Usability: The most valuable technology is one that is easy for both the teacher and student to use. The given technology should not demand overwhelming amount of training to understand. The best technology is easy and straightforward.
Cost: Free or low cost technology is the best. Districts today do not have the financial strength to purchase technology, especially technology that is sparsely used.
Reliability: Is the information I am getting reliable? When we use different technology we need to make sure it is giving us correct information from reliable sources.
Instructional Worth: Is this something I can use in the classroom all of the time? Is this better than what I was doing before?
Security: Is it password protected? Is it easy for my students to plagiarize?
Usability
4 3 2 1
Very Easy Very Difficult
Is it easy to use?
Cost
4 3 2 1
Free Very Expensive
How expensive is it?
Reliability
4 3 2 1
Very Reliable Not Reliable
Is this a reliable source of information?
Instructional Worth
4 3 2 1
Very Useful Not Useful
Is it useful in the classroom?
Security
4 3 2 1
Very secure Not Secure
Is it secure?
Aggregators: I have never used these before but after playing around with them for little while I began to like it. I am a news junky so these are perfect for me. I am not sure what their use would be in the classroom. I could see using it for secondary students if we were doing something with current events. Some of the RSS feed extensions were confusing, especially the Wizz RSS. I liked the google RSS extension for the chrome browser. It was very simple to use, it took about 1-2 minutes to figure out.
Usability
4
Cost
4
Reliability
2
Instructional Worth
3
Security
2
Social Bookmarks: Can be a handy tool for sharing with friends. It is very easy to use and doesn’t require lots of training. Not sure how this would be valuable to learners. Most sites like this are blocked by school districts.
Usability
4
Cost
4
Reliability
1
Instructional Worth
2
Security
3
Internet Search Tools: Very useful for the classroom. Students have very little knowledge on correct ways to search. It is very useful to show them different search engines and the results they get.
Usability
3
Cost
4
Reliability
4
Instructional Worth
4
Security
4
WebStart: I could see WebStarts being a useful tool when students are doing research. They could access the teacher’s WebStart page where they would then find useful links or a starting off point in their research. This could be a good way of limiting what sources the students are allowed to use.
Usability
2
Cost
4
Reliability
2
Instructional Worth
2
Security
3
Weblogs: I believe these are useful tools for teachers. From my experience this requires some time to learn the basics, I would say an hour or two. This could be a great “teacher website” where documents and other information is stored. It could also be a great way to encourage student discussions as well as a place for them to be able to ask the teacher or other students any questions they may have.
NAME: Andrea Homburg
ASSIGNMENT: Learning Model Comparative Article
Model 1:Problem-based learning
Model 2: Discovery Learning
Comparison Criteria
Model 1
Model 2
Student-Centeredness
Very student centered.
Very student centered
Teacher’s Role
Teacher acts as a guide, helping the students when they need it. Teacher does not teach content
Teacher acts as a guide, helping the students when they need it. Teacher does not teach content
Depth of Learning
Students are mainly concerned with finding solutions to problems. They may, however, learn skills along the way
Broader than problem-based learning. Students can explore many more ideas because they are not solely concerned with solving problems
Ease of Use
Somewhat difficult because every student will be in a different spot in their learning as well as learning about many different topics
Somewhat difficult because every student will be in a different spot in their learning as well as learning about many different topics
Problem-Based Learning: In problem based learning the student is first given a problem. They then use their background knowledge, information they already know, in order to figure what they need in order to solve the problem. The learner then finds resources. Teachers may help the students by scaffolding and modeling. Once the student has the necessary resources he or she can then come up with a solution to the problem. The student must then defend their solution and back it up with information from their resources.
:problem based learning model.gif
Discovery learning: In discovery learning instead of being told the content by the teacher it is up to the students to explore and discover the content and principles. The teacher is there to guide the student and scaffold the information if the students require it. Students are learning different skills along the way through this process.
:discovery learning cycle.gif
Although both of these are somewhat similar there are some differences. Problem based learning deals only with problems and solutions. The solution is open-ended, meaning there can be more than one answer as long as the student justifies it. Discovery learning may deal with problems and solutions, but it can also deal with content and skills where there is only one correct answer. An example of a lesson for the problem-based model is where the students are given the problem of Genocide. There have been genocides all throughout history and it is the student’s job is to research a current genocide as well as a historic genocide. After this research they are to come up with a solution to genocide. The question the students will have to answer is: How can we stop genocide in the future from happening? This is a question that depicts genocide as the problem and there are multiple solutions. An example of a discovery learning lesson would be to have the students research and write an essay on the causes of WWII. In doing so the student gains research skills, writing skills, as well as content-based knowledge. Both models are great tools to use in the classroom.
Discussion Question 1.1 (Due Week 2) What is meant by a learning tool. Can you describe a learning tool which you use? What characterizes a learning tool and how is technology related to learning tools?
A learning tool is anything we use to enhance what we are teaching and/or learning. The text books that we traditionally use in all of our classes are the first thing that come to my mind when I think of learning tools. We attend classes and listen to teacher lectures and participate in different interactive activities, but almost always we are assigned a reading of some sort to “enhance” either what we went over in class or to prepare us for what we will be learning about next. Technology is a perfect learning tool for the Net Generation. The Net Generation is a generation that is eager to learn, but wants to learn by doing and being involved rather than always being assigned long readings or listening to teachers lecture daily. Technology is a practical approach to a learning tool for this up and coming age where it is definitely much more prominent in our lives.
Discussion Question 1.2 (Due Week 2) What is meant by “User Extensibility”, and how does this phenomenon affect learning environments of today? What should teachers know about user extensibility?
