Digital Storytelling using Slideshare

Here is an example of digital storytelling using Slideshare.

Review in Action

View more presentations from Kami Borhon.

Assessment Rubrics

Rubrics are great tools for teachers and students. They help teachers to “define the quality of completed assignments” and students to “critique and revise their own assignments before handing them in” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 396).

Stevens and Levi (2005) define a rubric as a ”Scoring tool that lays out the specific expectations for an assignment” (p. 3). To accomplish this task, rubrics “divide an assignment into its component parts and provide a detailed description” of acceptable or unacceptable performance levels for them (Stevens & Levi, 2005, p. 3).

Writing good rubrics require diligent study and practice. As an activity, I was assigned to design a rubric for a previously developed project. In a precious assignment, I had designed an extra credit “digital storytelling” project for a unit in my college freshmen preparatory algebra course. In this assignment, I was assigned to design a rubric to assess that project.

Although I had designed few rubrics—primarily for math and visual arts—before, I found designing this rubric somewhat challenging. In this assignment, I had to examine my own sample project—which I have provided for the students as a reference—as I was designing the rubric.

To design this rubric, I considered a maximum points (21) and the designated criteria. After careful considerations, I finalized on three major categories: “Content,” “Duration and Quality,” and “Format and Timely Submission.”

To view my sample rubric, please click here.

References

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Stevens, D. D. & Levi, A. (2005). Introduction to rubric. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

Curriculum Page: A Digital Storytelling Example

A curriculum page (CP) is a “Teacher-created document containing hyperlinks to teacher-selected Web sites that assist in teaching content-specific curriculum objectives” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 418). Given my recent exposures to the CP, especially during the development processes, I have come to the conclusion that such a tool is not only necessary for online courses, but also highly beneficial for face-to-face (f2f) classroom format. In addition, I have determined that digital storytelling should be an integral part of a successful CP design.

As an activity, I was assigned to design and develop a digital storytelling project as an example of the type I plan my students to produce. I designed this project for a college freshmen preparatory algebra course. Moreover, this project relates to “Translating Words into Expression”—a concept included in the designated unit for my CP and ultimately my final project.

Given my prior positive experience with Prezi, I selected the same tool to develop this project. In developing this project—compared with a previous one, similar in terms of concept and selected technology—, I was more mindful of its contents. Moreover, given that my students will use this digital storytelling project as an example for developing their own, I devoted more time on planning the overall design. In addition, I was conscious of its format by comparing both the design and its implementation with the rubric which I will be using to grade my students’ projects.

The topic for the project—in the selected unit of algebra—will be to, “Describe a real life situation, and translate it to an algebraic expression.” Further detail information, instructions, online resources, and the assessment rubric will be provided in the corresponding project page available via a link in the unit’s CP. Here is an example of the project, explain above. This project will also be included in my curriculum page later.

Review in Actions 2 - Unit 1.1 on Prezi

Reference

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Curriculum Pages and Expanding Possibilities in Teaching

Whether teaching a face-t-face (f2f), online, or mixed-mode—combined f2f and online formats—course, curriculum pages play an important role by providing access to “quality Web resources, link to additional information, and opportunities to learn more” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 418). In general, curriculum pages assist teachers in delivering course contents with the possible inclusion of variety of audio and visual resources which in turns provide more stimuli for learning and maximizing retention.

Shelly et al. (2010) define a curriculum page as a “Teacher-created document containing hyperlinks to teacher-selected Web sites that assist in teaching content-specific curriculum objectives” (p. 418). I believe that curriculum pages continually prove to be an important tool for any successful teacher in the 21^st century.

As an activity, I was asked to develop a curriculum page for one of the courses I currently teach. I selected Beginning Algebra (BA)—a f2f course with the least amount of technology integration among the courses I teach. In developing the corresponding curriculum page (CP), I encountered several challenges, such as determining contents, finalizing the format, selecting appropriate online math resources, and overcoming limitations related to my selected Web authoring resource.

The BA course includes six units, each containing five-eight sub-units. In this regard, selecting a unit with manageable contents for this project was challenging. I selected Unit 1.1, among Unit 1’s corresponding eight sub-units. The format was particularly challenging, given that BA is college course. I preferred designing a visually stimulus CP—not overly graphical yet appropriate for my college students’ average age. There are numerous online math resources; however, directly relevant information for my selected unit is not uniformly present in a single Website. Consequently, I had to explore numerous sites to identify desired online resources suitable for my selected unit. 

