Journal 4: Course Management

Course management systems are web-based applications, centering on the provision of courses on-line to individuals, tracking skills and competencies, HR and resource management, content creation and/or delivery of courses, along with administrative features.  They look to enhance the capabilities of the teacher not just in assessment, but allow for interactive learning assignments through the computer.  In a thread I read about was by Mark Frydenberg I learned how to use "wiki's" in course management along traditional programs like WebCT.  A wiki is a website that uses wiki software, allowing the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, and for note taking.   Wikis have made their way into the classroom as tools for teams to perform group authoring and collaborative analysis, develop literature reviews for research projects; participate on  signup sheets; summarize readings, post project summaries, communicate with students and create knowledge bases.  I also learned how important submitting assignments electronically through Blackboard Learning Systems has become, not just for easier assessment, but also as a paper saver also.  I also learned about the virtual classroom now available on Moodle, which allows students to do online interactive sessions.  

Journal 3: Assessment Made Easy

Zucker, A (2009).Assessment Made Easy. Learning and Leading with Technology, (June/July2009). 18-21.

The idea of having a one-to-one student-o-computer ration seems like a wonderful idea for fostering a students academic success and making assessment for teacher more effective. The Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) does this with great results. In all subjects having a computer for each and every student drastically expands the capabilities a teacher has at assessing their students. Teachers can set-up so that some questions are instantly graded providing instant feedback and leave more time to grade essay question. Its not just the computers that are most important its also the programs installed on those computers, training for ninth graders, professional development for teachers, an active e-mail system, and a plethora of related technologies, such as computer probes for sciences classes.

Is this feasible on a larger basis in public education?

In my opinion no it is not feasible to bring this type of program to a larger portion of the public. Our economy is in such a poor state that giving every child in our country a personal computer to use while at school is just unreasonable. Our schools can barely fund art and music programs let alone provided the resources to integrate computers into every classroom for every student. It would be a utopian ideal that allows any person to think this type of education is reasonable on a large widespread basis, but I don't think this type of education will be easily available for a long, long time.

Could integrating technology to this level diminish our capabilities to interact more comfortably in person to person activities?

I think there is a danger in having children spend most of their time in front of a computer instead of interacting with each other. The more children on computers for everything from doing homework and testing, the less they have to interact with one another creating a dangerous situation where kids relate less to each and have a harder time when asked to talk about an issue or project. I do think integrating technology in the classroom can better facilitate learning and assessment, yet at the same time I draw the line with the idea of having every kid tuned into computer during the length of their learning experience.

Journal 2: How Teenagers Consume Media: the report that shook the city.

Robson, M. (2009, July 13). How Teenagers Consume Media: the Study that Shook the City. Retrieved 7/27/09, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/13/teenage-media-habits-morgan-stanley

Not much in this report surprised me. A few things did though. The fact that a 15 year old had an internship Morgan Stanley and wrote a report at this level surprised me. When I was 15 I was sitting in a shopping cart being pushed into bushes imitating the guys from Jackass, not working at a serious fortune 500 hundred company writing reports that shook a city. Wow. Also I found it interesting that the most popular video game system in the U.K. was the Nintendo Wii, I figured it would have either been the Xbox 360 or PS3. Growing up in the technology age and still being heavily involved with technology use (I'm tuned into some sort of technology for just about every minute of my day, from video games, to even when I'm working out I have my i-pod on me) this article backed up a lot of my assumptions, such as most teenagers illegally download their music, they use pay as you go phones because its less expensive, they don't use things like Jamster because they lock you into lame contracts costing you a bunch of money, etc. I give a hand to Matthew Robson for his hard work and outstanding achievement for a person of such a young age.

Where are all the statistics comming from?

Though impressed by the information provided by Mr. Robson, there were no citations in his report which leaves me a little skeptical of the results (even though I personally believe much of what he reported from my own assumptions). Morgan Stanley is a serious company so I'm guessing that all of his sources were legit, but it would have been insightful to know what institutions and studies the statistics were taken from to compose this report.

How does this information effect teachers?

I feel that being aware of your students technological knowledge level is very important for a teacher. Understanding that a wealthy student who owns his own computer, video game system, and i-pod is most likely going to be much more technologically capable than a poorer student who doesn't own a video game system or i-pod and only is able to use a computer at school or a library is going to be a key component in providing educational equity in the classroom, especially with the ever growing integration of technology into our daily lives.

