has many ideas about technology and how it should be used in schools. His published books, essays, and workshops have inspired many people. However, to some his ideas are very controversial. Two of his articles, one in 2010 and one in 2011 really stuck out to me. My goal in life is to have my career be a teacher and I plan to teach k-3. Therefore, what he learned in a classroom when he went to New York struck my attention.Also, I am still in college and reading an article about how to save money on books and what the future of ebooks could be interested me.
   The first article I read was called, “In the 21st-Century University, Let’s Ban (Paper) Books” which was written November 13, 2011. This was only about a year ago and what he was saying I can see actually starting to happen in Universities. Money is always going to be a factor in life. Most people in this world want to save money and preserve resources instead of wasting them. For example, many trees are used to make textbooks that are only used for up to one or two years before another edition comes out. However, there could be another reason for multiple editions. One I could think of is that we are constantly evolving and having multiple editions give authors the chance to revise and change what has either gone out of date or is not true anymore. According to Marc Prensky, he learned from Amazon that there have been more e-readers being used and they also are selling for lower costs. At NDSU I know there is an option for e-readers, however you only license the book for a certain number of days not getting to keep it or see updates. However, even this is better than at some universities.
  Prensky wonders like many others when universities are going to become completely book-less. I know not having to carry numerous books to and from class would do wonders for my back. Only worrying about a laptop or computer would make things easier. I think it would also be less expensive to have books online  in the long term.
  Also,I like the idea that if the books are online that they can be linked to other notes on the subject that are out there. Not just the teachers notes and comments, but authors, other students and many others. The internet is full of educational tools different websites can be connected as well. For example, Marc mentions Youtube which is a very effective tool. For the most part I agree with all the things he has mentioned and thought of to better our community. Saving money, resources, and making education easier and more educational are all positives to me.
  There are some drawbacks to going paperless. When becoming a teacher we learn that not every child learns the same way. Some may be able to learn, read, focus or much more with an actual book to look at, highlight, and study from. This is one disagreement with what Marc was saying. I do not believe that all paper books should be confiscated, forcing a student to learn from a computer.
   The second article I read called “What I Learned Recently In New York City Classrooms” is all about class sizes and making sure that the students are staying engaged and being educated to the best of their ability. Prensky added a quote “Class size matters only if the teacher does everything”. This got me thinking about my previous elementary classes. All of my classes were about 20 students. Smaller class sizes are supposed to be better because you are able to get more hands on activity time and you are able to learn with more ease compared to bigger classroom sizes where you may not even be able to connect with your teacher.
   The reason why Marc Prensky decided to sit in on a classroom is because his readers were questioning his opinions due to not teaching students day to day. He realized that classrooms are still overcrowded and many schools are still very old and not much has changed since he has been there, 40 years ago. A grant called Title 2D allowed Prensky to help the teachers in Manhattan to add technology to their curriculum and see how it can benefit learning in the classroom. However, many problems came out of this along with some positives.
   Along with the first article, money had a lot of influence with being able to carry out his idea and plan. One major problem I see with this is that it took them a grant to experiment with technology. Not all schools are going to have the time or money. Also, There are going to have to be many guinea pig classroom and schools before the benefits of Prensky’s ideas can be seen. Many classrooms are also overcrowded. 
Finally, there is no point to get new technology when the schools old age prevent the new technology from working correctly. Prensky says there would be bad internet connection. This problem can kill a technology program before it starts I do believe adding technology to curriculum is a good idea but the infrastructure needs to be there too. 
To read the articles I read click on the links:
What_I_Learned_in_NYC_Classrooms
In-the-21st-Century
marcprensky.com

Practicum!

My 40 hour practicum is at Lodoen Kindergarten Center in West Fargo. I am very excited to be able to start with a kindergarten class. I have been there a while now and it has been very gratifying. Young learners love to ask questions (sometimes a little personal) and I love that about them. The learners don't just take things at face value at this age and "because I said so" isn't a good enough answer. Also, when a learner struggles and then gets an answer the look on their face is priceless.
  I have gotten to spend a lot of time around other teachers as well. I have had many questions and they are willing to give me the best answer they have. I have gotten to see a lot of planning elements both in the classroom and between teachers and am glad that teaching is no longer seen with an "Island classroom" mentality. Overall, my practicum has been a great experience thus far.

