Jen's+Reflections

5/18 Reflection ~
I am very excited for this class and, after reading the first two chapters, I am intrigued to read more. Perhaps some of my questions will be answered. But, most importantly, I will be learning useful techniques that I can take back to my classroom. I am tired of just using technology on a superficial level (typing papers and presenting keynotes). I have already created a wiki spaces page that I am going to add to over the course of the summer to get ready for next year. With implementing my action research for my thesis, I am hoping to use this wikispaces page to keep all of the information that my students will need to be successful in the unit I am implementing. I am hoping it becomes a resource for them while I am implementing this project. I will not be using it to collect any data, but more to help keep the students, and me, organized. I can see a lot of value to having a wikispaces pages, and it seems so much better than the TeacherWeb page that I currently have (plus it's free!)

While reading Chapter 1, I was reminded of what I am currently doing in my classes and how technology in my students' lives can hinder what it is they need to do. We are currently doing a research project and then preparing a keynote. The students need to learn basic research skills before going to high school, and a keynote is a more relaxed approach to it. However, even after going over how to research effectively because not all sites are reliable and after going over what they should and should not type into their google toolbar, I am still having students typing in "When was so-and-so born?" "Where did so-and-so go to high school?" They aren't actually reading any biographies, and in essence, really aren't researching. They are SO used to having everything right here, right now, that they don't even have the patience to read through a 5 paragraph on-line biography. I think that since they know so much about the digital world, they aren't bothering to learn about it. In order for my students to be successful digital learners, I feel that they need to fully understand the power of it. If they don't, then it is just another wasted tool. I actually had a student today who is working on this keynote and he wanted to work on it at home, so I told him to e-mail it to himself. He didn't know how to e-mail from the computer, he only knew how to do it from his phone! I think that they have all of this technology available to them and it is our job to teach them how to effectively use it. And, if we don't know hoe, we had better learn.

5/22 Questions
1. Why do you think you are not allowed to use your cell phone in school? If were allowed to use it in school, would you use it for anything other than texting and calling? If you would, what would you use it for? 2. Do you think that you think differently from your teachers? What makes you believe this? 3. What kinds of technology would you like to use in school? Why? 4. What is your favorite piece of technology? Why? How would you use it productively in school? 5. Think back to elementary school. What kinds of technology did you use? Do you feel that you use more technology now than you did in back then? Explain.

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