Web 2.0 Educator

I decided to follow Wes Fryer's blogs, and was greatly intrigued by his "you can too!" mentality. As a none digital native, it is nice to read the postings of an educator who believes that it is technology's responsibility to add to the educational experience. In reading his blog, "Tuning Into Educon 2.1, you can, too!" (http://www.infinitethinking.org/), Wes describes the Educon 2.0 leadership conference and the wonderful axioms passed on by this conference. I found his incorporation of the beliefs very insightful and was intrigued by the desire to empower the student within the classroom and to incorporate technology into all aspects of the classroom, such as research and creativity. In addition, I found the idea of networking student learning very interesting, as this enables teachers to build upon previously effective methods.

In the second blog I read, Wes presents a variety of Inauguration day activities that can be used within the classroom. He created a Historical Inauguration Jeopardy, allowing students to become involved in the historic inauguration while still incorporating technology. Students are given time to search online for answers, then allowed to challenge another class. Along with this idea, the Voice Thread is also an interesting idea. Students are given the opportunity to verbally post their ideas by microphone or cell phone, encouraging students to express themselves. Finally, Wes also explains the New York Times Interactive Inaugural Word page, permitting students to view the most popular words used on inauguration day. Not only this site hold historical context, but it also expands the vocabularies of students!

In his next blog, Wes discusses Brightstorm, a program which uses educational videos to prepare high school students for college. With the realization that teenagers tend to gravitate towards the internet as a resource, Wes uses this website to captivate the attention of learners. It is evident that he hopes to captivate learners in any way which will ensure student growth and development. He researches various mediums, working to find the most effective to teach a group of students.

The final blog I looked at really captivated my attention as it used various learning techniques, ending with the use of the internet. Previous to the elections, a Vermont middle school used various types of learning, beginning with students running through a mock election, then given the opportunity to cast their votes online, which will be tallied and available to teachers to use within the classroom. The students are given multiple opportunities to learn and voice their opinions. It is evident through the posts that I have read that Wes truly does all in his power to connect the education world with a variety of teaching methods used to engage students in their learning.

Type I and Type II Technology

The difference between Type one and Type two technology is the way in which it is incorporated into the classroom. The initial reason for differentiating between type one and type two occurred when they realized that technology was not being implemented correctly into the classroom. Upon visiting a school with high grade technology only to learn that the teachers did not participate, the professors were able to recognize the vast difference between well used technology and neglected technology. Rather than allowing the student to take full control of the technology, type one instead merely guides the user through the steps and does not contribute to additional learning. In the example of the classroom, the students were instructed through the use of a recorder while the teacher was allowed to sit in the front of the room without becoming involved. Rather than permitting this, type two technology instead uses the traditional teaching methods, then builds upon lessons learned in the classroom. Students are able to use problem solving as well as cognitive thinking as they process the various simulations.

One example of type one technology is video games. While many are interactive, there are video games which simply guide the user throughout the process without forcing the user to participate. Another example is channel one news in the classroom, an expensive yet non productive education method. While some schools may be capable of productively utilizing channel one news, I have been told of many teachers who merely turned off the television during the news or spoke over the announcements. If used correctly, channel one news could be effective, yet many schools do not use it properly. The third example occurred for me during sixth grade. We were given computer classes, yet only given automated instructions while the teacher stood idly by. As for my experiences in type two technologies, I had an extremely different experience my seventh grade year. We were given laptops to use within the classroom, and the laptop was very helpful as the teachers were well trained in helping us to utilize the computers. Digital cameras can be used as type two technology as students may use cameras to enhance projects, then use this new media in coordination with videos and various power points. My final example of a type two technology is a smart board, an excellent resource in guiding students through a daily lesson. If students have laptops, they can utilize their own laptops as well as the smart board and walk through the lesson with the student. Previous to college, I had never experienced a smart board, yet I think they are one of the most useful technologies we can use within the classroom.

Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

I found the coaching example from this chapter to be beneficial. There is an example given of a well liked coached who never pushed his team, yet in the long run, the team was highly unsuccessful. While the players greatly enjoyed their ability to manipulate the coach, their constant loses earned the coach no respect. When they were given a new coach, they thoroughly disliked him as he forced the team to push themselves, yet they gained a sense of respect for him in the long run when they realized the effects of working harder. This was a great example as students will admit that respect is a more important factor than enjoying the person.

While a teacher may wish for his students to like him as a person, in order to gain respect the primary focus must remain upon teaching the students in an effective manner. Both teachers and students must realize that learning must come first, and all else will fall into place in time. While students may not initially like their teachers, they will eventually grow to respect them and in theory like them as a person. I think this is extremely important to keep in mind as a new teacher just entering the field. Although it may at times be difficult to come to terms with students not "liking" me, this example will help me to remember that this must not be my primary concern and that if I am an effective teacher, the rest will follow in time.

Chapter 1: Knowing Students Well

There were many aspects of chapter 1 which surprised me, yet I believe the idea of "Teacher Tours" was the most surprising. I thought it was fascinating that the students were so self empowering that they were willing to bring teachers into their neighborhoods and expose them to the lives which these students led. Although the students strictly stated that a teacher arriving at their home for conferences or to check in would be an invasion of their privacy, these students were more than willing to show teachers who they were on their own time. I found this wonderful as I never believed that students would be so willing to take control of their own lives. I would love to work toward my students trusting me in such a manner that they would wish for me to truly understand the lives they lead.

This portion of the text jumped out at me as it reminded me yet again that students will willingly trust their teachers if they believe the teacher will not betray that trust. Similar to other aspects of the text, this shows that students are not hesitant to allow teachers into their lives as long as this transition is not forced upon the student. Many of the interviewed students expressed interest in sharing their hobbies with teachers, yet they did not want these teachers to cross boundaries by attempting to fit into a very different lifestyle than their own. However, if a teacher can establish a strong yet appropriate bond between herself and her students than she will be capable of reaching these students on a whole new level.

Learning Style Inventory Results

My style scores were as follows:

Social 17
Verbal 15
Solitary 15
Aural 12
Physical 9
Logical 9
Visual 5

This information and this image were obtained through: learning-styles-online.com

I thought that the results were relatively accurate as my primary learning style was social. However, I thought it was strange that I was also mostly solitary as solitary and social clash. However, I consider the results accurate as many times I enjoy working alone, yet whenever I encounter problems I ask others for advice, and I enjoy the company of others. Verbal was equal to solitary, which makes sense as my concentration is English and I greatly enjoy discussing and analyzing various topics with others. These results made even more sense to me after I took Dr. Grace's learning styles quiz. Yet again my results showed that I am a very social, or interpersonal, learner. While solitary was extremely low on the other quiz, verbal was my secondary learning style.