Web 2.0 tool for Education

Web 2.0 Tool for Education

This web2.0 tool is used around the world in different classrooms. Many children are being creative creating books and using their own imagination and creativity. This innovative tool makes their story more vivid and easy to share with others. Many times is difficult for children to write stories in paper and draw pictures. Some of them complain that their pictures are not the best and they stop writing altogether. However, now, they can be exposed to do the typing and select the pictures that they like for their story and share it with their teacher. According to their website Storybird, it has six different things why children will really love to use this website. First, there is a great art that they could choose for their stories. In addition, the children can unlock stories by solving puzzles. There is also the social reinforcement by hearing feedback about their work. On the other hand, it is free, safe and it can help students to get better grades.

For teachers, there are a lot of affordances by using storybird in their classroom. Children can use their imagination and their creativity. They can demonstrate their understanding about the process of how a story is being developed. They also can enhance and reinforce their literacy skills. As   Tech Tutorials names it as a “Collaborative Storytelling Tool”. Also Lisa Dabbs an Ed consultant shared some of the successes of using storybird in the classrooms.

   

On the other hand, as we know already the benefits of using this innovative tool in the classroom, there are also some constraints about the use of this tool. If teachers, don’t have the proficiency to use this website or have an idea how this tool can enhance their teaching, this will not benefit the students. In the following tutorial by sliceshare , it shares some of the requirements that students and teachers need to have in order to be beneficial for the student’s learning skills. Having internet is one of the requirement and some of the students still do not have access to internet at home.  

The Meaning of Technology Affordances and Constraints in terms of Education

Affordances and Constraints with Technology in Terms of Education

As effective educators, we always try to find ways to teach using the best resources that we can find as an enhancement or reinforcement to the subject that we want to teach. With the new innovation of how technology integration, content knowledge and pedagogy framework from TPACK , our adaptation to the new trends is easier. However, as part of life, this new way of teaching has advantages and disadvantages that in technology are known as affordances and constrains. In the next paragraphs, I will try to define the terms base on education.

Ann Palmer in her blog explains that affordances are all those things that benefit our teaching. For example, having an extra resource, such a video as a reinforcement to teach a term or a concept; it is a positive way to use technology. That is an affordance. It is a way to use the experts to reinforce our lecture or the subject that we are teaching. There are many benefits for teachers to use technology in their classroom.  One document published by boundless explains all the benefits on top of having the students to be more computer literate.

On the other hand, the constraints are all the other things that are in the way to make the integration a technology a positive asset for the classroom and the curriculum. One of these constraints could be the time that teachers need to prepare the classes and finding resources for their students. Another constraint can be the lack of access to the resources by the students in the schools if the schools do not have enough funds for the latest technology as Chiasuanchong explains in his blog.
Even thought that there are pros and cons about this topic, it is important that as educators expose and prepare ourselves for the new technological updates is the best option because if we have the possibilities available, we can enrich our new teaching methods.  

Flipped Classrooms

      

 Flipped Classrooms

The new Era in many classrooms is taking place. We used to have the idea that having a traditional teaching was the best way to teach children all the educational subjects. Traditional teaching means that a teacher needs to be in front of the classroom lecturing and trying to keep the individual attention of all her children. This idea is still used in many schools and classrooms around the nation. However the new Era and a new way are substituting this traditional. This new concept or a teaching approach is called "Flipped Classroom".

Flipped classroom is a new way to work with the children in the classroom. This new concept means that children will learn the lecture part at home and the practice will be done in the classroom. In the document by Educause  explains the information about flipped classrooms. This document explains how this new approach works, the implications and who is doing it. In the following chart lists some of the benefits for teachers and students that are part of the flipped classrooms. 

The Great Salman Khan the founder of Khan Academy in one of the talks on ted talks let's use video to reinvent education explains with details how he was able to create the first videos trying to help his cousins and eventually he found out that many other people took advantage of this innovative way. Also, in his speech, he mentioned how the teachers in many classrooms are benefiting by using this new approach. The following picture compare the two different ways that teaching and learning is done. However, it is up to us to decide what will work for us and with us.      

