Todays Topic

This is an email post.

Interesting Tool

Look at this. What is it?

This is a post

HAHAHA

Class 1

Agenda:

Introductions

Course Focus Matrix

Technology in Your Field

Lunch

Distance Education

Web Technology

Accountability

-----------------------------------------------------------------

In retrospect:

We discussed how we use technology in our fields:

Ellis Software for Language

CD's/Ipod's

Electronic/Picture Dictionary

Videos

Music

Internet

Your Body (Fingers in accounting)

High Tech Bathrooms

------------------------------------------------------------------

Technology can be found in menu different places.

In order to effectively use technology of any kind in the classroom to enhance your lessons, you as a teacher must fist understand the nature of the technology.

It is important that any technology that gets integrated into your student lesson plans, enhance your material, not hinder it.

We thought about distant learning being an extension of your classroom and lessons rather than a replacement.

Here are some links to pros and cons of most traditional distance learning.
http://www.quintcareers.com/distance_learning_pros-cons.html
http://nonprofitmanagement.suite101.com/article.cfm/pros_and_cons_of_distance_learning
http://www.elearners.com/resources/elearning-faq5.asp

------------------------------------------------------------------

We talked about truly understanding the tool you are trying to integrate into your teaching.

The example I gave the the google search for MLK jr. The third site (martinlutherking.org) is actually owned by a White Supremacist Group.

We found this using the tool (easywhois.com) which shows who owns a website.

In addition we also discussed public contribution sites such as Wikipedia.com as a credible source.

Our conclusion was that the Internet is a deceptive place and people do not yet fully understand how to establish credibility. It is not just students that are fooled, it is teachers as well. Hence, by the teachers integrating the Internet into their lesson without fully understanding it, they have unintentionally and unknowingly hindered the lesson and done harm to their students learning.
Here is a resource which tells about information validity for educators:
http://www.vuw.ac.nz/staff/alastair_smith/evaln/evaln.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------

We started a google account and a blogger blog to expand your distance learning tool collection.

If you would like a step by step on how to create a blog again, or how to log back in look at this resource: http://redmonk.com/wiki/index.php?title=Start_a_Blog_(Using_Blogger)

------------------------------------------------------------------

We also discussed No Child Left Behind(NCLB) and Free and Appropriate Public Education(FAPE). We discussed their goals and and purpose.

See links to the right for more information. ----------------------------------->

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

****** Our assignment for next week (Due on Saturday Oct. 13):

On the blog you created:

Discuss how technology is changing the way your career area and/or the way you teach in your field.

Discuss some future implications for technology in your career area and/or how you will teach in this area.

This is a change for you to experiment and get creative with your blog. This project should take 4 to 6 hours. Please try to include pictures that relate to your responses.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This coming week you will experience distance education and some tools freely available for teachers and students.

Please take a moment to signup for our Yahoo Group!