Monday, September 22, 2008
Voicethread
So this is an interesting technology. It is definitely a pretty accessible sharing tool. It is cool that it just runs through the comments for you or you can manually listen to the ones that interest you. It is also cool that you can zoom in and out easily although more zoom options might be nice. And the fact that you can add a comment even by telephone is pretty amazing! The only thing about this is I am not sure when I would use this since I don't post pictures for people to comment on very often, but it is clear that it is filling an important need and has done an excellent job at making it available to everyone. 'Nuff said.
Josh's Story
This story was so cool! From all of my experience working with individuals with disabilities, each has strengths and interests that can be channeled in good directions, but sometimes it is difficult to find something or some way to do that. This teacher found a way to give Josh a form of expression and she probably couldn't have done it without basic technological knowledge/the ability to think outside traditional methods and use the resources available. As far as the 4 principles of technology goes she exemplified all of them.
1. It should involve students: Josh was the one who was reading with the book worm. It was him pressing the buttons, him turning the pages, etc.
2. It should be an essential integration, not peripheral: Before Josh was characterized as "non-verbal", the Book Worm changed that. This CANNOT be described as peripheral, it was an important key to his success.
3. Focuses on the learning task not the technology: It was all about his love for books. The Book Worm was brought to make books accessible to him not just to play with a toy. They also said that since the book worm works with virtually any book children don't get fixated with the technology itself.
4. Facilitates learning activities that would be more difficult or impossible without the technology: Josh could not read or even be understood in his speaking. This technology was the way that he could learn that. It was what engaged him and gave him the confidence to speak out.
Honestly, this is a very cool story, I wish that all teachers were this good at finding ways to get around a students disability and into their learning capabilities.
1. It should involve students: Josh was the one who was reading with the book worm. It was him pressing the buttons, him turning the pages, etc.
2. It should be an essential integration, not peripheral: Before Josh was characterized as "non-verbal", the Book Worm changed that. This CANNOT be described as peripheral, it was an important key to his success.
3. Focuses on the learning task not the technology: It was all about his love for books. The Book Worm was brought to make books accessible to him not just to play with a toy. They also said that since the book worm works with virtually any book children don't get fixated with the technology itself.
4. Facilitates learning activities that would be more difficult or impossible without the technology: Josh could not read or even be understood in his speaking. This technology was the way that he could learn that. It was what engaged him and gave him the confidence to speak out.
Honestly, this is a very cool story, I wish that all teachers were this good at finding ways to get around a students disability and into their learning capabilities.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Better than Eagle Eyes?
In browsing the internet I ran across a product called MyTobii P10 which seems really cool to me. It is essentially a computer that can be set up and plugged into a wheelchair, an outlet, or a separate battery and is controlled through your eye-movements. This seems like a very ingenious technology because it is light weight and the movements are very precise. This is a similar technology to Eagle Eyes where the user moves the cursor with their eye movements, however unlike Eagle Eyes this does not require you to wear any electrodes to track your movement you just pug it in and follow a moving dot for 10 sec and you are ready to go. It works with glasses, in low lighting, and is not disrupted by head movements. In short, this is AWESOME!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Easier than I thought!
Something that I really liked from this weeks lecture was how simple it can be to get a grasp on the resources that are available to us. A lot of the time technology can seem like an unnecessary addition to an already large work load, but if you keep up with technology it won't seem so daunting. The films making RSS and Wikis such simple concepts showed me that a lot of these resources are very accessible. I especially like the class discussion concerning the Principles of Educational Technology and TPCK, because these outline why and how technology in general really should be used in the classroom and it is always for the benefit of learning. It made balancing technology and teaching doable.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
TPCK Reading Assignment
1. The TPCK model refers to three types of knowledge (K) and their different combinations. First there is Technology Knowledge which is the knowledge of how technology works and how to use it, thus a computer technician may be an expert in this field. Next there is Pedagogy Knowledge which includes the knowledge and skills required to teach, so an excellent teacher would be an expert in this area. Finally there is Content Knowledge which refers to whatever subject material that is being taught, thus an expert in this field would be a historian, musician, mathematician, etc. However the idea behind this model is that these types of knowledge should ideally be combined. So, the PCK combo would be the skill to teach the given content effectively, the TPK combo would be the ability to teach with technology enhancing your lessons, the TCK would be the combination of technology and content expertise, and finally the TPCK model would be the skill to appropriately and effectively combine all three.
