Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Week One Reading Response
Did the article (Professional Learning 2.0) change your view point about a specific technology or technology in general, being used in the schools? Do you think it would be effective? (A typical school requires all teachers to meet for a staff meeting once a week for a minimum of an hour)
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After reading the article, I feel that technology is a wonderful tool teachers can use to communicate with other professionals along with fellow teachers. The only concern or question I have is will this be effective only if the entire school uses the technology? If there are only 5 or 6 teachers using it, will it be effective? If the administration is against it, can it be used at all? Obviously the article talks about web sites that are free to use so there should be no financial issue with the use of moodle or other sites mentioned. I think it is a slow process and a lot of "old school" professionals may take a while to catch onto new technology. It needs to be accepted by everyone in your department. If it is done right and universally then, yes it would be effective.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I like your comment about the technology being used throughout the school and not in just a few classrooms. I think that's important too!
DeleteI agree! This is the hard part. If the entire staff doesn't get involved, then it is not effective. Training has to occur for staff that is not familiar with the set up!
DeleteThat was one thought that crossed my mind, I'm glad you brought it up! It is important to get everyone involved otherwise I don't feel like the technology would be used properly. However, there are some teachers I'm sure that would find it harder and more time consuming to learn the use of the new software and programs. But if everyone was willing to give it a shot I think it would be a great benefit.
DeleteWhile the concept of using Web 2.0 sounds as though it could revolutionize the spread of information for teachers, the actually implementation of the different web tools would probably be ineffective due to out-of-date teachers. While we would like to believe that our future colleagues are as savvy with technology as we are, the truth is many of them still have difficulties operating some of the more basic technological advancements. If we start throwing at them moodle, Ning, and Wikis, this could largely disconnect a significant portion of our peers if they are not trained properly. While these tools could be great for those people who actually know how to use the technology, as clearly it could cut down on time-specified meetings, some members would be completely out of the loop. Thus a hybrid web/face to face interactions could prove valuable until/if all members are in sync with the new Web 2.0 tools. Also from a historical perspective the ideas of having an archive of all this information would prove to be invaluable.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of "out to of date" teachers it one of the hold backs keeping me on the fence with how I feel about technology in the classroom. I agree it is a major benefit if everyone is up for learning how to use it an integrate it.
DeletePersonally, it seemed overwhelming. Jings, Nings, Moodle, Wikis; they can seem like Greek to many people, especially when being implemented into how their career works as a whole. These tools can be very difficult to use and understand to more traditional educators, although many of the teachers we would now call "traditional" are in the process of retiring. I don't doubt that these tools are effective in the learning environment, especially when they seem to cut time and effort in terms of meetings and conferences as well as save the trouble of reading emails or memos. I do believe that technology in schools, especially in school management, is highly beneficial. However, there is always a little mistrust with basing everything around technology. These tools are useful and beneficial to the administrative purposes of a school if they are used in a specific way by every person. Personally, I believe it's easier to ignore a website than a memo in your mailbox at school. Regardless, I am very interested to see these tools at work and how to properly implement them into a school system.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be very interesting and very informational. I felt as thought it highlighted a lot of key points dealing with technology that some, including myself, take for granted or have never thought of. It did change my view as to how technology can actually be implemented not only in the classrooms but also throughout entire schools and/or districts as a means of pure communication. The way this article talked about the different programs that can be set up and incorporated in schools had me thinking it was totally beneficial. But then I thought of some of the downfalls it could have (confusion, crashes, budget). I consider myself to be on the fence with my decision that technology would be a great benefit. The article does a great job of putting up a fight as to why technology needs to be incorporated into the classrooms and how it makes communication between administrators and teachers a lot easier. How one can work from home or from a conference while not missing out on any important information or documents, everything can be uploaded and sent. Based on the amount of time a school requires for a staff meeting (1 hour) I do see using these tools as a benefit. However, using these tools, in my opinion may take away the personality of a person. It does not require the staff members to ever make physical contact face-to-face unless necessary, which I believe, is one important method of teaching because you can see and understand the person’s personality. What I mean by this is I'm sure this has happened to us at one time or another with text messages or emails- you send someone a message and they take it in a completely different way than you had hoped because tone and sarcasm does not carry well over text. I am not trying to bash the idea that technology can be used in the classrooms, rather I am interested and very eager to learn about the different ways it cane be used. I guess I find this to be too good to be true because I have not had a lot of experience with these different sites and forums/chats. I hope to learn more and understand how to use them so that I can feel confident in saying that technology needs to be implemented. It has become such a way of life that students thrive off of it. As a physical education major I am interested to see how I can include technology in my classes. Overall, I feel that if the technology was implemented the right way and everyone (teachers administrators and/or students) was on the same page it could carry great potential.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is interesting and I can see that you are on the fence as to how it would work. I agree that it takes away from developing personal relationships with your co-workers. Some of my good friends are my co-workers. When you enjoy being with your co-workers your days at work are more uplifting. If we go with technology running everything we may lose the ability to develop these interactions. I like the idea of a ning or a wiki to share websites, teaching ideas, etc that you may not have time for in a staff meeting. I still like the idea of a person to person meeting since you are all hearing the information together and there is not lose of information. Everyone hears the same and is able to ask questions.