I had previously selected “Google Sites” (GS) as the Web authoring recourse to develop my teaching Website. My selected (option of the) GS is provided free of charge, and as a result, includes many limitations—many of which become apparent as one proceeds with a more sophisticated and/or comprehensive CP designs. As I continued with my CP development, I experienced several noticeable limitations, such as the lack of capability of creating hyperlinks to files, not allowing the creation of multiple sub-pages (including in the menu toolbar), and the lack of acceptance to include MS Word’s Clipart images.

Rather than limiting my design to fit GS limitations. I decided to complete the development of my CP as I desired, place it on my other Website as a Web file, and create hyperlinks on both the CP and my teaching Website.

To view my curriculum page, please click here.  (You may also access the curriculum page via my teaching Website by clicking here, and then click on “Unit 1”.)

Reference

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Curriculum Integration and Digital Storytelling in a Classroom

An important element which guides a teacher in a right (required) direction is the curriculum. Shelly, Gunter, and Gunter (2010) define curriculum as the “Knowledge, skills, and performance standards students are expected to acquire in particular grad levels…on subject matter units of instruction…” p. 324. Moreover, the “combination of all technology parts, such as hardware and software, together with each subject-related” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 327) is defines as curriculum integration.

Indeed, the main purpose of this integration is to enhance learning by helping teachers to meet the “curriculum standards and learner outcomes for each lesson, unit, or activity” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 327). In this regard, many argue that using technology to explain a concept or an idea, or telling a traditional story, i.e., digital storytelling (Anonymous, n.d.) will enhance learning. Moreover, such integration in the curricula is strongly encouraged.

Based on my understanding and exposure to curriculum integration and digital storytelling included in our recent readings and activities, I am asked to plan a digital storytelling project for my students. Among the courses I teach, I plan to select Beginning Algebra (BA)—a college-preparatory course which supplements the algebraic background of students prior to taking upper-level mathematics courses. For the past three months, I have been trying to identify and integrate appropriate technology in my BA course.

Given that an important and challenging aspect of algebra is to correlate algebraic equations and their applications, related digital storytelling projects will be excellent (in almost all units in BA) for my students. I think that such projects will enhance their understandings of the corresponding concepts as they collaborate while developing their projects.

I may assign developing digital storytelling projects to explain how first- and second-degree equations are applicable in our daily lives. An example of such projects may be: Describe a real life situation, translate it to an algebraic equation, and solve it. For such a project, I may ask incorporating both audio and video (using digital camera and/or PowerPoint) with a maximum duration of 5 minutes. Among many online resources, I may suggest using Slideshare, Prezi, Animoto, and Voicethread.

References

Anonymous (n.d.). Digital storytelling in plain English. Retrieved October 17, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP6CeGLPuOY

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Digital Media, Instructional Strategies, and Learning

The methods by which lessons are conveyed to students are usually called instructional strategies. Naturally, adopting the right methods to deliver lessons is an important and daunting task for a teacher—given that students learn differently and have varied preferences. In a learning-centered classroom—in which students are more active in their learning processes—, selecting appropriate strategies become more tedious. The good news is that digital media offers a wealth of possibilities and solutions.

Digital media is defined as “Technologies that allow users to create new form of interaction, expression, communication, and entertainment in a digital format” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 270). Indeed, digital media applications are transforming the traditional dynamics of learning by offering interactivity as one of their major features (Shelly et al., 2010).

It is recommended that when students are given a chance to “hear, see, and interact with a learning environment, [they] can retain as much as 80 percent of the information” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 300).  Moreover, in addition to their interactivity, digital media applications (in the classroom) make learning fun and engaging thus facilitating the shift from teaching to learning.

In exploring the possibilities of digital media in a classroom, I was instructed to develop a digital presentation—digital story telling—using online tools such as Slideshare and/or Prezi. Digital story telling is “digital explanations using technology to tell/explain something such as an idea, concept, or a traditional story” (Anonymous, n.d.).

Given my prior exposure to PowerPoint presentation (used in Slideshare), I decided to explore a more dynamic digital presentation, using Prezi. I must admit that I am taken by the whole experience—thinking of the endless possibilities which these digital tools can provide for more effective teaching and learning.  

After watching the provided onsite tutorial video, I began my exploration. Using the Prezi’s editor was challenging at first; however, it became fun to work with as I gradually learned how to use it. In general, this program is very unique, fun, and easy to use. This activity, undoubtedly, has increased my awareness of the enormous possibilities by which I can enhance my instructional plans which I desperately need in my math classes.

