Reactions to the Articles.

Social networking can be important for anyone. Sometimes the only way to stay constantly connected with other people is through the social networks on the internet. By networking with people around the world, students get a chance to meet new students so that they can share information and ideas. Even though only a small percentage of students don’t use social networking, as a teacher we need to continue to allow and guide students to connect with each other in order initiate new and valuable experiences. However, encouraging usage of social networking through educational means is important.
In addition, I also believe that games can make any lesson more effective and interactive. Encouraging students to think outside of the normal way of learning and trying different ways to solve problems can help them to reach their goal. These kinds of games use different vocabularies to help students understand the concept easier and also help build their confidence by taking risks. I think games can really exercise their cognitive thinking in order to solve problems whether that’s a math problem or any other kind. There are also many games that can help students with disabilities. Using the smart-board to play games helps students to interact and improve in areas that they are having trouble with, physical or mental. There are so many educational games that incorporate good learning principals which can help in creating a healthy learning environment where students can have fun and use systematic thinking to solve different problems.
In general, the 21st century classroom should provide all these technologies to let students build their cognitive thinking and learning. It should be a place where students love to be and feel comfortable in order to learn and experience new things.

SMART Exchange review.

http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=f2899648380412e311a6da1cb82db40ea46d70a0760a0e4de3630ac9e97ab908


This Smart Notebook lesson is very interactive and fun to play. I believe, Spanish teacher Kirk Petty wanted to make this “Pronouns” lesson very easy to understand and also visual. At the same time, the lesson follows the objectives of the day as well. As a student who is learning in this kind of environment, this will help me have fun while using technology and exploring with my peers. The most amazing thing about this lesson is that it provides visual aids that help students to relate when learning. As an educator, I feel like this kind of lesson is a great way to catch every student’s attention and help students to concentrate longer than when receiving direct instructions. In general, the lesson is excellent and it will also be a great way to differentiate your lessons for all different learners.

OpenSource App Reflection

http://sourceforge.net/projects/typefaster/

The OpenSource app that I downloaded from Source Forge is called “Type faster Typing Tutor”. First of all, since it was free I was able to try it without any problem or hesitation. My first impression was that I really liked the feature that gives you a keyboard on your monitor so user can follow and practice typing because visual aids are crucial for learning. Typing correctly is important and can help students and teachers when using technologies. I believe, since anyone can have access to this application, students can even practice outside of their classrooms. This program also has different levels so when your test score goes up you can move on to the next level for more challenging typing exercises. During my high school years, I remember that I took a typing class and we used programs which probably were paid for. Type faster Typing Tutor would be a great tool since students can use it and learn, and at the same time the school can save money in order to spend their budget where it’s needed. In addition, I like this typing program so much because they offer lessons in many different languages. I believe that this typing tool can also be included in foreign language classrooms where their keyboard is a little different and students will need to get used to it even though they know the regular American keyboard setup. In general, I like this application and I would love to use it in my classroom in the future to teach my students how to type well.

Mac App Store

http://www.tuaw.com/2010/10/20/mac-app-store-announced/


Yesterday, Apple announced the launch of the new Mac App Store. The Mac App Store is offering new features like auto upgrade, one click download which will help users save time and money. Any apps that a user buys will have access to any Apple products like, iPods, iPhones, or iPads. Another interesting point that they have mentioned is about the developers. Big developers like Adobe and Microsoft might not want to join and it can cause problems for many Apple users who need these products. I feel like there are always good things following the bad, and the best way to solve problems is by having balance. If big developers don’t join the Mac app store then the Mac app store will be almost useless. “The Mac App Store will be a standalone app available for Snow Leopard and Lion.”

