Moving right along

Moving right along we are in week two of our class already. Last week we learned about some of the Web 2.0 tools available, the different levels of technology, opened several accounts, created websites, blogs, and wikis, submitted our first assignments on Moodle and so much more. The work load is a little overwhelming. I am trying to keep up, but working full time often makes it difficult to do so. I am usually up late trying to figure things out or going to the Curriculum Library for help. I still have some work to do from last week, but on to this week and a new set of learning experiences. Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 have many differences. Web 1.0 did not have the abilities to do what we do today. It gave teachers the ability to add to a direct instruction classroom. The students were given a task and they were required to practice it. There were no research tools available such as Google. I remember being able to only type and play games. If we were given an assignment in school we would need to research it using books, newspapers, encyclopedias, and so on. After that we were then able to work on the computer to type our information and make it presentable. Web 2.0 allows us so many more luxuries and accessabilities. It is available to several teaching styles and can meet the needs of students with learning disabilities that could not be met before. With Web 2.0 we can research, organize, reflect, etc. We have different means of communication available besides email. These include websites, blogs, podcasts, wikis, smartboards, digital bookmarking, and interactive whiteboards. Students can use webquests and WIP's to learn more about a particular topic. Ahhh, the net generation. Each generation seems to have a name. It started with the baby boomers, generation X, generation Y, and now the net generation. Today's digital students are different from previous generations of students because they are used to having everything at their fingertips and in lightening speed. Digital students grew up with this changing technology and have grown to rely on it. They can access several different things at once and can spend hours playing on the computer and video games, cell phones, ipods, and whatever else is out there. There is so much that I know I missed several. Previous students had to work for their information. They were required to research a topic using books and encyclopedias and to make sure that the information was accurate on their own. There was no easy way. To top it off, if someone did not have a computer with Web 1.0 technology, they were made to use an electric typewriter to type their paper or draw by hand a project to be turned in. Things have come a long way, but for us previous students, myself included, sometimes these old ways still have their merits, and old habits die hard. The net generation is often difficult for teachers to work with because they know more than the teachers. In order for the teachers to be aware of what their students are doing and what they can use to keep them interested in class is a tough task. Teachers should be made to learn about these technologies. Many teachers do not want to learn or cannot be bothered because they feel that the way they learned is just as good today. But, the times they are a changin, and so do the teacher's outlook and implementation of technology in their classrooms. Technology is so involved in schools and the curriculum that it has it's own set of standards. These include: creativity and innovation; communication and collaboration; research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making; digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts. The most implemented of these standards are: research and information fluency; critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making; and technology operations and concepts. Before taking this class I was nowhere near ready to deal with today's technology, digital students, or the above mentioned standards. Even though this is only the second week, I already feel as if I am slowly becoming prepared to face these challenges head on with the knowledge I am receiving. Classrooms are gradually changing from 1.0 to 2.0 by including some of the new technologies that are available. The most popular and used is the smartboard and/or interactive white board. These technologies keep students interactive and engaged. There should be no reason for these students to get bored. They replace a direct instruction classroom and keep students interested. Some of our assignments/activities for the week involve us having to view several sites and open accounts. These sites were del.icio.us, diigo, and slideshare. These tools were interesting and useful for today's classroom teachers. They allow you, the teacher, to bookmark websites that you can use in your classroom and see how many other people have these sites marked as well. Today, students enjoy using YouTube, but it is not always safe for them. It is unfiltered. By using slideshare you can control what your students use in the classroom. This week we also created mind maps. Most of us used Inspiration for the first assignment and then we had a choice of three for our second. These helped us to see that there are different ways to present information to the students and make it a little more interesting for them rather than using regular handouts. Internet safety is a major concern for students, teachers, and parents. As teachers we are one of the main fronts in protecting children. By evaluating websites and restricting student's access to other sites that are not safe, as teachers we can teach our students another level of technology, one that should be taught before anything else.