Teaching the iGeneration- ch. 5

     One aspect of using technology we have talked about a lot in our class is Wikis.  This is what this chapter focuses on and how to use them in the classroom.  This chapter explains how to get students comfortable with characteristics of good wikis.  They need to become aware of specific defined roles for participation and then as a teacher you will be ready to start projects in the classroom using wikis for different content.  I really enjoyed the section of this chapter where it talked about how to use wikis to enrich and remediate learning.  Wikis are great ways to differentiate learning opportunities for students.  Technology can add a new dimension to learning that teachers need to take advantage of.  The education community and software companies are looking at ways to combine problem solving and collaboration that will engage students in a study of skills, behaviors, and ideas important for success in the world.  It is important to focus on how to incorporate tools and technology into learning so they will also be prepared to use the same tools and technologies in other aspects of their lives.  Wikis are just one tool that can be used and taught in the classroom by teachers to incorporate student centered learning in the classroom. 

Teaching the iGeneration- ch. 4

     Chapter four touches on the topic of how media is changing today's teens.  Conversations through technology play a huge role in the lives of students today.  My favorite aspect of this chapter is the discussion of different learning experiences that digital teens are drawn to.  The first one is self-directed exploration because students are surrounded by so many opportunities to expereiment and explore withoutcertain goals or outcomes that are predetermined.  The second learning experience is peers to demonstrate authority and expertise which means that students are regularly learning from one another rather than only seeing authority and people with expertise as teachers.  The third is students to wrestle with meaningful issues where they are being charged with preparing for meaningful careers and learning the mastery of skills that will be essential.  It is important to use every opportunity to connect school content with digital conversations and assignments.  One way of communication that is used in todays world is Skype.  This form of communication can be used by teachers in the classroom to involve their technology within the classroom.  Some ideas would be Skypeing in schools wiki, Skype with other classrooms, and Find classes for joint online projects.  A great way for teaching in a way that will influence students is by independence and action making them be active and not passive.  This type of teaching would be know as student centered instruction or discovery that would be a great learning environment for students as long as the teacher is willing to create the opportunities necessary for such a thing to happen.

Teaching the iGeneration- ch. 3

     There are many different ways to be creative with the new advances in technology.  The problem with this is that schools need to be prepared and equipped to teach students how to use these tools.  One new program to use in the classroom in digital storytelling.  Digital stories use images, music, narrative, and voice to bring characters and situations and ideas to life.  Learning to create different infuential multimedia expressions in not only essential, but its exciting for them and this will pay off for teachers by having students excited and willingly involved in the assignment.  It is important to scaffold learning by showing the students and letting them practice and work with each aspect and then letting them put all of these tools together to create a project.  It is important to set standards and structure with these projects but also let the students be creative in their work.  It is important as a teacher to make sure with a project like this there is time and support for students to do the work they need to for mastering new skills and content.  Students are surrounded by visual messages all day long and so they need to be taught how to take images and video to create their own ways for communication and messaging.   

Teaching the iGeneration- ch. 2

     Chapter two in this book is Writing Open Letters to World Leaders.  This chapter talks about the importance of being heard and this generation has so many opportunities to present information that students need to be taught about all of this.  Chapter two lays out several strategies for introducing written persuasion to students that teachers can use.  One main aspect they look at is that of blogging and how this can be used to elevate student voice.  This chapter is helpful by walking students through the process of creating an online open letter to a world learder addressing a controversial issue.  To get students involved and familiar with blogs it might be a good idea to set up a classroom blog.  With setting up a classroom blog the students will become familiar with how to put content out on the web and create important messages that they will share and will be read by others.  It is also important to encourage students to read other blogs so they become familiar with interactive forums and how they can continue conversations around topics of interest.  An emphasis to focus on with the students is that anything they write plays a role in their credibility.  Publishing online is so easy and most approach it with a careless attitude they need to be taught that anything written and published should be of quality work.  Blogging projects can take time and might take a while for students to become comfortable and produce work that you like, but it is a great way to encourage them to get their thoughts and opinions out their and learn how to write about topics they are interested in.

Teaching the iGeneration- ch. 1

     The first chapter in this book is Managing Information in the 21st Century.  This chapter gave information about how children used to attain information and how they do now.  To get information for papers and other assignments students used to go to libraries and go through books now however students are learning how to find the information they need on the computer.  This means that it is important for teachers to understand and become familiar with the resources that are now available so they can help students with their understanding as well.  One really important aspect of using websites and online material is rating the reality.  There are four questions that this chapter thinks needs to be taught to students while working online and they are: Does the information on this website make sense? ; What kinds of sources does this website like to? ; Can I find any evidence of bias on this website? ; What does the fine print say?  A big topic that is being focused on during this time is the "digital divide" and it is important for teachers to understand and guide the students so they fall on the rights side of this divide by introducing them to new tools and strategies available.  The responsiblity falls on the teachers and their ability to teach these concepts to the students, but the schools also have a responsibility to provide the tools and computers that will let the students work and become familiar with these new strategies. 

