DIGITAL BLOG POST #E

               Maloy et. al. (2013, pp. 103-104) discuss the uses of digital pens. Up until this point, I have only heard the name ‘digital pen,’ but never really heard of its capabilities. There are cheap to expensive types, and the capabilities range from low to high with price. Even at the medium level, a teacher and school perhaps, could find this to be very useful. They would be able to write notes on a paper from their teaching podium, and it could be displayed on a Smartboard simultaneously. Even better, the program that comes with the pen could then save the file, since it was just converted to a digital format even though you were on a piece of paper. These could be sent to a place where your students could download or view the notes for the class. This could save the teacher a lot of work, make it simple to give them notes, by cutting several steps in the process. Even as students this could be very helpful. The most expensive pens can record what is being said, and be repeated back to you while referring the pen back to a position in the notes. If a student was confused about what the notes mean, they could place the pen on the notes, and what was being said by the teacher at that time could be repeated. That could also then be helpful to parents who may be confused about what was being taught as well. The implications of such a tool are likely to be undervalued at this point, considering the lack of people that I know that own them. I wonder if they can then convert what you have hand written into a typed format? If not yet, it seems it will come, where will technology be halted?

               In the text by Maloy (pp. 246-247), a critique of PowerPoint is given by an information theorist named Edward Tufte. He made several arguments, stating that analysis of statistics are often incorrect, verbal and spatial reasoning done is usually not very strong, and is more for the presenter than for the content. These comments seem to put everyone that uses PowerPoint on the same level, with the same objectives, and doesn’t seem fair or even balanced. There are always going to be bad teachers, and those who misuse or mistranslate information, and try to get others to have the same viewpoints as them. Then there will be good teachers who present the material unbiased, from multiple perspectives, and open the floor for discussions that will make the listeners think more critically. Teaching in this format seems very common, and one thing that he did mention that the audience is often bored because of the content, not the visuals. It does seem that the visuals from PowerPoint have become a more common feature of a class, and so if you’re looking to keep your students engaged, it will take more than a nice background. Content with pictures, video, etc., seem to be the way to go. He states also, and I wonder why, that the video, pictures, graphics, should be low resolution. When I see stuff that is low resolution, I think old, possibly outdated, and if it’s a new picture, I think it is not a great picture or video clip because of the quality. Will our students think the same thing, like “what are you trying to teach us with this video made by low end people.”

               Video in the classroom has been commonly found for many years. Maloy (pp. 251) points out a few of the reasons why it is so common, such as its availability, interest of students, resources, and unique learning experiences. It is true that even people in general spend at minimum several hours a week watching television. The best source for these resources appears to be the internet, where many videos have already been developed, and are standard driven. The ability to stream these videos with a few clicks is extremely useful for a teacher. Many sites already have the videos available by the standard which they cover, making it easy for a teacher to find an appropriate video, within their planning periods. Videos are great, but they definitely need to be engaging, and have good content. If the students are not engaged, a portion of them will not be pulling the information from the video like you would like them to. There are ways to help get them to pay attention, such as having questions for them to answer ahead of time, or finding videos that are very interesting, not dull and seem forever. Videos need hooks to, especially if the topic and planned demonstrations or footage is not enticing. Also, videos should add to what you are doing, support the teacher, and being up to date with quality is a factor to consider. Videos have been around for a while, and continue to get better, so it is likely that it will continue to beneficial for classroom support for years to come.

Click HERE for some pictures of the discussions above, which then if you click on the picture, will take you to a website with more information on it.

Resources:

Cloud 9 Communications. (n.d.). FORMS PROCESSING WITHIN SECONDS! Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://cloud9communications.co.za/digital_pen_solution.htm

Giving Effective Reports Through Powerpoint Presentation. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2016, from https://mightylearning.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/giving-effective-reports-through-powerpoint-presentation/

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly

Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Scholl, T. (2012, November 14). Best Video Sites For Educators & An Argument for Videos in the Classroom. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://teachercadettechnology.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-100-best-video-sites-for-educators.html

Short, A. (2016, March 30). Pictures of discussion. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from https://padlet.com/wall/2yow52ggmpj3

DIGITAL BLOG POST #D

               Maloy et al. (2007, pp. 210-211) discuss the impacts of social networking. They state that between 9-17 years of age, 96% use some sort of social networking. Even though this is widely used by young people, most school districts do not allow students to be using these networks during school. Common reasons for this is that they feel students will be distracted by these, and that it will also lead to inappropriate behaviors. I agree that many of the social networks should not be allowed while at school, unless a special room (on the net) was created for class discussions. We are all aware of the fact that social networks have been commonly used to talk badly about others, along with other inappropriate behaviors. If a teacher can monitor what’s being said, and even be apart, then it should be a helpful resource to many students. They also stated that many students resent these restrictions, but at this point in time, it seems to make sense.

               Learning communities online have opened up quite a bit of opportunity in the last decade. People are able to find sites of interest and share, discuss, and dig deeper, into these topics (Maloy et al, 2007, pp. 213). Students are able to contribute in their own way at their own time to a topic amongst a group of people who likely all have the same interests. This makes the students feel a part of something. It’s also noted that people learn from those they hang around with, and in this case, you have students learning from other students who have hopefully researched from the proper places. Teachers can use these communities to allow students to explore their topics, contribute information, and learn from each other. When these communities allow students to share their views, students begin to see others perspectives, and have to think deeper about what they believe. I agree that these communities are helpful and supportive to our goals. One thing they didn’t mention or suggest is the role of the teacher in these. I would assume that the teacher will help, to some degree, and where needed, guidance to the discussions to further the development of their students. I think it’s a good idea for classes to include these type of communities at least once for a project. It’s likely that some students that shy away from class, may feel more comfortable in this type of format. My biggest fear of these would be the lack of guidance or untrust-worthy content being brought forth.

               Technology is making a big impact on those that need accommodations (Maloy et al, 2007, pp. 280). Maloy et al present the idea that with technology, students with disabilities can be kept at the same as other students, instead of modification, by making adjustments to computer basted textbooks. They state that the language can be made appropriate for the learner, and for concepts, they can have hyperlinks to information presented in a way that they can easily learn from, and may do it at their own pace. I agree that technology can have a huge impact on those that are disabled in some way. With the ability to change the text, make it to the learning style of the reader, you will be able to help that child in a greater manner. As long as there are people who make this their job, do it for teachers, and it becomes easily accessible to them, then I believe it would work great. If teachers have to take the time to design these for each student, it probably wouldn’t be possible. The implications are great, and would also be helpful with engagement.

                                          Photo credit to Adam Short from Tagxedo

Resources:

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly

Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Short, Adam (2016). Performed by http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html?url=http%3A//adamts333.blogspot.com/&shape=Classic&orientation=Any