User Extensibiliy is used to describe something such as a program that allows users to expand or add to it. This affects learning environments today because things are constantly changing at a much faster rate then before. Teachers should understand that this is positive because it allows easier access to knowledge, but they also need to be careful to make sure that these new ideas are reliable and valid.
Discussion Question 1.3 (Due Week 2) How might one’s generational characteristics impact one’s perception of video games? What are the obvious benefits of video games, and what are the legitimate concerns? What should teachers should be aware of?
Those who were born before the 80’s have many misconceptions of the impact video/computer games have to today kids. To them, video/computer games pose a threat to their children much in the same way that their parents felt rock and roll posed a threat on them. They are worried about what their kids may be taking away from the violence and things of that nature that are not always, but often times present in the popular games of today. Parents and those of the older generation feel that the violence will cause aggressive behavior among kids. However what they forget to recognize are the positive things like hand-eye coordination, leadership skills, quick decision making skills, etc. that are extremely beneficial skills for their children to obtain. So while the argument that the violence will have a harsh impact on kids of today seems rather valid, we as teachers, and parents, must remember to always provide counter-messages. Kids have plenty of counterbalancing influences around them on a daily basis from those they associate themselves with, to their families and religion, and through other media, schools, jobs, etc. When looking at video/computer gaming among the other counter-balances kids encounter, the threat that is “violence” poses is quite minute.
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1j-bE6Tnfs5SRJmSvDcnGAIWaF-Gsl8vJz3UyAbrC-Ow
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1DhghyyCYA8cdvPMqcl5--Oq5iz7xK83ilBslOD_YSTY
UPDATED Technology Critique
Andrea Homburg
Technology Critique (Rough Draft)
Five Criteria
Usability: The most valuable technology is one that is easy for both the teacher and student to use. The given technology should not demand overwhelming amount of training to understand. The best technology is easy and straightforward.
Cost: Free or low cost technology is the best. Districts today do not have the financial strength to purchase technology, especially technology that is sparsely used.
Reliability: Is the information I am getting reliable? When we use different technology we need to make sure it is giving us correct information from reliable sources.
Instructional Worth: Is this something I can use in the classroom all of the time? Is this better than what I was doing before?
Security: Is it password protected? Is it easy for my students to plagiarize?
Very Easy Very Difficult
Free Very Expensive
Very Reliable Not Reliable
Very Useful Not Useful
Very secure Not Secure
Aggregators: I have never used these before but after playing around with them for little while I began to like it. I am a news junky so these are perfect for me. I am not sure what their use would be in the classroom. I could see using it for secondary students if we were doing something with current events. Some of the RSS feed extensions were confusing, especially the Wizz RSS. I liked the google RSS extension for the chrome browser. It was very simple to use, it took about 1-2 minutes to figure out.
Social Bookmarks: Can be a handy tool for sharing with friends. It is very easy to use and doesn’t require lots of training. Not sure how this would be valuable to learners. Most sites like this are blocked by school districts.
Internet Search Tools: Very useful for the classroom. Students have very little knowledge on correct ways to search. It is very useful to show them different search engines and the results they get.
WebStart: I could see WebStarts being a useful tool when students are doing research. They could access the teacher’s WebStart page where they would then find useful links or a starting off point in their research. This could be a good way of limiting what sources the students are allowed to use.
Weblogs: I believe these are useful tools for teachers. From my experience this requires some time to learn the basics, I would say an hour or two. This could be a great “teacher website” where documents and other information is stored. It could also be a great way to encourage student discussions as well as a place for them to be able to ask the teacher or other students any questions they may have.
NAME: Andrea Homburg
ASSIGNMENT: Learning Model Comparative Article
Model 1:Problem-based learning
Model 2: Discovery Learning
Problem-Based Learning: In problem based learning the student is first given a problem. They then use their background knowledge, information they already know, in order to figure what they need in order to solve the problem. The learner then finds resources. Teachers may help the students by scaffolding and modeling. Once the student has the necessary resources he or she can then come up with a solution to the problem. The student must then defend their solution and back it up with information from their resources.
Discovery learning: In discovery learning instead of being told the content by the teacher it is up to the students to explore and discover the content and principles. The teacher is there to guide the student and scaffold the information if the students require it. Students are learning different skills along the way through this process.
Although both of these are somewhat similar there are some differences. Problem based learning deals only with problems and solutions. The solution is open-ended, meaning there can be more than one answer as long as the student justifies it. Discovery learning may deal with problems and solutions, but it can also deal with content and skills where there is only one correct answer. An example of a lesson for the problem-based model is where the students are given the problem of Genocide. There have been genocides all throughout history and it is the student’s job is to research a current genocide as well as a historic genocide. After this research they are to come up with a solution to genocide. The question the students will have to answer is: How can we stop genocide in the future from happening? This is a question that depicts genocide as the problem and there are multiple solutions. An example of a discovery learning lesson would be to have the students research and write an essay on the causes of WWII. In doing so the student gains research skills, writing skills, as well as content-based knowledge. Both models are great tools to use in the classroom.
Discussion Question 1.1 (Due Week 2)
What is meant by a learning tool. Can you describe a learning tool which you use? What characterizes a learning tool and how is technology related to learning tools?
Discussion Question 1.2 (Due Week 2)
What is meant by “User Extensibility”, and how does this phenomenon affect learning environments of today? What should teachers know about user extensibility?
Discussion Question 1.3 (Due Week 2)
How might one’s generational characteristics impact one’s perception of video games? What are the obvious benefits of video games, and what are the legitimate concerns? What should teachers should be aware of?