Week Fourteen

How and for what purpose did ISTE establish NETS? What standards are currently in place? ISTE prepared and released a document called Technology Foundation Standards for Students from its new project called NETS (National Education Technology Standards). ISTE initiated the project to create a series of national standards that could be used to facilitate the use of educational technology by students, teachers, and administrators to promote school improvement in the USA. The NETS project created standards used to benchmark student achievement in specific technological areas proven to be critical for success in society and industry and to measure teacher technology preparedness. NETS teaching standards include not only the student standards but then extend beyond them to ensure that teachers can use technology appropriately and effectively in both academic and administrative tasks.

 

The NETS for teachers are as follows: I. Technology Operations and Concepts-Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts. II. Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences- Teachers plan and design effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology. III. Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum- Teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning. IV. Assessment and evaluation-Teachers apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies. Productivity and professional practice – Teachers must use technology to enhance their professional practice. V. Productivity and Professional Practice- Teachers use technology to enhance their productivity and professional practice. VI Social , ethical, legal, and human issues – Teachers understand the social, ethical, legal and human issues surrounding the use of technology in PK-12 schools and apply those models in practice.

 

The NETS for students are as follows: 1. Basic operations and concepts. 2. Social, ethical, and human issues. 3. Technology productivity tools. 4. Technology communication tools. 5. Technology research tools. 6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools.

For more information on NETS, visit the ISTE web site at http://cnets.iste.org/

Week Thirteen

What are the four questions related to the fair use guidelines should teachers ask before using copyrighted materials? Fair Use Guidelines describe circumstances under which a teacher can use copyrighted materials in face-to-face instruction. The TEACH Act offers similar guidelines for the use of copyrighted materials in distance learning. The easiest way for educators to use such materials is to ask them selves four basic questions related to use of copyrighted work. The four questions are as follows: 1.) Purpose and Character of Use; What is the intended use? Ask you self , Are you using it for education purposes? Ask you self ; Is the use noncommercial in nature? 2.) Nature of the Copyrighted Work; What type of work is it? Ask you self, Is the work primarily factual in nature? Ask you self; Does the work contain relatively little creative or imaginative substance? 3.) Amount and Sustainability of the Portion Used; How much of the work do you intend to use? 4.) Effect of the Use on the Work's Marketability; What impact does this kind of use have on the market for the work? Ask you self; Would the use substitute for purchasing the original? Ask you self; Would the use negatively affect the market potential of the original?

 

If the intended classroom use of copyrighted materials falls within fair use, then… Use the work only in face-to-face teaching situations; for distance learning, follow the TEACH Act guidelines. Limit copied materials to small amounts and avoid unnecessary copies. Include copyright notices and attribute all work. And, limit the use to a single class once a year.

 

Asking yourself these four questions before using copyrighted materials in your classroom will help you to avoid copyright infringement, an illegal act. It is the educator's professional and legal responsibility to stay aware of the changes to the law and to model its application in his or her classroom. Heed this information, stay out of jail and avoid costly fines your measly salary can't handle.

Week Twelve

What is distance education? What types of support are critical to the success of distance education? Why?

Distance education can be broadly defined as the delivery of instruction to students who are separated from a teacher by time and or/ location. The teacher may be located at a school site, but the student may be "attending" the class at home, using technology to bridge the gap. Or both teacher and student may be at either the same or different locations but available to work on the course only at differing hours. Once again technology serves to bridge the gap. In such cases, instructional events and interactions occur just as they do in traditional settings. Distance learning systems require that teachers and students be ready to work within a new environment. There are two key aspects to their necessary readiness: readiness to accept new roles and readiness to work with new technologies. Teachers who use distance and alternative learning techniques might find themselves surprised by an increase in the demands on their time. It is critical to insure that adequate technical support is in place. In addition to the teacher being present for clarification andf questions, a media center offering a wide variety of resources is also typically present.

