Chapter 9
Schools are designed to help promote higher thinking skills that prepare students for the real world. Business's will partnership with schools for several reasons including: businesses whose products are used for educational purposes, businesses who conduct research, businesses with a financial interest in the educational market, businesses that use education for ostensibly prosocial reasons, and business that use schools for mark (Richards, 2001). Businesses use science, math, and language arts in an interdisciplinary way (Richards, 2001). Many people believe that since schools need money and businesses have it that only good will result in partnerships. However, this is not always the case due to financial disagreements and ethics (Richards, 2001). Richards (2001) discusses several problems that result from partnerships: commercialism and marketing, divergent perception of time, buy-ins, mutually recognized need, ignorance or the education profession or business (Richards, 2001).
BBN and the Co_Nect design is a good example of how partnerships can fail. Instead of allowing time in implementing the new design. Drive can not be finances and a lot of support is needed. Cable in the classroom is a network that act as partners with teachers and partents that provide a free cable connection and commercial-free educational programming. This helps schools with having supplementary classroom materials (Richards, 2001). CNN student Bureau gives older students a chance to publish their work and be recognized on CNN. This is a real world application.
At my school we are partners with a couple businesses such as Harcourt and Breakthrough to Literacy. They provide us with great resources and assistance in furthering our students education.
Richards, J. (2001). Technology in its place: Successful technology infusion in schools. Strategies for creating successful corporate partnerships. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Chapter 5: Technology in it's Place
Chapter 5: Staff Development for Technology Integration in the Classroom
In order to have an effective and successful technology program in a school it is important to have staff developments for the teachers. Many teachers are unaware and overwhelmed with integrating technology into their classroom. I know it is overwhelming for me. I would love to use technology a lot more than I do but my students get hyper, the computer's are not working, we are testing, or I do not know what to do. The following chapter discusses four different approaches to staff development for technology: Technology mentors, student involvement, Teacher leadership and student technology competencies, and inquiry and action research for technology integration.
Technology mentors may be master teachers, or new teachers who bring a lot of technology knowledge into the school (Collier, 2001). Many districts intertwine these teachers to get a balance of technology and curriculum. Technology mentors help other teachers become familiar with technology tools. We all have someone we go to when we are having technological difficulties. The point is you work together and balance each other out.
Student involvement is a more simplified approach. Many students are far more advanced in using technology than we (teachers) are. In this time period it is basically all students are exposed to. Teachers can use their students to help them solve technology problems (Collier, 2001). Often times students will be able to fix simple problems that we can not. This is a good approach because it gives students a sense of importance and responsiblilty. This also creates an excepting environment. I have students that help me sometimes. I teach second grade and they will say Mrs. Harding click here.
A third approach is teacher leadership and student technology competencies. In this approach specific teachers and students are selected to work together (Collier, 2001). Teachers are trained in using technology and then they teach the technology to a couple students to get better at it. Then the teacher does a whole class lesson (Collier, 2001). I think this is a neat approach because it is very hands on. Instead of being thrown into a classroom teachers are able to teach a small group. This is a very hands-on approach that will help them resolve glitches in the teaching method. I think this is a good stepping stone approach to integrating technology. We teach students so why not "teach students" in our practicing.
The final approach is inquiry and action research for technology integration. Teachers research technology integration together and formulate a plan based on research. This method forces teachers to learn information and methods of teaching and integration technology in schools (Collier, 2001). Also I think it is neet because Collier (2001) stated that teachers found out areas that needed to be strengthened such as: keyboarding, guided research, and note-taking skills on the computer. A big problem at my school is a lot of students do not have computers or do not know how to use one. It is hard to jump into using it all the time if they do not know how to use it.
A final component that goes with either for of these staff development techniques is a strong administration. Administration must set expectations and standards, adjust priorities, provide incentives, and develop own sense of awareness using technology (Collier, 2001).
Collier, C. (2001). Technology in it's place. Staff development for technology integration in the classroom. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
In order to have an effective and successful technology program in a school it is important to have staff developments for the teachers. Many teachers are unaware and overwhelmed with integrating technology into their classroom. I know it is overwhelming for me. I would love to use technology a lot more than I do but my students get hyper, the computer's are not working, we are testing, or I do not know what to do. The following chapter discusses four different approaches to staff development for technology: Technology mentors, student involvement, Teacher leadership and student technology competencies, and inquiry and action research for technology integration.
Technology mentors may be master teachers, or new teachers who bring a lot of technology knowledge into the school (Collier, 2001). Many districts intertwine these teachers to get a balance of technology and curriculum. Technology mentors help other teachers become familiar with technology tools. We all have someone we go to when we are having technological difficulties. The point is you work together and balance each other out.
Student involvement is a more simplified approach. Many students are far more advanced in using technology than we (teachers) are. In this time period it is basically all students are exposed to. Teachers can use their students to help them solve technology problems (Collier, 2001). Often times students will be able to fix simple problems that we can not. This is a good approach because it gives students a sense of importance and responsiblilty. This also creates an excepting environment. I have students that help me sometimes. I teach second grade and they will say Mrs. Harding click here.
