ToolBox Talk: Digital Tools for Education

Compiled is a short list of eight (8) online tools that would be a great start for first year teachers.  Each tool is assessed for its features (what it can do), pros (what it does well) and cons (needs improvement).

Simple rating scale are as follows:
   (1) Unnecessary, discard
   (2) Ok features, use sparingly
   (3) Average features, good to have around
   (4) Good features, use sometimes
   (5) Essential, use often

[CLICK] for Google

or copy & paste URL: http://www.google.com/

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[CLICK] for KidRex

or copy & paste URL: http://www.kidrex.org/

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[CLICK] for LiveBinders

or copy & paste URL: http://www.livebinders.com/welcome/home

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[CLICK] for MOODLE

or copy & past3 URL: http://campus.uogdistance.com/

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[CLICK] for Prezi

or copy & paste URL: http://prezi.com/

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[CLICK] for Puzzle-Maker

or copy & paste URL: http://www.puzzle-maker.com/

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[CLICK] for Weebly

or copy & paste URL: http://www.weebly.com/

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[CLICK] for Firefox

or copy & paste URL: http://www.mozilla.org/

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ENJOY!

Digital Communication: Common Sense is Not That Common

Human Beings Are Social Animals.  There is an inherent need for people to communicate with others.  Looking back in history, human beings have made many efforts to make communication better for everyone: cave drawings, alphabet systems, invention of paper, a mail system, the telegraph, the radio, the telephone, electronic mail, cellular phones, on-line chat, short message services ( SMS texting), smart phones, etc.  Especially for adolescents, they yearn to communicate with others to develop their social skills.

Adolescent Years.  Students face the greatest changes (and challenges) in their lives, biologically and socially.  They are developing a more complex way of thinking.  They are able to understand abstract concepts and communicate these abstract thoughts to others.  They are beginning to analyze the social order of their environment and recognize their place.  At times they will question their status and/or challenge it.  They are also beginning to hone their social skills with their peers.  They talk to each other about everything that’s going on in their lives.  Therefore, communication is vital to an adolescent’s development.

In today’s modern world, there is a wide range of communication tools available to the average adolescent.  The telephone and internet are two platforms which students would most likely use.  Most of the time, these two platforms will merge to support wireless tools.  Some examples are smart phones to send SMS texts, documents or pictures over the internet.  Some adolescents also join social media arenas which provide almost synchronous communications: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Chat, Yahoo Messenger, etc.  As technology is becoming more accessible to everyone, there are more and more communication outlets available to adolescents.  This assignment opened my eyes to the vast number of ways our students can be victimized online.  Therefore, society needs to be more cognizant of how adolescents are using these communication tools and teach them some common sense.

Common Sense is Not as Common as Most People Would Think.  In order for something to be common sense, most people would have to know about it.  Hence the term common.  Today’s technology is rapidly advancing and wide spreading, it is very difficult to keep up.  So when something new is up and coming, most teenagers would know about it.  However, because it is new, they would not know all the nuances of the tool.  Let’s take for example Twitter.  Suppose person Z sets up a Twitter profile.  Z is able to share his/her account with specific or all Twitter account holders.  Other Twitter account holders are referred to as followers.  Every time Z posts something on his/her Twitter account, all followers will be able to read the post.  What if Z posts he/she needs help?  What if Z posts “You can help by sending a small donation to xxx.”  Out of the many followers, how many wold respond?  How do teens distinguish the validity of the post?  How do teens distinguish the validity of person Z?  What does common sense tell teens?  As I mentioned earlier, common sense is not as common in this instance.

In today’s modern communication, it is getting easier for perpetrators to victimize the innocent.  Studies are showing an increasing trend of adolescents being online victims.  Yabarra (2006) tells the characteristics of online victims.  Majority of them are adolescents.  Jones (2013) tells an alarming story of an increasing trend of online harassment.  This study was a cross sectional study of adolescents 10 years to 17 years old over a period of 10 years.  As educators, we communicate with our students daily and we need to teach them some digital common sense.  Our ED609 (Technology Application for Educators) class have compiled some advice that someday will become common sense:

• There is no changing your mind in cyberspace—anything you send or post will never truly go away.
• Do not provide personal details or private information over the internet.  eg. Names, physical addresses, what school you attend, social security numbers, bank account numbers, phone numbers, etc.
• Unfamiliar emails, do not click on automatic hyper links that will take you to a website.  Almost always there is a malware (software intended to steal information or cause harm to your computer system).
• Unfamiliar emails, do not respond.
• Validate the website you are visiting.  There are some websites that mimic the real website and try to steal your information.
• If in doubt, throw it out.  Do not attempt to find out on your own if the files or links are legit.  Delete and ignore it.
• Report anything inappropriate to an adult.

