Journal Four- "Moderating and Ethics for the Classroom Instructional Blog"

By Paricia Deubel

In this article, the author believes that Blogs are the new technological development to support learning in the Elementary school years. Blogs allow peer to peer learning because they permit students to generate journals and portfolios, encourage communication with parents and community members, and faculty coaching and classroom management. In normal classroom discussion, usually only a couple of students participate. Other students, whether they have something to say and are just to shy, avoid eye contact with the teacher and hope not to be called on. By using Blogs to engage discussions, students can respond to questions provided by the teacher or other students. Blogs also require that every student respond and participate, compared to the few who engage in the classroom discussions. It also creates a student-student center learning environment, where peer communication is another source of information aside from what is being provided by the teacher. If teachers’ wish to adopt Blogs into their teaching techniques, it is important for them to focus on one or two particular questions, identify expectations, and model examples. The author also gives numerous guidelines and ethical consideration when using Blogs in the classroom.

Questions

1. Do you feel Blogs are an effective way to increase discussions?
2. Do you feel Blogs will have any effect on learning disabled students?

Answers

1. I feel Blog are a great way to ensure that every student in the class in participating in a discussion. By requiring that students post or reply to a question posted by the teacher each week, it allows the teacher to ensure that all students are keeping up with their reading and are not confused.
2. I have always been facisnated when it comes to study the disabilities that affect students in a learning environment. Many students with learning disabilities do not participate in classroom discussions because it takes them much longer to process the question the teacher is asking. If a learning disabled student were asked to respond using a blog, it allows them the needed amount of time to correctly process the question and form an answer. I feel many learning disabled child experience a lot of frustration and anxiety when participating in classroom discussion and I feel incorporating Blogs would help eliminate the tension.

Journal Three- "Social Justice: Choice or Necessity?

By Colleen Swain and David Edyburn

According to the authors, technology use among students is an issue of Social Justice. Social Justice is a term used to describe how things, both good and bad, are distributed between members in a human society. In today’s education system, teachers are given the choice of when and how to use technology in their teaching and learning environments. However, research has shown that students who are not given regular access to technology or are not technologically fluent, are disadvantaged in regards to future education and employment. The U.S. department of Labor’s SCANS released a report in 1992 that stated that at least 80 percent of all jobs in the next two decade require the person to be technologically fluent. The article provides numerous examples, from a Social Justice perspective, regarding the unfair use of technology in classroom. The authors also provide suggestions about how to make technology fairly implemented into the classroom. Finally, the authors provide solutions for teachers who have limited or no access to technology in their classroom.

Questions

1. The authors state five criteria necessary to ensure that technology is fairly implemented in the classroom. State the five criteria and explain how educators can make sure they are accomplished.
2. Not all classrooms in the United States have the same access to the various aspects of technology. What do the authors believe is the most powerful resource for teachers who have limited or no access to technology?

Answers

1. According to the authors, technology is fairly implemented in the classroom when it is: available, used routinely, used in ways that reflect real-world applications of interest, complexity, and power, used to enhance learning opportunities for all students, and used to monitor teacher/ students progress over time.
2. In the article, the authors believe that the Digital Equity Portal and Toolkit is one of the most powerful resources for educators who have limited or no access to technology. This resources provides educators with over 150 strategies, resources, and solutions to technological issues.

Journal Two- "Real-Life Migrants on the Muve"

By Ross A. Perkins

A multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) is a communication and collaborative interface in which the user controls an animated character in a virtual environment. These programs, which have been around as early as the 1970s, allow interactions between not only peers but with the environment by allowing users to explore and build virtual landscapes, building, and objects. Many educators are beginning to use these programs to support the curriculum. Instead of traditional presentations, students are being asked to build virtual environment on the topic chosen by the teacher. This new technological development is allowing students to take more control over the learning experiences by enabling them to incorporate their passions, needs, and personality into their work while still thinking critically about the world.

Questions

1. What is one possible explanation that supports the research showing that a students' use of MUVES is related to greater self-efficacy and motivation?
2. After reading this article, do you feel it is important to incorporate MUVE into the classroom?

