Databases!!!

The first article maintains a focus on Filemaker Pro database software. I’ve actually had some experience with this technology and have processed reports of students and groups of students. This form of technology, as dull as the article made it seem, is monumental in our management of children’s education. We can compare students to their peers and interpret loads of information not available to us several years ago. However, as much as we find it beneficial to categorize students for the sake of time and effort, we can find fault in that these evaluations are becoming more impersonal. More often than not, students are “strategically” placed in certain classes based on different numbers (usually tests) that fall under their name. It’s true that we make our own future, yet educators ultimately determine the path a child will follow. With programs like Filemaker and Claris Home page, allowing the organization of data and the manipulation of it, teachers can easily manage a group of students and, furthermore, keep them in touch with each other over the Web.
Beth Holmes makes a critical point about children’s education. In lieu of our technology driven information age, children must understand the skills of gathering, organizing, understanding, and then sharing information. This Presidential database project is a simple and effective method of teaching such skills. Though, this article is nearly a decade old, I’m sure there are more creative and interactive database projects. This week’s assignment was a perfect example. As much as teachers can benefit from databases, students will need to know the gist of them in order to succeed later in life.
The third article presents the idea of centralizing a database. Students would literally go to one computer and input their data; in this case it was for reading books. The students could then determine what they were looking for in a book and sort it accordingly. This method is outdated, yet children can participate in similar forums online. This article just emphasizes the power of a database and the importance of encouraging children to organize whatever information possible.
Databases have an enormous effect in our education already. The sole purpose for the advancement of technology is to better the giving and receiving of information. Rooms that were once full of filing cabinets are now shrunken into the size of a laptop. Retrieving mounds of information is also as easy as punching a few keys. This week we worked on the InspireData. I was astounded by the complexities-made-easy as Erika guided us through this software’s many tools. More importantly, though, is the aesthetically appealing aspect of it. Not many things I’ve created are so easy to make appear really hard to do. The ability to configure different types of graphs can make any normal teacher seem like a computer-whiz. I still think that the true benefits of databases can be best used by school administrators, when the school-wide population must be compared, especially when all they really look at is sets of numbers. Within the classroom, teachers can use databases for project purposes and general information storage. By having great software such as InspireData, we can easily broaden our application of technology to databases.

Software Evaluations and Webquests

This past week I worked on the software evaluations. I looked at Timez Attack, Dance Mat Typing, and Playhouse Disney. The first two, Timez Attack and Dance Mat Typing, I found were useful only for extra practice, not so much as part of an actual lesson. These would be perfect for at-home practice and/or during downtime and post-activity time in class. Timez Attack was beneficial for those who learn best visually. So, boys would probably benefit the most from this. I thought the game could be produced a little better, yet considering its small credibility and amateur production it can help students learn. Dance Mat Typing seemed very advanced for a free product. It was easy to play and the overall gameplay was excellent. My favorite software was the Playhouse Disney Preschool Time Online. Extremely detailed and relevent to children, Disney put together a fantastic program that allows Pre-K age children to have fun and learn at the same time. I actually got way too involved in this game, playing and viewing so many different activities.

After reading the articles on WebQuest, I feel I have a better understanding of how to set up my Filamentality page. As a teacher, I will definitely use this resource. The first article, "Focus", explained the proper way to use and set up a WebQuest. Big or small, a WebQuest can really enhance a child's learning experience, escpecially in our expanding technology age. Also, knowing that there are so many great WebQuests out there, I would feel comfortable using other teachers work.

Internet research and Excel

The Web is full of so much useful information and through Internet search engines we can view this info. Felt and Syman explained this, as obvious as it seems to many of us, yet it is important to be reminded of the proper usage of the Internet as an educational tool. Finding credibility in Internet sources is fairly easy to recognize today, but students unfamiliar with the Internet still need to learn how to find info and learn what is and isn't credible. Like many students, I usually use the Internet as my primary source of information when doing research, especially the online article databases provided by our library. Not that I'm lazy, but it's so much more quicker and provides an abundance of information.

With excel spreadsheets, students and teachers can organize and present information with professional precision. It helps, of course, to learn the tricks of the program, but even the simple entries of numbers and converting to graphs is simple and beneficial enough to teach in a day or two. After taking the excel quiz (score: 5/9), I realized I should have reviewed the terms. I will definitely use Excel as an educator and as a prospective Math teacher, expect students to learn this program as well.

