Technology Spurs Creative Juices

In any discipline, it is important to use creativity, whether it is drawing people in with an advertisement, creating an interesting presentation or lesson, or effectively showing how to do a mathematical equation.  Creativity helps ingrain things in people's minds, so it can help students to remember certain facts and topics better if it is presented creatively.  Also, if students can interact with technology creatively, it will be another way that they can  utilize their information and make it a part of their knowledge rather than simply repeating it over and over again as a way of remembering it for a test.  For instance, students can use technology to create a power point, a movie, or even an iPad application to increase their knowledge.  It can even be even more beneficial than a test or a paper because students are utilizing their knowledge rather than simply recalling it.  Since creativity through technology often takes a lot of time and can even be fun, students will learn more through it.

Another aspect of creativity expanding learning is that it is the way that certain students learn - visually.  For students that have always had to take tests but are not good test takers, this could increase their learning substantially.

Online Teaching = One Step Toward Equality

Maintaining objectivity in grading is an impossible task when you know the student because you interact with them in the classroom everyday.  Sometimes, it is positive bias, where you know that the student tries with all of his being, so you automatically favor his paper or test.  Other times, it is a negative bias, where you know that the student only acts up in class, talks back, and disrespects, so you automatically desire to mark off for the slightest imperfection in his paper or test.  Either way, it is detrimental to the student, sometimes taking away or adding to his true grade due to teacher bias.
How do we avoid this?  Teachers could have the students identify themselves by a number, but the number will always be associated with a name.  After grading for even a week, the teacher will begin to remember the number and with what student that number is associated, leading back to the bias.  In an online classroom, though, the students do not have the behavioral problems that are present in the classroom, so a teacher does not have that bias toward them and can grade them more objectively than before.
Equality is something that our country has valued since we wanted to separate from Britain, and we have moved closer and closer toward it.  Yet, it is something that will always remain due to our sin nature. As humans, we have the tendency to treat certain people better than others.  Finding ways to decrease the inequality that occurs in schools is another step toward all people being treated the same, the way God intended for it to be.

Gender Problems and Technology

While technology is a great way to introduce students to the real world, it also poses problems for some students.  Some students do not enjoy technology or they do not know how to use it.  Often times, the group of students that do not enjoy or do not know how to use technology are girl students. This causes a gap in the knowledge of technology between boys and girls.

Let's face it: men have been the majority in computer businesses (information technology) for the time since technology has become a major part of society.  Therefore, teachers (sometimes subconsciously) cater technology towards the male students, making it more appealing to them.  Female students, since the information is not directed toward them, become less interested in the material and henceforth know less about it.  Males are already called upon more in classrooms than girls, so, if you add technology to it, they become even more involved in classroom activities, increasing the disparity in equality between boys and girls in the classroom.

If we integrate technology into the classroom as much as we intend to, we must be extremely careful that we make engaging material for both boys and girls, especially including girls as much as possible.  For instance, if we make the computer programs something they are interested in, such as shopping, cooking, or people-reading, then girls will be more engaged in the information and there will be less of a gap.  If we continue in the way we are going, however, the inequality gap will increase. 

iLike iSchool

Considering the advances that the human race has been making over the past 10 years, it somewhat surprises me that the "iSchool initiative" took this long to spring up - and by a 17-year-old!  If we, as educators, seek to properly educate and prepare our students to enter in a technological world, we must use the very tools used in the real world in our classrooms.  Although the use of pens, paper, books, etc. will most likely still be utilized to an extent, advanced technology (in the long run) is a more logical teaching method.

In our Technology in the Classroom class, some of the students argued that this iSchool method of educating will be beneficial for some students who learn that way, but for others, it will be disadvantageous.  However, adding different technology to the classroom does not necessarily create a decrease in actual teaching. Teachers still teach the material the same way they have been successfully for years, but now they have more time-efficient and effective materials to do so.  Interactive games and programs on an iPad are much more appealing to a student than a worksheet.  It makes learning fun!

I do agree, though, that the iSchool initiative could have faults. If we turn to this kind of schooling, there needs to be absolute assurance that the internet works, that students have internet at home, and that the technology will not be faulty or break.  Since the students rely on the iPad and only the iPad for their worksheets, projects, and textbooks, if it breaks, they have no other options.  Educators would have to put a backup plan into place to prevent this from occurring.  Overall, the iSchool initiative is innovative and will cause the students to be well-prepared for a world that is transforming into a technological culture. iLike it.

Online Teaching: An Unexpected Success

My experience with online classes has been mediocre.  While the class was well-organized, it is still difficult to engage in conversation with both the teacher and fellow classmates without face-to-face interaction with them.  My online class also seemed like it was a lot more busy work than my other classes.  Based on my own experience, I developed several preconceptions about online classes that were not true.