Why Educate?

http://www.downes.ca/post/53265

As a teacher and a student, I believe that all people must be well educated in order to be successful. Having an education does not mean just being literate. In order to achieve your goals you must know how to communicate effectively with others. For some students, going to school can be a place where they meet friends and learn something from their teachers. However, from my perspective I consider that students at any stage of their education are preparing to be able to interact with the world in a professional manner, not how to interact in the classroom. By receiving education, students can also find their interests and what they really want to do as a living. I truly believe that without good education people will not be as motivated to participate in the fast pace nature of the working world. As a good educator, our job is to guide our students in the right direction in order to help them explore and find their motivations. Without education or motivation, it will be hard to become a successful person.

The New Skype Connects Everyone

http://about.skype.com/press/2010/10/new_skype.html

The new Skype for Windows is bringing people even closer together. Similar to Facebook, the new features connects people around the world even easier and faster. As an immigrant to this country I feel like these technologies let us communicate with our families, friends, and even businesses. Video calling is another advantage to Skype. Video calling makes every conversation more exciting and interactive. Being able to see a person when communicating helps people to express and understand each other better, and using video calling can simulate in-person dialogue. The new version of Skype has also added recovery features. Recovery features help people to reconnect immediately easier and faster when having connection problems. Technologies like Skype are a great way to communicate with people around the world with barely any hassle. Seeing the person you are talking to allows people to have a powerful and more meaningful conversation with minimal miscommunication.

Language Develpment Theory

Throughout the study of education and learning processes, humans have divided the language development theory into different categories. It is difficult to say which one is the best, but as a teacher it is necessary to understand the different perspectives. That’s one of the reasons why there is still a lot of research and studies focused on language development. As an immigrant in this country, I feel like the Social Interaction theory fits the best to my experiences. Interacting with other students who are native speakers helped me a lot to improve my English language skills. Of course, at school I was instructed through more of the Connectionist theory. “Connectionist model consists of a set of processing elements, called nodes, and the interconnections among those nodes.” For example, Spanish and ESL classes required a lot of repetition in order to gain understanding and new vocabulary. This is similar to our experience when we were a baby. We learned words by listening to others and each time they repeated a word, we would learn how to use and pronounce that word better. Like the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” While reading Hoff, chapter one, I realized that there are other theories which could be used effectively in the classroom, for instance, Generativist, Constructivist, and Behaviorist.


The Generativist theory states that all human can learn equally. It also explains how humans are capable of learning naturally like a built-in ability. This means that we don’t need to strain ourselves over learning about something as one can absorb information and use it naturally. For instance, when students are writing short passages in Spanish, they can partner with other students and correct each other’s grammar. The Constructivist theory says that “language (or any form of knowledge) is constructed by the child using inborn mental equipment but operating on information provided by the environment.” To me this means, anyone can learn almost anything, but it is the environment or classroom that facilitates learning. For example, after reading or watching a movie in Spanish, students can sit in a circle and have a question and answer session in order to discuss and understand each other points of view. This theory is often used in today’s classroom and involves interacting directly with the environment. This theory also states that the environment can teach any student. For example, as a Spanish teacher I can create environments where students can interact with each other by speaking the language in order to practice naturally, and be able to learn Spanish from the environment or naturally occurring instances like dialogue or conversation. Lastly, there is the Behaviorist theory. This theory focuses on certain reinforcements according to the behavior of the student. For example, positive reinforcement is really important to create a healthy learning environment and can be used to motivate our students. As a result, students will want to learn more in order to receive the incentives as part of the reinforcement. However, it’s possible that some students feel that reinforcement doesn’t always work since students are only working for a prize. “Because the behaviorists' notion of the endpoint of development was wrong, the behaviorist theory of achieving that endpoint is inadequate as a theory of language acquisition”. As a good teacher I feel like sometimes I should be giving some reinforcement to motivate students, but trying different methods to see their effectiveness is our job. In the classroom, giving too many stickers or candies everyday can condition students to get used to the idea of receiving awards for every activity or task they accomplish. However, if the instructor provides reinforcement only when it is needed or earned, students may try a little harder to work for the prize that is not so easy to get.

