20 things I learned about Browsers and the Web

I enjoyed reading this online book, with the url: http://www.20thingsilearned.com/en-US. It was very informative about the nitty gritty about the internet. I had no idea what URL meant or that apps are simply web browser applications that are very safe because they don't require you to have to download anything. I also knew nothing about how the internet was started, or the TCP/IP, or Internet Protocol Suite. One of the things that I kind of already knew about was that emails or pictures or any data sent to another place on the internet is broken up into smaller pieces. The book explains that these smaller chunks are "packets." The more packets you can send, the larger the "bandwidth," or the amount of data you can send over your interconnection per second.
I've also wondered what "the cloud" was because I've seen it promoted on television commercials. What the cloud means is that data can migrate beyond the boundaries of your computer and can be accessed anywhere around the world. Even if a truck crushes your computer, your data can still be accessed on an internet-connected computer. I enjoyed this book; I especially liked that it was like a real book.

Digital Nation

Wow. There were a lot of angles in this video on the influences of multitasking, the influence of technology on your life career, how technology can add years to a life, and how to teach using technology. When I first started watching the video, the topic was multitasking and the students at MIT, how they are the smartest and the most wired students in the nation right now. There was a test given to the students who were the most severe multitaskers. They showed only a few clips, but even with those clips, I realized that I am a terrible multitasker! This makes me think that my students better not be multitasked because they won't benefit as much. However, the video also discussed how students of today's age are natives to technology compared to the adults of today, who would be considered the immigrants. Technology is second nature to them. No one knows what the effects of a lot of technology will be yet; for example, look at how long it took for everyone to realize that smoking is bad for us, but who knows? Multitasking with technology could prove beneficial.
Another aspect of the video was teaching with technology. One commentator said that using all of the technology has made the students' attention span very short. As soon as we have an urge, we need to fulfill that urge. He calls today's teaching "instant-gratification education." One student said a quote that makes me think: "Sometimes the teachers bore us so we go online.." We need to stop that quote right at "sometimes the teachers bore us.." If students are getting bored, we as teachers are doing something wrong. It was proven in the video that using internet can increase math scores and attendance, can lower violence, and can open the mind in new ways. Obviously this means that students have the capacity and desire to learn, so if students are saying they're bored so they go check Facebook, we need to change our tactics. Technology has proven facts that it can be beneficial to a student's learning experience, and in today's age, students will have to learn technology before graduating in order to have a decent career, so we need to learn technology and learn how to best teach while using technology and keeping the kids engaged. In South Korea, students as young as 6 know how to use the internet as well as what is appropriate on the internet. One commentator said that America might not be able to do this like the Koreans, but we can find our ways to use the internet for the right uses and to grasp its full potential.

Designing an IWB

Creating a SMARTboard lesson plan was very instructional and a valuable learning experience because SMARTboards are used in nearly every classroom. It is also a useful technology to use with and teach to students of all ages. When designing this lesson plan, a lot of effort was put into searching through the several websites that offer help with this! I bookmarked 20 websites that I loved the ideas. When finally deciding on a lesson, I ended up using ideas from 3 websites. I then went straight into the SMARTnotebook, and started playing around with what the notebook offers. I didn't end up using the first lesson I designed simply because after playing around with it another day, I found so many more cool things, like the gallery for pictures and animations. After I met with my partner, I was given advice to make things more interesting looking, such as adding color in the background. I'm a believer in keeping the font normal and black, so things aren't too overstimulating; however, I did add some color. I was tempted to use the gradients offerred, but again, it might be too overstimulation, especially in special education. My biggest struggle came when designing the game at the end. I needed to create a finish line, but I couldn't find one. Instead, I used a hurdle, used the green mover to tilt the hurdle and then tilted the number line. In the end, it really did look like a finish line. I also needed to figure out how to flip the runner, which was actually easy. All I needed to use was the right click button.
Creating an IWB impacts my future career as a teacher because research is coming out with support for the use of SMARTboards in Special Education classrooms. Since I am going into Special Education, I need to understand at minimum beyond the basics. This lesson gave me insight to the abilities that not only the SMARTboard but also other technologies possess. I look forward to sharing my lesson plan, especially because I will get constructive criticism back that will make my lesson plan even better!
https://uwsp.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/common/viewFile.d2lfile/Database/MTgzODQ4MTA/331%20smartboard%20lesson%20plan.docx?ou=1850169
https://uwsp.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/common/viewFile.d2lfile/Database/MTgzODQ4MTE/new%20smart%20board%20lesson%20plan.notebook?ou=1850169