Ability Project Exceptional Students

This is my exceptional student ability project. To look at my presentation click on the video.

If you would like a well written plot synopsis of " The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time " click the link:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/summary.html

Google Apps

On the Google Apps website, there is a list of the “Top 10 reasons to use Google Apps.”  The number one reason listed was that students love it, and I am totally in agreement. Google has become a huge part of today’s technological culture. Learners know how to use Google, and they like using it. Google gives them a sense of power and independence. Using Google Apps will make them excited to use their computer and extend this power and independence to learn. 
  The next reason to use Google Apps in the school is that it will “free up your IT.” Now this doesn't mean they won't completely be needed. However, instead of the IT employees having to keep the school’s web system up and running, the job is passed off to Google which provides them more time to learn technology and integrate it into classrooms. Google also has a safe and reliable email system to give to students, and as was said previously, they often already know how to use it or have their own account.
  The final reason is very important to me as a future educator. Google says that they use their apps to run their own company, so they are confident in the fact that your information will be safe online, and privacy will be protected. This is incredibly important when children are going to be online. The safety and privacy of the learner is the biggest priority.

Copyright

Copyright can be hard to understand and even harder in real life practice. The first huge fact that I learned was that even a particular object does not have the copyright symbol, it is still copyrighted. As long as you are taking someone else idea or work you are stealing. Also, there are two specific time periods to watch within copyright. They are when public domain starts. Copyright can protect the creator for their entire life and then 70 years after that. However, anything before 1963 is public domain or falls under another category. After 1963 you can follow the life rule plus 70. Anything from the government is also in public domain. None of materials form there are protected by copyright.
  One big disappointment  I learned about copyright is that you can only "sample" DVDs and show only a small clip. Growing up, I can remember is how excited we all got for movie day and seeing movies that go along with our lesson. This is actually breaking copyright laws unless the school has purchased the rights. Showing the whole movie to that many people is illegal and in reality you can only watch it by yourself or family.
  There are other rules for using other pieces of work. It is only fair use if you use 250 words or less in written work. In a book or magazine you can only have one picture.
  Finally, we have to remember the internet is not a public domain and we cant just take what we see. I invite you to look further into copyright by clicking on the links I read about below:


Taking the Mystery Out Of Copyright

15 Copyright Rules Every Student Should Know

About Me!

Hello! My name is James Hoff. I am currently a junior at North Dakota State University majoring in Human Development and Family Science, as well as Elementary Education through Valley City State University. I plan on getting my kindergarten endorsement so I can work with young learners!
  I am older than most of my fellow classmates at age 31. I returned to college after a 5 year break. It was a little weird at first, however, now it is great. I am married and have three great children ages 7,4(almost 5 as he tells me almost everyday, and 3.
  In my little free time I enjoy playing video games, reading to my children, and watching sports. I also have a soft spot for nearly anything science or science-fiction.

Snagit - Classroom Organizer

As part of a multimedia project in Educational Technology, we were required to use the software Snagit to create a video about a specific classroom resource.  In my group, we chose to use Snagit to explain how to create your own classroom library using the Classroom Organizer website and app.  This is a simple and easy way to create and maintain a classroom library.  To learn how to use it, watch our video.

My Wild Self!

A few days ago, in Technology class, we learned how to create our "Wildselves". You create an avatar of yourself and then add some of your favorite animal parts. This website could be used as a resource for students during freetime, to practice their compter and internet skills or as a small science unit about adaptations. It could also be used in an art clasroom, where students create their "wildselves" on the website and then take that idea and turn it into an art project.   Overall, is it a fun and creative website.

http://www.buildyourwildself.com/

QR Code Lesson

• QR Codes are becoming more and more popular in today's technological world as well as in schools. 
• Teachers use them for different activities and lessons during classtime. 
• In my Educational Technology class we created our own lesson using QR Codes. 
• Mine is is to the left:
• I tied my audio book lesson to the QR code lesson.
• You could integrate this in the classroom by having a book on tape library that can travel anywhere you have an available scanner.