References

Anonymous (n.d.). Digital storytelling in plain English. Retrieved October 17, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP6CeGLPuOY

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

 

Below is the result of my attempt in creating a digital presentation for one of the sub-units of my algebra class.

1st project on Prezi

Computer Hardware, Mathematica Program, and Classroom Budget

In a scenario-based activity, I was offered to select and purchase one program software for the existing computer in my class. Moreover, I was told to demonstrate the impact of the selected software on student learning. In addition, I was told that no additional funds will be available to upgrade our classroom computer. I was also given three catalogs using which I may purchase the software.  

Given that my course is in mathematics (Algebra) and that I have always had a good impression of the Mathematica program, I decided on purchasing Mathematica 7. Explored the three catalogs, and selected K12 Software for their suitable price. Mathematica is a powerful program software which may be used in most (if not all) secondary and post-secondary mathematics courses. I have used this program in most of my undergraduate math courses.

In addition to computation, Mathematica may be used for “modeling, simulation, visualization, development, documentation, and deployment…[with] unprecedented workflow, coherence, reliability, and innovation”  (Anonymous, n.d., para. 1). After exploring the new features of Mathematica 7, I determined this program, indeed, will maximize my students’ understanding of Algebra and will further stimulate their interests in mathematics.

In general, identifying software’s system requirements—before purchasing—is strongly recommended. For a software program to function properly, one has to pay a close attention to its system requirements which include the minimum (and recommended) specifications of the necessary computer hardware and operating system. Shelly, Gunter, and Gunter (2010) define hardware as the “electronic and mechanical equipment that makes up a computer” (p. 4) and operating system as the system software containing “instructions that coordinates all the activities of the hardware devices in a computer (p. 136).

Given my strong background in computer hardware and software, I had no difficulty using Windows operating system to obtain the desired information. So, to obtain the desired information, I used Microsoft’s “System” tool in the “Control Panel.” The corresponding information follows:

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium—Service Pack 2
System Type: 32-bit Operating System
Processor Type & Speed: Intel Core Quad CPU @ 2.66 GHz
Memory (RAM): 4.00 GB
Screen Resolution: 1680x1050 pixels
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
Monitor: HP x2207 wide LCD
Free Disk Space:    56.1 GB

In addition, to identify (complete) minimum system requirements for Mathematica 7, I checked the manufacturer’s Website (Wolfram Research). The corresponding information follows:

Microsoft Windows: Windows Server 2003, XP, Vista (32- or 64-bit)
Minimum Memory: 256 MB (Recommended: 1 GB or greater)
Minimum Free Disk Space: 4 GB

Given the information, I determined that our computer meets all the suggested minimum system requirements. After purchasing the software, I installed the software with no difficulty. However, the process of certain matrix operations (especially multiplications) and graphing more complex equations are relatively slow.

It is suggested that Mathematica 7 requires “little memory to start and run, but with large calculations (e.g., large matrix operations and graphics), the memory requirements can grow quickly” (Anonymous, n.d., para 2). In this regard, increasing the memory (RAM) size and hard disk space will be our priority as soon as the budget would be available in the future—the more RAM and disk space (will be used if RAM is insufficient), the more efficiently Mathematica 7 will operate.

References

Anonymous (n.d.). Wolfram Technical Support Center. Wolfram Mathematica 7. Retrieved Oct. 14, 2010, from http://support.wolfram.com/technotes/requirements.html

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Personal, Online, and Academic Identities—Where is the boundary?

Without a doubt, the Internet, as a powerful tool, plays an important role in our daily lives. Given its wealth of information and ease of access, it has also become an important tool for teachers and students. Thus, its integration in the curricula is inevitable and gradually underway.

Indeed, today’s students “crave for all things digital and their world often revolves around the Web and all the wonderful digital tools and devices that they have at their fingertips” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 184). Consequently, to teach and reach this digital generation, teachers should be able to integrate these new digital tools into their curricula (Shelly et al., 2010).

As integral parts of the Internet, Websites provide direct access to the vast amount of information available in the Internet. Luckily, in recent years, many online tools have become available to easily create Web pages. In addition, many specialty Websites— e.g., blog (short for Weblog), wiki (a collaborative Website)—have recently been available in the Internet which have provided variety of options for teachers and students to communicate and collaborate.

Blogs have been particularly popular among the educators and students. Indeed, blogs “can bring today’s students into the world of writing and many other curriculum areas (Shelly et al., 2010, p.191). Moreover, many teachers setup their blogs to access and communicate with their students outside the classroom. As an educator, I have created blogs to maximize communications with my students. Moreover, as a student, I have setup this blog to further share my thoughts and experience related to the courses I take at the University of Central Florida.

