Chapter 1 Book Study

Page 3
Quote: "People around the world are taking their education out of school into homes, libraries, internet cafes, and workplaces, where they can decide what they want to learn, when they want to learn, and how they want to learn."

I find this quote meaningful because this is exactly what we, as preservice teachers, are entering into as teachers, as well as what we are going through. Schools aren't completely to the point where students are deciding what and when they learn. However, we are getting closer to students choosing how they want to learn. This can be really beneficial for students because teachers can get a more accurate assessment of what the students are learning, as well as the students actually learning. The book also discusses the fact that students will soon be able to chose what they want to learn. This is happening with homeschools, charter schools, etc. Every day, young students, older students, and adults not in school anymore are learning more and more, and it isn't in a school. It's on the internet. We need to prepare ourselves for more of this, and learn ways to make sure that it stays beneficial, because if technology is really going to replace schools, then we as teachers need to make sure the students are getting an appropriate education, whatever that might be.

Page 6
Quote: "Technology makes life more difficult for teachers."

This is a simple quote, but it sums up everything that I am feeling right now as a preservice teacher. To a student who has a question about a topic, the student can either wait for the teacher to give an answer that he or she may not be sure about, or go online to find the answer, which is more likely going to be for sure correct. This diminishes a teacher's reliability to his or her students. Technology is great for teaching, however, because it offers so many resources that can fit each student's individual learning style. This can have negative effects, though, because a teacher who went to school years ago will have to learn each new tool and not know its full range of benefits or dangers. Also, because technology isn't fully supported academically or financially, a teacher that wants to include more technology in the classroom is left out all alone to support it.

Page 7
Quote: "In particular, the new technologies can undermine both Jefferson's vision of educating citizens who can make sensible public policy decisions and Mann's vision of a society where everyone can succeed by obtaining a public education."

Without schools and structure of a school day (and all that a school day can offer), people will be left on their own to learn. With homeschools, the parents can become qualified to teach. However, it is not a requirement that they do. With online learning, there is an online professor. Most of the work is left up to the student, which is great for learning responsibility and time-management. Unfortunately, online learning is only available to people who have specific interests, or for students who aren't able to attend a school for physical, mental, or behavioral/emotional issue. The other issue with no school is that people will be able to learn what they want to learn. The bad thing about this is that people aren't going to be prepared for if their career path doesn't work out for them. Also, they have to make sure they get the basic knowledge necessary for every day life, like math and science. Schools provide this for us so we do have a chance for success in life.

Gaming Criteria

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jWzmqVlFaYYXEn7hzPSLtGYmaEB4f5S9VWRMeTcvrgQ/edit

Evaluation of Online Brain Teasers/ Lumosity

This game is a great tool for people that need to improve their cognitive attention and creativity. I tried it on my own and it gave me three brain games to play that helped me practice attention, multitasking (though being good at multitasking is opinionated!), and memory. The site chose games for me based on what I wanted to improve.

Evaluation of online strategy game

http://www.learn4good.com/kids-games/board/allout.htm

This website is a terrible website for children. First off, a devil is the host of the game. Second, when you can't figure out the puzzle, the devil will ask you if you would like to sell your soul to the devil for a solution. It is a terrible role model for children! Now, for a college student, as a brain teaser, that's fine because we are experienced enough to not be tricked by this "devil" guy. For a childrens' strategy game, if I were a child, I wouldn't want to ever find a strategy! Terrible website.

Evaluation of Online Game: Do2Learn Synonyms and Antonyms

This game would work with students who are learning about synonyms and antonyms. As an Autism Line Therapist, I would use this game because it works on opposites and similarities, as well as putting puzzle pieces together. However, it seems like it is an only one-time use game.

Khan Academy

I loved (!) exploring Khan Academy's website. It was modern with the black screen and easy colors to visualize what was being taught. I also liked the idea of "community questions." This is where anyone can post a question and get an answer. There are also suggestions on the side. For example, don't repeat what others post, just vote it up or down instead. I actually chose to watch a video on geometric proofs. I struggle with these in my geometry class, but when I watched what the instructor was doing, I could rewind or pause the video to process what was being said. There were several videos for different proofs, as well as over 100 videos for just geometry! After watching the video, I could post a question and receive an answer.

How can data drive instruction?

Reviewing data like NETS quiz can help you as a teacher see where you are going wrong with instruction. If the students are struggling getting the idea from your question, then you may be writing it wrong. For example, our group looked at question 2, and we realized that the students probably don't understand what two of the options mean, and that's why over half of the class clicked on that choice.
I will definitely use data like this in my classroom because it is a check-up on how I am doing as a teacher, and if the students are learning from me. This is important because these students are going to be with me all year, so I need to be sure that I am an effective teacher for all of my students. Data like this can help me see the big picture. If just one student is struggling, then I can work individually, but if over half of my class is struggling, I need to fix my approach and figure out where my students are struggling.