Technology Responsibility

The news videos on Sexting are so powerful that they make me question why teachers or even administrators in those schools did not speak up to do something about the bullying. I'm sure if those photos have reached the principals that they should have held an assembly about sexting and cyber bullying. I believe that it is the school's responsibility to teach morals and ethics to children. Not everyone at home has the same background and/or the same opportunity to be aware of what is going on. However, at school is when the diverse community of students come together. That is the common location that should address these important and life-threatening issues.

For learning purposes, I believe that cell phones shouldn't be allowed to be used in the classroom. They will only distract students from working on the tasks at hand. In my future classroom, I plan to come up with art projects that have multiple parts to them, which will keep students engaged. I also want to take a day each week to let students discuss any topic or issue they want to talk about with the rest of their peers. I believe that this will allow awareness of problems, opinions, cultures, and differences to surface and be a part of students' knowledge. One example would be cyber bullying. I would ask the students questions to help them think critically, form their own opinions, and present/discuss them in a group. How would the students solve the problem if they encounter it? Have they gone through the experience themselves? How does cyber bullying affect people's lives? What are the consequences? Why is it important for teenagers to be aware of this issue? How can we prevent it from happening in our classroom? These are some of the questions I would ask my students regarding this topic. I think it is important for students to be able to vocalize their thoughts and talk with others who might be have similar experiences to gain new knowledge and ideas. They will not only be aware of what is going on around them, but the different views that people have. These discussions will help students to decipher what they've heard and incorporate how those ideas relate to their own.

It is important for students to see that their school is a safe and open-minded place. We, as future educators, cannot let even one student feel that they are unwelcome in the school and/or unable to talk to teachers and administrators. Teachers are there to help students. If students cannot even trust the adults at their school, how will they know to look for help? As mentioned in the videos, it is crucial to get parents involved as well. We need to be there for the children, at and outside of the house, to prepare, nurture, teach and keep them safe until they have the necessary capabilities to survive on their own and influence others. Not only are skills and knowledge important, understanding and practicing ethics and morals are essential to becoming an ideal individual and community member.

Fair Use and Education

Fair use is the use of limited portions of copyrighted works. With today's technology, it is hard to distinguish what is considered to be fair use or violation of copyrighted works. For example, if a teacher was to purchase a digital copy of a literature ebook and then distributed to each of her students, would that be considered fair use? The teacher did purchase the ebook and is using it for educational purposes, not for economic gains. Others would say that each student should buy their own ebook because the teacher's purchase was only for one copy of the ebook. Another interesting, yet related, example is if showing the class a Disney movie is considered to be a violation of copyrighted works? Wouldn't the same issue happen if one were to buy the Disney movie and show it to family members? Would they all then need to pay for the movie? I understand that another aspect of copyrighted works, such as DVDs is that when it is purchased, it can only be used for private viewing. Since classrooms only consist of a few students, would it still be okay to show the movie? It's not like the movie will be shown to every person that walks into the classroom.

Another aspect of fair use is that the limited portions used is only for viewing purposes. The original idea(s) of the copyrighted work should not be duplicated for economic gains. However, what if the fair use portions inspire students to create related works? While the students may not be thinking about selling their works, they've still made a work that is almost exactly the same as a copyrighted work. Then, should students not be encouraged to practice these types of "unethical" assignments where you use a copyrighted work as an example for certain ideas? As a conclusion, there is always to argue whether not a copyrighted work has been violated or used as fair use, but teachers need to be aware of the law and try their best to not violate it.

Flipped Lesson

Technology Lesson: Tutorials on Illustrator - to be used to create new logos

This lesson will be a part of the Company Creation Project that students will work on for fifteen weeks. After researching existing companies for their logos and purposes, students were asked to come up with their own company title, purpose and initial logo sketches. The next part is to use computer programs to digitize their company's identity and information.

Students are expected to the watch the tutorial videos that will be posted on the class website. After each tutorial, they are to try using what they learned by creating either replicating the designs or making their own. They are to also note what their experiences are with each step and video. They are encouraged to search for tutorials to learn for more advanced techniques.