My Third Lesson Plan!

My third lesson plan. The first I wrote alone.

HEADING (1 pt)

Name: James Hoff                                                                                              School: Valley City State University

Room: Eml 378                                                                                                    Content: Art

Time: 9:30 – 10:45                                                                                               Topic: Recycling

Date: November 20^th  2012                                                                                  Lesson: Cutlery Wind chimes

CONTENT STANDARDS/COMMON CORE

OBJECTIVES (3 pts)

The learners will to the best of their ability:

  1.      Collect 1 paper plate, 1 pencil, markers, 4 pieces of long ribbon and 7 pieces of short ribbon, and 7 pieces of plastic cutlery to make a cutlery wind chime.

  2.      Color the paper plate with markers.

  3.      Poke 4 holes on the edge of the paper plate with a pencil an equal distance apart.

  4.      Poke 7 holes randomly in the inner circle of the paper plate.

  5.      Tie a knot in the 4 long pieces of ribbon at an end

  6.      Feed the long ribbons through the outer holes in the plate facing one direction.

  7.      Tie the 4 long pieces of yarn together to create a hanging plate.

  8.      Tie a knot in the 7 short pieces of yarn at an end

  9.      Feed the short ribbons through the random holes in the plate facing opposite the long ribbons.

  10.  Tie 1 piece of plastic cutlery to each short ribbon with the handle facing the plate.

  11.  Trim the ribbon to create clean knots.

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT (2 pts)

  1.      1 example cutlery wind chime

  2.      1 paper plate per student

  3.      1 pencil per student

  4.      1 package of markers per student

  5.      4 Pieces of long ribbon (16”) per student

  6.      7 Pieces of short ribbon (10”) per student

  7.      7 pieces of plastic cutlery per student

  8.      1 scissor per 3 students 

INTRODUCTION (3 pts)

Raise hand to get attention. Start after everyone’s hand is in the air.

  1.      How many of you have created art projects out of recycled materials?

a.       Look for raised hands

  2.      What kinds of projects did you make?

a.       Popsicle houses

b.      Popsicle picture frames

c.       Accordion foldout books

d.      Christmas ornaments

e.       Qr code games

  3.      What types of recycled material did you use?

a.       Pop bottle tops

b.      Popsicle sticks

c.       Cardboard boxes

d.      Chop sticks

  4.      Today we are going to add to your recycling art experience by creating cutlery wind chimes.

DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES (4 pts)

  1.      Gather all materials and sit quietly at the table

  2.      Color both sides of the paper plate whatever design you so choose with markers.

  3.      Using a pencil, poke 4 holes on the outer edge of the plate so that each hole is evenly spaced.

a.       Another way to think about it is to place the holes in a plus pattern.

  4.      Using a pencil, poke 7 holes in the inner circle of the paper plate at random.

  5.      At each end of the 4 long ribbons tie a knot at the end.

  6.      Take each ribbon and feed it through the 4 hour holes (one string per hole) so that the knot is touching the plate.

  7.      Tie the un-knotted end of the 4 long ribbons together in order to create a way for the plate to hang.

  8.      At each end of the 7 short ribbons tie a knot at the end.

  9.      Take each ribbon and feed it through the random 7 holes in your plate. 

a.       Make sure to have the knots touching the plate, but on the opposite side of the knots from the long ribbons.

  10.  Tie 1 pieces of plastic cutlery to each short ribbon with the handle closest/facing the plate.

  11.  Trim the ribbons to create clean knots.

CLOSING ACTIVITIES (2 pts)

  1.      Clean up

  2.      Markers back in boxes

  3.      Give Scissor back to teacher

  4.      Extra material back to teacher

  5.      Thank the learners, compliment them on well-made wind chimes, and introduce the next teacher

  6.      If last teacher, thank the learners, compliment them on well-made wind chimes, and state that we will now wait for the rest of the groups to finish and then we will join the main class.  

EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING (3 pts)

Rubric Components:

  1.      Plate colored

  2.      7 pieces of cutlery hanging from short ribbons off plate

  3.      4 pieces of long ribbon create a holder

  4.      10 points

  5.      Student will be able to show a completed cutlery wind chime and talk about using recycled materials for art projects.

ASSIGNMENT –

  1.      No assignment

REFLECTION (you taught the lesson and…) 2 pts

My Second Lesson Plan!

This lesson plan was done in a group of 2. We are getting closer to teaching alone.

HEADING (1 pt)

Name: Katie Turner and James Hoff                                                 School: Valley City State University

Room: EML 378                                                                                     Content: History/ Language Arts

Time: 9:30-10:45                                                                                   Topic: Progressivism Theory in Education

Date: November 6^th, 2012                                                                     Lesson: Progressivism Worksheet and Lesson

CONTENT STANDARDS/COMMON CORE

OBJECTIVES (3 pts)

The learners will to the best of their ability complete 3 of the 4 questions on a worksheet after our lesson on progressivism in a group of 3 other students using the textbook Your Introduction to Education, and other online sources by looking them up on their laptops.

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT (2 pts)

  ·        The directions sheet, 8 copies of the worksheet the students will be completing, the textbook Your introduction to Education, sheet that states the website URL’s on them, and the use of the projector to project the directions onto the white board.

·       The students will need groups of 4, a pencil/pen, the worksheet, directions sheet, sheet that has the URL’s on them, class textbook Your Introduction to Education,  and laptops.

·        There will be 8 total copies of the worksheet, directions sheet, and URL worksheets.  One for every group of 4 and also a copy for the professor. The worksheet, directions, and URL sheet are all on white 8.5 by 11 inch paper. 

INTRODUCTION (3 pts)

·        Begin by stating what our topic is on, progressivism.  we will ask the learners to raise their hands if they have heard of the theory progressivism before.  After the response, we will explain the reason for teaching the theory of progressivism and that it is about teaching the whole child, and it is important to understand different theories of education. We will discuss the assignment that is going to be given to work on during the lesson on progressivism and how to complete the worksheet. 

DEVELOPMENTAL ACTIVITIES (4 pts)

·        Raise your hand and take a guess at what progressivism theory is mainly about?

·        We expect that the students haven’t learned much about progressivism theories in education before. 

·        We will be using the overhead projector to explain the directions of our activity, and will hand out the worksheet and URL page as well before explaining the directions.

CLOSING ACTIVITIES (2 pts)

·        Give each child a post-it-note and have them write down what made sense to them the most about progressivism and what they would like to learn more about, then have them hand in the sticky to the front of the room in a pile. 

·        We will review content information the following day after reading through the post-it-notes. 

EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING (3 pts)

·        We will know that the objectives were met if the students completed 3 of the 4 questions of the worksheet correct, and if they completed the post-it-note after the lesson and gave their feedback. 

·        What is your proof that standards and objectives have been met?

Having a discussion about progressivism after the worksheet is complete will show that objectives have been met. Also, for those not willing to participate vocally, the written sticky note will give proof.

·        If the students completed an “I can…statement”, what would you know about their learning?

I can understand progressivism at a higher level than before the worksheet was given.

·        Assign a grade/percentage (if appropriate)

 No grade for this assessment.

ASSIGNMENT – No assignment for this lesson. 

REFLECTION (you taught the lesson and…) 2 pts

·        What went well?

           

·        What could have been better?  

           

·        What will be different next time?

 

  Directions can be found here:

   https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2AFwm8dq1ildG52UkFTMzFDcU0

  Worksheet can be found here: 
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2AFwm8dq1ilblVLY3ZjNkN0NWc