For my science class, I have my students do research online.  Prior to the assignment, I will share “online” common sense with my students and discuss the issues.  I want them to understand the value of online safety.  Hopefully they will share the online safety ideas and make it common sense.

References

Ybarra, M.L., Mitchell, K.J., Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D.(2006). Examining Characteristics and Associated Distress Related to Internet Harassment: Findings From the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey. PEDIATRICS, 118(4), pp. e1169 - e1177

Jones, L.M., Mitchell, K.J., Finkelhor, D. (2013). Online harassment in context: Trends from three Youth Internet Safety Surveys (2000, 2005, 2010). Psychology of Violence, 3(1), pp. 53 - 69.

Technology Assessment: Enabling Dreams

Creating Opportunities for Students with Disabilities.  The video focused on the capabilities of the persons with disabilities.  Assistive Technology (AT) was introduced to aid in the development of their capabilities.  Although the subjects in the video had physical disabilities, they all have the same dreams and aspirations as any capable person.  AT provided opportunities for the physically challenged to develop their cognition and skills.  Students used computers for all writing: note taking, reports, tests, etc.  Wheelchairs were used to provide mobility between classes.  Using AT, a student with limited hand movement was able to control the valves on a modified horn.  Without it, he would only be able to play a single note.  AT opens opportunities for persons with disabilities.  When they do take the opportunity, they flourish and move forward like everyone else.

Scherer (2004) gives a detailed look at assistive technology’s major role in our education system.  “Inclusive education has been made possible in large measure through the existence of educational technologies and assistive technologies.”  A study conducted by Gillespie (2012) shows a direct link between positive cognitive development with AT.  “Results show that AT have been used to effectively support cognitive functions relating to attention, calculation, emotion, experience of self, higher level cognitive functions (planning and time management) and memory.”

Accommodation/Modification in Science Lessons.  In my capacity as a seventh grade science teacher, will assist a student with a disability where ever and when ever I can.  After we identify the challenges facing the student, we can accommodate and/or modify lessons to meet the student’s needs.  If AT is already provided, such as a computer, it would be easy for me to provide electronic copies of notes and lectures.  For test taking, I can also provide electronic copies for summative assessments.  If the student requires other AT, I can bring up the discussion with our school team (grade level, administration and SPED coordinator).

Assessing the Accommodation/Modification.  In the event accommodations and/or modifications are required, I would need to conduct frequent formative assessments and carefully monitor summative assessments.  I will frequently check the student for understanding or if there are any areas where the AT is not working as it should be.  Next, I would need to monitor the student’s academic progress.  I will need to gage the student’s potential to that of the expectations which would have been identified and communicated to the student earlier on.

Using Assistive Technology.  To discuss the topic of assistive technology, I am fortunate to know persons with disabilities using assistive technology.  The first person that easily comes to mind is my sister-in-law.  She is one of the brightest persons I know.  She has a masters degree in communications, emphasis in marketing.  Immediately after her graduate studies, she interned at the White House under President Clinton.  She had many career avenues following her internship.  After weighing all of her options, she decided to return home and used her skills to work for the people of Guam.  When I asked her why she came back to Guam, she replied “I want other people (with disabilities) to have the same opportunities I had.”

My sister-in-law has a rare disease that affects her nervous system.  She has limited use of her arms, legs and partial hearing.  There are various assistive technology devices to aid in her everyday living.  e.g. motorized wheelchair, hearing aids, iPad, etc.  During her college years in Springfield, Illinois, she was independent as any normal college student.  The motorized wheelchair afforded her independence in movement.  It allowed her to travel throughout the campus with ease.  I can recall my own college experience where I had classes back to back and they were on opposite sides of the campus.  There were many times I had to briskly walk between classes.  I cannot imagine my sister-in-law not having the motorized wheelchair.  Mobility is a necessity in the campus setting.

