Online Higher Education Gaining Traction Despite Naysayers

http://www.educationnews.org/online-schools/online-higher-education-gaining-traction-despite-naysayers/

This article was about the increase in online courses offered at universities in the United States and abroad.  It was stated that currently, somewhere between 5.5 and 7.1 million people are enrolled in at least one online course.  The article noted that this particular form of education is valuable for scholars wanting to earn degrees in order to compete "at an international level."  In addition, non-traditional students, ones who are homebound, parents, disabled, and others can still receive the same quality education as those who are traditional.  Also, schools have quotas, and specific numbers of students to attain, and online courses make it more achievable.

Some people, particularly instructors are having struggles incorporating this type of instruction into their teaching repertoire.  Many instructors have taught the traditional way and are unsure how to change their methods.  Another negative aspect is that these classes tend to be independently monitored.  Meaning, each person must make him or herself do the work on time without reminders.  This can prove quite difficult for some students.  And, conversely, there have been students, particularly African Americans, who feel that they learn more in face to face classes.


This could become an excellent way for students here to work collaboratively with students in other countries.  This may lead to working relationships and global cooperation.  I think that with many of our students, the multi-tasking aspect of their lives would make this attainable, however others would lack the self-discipline it would take to complete these courses.  I would love to see more of my students gaining college degrees and for many, this would be the only way possible.

Can Students 'Go Deep' With Digital Reading?

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/09/can-students-go-deep-with-digital-reading/

In Holly Korbey's article, "Can Student's 'Go Deep' with Digital Reading?", the issue is how students are able to interact and comprehend reading material using digital media versus using printed text. According to Mark Pennington, a reading specialist at the middle school level, using digital text and having the ability for certain functions with digital text can help students become engaged in what they are reading. Pennington feels that "the trick to being a good reader, no matter the medium, is being an engaged reader." Students are able to use digital functions, such as highlighting text or creating electronic annotations while they are reading, encouraging students to develop critical thinking skills while they are actively reading.

Instead of receiving a textbook that had to be kept spotless for return to the next student, digital texts allow students to personalize their reading process, making notes as they read, thinking about the text during their reading, and identifying what information is essential for them to gain from the text. Pennington doesn't deny that this can be done with printed text using note taking procedures and sticky notes for annotations.  Pennington also said that the applications that have digital tools for creating annotations can be challenging for students to learn how to use.  If students don't know how to use these tools, then using digital text does not have advantages.

Also in Korbey's article, a current study, conducted by Heather Ruetschlin Schugar and Jordan T. Schugar, hypothesized about the effectiveness on using digital text with students.  It was discovered that e-books, with all the bells and whistles, could be overwhelming to young children and disrupt the ability to process the reading.  Instead, these very tools could become a distraction.

It was also found that older students prefered printed text and using note-taking strategies rather than using an e-book with the annotation tools.  The cause could be due to lack of training and practice for students on how to use digital text with these tools. If teachers want to use digital texts in their classrooms, they need to model for the students how to use these tools so that students can see how to create annotations.

As my current school has adopted a 1:1 initiative, we are encouraged to use digital texts and resources in addition to or instead of textbooks.  Apps like PDF Notes and Subtext are making it easier for my classes to work with digital text and use tools to "dirty up" the reading and personalize it for students.  I feel that I need to model how to use this technology at first with my students in class before I require them to use it on their own.  If I make it look easy, their attitudes about using it for class are more positive.

Four Keys to Designing the Classroom of the Future

http://thejournal.com/research/2014/09/magazine_september/asset.aspx?tc=assetpg&returnkey=b98ODOifBsnw3ngUeJvpeEHUufMmfUhI

The author asserts that designing the classroom of the future is a challenge, mostly because no one knows what the future will look like. In 2007 when the first iPhone was released, and in 2010 when the first iPad was released, we could not have envisioned the profound effect this "new" technology would have on our classrooms. As soon as something new comes out, the old technology loses favor. One example discussed was the amount of money school districts spent on equipping classrooms with interactive whiteboards. They were the new technology of the time and were going to change education. Today, the classroom has not been changed by the IWB.  The whiteboard is used as a presentation board, or at most, a teacher-led interactive whiteboard.