 In the Flip Learning Network   there is document that talks about the four pillars of flip learning. One of them is flexible environment where the professor plans and allows students to identify the way and the times where and what to learn. The second pillar is learning culture, base on this approach the students have more time and opportunities to learn from each other. The third pillar is intentional content. The professor needs to be intentional and organize his subjects in a way that he or she does know what the students can learn on their own and what things they can elaborate in class. The last pillar of this framework is professional educator. This is one of the most important qualities that a professor should have in my opinion. Even though, the students will be learning from each other, the professor need to be prepared to give assistance to the students that had difficulties learning and understanding the lecture.       

Best Practices for Technology in Education

Best practices for Technology in Education

As the time changes in our lives, so does the life in the classrooms. I can still remember the old times where the teachers used to plan their lesson from beginning to end. Their expectations were minimum for children to have previous knowledge. However, in this new era things have change. Now the children and teachers are in the same route for learning.

The document The best practices in Education technology  Best Practices for Education    talks about the different trends that are taking place in

many of the classrooms where they have an integration of technology. One that caught my eye was the relationships between teachers, students and parents are working together as co learners of the new learning approaches in the schools also giving the opportunity to the students to be mentors for other students, parents or the teacher. 

As the times had changed, many of the times, professor are having a hard time with leaving the control that they used to have. Now, the students are also involved in the learning process and have the ability to advance the information that they are interested or required to know. Students are more proactive in their learning as Peter West illustrates in his article Blended Learning and the paradox of the experienced teacher

how much things have change in the last decades that we need to be informed and educated about the best methods for teaching. This method follows the frame from TPACK. 

In another article posted in the Sun Associates website Best Practices in Technology Integration illustrates the combination on how the right pedagogy, with the content and technology component can enrich a curriculum making it more meaningful and receptive for students where as for professors technology in their teaching can help them to enrich their lessons.  Everything change around us, therefore it is time to get ready for the new era.    

TPACK

TPACK or how is defined in TPACK as Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge is an organization that promotes the integration of technology in the classroom and focuses on the benefits for students. TPACK focuses in the integration of pedagogy, content and technology. In other words, as educators or teachers; we need to be aware of different ways to integrate technology for something that we want to teach the children in our classrooms. For example, teachers need to be educated and know the standards that they need to teach in order to find ways to introduce and teach a subject to a group of students.

The technology part is an asset to the teaching part. In the organization Teaching Teacher for the Future   provides information that could be helpful to expand the knowledge about this matter.  On the other hand, many children benefit from this practice. Many of them need different ways to learn something new. For example Nada Salem Abisamra shared in her web page Resources for Teacher and Students some of the benefits that occurred on children that are exposed to these new methodologies.

  

        

  TPACK is well promoted that in many places there are offering trainings for educators i=on how to integrate the new technology piece in their teaching. For example, Public Schools of North Carolina   offers training to teachers that will build their knowledge and confidence using these tools. Also, in Illinois, there is what is called Smart Board Training Illinois   that also offers information about possible trainings for teachers based on their own level of knowledge. Such website can be access in the following link: http://www.makethegradetraining.com/index.php/training-option

Times are changing and it is important for teachers to keep moving forward with the changes as well. At the end, everything is for the benefit of the students that come and go through our classroom’s doors.

What I hope to get out of this course

Technology in the New Era.. 

The class intro to technology in the classroom, gives me the opportunity to be exposed to new information that are requirements in many schools across the country. Technology in the classrooms is something that is a reality for many children; therefore, parents and teachers need to be familiarized with all these new things. On the same note, I am a parent and I am also an educator and I have the need to be exposed to these things. For that reason, I am thankful that I am having the opportunity to learn as much as I can in this class. I hope that I can learn all the things that my professor will teach us and hopefully will inspire me to continue learning. As my professor said on the first day of class “Teacher are learners”. It is true that we can't teach something that we are not really good at. Therefore, I see this course as a possibility to be a better support for my students and my own children.

 It is important to grasp all the things that I will be exposed to. Education is learning and learning is a beautiful thing and the best thing to get better and better is by practicing. I am confident that at least so far I was able to submit my first blog entry. Now when I hear someone asking how to create a blog, I could guide them and that is a great feeling to have. As a result of that, I am excited for all the things that I will discover and learn in the next nine weeks.   

 

During my first day of class, the professor introduced us to different programs that we will be exposed to during the quarter. The beginning process was to create an account for each site. The first one was this one, so that I can learn to create a blog. The second one was Twitter ; then it was Diigo  and lastly was Voice Thread  I feel excited about all the things that I will learn and how these different sites will help me to improve my teaching skills.