Electronic Portfolios: Students, Teachers, and Life Long Learners

I looked at a website that was based on creating electronic portfolios for teachers and students and why they are such a great idea. students are always having to creat work land turn it in so with the help of electronic portfolios they are able to be creative by sharing information, artifacts and work done in the classroom. If a teacher is using this for themselves they can include teaching ideas, about themselves, work that they have created lessons, etc. for students this can be incorporated as a final project that the students would need to turn in. This can be an evaluation and assessment used for the students and their learning. A portfolio like this could be used for getting a sample or understanding of a person's work showing their range of abilities, experiences, and achievements. This website was great for giving links that would lead you to examples of both teacher and students portfolios that have already been used. This would help o it teachers a lot giving them a feel of how to implement the and effectively use them in the classroom. There are also links to places that tell you how to begin using this and giving them important background information they should know. This is not just a good idea for student work but also for teachers and professional development. Teachers can create these to document to develop fresh thinking about education, let them reflect on their teaching goals, and also include different methods and strategies that a being used. This is a great site that I think is very helpful for teachers who are trying to implement online portfolios. I think this way of assessm ent and students involvement is a great idea and would be a great thing for teachers to use with different subjects and activities.

Engage me or enrage me- Chapter 3

"Yesterday’s education for tomorrow’s kids.". This quote from the article I read really stood out to me and seemed to wrap everything up. This article Engage Me or Enrage Me was really investing and very blunt about pointing out that the kids of today's society are not the ones at fault for not listening or learning but it is the teachers. We as teachers are not using the technology that kids today are addicted to within the classroom. Children can sit anda play games or do other activities on the computer all day long, but in the classroom we are not utilizing their desire to use technology for our advantage. If we include the technology and give in a little to the desires and interests of students they will be able to learn the curriculum at hand but still enjoy and feel like it is part of their interests. In chapter 3 the author had a lot of statistics and research that shows just how much technology is being used by students as young as age eight. There seems to be a disconnect between teachers and students about what styles of learning should be used. I do feel that the curriculum and what Ned's to be learned is the most important thing to consider but if teaching sources and strategies use can change then the learning will happen in a better way. As someone who wants to be a teacher in this society and time I believe it is essential to understand the best ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. Like the article pointed out wE can engage students by reaching out to where they are and guiding them from there or we can enrage them and not care about what interests or different ways of learning would help them best.

Ch. 7- Lessons Learned About Providing Laptops for All Students

Schools all over the country are starting to move to getting aptops or iPads for the classroom creating one-to-one computing. This process can be more complex and challenging than most people think because there are a lot of areas that need to be considered and taken care of to make this all happen and run the right way. The Northeast and the Islands Regional Technology in Education Consortium wrote a paper About the different Easton's learned from laptop programs that have already been started. Some of the key lessons learned were about planning, training and professional development, hardware and software, managing change, and program monitoring and evaluation. There hope with this article is that other schools will learn and when they start there own laptop programs they will not run into the same problems as others. One of my favorite quotes from this papr was from a woman by the name of Bette Manchester, who said, “it is not about the technology; it is about the students’ learning and about capacity building in the schools." whether this is everyone's view or not it probably should be. One aspect of this process that I felt was really important was that change needs to be expected to be gradual. There are so many different parts of this program to set up and put in place before this can run smoothly and with the effects that the school would want so it is important to be patient and wait for everything else to get set up and fall into place before everything can run perfectly.
This article fits right along side chapter seven and a lot of what we have talked about in class. They both discuss the different procedures and steps that are involved in setting up technology in the classroom. The chapter in the book gives a good understanding Of how important planning is and that goes right along with this paper written and the points they were trying to make also. It is important for a technology coordinator and teachers as well to take time and learn as well as teach new technology brought into the classroom so that everyone can get the full learning experience out of this type of instruction. It is about using the tools to teach the children in the most effective ways possible and this takes time to implement new teaching styles worth technology, but it can be done with good planning, teaching, and follow through.