The first key to designing the classroom of the future is to create collaborative spaces. That means creating flexible seating which allows for easy transitions. In addition, the seating spaces need access to outlets and usb ports for charging students' multiple devices. One school has even outfitted it's classrooms with the charging towers similar to the ones used in airports. The key is to keep flexibility the top priority in any design. Today's usb ports may be some other port standard in the future.

Students also need a place to display information for small groups. Seating stations may have their own interactive whiteboard, projector, or some technology that hasn't been invented, yet. There are projector tables which can be used with Windows 8's touchscreen features which allows students to move things around on the "table." Once students have created something with their devices, they will need cloud access and storage which means more bandwidth, and leads to the second key, connectivity.

While the new trend is student-centered classrooms, the physical characteristics of classrooms haven't changed as quickly as the educational trends. Many older buildings have brick or concrete walls which wifi signals can't penetrate. Some schools have gone as far as removing every wall that is not load-bearing.

Third, and to me the most important, is coaching teachers in the integration of technology. To Erin Klein, a second grade teacher and technology consultant/designer, that means full-time employees to coach teachers, and at least one per building. Teachers can't be given an app or a website and expected to use it without follow-up coaching. 

Lastly, technology must never come before the curriculum. According to Klein, the classroom of the future is only worth creating if it supports the fundamental mission of teaching students.  The design and layout of the space must support the curriculum before making decisions about what type of infrastructure and devices are needed to enhance the curriculum.

I especially agree with the idea that for the classroom of the future to be effective, there has to be a technology coach available to help teachers use the technology in the classroom. I have sat through so much technology professional development, but there has never been any follow-up training or accountability. The coach needs to work with teachers to train them on the use of the tool or device, but also be available afterwards to answer questions and for follow-up training.

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/31/ipads-education-gadgets-really-helping-kids-learn

Are iPads and Other Classroom Gadgets Really Helping Kids Learn?

Are iPads and Other Classroom Gadgets Really Helping Kids Learn?

This article showed that technology has been through many phases to get where it is today. It mentioned how it started with simple implementation, gone to flipped classrooms, and has now been commonly used for online learning during the school day in small groups. The article mentioned how it wonders truly how successful embedding technology has been. Something interesting it mentioned was the idea of “Rocketship Schools.” It intrigued me and I did a little research on the concept. Low income schools were looking for ways to close the gaps between student performance. Part of their solution was to implement online learning throughout the day so students could work at their level while the teacher took on another small group. These “Rocketship” schools have had success in working this way. The article also mentioned that these low income schools were not only seeing positive results academically, but also financially. Because of learning online, administrators of these schools hired less teachers equalling less they had to pay for salaries. They were saving money implementing technology. They hired someone to be a monitor in a lab daily. The lab could take on many students at a time, I guess lessening the number of teachers needed at the school by a few. This article also went into detail about stock markets and educational technology. “In 2005, investors put about $13 million of venture and growth capital in the K-12 market. In 2011, venture capitalists poured $389 million into companies focused on K-12 education, according to industry analysts GSV Advisors, a Chicago-based education firm that tracks the K-12 market.” It has obviously increased and a huge emphasis has been put on the use of educational technology. This makes sense, as the need for technology in the classroom has changed drastically in the last few years. Later in the article, it mentioned “There are signs that Wall Street’s wild enthusiasm to finance the creation of the new Model T of educational technology may be cooling. Investment dollars in the educational technology sector is down from $389 million in 2011 to $305 million in 2012.” The article attributed this to the fact that schools were buying various types of technology just to have it sit around. The author said that administrators saw this and stopped buying additional technology because the current technology was either not being used in an efficient way or not being used enough. The article ended with “Meanwhile, parents and taxpayers, be cautious. We need to make sure hype doesn’t overtake good judgment.” This article was written last year, and I think it is extremely important to take this last bit seriously.