To maximize connections with my readers, I was asked to create an “About Page” in my blog. Given that I had created and properly linked pages in my blogs in the past, the technical aspect of this activity was not challenging for me. Moreover, I did not use Google Profile although it seemed fairly easy to use.

However, I must confess that deciding the extent of appropriate personal information to be revealed in my blog was quite challenging. In this regard, I have been pondering about the appropriate boundaries by which providing personal information online would be suitable.

In general, I am much more comfortable sharing my thoughts and experience than my identity and related personal information online. However, Weller (n.d.) declares that an “online identity is becoming default for academics now;” (para. 1) therefore, he predicts that “your online identity will be your academic identity” (para. 2). I must uncomfortably admit that he might prove to be right in his prediction.

As an artist, educator, and student, I have become more and more active online thus providing more personal information as well. In this regard, I have always found it challenging to determine where to draw the line. Indeed, such boundaries are narrowing rapidly in this digital age.  

References

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Weller, W. (n.d.). Blogging and academic identity. The Ed Techie. Retrieved October 7, 2010, from http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/no_good_reason/2009/06/blogging-and-academic-identity.html

Microsoft Excel: A Useful Tool for Teachers

My prior experience in using Microsoft Excel has been entering simple data and evaluating prepared results. I had also been informed of the effectiveness of Excel in developing, calculating and maintaining data, in general. However, I had not experienced the extent of which this program could be useful for teachers—especially in terms of developing gradebooks, for example.

Excel is among the most popular productivity software programs in the market. It is, more specifically, a spreadsheet software program which allows organizing numeric data in rows and columns (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010). In general, the productivity software programs are “designed to make people more effective and efficient while performing daily activities,” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 144) among which spreadsheet programs and more specifically excel are widely used.

Given that I had mostly used programs such as Bloackbud and RenWeb (provided by the schools) to manage students’ overall data, grades, etc., I had hardly required the need to use Excel. Moreover, in case of some limited requirements and needs, I had used Microsoft Word—mainly a words processing software—in the past. I must confess that during the hands-on exercise—developing, editing, and modifying students’ numeric data, i.e., gradebook—I was both surprised and challenged by the program’s potentials, procedures, and results.

I was pleasantly surprised to experience Excel’s capability to help me, as a teacher, to calculate grades and provide data exactly in the format which I would want it to be. I also found the program challenging especially in terms of determining the appropriate formulas, learning their proper syntax, and applying them to each set of data. Moreover, I must admit that initially, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the complexity of the program.

To overcome this challenge—and accomplish the necessary steps in the hands-on exercise—, I used few online tutorial lessons on Excel which proved to be quite helpful. In fact, I have now become very interested in the program, and plan to allocate an appropriate time for learn it more comprehensively.

Reference

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Computer Ethics and Access in the Information Age

Indeed, the explosive growth of the Internet and its widespread use in today’s schools and classrooms, “raises many issues regarding security, privacy, and ethics” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 491). These concerns have often resulted in “blocking” access to numerous online resources in many of our public and private educational institutions.

One of the major areas—which usually results in this type of restriction (blocking)—is objectionable material on the internet that is characterized an unethical. To further examine this dilemma, one should understand what ethic is and how it applies to the computer technology. Shelly et al. (2010) define ethics as “The standards that determine whether an action is good or bad” (p. 484). In this regard, computer ethics are defines as “the moral guidelines that govern the use of computers, networks, and information systems” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 484).

Indeed, most tools and resources which we depend on and use on a daily basis have dual usage. For example, my car which I totally depend on to transport me from one location to another may also result in killing me; however, this possible outcome should not result in preventing me from driving. Of course, my experience, driving skills, and maturity level should minimize such a negative outcome. Comparatively, it is important to note that the Internet and in general “educational technologies are tools, and their effectiveness is determined by the knowledge, skill, experience, level of training, and ethics of the user” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 503). And so, computer technology is not different from any other resources we utilize on a daily basis.

Similarly, such possible Internet’s negative impacts should not result in preventing access to some of its resources. After all, one does not (and should not) prevent others from using and manufacturing knives because they may also be used to kill people. In this regard, it is indeed more unethical to allow threats to students and schools to result in denying access to instructionally-relevant Web-based tools and contents.

