Technology Friend or Foe.........

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Advantages and Disadvantages

Technology tools are abundant and we have to figure out how they work and what will work best in a teaching environment. The Advantages.  The more students read, the better developed their language and writing skills become,” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 271).  It provides countless programs that teach phonics, letter and word recognition, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 272).  With apps on I-phones, I-pads, computers and other hand held devices these skills now can be practiced anywhere and anytime.  Through technology students’ comprehension skills can quickly be assessed with engaged reading and interactive stories and books.  Writing is more popular with outlets like blogging, social media and twitter and it has given many students more confidence in expressing their thoughts on paper or a screen.  They are now sharing with their peers in their classrooms and around the world. 

There are challenges for English and Language Arts teachers, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 266).  The Disadvantages for teachers can be defining literacy today and help students to adapt to all the new ways we read and write, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 268).  Language Arts and English teachers are responsible for making sure students are fluent in these new communication skills.  There are debates of what is lost thru technology, including cursive writing vs. word processing, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 272).  The dangers are on teachers’ minds of how much screen time is too much and what is being lost with it, or if conversation skills and how to interact with people face to face are in jeopardy.

Technology Products

  “Information now comes to students via email and ebooks: web pages and podcasts: blogs, vlogs and wikis: instant messages and twitter feeds; and movies and streaming videos,”  states Roblyer & Doering, (2013, p. 268).

The Blog – What began as a way to journal has become a place where students have open discussions and give opinions on topics, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 268).   Providing a creative outlet and a place to free write their thoughts and ideas.  Teachers can use this tool in lesson plans to give assignments, get feedback, check progress and assignments. Writing is an important skill and a few websites that encourage writing either in a blog or other format and publishing it are Bookworm :http://www.bookworm-mag.comand Writekids: http//writekids.tripod.com  The Wiki, I have learned is a wonderful way to group resources and information in one place for students.  It can be used for individual projects or for a class as a whole.  It encourages collaboration and communication between students and the teacher and can be added to on a regular basis by both, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 269).   I think this is a very inclusive way to teach a topic and can easily see how it would be a top pick for a classroom.  Technology is here to stay so as teachers it is our job to find what works best and teach these skills to our students.

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.

Letting Technology do the Work

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As individuals we look to the Internet as a way to increase our reach to those we work with, learn with and are in contact with all around the world. One of the reasons for this revolution is the recognition of how important it is to have ready access to resources and people, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 204).   It has brought us closer together and some of the tools that have made this all possible include, wikis, pod casts, video and photo sharing communities, (Roblyer & Doering, Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching, 2013, p.223). 

Wiki - As teachers we research and review hundreds of online sites trying to find the ones that are most effective. A wiki groups web pages in an online community that can be accessed and added to by the community, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 224). This takes some of the searching out of the equation, saving time.  One Wiki I found that would be very beneficial is “Reidenglish”  at www.reidenglish.wikispaces.com. This is a wiki written by 9^th grade students guided by their literature teacher on Shakespeare.  Not only does it give a breakdown on characters, plot, language, and meanings of his plays it gives background on the Shakespearean world.  Included are pod casts, videos, essays and clips. It is students learning from their peers on their level and in their language. 

Pod casts – Resembling a radio cast or interview a podcast can be automatically downloaded on a regular basis once a person has subscribed, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 224).  Digital audio files can be found on just about any subject matter.  I found two that I think are easy to understand for middle to high school students.  One, www.literature_lady.podomatic.com gives a summary of Shakespeare’s plays even breaking it down into acts.  This is a wonderful resource for students to use as they read the plays simultaneously as a reference.  The other,  www.grammar.quickanddirtytips gives a quick and to the point grammar lesson in each podcast.  It is a quick review of those rules for students to keep grammar fresh on their minds. 

Social bookmarking site – Creating a list of all the sites of a common topic is a quicker way to organize and sort sites by topics, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 218). I found one on Symbaloo that has anything and everything about William Shakespeare.  It would be a great reference for teachers and students.
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/3710-William-Shakespeare?searched=true#aboutpublicwebmixes Teachers could go here for new topics to discuss on Shakespeare for lesson plans and students could use it for information on reports or papers, etc.