Week Eleven

Contrast Internet broadcasts, live cams, and Net meetings. How can each of these Internet-based video technologies be used in teaching and learning? Internet broadcasts, live cams, and Net meetings use a technology called dedicated compressed video system which digitizes the video and transmits an image and sound as clear as broadcast video. . Internet broadcasts range from musical and scientific events to talk show and interview programs. Internet broadcasts use streaming video technology which compresses and plays back the digital video while it is being received. All you require is a player installed on you PC. The player software is available free off the internet. The sponsor of the event being broadcast may also add links as to allow viewers to see what the live audience sees. The Internet broadcasts technology is most appropriate for viewing live entertainment at less cost that TV where as the live cam is useful for producing a surveillance type image for the viewer. The camera is pointed at an object such as a high traffic tunnel or bridge. The viewer can go to the cameras website and watch live images and discern if they wish to visit that location. This technology is useful to monitor a subject or area of interest. There is no commentary usually provided and the audience can make their own assumptions about the material being survived by the camera. Where as the Internet broadcasts, live cams are one-way communication, the Net meeting allows the subjects two-way interface without leaving their office or home. This software allows for the cost effective management of importune meetings without the hassle of the participants commuting to a central meeting place. The net meeting technology allows for viewing of and audio of all participants. Power Point or other presentation material can be broadcast and the participants can comment and interact with colleague as if they were in the meeting room together. All three of these technologies have application is the classroom. The live cams could take a class to the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Parks for observing wildlife. The Internet broadcasts could be used as a classroom observation of a lecture presented last week at a local college. And the Net meeting could be a truly virtual classroom where high school chemistry classes from two different states come together for a common live lab experiment presentation.

Week Ten

What is acceptable use policy? Like any technology, the Internet can be abused. In a school setting, it is therefore necessary to identify and enforce the acceptable use of a school's network and Internet access. This is accomplished through a district's or school's acceptable use policy (AUP). This policy articulates the ways in which the Internet can be used by students. Typically, parents are asked to confirm their understanding of the policy and the consequences for violating the policy by signing a statement of agreement. Teachers who use the Internet and who provide links to recourses via their class web sites should be familiar with the AUP that governs their student's use of the Internet.

What impact does it have on the use of the Web in the classroom? When sharing your student's work or including their images or names in the web site, teachers should be sure to carefully guard a child's privacy. To include any student's information or work, it is best to first have the parent's or guardian's permission. Also, no information about the child should be revealed. The Internet can be a dangerous street and teachers have a moral and professional responsibility to protect students while working online.

Week Nine

What is the difference between asynchronous and synchronous communication? Asynchronous communications are online tools that do not require real-time interaction; examples are e-mail and electronic bulletin boards. Synchronous communications are a method of communicating in which the participants communicate in real time such as a chat-room. Because of their ability to link students to other students in classrooms across the globe, most of these tools offer fascinating educational applications. Name and describe the Internet communication tools that fall into each category. E-mail is the most popular asynchronous communication tool. Another type of asynchronous communication is computer discussion or bulletin board, club, conference, or forum. Mailing list is another asynchronous communication form. This allows automatically deliver email to those who subscribe to a list. A chat room is a form of synchronous communication which allows real-time conversations. You enter a chat-room and type your responses to communication.

Week Eight Assignment

What is the difference between drill-and-practice software and Tutorial software? When is it appropriate to use each in teaching and learning? Drill and practice software is used to reinforce previously presented material. D&P software is used to question learners on key content points, giving them the opportunity to practice content by responding to specific questions, D&P software provides instant feedback as to the correctness of a response. D&P software allows the student to control the pace of the interaction. Critics say this is recall "drill and kill" because the software is boring and passive learning. However, well developed software can provide media rich experiences and provide valuable feedback to students. As apposed to tutorial software which presents new material and is a carefully orchestrated sequenced with frequent opportunities for practice and review. Tutorial software uses hypermedia, as with out IT 645 Class, to allow students to explore more freely the content of pathways available through the material. Tutorials are limited by their ability to respond to student questions or concerns outside the tutorial software. As with drill and practice, tutorial software has the possibility of being boring and repetitive. However, well written programming with multimedia components have the possibility of energizing student progress.

Week Seven Assignment

#1. What are the characteristics of today's students? The student of today is as plugged in and connected to the world as no one before him or her. Today's student is as comfortable with technology as I was shifting gears on my 1968 Volkswagen. Students have no reservation in trying to apply new and emerging technologies. It's as if they were born with a genetic desire to apply and advance new ways of communicating and displaying information. The student of today as few fears of making mistakes in the technological world and wishes to expand the ever diverse world of educational development regarding technology. Technology is not merely an afterthought, but required in every endeavor attempted by academia. The educator who fails to introduce the latest technological development in their lesson plan faces the possibility of rejection by the student population. Music, video, and the excitement of the technological age must be incorporated in the lesson to allow the students the same level of excitement achieved through their X-Box game device. #2. In what way do they differ from the traditional students? The student of today will stay awake 20 hours playing the latest Halo III arrival at Wal-Mart instead of attending class. Why, because it is exciting and school is boring without lights, camera, and action! Let's face it folks, teachers are boring without a new gimmick. If we can only obtain Halo III software which allows the hero to ask English or math questions prior to advancing to the next level; then and only then will we have the undivided attention of our fickle customer. If educators had an ounce of sense we would have the game programmers under contract and have them write history, English, math, and science into the scheme of defeating the recent monster in today's children's video games. Keep up people and quit fighting yesterday's education battle!!