Bloom's Taxonomy and Powerpoint

Bloom's development of a simple method of learning has provided a template for teachers and students when constructing questions. When I tutor, the students have to develop a couple questions that need to, though not exactly, follow Bloom's ideas. By asking more complex and specific questions, it enables them to think beneath the surface of a topic, and it also opens up the discussion for a chain of complex questions and answers. Children learn best when they aren't forced to find the right answer, but when they casually and constructively develop an answer. Of the four selections, I found that the fourth one povided the best explanation. Especially since it was about reading, it proves that there are multiple answers to one question. Of course, in other subjects (math, science, history) there is only one answer. However, the journey towards the answer ultimately enhances the thought process, thus forcing the brain to understand complex problems that may appear in class, or most importantly, on tests.

The instructional environment of classrooms are usually bland and dull, unless the teacher can make it otherwise. PowerPoint presentations can make lesson plans more organized and far more interesting. Overall, the students are fully engaged, that is, if the presentation is right. Too often we are stuck watching someone read off the projector, or in some cases, watching a slide show and getting lost in all the images. Still, though, most people know and understand the benefits of PowerPoint presentations, so it is essential to make use of this simple and effective software, especially in the classroom.

Mapping Student Minds

Ariel Owens took her 6th grade science class to a level I have never been in any of my Science classes. Being the epitome of hands-on learning, students actually spent time observing and monitoring the creek by their school, rather taking one field trip and developing a very brief write-up afterwards (something I was used to doing). More importantly, though, was Ariel's post-trip activities. The causal mapping software she incorporated worked very well with what the class was studying. The idea of grouping and creating relationships is a terrific learning tool that teachers, especially in science, should use. Ariel also learned about her own students abilities and thought process as they interacted with other classmates and the computer.
This project obviously required a hefty amount planning and resources, yet it proved that technology can not only present information more efficiently, but their is in fact learning occuring beyond the actual subject matter as children work with technology. Manipulating through different programs is not an easy task to learn, but by incorporating this learning into the classroom on a regular basis makes it so much easier for these students to apply technology in the future. The idea of lengthy projects seems daunting to many students, but from my experiences and this article, students take more pride in their work, making it easier for them to take risks, such as presenting in front of the class. Ariel understood this very well and made use of her resources by creating an exceptional learning experience for her students and herself.

Week 3

Hello,
The article for this week showed the versatile and ever-changing affect that technology has on students. Though the excerpts were from over 20 years ago, the influence of technology, especially computers, is still growing. I even remember playing "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" and Mavis Beacon typing, where I felt so involved in a game that I didn't realize I was actually learning. Nowadays, students can interact with computers in so many ways and in so many subjects, where "teachers encourage students to make mistakes, revise, and rethink their original hypotheses, respecting their ability to learn without formal, one-way instruction (p. 3)." The computer is a teacher aide and also a tool that is essential for real-world success. However, as we evolve deeper into this information age, educators may negatively take advantage of technology by relying on it as a means to instruct without a proper curriculum intact. On page 4 it is clearly stated, "teachers still need to concentrate on asking good questions, providing challenges, and using technology only if it is appropriate and useful."

While working on the "Fournets" assignment, I was surprised by the difference in results I was acquiring in the seperate searches. I was always conscious of the advanced search but never really utilized it, for it seemed to take as long thinking about what to say "exactly" or what to "leave out" as it would if I just did a general search. I guess if I force myself to practice it, it will surely benefit me in the future.

Hi Class!

During most of my academic years, I have never been a fan of incorporating too much technology into the classroom. Using the computer as an educational tool, however, has only benefited my learning experience while also maintaining my status as being computer-literate. Today's youth are overwhelemed with computers, whether it being a personal computer, a cell phone, iPod, or even video games - all, amongst many others, being some form of a computer. In regards to education, technology has made the most impact when I am required to do research, which is in nearly every class. Everything is stored as electronic data, which can be accessed in a matter of seconds. Sadly, I have never checked out a book from the library. I love reading, but when it comes to research, I find even our magnificent library to be insubstantial when I consider my time and effort. If I had at least three hours in a day to spend simply finding the correct titles and endlessly fingering through pages, then I would, maybe, dabble with the library method of researching. Children today do most of their research, outside of their textbooks, on computers as well. As we are doing in this class, utilizing the internet to present and arrange information is far more efficient than any previous way.
I'm not exactly sure how open the second question is, but I learned a new word this week! My co-worker has a slight fetish for words and recieves a new word in her e-mail everyday. Exciting, right? Well, I admit that I partake in this daily festivity, and the word was........................ cynosure! Isn't that fun? If anyone is so concerned they can ask me what it means. OK, fine, it means to be the center of attention, sort of. Amidst anything as being significant learning this past week, considering this is my first attempt at H/W, that is it.