I agree with the article and think that if done correctly, the idea of Rocketship schools could be a great thing. There are so many things we could do with computer programs to differentiate for our kids. I think some teachers and a lot of parents would have a hard time with the idea. If teachers don’t know which programs to utilize, I think it could also be a waste of time for children and simply be just another way to present information. It also makes sense to me that the market for technology has declined a little. I think a year or two ago all the hype really spiked the market, and now people are coming back down from the technology cloud. Now that most schools have devices, it is time to learn just what we can do with them.

In my district, teachers have access to chrome books almost one-to one in grades three and four. I know that we aren’t using them to their fullest potential. Teachers in these two grade levels have mentioned that they want to use them in effective ways, they just have a hard time coming up with how.

A New Understanding of the Digital Divide

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-divide-technology-internet-access-mary-beth-hertz

This article discusses how the definition of digital divide has changed in the last ten years. Ten years ago it was defined simply as those who do not have access to technology. Now that definition has changed. It’s not so much that people do not have access to technology, it’s that they don’t have access to the same type of technology. When looking at how people access the internet, it can be accessed in many ways. You can use your cell phone, a game console, a laptop, etc. However, the article mentioned that even though you can access the internet through a game console, you can’t update a resume with it. The divide then becomes a new thing:  “This creates an entertainment vs. empowerment divide.”

The author states that your socio and economic status affect where you are in this divide. Studies have shown that rural households and those with disabilities are also trending as those who are having issues with “empowerment” access.  There will always be demographics that do not receive this access for a variety of reasons. The issue now is how do you provide for them?

Solutions to better access are varied. The article listed a specific solution from an internet providing company. Comcast has introduced an “Internet Essentials” package for families that get free school lunches. This is a program that has to be applied for by a certain date and you must qualify. Families have the possibility of receiving 6 months of free internet access. After that, payments become around $10 a month plus tax. To help the rural families, the article discusses that the infrastructure must change to allow access. The author also states that the internet can become mobile, much like a library book-mobile.

I do think this article is interesting as it doesn’t just talk about access, but appropriate and helpful access. As teachers, we can come up with creative ways to help our students. Like we discussed, it’s differentiating instruction according to the needs of the child. You can’t punish a child because they do not have the right material to complete the task. I am curious to see how this divide trends in another 10 years. 

The MOOC Revolution that Wasn’t

http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/11/the-mooc-revolution-that-wasnt/

MOOCs have been around for three years, marked by the release of a Stanford University class on Artificial Intelligence. Over 180,000 students signed up for the class, but did this really start a revolution in education? If you look at the 8 million students who signed up for MOOCs, there is evidence to the contrary. Research shows that only ½ of the students who signed up for the class, accessed or watched even one lecture video. The completion rate was only 4%, albeit that is 320,000 people who completed courses. However, most of the people who signed up, already had college degrees. This shows that the learning community has yet to accept MOOCs as an option.

Online learning in general, the author notes, has solved a problem of access to education. However, the problem with online courses, in general, is engagement. Research still has not determined whether or not online learning is more effective than classroom learning. The author notes such distractions as Netlfix being a click away. But can we reach the goal of affordable online education? The author notes that strides are being made to provide online students with mentorship, retention marketing, and new forms of learn-by-doing.

I really like the mentorship, as online learning can seem a bit streamlined and impersonal. By providing teacher praise and student specific constructive feedback, motivation levels in the student may increase. I also really like the idea of new forms of learn-by-doing. Online courses seem to expect that the student must be able to learn by watching videos, reading, and taking tests. In this day and age, if that was all a teacher was doing that teacher would be rejected by his peers and administrators. How can we make online courses more interactive The author suggests tools like Minecraft for education or Oculus. Those are both a good place to start. My favorite quote from this article is:

“The future of online learning isn’t about accessibility: it’s about taking what we already know works offline and combining it with what you can only do online to create the most engaging experience. “

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. This is what online learning in our district should look like. It is great that teachers have started to post their lectures and model examples online. What needs to happen is teachers posting review games, interactives, online chats with students, and so on. Yes, Desmos would be an interactive tool! There needs to be more that students can interact with and respond to, rather than the multiple choice test at the end of a video.