Ch. 8- Education Leadership

When first just looking at the website and the different information that will be provided it looks like this site will be extremely helpful for technology leads to use and share with teachers as well. When you pull up the page Education Leadership Toolkit there are several different links displayed and they all look very helpful and informative. The different links are Why change?, why technology?, Planning, policy, curriculum and assessment, Community involvement, Facility planning, funding, professional And leadership development. These are all points that tie in so well with the chapter on leadership and vision and how to incorporate this technology and set it up in your school. This toolkit is a collection of tips and pointers, articles, case studies and other resources for education leaders addressing issues around technology and education. These tools also go right along with the different steps and processes that Adam discussed last week when he was I b class. This would be a great site for someone who wants to be a technology leader to use just to get a plan for how to start implementing new technology and if they are wanting to present a new idea the planning link takes you to a list of important aspects to consider and cover with your research and plan. I do not really want to be a technology leader but if I was going to need to be one this would be a great site to look at to get an idea of all the different parts that would need to be covered to propose new technology in the schools. I do like though that the information on Why Change? and Why Technology? could be read and used by everyone to get on the same page of the Ned for advancements in the classroom and school systems.

Ch. 2 cyber bullying

The article I read was a report on cyber bullying by Amanda Lenhart. She did a study on cyber bullying and how many teens are being bullied and whether there are more students being bullied on or off line. She did phone interviews with students to ask them if they think that students get bullied online more. The students in this interview thought that bullying happened more offline than online, but I did find it very interesting that white teens thought that it happened more online than African American teens. Another part of this study was to see if bullying online happened more by girls or guys. I was not surprised and I don't think most people would be to find out that girls are involved more in the bullying than boys. The more people are on social websites the more opportunities will be presented for them to either get bullied or be bullied. Bullying has always been present in schools but it has now entered the digital world making it more public and noticible to the public.
The chapter over this talked about social problems that occur and as this article shows cyber bullying is a realm problem that exists. It is important as an educator when teaching about technology to cover all the important points of online etiquette and safety procedures. Students are going to continue and bully but with the use of technology in the classroom gives opportunities for those involved to have a positive influence on what the students will do online. I also think that this chapter about safety and the article about cyber bullying goes along with the topic of today's class. It is important to teach about password and screen name safety. Students do not want someone from there class to get their information and be able to log on as them and do inappropriate things blaming them. The use of technology and the problems that go along with it will always be present no matter how old of a study you look at. It is important as a teacher and educator to always take these problems seriously and share concerns and information with students trying to prevent anything like this happening in your classroom. This is such an important topic and involves so many of our students today statins why this kind of research is so important to look at and take into consideration when using technology in the classroom.

Leadership and management

Today when Adam Hotchkiss came he provided a lot of information and it was really interesting to hear everything he was talking about. He talked in detail about things such as policy, budget, staffing, leadership, etc. Here are some notes that I took while he was talking of aspects that I found really interesting and helpful to hear about: If you do not have the time to plan you do not have anything to instruct people on. As a leader you need To look ahead to see what technology should look like down the road. Need to make sure your instructions and goals align with the school standards. Every decision you make about technology will affect the classrooms and school as a whole. First get your strategic plan, then you can really think about the specifics. Change from leadership to management position for this process. Total cost ownership is how much money you will need to complete the whole process, everything over the lifespan of the process. Staffing is very important in this process, teachers need to be trained as well as people to work with them throughout their learning process. Make sure to set aside money for infrastructure, such as the things that most people do not see but that you need to run technology. Anytime you put in new technology it is a must to do initial training and then after they have time to work with it you can do another session where they can have questions. Technical support needs to be done fairly quickly so that they will continue to use technology most of the time. Best to have spares for cases like this so it will cut down on wait and fixing time. Policies govern the expectations of how people will use the equipment, have policies on everything.
All this information above is a lot to think about and process but it is all really helpful to those who are going to be in school or be in technology roles. I think information like this is helpful for even those of us who are going to be teachers because just knowing the process that goes into setting up the technology can make you more respectful and understanding of what you do and do not have. The is a lot that goes into the roles of technology leadership and as teachers we need to be sensitive to this issue and show patience within the schools.

Professional development

After listening to Polly speak on being a technology coordinator at her school it is evident that she has really integrated great opportunities for the teachers. She not only does her research and is involved in providing the technology needed for the schools she also sees a need for seminars and other opportunities for the teachers to learn. She has set up seminars during the evenings and summer on different aspects of using technology that she feels will best accommodate and be useful to the teachers atherosclerosis school. By leading these school activities she is providing a useful service to the community at Grace Christian Academy.
I do not want to be a technology coordinator but I do see the need for teachers and all those working with technology to have the right training and resource need to use the technology. If we are only going to use it in ways that do not get the students involved than the technology will be wasted. I think Polly covered this very well and just helped reinforce the importance of knowing about the technology you have and how to best incorporate it in the school and your classroom.