DeleteBut, I do have a feeling more technology will be used to host meetings!
I agree with your idea of using ning or wiki's to share information that is still important and may be missed or pushed aside during meetings. In this case, I can see how technology would be useful. But to solely depend on technology for communication was my worry. I think since technology is become more prominent to everyday "survival" that it will be utilized more during meetings and school days.
DeleteThis article did not change my views on integrating technology into schools. On the contrary, it supports my views that using online resources for teaching can be beneficial by making students learning more efficient. The use of technology in school creates easy access for the teachers to the resources. Personally, I will integrate technology in my teaching because students already use it in their everyday life and it will be a way to connect to them and get them interested in the subject. For people that are not familiar with the technological world it can be overwhelming but once faculty and staff get use to it can be an effective way to access and spread information. I never knew that all two many internet tools (web 2.0, Moodle, Ning and Jing) were available for teachers to use. These tools will help my students get more involved in the learning process.
ReplyDeleteI think these tools will be very useful to keep teachers updated with information, keep students on top of their work, and stronger parent involvement in the school community. Along with teachers use of resources provided by the school or by another outside provider.
DeleteI think collaborating electronically is a really useful and a good way to do it. If I can look at these things when I have time, as opposed to meeting collectively at a staff meeting, I think it would be better. Like Huber mentioned in the article, e-mails get easily get deleted, and it's easy to overlook things. Plus, when you are overwhelmed with all the demands of teaching, it might be hard to concentrate at a staff meeting during the week. I really like the idea of tweeting in real time during conferences, since tweets are so compact, and easy to read, and it gives others an opportunity to partake in the learning in a meaningful, easy way. I really think that Web 2.0 would be invaluable. Being able to share resources and tools in a place where you can't lose them is something that would help me a lot as a teacher in the future. I disagree that tools like this could inhibit relationships between staff members. I feel like these are great ways to enhance the teaching of all teachers, and could possibly increase the amount of faculty using the new technology. It's as simple as clicking on a link from Web 2.0, rather than trying to figure it out on your own, or through the instructions given in a staff meeting when you had 15 other things on your mind. It might demystify the use of technology for more experienced teachers who have difficulty learning technology.
ReplyDeleteThe ideas you are brining up are how I would like to see the technology used at a staff level. Instead of copying articles to pass out at staff meetings and then telling us to read them, you can post them on the wiki and we can read when we have a chance. We can share resources, etc. Staff meetings can be reserved to make sure we are dealing with more "house keeping" issues and scheduling things for our school.
DeleteThis article was both interesting and informative. I think that integrating technology into a classroom and encouraging interactive learning with the student is crucial. While reading the article several "light bulbs" went off in my head. The first one being a way to include parents in their child's education. By using these free tools such as blogspot, wiki, weebly and so on, we are able to create something that is fun and easy for students to use. By having a classroom website both students and their parents can check to see which homework assignments are due tomorrow, or which day the field trip money is due.
ReplyDeleteMy opinions regarding technology and education have not changed much. I think it is important to include some elements of technology whether it is a blog, website, smartboard, etc. However, I also think that technology should not take over the classroom. Although it helps to enhance lessons and engage students it can also be distracting. I think the most important part of this is learning how to balance the use of technology within the classroom.
Agreed!
DeleteGreat point, bringing up the balance of technology in the classroom. I agree that technology should not take over the classroom but it does seem like its vital to incorporate. Especially now since it is a big part of life that everyone uses and counts on. Technology does enhance student learning by keeping their attention but when it is overused it can become boring and dull.