Widgets- Today we have ongoing of integration of online lessons and activities in the classroom, ( Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 238). As teachers create these lessons they are adding in enhancements to their lessons to deepen the understanding by the students, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 238).  Widgets due just that, they add more. They can be added to blogs or online lessons as an additional resource.  Two that I found that would be great add-ons are, Vocab Ahead, which gives a new vocabulary word and its definition and Dictionary.com., which allows you to look up keywords in a dictionary, thesaurus or reference format.    Both can be found on the site www.widgetbox.com/widget 

The Internet is a great resource and in time all that information will be sorted, cataloged and at fingertips reach.  Lucky us!!!

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.

Web Work Made Easy

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The beauty of the Internet is that it presents opportunities to find information on ways to improve education, yet it has the ability to be personalized and individualized, (Roblyer & Doering, Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 2013, p.202).  It is a young resource that has seen a surge over the past 20 years, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 214).

What do URLs tell students about websites?
Uniform Resource Locators can define a website for teachers and students.   Knowing the domain designator one can determine what the content will be, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 216). Examples are .com/commercial site, .gov/ government site, .net/ network, Internet providers, .edu/ higher education institutions, and .org/ non-profit organizations, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 216).  It is important for teachers and students to learn how to locate and read URLs. 

How can learning to use search engines help students find better information?
Once Students learn how to use search engines they are able to pinpoint the information they are looking for on the Internet. Some choices include; Google: http://google.com, Yahoo!: http://yahoo.com, and Bing: http://www.bing.com and over time people become comfortable with a certain one, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 219).  Students can choose topics provided or type in phrases or a combination of words to find URLs, (Roblyer & Doering, 2103, p. 216).

 Internet Tool - I believe one of the most important and useful tools are the social-networking sites including Facebook.   Roblyer & Doering show statistics that 73% of adults have a Facebook page and 60% to 100% of college students use Facebook as a means of communication, (2013, p. 225).  It provides a medium for students to present work and give and gain feedback from their peers, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 225). Used as a discussion place for first time research papers, students could present topics, thesis, rough drafts and final drafts. The teacher would provide input but it would be the peer reviews that would guide the students. 

Web-Based Lesson -One website I found to be a resource and lesson for early writers is http://www.teacher.scholastic.com.  Students learn how to write and publish their own for the enjoyment of others, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 244).  It walks through the steps of brainstorming, writing, editing and publishing a story. 

Favorite Websites
Epals, http://www.epals.com is also a favorite. Providing students the chance to communicate in a global classroom, through virtual field trips and games.  By communicating with others effectively with the Internet they gain a new perspective and skill they need, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.202).  Making this site both a multicultural experience as well as a visual learning experience which are appropriate for teaching about other perspectives than their own, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 245).  Another website is http://www.readwritehink.org which provides some electronic mentoring and practice of using Internet resources, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 245).  It is an online organizer of other websites for designing lesson plans giving great examples of sites that have been successful.  Roblyer & Doering comment that characteristics of an effective and well designed course must include the qualities of being engaging, include collaborative activities and an interactive learning community, (2013, p. 230).

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.

     The beauty of the Internet is that it presents opportunities to find information on ways to improve education, yet it has the ability to be personalized and individualized, (Roblyer & Doering, Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 2013, p .202). It is a young resource that has seen a surge over the past 20 years, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 214).
     Uniform Resource Locators can define a website for teachers and students.   Knowing the domain designator one can determine what the content will be, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 216). Examples are .com/commercial site, .gov/ government site, .net/ network, Internet providers, .edu/ higher education institutions, and .org/ non-profit organizations, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 216).  It is important for teachers and students to learn how to locate and read URLs. 
     Once Students learn how to use search engines they are able to pinpoint the information they are looking for on the Internet. Some choices include; Google: http://google.com, Yahoo!: http://yahoo.com, and Bing: http://www.bing.com and over time people become comfortable with a certain one, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 219).  Students can choose topics provided or type in phrases or a combination of words to find URLs, (Roblyer & Doering, 2103, p. 216).
     I believe one of the most important and useful tools are the social-networking sites including Facebook.   Roblyer & Doering show statistics that 73% of adults have a Facebook page and 60% to 100% of college students use Facebook as a means of communication, (2013, p. 225).  It provides a medium for students to present work and give and gain feedback from their peers, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 225). Used as a discussion place for first time research papers, students could present topics, thesis, rough drafts and final drafts. The teacher would provide input but it would be the peer reviews that would guide the students. 
     One website I found to be a resource and lesson for early writers is http://www.teacher.scholastic.com. Students learn how to write and publish their own for the enjoyment of others, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 244).  It walks through the steps of brainstorming, writing, editing and publishing a story. 
     Epals, http://www.epals.com is also a favorite. Providing students the chance to communicate in a global classroom, through virtual field trips and games.  By communicating with others effectively with the Internet they gain a new perspective and skill they need, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.202).  Making this site both a multicultural experience as well as a visual learning experience which are appropriate for teaching about other perspectives than their own, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 245).   Another website is http://www.readwritehink.org provides some electronic mentoring and practice of using Internet resources, (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 245). It is an online organizer of other websites for designing lesson plans giving great examples of sites that have been successful.  Roblyer & Doering comment that characteristics of an effective and well designed course must include the qualities of being engaging, include collaborative activities and an interactive learning community, (2013, p. 230). 