Answers

1. The author believes that virtual environments help keep the students' focus and attention better than previous disengaging material. This ability to focus leads to better retention of information and better performance in school. Students with non-traditional l styles of learning and those with learning disabilities, are able to learning the information better then when purely reading from a textbook. When the students feel they are no longer struggling, their self-esteem increases.
2. After reading this article, I feel MUVE would help student with disabilities and students' who learn by interactions. I myself have never used a program like MUVE so I finally as an educator, I would like to experience the program before I state whether I feel it will be successful or not.

Journal One- "Your Google Guide"

By Doug Johnson

This article provides numerous suggestions for teachers to improve their Google search skills along with those of their students. Doug Johnson believes one of the most important things when searching for information on Google is to know what you are looking for. Many people, places, or things have the same name. In order to ensure that you are receiving information about the intended topic, it is important to know at least three or four facts about the desired topic. The author suggests another way to improve your search results on Google and to increase the probability of getting results for the desired topic. Instead of using only one word in a search, the author suggests forming a question because it will increase the number of search terms and further refine one's search. Finally, when a search is conducted, it is important for teachers and students to be able to interpret the results with the summaries provided instead of browsing every website provided. Descriptions and metags are provided to show the searcher how the search terms are provided in the website. This helps to ensure teachers that their students are not accidentally encountering inappropriate information.

Questions

1. 
   
   Create an example of a lesson plan educators can do to teach their students about finding information on the Internet using a search engine like google.


2. 
   
   The author of the article, Doug Johnson, states that when using a search engine, it is important for student to know more facts about what they are searching for because it is likely that search results will produce websites with the search term requested however it might not but it might not be what they intended to find. How can educators prevent this situation?

Answers

1. 
   
   There are many lesson plans that allow students to search on google. For example, a teacher could give their students a list of countries and have the student type them into the search engine to find what continent they are located in. They could also type in a question like, "What is the population of..." to find information about the country.


2. 
   
   To ensure that student get the correct results when using a search engine like google, I would suggest the teacher provide information to the students. For example, if the students wish to find information on a famous person, it would help them to know important dates in the persons life. Knowing the birthday or year of the person will ensure they are learning information about the correct person.

Simigirlie's Best Blog ever... aka- Introduction Letter!!!

My name is Colleen Mac Laughlin and I grew up in the Los Angeles/ Ventura County area. I lived in West Hollywood until I was about fifteen years of ages however, I received my education at schools in Simi Valley where my parents' Dentist office was. My parents decided to retire and move to Simi Valley because they wanted my brother and I live in a smaller community. I spent my four years of high school at Simi High where I participated in leadership, cheer leading, and was the captain of the varsity girls golf team. My senior year in high school I participated in the "Teachers of Tomorrow" program where I assisted an elementary school teacher in a third grade classroom for two hours a day.

I have always felt I was a technological person however, my friends are slowing pointing out where I am lacking such knowledge in the technology area. I have adapted from the American way of fixing electronics things and no longer scream and hit the object until it begins working properly again. I now feel I have the ability to discover the source of the problem and how to fix it. I have spent the majority of my life working on PC computers. I depend on technology a lot in my life. I use my computer for homework assignments, as an information source, as a way to communicate with friends, and as a storage place for the important things in life: music and photos. Technology has also helped me save money on gas by allowing me to get from point A to point B without making a million u-turns. With the technology of my portable navigation system, I am able to locate my intended destination and find the shortest way to get there. However if my navigation system fails me, I use another technological device; my cell phone. According to my parents and my cell phone bill, I depend on my cell phone to maintain all aspects of my life. Finally, I also depend on my television for numerous things. It provides me comfort to fall asleep with by blocking out the annoying white-noise that keeps me up during all hours of the night. Without the television and the use of the sleep timer, I would never be able to achieve a full night sleep.

The mission statement of CSUSM/COE emphasizes the importance of reflective learning and life-long learning. I feel as a young adult, I am constantly learning new things daily. Education begins as a child and continues through your entire life. A person's experiences and the experiences of others are one of the numerous ways to teach and learn new information. I feel this educational philosophy is very important in order to provide the best educational atmosphere for the students and is the reason I chose to attend California State University, San Marcos.