Deletegood point of not having too much technology in the classroom, too much is not good. Also having parents involved is important and they can have fun with their children having the student teach their parents how to use the technology! Bonding moments!
DeleteI posted this twice but I dont see it..so im doing it again so hopefully it works.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not think the article changed my viewpoint about using specific technology in helping to increase the effectiveness of teachers and the way they receive and share information. I already knew about many of ways that teachers can benefit from using technology not only for the students but also for themselves. I did however, find it interesting that Moodle can be used between faculty members. Traditionally when I think of a web site such as Moodle. I tend to think it as being a medium in which student and teacher interact. Being a tool used between teachers and administrators never really crossed my mind. I think having an open space in which teachers can shoot ideas back and forth and ask questions at anytime can be extremely useful. If a teacher is struggling to formulate a lesson on a Friday for next week’s classes, they might not have an opportunity to seek help from their fellow teachers. However, having a place where you can ask a large amount of others their input on a weekend can be extremely beneficial. The only problems I see with implementing such a system is that it may alienate some older teachers who haven’t come around to technology. In addition, I think the school would have to be careful with how much information they distribute electronically. If a teacher needs to check 5 different websites or check on 10 different links for information regularly this may become tedious and lose its effectiveness over time. To benefit from technology a school must be able to identify what resources will best suit that particular school. In a smaller more tight knit school/faculty their maybe no need to have a open discussion board whereas a large school may find a opened discussion board essential in increasing effectiveness.
After reading this article my opinion about technology in schools has not really changed. I believe if used the right way technology can defiantly help in the classroom mainly with keeping parents informed about what their child is doing. Creating a class blog is a great way for parents to check in on homework assignments and to see how their child is performing. I think faculty should still have their teachers meetings because then the problems would be brought up directly during the meeting and feedback can be instant. If a school were to get some of these technologies I believe it is still important to keep the human aspect involved. Having these technologies at the schools disposal is defiantly a good thing to have because they make communicating between faculty meetings easier. I do not think the technology should replace meetings or make meetings less important because I believe that it is more beneficial for faculty to work on problems together in person because I believe more ideas will be thrown around and the feedback would be immediate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on many of these aspects. I think it is important to have face to face communication. However, blogs and wiki's may be useful to pass along daily information or news.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI accidentally posted my comment to Nick as a new response rather than reply so I deleted it an replied to his post.
DeleteAfter reading this article I strongly feel technology can be a very beneficial tool to use in the classroom. The use of technology can help teachers communicate more efficiently and at pretty much anytime. Say for instance, a teacher has great idea and wants to get the opinion of a fellow colleague he/she can post the idea to twitter where there will be educational professionals following or to a blog that faculty members check daily to recieve imput. The downside to the use of technology is that there are many teachers that are "old fashion". It doesn't necesarily mean they do not like the idea of technology but they have had success for years with their style of teaching, therefore, if they didn't decide to go on and beging using technology they can be "left behind". Even if they are required to use it, their proficency could possibly be restricted because their skill level and knowledge base of technology. What would the school do to keep these teachers updated? Would it be a requirement for these teachers to use it?
ReplyDeleteKate Prigodich
ReplyDeleteI think that the article and other people’s comments helped come to the conclusion that technology can be a very useful tool for teachers to communicate with each other. I know that some people are more intimidated by technology than others and the school or district would need to provide proper training and support to have it bee successful. Many programs involve one session where too much information is thrown out at you. If you really want the teachers to understand it I think that you should have several sessions spread out to keep people aware of how to use it. You often realize you don’t understand the program only after the session has ended.
It is also important that you focus your attention on one or two types of communication. Teachers have enough work without having to check a couple blogs, follow tweets, read newsletter and more. If you try and use too many of these things people will just treat it like email spam and ignore it. The article references the fact that things put in mailboxes and sent as emails go unread and ignored but there is no guarantee that people won’t ignore these too. So how do you ensure that everyone does get involved? I think it is most important to explain why you are making this change that it’s not just a new version of email. How is this going to benefit teachers and make their jobs easier and better. If don’t do this it may be seen as a time consuming task without any goal. I think in the end it is important to remember that these new technologies are just new tools. That means that as tools we have to use them correctly and appropriately.