The High Cost of Low Teacher Salary

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/opinion/01eggers.html


An easy read!

What is your Moral Imperative to prepare students for the next 50 years rather than the last 50 years?

   Dr. Scott McLeod's presentation "Dangerously Irrelevant" regarding the desperate need to reinvent public education as we know it for the future.  In his presentation he states that the three essential functions of education should be to prepare our graduates to be socially functional, to become masters of the dominant technological landscape, and to become economically productive.  
   He also states that there has been dramatic decreases in the level of American students critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, innovation, and the ability to synthesize information a variety of situations. McLeod contends that our schools are using methods that were in place over fifty years ago, and that administrators and legislatures are burying their heads in the proverbial sand rather than structure learning environments that are aligned with our global intellectual economy.
   As pre-service teachers where do we see ourselves in the information revolution and what stand do we see ourselves taking in regards to curriculum and assessment reform? In what ways will you become advocates for what you believe to be the right thing to do? And why?
Stellalunalorax~

Classroom 2.0

I've never heard of this website! You have to be a member to really get into some of the links and post on the forum, but it's actually a very useful website. I was looking through the forum and saw many ideas where people can bounce off each other, and help to give new ideas for topics that are unfamiliar. For instance, I noticed a "Prezi" post, which was what Brian and Bree used for their morning meeting in Judith's class. I was only recently introduced to this website when Brian told me about it. On this forum, it gives uses and other webpages to check out to help you incorporate it into the classroom.

What are some interesting things you have found when looking through the webpage? Anything you might use for your classroom?

Great tool!

Edutopia

While I was watching the video, Digital Media Empower Youth, several thoughts and questions were going through my head. First, I think it is fabulous that this middle school in Chicago is privileged enough to have access to these wonderful technologies. With that said, do you feel that there is an issue with equal access/opportunity to technologies in schools across the nation/state/county/district? If so, do you have any suggestions for solving this problem?

Secondly, how do you envision technology playing a role in your classroom? In an ideal world, how would you like your classroom to look in regards to technologies?

Lastly, this video makes the point that technology is not a phase or a fad. It is here to stay and it is a great tool to enhance learning, especially considering the diversity in learning styles. Considering these statements, how do you foresee education changing at the primary levels in say 5 years, 10 years, or even 20 years because of technological advances?

I know this is a lot to post about, so feel free to just choose one set of questions to elaborate on rather than addressing all of them if you want! :)

Week10: Reading Edutopia

This weeks reading leaves me thinking how I will set up my classroom and how I will do so in adherence to the state and local building and fire codes.

There are so many wonderful things to do.  In one of our pre-K classrooms there are not any windows; big bummer! The teacher does her best to create the sense of space in how she decorates and utilizes the space. She is considering painting windows on the walls and using it as an interactive space.

What does your classroom look like in your mind?

Stellalunalorax

Week 10 Reading: The World Is Open for a Reason Make That 30 Reasons

I am so fortunate to be the one who posts on this reading especially given that I am considered a Non-Traditional Learner who has been attending both traditional and non traditional type classes for eleven years.  As a student seeking Teacher Certification within NYS the OER (open educational resource) is not necessarily an option.  Some of the courses can be taken online but the true certification is not yet available to a learner seeking online educational resources within NYS...Sure would make my life easier if it were! It often times feels to me as if my time is WASTED sitting through lecture when I could be doing so much more. Is there an element of position justification involved with institutions not being inline with 21st Century Skills?

I submit that from a marketing perspective institutions such as our beloved Cortland would serve an even larger demographic of people if more opportunities for OER were available.  There are sometimes less than 30 classes available online during semesters, winter and summer session.To me it seems unproductive to not offer the maximum availability of online course and degree programs especially since "we all learn."  Bonk asserts 10 reasons why institutions and organizations freely share online content, included in the 10 reasons are the dissemination of information, student assistance, alumni support, sharing ideas and practices, marketing, global education, goodwill, feedback, economic support and career options, and setting an example regarding the rights of all to be educated. He also notes that institutions of higher learning throughout the world are already doing this; Australia, Canada, Afghanistan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Notre Dame and the United Kingdom.  All the more reason for each of us to maximize our talents in the technology sector and be prepared to teach and learn in multiple ways.

As leaders and advocates our responsibility to society will include the Three P's as outlined in Bonk's work; the technological infrastructure, online content and a participatory culture of learning. When awareness is heightened to the vast inequality in education the time is ripe for change.  I believe we have been teetering at the cusp of an educational revolution in our country for decades, change is happening in slow yet immense ways.  The recognized value of OCW (opencourseware) has not yet peaked in the Upstate area. However it continues to reach around the global world seemingly are we going to let it pass us by? It is our responsibility to check our egos at the door and really walk the walk and talk the talk of educational equality.  As stated in Bonk's piece, "convenience and flexibility are the learning watchwords" We all work, have lives, need money, etc and all deserve the opportunity that OCW and OER provide.  I can say with honesty that I would leave the traditional courses offered in an instant if Cortland were to become the innovator in the fields of OCW and OER that is is in the field of Teacher Preparation via  traditional methods.

Respectfully submitted,
Stellalunalorax

Our Wikis

Since for week 8 we don't really have any readings, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss our wikis a little bit! For week 9 we have some readings on wikis in education, but for some reason the links weren't working for me.

Now that we have been in our observation classrooms a few times, where do you see wikis fitting into an elementary classroom? Do you think you could have children submit homework on wikis or is that too much to ask considering that some families may not have access to a computer?