The next day, we will form a group and present our designs by projecting them. Students will then talk about their experiences from watching the videos and using the program. Afterwards, they will get into their project groups to show to each other what the other didn't understand. I will be going around the room to help with any problems that are left unanswered. Once each group has their questions answered, they will begin to convert their hand drawn logo designs digitally using Adobe Illustrator. For homework, students are to continue digitizing their drawings and will need to complete at least three for the next day. Additional designs are welcomed in the sketching process as well.

Note: the video above is only one of the several that will be assigned.

Descriptive Artworks

Students will create an artwork, using any medium and size, based on an excerpt from Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden." (pp. 74-75) Directions are purposely vague so that students will have the opportunity to use the excerpt to either create their own interpretations of the scene or create an artwork that is inspired by the excerpt. Not only intended to give students their own choice in artmaking and ideas, this assignment also helps students to practice responding visually to influentials things that they heard, saw, read, etc. Each student will then present his/her artwork to the class and explain the choices that he/she made with regards to the excerpt. It is important that students learn how to 1) be creative in coming up with ideas and responses to statements, opinions, etc. that exist in the world, 2) decide which medium (paint, markers, digital, photography, etc.) to use and how to use them, and 3) present and explain their ideas to the public in order to get affirmations, new ideas, opinions and inspirations. The audio of the excerpt can be found here: Descriptive Artworks: Excerpt

Assignment: Back to School Night

I see the usage of Google docs and embedding them into blogs useful to communicate ideas, directions, and information to students as well as parents. For this particular assignment, having the "Back to School Presentation" online gives parents a way to access the presentation and refresh what they've heard during the meeting. The embedding of the presentation on the blog also cuts back the cost of printing paper and keeps all posts together, without losing any information. Keeping a blog with posts of slides in it is helpful to parents who want to see what is being taught in the classroom and for homework or extra resources they can go over with their child.

Embedding presentations also help students in reviewing what happened during class as well as any additional learning that was posted during out-of-school hours. The blogs help to reach out to all the students as well as other viewers. Comments can be made for feedback and communication among peers and teacher. These characteristics help to build a virtual classroom that will enhance students' learning and access to more resources, an addition to classroom learning.

The Debate about 21st-Century Skills Movement

    I wanted to comment on the articles first, because after reading them, I felt that some were unconvincing and confusing while others seem to make some sense in regards to the authors’ arguments. I was confused because no one pointed out an example solution that would support his or her argument. Furthermore, the points brought up still caused confusion in what the 21^st Century Skills movement really entails. Are they only advocating for skills that businesses are looking for in the ideal employee? Are they really ignoring the importance of knowledge? Some of the critics, such as Diane Ravitch, attacked the popular trend by indicating that the movement neglects teaching vast information that is needed for critical thinking. This made me question: how much information is enough to use critical thinking effectively? Ravitch, in her Critical thinking? You need knowledge, continues to say that “the intelligent person, the one who truly is a practitioner of critical thinking, has the capacity to understand the lessons of history, to grasp the inner logic of science and mathematics, and to realize the meaning of philosophical debates by studying them.” So, would teachers be teaching students how the information they’re learning connects with one another? Or is it just about learning facts? If so, kids would need to study a lot and be able to connect the information on their own in order for them to be a “true practitioner of critical thinking.” How does one just develop critical thinking skills if they are not taught how things are related to each other or to even think in that particular way?

    The reason why I didn’t feel convinced by the arguments was because they didn’t give any specific examples. Jay Mathews relates a personal story about his final exam in his article The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad: 21st-Century Skills. It “would be applauded today by promoters of 21^st-century skills [because it involved] strategizing, analyzing, and collaborating.” He states that he didn’t understand what was going on, yet he still got a good grade when he turned something in. I can think of numerous examples that do not require 21^st-century skills, but one does not always have to understand to get a good grade. One example would be a physics problem where a student memorized the steps to get the final answer. He/she probably doesn’t really understand how the information is used, thus the student cannot apply it to other related and more complicated problems. The student can still get a good grade if the question is the same one, in which the steps to solving the problem is memorized.

    I also felt unconvinced with the articles that did support the 21^st –century skills. Judy Salpeter writes in 21st Century Skills: Will Our Students Be Prepared? Chris Dede’s beliefs that drills and learning just the basic information make students bored; thus, they stop wanting or even trying to learn. But, where is the evidence? Or rather, how does the “process of addressing a complicated problem” relate to the subjects at school? If the article explained an example of how these ideas would be incorporated in specific subjects, it would be more convincing. How is the ideal reader, who is an avid critical thinker, expected to make a decision without all sorts of evidence and support at hand?