Week Six Assignment

What are the advantages and features of electronic spreadsheets? How do you see them as a benefit in an educational environment? I never put it together that Microsoft Excel is to data/numbers as Microsoft Word is to text/story telling. Spreadsheets allow you to crunch numbers and keep track of multiple sources of these numbers both accurately and with the speed of point and click. This level of organization can almost eliminate the accountant with the green eyeshade visor with the stubby pencil. Keeping track of budgets, grades, and statistical information is now a snap with today's spreadsheet software. I feel the premium benefit of these programs is the accuracy with which numbers can be manipulated. Just input the data and let the program find the balance, average, median, or standard deviation. For the educator with no "off the shelf" grade tracking software, a spreadsheet will rescue you from hours of painful calculator manual work. Just define the parameters for your class grades, enter the names of your students and you are off to the races with grade data and statistical data to make any accounting firm green with envy. Teachers have a variety of ways the grade data can be displayed as a class, individual students, charts, and graphs. The educator can also use spreadsheets to keep track of data for extracurricular clubs and organizations. Also, teaching your students how to use spreadsheets will benefit them in personal finance skills; they can keep the club budget of estimate the financial needs of the school band. Spreadsheets are powerful tools which once you become familiar will free the educator from mundane mathematical tasks.

Week Five Assignment

Name some emerging technologies. How might they affect teaching and learning?

Wireless Devices

As the title implies, wireless equipment has severed the cable umbilical ands uses the either net to make connections with computer devices. Such devices as printers, cameras, and handheld gaming devices all allow greater flexibility in the education environment. You no longer must arrange your classroom at the direction of where the data lines were installed two years ago. Wi-Fi or wireless fidelity uses radio frequencies to connect with digital devices. A Wi-Fi connected school allows a great deal of flexibility as to the location of computer based education. With Wi-Fi and laptops properly configured, a school can expand the learning environment into the bleachers of the gym without the hassle and confinement of additional data lines. With wireless devices enabled with Wi-Fi technology, the location of your classroom is limited to your imagination.

Handheld Computers

Better known as Personal Digital Assistant or PDA, these devises allow instant management of calendars, schedules, address book, word processing and spread sheets. The compact size and expanding abilities make these micro powerhouses almost as convenient as a lap top or a PC. These devices are the size of a paperback book and provide immense computing flexibility with access to the internet and allow the student instant access to notes and programs.

e-books

Electronic book are digital versions of textbooks used with PDAs, laptops, and personal computers. Some of you may have chosen to purchase the electronic format of our textbook for this class. E-books allow for rapid updates top material and allow for embedded audio and video education. And the most evident feature is finally we are saving trees by eliminating wasted paper.

Portable Storage Devices

Portable storage of digital information is highlighted by the USB drive. Many of us already use USB drives as a convenient manner to save data and then transfer the product to work or school. About the size of car keys, USB devises store over a Gig of data. The USB turned the floppy disk into a coaster for protecting your table from water rings. The price of USBs is in a freefall similar to HD TVs and printers so shop around and you are sure to find a bargain which is practical and convenient.

Voice Activated Devices

Star Trek has arrived; you can now have a conversation with your computer without touching the keyboard. Just ask the computer to open a file and begin dictation of your next term paper or report to your boss. Voice activated computers and peripherals have the capability of saving time and eliminating hardware, remember the floppy disk and the dial-up-modem? I also envision voice activation helpful to people with physical challenges and nerve disorders that make typing on a keyboard or using a mouse difficult.

Virtual Environment Devises

Hardware similar to night vision goggles worn by soldiers and pilots, virtual equipment allows the possibility of taking the student anywhere in the world. This technology not only provides a 3-D view of your surroundings but; allows the participant to turn their head 360 degrees and view their virtual setting. A student will be able to witness an MIT chemistry experiment without leaving the campus in Mississippi. Gamers have already experienced the next to real life experience of virtual games. The sights and sounds provided by the virtual environment are again limited to your imagination. I can only guess the sense of smell and actually feeling in the virtual world in the next development.

 

Computer technology and software development mature at a rate which exceed current human requirements. As with the inventor Thomas Edison, inventions (technology) are developed without a clear purpose; but the creativity of humans find a place for these new devices. As these new technologies are presented to the public, educators turn their heads and scratch their chins in an inquisitive manner and imagine how that technology can be adopted and help the student. Educators must be wary of purchasing the latest gadget and throwing it in the classroom. Does anyone remember the 12 inch laser disk for projecting movies? That laser disk won't even make a good boat anchor. Technology is useful in the classroom but costly mistakes must be avoided. Through investigation of how an emerging technology will be valuable in the classroom is required prior to commitment.