Do you think it is unlikely that a first-year (or even second or third-year) teacher would have time to have a wiki that highlights all subjects? In other words, would teachers be able to find the time to post and maintain activities, games, assignments, etc for every subject or is it more reasonable to choose one subject and go from there?

Lastly, how do you feel about your own wiki? I know that I am finding it very hard to do the things that I would like to do with my wiki... I have many ideas but I can't technologically figure out how to do them!

Since I have asked a bunch of questions, I figured I would give a little of my opinion... Thinking about myself as a future teacher, I have thought that maybe the best way to use a wiki in my class would be to communicate with parents. Instead of sending letters home (which from the classroom I am in, it seems to happen daily), maybe the letters could be posted online. But then you run into the trouble of access to the computers or if parents would bother to get on the site and check for newsletters. Additionally, teachers could communicate student progress through the wiki. Just some ideas...

See you guys tomorrow!

Our Posting Schedule

Week 4: Darcy 2/14

Week 5:  Brittney 2/21

Week 6: Amanda 2/28

Week 7: Darcy 3/7

Week: 8 Brittney Spring Break

Week 9: Amanda 3/21

Week 10: Darcy 3/28

Week 11: Brittney 4/4

Week 12: Amanda 4/11

Week 13: Darcy 4/18

Hope this helps,

Darcy

Peer Evaluation's

Just a reminder, Shufang posted a "Peer Evaluation" that we have to include under project 3 in our TaskStream for the blog. So far so good! Hope everyone enjoys their break!

Internet Safety Week 7 Reading

Our reading for week 7 includes the Internet Safety link from the New York State Education Department and is as follows: 

         "The emergence and use of new technologies strengthen the need for all learners to know and practice safe    effective, ethical use of technology through training in Internet safety. While many students and teachers use various technologies often, others may use it infrequently or lack basic access or information to use technology. Yet all learners, including the youngest students, students with special needs, and English language learners, can receive guidance in information literacy and the safe and ethical use of telecommunications tools such as social networking spaces and online coursework to meet learning standards, credit or degree requirements, and life-long learning needs. NYSED can assist by providing technical assistance for instructional programs designed to promote the proper and safe use of the Internet."

In my observation the students spend most of their time watching or listening to the teacher do or perform the technology; however when the Smart board is utilized each student that I have observed interacting on the smart board has had prior knowledge of how to make it work and what to do with it. 

I would like to see the traditional "desk" make way for a laptop in the community of the classroom.  Too often our students are leaving their classrooms to learn about technology as if it is somehow separate from the rest of our content curriculum. Some classrooms keep the computers covered and are used as a reward during "play time" in which the students are playing social networking type games such as "Club Penguin"  or "Pandanda"

With that said there will always be a need for students to write legibly and comprehend what they read as well as navigate the internet in a safe, educational and meaning making way which complements the state and national core curriculum as well as the scope and sequence of the district. 

We as pre-service teachers have a responsibility to prepare ourselves and our students to have 21st Century Skills comparable with current Industry Standards.  

Happy Day!

Darcy B

Key Trend

"The work of students is increasingly seen as collaborative by nature, and there is more cross-campus collaboration between departments. While this trend is not as widespread as the others listed here, where schools have created a climate in which students, their peers, and their teachers are all working towards the same goals, where research is something open even to first year students, the results have shown tantalizing promise. Increasingly, both students and their professors see the challenges facing the world as multidisciplinary, and the need for collaboration great. Over the past few years, the emergence of a raft of new (and often free) tools has made collaboration easier than at any other point in history."

Nice connection to our SUNY System Amanda.  I too appreciate how accessible information is on the system and find it almost maddening when professors do not utilize it to its fullest potential.

In the elementary school setting I imagine it could potentially exist much as it does with the SUNY system.  The district where I am doing my observation has something similar, but I am not positive. I will look into it further and investigate how they use their technological resources in collaboration with each other. 

Alone Together

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/25/134059283/have-we-grown-too-fond-of-technology

This is a link to a program and a book on NPR (National Public Radio) about the social effects of generational technology.
Fodder for debate?

Does Technology Create Collaboration? Or Privacy Concerns?

The first question involves the last "Key Trend" under the readings for week 5. This key trend suggests that technology has created more collaboration between departments on campuses. Do you feel that this is true for our campus? What about for the Elementary level? Does technology create collaboration between subjects or even grades?

A second thing that caught my attention was a statement about privacy concerns in one of the articles that I read. With all of the advances in technology and the encouragement for students to learn electronically, what implications could this have for our students and how can we avoid privacy issues?

Accessiblity

While the Prensky article was not meant to enlighten us to the conditions of poverty it eloquently highlights the need to evaluate how we reach the children of this digital age that the author refers to as digital natives.  I contend that the majority of these "digital natives" are not experiencing conditions of poverty.

Digital Natives

I think that is a great question that you posed about Marc Prensky's article. However, I think that it is most likely that a vast majority of househols have some form of technology--rather it be a TV, DVD player, video game console, computer, or even a cell phone. And for those households with absolutely NO technology, most schools spend a little time with some form of technology each day. Every classroom I have been into in the past few years has had at least one computer, along with access to a large computer lab. I am not saying you are wrong in questioning his generalized statement, I just think that most children do fall under the Digital Natives categories, some are just more involved in technology than others, possibly due to accessibilty.

Here we are

So this is our blog for technology. 
We have to post from week four reading, sounds easy enough right.
Here we go..