My name is Pam and I am a grad student at MSMC. I am passionate about teaching young children and I am so thankful for everything I have learned thus far at MSMC. My blog is titled Teaching to Learn and Learning to Teach because I believe that we are all lifelong learners. As we move into our careers as teachers we will be continuously learning from our peers and students. Happy blogging!
The Way of the Future
We are the 21st Century Teachers
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Did you tell me to make a WIKI?
This is the first class that I have ever had to use/make a wiki. Until today I really didn't know what one was. I looked up a defintion that might help others:
A wiki ( /ˈwɪki/ WIK-ee) is a website that allows the easy[1] creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor.[2][3] Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative wiki websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.
A wiki ( /ˈwɪki/ WIK-ee) is a website that allows the easy[1] creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor.[2][3] Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative wiki websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.
Education World Article about Technology-check it out!
Does Computer Access=Computer Use? An NCES Report on Teachers and Computers
An April 2000 report from the National Center for Education Statistics reveals that although 99 percent of U.S. teachers have access to school computers, the degree to which teachers use those computers varies widely. Learn about some of the factors that determine how -- and how much -- teachers and students in your school use computers!
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 99 percent of U.S. teachers have access to computers somewhere in their schools. Does nearly universal access mean nearly universal use, though? Teacher Use of Computers and the Internet in Public Schools [alternate source for this report], an April 2000 NCES report, attempts to answer that question.
The report is based on a survey, conducted in the fall of 1999, that examined computer use among teachers and students at a representative sample of 900 U.S. elementary, middle, and high schools. About one-third of the schools, ranging in size from fewer than 130 students to more than 1,500 students, are located in central cities, one-third lie in urban fringes, and one-third are in towns and rural areas.
The 21-question survey asked teachers to indicate how often (from "not at all" to "a lot") they required students to use computers for such activities as practice drills, problem solving, computer applications, multimedia presentations, research, and distance learning. It also asked teachers to indicate the degree to which they used computers for tasks that did not involve direct instruction, such as creating instructional materials, planning lessons, posting projects and homework, and communicating with students, parents, and colleagues.
AND THE ANSWER IS…
The interim results of the survey, released late last month, revealed that 66 percent of teachers use computers "a lot" for classroom instruction, 39 percent frequently use them to create instructional materials, and 7 percent use them often to communicate with students and/or parents. The report also found that three factors strongly influence how -- and how often -- teachers use computers. Those factors include years of teaching experience, hours of professional development, and student poverty levels. According to the report,
20 percent of teachers with fewer than nine years' teaching experience but only 11 percent of teachers with more than 20 years experience frequently use computers to gather information for lesson planning.
82 percent of teachers who had more than 32 hours of professional development but only 41 percent of teachers who did not have any professional development often use computers for classroom instruction.
52 percent of teachers in low-poverty schools but only 32 percent of teachers in high-poverty schools use computers a lot to create instructional materials.
In addition, the survey found, only 10 percent of the teachers responding feel "very well prepared" to use computers. Most -- 66 percent -- feel either "somewhat prepared" or "not at all prepared" to use computers for classroom instruction.
MORE TO COME
The current report, however, addresses only a portion of the data obtained from the NCES survey and leaves a number of questions still unanswered. The full report, which, according to NCES spokesperson Edith McArthur, will be available this summer, is expected to contain a great deal of additional data, including information about variations in student-computer ratios, professional development opportunities, and technical support at the surveyed schools. That information should make it easier for administrators and technology coordinators to interpret the data more accurately and use it most advantageously.
Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education World
An April 2000 report from the National Center for Education Statistics reveals that although 99 percent of U.S. teachers have access to school computers, the degree to which teachers use those computers varies widely. Learn about some of the factors that determine how -- and how much -- teachers and students in your school use computers!
