Ms. Hayes
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Technology Equality
Knowing that some of my students may have difficulties accessing technology should not stop me from creating assignments that require the use of technology. It would be a disservice to allow any students to get through school without at least a basic understanding of how to use computers and properly navigate the web. That said, I disagree with one statement made by Swain and Edyburn; they wrote, “Even if an incoming freshman is highly gifted, if he or she is not extremely familiar with using technology in the learning environment, that student is at a decided disadvantage the second he or she steps onto the university or college campus.” (2007). Most universities are woefully behind secondary schools – and even primary schools – in their utilization of technology in the learning environment. Many classes are still taught in a lecture format, and depending on the discipline it can be difficult to find a professor who accepts work electronically. More advanced applications of technology are probably more encountered by students majoring in engineering, some sciences, and perhaps the business schools.
But even if most universities are still playing catch-up technologically, in most workplaces it is essential to know how to use computers, communicate electronically, and utilize the internet efficiently. So it would be a disservice to students if they did not encounter technology – if it doesn’t make a difference in college, it will certainly make a difference when they enter the workforce.
For students with limited access to technology, I would research options for providing them additional time to work on computers. If my school has a computer lab, perhaps I could negotiate an extension of hours or a semi-private tutoring session just for students without computers at home. If there is no lab at my school, I will work with my local library to see if I can get more access for them. The Multnomah County library system, for example, has a multitude of computer labs, and it may be possible to negotiate additional access time for class assignments. Another option is to look for grant opportunities in order to purchase the appropriate equipment; writing grants can pay off!
Reference:
Swain, C. and Edyburn, D. (2007). Social justice: Choice or necessity? Learning and leading with technology, March 2007.
Monday, August 2, 2010
PowerPoint
One fun thing about watching my classmates’ presentations was seeing how each person chose to explore topics they liked and wanted to share. I especially enjoyed the creative uses of sound clips; that element was often used to provide a bit of humor within the presentations.
A few presentations seemed a bit text-heavy, and it seemed like a few of my classmates felt they had to “get through” a lot of material. The presentations that were most enjoyable were the ones with a very narrow focus, which allowed the presenter to take his or her time during the presentation. One pet peeve I have is that I noticed a couple of times when there were factual or grammatical errors on a presentation; that is completely distracting, and as an audience member it makes me feel like the presenter couldn’t be bothered to adequately research their topic or review their slides for correctness.
The best presentations, in my opinion, had a semi-leisurely pace and a narrowly focused topic. This allowed the presenter to adequately explain their subject and complement their explanation with appropriate visuals. To improve my own presentation (and future presentations), I will rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! And be brutal with myself about narrowing the presentation scope in order to insure that I include only what is absolutely necessary.
I think that PowerPoint is a useful presentation tool, but only if used judiciously. It is too easy to cram slides full of material and add lots of animations and whirlygoogles which serve to detract from – rather than enhance – the audience’s ability to understand the topic. PowerPoint can complement a presentation by providing structure to it (and keeping the presenter on-track rather than off on a tangent) and displaying visuals which can solidify the concepts for the visual learners in a classroom. In short, I think PowerPoint is like any other tool – terrific when used appropriately and for the right job, potentially disastrous if used incorrectly.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Chatspeak is not destroying the English language!
