See you at FETC 2011!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9617831

Here is an article from the Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/14/AR2009121403347.html

Thank you for the comments, thoughts and ideas that were shared.  Technology really is a resource and a tool.  When used effectively students are able to learn an apply the knowledge gained.  While growing up CliffsNotes became very popular and were often used to aide in understanding a novel that was possibly above a student’s reading level or just to difficult to comprehend (for me that was Shakespeare – something with the language just didn’t make sense to me).  I also recall using a tape recorder and listening to books on tape while following along and looking at the pictures.  These tools are no longer criticized.  In fact, if you want to listen to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling on CD you’ll have to wait in line.  There is a long list at the public library to check out this popular book.

Let’s take a look at the new and exciting iPad from Apple and how it isn’t all that different from using those CliffsNotes or books on tape.   This device is like using a paper book.  You can turn the pages from right to left.  You can view one page or turn the iPad to view two pages at a time.  You get the pictures and the text just like a paper book.  While reading, students can highlight a word and search for it’s meaning or other references within the e-book.  The students can highlight a section of the book that they want to refer to, or even quote, when working on a book report for class.  Want to have the book read to you while you follow along (just like that old tape recorder)??  Then turn on the Voice Over feature and the book is read to you.  Hmmmm…only spending “38 minutes reading,” I don’t agree.  With a tool like the iPad and the e-book feature students will be reading beyond this “38 minutes” mentioned in the news report.   Apple’s iPad is not the first or only e-book reader.  There are several other companies including the Sony E-Reader, the Kindle and the Nook from Barnes & Noble that have similar features and can be used in an educational setting as a great technology tool.

There are many other technology tools used in education.  High School students today are more proficient on the computer than their parents were when they attended high school.   I can recall using the Apple II E and C with floppy disks to create a newspaper for a Language Arts project.  I also remember playing “Oregon Trail” on those same computers with those same kind of floppy disks.  I gained a better understanding of the History of Lewis and Clark, Wagon trains and the geography of the United States.  Kids can play similar games today on the computer.  My Fifth grade son is learning about the history of the American Civil War and for the past several weeks has been playing the Hidden Mysteries – Civil War game from Big Fish Games.  Through this game he has discovered how messages were often sent in code, what and how various tools were used by the soldiers as well as gaining a better understanding of the many battles and their locations.  Online websites have become tools used in the classroom to enhance student engagement and learning of all subject matter in a very successful manner.  Even the Nintendo Wii is used in Physical Education classes to enhance physical activity of the students.  The popular game Dance Dance Revolution has inspired students to get up and move.  They enjoy taking turns on the dance mat and doing their best to beat the game.  The popular Wii Fit has inspired families to get moving and exercise in a safe environment.   These are tools and when used effectively they aide the students in learning by offering engaging, educational activities.

I want to touch on the idea of cell phones in the classroom as one more tool that, when used in an effective manner, is a very important tool to use in the classroom.  A local teacher recently won the Golden Apple Award for her outstanding use of technology with her Spanish Class at Pulaski High School.  This teacher has the students use their cell phone to participate and respond to a variety of prompts.  Using a Web 2.0 tool like Poll Everywhere students are able to send text messages to reply to multiple choice or open ended questions in the classroom.  Although the response clickers used with SMART Boards, Promethean or even as an App on your iPod Touch are all excellent tools, they are also expensive with today’s school budgets.   Educators are working with their administration to allow the use of cell phones in the classroom in place of these expensive response systems.  The result is increased participation, student engagement and learning.  Sorry parents, but it looks like you may have to look at that unlimited text plan after all.  I do want to congratulate Ms. Titler, World Language teacher at Pulaski High School on winning the Golden Apple Award, you truly are an inspiration to the many teachers looking for ways to use technology in the classroom.