Journal 1: Do Your Teachers Need a Personal Trainer?

Owens, Aileen M. (2009). Do your teachers need personal trainers?. Learning and Leading With Technology, Retrieved 7/27/09, from http://www.iste.org

I really enjoyed this article. The idea of creating a symbiotic relationship between student interns from a local university and schools seems like a brilliant idea. With the state of the economy all schools are going through large budget cuts and this idea could help a lot in cutting out money given to paraprofessionals brought into schools to do the regular technological training. But, more than just being a cost effective idea this idea also helps more than just the teachers who need to learn how to better integrate technology, it provides and important learning experience for the student interns. The student interns walk away with more experience than the average student studying to get their credential and are better prepared to be effective teachers when they look for a job. This idea seems to be more than just a great idea, it seems to be logically implementable also and I hope to see programs like this start to become more widespread.

Should school district's follow in the footsteps of Mt. Lebanon School District in using similar programs for technological training for teachers?

I think school districts should definitely create similar programs to that of Mt. Lebanon School District. This is more than just an economic issue. Even if our economy was in better shape instituting programs like that at MLSD would not just provide teachers with the technological knowledge they need, but it will better prepare our future teachers. Student interns would be able to create a more diverse portfolio at the end of their credential program, furthering their ability to find work and be an effective teacher once in the classroom.

Is there a risk in implementing a program like that at MLSD in other school districts?

I really see no dangers in creating programs that take students from local universities studying education and bringing them to the local school districts as interns. It provides valuable learning experience e for the teachers and student interns and cuts the cost of paying a paraprofessional to come in and do the technical training. School funds could be redirected towards art, music, theater, physical education or any of the other decaying departments in our institutions of public education.

Social Bookmarking

I saw the exhibit called Every Four Years: Electing a President at the national archive’s website. The exhibit explores the process in which our nation elects a president with sections covering the power of the presidency, political campaigning, marketing the candidates, election day, and inaugurating the president. Primary sources from the national archives and other valid sources are very important in education. They serve as the raw materials to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for proper historical research.

Students who are at risk for being part of the achievement gap are most likely racial or ethnic minorities, English language learners, students with disabilities, or students from low-income households. When reading “Becoming a Culturally Competent Teacher,” I feel that creating a cultural competence committee, networking with other schools that are developing and implementing culturally competent systems, and networking with parent, family, minority community, and faith-based organizations concerned with the needs of culturally, linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse groups would fit my teaching style best. I love networking and getting group input on issues that need to be resolved. So by creating a committee from within a diverse community and networking with other schools and organizations in the community would be the most effective way of ensuring a culturally competent learning environment for the students of a diverse population.

Well my cyber score according to how I act now on the internet now is a cyber saint with a score of 3 for cursing in an online game. But, thinking back to my teenage years I was a total cyber sinner with a score of 17. I had a rough childhood with my parents going through a really nasty divorce and as a teenager I was not the nicest kid. I did make fake screen names to harass some one I didn’t like and stupid things like that. It’s embarrassing now thinking about it at age 23, that I could have been such a punk to other people online. When reading the section for teacher on the cyber bullying website I learned that I was the inadvertent cyber bully when I was a teenager. I made fake screen names as a joke or out of anger rather than out of a need for power or authority. This shows me that even if your not purposely cyber bullying some one explicitly, like mean girls or hackers, there is still serious damage that can be done on the internet from making fun of some one, threatening some one or just playing a joke on some one.

On Kathy Schrock’s website I looked at the art and architecture section of the subject matters drop down and I also looked at the presentation support section of the teachers helpers drop down. In the art and architecture section there are plenty of tools I could use as a teacher in my classroom such as Artlex, which is a dictionary/glossary of over 1600 art terms. In the presentation support section there are also many tools that would help make my teaching more effective from navigating primary source material on the Internet to using PSA’s in the classroom.

My highest intelligence level is in the logical and mathematical section, second is in interpersonal section, and in third I tied between visual/spatial and bodily/kinesthetic. In the video “Thrive in Smartville” I really enjoyed how every child felt smart in one way or the other because of the idea behind multiple intelligences. Each student talked about which kind of “smart” they were. “Oh I am mostly visual smart, because I love to draw and color,” one student stated. In the school they focused on what they were good at rather than what the weren’t good at, and I believe that to be a huge confidence booster for children all across the board.