Tracking U.S. Trends

The article that I read was called Tracking US. Trends and it went through each state and which ones are being responsible for incorporating technology into the school.  This article looked at a study done that gave each state a grade on how they were using and incorporating the technology.  Only one state received an A.  This article is a few years old and so changes have occurred since then, but this just shows us how much work states need to put into developing better ways to teach and assess technology.  The chapter from our book talked about assessment and evaluation and according to this article very few states are requiring assessments in the form of online testing.  Also in this year the requirements of teachers even being required to have training was limited.  It is crazy how far we have come in just a few years how we are now requiring not only teachers to have training and assessments, but also students.  They did point out the number of computers per student and how this could affect the use in the classroom and that is what schools are still dealing with today.  If the schools do not have computers that are available for student use then it is hard to prepare and teach them how to be computer and technology literate.
     This article does fit somewhat in with the topic of assessment, but it almost goes even further back from just figuring out ways to test students and focuses on how teachers are not prepared and how schools are not enforcing the need for technology.  I think that training, which we have talked about in other chapters, is important and teachers are still not getting enough of it to prepare them for teaching these skills in the classroom.  How can teachers be told to assess something that they themselves do not fully understand or get prepared for.   I think it is important as teachers to try and incorporate technology in every aspect and it helps that I am young and have grown up with technology, but in order for assessment to go on schools also need to step up and give instruction for teachers to be better equipped for the new standards that are in place.

Digital Natives, Digital Imigrants: Do They Really Think Differently

     The article I read was from the chapter three section and discussed digital natives and how the students in today's society falls within this description.  What caught my attention about this article was the fact that they were going to look at home digital natives, or today's children, view learning and how their brains develop.  We have been talking about brain development in our other class with Dr. Bond and this just reemphasized what he has been saying about how what we do over a long period of time shapes our brain.  Therefore since we are growing up with kids who spend almost all their time using technology their brains might be constructed differently than teachers who have been around a while.  The point is that the teacher has two options: first they can ignore the fact that students learn best by using the very thing that they spend their time with, technology, secondly they can embrace this and use new forms of technology that will incorporate the interests of students.  This article talked about how teachers need to be looking into ways that they can incorporate educational games and media into all aspects of teaching.  One of the most interesting statistics that I saw in this article was that if you take out all of the lunches, recesses, and in between times in school that there is approximately 3 hours of instructional learning that takes place.  Their point in this was if you can incorporate technology in a way that is fun, such as through online educational games, that if students spend three hours in a course of a weekend also playing these games it is like they have gained another day of school.
     In chapter three of our book they discussed Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum.  They looked at different statistics and findings showing how much time children spend outside of school using technology and then looked at how little was spent in school.  These do not seem to correlate at all and I think that this is what the article I read was referring to.  If children are going to embrace the technology and enjoy it than shouldn't school be a place to show them how to enjoy learning as well.  The number of schools that use technology standards is increasing, but as we have all seen in the schools we are in the usage of technology is still on a low scale.  It will be important for this generation of new teachers to take our knowledge of technology and the need we see for it into the classroom to further encourage the use of technology to everyone around us as well.   

Teachers Talk Text 2006

     I read a report from 2006 where teachers talk about technology and how it is benefiting them in the classroom.  This report used information from an in-depth research study about how teachers feel about technology in the classroom.  I found that the statistics and information that was given was very helpful and I think shows a great advancement in the way teachers are viewing technology in such a positive way.  I thought it was interesting that according to this study the top three obstacles for fully implementing computers into the curriculum was access, time, and budget.  This came as a surprise to me because from reading the chapters in our book I assumed that it would be knowledge of how to implement and use the technology in the classroom, but this was not the case.  Even though that particular part of the study did not show the focus to be on training we all know that it does play a role.  Another part of the study showed that 1/5 of teachers did not receive any technology training over the past year.  This does not mean that these teachers cannot or do not use technology effectively in the classroom, but that as we have read in chapters 1 and 6 they are not receiving up to date training.  The more technology training these teachers receive the more likely they are to see the positive impact technology can have on students.  This report and study provided numerous different statistics and charts that could be helpful for technology facilitators and leaders to help improve on how teachers are using and can be using technology in the classroom.  I believe that the author of an article like this is trying to show awareness of important topics that are affecting our schools and students.  There will always be room for improvement in education which research shows us, but I also believe that research can help by pointing to the positive direction in which technology is heading.
     I believe that since this study was done a few years ago there have been some changes in the statistics and facts.  I do however think that our knowledge and use of technology in the classroom can always be improved and I think as teachers and future teachers it is important to always find ways to incorporate technology into the curriculum.  Looking back to when I was in high school and the lack of technology we had, mostly just a computer lab, there are so many other possibilities and opportunities that we have to use them in teaching our students.  I look forward to learning the new ideas and ways they come up with to include technology expanding the ability to learn for both teachers and students.      