So when is it too much technology?? In a classroom there really isn’t too much.  Technology enhances the learning experience and increases student engagement and learning.  It’s outside the classroom that we need to look at.  When students come home and after they’ve finished their homework, including that podcast on the Battle of Gettysburg, the Glogster poster for their Language Arts project related to the book The Cay by Theodore Taylor and their “38 minutes” of reading, that’s when we as parents need to say when enough is enough.  I am more than thrilled that my son is using a computer and other forms of technology in learning.  I am okay with him spending 30 minutes playing his favorite game on his Nintendo Wii or DSi, but that’s all he needs.  We need time to be a family by doing a chore together, eating dinner together, talking about our day and making plans for the weekend…together.  As the weather continues to improve here in Wisconsin we find ourselves enjoying the later sunset by going for a bike ride as a family, jumping on the trampoline or throwing the tennis ball for the dog to chase.  Even if my son didn’t spend his day using technology in the classroom I still would limit the amount of time he is allowed on the telephone or computer chatting with his friends.  He still would only be allowed to have 30 minutes on a school night playing on his gaming system.   The time between the end of the school day and bed time is too precious to waste and in our house it’s family time.

My final thoughts include this…Educators, I hope you are using technology in your classrooms to enhance the learning for your students.  You really can not have too much technology in the classroom.   Parents, I hope you are telling your child when it’s time to put away the cell phone, shut down the computer or turn off the gaming system.  After all parents, when we came home after school we did our chores, finished our homework, ate dinner as a family, and were allowed to use the rotary telephone to call our boy/girlfriend.  I’m pretty sure my mom told me when it was time to say “good-bye” and hang up the phone, because she knew how much was too much.

I spent an afternoon in December training a handful of Media Specialists from the Menasha Joint School District.  They were a joy to work with and were very enthusiastic about learning how to use the SMARTboard and Notebook 10 software.   We also looked through a variety of websites you can find in the sidebar of my blog. (Look on the right side of the page).

Many of those present at the training had already used a IWB but in small doses and really wanted ideas on how to create lessons to use with students as well as how they can best help the teachers in the various schools around the district.  It seems that many educators view the Media Specialist as the “go to” person. If a teacher has a question about technology they expect the M.S. to know all the answers.  I however have a different view… I believe a Media Specialist is there to help my students learn about the library and the wonderful resources available to them.  After all, they work in the library and often times the computer lab.  If my students need to write a research paper or do a project on a famous person I go to the M.S. and ask them to help me gather the right materials for my students to do the research.  At the elementary level I hope  the M.S. is taking time to read books to the kids and introduce them to new authors, teach them about the Caldecott and Newbery Award, talk about the Dewey Decimal system and teach them about the many genres of literature.  Not that these are the only things a media specialist should be teaching, but a M.S. should be able to teach using the interactive whiteboard just like a classroom teacher.

The group of specialists and I went through the variety of tools available using the SMART Notebook 10 Software and how they can best create interactive lessons and games to teach library skills.  We also worked on creating lessons that they can use to best support the teachers in their buildings.   As the afternoon went on I spent some one-on-one time with those attending the half-day training addressing specific questions and needs.  I feel one of the best ways to learn how to use an interactive whiteboard is to actually stand in front of it and have a knowledgeable person guide you through creating lessons and activities.

By the time our training session was over all of the media specialists had a good understanding of how to use the IWB in an effective manner as well as resources and ideas to find lessons that are already done.   Also, as a result of the afternoon I was able to make some contacts with the principal of the school that hosted our afternoon together.  Hopefully he’ll be asking me to come in and work with his classroom teachers and help them with using their IWB.  I also hope to be one of the presenters at the MJSD Staff Development session in mid-February.  I have found yet another passion to my new position at Marian University, School of Education – I love to teach others about using an IWB in an effective way, whether it’s with students or staff.

These educators struggle to understand the new generation of learners. The connection between students and teachers isn’t there. The article Digital Natives Digital Immigrants,Prensky (2001), describes a modern-day disconnect between teachers and the students they teach:
Digital Immigrant teachers assume that learners are the same as they have always been, and that the same methods that worked for the teachers when they were students will work for their students now. That assumption is no longer valid […] So what should happen? Should the students learn the old ways, or should their Digital Immigrant educators learn the new? Unfortunately, no matter how much the teachers may wish it, it is highly unlikely the students will go backwards […] So unless we want to just forget about educating students until they grow up and do it themselves, we had better confront this issue. And in so doing, we need to reconsider both our methodology and our content (p.2).
The phrase “reconsider our methodology” is a task Prensky believes some teachers are too naïve, lazy, or scared to execute. He believes that many of today’s educators lack the ability to engage the Digital Native students in the learning process and fail to make the learning process fun and engaging.