Week Four Assignment

My question is number three, why is it advantageous for educators to share resources and programs on a network? What concerns are associated with program sharing? Educators can develop and use a force multiplier in the technological learning sphere. There are five areas where a teacher can share and save time, dollars, and resources. The text reveals shared hardware, shares software, data sharing, network tools, and communications are all areas that the teacher can stretch the dollar and save time and resources. For example, multiple teacher classrooms could send their print jobs to a central printer station saving hundreds of dollars in additional printers. The cost is a short walk down the hall to the central shared printer. Software can be installed on a central server which saves time for the user because they can easily access a program without download and installation. Additionally, dollar cost is reduced because a single copyright subscription is paid instead of multiple single use rights. If the software requires update, the support staff needs to only manipulate a single PC instead of traveling to multiple single use stations in every teacher's classroom. As a school networks and takes advantage of the sever-based software and hardware which is shared; school districts will enjoy the cost savings of single loaded programming and multiple use hardware devices such as printers and scanners. Technology hardware and software is very expensive. If today's educators can justify multiple uses and demonstrate cost savings to the school board, then the deployment of advanced technologies will be easier and provide added to our students.

Week Three Assignment

My question is number 2; "What is the difference between formative and summative feedback?" You are all now aware of The Dynamic Instruction Design Model by Robert Gagne`. Instructional model design for education is the foundation of Gange`s model. That is there is a bottom up system for presenting instruction to students. He establishes a six step process of Know your Learner, State Your Objective, Establish the Learning Environment, ID Teaching and Learning Strategies, ID and select Technologies, and finally Make Summative Evaluation. The formative feedback is continuous through each of the six steps. That is you evaluate along the journey of education and make adjustments in teaching strategies as necessary to meet the needs of the student. The educator, like an aircraft pilot making his way through uncharted territory, needs to make course adjustments in order to complete the journey to completion and make a connection with the student. The summative feedback is more of an evaluation of the entire six step process instead of a step by step evaluation as the formative process is best described. So, your summative evaluation or feedback is a total review of the entire educational presentation process and the formative feedback is a ongoing and continuous process along the educational journey with the students.

Week Two Assignment

The question I was assigned is "My understanding on educational technology and its relationship with teaching and learning process."

    In a nutshell I would propose that educational technology is yet another tool in the teacher's toolbox. In order for the educator to use this tool, they must first understand the method for which the student best learns new material. So, you must be aware of the various theories on how humans learn. Once you have a grasp of the leading theorists, the teacher can then analyze the student's style for learning. As this chapter reveals, a view of the unique learning method or methods is required prior to assigning a method for presenting the lesson. We must remember that students are our customers and what works for one will not necessarily work for another.

    History has proven that no magic introduction of technology will solve education challenges. The invention of radio and film did not replace the human touch of a teacher as predicted by Thomas Edison. Presently we can not assume that throwing computers, software, and interactive learning boards will solve today's challenge in the classroom. However, understanding the learning processes of our student's and applying appropriate technology in the classroom will produce significant educational gains.

Richard Davis Sends to IT 645

Hey Gang, is this working and reaching everyone?

Introduction

Hello,
I am Richard Davis. I teach Social Studies at Oak Grove High School. I have seven years teaching experience. Prior to working in public education I worked 22 years for a major airline. We specialized in pinpoint, on time delivery of hazardous material to belligerents.
I have a girlfriend I’ve kept for 28 years. I sometimes call her my wife but things seem to go smoother if I act as if she is my girlfriend. I was born in Sulfur Louisiana but raised in d’Iberville Mississippi. Two sons, 24 and 21 both grown and on their own. I know that’s a sentence fragment. We’ve lived in Petal since 1999. My wife teaches English at Oak Grove High School.
This is my first experience with online education. I see there are several classmates from classes I took this summer enrolled so that eases my apprehension. My experience at USM this summer convinced me to pursue a Masters of Arts in Teaching. I am comfortable with word, excel and PowerPoint. The other software Dr. Wang listed I have not been exposed to. I e-mail parents and administrators often with files attached. So that shouldn’t be a problem.
I would like to take from this class new and creative methods to utilize technology in the classroom. I’ve witnessed the throwing of technology into the classroom and business with little thought as to what will be produced other than to say, “We support technology, see it there.”
Ok, well, looking forward to the experience!