The Choice of a New Generation

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2014/06/turning-snow-days-e-learning-days


Schools are finding creative ways to beat mother nature.  The Maconaquah School Corp., in Bunker Hill, Indiana has taken to using snow days as "e-learning" days.  With the past couple winters being very harsh winters, the district closed for over 2 weeks, and so decided that since they "already had everything in place to do it," they would try it out.  Digital content was already part of their regular curriculum, students were comfortable with logging in to their learning management system, and every student K-2 had already been issued a tablet, and 3-12th graders a Lenovo laptop.

This district had also been given a grant to experiment with online learning and scheduled 4 e-learning days.  In preparation for this the IT department trained the teachers in developing lessons and e-learning tools.  These e-learning days have been so successful that they are planning to ask the DOE if they could use them for all of their weather related cancellations the next year.

The article also mentioned the use of Skype in the classroom for children who are very ill and cannot be in the classroom, as well as flexible scheduling.  Flexible scheduling was used to ease teacher's schedules for PD and back to school type nights.  Instead of giving the students the day off completely, the were called "telelearn" days and had to log in to receive and complete their lessons for the day.

I was very intrigued by this concept when I read of it.  Thinking of the torture of being in school through the first week of June last year, I felt like this would be a very interesting route to take.  The problem is that, in our district, we don't have the infrastructure to support this.  We are not 1:1 which is the first problem.  Secondly, we would need to be training the teachers in more of a tech curriculum.  Less than half of the teachers in our building have websites, let alone would I expect them to be able to create a lesson to be completed exclusively online.

The article states that reactions to these "e-learning" or "telelearn" days are mixed.  Teachers feel that it is extra work on their end, and students feel like it is just a whole day of homework.  I would imagine that there might be parents who aren't so fond either.  My question is what do they do for the kids who don't have internet at home?  I wonder if these are pretty wealthy communities and maybe that is not an issue.  As a teacher, it does sound like a lot of extra work to plan online lessons for a whole day.  Would PE teachers be required to do online lessons as well?

Altogether, I do think the this is a very interesting idea, but it did leave me with a lot of questions.  I would love to read more on this topic!

Digital Native vs Digital Citizen? Examining a Dangerous Stereotype

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-native-digitial-citizen-stereotype-mary-beth-hertz

The main focus of this article is that because today's students have grown up with technology and are exposed to it all of the time some teachers tend to make the assumption that every student inherently knows how to use a computer.  The author, Mary Beth Hertz, makes the point that while most students today could pick up a computer and complete some basic functions on it, skills such as reading critically, using online content responsibly, and being respectful digital citizen need to be taught.  Just giving a child a device does not make them a digital native.

She stresses that because our students are blogging, online gaming, creating YouTube channels, and sharing in a variety of ways online it is dangerous to assume that they have all the skills necessary to do so in a responsible, safe manner.  They need to know both their rights and responsibilities.  They gain these skills through discussion and practice.

This is important because it is an assumption that I think a fair number of teachers make.  Our students do tend to be very knowledgeable and familiar with technology and I do often learn things from them, but we need to remember that there is more to using technology than just being able to run the machine or program that is being used.  That is an aspect where as teachers we need to make sure we are emphasizing to our students what it means to be a good digital citizen.

I agree with this that as teachers sometimes the digital citizen aspect of technology use gets overlooked.  I also think that our students tend to make the same assumption about themselves.  They often think they already know all of these things related to technology and don't need to have those skills taught to them which can be equally dangerous.

I don't often get into other classrooms to truly be able to speak to this regarding the high school as a whole.  I think most teachers require citing sources when students turn in work, but I don't know how effectively we model that in our own presentations.  I have tried to do a better job of that in the last few years as I have started incorporating more technology but there are times when I don't properly cite pictures that I use in presentations.