A third approach is teacher leadership and student technology competencies. In this approach specific teachers and students are selected to work together (Collier, 2001). Teachers are trained in using technology and then they teach the technology to a couple students to get better at it. Then the teacher does a whole class lesson (Collier, 2001). I think this is a neat approach because it is very hands on. Instead of being thrown into a classroom teachers are able to teach a small group. This is a very hands-on approach that will help them resolve glitches in the teaching method. I think this is a good stepping stone approach to integrating technology. We teach students so why not "teach students" in our practicing.
The final approach is inquiry and action research for technology integration. Teachers research technology integration together and formulate a plan based on research. This method forces teachers to learn information and methods of teaching and integration technology in schools (Collier, 2001). Also I think it is neet because Collier (2001) stated that teachers found out areas that needed to be strengthened such as: keyboarding, guided research, and note-taking skills on the computer. A big problem at my school is a lot of students do not have computers or do not know how to use one. It is hard to jump into using it all the time if they do not know how to use it.
A final component that goes with either for of these staff development techniques is a strong administration. Administration must set expectations and standards, adjust priorities, provide incentives, and develop own sense of awareness using technology (Collier, 2001).
Collier, C. (2001). Technology in it's place. Staff development for technology integration in the classroom. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Chapter 3: Technology for Urban Schools, Gaps and Challenges
A major problem discussed in Chapter 3 is the difficulty of incorporating technology into older schools (Gallagher, 2001). Urban schools particularly are difficult to integrate technology. Each school must have a local-area network system (LAN) with in the schools and also be connected to the district-level wide area network (WAN). In urban schools with hundreds of schools in each district this can be difficult to achieve. School systems that have a high amount of students below the poverty line can receive up to 90 percent of government funding towards these technology costs (Gallagher, 2001). This funding does not cover upgrades, repair, equipment, curriculum redesign, or professional development (Gallagher, 2001). In the school I work at it almost seems like this. We have the computers but many teachers do not have the knowledge to use technology in the classrooms. In urban school settings the need for teachers is so high that they are not always the most qualified (Gallagher, 2001). This chapter more specifically explains Chicago Public schools. Many of their schools are so old that they have a very difficult time wiring the buildings using LAN and hooking them up to a WAN (Gallagher, 2001). Chicago Public schools have a Technology Resource Network (TRN) which may seem large with 28-teachers and one-administer however, this is for 765 school buildings (Gallagher, 2001). Technology is a big project to implement into a school district. It takes a lot of time, money, cooperation, and effort.
Gallagher, E. M. (2001). Technology in its place: Technology for urban schools gaps and challenges. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Gallagher, E. M. (2001). Technology in its place: Technology for urban schools gaps and challenges. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Chapters 2 and 4 in Technology in its Place
Chapter 2: Curriculum Planning for Technology-Rich Instruction
According to LaBaron (2001) operational and strategic planning both contribute to an effective integration of technology. The strategic plan is the overall broad plan and the operational plan is more detailed. Both plans need to be revisted and revised frequently (2001). In order to integrate technology into a curriculum successfully their is a six stage process to follow: First an overal vision that supports the curriculum is put into place. Next, internal and external conditions are estabolished, then goals, activities, and outputs are estabolished. A plan is estabolished to effectively implement the key inputs. Staff members are assigned jobs and evaluations are conducted to assess the plan (LeBaron, 2001.)
Once a plan is estabolished schools need to decide what is in their budget. According to LeBaron (2001) it is crucial to first estabolish what is needed in the school and then if the budget is low then their is adjustments to the plans. So many times schools try to only pick what they can afford instead of what they need. I think this is very unbeneficial for the students.
There are a few important philosophies associated with planning a curriculum. First is essentialism which is the belief that the curriculum should only focus on essential learning skills and should not waste money on other skills (2001). Second is cultural transmission or perennialism, which is focusing on culture across the generations in order to preserve them (2001). Third is individual fulfillment which is focused on self-actualization and optimizing the lives of individuals (2001). Finally their is social transformation which is the belief that curriculum should be designed by societal criticism and political action (2001).
I think it is very important to plan appropriately in schools. I believe if this is done effectively then the teachers will be certain of their responsibilities and what is expected of them. Also, in order for this to be done successfully their needs to be a collaborative approach. In my school we are supposed to teach using a basal. The basal covers a lot of skills that are not on the SOLs. As a new teacher when you are told to use the basal that is what you use. When Benchmarks came around I felt that a lot of the skills tested were not covered due to lack of time. Then we were told at the end of the 9-weeks to only teach the SOL skills.
