The iPhone

I wonder... is the iPhone potentially a great classroom tool? If, say, every student had one they would be a seemingly perfect blend of internet access, podcast receiver, homework reminder, and even personal entertainment when appropriate. Perhaps the need for student computers ion the classroom would be eliminated if all students could access internet via their iPhones. Research could be faster, and students would not have to wait for other students if there were not enough regular computers to go around. Teachers could podcast lessons in on their sick days, or even on their vacation days, thus making a subs job easier. They could just set up the students to receive the podcast and sit back as the students heard the lesson and followed any instructions. Perhaps students could even email assignments from their phones if they were stuck in traffic or were unable to come to class that day. Though such a classroom setting may never exist, it is interesting to ponder what it might look like.

Grrrrrr Wireless!!

*sigh* Normally I am one to sing technology's praises, especially where my laptop is concerned. But for the past few weeks the wireless internet connection has been down up in the apartments and to be honest, I am now more than a little irritated that it has not been fixed. I know that being dependent on technology is not always a good thing, but in our apartment, this dependency on wireless connectivity is a must. My husband works from home so he needs a constant internet feed. We have one - I will say it again: ONE - internet plug-in in the entire apartment, even though it is one of the larger units on campus. Thus I have been unable to send/receive email, etc. from my home for a very long time. I wonder...is there a better way? is technology in this scenario a poor thing to have to depend on? Should we scrap the idea of wireless in favor of a more dependable system, whatever it may be? Let me know if you have any ideas.

Technology Project

For my project, I focused on creating a professional Myspace that theoretically I would implement when I have my own classroom. I set everything up as if I already did, and used info from the school I am observing at to fill in the gaps. I have had my own space in the past but I never really spent much time learning how to really use it. I honestly learned a lot while playing with the program, and I actually think that it could prove to be a useful tool in the classroom. Many kids spend a ton of time on Myspace so I thought that if I created my own site as a teacher then maybe it could be something where kids could have access to class info, ask questions, etc. all while using a program they are already familiar with and enjoy. One obvious possible problem would be disruptive, distasteful, or harmful content being posted or acessed through the space, since hackers can sometimes do this despite password protection. I have yet to work out a way to get around this problem.

Several features that I explored more in-depth were the calendar, the message composer, the blog, the groups, and the address keeper.

1. The calendar is one of my favorite features. In my own class I see using it as a tool where kids can go on and look to see when inportant dates are coming up, like tests, projects, or field trips. While the perks are numerous, there are a few setbacks. One downside is that you cannot repeat an entry - it will not recognize it for some reason. So if i type in SAT on, say, Nov 1 and then later in December, say the 5th there is another one, I have to put SAT 2 for the calendar to register it. Another one is that there area limited amount of labels available. (e.g. "Test" or "Game" are not options.) Also: you have to assign a time to everything, even things like "Christmas Break."

2. The message composer lets you message directly without having to go straight to that person's page. However, it does not work if the person you want to message has a symbol as part of their name, as my sister does.

3. The blog works pretty much as any blog does. The neat thing that I found was that it had spellcheck and the capacity to post podcasts, which I had not expected. The downside to this is if you have more than one class accessing your site they would technically all be using the same blog.

4. I started a group just to see how it worked and, surprisingly, I liked it very much. It functions much like the blog does except that you can specialize each group to meet the needs of different classes. I think that this, along with the calendar, is one of the top features of using Myspace as an educational tool.

5. The address keeper was potentially a cool feature, but, like the message composer, it too struggles with finding specific names/friends if their names are not distinct or do not have symbols.

I feel that i really came to understand a lot more about this program through this project than I ever would have otherwise. I really want to implement it in my classroom, if possible. I feel that I could add this technology to my "expert" list, however I am sure that there is still a lot I have to learn! :)


* AN IMPORTANT NOTE* Since Myspace is a password-protected, member-only site, I was only able to post the link to the site login page on my blog. If you have a Myspace account and are interested in viewing my project, just contact me and I will gladly direct you to my site. If you do not have a Myspace account, I would be glad to show you my project sometime in or after class.

My current classroom experience

Right now the main class that I am observing is digging into the novel Brave New World. For those of you who are not familiar with the book, it is about a very, very futuristic and technologically advanced society that encounters several "difficulties." While students have not done a lot of independent work that would allow them to use technology themselves, I think that the book itself has been really eye opening for them as to how far-reaching technology could become.

another class I look in on is the Newspaper class. The library has several Mac laptops that students can check out and use (with wireless internet on campus everywhere) and students make use of these almost every day. They save photos and article drafts, edit eachother's work using Track Changes on Word, and email back and forth constantly. It is really cool that they have those available to them.

One other class I get to watch is an IB English class. The teacher is very into technology and uses things like an Elmo and a projector and oftec a cd player or ipod almost every day. That is how he transmits homework assignments or collective reading assignments to the class for everyone to see.

Productivity Software

I think that it is safe to say that a vast majority of students today with access to computers are fairly proficient or completely knowledgeable about computer programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. In fact, with the growing interest wth online classes and interactions between students, it is probably safe to also assume that many student are familiar with productivity software like Google docs and Picasa. That being said, I may not have to do much in the way of teaching students how to use these programs, except for those that may be technological immigrants, as I am. However, there are ways that I can herlp them learn to better use these tools - the main way I can do this is through INTEGRATION.

The more I allow students to use mediums other than just Word or pen and paper, even, to present research materials or to formulate projects, the more that they will become accustomed to using these tools in everyday life. If I can give them opportunities to build on their existing skill sets then they will continue to learn and grow in this area. That being said, it is up to me to create lessons and give assignments that allow students free reign to create and explore the software that is out there at their disposal.

Where will I and my classroom be in 5 or 10 years?

I think that it is really hard to say. Right now it is looking like I may be working at a private school in Montana; private school status means that technology access is never really stable. While the one I am looking at working for is pretty financially stable, public schools often have much greater access to state funds, and grants for technology. I see textbooks becoming somewhat obsolete, and interactive learning taking their place - this would, i think, especially pertain to science and history classes. English classes may not be quite so affected, however, due to the lasting creative genuis of the books being studied. I see interactive classrooms and workshops becoming very popular - especially since field trips could be taken right in the classroom. Trips to the museum, to a science lab, all brought to the students' fingertips. Will teachers even lecture? Or will podcasting and online lectures take the place of actually sitting in on a class? Will students learn as much by staring at a screen? Or do they ultimately learn more from having a personal relationship with their teachers and classmates? I know that for me personally, I will proable integrate technology as much as I can, but I will also really make an effort to keep class discussion and hands-on research and experience a part of my classes.

More SMART Board reflections

Since there are not many pre-created lesson plans for English classes, especially in the upper level classes, I would need to create any lessons I wanted to present on the SMART Board. While this would take more time on my part, it may be worth it for some lessons. The Board could prove useful with grammar lessons, especially, as students could see and touch the words and sentences while working with them. However ,with many upper level English classes, discussions are often the predominant form of learning.

I love the idea of being able to play games like Jeopardy on the Board - this could be a great review tool!