Indeed, there are information and resources in the Internet which may be harmful to k-12 students—based on the standards set by the society and its legal representatives. In this regard, restricting—not blocking—access to some sites (or parts of) may be beneficial. Moreover, using filtering software (at schools) and providing teacher observation (in classrooms)—as pointed out by Shelly et al. (2010)—may be a more particle solution and policy.

However, blocking access to online resources which may also have objectionable materials is both impractical and unethical. In addition, it may be constituted as selecting the easiest solution for the decision maker(s) who may have not understood the value of resources which has been lost as the result. In such cases, one may ask, wouldn’t such decisions minimize learning outcomes—given that maximizing of which is an important aspect of any educational institution’s mission?

Reference

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Teachers and the Networked Students of the 21st Century

In her video clip entitled, “The Networked Student,” Drexler (2008) identifies characteristics of a “networked student” and the role of the teacher in the 21^st century educational environment. The so-called network students term refers to today’s students who are immersed in the constantly changing technology. In fact, most aspects of today’s students’ lives are bombarded by the sound, texts, and images which are facilitated and communicated through the technology on a daily basis. In this regard, their educational environment and learning, in general, have not been immune from the technology’s strong influence.

Indeed, the Internet and the Web have gradually been redefining education, just as they have “transformed modern businesses and today’s society” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 97). Moreover, “By providing a variety of learning tools, the Internet and the Web are transforming the way teachers instruct and the way students learn…” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 95). In fact, all aspects of our educational institutions have been now transformed by the Internet and the Web. From this perspective, many indicate that “the Web will become an integral part of our education, revolutionizing the way students learn…,” (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 96) and so its integration in the curriculum and classroom has become a necessity. In this regard, determining aspects of such a successful integration is gradually becoming the core issue.

To determine the essential aspects of such integration, it is important to fully understand the characteristics of today’s networked students—in which case, the “connectivism” theory plays an important role. Connectivism is a learning theory which “presumes that learning occurs as part of social networks of many diverse connections and ties” (Drexler, 2008). It is important to note that in this learning theory, tools (e.g., the technology) are not “as important as the connections made possible by them” (Drexler, 2008). Indeed such expanded and improved connections play an important role in the  learning-centered classroom—for in such environment, learning is the central focus. (For more on the learning-centered institution, see here.)

In this regard, one may argue that, in this 21^st century classroom, having a teacher may not be necessary. Not quite! Indeed, in this new classroom environment, teachers play an important role—not a central role, but more of a guide or facilitating role. It is also important to note that along with the students, teachers are an integral part of the current educational system. Therefore, in making such a transition smoothly and successfully, considering teachers’ needs and views may prove to be vital.

The characteristics of the 21^st century students have evolved to become the so-called networked students. Although this evolution has forced many changes in the current classroom environment, much more changes in the curricula are necessary to maximize today’s students’ learning outcomes. Such a transformation is inevitable. But, do we have the will to make this transition intelligently, fully, and smoothly yet in a cost effective and timely manner?

References

Drexler, W. (2008).  The networked student. Retrieved September 15, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA.

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Turn on the Ignition to Start the Search in the Internet

Indeed the Internet has revolutionized many aspects of our lives and the way our society functions. The Internet itself is a “global network of computers that contain information on a multitude of subjects” (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 4). Among the tools which has maximized its usefulness and growth—in a way that it has now penetrated in most aspects of our private and public lives—is the advent of search tools.

Search tools, in general, “enable users to locate information found at Web sites all over the world,” and search engines—as its most popular type—assist users to find “Web sites, Web pages, and Internet files that match one or more [entered] keywords” (Shelly et al., 2010, p.83). Given the emphasis on areas of interest (rather than using specific keywords), e.g., entertainments, education, sports, or business, users may use subject directory tools, as another type of search tools (Shelly et al., 2010, p.83). Subject directories provide categorized list of links which are arranged by subject, going from general to specific (Shelly et al., 2010).

Indeed, “Google” and “MSN” have been the most popular and widely used search engine and subject directory tools—in addition to “Yahoo” as a popular search engine. Shelly et al. (2010) suggest that successful searching involves two key steps: 1) Briefly describing the required information in the search tool, and 2) using the display links to access the desired information. In addition, maximizing the efficiency of the search will be achieved by refining the description of keywords in the search tool.

It is recommended that using the following operators, commands, and special characters—in describing the required information in the search tool—will enable the user to achieve such efficiency: Using “+” (“requiring both words to be in the page”), “OR” (“requiring one of the words to be the page”), “-“(“excluding pages with the following the “-“ sign"), “ “ (“requiring the exact phrase within the quotation”), etc. (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 131). Moreover, guidelines such as, using “nouns as keyword,” using “*” to “find variations of words,” typing “keyword in lower case, and limiting “the search by language,” among others, are recommended for successful searching (Shelly et al., 2010, p. 131).