Expand- Chapter 1

  I looked at the 21st Century Skills website and enjoyed how helpful it was and how much information they provided.  They laid out there plan very clearly about how they are wanting to combine the three R's and four C's in order to give students the knowledge and skills they need, but in a way that prepares them for work in the 21st century workplace.  One really nice aspect to this website was that it had different state sites that could be viewed to see how they are incorporating these skills into their schools.  They did not however have Tennessee on there list, but the site did give information on how schools, teachers, and states could get involved with this movement.  They also were promoting a little bit of community by allowing teachers to upload videos of their own classrooms incorporating these skills and then others can go on and watch these videos.  This was a very helpful and informative site that I think gives schools a lot to think about as we are in a community that needs to know about these 21st century skills.  This site was a good extension of chapter 1 in the book because it took the information of explaining the skills, strategies for using the skills, and practical ways to incorporate them and really explained and showed how practical it all really is.  It took the questions that one might have and answered it by giving real life examples and schools in which this has worked for.  This site and chapter is a great example for teachers and administers in schools to show how best to prepare students for a world of community and business. 

Expand- Ch. 9

In the gaming chapter I looked at the website called "Alice."  This is a website you would see being used with older students, but one thing that I really liked was they have a section for teachers to get instructional materials and textbooks to use with the classroom.  Alice is a 3D programming tool that makes it possible for students to tell a story, play interactive games, or to share a video on the web.  Alice also has a blogging section that you can go and read her blogs or teachers and students can also go on there and create their own blogs about what they are creating or what they might have questions about. This type of gaming can be tied to the curriculum as shown on the website and again this is one of the concerns listed in the book, but this website does a great job of covering up this problem for teachers and students.  This site, as they talked about in the book, is a student-created games that lets the students develop online projects and they can be as advanced or simple as requested by the teacher.  This site would be a useful gaming site within the classroom.

  

Expand- Ch. 2

The first site I looked at in the cell phone chapter is Shutterfly.  This is a pretty simple site to use and the way that students know how to upload photos and create albums this should be no problem for them.  They can share the photos with others as well as creating albums, calendars, and gifts. The chapter in the book gave many examples of how this site would be useful and what kinds of activities you could incorporate in the classroom.  After looking over both the site and the book it is clear that this chapter can be used for all ages and all levels of classrooms.  It is a fun site and creating pictures is fun but it is also educational by having the students incorporate creative writing, bloggine, or even just documenting concepts learned from a lesson or trip.  Camera phones are very common and can be used in various ways throughout the classroom. 

Expand- Ch. 6 part 2

The second website I looked at was the Skoolaborate blog and this was a completly different virtual world site than Jumpstart was.  This site is meant for schools with students from 13-18 and focuses on connecting and communicating with students from other cultures and parts of the world.  The way to use this site is for the teacher to set up a connection with another school and then between the two classes they can share units and different thoughts on activities with each other.  This will let the students use digital media as well as creating student involvement.  This type of blog website creates a global community and can help students become of issues around the world. 
 
This blog website is a great way to use virtual worlds throughout classroom of the world.  As expressed in the chapter virtual worlds can be used to produce creativity, and imagination.  With the teachers able to monitor and be invloved with this type of virtual world the issues and objections that most have to virtual worlds is gone.  This site is mentioned in the chapter and it says that the activities are only limited by the imagination and this is very true and shows that teachers can incorporate this site in so many different ways to their students.   

Expand- Ch. 6

The first site that I looked at was Jumpstart and this was under the category of virtual worlds.  This website was really fun and appealing to the eye.  This was a site that could be useful not only to students but also to parents and teachers.  The only downfall I saw for looking into it was that you had to subscribe to it and if you used it a lot and had money to spend it might not be to bad, but it did seem a little pricey.  Reading the information about the games and what you get to do in them made them all seem really fun and educational as well.  For a teacher and a parent however is where I found some really great tools to use.  There are a lot of educational resources, worksheets, and activities on the site that are free and able to be accessed and used with students.  They have them split up by grades and are really easy to access.  This virtual world lets students use math, critical-thinking, reading, and art through fun games.  This gives them a way to incorporate the skills they need with interactive online games.  This is something that a parent can subscribe to for their child or a teacher can get a membership for their classroom.  I really think this would be a fun option for kids to have when looking for fun educational games to play. 

This website relates really well with the chapter in the book because this shows us that there really are educational virtual worlds out there for students to use.  Some think of virtual worlds as just a game that wastes peoples time, but I think this gives a better look at what a virtual world is and how it is best used for children.  This also gives an example of how safety can be applied when using these websites and also how time on the computer can be useful for children.  This website shows why virtual worlds are becoming something that schools are starting to incorporate for children.    