More Multimedia

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In our lifetime the use of multimedia has grown at an incredible rate.  Everywhere we turn multimedia is being used to grab, engage and teach us new and unlimited information. One type of these Hypermedia Products is the Interactive or Electronic Storybooks.  These are stories that can be read off of any screen device including computers, mobile devices or from print, but they all have some kind of interactive buttons, (Roblyer & Doering, Integrating Educational Technology into Reading, p.175).  The beauty of these materials is that participants can go at their own pace moving forward or backwards in order to have material repeated as needed, (Roblyer & Doering, p.175).  These Interactive storybooks can be used with all ages and can be introduced to children at an early age, (Roblyer & Doering, p.175).  “Various studies have reported positive impact of interactive storybooks on children’s enjoyment of reading and development of reading skills,” states Roblyer and Doering, (p.175).  An example of these storybooks can be found at http://disneydigitalbooks.go.com/. I believe these formats would be a wonderful addition to a classroom and the learning curriculum.  It gives children different levels of assistance in their reading. Teachers are competing with games and activities that are stimulating with sights, sounds and motions for their students’ attention and Interactive books provide a learning choice with all the bells and whistles.

Hypermedia that once had a small role in education and our daily lives is now one of the top forms of communication methods, (Roblyer & Doering, p.178).  With the access to computers, cellphones most individuals use multimedia several times a day.  There are four main types of multimedia that are used by teachers and student including, interactive presentation media, audio/video production and editing systems, hypermedia production software and virtual environments, (Roblyer & Doering, p.179). One of the most popular is the Audio and Video Production and Editing Systems.  There is a personal interaction between those teaching and those learning when they are able to share their information visually.  The audio or video can be recorded on computers, phones or cameras and can then downloaded to be edited with titles, graphics and sound effects, (Roblyer & Doering, p.189).  An example of this Software that can be used for editing is Apple’s iMovie at http://apple.com.  It is both easy and high functioning for teachers and students to make and edit their own productions.  The one choice that I think is very beneficial for both students and teachers is the Student-Created Presentations. They are using a creative outlet, learning to do research and bettering their skills of using multimedia that will follow them throughout their lives. This example from School Tube shows how students recreated their own video to share with their classmates: http://www.schooltube.com/video/dd07655afef33ce2de96/Student-made%20BrainPOP%20video%20-%20Triangle%20Shirtwaist%20Factory.  Created and presented by a student it shows how this form of media is informative and relevant to students and their peers.

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.

A Great Place to Start with Instructional Technology

     Teachers today are looking for new materials to help them get the most of the time they have to

create, plan and teach.  In the technology world there is a site that fits just about every need for new

material.  Take a look at these instructional software options and how they can make an immediate

impact in a classroom.

     Drill and Practice programs are designed to give students problems one at a time and then give

them feedback on if they answered correctly (Integrating Educational Technology into 

Teaching,Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.81). One example is the chart fill-in activities which consist of

charts that students work while being timed and then the work is checked for accuracy

(Roblyer &Doering, 2013, p. 81).  The website www.abcya.com has games and charts for students to

practice spelling and math skills.  One in particular the "100 number chart game" gives students the

chance to work on their math skills.

     Tutorials are used in the classroom as an entire self-contained teaching lesson instead of being a

supplement so students should not need any additional materials (Roblyer and Doering, 2013, p.86). 

A Linear tutorial usually gives each student the same progressive steps regardless of their accuracy

(Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 87).  An example of a linear tutorial that teaches English vocabulary

and spelling is "At The Zoo" found at www.english_4kids.com.

