Sunday, August 3, 2008

Journal 6: Is Distance Learning Effective?

Journal 6: Is Distance Learning Effective?
Kiekel, J, & Stelacio, D (2008). Is Distance Learning Effective? Bound by Security, 35, Retrieved August 3, 2008, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/LL/LLIssues/Volume_35_2007_2008_/September_October_No_2_/35208k.pdf.

In this article two different teachers expose their point of view regarding this issue. The first one, Jean Kiekel, is a firm believer of distance learning and she gives us a good feedback based on her own experience with her students from an online high school advanced placement micro-and macro economics course. “Most of my students score 4or 5 on the exams”, she said. Also, distance learning is effective and helps students around the world. Especially in rural settings where is difficult to find qualified teachers to teach courses in more challenging, upper-level curriculum, distance learning can very useful and productive. It allows students to have a variety of courses, as well as access to the qualified teachers to teach those courses. Another advantage of distance learning is that allows students to develop and used their own learning style in their exploration of a subject. This is important for students who are gifted or have learning disabilities. Well written online programs provide a shell that gives the basics of content.
The other teacher, Diane Stelacio, thinks that since the concept of distance learning is generation old, the feedback from it is slow with limited interaction. According to Stelacio, the distance between the instructor and learners does not increase or decrease effectiveness and interaction. “The focus is the pedagogy used to engage learners instead of the technology used to deliver the content”, she said. Researcher Marguerita McVay Lynch identifies four types of interaction to remove isolation and support the learners. They are: interaction with content, with the instructor, with classmates, and with self. Online interactions are required to be success.
Question 1: What is one of the changes when classrooms change from onsite to online?
One of the change, is the fact that communication became more written. Writing skills strengthen during the education process, because students have to post, share, and review their assignments with peers and teacher. Also, participants learn and strengthen their technologies skills and learner’s growth exceeds the content area.
Question 2: Who benefits and why, with the concept of distance learning?
It is beneficial for students who live in rural areas. Further, students can have qualified teachers and more courses availability. Also, distance learning allows schools to increase the number and depth of courses offered to students without increasing the size of their faculty or school building.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Journal 4: Social Bookmarking

Journal 4: Social Bookmarking
Bookmarking is a way to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of Web pages on the internet. It is easy to use bookmarking! The first step to use this tool would be creating an account in at least one social bookmarking Web site (for example de.icio.us). Basically, Web users can tag save their favorite or relevant Web sites. It is a great resource for teachers because allows them to do online resource pertinent to their subject and share with other teachers and students. Also, students can have an account and start tagging and save their own bookmarking to share with peers and teacher. On the Classroom 2.0, I followed through a posting by Mark Schumann an e-Learning Developer from Australia. He developed this site called Edutagger, which is a K-12 social bookmarking site. It is very new and he is promoting as much as possible in order to bring this new site to a higher and relevant system. The other posting was by Andrew Robitaille and he composed a resource site called: Web 2.0 Tutorial for Educators. It is a place where everyday teachers could go to discover more about Web 2.0 tools applied in education. It provides definitions for blogs, social bookmarks, RSS feeds, and Wikis. Both creators received great feedbacks from all users.

Journal 5

Journal 5: Tech Teacher: iPod, uPod
Butterfield, Geoff (2007). Tech Teacher: iPod, uPod. What Works in Public Education, from http://www.edutopia.org/tech-teacher-ipod-upod
This article tells us about the benefit of the use of podcasting in education. Anyone with a microphone and an internet connection can have a podcast. It is a very easy way to produce and upload audio clips. Also, tools are cheap and the files are easy to share. The good thing about podcasting is that, students can have long-distance interviews using online telephony services such as Skype or iChat to record their subjects. Once you have your audio sources ready, use sound-editing software to mix in soundtrack and edit out long pauses. The easiest way to get the podcast onto the internet to make the word absorb your student’s auditory insights, is to sign-up with a service that specializes in podcasts. A Podcasting host will give you a place to store your files, and will provide the world with a special kind of URL called an RSS feed. This feed will be your personal radio channel.
Question 1: How podcasting can be beneficial for students and teachers?
Podcasting is a great technological tool because it represents an opportunity to make education more available for an ample variety of students. Students, would be able to access class lecture podcasts from anywhere at any time.
Question 2: It is an expensive tool?
Not at all!! You can obtain respectable results with an old Pc and a $20 microphone. Further, groups such as Ourmedia.org offer free hosting under a Creative Commons license. And, the audacity sound-editing software is free.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Journal 1

Journal 1:
Shefflet, R, & Toledo, C (2008). Extreme makeover: updating class activities for the 21st century. Learning and leading with technology, retrieved July 31, 2008,
Since technology became a big part of people’s lives, this article gives you ideas about how to apply technology in education. Nowadays, Web-based applications are social in nature allowing users to collaborate and publish their own creations. Teachers, who see the value of social networking tools, can use free applications that students are already using outside of schools. The features of Web-based applications make them appealing because they allow teachers to create rich and authentic activities that catch and keep students’ attention. For example, Zoho Writer is a helpful Web that permits students and teachers to create documents and save it without losing it by mistake. The final product can be published to a Web or posted directly to a blog. Google Docs, spreadsheets, and writeboard provide similar functions. Districts that struggle to provide licenses for concept mapping programs can use Gliffy. LetterPop provide newsletter templates and publishes the finished product to the Web. Further, educational blogs offer a forum for students to write for other audiences besides peers and teachers, encouraging them to be more conscious about their writing. Social Bookmarking is an easy way to store and tag all your bookmarks online with keywords and categories. Photosharing members can share their picture and create stories about it. Wikis are powerful collaboration tools. In conclusion, these Web-based applications are great tools to help teachers to promote technology in classrooms.
Question: If I want to create a valuable resource for all my student what should I do? The best way to share resources with your students is creating a Bookmarking. You can tag websites related with your subject area and share with them. Further, students after you explain to them how Bookmarking works, they will be able to tag their own websites and share with the teacher and peers.

Mader, Author's first name initial J, & Smith, B (2008). Blogging right along. Learning and leading with technology. 36.
Blogging allows students to communicate their understand of concepts and share information with others. It helps teachers to identify if students met at a cursory glance of the blog content. Serves as an excellent time line of the classrooms events.

Question: How a classroom’s blog can help students?
Students can daily access their classroom’s blog and check what they are suppose to do. Also, students can share their points of view with the rest of the class and answer questions that the teacher daily ask them to do. Besides, using blogs in educational environment students can use it to socialize and share their hobbies with their peers.