LeBaron, J. F. (2001). Technology in its place: curriculum planning for technology-rich instruction. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Chapter 4 Technology and Learning: Getting the Story Out
As teachers it is important to teach students how to learn on their own (Jarvela, 2001). Understanding information requires students to pose questions about information and form hypothesis to answer these questions (Jarvela, 2001). All through school I memorized what I needed for tests and then I forgot what I had learned. When I started college I actually started to understand what I learned. I made connections to past experiences and applied my knowledge. Unfortunely today often times I see my students learning and then forgeting. We do lots of activities but for some of them I think they are so pumped with information they need to learn (SOL) that they really are not learning. We as teachers are not giving our students enough time and resources to truley understand what they are learning. Technology helps students use higher level thinking skills (Jarvela, 2001). Computers are a motivation to learn for many students (Jarvela, 2001). This is the begining of learning. Students must want to learn. My students get very excited to use the computer. They can be using star fall which is a reading program and they don't care because they are on the computer. According to Jarvela (2001) is is important to design interdisciplinary themes. These are broad themes that are interesting to your students yet incorporate several skills that are required to be taught. I really like this idea however, I find it difficult to implement because we are required to do so many different things in the classroom like use the basal, time limits, and assemblies that interupt instruction time that it is difficult to incorporate it all into a big lesson. A research project conducted by Jarvela and Salovaara (1999) used CSILE to study racism. The students began by reading a novel about racism. The teacher then guided the students from the book to more topics on racism. Students then developed their own questions on racism and researched and found their own answers (1999). Students can also work with their teachers on a research project. Instead of the teacher leading the project he/she can work with her students and they learn together (Jarvela 2001).
Jarvela, S., and Salovaara, H. "Computer Supported Collaborative Learning in a Secondary Literacy Classroom--A Quality of Students' Motivational Processes." Unpublished manuscript, 1999.
Jarvela, S. (2001) Technology in its place: Teachnology and learning getting the story out. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
According to LaBaron (2001) operational and strategic planning both contribute to an effective integration of technology. The strategic plan is the overall broad plan and the operational plan is more detailed. Both plans need to be revisted and revised frequently (2001). In order to integrate technology into a curriculum successfully their is a six stage process to follow: First an overal vision that supports the curriculum is put into place. Next, internal and external conditions are estabolished, then goals, activities, and outputs are estabolished. A plan is estabolished to effectively implement the key inputs. Staff members are assigned jobs and evaluations are conducted to assess the plan (LeBaron, 2001.)
Once a plan is estabolished schools need to decide what is in their budget. According to LeBaron (2001) it is crucial to first estabolish what is needed in the school and then if the budget is low then their is adjustments to the plans. So many times schools try to only pick what they can afford instead of what they need. I think this is very unbeneficial for the students.
There are a few important philosophies associated with planning a curriculum. First is essentialism which is the belief that the curriculum should only focus on essential learning skills and should not waste money on other skills (2001). Second is cultural transmission or perennialism, which is focusing on culture across the generations in order to preserve them (2001). Third is individual fulfillment which is focused on self-actualization and optimizing the lives of individuals (2001). Finally their is social transformation which is the belief that curriculum should be designed by societal criticism and political action (2001).
I think it is very important to plan appropriately in schools. I believe if this is done effectively then the teachers will be certain of their responsibilities and what is expected of them. Also, in order for this to be done successfully their needs to be a collaborative approach. In my school we are supposed to teach using a basal. The basal covers a lot of skills that are not on the SOLs. As a new teacher when you are told to use the basal that is what you use. When Benchmarks came around I felt that a lot of the skills tested were not covered due to lack of time. Then we were told at the end of the 9-weeks to only teach the SOL skills.
LeBaron, J. F. (2001). Technology in its place: curriculum planning for technology-rich instruction. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Chapter 4 Technology and Learning: Getting the Story Out
As teachers it is important to teach students how to learn on their own (Jarvela, 2001). Understanding information requires students to pose questions about information and form hypothesis to answer these questions (Jarvela, 2001). All through school I memorized what I needed for tests and then I forgot what I had learned. When I started college I actually started to understand what I learned. I made connections to past experiences and applied my knowledge. Unfortunely today often times I see my students learning and then forgeting. We do lots of activities but for some of them I think they are so pumped with information they need to learn (SOL) that they really are not learning. We as teachers are not giving our students enough time and resources to truley understand what they are learning. Technology helps students use higher level thinking skills (Jarvela, 2001). Computers are a motivation to learn for many students (Jarvela, 2001). This is the begining of learning. Students must want to learn. My students get very excited to use the computer. They can be using star fall which is a reading program and they don't care because they are on the computer. According to Jarvela (2001) is is important to design interdisciplinary themes. These are broad themes that are interesting to your students yet incorporate several skills that are required to be taught. I really like this idea however, I find it difficult to implement because we are required to do so many different things in the classroom like use the basal, time limits, and assemblies that interupt instruction time that it is difficult to incorporate it all into a big lesson. A research project conducted by Jarvela and Salovaara (1999) used CSILE to study racism. The students began by reading a novel about racism. The teacher then guided the students from the book to more topics on racism. Students then developed their own questions on racism and researched and found their own answers (1999). Students can also work with their teachers on a research project. Instead of the teacher leading the project he/she can work with her students and they learn together (Jarvela 2001).
Jarvela, S., and Salovaara, H. "Computer Supported Collaborative Learning in a Secondary Literacy Classroom--A Quality of Students' Motivational Processes." Unpublished manuscript, 1999.
Jarvela, S. (2001) Technology in its place: Teachnology and learning getting the story out. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
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