Distance Learning

This has been a  semester to remember for me, especially so far in my educational career.  At the first of the semester, I felt overwhelmed and things were over my head.  Amazingly in a short time I found myself using blogs, instant messaging, user feeds, constantly using other sources for enhancing my education.  By the end of this semester I feel like I am much more enlightened about the ways technology will continue to grow, how they’re being used that I didn’t know, and tips/tricks with innovative educational methods.

As I worked on my final project, I have had a very difficult time publishing my website.  Things being lost, personal computer issues, or overall server downtimes.  Working online constantly on my website, I had the experience of actually seeing the obstacles that occur while working with the Internet.  Although the problems will arise, the beneficial aspects of the Internet are remarkable. 

For my capstone project I created a website for students and parents to use outside of school.  All the time I have parents asking me what they can do to help their child with their math skills or students asking for bonus work.  With this website, students and parents can use it as an excellent intervention tool for those who struggle with mathematical concepts or to enrich their skills.  Also the site will allow parents to see what skills students in 5th grade are expected to know and master.  Although I have published my website, I am sure there will be kinks in the site and developments that will need to be made continuously.  I plan on utilizing this website with my own class, and expect to see the benefits from it.  I feel that the capstone project really reflects what we have discussed all semester long on the collaboration aspect of education.  I think the site shows collaboration with colleagues from around the country, which was as asset that I realized during this course.  WIthin distance education, we have learned to use our sources that are not only within our area, but all over.  I have also realized that collaboration is extremely important with parents.  Collaborating with parents is essential in preparing our students for higher education and helping them reach their full potential.  I hope everyone gets the opportunity to visit my website and please remember to continue to check back as I will continue to update it as the year progresses and I see more needs for my students.

My website:  http://mrvarneysmath.faithweb.com/

Last Outpost like other MUDs are very frustrating to me.  I have a hard time understanding the gaming lingo while within the game, and am not very successful because of this.  The difficulty manner of this style of reading leaves me thinking, “What in the world am I doing this for”.  This isn’t anything like a game to me, because of the lack of animation.  I know the point is for the user to utilize their reading skills and leave the animation to imagination, but I grew up in a world of seeing the action before me.  I think that this would be something that would be very hard for a struggling reader to use and be beneficial.  If they already struggle reading, then they will without a doubt have a hard time understanding the commands within the game.  I think this might be something used as a tool for the Gifted and Talented group.  Students who have mastered reading would have a much better chance at success at this.  I think that Last Outpost might push on the frustration level for those not on reading grade level.  If someone uses this as an intervention tool, I think it might have to be at a higher grade level.  Even as a college graduate, I found myself at frustration levels.

Communicating with a network of friends, coworkers, or family members is something that we take for granted in today’s technological world.  With our lives being vastly overwhelmed with which the speed we travel in our daily routine, we must find ways to stay in touch with our network.  Our world is now a world driven by text messaging and email.   Our world has evolved to we read and type more than we talk with each other.  The fast lanes of society has brought with it a new rave of technologies that we feel we must have or we will be the ones left out of the loop.

I often feel that our communication lines are broadening with technologies.  We no longer have the excuse of not having the time to call, write, or visit.  Everything is so instantaneously that we are left without responses filled with excuses.  Also, I feel that we have become much more efficient at multitasking with assistance of the technologies.  It is rare that on my commute to work I drive and don’t see at least every other vehicle with the driver talking on the cell phone, or someone setting in the parking lot of a restaurant with a laptop.  Our world is becoming such a high speed affair, that we don’t even stop to eat.  Maybe we think we are accomplishing more by doing things faster and faster…….but are we? or are we just doing things in a different manner than our predecessors.

I think assessment in our classrooms is one of the most controversial issues that a school has.  How do we appropriately assess our students?  We have special needs that we must meet.  We have state assessments that are required.  We have assessments that are used for future indicators.  We have performance assessments.  However, none of these assessments are the same and identify students on the same level.  Do we even know if we are accurately assessing students.  We have students graduating high school with honors and high state assessment scores, but have to take remedial classes in college.  Something is wrong with that picture.  So what should be used to assess all students using the same measuring tool?

With school testing scores being released to the public recently, everyone has their eyes on the schools’ scores.  Scores of the state test has been such a focus on today’s schools that it has been a major focus.  The focus on the scores has driven away from performance, and more towards test taking.  Stephen Downes recently wrote in his blog that “If you want to see what kids have learned, give them a project.”  I think that his thinking is right on target.  How can our students apply the knowledge is worth so much more than bubbling in a correct choice.  I think performance based assessments are a more efficient way of testing, but the hardest thing is how do we properly assess?

When I think of the roles a teacher has to play in today’s classroom, numerous words come into play such as:  leader, coordinator, coach, mentor, facilitator, organizer, manager, role model, EDUCATOR.  There are so many roles that a teacher must account for while in the classroom.  Not only is the teacher responsible for that groups education, but they must be extra roles for certain indivdual needs.  Many students look to a teacher for guidance and caring, because they don’t have a stable home life.  Also, the teacher must coach up students for support and encouragement.  A teacher must go far past any outsiders view of what an “Educator” is in today’s schools.

