EDLD+5362+Discussion+Boards


 * Week 1**

“In essence, they told us that the Internet helps them navigate their way through school and spend more time learning in depth about what is most important to them personally” (Levin and Arafeh, 2002). This quote was in reference to students using the internet to finish their work more quickly, clarify concepts they were not clear on and organize school and extracurricular work. I sometimes wonder if students have it too easy because of the internet. Instead of interviewing professionals or going to a library, looking up a resource using the Dewey decimal system and actually reading, they can now just search for information on the internet. I only hope they were taught how to determine if the information is reliable. It can be helpful as one of many resources but many students are using it as the only source of information. I think back to a movie I watched where someone pushed a button and all electrical devices were made obsolete. What will these students do to survive since I do not think they are learning how to solve problems or find answers without the internet? Levin, D., & Arafeh, S. (2002). The digital disconnect. The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved April 11, 2011 from @http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2002/PIP_Schools_Internet_Report.pdf.pdf


 * Week 2**

Too often school districts invest in technologies because of their high-tech, 21st century appeal without fully considering their impact on student learning and long-term total cost of ownership (Moore, 2006). This quote is very significant to me because of the district in which I currently work. My district is very open to many forms of technology. Every classroom (even Life Skills) has had Promethean ActivBoards for about 7 years. We also have the Activote system. My campus has 2 fully stocked laptop carts, access to a computer lab with at least 30 student computers, AV equipment and many types of software. Several teachers (including me) went to training provided by the district in order to receive 10 ipods for our classroom which we then were able to exchange 2 for ipod touches. The district also provides numerous opportunities for technology workshops during the summer, some of which are presented by teachers. However, only about 5 teachers on my campus either use technology themselves or allow students to use it on a regular basis. For the last 5 years, classroom computers have been dying with little hope of them being repaired or replaced. We are currently replacing the student computers in the 4 th and 3 rd grade classrooms and using the old ones to replace some of the ones that have died. I know I am only a PK teacher but I try to allow my students to use technology as much as possible (digital cameras, ipods, ipod touch, computer, Animoto.com, etc.). I now only have one student computer available and it irritates me that my district did not take the time to buy equipment that would last longer than 2 years. I also feel that the teachers that use and allow the student use of technology regularly are not showcased in order to show other teachers how easy it is to promote student learning. Moore, R. J., (2006, August). The five best accelerators in school. School Administrator, 63.7, p.8.


 * Week 3 **

“The rapid growth of online distance education worldwide has promoted the need to revise delivery structures and re-think pedagogical practices that were once appropriate. As new technologies emerge, instructional designers and educators have unique opportunities to foster interaction and collaboration among learners, thus creating a true learning community” (Beldarrain, 2006). I was reminded of this quote today as I filled out a survey on Google Docs. Our district technology department has asked all staff to complete a survey regarding summer technology staff development. In the survey, they asked if we were open to attending workshops on various technologies such as Google Docs, wikis, forums and blogs. They also asked about Google Apps and advanced training using ActivInspire (which we have had for about 8 years). A section was also provided for comments, such as other technology training that we would like to see offered. I could not believe this! Our district is finally trying to move into using more Web 2.0 tools. I have sent in a request for them to unblock eBooks so we can start creating our own class/school-specific ebooks. I was excited since we have obviously used most of these tools during our classes. This will not only give students the opportunity to interact and collaborate through technology but teachers as well. Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27.2, 139-153.


 * Week 4**

"The idea of involving parents is to get them helping the kids at home," Rheault explains. "The more they can get involved in understanding where their children are, we think that's a key to improving performance overall." (Villano, 2008) This comment was made in reference to the Nevada Department of Education’s rollout of a web-based system to provide parents with access to a variety of useful, grade-specific educational activities and information about student performance on state assessments. I like this idea but (and it is a big but) I have to wonder if parents would really use this information. I had parent conferences Friday afternoon and at least four of the parents insinuated that they felt teaching their student was only the teachers job. I only had one that asked what she could do to help her daughter. Of course I offered suggestions, websites, word lists, etc. But I did not really have to because I already knew she worked with her child. Explaining the PK CIRCLES test is a daunting task and it is hard to explain to parents why their student needs to know the skills. It would also be difficult to help many of our parents this way because they do not have computers or internet access. Villano, M. (2008, April 1). Meet the parents. THE Journal. Retrieved May 5, 2011 from @http://thejournal.com/Articles/2008/04/01/Meet-the-Parents.aspx?Page4  **Week 5**     The first web filtering program I looked into was Barracuda. This program complies with CIPA and ERate guidelines. There is no per user fee and no extra fee for content filtering. It has multiple layers of protection: it prevents user visits to sites hosting spyware and monitors objectionable content across 57 categories including pornography, violence and chat rooms. Users feel that it allows for easy administration and customization. There are hourly updates for virus, spyware and content filtering. It defines custom application blocking policies by source or destination IP address or netmask port number. It also allows for image safe integration. Once it is loaded onto a computer, it identifies infected desktops and allows for the removal of those infections. I also researched Secure School. This program includes internet filtering, proxy server and firewalls among others. There is URL and domain filtering, content phrase filtering, PICS filtering, MIME filtering, file extension filtering and inside/outside proxy blocking. Filtering can be separately designated for students and staff. It updates nightly. If a site is blocked, it sends a form to request it be unblocked and gives a reason for the blockage. It allows for remote administration because it uses web interface to make changes. There are 16 different ways to view logs, including by day, IP address, website and user. The only downfall is that it is not ERate eligible. I feel that it is necessary to have web filtering in school but also feel that it should be based on each group. I am currently having problems accessing many sites I would use to teach my PK students. I think the guidelines could be more lenient since it will not be the student accessing the internet but the teacher. There is also a big issue with sites designated as “games”. “ There are lots of Web filters on the market, but not all of them are tailored for schools. Some vendors' categories don't make distinctions between gaming sites and educational gaming sites” (Careless, 2007). There are many websites with games that could be used as educational tools but are blocked. It is usually too hard or takes too long to get them unblocked. Careless, J. (2007). The filtering challenge. Tech & Learning. Retrieved on May 7, 2011 from @http://www.techlearning.com/article/7212