HTML website

http://jcgardner.webs.com/index.htm

Digital Citizenship

A model digital citizen is someone who respects both themselves and others when using technology.  Some think this only applies to teenagers who do cyber-bullying, but also adults can get caught up in doing or saying inappropriate things about themselves or others.  If people do not respect themselves then this is where the not respecting others comes from as well.  Using technology is a great thing but people just abuse their use and try to use it as a tool to hurt others.  Another aspect of digital citizenship is respecting the rules and laws that are put into place including laws of copyrighting and plagiarism.  These have become major issues in our world today and people think they will get away with it but in most cases they eventually get caught.  It is important to show respect and restraint when using digital tools in order to protect yourself and others involved.  Most all of my friends and family that I know of seem to be digital citizens.  I guess you do not always know about what people are doing and sometimes you can be surprised by people you think you know, but I do trust that they are doing what they need to for being digital citizens.
     The issue of sexting is big right now in our society and I am pre-K through 3rd so I do not really think this will be a problem for me as much as it will be for our upper elementary and middle school teachers, but if this was taking place in my classroom it is definitely an issue that needs to be dealt with.  Taking away someones full use of technology may not be the most beneficial because it could inhibit their learning, but it would definitely require full supervision when on any form of digital media while at school.  It is also important to talk to the parent and try to get them on the same page as you are and maybe work out where during school hours the child will have to give their phone over to the teacher.  The problem with all of this is that just because you make the student and parent aware and talk about the problems with it does not mean you as a teacher can make this stop.  The students will leave school and that is probably when they are doing most of their sexting anyway so it will have to be some sort of parent led teaching experience that will really impact the child in what they are doing.  I think teachers should do what they can but you cannot babysit the child all day because eventually they will be on their own and will do what they were going to do anyway.     

Creating Content-Images

     I have had a lot of use and experience with both uploading and viewing photos and videos online.  These are features that I have been using both personally and educationally since I was either in late middle school or high school.  Just through college classes and doing teacher educational portfolios uploading photos has been crucial.  As well as personal websites like myspace and facebook where everyone uploads photos and views others photos.  Even in Dr. Templar's class two weeks ago we were uploading photos from the camera in order to use tools like Picasa, Animoto, and iMovie along with others.  Most students in school will already be able to upload photos and videos so using this in the classroom will be something they already know and can be an effective tool to use. 
     Creative Commons is a place to set up legal sharing and creating using digital media tools.  The idea of having a creative commons area for teachers is that it gives a place to set up and share lectures, papers, and lesson plans as well as collaborating with others.  This is a place that makes work by others legal to use and view and so having a place like this for use in the classroom would really help with the problem of copyrighting. 

Creating Content-Writing

Blogs, Wikis, and Web-based word processors are all three great tools to use and all have a similar function but vary a little in how they are used.  Bogs are an online writing tool that lets you set up your own personal site and space where you can go on and enter data entries and they will then show up with the one you posted most recently first and then continuing so the one you posted first will be last.  What we are doing on this site is consided a blog.  A wiki on the other hand is a web site, that you can personalize if you want just like a blog, but it is a site that allows other visitors to come on and add or edit the content you have put up.  An example of this type of site would be Wikepedia.  And finally a web-based word processor is a feature that allows people to upload files and store them online and then if they want to publish them at some point they have that option as well.  All three of these tools would be useful in different ways within the classroom.  Blogs would be good for students to respond to lessons from class or just questions that the teacher gives, like we do for this class.  Wikis would be helpful to have for different class projects when students are creating and collaborating on what to do.  Web-based word processors are just useful when kids need somewhere to save their work or they can even use it to work on team writing within the classroom.  All three of these sites are useful for the kids to work with and learn.
     The only one of these three that I have used is the blogging.  We have the blog for this class but in high school we were asked to blog some to.  I do not have a problem with blogging and it would probably be a go thing for students to learn how to do, but it is not something I would just do all the time for fun.  It has been a good experience though to have to sit down and blog everyday.  There are many different ways to teach students using blogs, wikis, or web-based word processors so using them ourselves gives us good practice with it as well. 