    Not all the articles were unconvincing, however. I agree with two articles, one by Maura Banta (pro) and the other by Daniel Willingham (opposed). In comparison with the other “pro” articles, Banta talks about how the 21^st-century skills movement is “not about teaching either academics or skills; this is about blending the two and teaching one using the other.” This idea is portrayed differently than the other “pro” articles. She suggests that two should connect. I also think this is true. There should be a balance of both sides because both are equally important. Willingham clearly points out the benefits of knowledge and explains how it is needed more than skills: “knowledge is sometimes [needed] to identify the root nature of [a] problem” and as I have said earlier, “you might understand the problem and know what you’re supposed to do, [but, you will] still need background knowledge to use the critical thinking skill you want to apply.” As questioned above, how much knowledge should be taught if we are also teaching skills that are both needed in the future? Is there even enough time to teach all the knowledge and skills that are deemed important and relative to children’s futures?

    Both speakers, Ken Robinson and Jane McGonigal, make the argument or imply that creativity is crucial to developing the 21^st –century skills. Creativity allows people to think of various ideas that solve some sort of problem, from simply wanting to make a new design to figuring how the world can reduce pollution, for example. This idea may be true, but how do we go about developing creativity in the classrooms? If we were to come up with a common standard, is that giving too much power to the board of education administration? However, if students were allowed to choose their own learning, how will they know what they should know to prepare them for the future? Also, are jobs truly democratic, in the sense that you get to pick your own work? A worker may get to choose the method in which he or she completes a task, but the worker is still expected to get the task done. Unless a new idea is presented to improve the task, it is the worker's responsibility to see that it is finished. 

    Thus, as for teachers, they are giving children tasks to complete, not to benefit a company, for example, but to benefit the students in learning the necessary knowledge needed for the future. I believe that the basics are needed before talking about and teaching critical thinking.   If we were "discovering" what the basics were, then we would need to use some prior knowledge to think about the components of basic knowledge. However, we as a culture already know the basics, such as language, basic computations, reading and writing skills, nature, etc.; thus, it is our responsibility to teach these basics to students. From there, they can use critical thinking skills, taught and guided by teachers, to connect with more complex knowledge. Even further, higher-order thinking individuals will be able to solve the problems that have even fewer basics to jump from. To clarify, think of a block that has the most basic knowledge, such as the alphabet. Once a new knowledge is acquired, one will jump from the original block to the second, for example, a word. When another concept is understood (for example, a sentence), he/she will jump and progress to the third block (a paragraph) and so forth. Thus, we cannot have students start off at "block 10" and expect them to use higher order thinking when they have not understood "block 1" or even see the connections between blocks 1 through 9. An example would be giving a five-year-old an astrophysics book and asking them to find the solutions to the problems. Lastly, critical thinking can't be taught without making connections. The five-year-old would have nothing to connect with and would not be able to solve any of those problems. Thus, between each concept of knowledge, we can teach critical thinking skills by practicing how to connect prior and current concepts being learned in the classroom. 

Technological Standards, Learning Activity Lesson

Technological Standards

According to the core standards in technology, by the end of high school, students should know: 1) how to use technology, specifically the computer, for technical purposes and 2) as a resource for communication, obtaining information, creating solutions in all variety of formats, and practicing necessary life skills, such as creative and critical thinking skills.

The progression of technology achievement requirements is as follows:

1) By the end of Pre-K, students should be exposed to the computer and its basic function: turning it on and off, inserting CDs, opening the browser and the ability to navigate through it, using the keyboard and the recognition of its layout, experiencing how to take photos on a digital camera, and constantly using technology for interactive games or activities.

2) By the end of second grade, students should know how to demonstrate the use of the computer using specific terms and vocabulary, use the computer as a resource for depicting original ideas, stories, and solutions, as well as a communication tool to connect with other students. They should understand the importance and usage of citing resources.

3) By the end of fourth grade, students should know how to use the computer to create a more visual and multi-media oriented presentation of ideas and opinions as well as to analyze data. They should be involved in online discussions to learn and understand the problems other children around the world are facing. Finally, students need to be able to explain everyone's purpose in the society and why it is important "to practice cyber safety, cyber security, and cyber ethics." 