As a Spanish and Technology major, I believe in my field the best theories that apply are Constructivist and Social Interaction. In these classrooms, usually teachers create an environment where students can learn naturally and interact with other in order to learn and scaffold. At the same time, as an educator, it is hard to say which one of these theories is the best for all students although all of these theories are proved and can make sense in different situations. As an intentional teacher, we need to study our students by using these theories in order to serve them the best. Understanding how our students learn can help us improve in our job as guides. Since every student is different, we need to apply different methods to teach every student in the classroom.

Wikis in Education

Article: http://www.futurechanges.org/2008/04/10/interview-the-state-of-wikis-in-education/
There are many benefits to using Wikis including interactive group activities and the promotion of collaboration. In an educational setting, students can use Wikis as a learning tool in order to share ideas, respond to others, and demonstrate understanding of content. Wikis can also improve the group dynamic by allowing multiple individuals to collaborate on a given document remotely. In “The State if Wikis in Education”, the blogger says that “teachers like (Wikis) because they can interact with students throughout the course of a project or assignment”. Teachers interacting with their students via a Wiki will allow the teacher to build a healthy and constant learning environment. Wikis also allow teachers to guide their students through the web. In this blog entry cited above, they also mention that “some schools, courses, and teachers are doing incredible things with wikis, but they’re not yet in widespread use everywhere”. As good educators, I feel we need to be knowledgeable of all the technological tools available to us and be able to use them to their full potential. Our ultimate goal is to guide our students with the most appropriate and up-to-date materials in order to be successful inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, teachers must keep in mind that all students learn differently. Different can mean many different things such as, knowledge level, aptitude, and home environment. Wikis give students an opportunity to learn and help each other through interaction. Most of the time there are 3 levels of students in the classroom. Using Wikis is a great way to bring students together from different level of performance in order to scaffold or peer to peer teaching. Wikis can allow teachers to use different methods in order to catch every student’s attention. Teachers will have no problem connecting with their students through Wikis as they can be fun and not intimidating to those un-savvy technology users. Wikis might sound a little more complicated than blogging or instant messenger, but in actuality anyone with the basic knowledge of using a computer can create, build, and maintain a Wiki. The author of “the State of Wikis in Education” said that using Wikis is just as easy as writing an e-mail. Ultimately, once teachers learn about Wikis and the potential benefits of using them in the classroom, they can become collaborative partners with students in the constructivist classroom.

Blogging and RSS

How does blogging and RSS fit into the Common Core State Standards? If you were an educational technology specialist working for a district, what would you recommend to an ELA Coordinator who is looking to re-align maps to the CCSS. What would you do to prepare teachers for the standards change scheduled for next year?

The Common Core State Standards emphasize the importance of literacy instruction and goals. Students must read, write, listen, and speak to acquire information and reach their academic potential. There are many ways to merge 21st century technologies and literacy in ways that address the Common Core State Standards. For example, blogging can be utilized in order to meet literacy goals. Blogging is an electronic way to communicate and share ideas with classroom peers and people from all over the world. In blogging, students elaborate their ideas in writing, read others' comments, and reply by sharing their ideas. By sharing ideas students can also reflect on their work and thoughts. Listening and speaking about blog entries during classroom instruction can be utilized to further address literacy and technology goals. Another great reason for using blogging in the classroom is that it promotes social interaction amongst students. Like I have mentioned before, students will need to interact with each other in order to blog. Students, who would not ordinarily speak in front a crowded classroom of their peers, may be more inclined to contribute to discussion via blogging. Of course, going into different blogs, reading and responding can take a lot of time. Therefore, RSS can be beneficial to helping the reader stay up to date on their favorite blogs. RSS is a really simple syndication that allows individuals to keep abreast of different blogs and other text via the Internet. This ultimately helps teachers and students save time and focus on the readings most important to them.