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 99 percent of U.S. teachers have access to computers somewhere in their schools. Does nearly universal access mean nearly universal use, though? Teacher Use of Computers and the Internet in Public Schools [alternate source for this report], an April 2000 NCES report, attempts to answer that question.
The report is based on a survey, conducted in the fall of 1999, that examined computer use among teachers and students at a representative sample of 900 U.S. elementary, middle, and high schools. About one-third of the schools, ranging in size from fewer than 130 students to more than 1,500 students, are located in central cities, one-third lie in urban fringes, and one-third are in towns and rural areas.
The 21-question survey asked teachers to indicate how often (from "not at all" to "a lot") they required students to use computers for such activities as practice drills, problem solving, computer applications, multimedia presentations, research, and distance learning. It also asked teachers to indicate the degree to which they used computers for tasks that did not involve direct instruction, such as creating instructional materials, planning lessons, posting projects and homework, and communicating with students, parents, and colleagues.
AND THE ANSWER IS…
The interim results of the survey, released late last month, revealed that 66 percent of teachers use computers "a lot" for classroom instruction, 39 percent frequently use them to create instructional materials, and 7 percent use them often to communicate with students and/or parents. The report also found that three factors strongly influence how -- and how often -- teachers use computers. Those factors include years of teaching experience, hours of professional development, and student poverty levels. According to the report,
20 percent of teachers with fewer than nine years' teaching experience but only 11 percent of teachers with more than 20 years experience frequently use computers to gather information for lesson planning.
82 percent of teachers who had more than 32 hours of professional development but only 41 percent of teachers who did not have any professional development often use computers for classroom instruction.
52 percent of teachers in low-poverty schools but only 32 percent of teachers in high-poverty schools use computers a lot to create instructional materials.
In addition, the survey found, only 10 percent of the teachers responding feel "very well prepared" to use computers. Most -- 66 percent -- feel either "somewhat prepared" or "not at all prepared" to use computers for classroom instruction.
MORE TO COME
The current report, however, addresses only a portion of the data obtained from the NCES survey and leaves a number of questions still unanswered. The full report, which, according to NCES spokesperson Edith McArthur, will be available this summer, is expected to contain a great deal of additional data, including information about variations in student-computer ratios, professional development opportunities, and technical support at the surveyed schools. That information should make it easier for administrators and technology coordinators to interpret the data more accurately and use it most advantageously.
Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education World
Friday, July 2, 2010
End of Week 1
Hello everyone! We are done with week 1. Woo-hoo! Our class meeting and group meeting all were successful! I feel confident that I was able to complete all the assignments and BLOG BLOG BLOG. I am so proud of myself for using google docs and webex for the first times ever! Hopefully the next few weeks will go as smoothly! I am looking forward to learning more and more about technology! (I never thought I would say that!) Happy 4th of July weekend!!!!
Pam
Pam
The LOWDOWN on LOTI
The term "LOTI" is new to me until I started this class. I think LOTI is a fantastic tool for teachers to use as a guideline on how they set up their lessons and classroom. It promotes higher order thinking, decision making, accountability, and professional development to name a few. These are all aspects we need to live by as future teachers. I think the LOTI powerpoint is a terrific tool to use when planning and possibly to refer back to when on an interview and asked why and how we would incorporate technology into the class.
Changing to Learn video
The video that is posted on moodle "Changing to Learn" is really great. It shows how much we as educators need to be aware of how much our world is changing around us, even since most of us were in school not that long ago. We need to incorporate all of this newness in our classroom to engage our students and motivate them. Keeping up with the times is not enough. We need to indulge ourselves in all of these aspects of technology to get the most for our students as we can. Excellent video!
Week 1 webex meeting
Hello Everyone! Well we are almost done with our first week of lit and technology! I think that our first session went rather well considering most of us havent had much experience with this type of technology. I am really excited to move forward with the class and learn many more aspects of technology I dont already know. I cant believe how much is really out there! Overall, I think it was a great week! Talk to everyone soon! Happy 4th!
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