     A Simulation is a model that can be manipulated to teach how a system works (Roblyer &

Doering, 2013, p. 90).  A procedural simulation teaches a system through actual steps in a

procedure or activity without the extreme risks and high costs (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 90) 

Think learning to fly a plane.  A safer and more economical choice to one science experiment can be

found on www.froguts.com which allows students to virtually dissect a frog.

     Instructional Games provide a competitive learning method for a generation of students who are

hooked on games (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99).  Adventure games are popular among students

today and the website www.jumpstart.com has learning games for all levels.  These are a great way

to challenge students while they are entertained (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 98).

     Problem Solving technology is based on three things; the problem itself, the physical process of

solving the problem and the thought process to reach the solution (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99). 

Content-area problem solving focuses on a specific content where students find the solution to a

specific problem (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 99). There is no end to the problem solving games for

children to practice on the site www.theproblemsite.com including a game called "Adder" where

children guide a giant caterpillar to the correct answer to a math problem.

     One system that teachers have found helpful is the Integrated Learning System Program. 

These provide instruction to students but track progress information of what they are learning for

teachers  (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 102).  It can give an overview of a class or a view of each

individual's progress so teachers can see if additional instruction or details should be given (Roblyer

& Doering, 2013, p. 103).  A great resource for implementing this is www.learning.com where all

kinds of curriculum has a designed system.

     For many basic software tools have become an important part of teaching (Roblyer & Doering,

2013, p. 112).  Material Generators provide tools for improved productivity, accuracy and

appearance in teaching materials (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p.141).  Two websites that focus on

design and function include www.formbreeze.com and www.broderbund.com.  Planning and 

Organizing tools are also essential to keeping things running smoothly in a classroom (Roblyer &

Doering, 2013, p.141).  For ideas on staying organized look at www.lessonplanet.com and like these

listed the website www.superteachertools.com is  a great place to start


Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into     Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.


    

Teachers Need Time to Teach Technology

    Technology in our world today is changing every second creating an exciting time

for teachers and students where a constant flow of new information is available. Yet, one

can not forget that classroom teachers are faced with the issue that there is so

much new information available that it can be difficult to keep up with. Teachers

must now also remain current on the constantly changing teaching methods as well as

make the decision which advancements in technology are worth the extra time of

learning for themselves and their students.  Robyler and Doering describe today’s

teachers by stating, “they must anticipate and accept the inevitability of change and the

need for  a continual investment of their time” (Integrating Educational Technology Into

Teaching, 2013, p.10). 
   

    This became apparent during the microcomputer era when the movement as

stated by Robyler & Doering, (2013), “wrested control of educational computers from

companies, universities, and school districts and placed them in the hands of teachers

and schools” (p. 7).   After the introduction of the computers into the classrooms there

was an overwhelming response to provide teachers with ways to find the right software

and help them to decide which choices would be best for their classrooms.  Many

teachers themselves began to write software that they felt would be the most beneficial

to their students creating programs and systems such as (e.g., PILOT, SUperPILOT,

GENIS, PASS),  yet as the past had once shown doing so took a lot of time and many of

those that emerged faded over time (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.7).   There was a lot of information

to create, review and decipher and the issue of an overwhelming amount of information and time

constraints began to emerge (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 7) .  Robyler and Doering (2013) discuss

how teachers were at times overwhelmed  when required to meet school and state standards as well

as be trained in “computer literacy skills,” a phrase that was introduced by computer

education expert Arthur Luehrmann (p.7).
   

    One model that was designed and implemented in order to assist teachers in

implementing this new information into the classroom is the Technology Integration

Planning Model or “TIP” model.  Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “The TIP Model gives

teachers a general approach to identifying and addressing challenges involved in

integrating technology into teaching,” (p.52).  It gives teachers

a tool to evaluate which technology tools are most beneficial and appropriate for their

classrooms by asking a series of questions about relativity, advantages, conditions,

assessing success and improvement (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.52).  Susan M.Gay, wrote a

dissertation, "Teaching with Technology, a case study of teachers' perceptions of implementing

computers into the Classroom" (1997), on this topic.  The article documents the

experiences that several teachers had while learning new technology and how to

implement it in their classrooms.  It can be read in its entirety at

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9805505/.

   

References

Gay, Susan M. (1997). "Teaching With Technology: A Case Study of teachers' perceptions of implementing computers into the classroom"(1997).  Retrieved from ETD collection for University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Paper AAI9805505.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9805505

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into     Teaching (6th ed.).
    Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.