Chatspeak is simply another twist in our languages long history. Chatspeak is a fun and playful slang, not the end of proper verbal and written expression that worrywarts think. To the argument that teens who constantly use chatspeak will be rendered unable to communicate in proper English, I would like to quote Greg Monfils: “We teach them different languages all the time. We don’t fear that a Spanish class will diminish a student’s command of English. And a teenager experimenting with a sprinkling of profanities in her conversation with peers will not suddenly forget how to converse properly with her grandmother.” (2007)
English is pretty tough, and can ably withstand – and probably will co-opt – the threat of chatspeak. As long as we Language Arts teachers to our jobs teaching proper grammar and writing (and requiring formal work to be correct), our students will be able to switch from English to chatspeak with no problems.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
cyberbullying
In her article “Cyberbulling: Is there anything schools can do?” Kelley Taylor defines cyberbullying as “the use of Internet technology to inflict emotional harm through repeated and deliberate harassment, threats, and intimidation.” (2008) I think that is a succinct yet comprehensive definition. Cyberbulling is, at bottom, identical to the bullying that children have suffered (and perpetrated) through the ages; the main difference lies in the vehicle used to deliver the message from bully to victim. Fortunately for me, I went through school before the internet and cell phones were in wide use; otherwise, the typical growing-up dramas could have been much more traumatic. It was one thing to have a falling out with a friend, but it would have been quite another to involve a larger group of students in each interpersonal conflict with a touch of a button. One thing the pre-instant-communication age had going for it was a natural cooling off period. Certainly, a kid could call his or her friends to organize a campaign against the new “enemy,” but that took far more time than posting a message in a chat room or sending a group text. Today, it takes almost no time at all to completely terrorize someone using just a cell phone or a computer, which allows children to indulge in their desire to inflict pain (out of retribution or just for “fun”) without having to give it a second thought.
Schools are then left to deal with the fallout. Cybervictims become disengaged, fearful, and possibly suicidal. Cyberbullies can cause disruption and pain with little fear of getting caught. Physical bullies and even emotional bullies who have to ply their trade in person at least have some risk of being discovered in the act by an adult. Cyberbullies are much harder to track because they can be anonymous, they can be numerous (spreading responsibility around a larger population) and they can attack from anywhere. It may be difficult to determine if a student is being cyberbullied unless the victim reports it or an astute teacher or administrator notices something is wrong. Even once a victim is identified, given freedom of speech laws and the limited jurisdiction of schools to enforce behavior, it can be difficult to hold cyberbullies accountable for their actions. Taylor suggests schools establish “a policy that specifically defines cyberbullying and sets forth specific disciplinary action that will result from such behavior could help a principal take action against a cyberbully. Such a policy should contain information about how students and teachers report cyberbulling and how school officials will investigate those reports.” (2008) Such a policy would provide guidance to teachers, administrators and students and assure that there would be remediation once a situation is reported.
Reference:
Taylor, K.R. (2008) Cyberbulling: Is there anything schools can do? Principal Leadership (High Sch Ed) 8 no9 My 2008
Monday, July 19, 2010
Google and YouTube and Facebook, oh my!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
digital natives / digital immigrants
My high school experience with computers consisted entirely of the use of my mother's Mac, which her employer allowed her to bring home. I used it to type up all my papers, and when I left for the U of A, a similar Mac went with me. I was the only person in my dorm with my own computer, and after the campus computer labs closed each night, my dorm room was a popular spot! At that time, computers were used mostly for creating documents or, if you were a computer science or engineering student, creating programs.
A few years later, when I began teaching at PSU, part of my responsibility was to teach students how to use email, navigate the internet, and conduct research online. Our classrooms were also small computer labs, and my colleagues and I became pretty proficient with using the internet as well as utilizing software (such as Excel) and games (such as the Sims) to support the curriculum. Prensky wrote, "Today's teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students." Looking back, that is exactly what we were attempting to do; we were learning and adapting to the world in which our students were already living.
Learning to swim is no substitute for having gills, however, and I am aware that students today and in the future will navigate circles around me in the digital sea. I am grateful that I find technology interesting and useful as opposed to confusing or scary; hopefully, my curiosity will serve me well as formats and modes of communication continue to evolve.
When considering how to communicate with digital natives, I think that finding ways to engage with students in their "native language' is critical. Learning how to design activities and assignments that will not only earn students' interest but actually teach them something is critical to my success as a teacher. Since they are far more discriminating about what earns their attention, I want to learn how to get their attention and how to use it productively for the nanosecond that I have it!
Thinking of myself as a digital immigrant among digital natives is a useful way of considering my role within the world in which young people live: if I want them to look to me for knowledge, I need to navigate their world at least somewhat gracefully and communicate with them in their language as clearly as I am capable.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Introduction