Because of her diminished hearing, she uses a hearing aid.  It helped her to listen to lectures and collaborate with her peers.  She told me there were some classes where the instructors were soft spoken.  Fortunately her hearing aids were adjustable to compensate for the low volumes.  Recalling my college years, I had classes where the students numbered near 100.  Siting in the back of the class was a challenge.  Although the instructor would speak in a loud manner, there were times he/she would face the board to write and speak at the same time.  I could barely make out the words he/she would say.  Hearing is importing in the traditional classroom setting.

With limited use of her hands, the act of holding a pen/pencil is challenging for her.  Instead, she uses a laptop to take notes or write in class.  She coordinated with her instructors ahead of time for tests.  Most of them provided an electronic copy of the test for her to take on her laptop when the test was administered.  Some of her other classes allowed a research paper to take the place of a test.  In either case, both required her ability to write onto a medium acceptable to the instructor.  The laptop provided that platform.

I cannot imagine my sister-in-law NOT having any assistive technology devices during her college years.  Although the human body is able to adapt to challenges, there are many circumstances where assistive technology is required to aid in a person’s physical, social or intellectual development.  My sister-in-law inspires me in many ways.  First and foremost is her ability to overcome any challenge given to her.  I hope to be as successful as she is when I grow up.

References

Ellis, K. (2005). Technology Assessment: Enabling Dreams. Edutopia, http://www.edutopia.org/assistive-technology-enabling-dreams-video

Scherer, M. J. (2004). Connecting to learn: Educational and assistive technology for people with disabilities. American Psychological Association, xiv (pp. 59-71).

Gillespie, A., Best, C., O'Neill, B. (2012). Cognitive Function and Assistive Technology for Cognition: A Systematic Review. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18 (pp. 1–19).

Life Science in Code Fred

Creating a Rubric for an Online Educational Game.  This is the first time I had to evaluate an electronic game formally for education purposes.  This is also the first time for my group members.  Having no experience, we turned to the internet for information and advice.  We were amazed to fined a plethora of sites and publications that conduct assessments off electronic games for education.  We studied up on different sites and views and came up with a compilation of criteria.  One source we found was a paper written by Moreno-Ger (2008).  The paper examines the role electronic games play (no pun intended) in education and made the following statement: “...regardless of whether that activity is taking place in a formal setting or within entertainment-based worlds where the skills are learned incidentally through play.”  

We also discussed our views of how electronic games would be used in our classroom.  We then combined the resources we found online and our classroom needs.  Here is our Rubric and my assessment of Code Fred:

Code Fred in the Classroom.  Our group believes Code Fred will be best utilized to reinforce human anatomy lessons.  We would introduce the game in the classroom and have the students play it on their own time.  As we continue with the anatomy lessons, we would make references to the game and make connections between the game scenario and the actual body functions.  We believe the games allows students to apply their anatomy knowledge in order to succeed in the game.  Repetitive play will reinforce concepts of human body functions.

First Time Developing a Website.  For our presentation, we used Weebly.com to create a website.  The website allowed us to organize our content for a user friendly experience.  Weebly offered a variety of tools to design the website.  Also to note is the simplicity too design.  After this project, I am inspired to create other websites, especially for my science class.  I highly recommend Weebly.  Not only is it easy & powerful to use, it’s also FREE!

[CLICK] to play Code Fred
or copy & paste the URL: http://www.msichicago.org/play/codefred/#.U55QQC9nFFR

ENJOY!

References

Museum of Science & Technology (2013). Code Fred, http://www.msichicago.org/play/codefred/#.U5erUpSSy00

Galarneau, L., Zibit, M. (2010). Online Games for 21st Century Skills. Gaming and Simulations: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, Chapter 111 (pages 1874-1900).

Moreno-Ger, P., Burgos, D., Martínez-Ortiz, I., Sierra, J.L., Fernández-Manjón, B. (2008). Educational Game Design for Online Education. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), (pp. 2530–2540)

Hafa Adai!

Hafa Adai!  Welcome to AMS Dragon Science.

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.  The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.  The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.  My UOG.