4) By the end of eighth grade, students should be able to create basic documents (i.e. flyers, etc.), share and publish their opinions on the Web, be a part in online communities to learn about problems around the world as well as the viewpoints others have about those issues, understand related topics to cyber use, and find information to support or oppose opinions.

5) By the end of twelfth grade, students should know how to create more complex documents (i.e. spreadsheets, charts, etc.), manipulate data through the use of mathematical functions, recognize the Internet as a life-long learning resource, create personalized digital portfolios for future career applications, using technology to create digital learning applications to offer solutions having gone through the process of evaluating resources and opinions of others and the collection of resources as support for their solutions. Students should also know where to search for valid resources and information.

Learning Activity Lesson

A learning activity that covers the technological standards in an eighth grade class would be to have the students pretend that they are docents in a group art show and are expected to present to the audience/viewers an art piece that they have extensive knowledge about. They would need to make a flyer with information about an artwork for the group show advertisement. A list with examples of artworks would be provided and students would need to pick one to research for information. They would need to research the historical factual information that would be put onto their flyers. Criticism on the artwork would be needed in the docent tour as they talk about their artwork. A minimum of five criticism is required. They would be shown which websites are suited to finding the appropriate resources and how to determine whether or not opinions are valid. 

In the next few lessons, students would be taught how to use programs on the computer to put together a presentation. After all the materials, research, and the formation of presentations are finished, parents would be invited to attend the mini group art show and students would present what they learned about their chosen artwork.

Review: Ms. Han's Website

Looking at a few district websites last week, I noticed that there weren't many teachers that had their own website. One of the most beneficial aspect of Ms. Han's websites is the organization and categories of information on the front page. The information is not only easy to find, but very relevant to both students and parents who want to know what is being and will be taught each week. District websites should follow this example in organizing information. Recently, I needed to look up the superintendents of Montclair's network districts and found that some websites had easy access to the information while others took multiple links or no possible lead at all. By categorizing the information under a general link or "folder" as Ms. Han has done with each grade level, will make it easier for viewers to find what they are looking for as well as browsing through the website.

Another wonderful aspect of Ms. Han's website is that it shows the beneficial use of the Internet and technology. Similar to the district calendars, there is an interactive one near the bottom of the front page. Future tests/quizzes and homework are also listed and known ahead of time not only by the links but by the calendar as well. This allows parents and students know what is coming up and how much time they have for preparation. Fortunately, many district websites have at least a pdf calendar link on their sites. The more advance, or interactive, calendar allows the conservation of paper as well as the easy accessibility rather than the need to download documents. There is also the usage of the Quizlet application on the website that pertains to the lessons being taught. This helps students to not only visit the site for information, but to practice and improve their skills as well. District websites should have a tab with various sites or applications that students can visit to learn more. It is without saying that many district websites can follow and take Ms. Han's website as an excellent model in creating an informational and helpful tool by using her website.

District Website Evaluation

I first looked at several districts from each of the categories listed on the "District Factor Groups" page. It was interesting to look at the websites from two aspects: the first, in the design of the websites for each district in general; and two, the types of website functions available based on the socioeconomic division among the districts. I think that in his article, "Reasons for Websites," Dr. Jamie McKenzie makes a valid point that more complex website designs require more investments to keep them running.  In comparing the websites from the different categories, it is obvious to see the more complex functions in the higher categories; however, the categories do not necessarily dictate the efficiency in the designs and layouts of the websites.

I decided to choose Mountain Lakes School District's website because I felt that, although the school district is in the highest category, it has both complex website designs (i.e. search boxes, flash player, log-in feature, etc.)  and some simple ones (i.e. clickable links) that other school districts in the lower categories have as well. From a design point of view, Mountain Lakes School District's website is organized with text divided in sections by the boxes of colors and is easy to navigate. Besides the continuous changing of pictures and the scroll down menus at the top, I felt that the scroll window with the upcoming events is very efficient, not only in saving space, but following the events.

From an effective school website point of view and according to Dr. McKenzie's four primary goals of an effective school website, Mountain Lakes' has the following:

1) It has an introduction on the front page with the statistical opportunities they provide to all students. The mission statement is hidden in a further link under the "Our District" link. I think that the brief introduction that they have is sufficient enough in luring in parents and other viewers to the website. It would be a lot to soak in all the information in their mission statement on the front page of the website.