I chose the early grades and decided to focus on creative arts. The lesson plan I chose was called “Everyone has a culture…everyone is different.” This is how the lesson plan would look: (1) Write the following statements on the board.* No one is exactly like me. 
* I have many things in common with the members of my family and community. 
* Every person in the world needs some of the same things I need. (2) Ask students to share ideas that support these statements. (3) Point out that people in various groups often look at people in other groups as "different." (4) Ask students to describe some of these differences. Why may people in one group behave differently from people in another? (5) Explain that many differences are related to culture -- ways of living and beliefs that are handed down from one generation to the next. Working from the list on the board, explain that all people share basic needs (food, shelter, etc.), that each of us learns a set of behaviors and beliefs from the people we grow up with (the kinds of houses we build and foods we eat), and that each individual has unique talents and preferences (I'm good at math; I don't like chocolate). When we talk about the behaviors and beliefs that a group of people have in common, we are talking about culture. (6) Ask students to complete the worksheet in order to help them identify aspects of their own cultures. Explain that each student should answer each question with one sentence or phrase. Then students should rank each item as to how important they feel it is to their culture. (7) After students have completed the worksheets, ask them to share their answers in small groups. Ask the groups to compare and contrast various aspects of their individual cultures. (8) In some schools, students may share many cultural traits. Some students may not identify with a particular ethnic or foreign culture. Ask students if they think there is one American culture. Discuss characteristics of your region (immigration patterns, geographic location, etc.) that might explain the similarities and differences among student responses to the worksheet.

The U.S. military budget is by far the highest of any country in the world. How much higher is the U.S. military budget than that of China, the world’s second biggest military spender? The answer is seven times higher. I wasn’t surprised by this answer because growing up in San Diego left me with the impression that our military was our most important industry. The bay is filled with navy battleships, we have a giant marine base and an air force base filled with the newest technology. The fact that our country spends so much money on our military makes me feel extremely comfortable and I truly believe the power of America on the global scale is highly tied to the strength of our military. According to UNICEF, the wealth of the three richest people in the world is roughly equal to the combined Gross Domestic Product of: the world’s 48 poorest countries. This question didn’t surprise me either, but it did spark the question of how people with that level of money should spend their money. Bill Gates said that when he passes away he is going to donate the majority of his estate to the public, but he also said that he unfortunately doesn’t think many other billionaires and millionaires will do the same thing.

I got an 80% on my Netiquitte quiz. Teaching netiquitte is important because it explains some of the technical limitations of online communication, it will help one create a positive impression on those who you meet in cyberspace, and it explains the conventions already used by millions of cybernauts like :) to show a crying face or L for a sad face.

Hello Class,

My name is Aaron “Sean” Pentz. I was born in Chula Vista, California, and then at the age of 7 my family moved to Poway. I went to Poway High School and was part of the basketball and track and field teams. I attended UC San Diego to run 110 high hurdles for the track team, but quit after one season to focus on academics. I graduated with a BA in Visual Arts this past march and in the fall I will be in the Multiple Subjects Credentialing Program at CSU San Marcos in the Bonsall cohort.

My experience with technology spans the whole of my life. At age 3 I got my first video game system, the Nintendo Entertainment System. I was hooked immediately. I went on to purchase every gaming system I possibly could all the way up until today (PS3 is my most resent purchase, waiting on a Wii). I got my first computer at age 11 and it was a PC. I used PC all the way up until I went to UC San Diego. The Visual Arts department only used Apple computers so I had to become more comfortable with using their GUI (graphic user interface). I ended up enjoying using Mac’s so much I just bought myself a MacBook Pro a few months ago. So, I guess in computer terms I am bilingual, I have no problem using Mac or PC (although I think Mac’s are much less of a hassle compared to PC). I use Microsoft Office 2008 on my Mac. Technology is an integral part of my day-to-day life, whether I am on my laptop surfing the net, on my Xbox 360 playing Halo, or skateboarding listening to my ipod the majority of my time is infused with technology.

Part of the mission statement that stood out to me was the idea of educational equity. Educational equity is key to a child’s success in school. Children are not all the same, they all come from different walks of life with their own wealth of knowledge and it is the educator’s responsibility to build upon that knowledge to give each student the best opportunity to function in our democracy. The mission statement was interesting, but had nothing to do with me choosing CSU San Marcos for getting my teaching credential. My mother received her Mid-Level Multiple Subjects Credential along with a Masters in Administrative Education at CSU San Marcos and she is the one responsible for turning me onto the school.