I think the relationship between teacher and student really depends on the nature and needs of the student.  What does the student need?  Does he want a teacher close into his personal life?  Can the teacher handle being more than “just a teacher”.  Roles completely depend on the teacher and the students.

I don’t think that a role of a teacher can be imposed on someone, and they actually be good at it.  You can give anyone the tools to perform, but do they have the gift to use them.  A teacher’s ways come from within, and if they have the ability to teach, they will find all necessary tools to succeed.

We are so programmed in our ways of thinking that most of us have to have it laid out in front of us to do something.  Our society has been a place of order, and that everything needs to be done a certain way.  I agree that we must follow orders from superiors, but we also need to think out of the box.  Our boxes become so tiny, that they constrain us from reaching potential.  Learning doesn’t always have to be done a certain style just because it has been done that way for so long.  In our classroom design, we need to think about the advancements our society has made and use the resources available.

Richard Sterling has made a list about “Challenges in adapting to Web 2.0 for school use” and I think that this pretty much sums up why our “box” isn’t expanding.

1. School content must address specific learning objectives.
2. Many learning objectives are subject to time constraints.
3. Addition of technology can increase the complexity of classroom management.
4. Schools are heavily invested in print technologies and often constrain Internet access in ways that limit access to online media tools.
5. Teachers have limited models for effective integration of media in their teaching.
6. Only limited research is available to guide best practice.

While talking about design of education in our classroom and how to make the most out of what we have, I think that we are thinking too much about it.  We are in an age that has more means of learning, than we have ever possibly had.  I recently read an article that discussed the topic of having so much technology available, and we just don’t use it to our advantage enough.  Our students have blogs, IMs, email, online scrapbooks, etc. that they constantly publish online.  We try to get them to express their ideas on paper, but they are already doing it.  We might not have our students doing this in a formal way, but they are informally doing what we have tried to get them to do for years.  Writing portfolios are SO important in Kentucky’s schools, and we talk about our students struggling to publish pieces.  They publish all the time, and in real time.  We need to stop worrying about the formal processes of it, and translate all the technologies to our advantage.  They are publishing excellent work, we just need to bring it into the classroom.  To read more about the “Cognitive Surplus”, that I have been enlightened about, check out: http://www.citejournal.org/vol8/iss2/editorial/article1.cfm

Why do we feel the need for online networking?  Whether we have MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, etc.  More and more people are signing in to the growing world of social networking.  I for one was once someone who never bothered having any type of online network of communication.  I thought it was just a place to gossip, or people didn’t have anything better to do.  Boy, was I wrong.  These are great ways of staying connected with the world and broadening your communication with others.  As I wondered why this has became such a beneficial tool in our world, I found a blog from someone that gave some great ideas as to why they felt the need for them.  I think that his views on networking can sort of sum it up for why we are using them more and more.  Here are his top 5 reasons.

1. Conversation. Its like being in a room with all of your friends and people you know while having separate conversations with each person WITHOUT interrupting or making someone else feel left out of the conversation. I guess that is the NSFJ in me.

2. Social Discernment. I can see what people are doing that matters to them in order to see if it would matter to me. In a passive way, this is good, because I can seek to understand people more effectively if the issues and subjects they support are not forced on me. And, I hope this works vice versa.

3. Passive Collaboration – No matter where or when I can choose to take part in the numerous conversations and ‘threads’ that are going on in my circle of friends, family, and co-workers.

4. Sharing. I love to share things and I enjoy having ideas, pictures, and other media shared with me.

5. Feeling Connected. In the movie, The Matrix, one of the guys mentions that he wants to go back in and forget that the Matrix was only a program meant to trick the mind. He said he wants to ‘feel’ like it was real again. In my life that is hectic with family, kids, work, church, and hobbies [;-|) , I’m not sure that my desire to want to be connected could be fully realized without the web and social networking sites.

To find out more, check his blog out at http://blog.justinhall.com/?p=34

Most people have heard of wikipedia, and maybe even looked at it.  Wikipedia is an online source available for everyone to research topics and learn about.  The only downfall of this is, people can add or delete information without it being very credible.

Well one thing that I have found is using a wiki type source of online submitting for educators.  During a recent class, I took about assistive technology, we had the experience of this tool.  All through the semester we as a group added to the “wiki”.  Each week people would add assistive technology devices about a disability or impairment such as hearing, visual, or learning disabilities.  By the end of the semester, we had a great resource available to access about the devices.  This method of collaboration allowed educators to see what was out there to help our students and find out price and how they could be obtained.

Collaboration is a great way of enhancing our teaching, and finding out what others are doing.  I believe that using a “wiki” type of online collaboration is a great tool for any educator.  Using this method allows others to share ideas and enhance their classrooms.