2) The website introduction hints that by going through their website, one can see what kind of school atmosphere the district has. One aspect is the colors used in the website.

3) Under the link, "Community Partners," is a list of several organizations that help the school, i.e. the support of visual and performance arts by FOTA (Friends of the Arts).

4) The main site does have data on the community and its history.

The front page of the district website has the calendar, schedules, lunch menus, and forms essential to parents and students. The scroll down menus are helpful in looking at what the link includes and affords viewers less mouse clicks and going backwards to navigate through the website. Overall, this website has the general information students and parents, especially, need in order to keep updates on what is going on in the schools and what kind of education their children are receiving.

Technology ~ A New Life Style

I feel so fortunate that my childhood was during the '90s, a decade not only at the end of the 21st century, but also when most households only had one or two desktops, dial-up Internet, CD and MP3 players, and bulky cell phones, which were even rarer than computers. I remember being in 3rd grade and the excitement my peers and I expressed when our teacher told us that we were going to use the Macs to print out our final drafts of our poems. At the time, there were only two computers, but that didn't deter us from making sure our poems printed out neatly. I got to experience the time right before the turn of the century when technology boomed across the world. Most teenagers today have a laptop, cellphone, high-speed Internet, e-readers, and are on the Internet whenever they are free from school or meals. Although the curriculum in the '90s was still mostly traditional, such as having to go to the library to find resources because we couldn't really rely on Internet sites, the turn of the century began to incorporate more technological skills into the classroom. I remember being in middle school and having to take a computer class to work on my typing skills, repeatedly writing letters, such as "dedededekikikiki." Because the advancement in technology progressed drastically during my years in school, I was able to learn quickly the new technologies that were constantly coming out. I am not an avid, "must-have-the-lastest-technology" person (as I am when it comes to collecting books), nor against all technology. Although, all of my current technology knowledge and skills are what I have needed for assignment and work, I am open-minded to learning new technological skills.

So, I think it is very interesting to see how technology (and its progression!) is shaping educational curriculums in today's century. I agree with the video, "Learning to Change - Change to Learn," because technology has become a major part of everyone's, especially students', lives; thus, we need to integrate it into the educational system. It practically runs everyone's lives. There's that saying of "I can't live without my cellphone!" The need to communicate and stay in touch with others is necessary, essential to the core of living and existing. For me, I am pretty sure I can live without a cellphone, but when it comes to possibly making emergency phone calls it is required that I have a cell phone anyway. Because students are constantly near some sort of technology, we as current and future educators, need to change our way of teaching how to develop necessary skills to become successful based on current events, one of which is technological integration in the classroom. Technology has opened gate ways to reaching out to others across the world, not just communities or states like the past. Karen Eini's "Friends and Flags: A Multicultural Learning Project" amazed me because she has created a wonderful opportunity for students to improve on their English skills as well as connect and talk to people millions of miles away, which would otherwise be nearly impossible for students to accomplish before the turn of the century. The article, "Using Digitized Documents in the Classroom," relates to the video because teachers are pulling first hand resources from easily accessible websites that they can use in their classrooms. Teachers do not need to waste time going to the library or ordering those first hand resources. Students also learn how to use what technological resources are available to them to easily find resources for themselves. Rather than wasting class time teaching and supervising students' research progress with books and the library card system, the convenience of online website resources has cut down research time, leaving more time for analysis and critical thinking. These are two of the many skills that teachers want their students to learn in order to become successful future citizens and people in general. Technological advancement has helped provide a more convenient method in learning skills, especially being relevant in children's future because they will continue to use newer technologies and be surrounded by them. Thus, why, it is essential to integrate technology usage in the classroom.

About Me

Hello! My name is Christine and I just graduated from Rutgers University this past May with a BFA in painting and graphic design. I'm currently working on a MAT in Art and hope to become an inspiring art teacher both inside and outside of the classroom. Since I majored in the arts and took mostly painting and graphic design courses, I hope to learn more about the teaching aspects of art education and education in general here at Montclair. I am highly interested in book design, specifically, the structure, binding, designs, paper-qualities, form, weight, etc. of books. I aspire to have a personal library with many bookshelves filled with various genres. My current book collection consists of mainly art, foreign languages, romance, and manga books.