In our school systems today, several things need to change so that we can motivate our students. First of all we have teachers who lack the knowledge of how to develop lessons using technology in our classrooms.   Second,  teachers who have the knowledge and training to implement lessons using technology in their classrooms can’t due to lack of equipment. Thirdly, we have administrators and teachers who are digital immigrants and are teaching students who are digital natives, comfortable with these technological changes.  The educational system in the United States continues to stay the same while the world around us is constantly evolving, with technology as a key component to this change. Technology allows the educators the ability to differentiate content in the classroom, offer opportunities to collaborate, and give students ownership of their work, individuals gain essential skills necessary to be successful in and out of the classroom. As a result, student motivation can develop when educators incorporate technology to enhance the learning environment. Today’s technology offers students all kinds of new, highly effective tools they can use to learn on their own – from the Internet with almost all the information, to search and research tools to sort out what is true and relevant, to analysis tools to help make sense of it, to creation tools to present findings in a variety of media, and lastly social tools to network and collaborate with people around the world (Prensky, 2008).

If companies that provide technology tools are not going to provide the technical training or support to educators than those tools will be used in an infective manner or not at all. If districts are not willing to find the money to put the tools in educators hands they are failing their students in preparing them for the world beyond the classrooms. Educators need to open their minds’ eye to see beyond the four walls of a classroom. Make an effort to learn the tools, take a class or staff development, search the web.  Find a way to reach out to your students. Get your Administrators on board with you. Do a little research. Prepare your students for their future, because “applied effectively, technology implementation not only increases student learning, understanding, and achievement, but also augments motivation to learn, encourage collaborative learning, and supports the development of critical thinking skills and problem solving skills” (Richardson, 2009, p. 3). “Technology’s role – and its only role – should be to support students teaching themselves (with, of course, their teachers’ guidance)” (Prensky, 2008). Teachers can use these technology tools to enhance student learning and guide students to a successful future.

Prensky, Marc (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Retrieved October 24th, 2009 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. California: Corwin Press Inc.,U.S

Your feedback and comments will help to make this a better blog.  What tools are you looking for to help your child or student be successful in school?  Please share your thoughts and ideas.

I look forward to providing you with a valuable resource, not just another educational blog.

I spent the past 10 days doing a load, or two, of laundry everyday.  Disinfecting the house with Lysol wipes, using antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer became routine to the point the skin on my hands was cracked and sore.   The H1N1 flu was in my house and darn it, my husband and I were not going to get sick.

My 11 year old had the dizziness, headache, fever, coughing, congestion, aches, and loss of appetite.  He was in bed for 4 days after coming home from school on a Wednesday afternoon.  My 2 (almost 3) year old woke up bright and early the following Monday morning with the high fever.  Now those of us who are moms of toddlers know that they can’t always communicate what feels “icky” or “owie”.  After day 3 his fever came down on it’s own.  Sure enough within 12 hours the fever spiked and he was throwing up, on top of all of the same symptoms his older brother just had.  I called the nurse and sure enough they wanted to see my little jelly.  I sat in the doctor’s office for 1 1/2 hours waiting to get in to see the doctor.  After a 5 minute exam and no testing he “has the flu”.  Well, duh!! Of course he has the flu.  They sent us home with a 2-page printout on home treatments to make him comfortable.  The flu would last 3-5 days and you guessed it, by day 6, Saturday morning, little jelly was up and running around without a fever, throwing up, or anything else.

So here is my question, why no testing?  Where in the world is the CDC and other gov’t organizations getting their statistics for the number of cases of H1N1?  If they are counting my 2 boys as having the H1N1 flu then I want to know.  As a mom that has seen the worst cases of H1N1 flashed across the TV, I don’t think either of my boys had anything worse than the flu – but according to the govt. they had H1N1.   My theory is that they are trying to scare everyone and cause panic.  If you have underlying conditions that can become worse due to the flu or pneumonia, then of course, go in, see your doctor, get an Rx to help you.  If you are pregnant, don’t get sick – but this goes for the seasonal flu, too.  In fact that was the last time I had a flu shot – when I was pregnant.

My advice, take care of yourself and your family.  Wash your hands.  Cover your coughs and sneezes.  Stay home if you are sick.  And most of all stop making such a big deal out of the H1N1.

For now – stay healthy! God’s blessings on you and your family.