2. The essential tension is the fact that all three in different ways will be interacting and by nature adjustments in one area will need to come because of the other. Thus if your content changes the type of technology and style of teaching may need to be adjusted, and vice versa. Essentially it is that all affect the others.
3. An understanding of all three types of knowledge and then also of how they intertwine.
4. It is clear that teachers must first gain an understanding of how technology works and how to use it. I think though that most important is that they understand the potential application to their students and they must be comfortable enough using it to know when it would be appropriate and useful.
5. Emphasis on competencies and checklists are problematic because 1. technology is always changing, so specific knowledge about a program quickly becomes outdated, 2. most programs are not designed specifically for education so once again the knowledge simply of the program is insufficient, 3. the specific needs of a classroom and the way a teacher teaches is all subjective so one list will not serve all, and 4. teaching teachers what they need to know, does not teach them how to use it appropriately in their classroom.
6. Technology-by-design, seems to me to be a very practical use of technology in the classroom. The technology is there to help you in creating your framework for your classes, and then the technology is integrated at times when it will be specifically used and not introduced in long tutorials at the beginning of class. Instead of forced use of technology it is used in specific ways to enhance the class objectives.
7. I do agree with his idea of teacher education. I think that one of the biggest responsibilities or skills of a teacher is to be able to adapt. There is not one right way to teach, or one type of knowledge one must acquire, rather teachers must gain a good foundation of knowledge and resources to use but the important thing is for them to gain the ability to reason and choose what will be most effective in that specific setting.
2. The essential tension is the fact that all three in different ways will be interacting and by nature adjustments in one area will need to come because of the other. Thus if your content changes the type of technology and style of teaching may need to be adjusted, and vice versa. Essentially it is that all affect the others.
3. An understanding of all three types of knowledge and then also of how they intertwine.
4. It is clear that teachers must first gain an understanding of how technology works and how to use it. I think though that most important is that they understand the potential application to their students and they must be comfortable enough using it to know when it would be appropriate and useful.
5. Emphasis on competencies and checklists are problematic because 1. technology is always changing, so specific knowledge about a program quickly becomes outdated, 2. most programs are not designed specifically for education so once again the knowledge simply of the program is insufficient, 3. the specific needs of a classroom and the way a teacher teaches is all subjective so one list will not serve all, and 4. teaching teachers what they need to know, does not teach them how to use it appropriately in their classroom.
6. Technology-by-design, seems to me to be a very practical use of technology in the classroom. The technology is there to help you in creating your framework for your classes, and then the technology is integrated at times when it will be specifically used and not introduced in long tutorials at the beginning of class. Instead of forced use of technology it is used in specific ways to enhance the class objectives.
7. I do agree with his idea of teacher education. I think that one of the biggest responsibilities or skills of a teacher is to be able to adapt. There is not one right way to teach, or one type of knowledge one must acquire, rather teachers must gain a good foundation of knowledge and resources to use but the important thing is for them to gain the ability to reason and choose what will be most effective in that specific setting.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
I'm hoping!
After the first day of class I understand what we will be studying much better. I really look forward to developing the skills I will need to help the students in my classroom by understanding my resources as a teacher. Equally I look forward to learning about the resources available for the students in my classroom. I have heard about so many individuals being helped by an Eagle Eye or a word processing computer, etc., but my knowledge regarding these technologies is very limited and I want to know what's out there for my students. I look forward to this course.
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