Chapter 4

*New Tools in Schools*

How might you apply one or more of these tools to your own classroom curriculum?

This chapter offered so great insight on how to integrate technology into the classroom to help students be more prepared for the real world.  I love the examples this chapter gave about the cool schools.  Schools such as New Tech High and Lemon Grove School District are making technology the main technique to learning new skills.  These students participate in projects and use the web to access all things school related. (Solomon & Schrum, pgs. 78-80)
Even though I do not teach everyday in a school, I can definitely see how these new tools can be used to help students learn and be more engaged.  I teach a catechism class once a week at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School.  The classroom I teach in has a Promethean board, and I wish I had permission to use it.  I could keep the students focus a little bit better if I could just show a PowerPoint presentation.  Since this class is only once a week, it would be difficult to incorporate blogs, wikis, or podcasting, because we do not have the resources.  I would love to be able to use digital storytelling with them using Flickr, because most of the content they learn as 6th grades deals with the history in the stories of the Bible.  We started basically at page one, and it would be more engaging if they got to find or take pictures and put them in order of a story and add dialogue and music to it.  Maybe one day this could happen!!
Solomon & Schrum give an example, my favorite, of one science teacher who got his classes involved in a project called Sribes.  Students kept a class blog, and each day a different student is given the responsibility of updating the blog.  They post class notes, pictures, upcoming events, and useful links.  (pg. 96)

Chapter 3

*NEW TOOLS*

Where there any terms you haven't encountered before? What were they? Have you tried any of the tools described in the chapter?  Which tools?  Are there tools you want to try?  Which tools?

This chapter offers a lot of insight on who can use web 2.0 tools, how they can use them, and what the different tools are.  Solomon & Schrum state that administrators, teachers, students, and parents can benefit from using tools online to do the following: save money by not having to buy new software, set high standards and require high-quality work to focus on excellence rather than completion, collaborate on weekends and evenings no matter the location, and access students work to see how well they are performing. (pgs. 49-50)

Open source is a new term to me, but I now know that it basically means that the source code for programs should be available for anyone else to study, use, enhance, and distribute. (Solomon & Schrum, pg. 50)  

Tools which I have tried...BLOGS, obviously.  Blogging is fun, but it takes time to create and post exactly what you want.  I have subscribed and listened to PODCASTS before, and I have also tried to play around with making one, but that is more difficult.  I do not have much experience with WIKIS, but I have read wikipedia.  The first time I used social bookmarking was this semester when we created our DELICIOUS accounts in class.  I do not do much PHOTO sharing and editing, but I enjoy it when I have time!  I have never used any desktop tools online or used many of the management tools before.  I would like to learn how to use Google Docs, and create presentations online.  I have used SEARCH ENGINES, and social networking such as FACEBOOK and TWITTER.  I do not have much experience with using video, but I would love to learn.  I would also like to learn how to use Skype! :)

Chapter 2

How can you design your curriculum and professional development in the workplace so it supports these new learners?

     Students in school today are wired differently than those in the past because of technology usage.  Students play video games, use text messaging, chat online, search the web for just about anything, get music, share videos, and much more.   This means that they think, work, and play differently from previous generations. (Solomon & Schrum, pg. 27)  Students want to use technology as a main source of learning, but it seems that some teachers are not up to par to teach that way.  

     Utecht (2006) says to allow students to choose their method of presentation, find their own information, and learn in a way that meets their needs.  I believe that this allows students to learn and create on their own, like in a real job.  I agree with Solomon & Schrum's following statement regarding teaching methods for these new learners: 

"To help students acquire these skills and become synthesizers means not just providing access to technological tools but also employing the pedagogical tools that are more powerful when combined with technology."  "Technology makes it possible to target the right approaches for each student in order to provide individualized and differentiated instruction."  

This being said, constructivism, project-based learning, and connectivism are all teaching approaches that allow the teacher to present content in a non-traditional way.  Thus, the students will work and learn by building upon what they already know, engage with issues and questions that are rich, real, and relevant to their lives, and include technology as a key factor of learning. (Solomon & Schrum, pgs. 38-41)

Chapter 1

Is your school or workplace preparing students and workers for the 21st century? 

Why do you think that?

I think that McNeese is preparing students and teachers for the 21st century.  The Office of Public Information and Communications is in charge of making sure students are aware of all that is going on around campus.  The director sends out messages and keeps students informed by using the web.  Things such as FirstCall, Facebook, and the ListServe are ways the University is using things categorized as Web 2.0.  All of these applications allow students to have access to every bit of information provided by the university.  

I know that other parts of the university are preparing students for all this new technology, because I am learning it as a graduate student.  As an undergrad, many course I took were not formatted in a way to prepare me for the 21st century, but I definitely believe that the Education Department on campus is currently providing both students and teacher with all the necessary means to prepare and learn more on Web 2.0. Shifting to Web 2.0 tools in schools will help promote creativity, collaboration, and communication, and they dovetail with learning methods in which these skills play a part. (Solomon & Schrum, pg. 21)