There are numerous search engine and subject directory tools in the field of education which I am very interested and extensively involved. Among them “Education World” (www.education-world.com, to identify educational website), “Google for Educators” (www.google.com/educators, to explore among many teaching resources), “Sites for Teachers” (www.sitesforteachers.com, to access links to teacher resources and educational materials), and “Awesome Library” (www.awesomemlibrary.org, to access reviewed links useful for teachers, students, etc.) (Shelly et al., 2010) are my favorites.

Although some of the information and links contained in above and similar Web sites do overlap, the wealth of information included in them is immeasurable. Nonetheless, there are many other resources specific to individuals’ needs and preference which may easily be searched—using either search engine or subject directory tools—in the Internet. In such searches, the above recommendations for successful searching will be very useful and productive.

Reference

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.

Best for Students or Convenient for Teachers

Presenting a sensitive question that “Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?” McLeod (2007) suggests that “K-12 and postsecondary education would be very different if we asked ourselves this question more often…” Indeed, the inadequacy of our current K-12 educational system warrants examining our teaching and learning methods, policies and procedures as well as exploring the alternatives.

Exploring the ever increasing developmental education, e.g., remedial courses, in our post-secondary institutions suffice to conclude that students are not learning what they are taught. Bahr (2008) estimates “the national direct cost of public postsecondary remedial programs at 1–2 billion dollars annually, and the total direct and indirect public and private costs at nearly 17 billion dollars annually” (p. 421). And so, our system is paying twice to teach many students the same things.

In recent years, many have argued that the inadequacy of our educational system is partly due to the fact that our classrooms are mainly teacher-oriented rather than being student-centered. Such an argument has gradually developed the concept of a learning-centered classroom (focusing on the student) as opposed to an instruction-centered (concentrating on the teacher) one. The proponents of learning-centered institutions also emphasize the development and use of collaborative learning environments in which students work together toward common learning goals–(more on collaborative learning, see here).

Indeed, in such an environment, the technology plays an important role. Such a role is not to replace the teacher but to facilitate and maximize learning. Technology is a tool, a very important one, and has to be used selectively according to the subject of study. Adequate approaches to teaching and learning require “learning how to apply teaching principles, knowledge, and ideas to authentic and practical classroom lessons and project” which maximize learning outcomes—the so-called curriculum-specific learning (Shelly, Gunter, & Gunter, 2010, p. 2). An integration of technology and learning requires teachers’ ability to “access technology resources and plan classroom activities”—the skills necessary to “use computers, digital media, and other technologies combined with a verity of teaching and learning strategies to enhance student’s learning” (Shelly et al., 2010, p.4).

Many courses, by nature, have technology embedded in their instructional units and planning, e. g, Web design, digital photography, programming languages, game design, video production, etc. In contrast, it is relatively challenging to select and incorporate the appropriate technology suitable for subjects like math, reading, writing, and (possibly) science—the very subjects our students are not doing so well nationally.

In response to McLeod’s question of “best for students or convenient for teachers,” one should emphasize a model which embodies important and positive aspects of both criteria and be “practical.” Very often, those who propose and/or ratify our educational policies either have never taught or possess limited teaching experience. Moreover, in addressing the inefficiency of our educational system, more people have continuously been emphasizing teachers’ lack of care and willingness to do more, or resistance to change the status quo. Yes. There are teachers with these habits and tendencies; however, the majority of them have the best interests of students at heart.

Frequently, a high percentage of teachers’ time and efforts (especially in low performing schools) is depleted by parenting and discipline issues. The role of a teacher, in our current educational environment, is not limited to teaching; to many, teaching has become among many other responsibilities which are constantly increasing. Moreover, many programs—including technology—are frequently cut due to the lack of funds. In most cases, when the technology is available, budgetary restrictions prevent adequate training programs which are essential, especially considering that the technology advances quite rapidly.

References

Bahr, P. R. (2008). Does mathematics remediation work? A comparative analysis of academic attainment among community college students. Research in Higher Education, 49(5), 420-50. doi:10.1007/s11162-008-9089-4.

McLeod, S. (2007). Dangerously irrelevant. Retrieved September 1, 2010, from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2007/05/well_whats_your.html.

Shelly, G. B., Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom. (6th ed.). Boston: Course Technology.