Blogging

Well, with some difficulty in class on getting a blog post started, and then coming home to work on it with another computer, I can say that I actually like it--not a huge fan, but at least I can now say, "I blog."  There are many uses for blogs that can be used from an educational standpoint.  You can blog with your students, colleagues, and other school personnel on assignments and in-class activities and common issues at the school site that can be addressed as a school unit (textbooks, classroom improvements and concerns, upcoming meetings and events, etc.).   It's a very useful tool.  Great job, instructors!

Free Website for Educator Websites

This is a simple free website for educators to create a page for their classroom. http://www.educatorpages.com/Home.aspx

Sure it's stupid, but...

Kudos to you if you made it past the 2 minute mark; it's not that hilarious or entertaining.  Sure it's stupid, but think about what the kids are trying to do: use a computer to order a pizza.  They know the sequence of questions typical in a pizza order: where do you live, what is your phone number, what would you like, etc.  I'm assuming they've set up some of these text-to-speech phrases in advance and are playing them at times in the appropriate moment.  How stupid would they be if they set up an actual working system where people can use a computer to order a pizza in a city?

Well guess what; it's already been done.  In some cities there already exists online ordering systems for restaurants, grocery stores, movie tickets, and yes, pizza.  So what's my point?  Mark Zuckerberg started off by creating a online beauty ranking program.  His social network site, Facebook, now is estimated to be worth $50 billion.  The ability to "think outside of the box" is considered to be a great asset in today's rapidly changing world.  So don't be so quick to dismiss students' ideas on how to use technology.  Of course there are boundaries of decency and what not, but we should encourage creative thinking and not be so particular on one true solution.

The trick would be trying to harness the kid's prank into something productive.  He's halfway there already.  He has the idea.  He knows the questions used in pizza ordering.  So how does he put it in a usable format?  What if the order is from outside of the delivery area?  What are the pathways the system uses when there are different options?  Can he draw a diagram of this system?  Can he express it in a spreadsheet?  Do you see where I'm going here?  Teachers also need to think outside the box and devise thoughtful lessons that stimulate young minds.  The prankster of today could be tomorrow's billionaire.

I consider myself to be tech savy. I'm familiar with the basics of the Microsoft Programs. I can create things through exploration and trial and error. I am looking forward to what else this class has in store. I really didn't know how many educational programs and sites there are out there for parents, students, and teachers. I would feel overwhelmed if my students had access to technology.

Thank you, Tom & Joanna, for all the help in teaching the basic parts of working with computer and sharing your knowledge & expertise. It sure has ease my stress level very much. I am definitely learning so much information. Learning the text processing sure gave me a better understanding in working with technology. I feel that using the spreadsheet will be beneficial in communicating with parents on their child's grades throughout the quarter. Wow, today! Its amazing to know so many types of communications available. I sure do enjoy Edmondo very much. Now, blogging? There is so much out there to integrate with in my classroom.

The Things I Have Learned From Gateway To Technology

Being a beginner in Technology, it was so exciting in the first day of classes. I am very eager to learn. Ms. Payumo gave us the website, where we can see the objectives and goals of Gateway To Technology. The first module was Text Processing. I learned to type something that I can use in Microsoft Word. She taught us the different cases of letters and different colors to be use in texting. Ms. Payumo and Mr. Tom Petra told us to read the article about Gateway To Technology and it was so interesting when Mr. Tom shared us his blog. Mr. Tom told us to create a g-mail account so that we can copy and add in our text. They showed us a template to be use in parent teacher conference and to create a project to be send to our students. They taught us the project based learning. Module 2 was spreadsheets. Mr. Tom taught us how to organize data. He showed us how to use Microsoft Excel Tutorial 2010. He told us to check g-mail account, insert chart, customize colors and how to evaluate and reflect. He showed us how to use spreadsheets to our students, to use professionally, and to know the obstacles.

Mr. Tom Petra sent us his blog about Here We Go and Five Tech Verbs. Yes, I agree that learning is a continuous process. He said that Educational Technology is a progressive pedagogy that covers ball subject areas and grade levels and spreading rapidly. According to Mr. Tom, the International Society for Technology in Education currently boost over 20,000 members who are made up of teachers, administrators and developers from all areas of education. Gateway To Technology is a very important subject to me because last school year, we started The Power School in checking attendance and grading our students. Thank you very much to both of you MR. TOM and MS. PAYUMO for sharing us your knowledge in Technology. A great Job well done. Have a good day and more power to both of you.

Technology Bonanza

If I came into my classroom in Aug. with my students and found a classroom filled with laptops, I too would be overjoyed and overwhelmed. Where do we begin? I am grateful for this opportunity to bring my students into the 21st century. Some of them would probably be way ahead of me, and they know it. My 6th graders already know more on how to navigate on their phones than I do. They are surprised that I know how to text-- something so basic to them.Then there will be those who don't even know what a cursor is.

I have been at LPUMS in Barrigada for over 20 years. We have had many attempts in trying to infuse technology into our classrooms from computer labs, one computer per class, to internet installations, and currently the powerschool grade book. What we need is the support to maintain the hardware and to continually train and upgrade our teacher skills in technology. Dust will gather again on these machines if the district does not provide the support that schools need. The new teacher graduates and the technology savvy teachers will be the teachers who will run with these new tools. Their students will benefit greatly from their expertise. But, for the rest of us who are partially literate or not at all, we will need a lot of help in getting up to speed to bring our students into the 21 century.

Reflection

I'm new to this and I'm learning a lot.It's fun, interesting and I'm learning the tools that I could use in my personal and professional life.

Official Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy GEB

Here is the official version of the policy limiting use of cell phones and electronic devices. We need to teach the students acceptable use of the equipment. We should be able to use the equipment in classes or in the school. We need to take steps to teach the students how to use the cell phones as a classroom tool. Let us work together to make changes to the policy to match the Gateway to Technology.

Reflection on GTT

The GTT is a great opportunity for educators to jump into the digital world. Because today's students are typically digital natives, educators need to stop being "digital immigrants" and acculturate into this new era of technology in the classroom! I am grateful for this opportunity and the wealth of information and resources being shared. Networking between professionals is also enhanced as a result of this class (Edmodo, Classroom 2.0, etc.). I hope the networks created will continue and future collaboration will ensue.