Gaming

   I have played games on the computer and through video games before and sometimes I do enjoy how fun they can be, but I have never been a "gamer" in the sense that I am a bit add when it comes to just sitting and playing games on a machine and I get bored quickly.  I do not think games should be played for hours because I think it eventually becomes a waste of time.  As far as games being considered educational I feel that it depends on the type of game and the purpose.  There are some sites like National Geographic that have games that can be fun and educational both.  The iPad also comes to mind and a lot of what we have on the ones we use are fun but also can contain some educational value for students.  I think there is a time when you can let kids play these games because it is still reinforcing or even teaching them new ideas, but it gives them an opportunity to have some fun as well.  Taking video games away from children is never going to happen, but monitoring what they are playing especially at school is a good idea and really focusing on how much time you are allowing for this type of activity is important.  There is a time for fun and games and in this time as long as the teacher knows what is involved with the game a little bit of gaming would be ok for students.  As teacher however we should emphasize other ways to spend time as well because you do not want your students going home and playing video games all day with no exercise or learning to play games that are not electronic. 
     Depending on the age of students and how creating a video game would go along with a unit you are teaching, letting them create their own game might not be an awful idea.  It would be appropriate to monitor the type of game the student is creating, but if you had them make a game that went along with the unit you could have the other students in the class play them and it would be letting them use what they know and teach the other kids through their game.  This would be a fun way to incorporate technology but also just to show them the amount of work and time that goes into making the games that they play.  With the right supervision, planning, and tools this activity could be fun for a classroom to use. 

Virtual Worlds

     I have never personally been on a virtual world myself and they have never really interested me.  My husband's little sister was really into webkins and so I saw her playing that a few times.  I personally would much rather spend my time doing other things and I would much rather interact with people in real life than what they call "interacting" in a virtual world.  Friends that I have had that are involved in virtual worlds spend so much time doing that and are so involved in the games that to them it feels like an actual part of life, which I think is weird.  When I get on the internet I am usually doing homework, checking email, or spending my extra time on Facebook and other than keeping in contact with people in the way of Facebook I think virtual worlds are a waste of time.

    They did give some examples in the book that they say are educational virtual worlds that can be used in the classroom and that could be useful if it went along with what you were teaching.  If I was going to try to use a virtual world I would want to go in and really check it out and make sure it is useful for my students.  I am not a big fan of using them in the classroom because I think there are a lot better ways to interact with people and spend time.  I also think by promoting using virtual worlds will cause children to spend even more time outside of class being a part of them and I do not think that is how children need to be spending all afternoon after they get out of school.  I am staying open minded about virtual worlds, but they would really have to go along with what I was teaching for me to use them in my classroom.   

Social Networks

    I have used a couple different social networks over the years.  The first one I was a part of was Myspace and I got that when I was in high school mostly because all my friends had one and it was the new thing to do.  This was just a fun way to see information about friends from school or I used it as a way to keep in contact with people I went to camp with.  When I got to college I stopped using Myspace because it seemed like it was being used by younger and younger kids and alot of the stuff you could do on there started to not interest me.  So I did get a Facebook and I am from Michigan so it is a great way to stay in contact with my friends and family who still live up there.  Facebook is much less kidish than Myspace and I still have my Myspace account just cause I never canceled it but now that I have Facebook I see no need to use Myspace.  This has been a great and fun tool for me to use and I really enjoy the social networking, but only with people I already know and never with strangers. 
     I don't really know what the 21st century role of social networking will be in education, but I think that the use of social networks will continue to increase so educators should prepare.  It seems that children are getting into the world of social networking younger and younger these days and so teaching students the proper ways to use these networks are important.  There will always be the issue of predators and cyberbullying, but it is just our responsibility to prepare them and try to set them up for success.  There are also social networks out there that can be set up for just your school and can be monitored by the teachers.  I do not think this will prevent them from getting outside pages of their own, but it will hopefully be able to teach them responsibility when using the internet.  Socail networking will just continue to grow over the years so adapting to this and using it to help the students and teach them will benifit both the learner and teacher. 

Netbooks- iPads

   I think the idea of one-to-one computing is a great one and could be very useful in the classroom.  There are still some kinks that seem to need to be worked out and in the reading there are both pros and cons to look at with implementing the netbooks.  They would be a great resource for students to use as long as the school or all parents had the financial ability to provide them for everyone.  As we have all seen there are so many options and capabilities for furthering students education by using more technology.  The good thing is that over the years they have come out with so many different styles of netbooks with different capabilities and sizes that help give schools options.  I did really enjoy the section in the book that talked about even if you do the one-to-one computing with students that does not in itself make a difference in academic achievement.  As teachers we need to take these resources but also learn to rethink some approaches and begin to focus more on student-centered strategies and creating collaboration and communication through the class. 
     iPads are nice features to have in the classroom because of their many fun and educational applications as well as the internet access and the nice size for easy transportation.  The only thing about the iPads is that it is not an easy tool to have if you are wanting students to type papers because they do not have keypads and they do not have flash or adobe on them and so there are some limitations when using the web.  Then if you look at notebooks it is easy to see that the lower price really makes them a nice option for all the students.  They come in different sizes so you can get whatever works best for your classroom.  The chapter talked about how sometimes they have limited capabilities which some could think is a disadvantage or you could look at it in the way that students cannot get into as much trouble with gaming while they should be working.  Neither option is perfect but if the school is looking financially netbooks are the better option and can just as useful and helpful as iPads would be. 