First, I thought that online schools were only for students who absolutely unable to attend traditional schools.  I also thought that online school was only for college and high school students.  Another assumption I made was that students' achievement would be far below that of students who attend traditional schools.  After listening to this presentation, I realized that most of my presuppositions about online schools were incorrect.

Beth Day's presentation helped me reconstruct my understanding of online schools.  She explained to us that, while online schools primarily service students at low income levels, they are not limited to those types of students.  Some students simply learn differently, and so online schooling is the best option for them.  However, because most of the online students are low-income students who work jobs in addition to going to school, the level of achievement is not as high as students in traditional schools.  There is not as high of a rate of students who go on to college; many of them go on to occupational work.

One major thing I learned is that students can begin attending online school as early as kindergarten!  I had no idea that students this young would be able to attend school on a computer.  This is mind-boggling to me because going to school was exciting for me! I cannot imagine staying home and going to school on a computer when I was five years old, but I know that for some children, it is the  best (and possibly the only) option.

While online schooling seems credible, and it certainly can be effective for certain students with disabilities, I still am unsure of its effectiveness in the social aspect of school.  Students do not have the ability to interact face-to-face with other students, which is a skill they will need for their jobs and personal lives for the rest of their lives.  One thing that seemed the most advantageous about online schooling was the fact that the teacher has more time to invest in individual students rather than the class as a whole.  The teacher can spend time focusing on a specific student because he/she does not have to worry about behavior issues or other students acting out.

Overall, online schooling is much different than what I thought it was, but I still am unsure of its effectiveness for younger students especially.  For older students, online schooling is most likely just as, if not more, successful.  But for younger students, I believe the traditional school is the best option with the exception of extreme circumstances.

Technology: The New & Improved Way to Motivate Students to Learn

I have never really thought about completely revamping technology until I read this article.  Growing up with the expectation that I needed to try my best in order to receive good grades and go to college, I never really understood the importance of actually knowing the material.  Now that I am in college and I am studying what I want to do with the rest of my life, I understand how important it is to not solely spit back information on tests, but also to retain that information for my future teaching undertakings. 

            In the article, the author explains that if “a Rip Van Winkle-like character awaken[ed] after a century of sleep would see little difference in classrooms of the early 20^th century and those of this the early 21^stcentury.”  How convicting!  Although it is true that we have incorporated new methods of teaching, it is also true that the overall school dynamic has remained relatively constant.  But should it be?  Do students really learn what they should be learning to be effective contributors to society?  The idea of completely revamping the idea of education is an interesting, yet seemingly unthinkable one.  However, technology is one way that can drastically change student achievement.

            Later in the article, the author discusses the culture of possibility and the ways that educators can go about cultivating such a culture.  One of the modifications he suggests educators do is that “the education students receive in school should reflect the changes that are happening within the society and larger environment as a whole” (Roberson 891).  In essence, the material learned throughout the school years should be relevant to what is occurring and changing in society. Students often lack motivation to learn certain subjects because they seem irrelevant to their life in the present moment as well as in the future.  If students were given the opportunity to learn practical material (especially if it was through the mode of technology), they would be much more willing to work hard and actually learn.  Therefore, technology most definitely will improve student achievement because it is a relevant and interesting way that students can learn the material being presented, even if it is a subject that the student is not necessarily interested in. 

Prerequisite #458 for being a teacher: Creativity

I've been thinking a lot lately about the requirements for being a teacher.  There are so many classes to take, so much experience to acquire, so much to learn about learning!  However, there is one aspect to teaching that is often overlooked:  creativity.  It is so essential to teaching; without it, teachers lack the ability to not only share the passion for the subject they are teaching but also ingrain the information into their students' minds.

This week, in technology in the classroom, we learned about different technologies (such as Google earth and Prezi) that can contribute to our effectiveness and creativity in the classroom.  It really opened my eyes to the various ways that teachers can impact students' learning and make it real for them.  Although I am not creative when it comes to drawing or painting, I love to think of creative ways to reach out to people or to show them something.  One of my ideas for enhancing Spanish vocabulary and verb conjugation skills was to have students interact on a social networking site for homework.  I loved the ideas that other students in our classes had about taking trips around the world via Google maps.  Maybe for a cultural lesson, we could go to different parts of the world from Google Maps and sort of go on a "virtual trip," where we learn different dances, eat different foods, etc.  If the subject material is not relevant to the students, they will not enjoy the class.  However, if you bring it to their level through technology and creativity, you open up the door for students to learn so much more!

Talking about all these creative ways that technology (along with creativity) makes me excited for teaching students Spanish!  I want them to be able to see that there is more to the world, to what God created, than simply American culture.  There are people who live lives completely different than ours, yet they still have the same need for a Savior like we do.  I want to use these technological advances to help my students see that learning does not always have to be boring - that life enriched with other cultures and languages can greatly increase perspective.  Certainly, I can increase my effectiveness through these areas of technology.