What it was like creating a podcast

I made my podcast with a partner which definitely had its benefits! We could bounce ideas off of each other really well, since we both had read the article and agreed on most points. Also, when creating the podcast, she mainly controlled it because it was on her computer, but she had the extra set of eyes to point out things she couldn't find. There was a lot of great teamwork! There were definitely some struggles, however. For example, neither of us could remember that in order to move the sections, we had to stop the whole thing. Even at the end, when we had already been putting in four hours of effort, we still kept forgetting to stop everything else! When we did happen to remember to stop everything, we found everything was much easier to move when we moved sections onto the same line so there were only one or two lines (kind of like cutting and pasting, which was used, too!). Overall, making this project was a fun learning experience! We worked well passed midnight, and even some more the next day, so it took a lot of time and effort. Overall, though, I definitely plan on using podcasts again someday!

Free Tools Challenge #1: Wallwisher – Words That Stick

Free Tools Challenge #1: Wallwisher – Words That Stick

Chapter 9 reflection

This chapter was about social networks, and their educational benefits. I suppose I will start off saying that there are several educational tools; however, I am very skeptical about allowing the use of Facebook and ning.com in the classroom. I am open to using them, however, because it can teach students how to use Facebook the right way, and it is a way to monitor what students are doing on Facebook, and maybe to prevent cyberbullying?
The chapter mentioned that Facebook has this new tool, "courses." This is simply a closed place that students and teachers can exchange information, answer questions, write on each other's walls, and create a shared space for materials. This is great for students who tend to be more quiet, and also for students to ask questions. This can also be used as a great support tool, such as the example where a student had a serious health issue and the other students helped support her and keep her informed.
There is also another option, if teachers don't want to use Facebook: Ning.com. Ning is kind of like Facebook, except that it is totally self-contained so that it is entirely private to only those who are invited to see it. One great use of Ning is that students can practice their writing skills and get constructive feedback from teachers and students. Again, this is another way to show students constructive use of the internet.
I understand the uses of Facebook and Ning, but I would feel much better using Ning versus Facebook. However, using either will definitely keep students engaged. However, what I don't understand is why bring in Facebook when it gives students the opportunity to check their statuses, not be engaged, etc. when instead you could use blogger or flickr, both with the pictures, videos, and discussions.

Chapter 7 Reflection

This chapter focused on the use of Flickr, a web-based digital photography tool. It has also recently evolved into a video-hosting tool, as well. After reading this chapter, I would love to use Flickr in the classroom! I am  very interested in making sure parents know what is going on in the classroom, and this is a way to do just that. I also like how the chapter says that Flickr is a way to "celebrate the good work that students do every day...by putting it online for all (or some to see)" (102). One thing I am worried about, though, is making sure the pictures and videos put up online are appropriate. Introducing Flickr to my students will have its educational benefits, but it is also introducing them to yet another socializing tool. What they do with it outside of class is up to them, but it is up to me as their teacher to teach them the importance of keeping what goes online private and appropriate. One way that Flickr helps to control photos is by making a limit on the "free" version of Flickr of 500 photos. Also, if you want to allow only certain people view the pictures, such as classmates, there is an option to "invite" members to see your pictures. This way, no one else in the public can view them.
I really like the educational benefits from Flickr. For example, it is a great discussion tool. Not only can students post interactive learning tools, such as the example with Jane Goodall's necessities, but students can discuss information about Jane Goodall, what she did, and what were her accomplishments. This is a great way for students to interact and learn more. I also like how Flickr is in touch with Google Reader. This is a fantastic way to show students the benefits of the internet and how they can stay interconnected. It makes it much easier to teach and understand.