MP3 Players

    Pros of MP3's
       - Promotes growth in critical thinking, problem solving, and workplace skills
       - Can help ELL students improve their skills in English
       - English speakers can learn to speak other languages
       - Create teacher-created podcasts designed to help students review concepts when on bus or at home
       - Use to teach students about property rights, and copyright laws
       - Students can dictate and record notes while working on research or on a field trip

    Cons of MP3's
       - Students use them to cheat on tests
       - Students might isolate themselves from other classmates
       - Illegal downloading of music
       - A distraction from what is going on in class

    After looking through the links in this chapter the one that I thought was the best and would be the most helpful in the classroom is the LearnOutLoud.com.  I like this one the best and it stood out to me because there was so many different downloadable MP3's/audio books for every different topic that will be very helpful for students doing research or just interested in certain topics.  There is also a lot of podcasts on this site and if teachers signed up they could also publish podcasts on this site.  Letting children go on this site and learn by listening and seeing the information would be a helpful tool for them. 

     I believe that the idea of using podcasts in the classroom for your students is great and could be fun and helpful. Especially for older kids it would be helpful for the teacher to put up lectures or important information that will be on an exam or test.  This would also be a great project for a teacher to asign a classroom.  If they took the time to plan and create their own podcast that they will share with their peers they could get a lot out of what they were learning.  There is many options and ways to incorporate MP3's and podcasts into the classroom and they could be effective tools if used appropriatly.

Cell Phones

     Brooks-Young wrote a chapter in the book on cell phones including statistics, viewpoints, strategies, and suggestions.  She laid out a lot of statistics that can be somewhat surprising when realizing how big of an impact cell phones really do have on society and children at such a young age.  The first stat that seemed very drastic was how the number of teenagers using cell phones has raised from 36% to 79% in just three years.  That just shows that the rate of teenagers using technology is continuing to advance at a rapid rate.  Another extremely surprising statistic was that forty-six percent of children ages 9-11 have cell phones and twenty percent of children ages 6-8 have them as well.  Some might not think this is a huge number but I think for children of this age that is a very substantial number.
     I can see both the advantages and disadvantages that involve using cell phones in the classroom.  Part of me feels that using cell phones is not a necessary part of school for children especially for schools who are getting iPads and laptops for their students because virtually an iPad is going to do everything and more for the children that a cell phone will do.  If they do have access to this kind of technology than I feel cell phones will just be a distraction because all students will be using them for is to text or call friends which is just a distraction from class.  There are however some ways that as a teacher you could incorporate the cell phone.  I know personally I have played around with the polleverywhere.com and set up different quizzes and polls and I think that if you were going to allow students to have cell phones and want them to incorporate them into learning this is such a great way to do it.  I also feel that dealing with the cell phone problem will take a lot of time and energy that might be spent on something more productive.  I have mixed feelings about the use of cell phones, but we are getting to a point in time where incorporating them might be the best and most effective use of time and technology.  
 

21st Century Skills

  This chapter over 21st centurey skills was just one example of how technology can transfer a school.  Reading about how implementing technology into the classroom can affect both teachers and students should drastically change how we approach education.  We are beginning to teach in a world that relies on technology and the advantages that we can see being produced such as efficient use of time, more involvement from students, and better collaboration from everyone. 
   I have never been in a school that was struggling quite like this one in New York, but I have seen the many resources and educational options that are available by using technology and I am not suprised by such a turn of events.  The Google Applications are just one great available resource for teachers, but as we have looked at in classes throughout our education there are many more to also explore.  It can be difficult to keep up with all the advances in technology, but I think it is important to devote time to continuing to advance for the benifit of both the teacher and student.  One quote from the book that really expresses how important it is for schools to continue updating there technological useses is, "We're just on first base, we haven't fully used the tools that are out there, and there are tons more coming."  This just show that no matter how great you think your school is advancing there is always another step forward to take. 
   These skills and advancements are not only good for the students but also for the teachers and parents who are trying to keep students involved and their work under control.  With using technology to set up discussions, grade papers, record attendence and behavior, teachers are able to inform both principles and parents of how the students are really doing.  The imediate interaction between parents and teachers or students and teachers creates a whole new classroom atmosphere.  It is not only important to have teachers and students on the same page with technology, but getting the parents involved in the process will create a better collaboration and more help given to students from home. 
    It is no surprise that Google and other forms of 21st century technology have transformed classrooms, but we can only be prepared for more advances.  Applying these skills as a teacher will help the students, parents, and yourself when preparing lessons and activities for the classroom.  It takes collaboration and willingness to adapt on all sides and it is our job as the new incoming teachers to help evolve our schools into the technological schools of the future. 

*Book- Retool Your School by: James Lerman & Ronique Hicks