Since technology is becoming more integrated into daily classroom instruction, we, as educational technology specialists, need to use technology in ways that enhance classroom instruction and promote constructivist learning. Using technology in the classroom should not be simply focused on addressing basic standards like typing. Using technology in innovative ways can help guide our students toward superior learning and the development of problem solving skills. Teachers need to know the difference between the skills that our students acquire through daily exposure and the skills they need to be taught. The skills that students acquire through daily exposure, which are essential to following technological classroom directions, include knowing how to type, where to find the right application on the desktop, right click and double click. Skills that students need to be taught include understanding where to find scholarly, reliable articles and locating and organizing information by using different library database and internet tools. The ELA standards want our students to use technology more proficiently than ever before. Classrooms should utilize the internet as an essential part of producing and publishing writing. Blogging, as an electronic learning environment, will ensure students interact with each other inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, through blogging, students should be able to evaluate information offered in any format or media, according to the CCSS. The reason why it is important that higher technological skill expectations become an essential part of the CCSS is because we need to provide our students with the skill sets necessary to achieve success inside and outside of the classroom.

In order to be able to meet the standards teachers need to understand how to effectively integrate technology into their classroom and manipulate all technological tools offered to them. Teachers need to show their students that they have strong knowledge of the technology before demonstrating to them how to use it. Students are intuitive, and can sense when teachers are struggling with technology. Some students might even know some programs better than their teacher, and as a result, lose interest during instruction. At the end of the day, there are so many different technologies available, which can dramatically change our students’ school experience. Even though it may take time to learn certain programs, teachers need to use technology in the classroom because current and future generations of students are living in an era when technology is infused in daily life. As a result, we as a teaching community must update our teaching strategies to effectively infuse technology into classroom instruction and performance assessments.
In order for teachers to be capable of using a technology to its full potential they must learn how to operate classroom tools effectively. There are many ways to get trained, for example, professional development seminars, videos, and classes. Some classes can be general, and cover a broad span of educational technology, or they can very specific and focus on the functionality of one device. Each can be useful; it just depends on what your learning needs are as a teacher, which are ultimately determined by the needs of your students. It is important for teachers to participate in continual education, and constantly update their knowledge of technology. Taking classes or being taught is not the only way teachers can educate themselves on new technology. Teachers can customize an RSS to group articles, newsletters, and other information feeds from select authors to keep up with current educational tools. As the times change, so do the tools we use to teach with, and as educators we must also be able to adapt our way of teaching to the different and changing needs of the new generation.

Why could blogging change, or not change, the traditional classroom?

I strongly agree that blogging can change the traditional classroom. The traditional classroom only offers books and the teachers’ presentation as a learning tool. In the 21st century classroom, I believe that technology can and should be used to improve the learning process. Technology is one of the most useful and versatile tools that a teacher can manipulate easily to help their students learn in the way that is best for them. The reason why I think blogging can change the traditional classroom is because it offers an opportunity for connectivity. It gives a student the chance to interact with their peers, inside and outside of the classroom. A lot of time, students don’t have a chance to get to know all their classmates. A blog is a great place to get to know each other and learn at the same time. Connecting with other students or even people around the world opens students up to sharing ideas and point of views which helps you experience the real world and also learn from experience. When people are connected as a network, we tend to share our ideas and others reply to our comments giving us their insight. I feel like that’s one of the greatest ways to reflect on your work, or an idea with the rest of the world. Another great reason to use blogging is because teachers can save a lot of time during class. A lot of teachers post assignments and projects on the classroom blog. This allows students to have access anytime even though they are absent. A lot of students hate to write in general. This is a great way to make our students read and write more. Students hate the fact that they have to write something with pen and paper. But on the other hand, students love technology because that’s their generation. This alone can encourage even the shyest students to participate because in the blogging world there is no pressure. If students can learn while using technology and have fun, what more can you offer as an intentional teacher. In summary, I believe that blogging will change the traditional classroom into an enjoyable experience and give students an equal opportunity to learn. As a good teacher I believe that our job is to guide students to learn and help them experience learning by themselves inside and outside of the classroom.