It is dangerous for us to assume that our students already have all of this down just because of all of their exposure to technology.

http://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/ITSELE-excerpt.pdf

It's Elementary! Integrating Technology in the Primary Grades

This article is about putting more technology into the hands of younger students and their teachers. The author said the more tools you put in the hands of students and teachers, the more it becomes a part of their thinking. The article said a lot of schools tend to look away from technology because their school does not have the money to give them what they are interested in. The article stressed that even on a “shoestring” budget there are ways to incorporate technology into their everyday learning. A study even showed that academic growth was higher in classes where teachers used technology widely as opposed to those classes who didn't. Another interesting study showed that technology integration in schools decreased student behaviors, decreased the amount of absent students, provided a lower drop out rate, allowed more room for college scholarships, and students were more likely to attend college. I found this to be very interesting because I think if more students are allowed to use a device of their choice then they will more likely be engaged and eager to learn. The article also stressed that integration means the teachers are using technology by introducing, reinforcing, extending, enriching, assessing, and remediating student mastery of particular targets.

The most interesting part of this article was about how schools must have the following to successfully integrate technology in schools: administrative support because this is who makes the final decision and has the final say in it all, staff buy in because staff needs to be on board and willing to integrate the technology into their classrooms and this does not mean that they need to be experts! Time and tools for collaboration, and equipment were the final two components to integrating successfully. I think this is something that many districts are working on today. I feel especially in our district that we are fortunate to have a variety of devices/technology for our students, however, teachers don’t have the proper training or knowledge to use these tools or devices in their classrooms. With technology constantly changing, I think it is important to have staff who are willing to be the cheerleaders and convince teachers that what they are using is important. 

MOOCs’ disruption is only beginning

By Clayton M. Christensen and Michelle R. Weise                        |    May 09, 2014

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/05/09/moocs-disruption-only-beginning/S2VlsXpK6rzRx4DMrS4ADM/story.html

The article is calling traditional colleges to take a good, long look at their approach to education. There are too many college graduates with degrees that are not landing them jobs in their fields of study. The MOOC (massive open online course) was a concern for colleges and universities as it offered a way for students to take advantage of current technology to take free online courses. These institutions sighed in relief as the MOOCs offered by companies like Udacity and Coursera seemed to be in a decline. However, the alternative education offered by MOOCs may show up in new ways.
There are now companies providing vocational education online that is focused on current needs in the job marketplace. Even though free MOOCs have not had much success, they have disrupted the working model for current institutions enough that those institutions are looking at their course offerings and their costs.

I agree that MOOCs were a great idea. I hope that free online courses persist. They are not going to put traditional colleges and universities out of business, but the innovative companies that saw a need in the education market will make these institutions take notice.

Our administration promotes dual-credit learning. We have looked into the Virtual High School. The prospect of MOOCs making free learning available certainly has appeal. We are still stuck in the brick and mortar mindset. Also, we are still offering most of the same curriculum from a hundred years ago. Will the attraction of the MOOC model spread to secondary education? Will the Illinois Virtual High School bloom? I look forward to the future as our mindset changes.

Blended Learning in the Mix: The Informed Parent

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-informed-parent-megan-kinsey

This article is about the parent role in the blended classroom. It opens dealing with the cyclical nature of education, and how a lot of the “new” ideas that people in education have are simply just recycled from 20 years ago and given a different name. Having only been in the business for 6 years, I can’t say if this is true, although the more experienced staff members do seem to echo this sentiment.  The article goes on to say that even with this seemingly endless cycle, there are a few things that have stood the test of time. The article says that two important parts of a child’s education that hasn’t changed are a literacy rich environment for young children, and parent involvement in the education of their children. 

                The author writes that parent involvement can be somewhat of a challenge in the new, technology rich, blended classroom. This is because parents aren’t sure how to support their students because it is so different from their educational experience. According to the author, there are five ways parents can support their children in the blended environment.

                The first way parents can support their children in the digital age is by understanding that these devices are learning tools. Sure they can be for entertainment too, but the learning aspect should be focused on and reinforced at home. This can be done by using the devices with their student to enhance the knowledge of both the parent and the student. I agree with this whole heartedly. I’m actually not sure if this happens in my school or not. Prior to reading this article, I hadn’t really thought to ask the students if they use the ipads with their parents. I know in my own home, when my son asks me a question that I don’t know the answer to, I generally say, “grab your ipod, and let’s look it up.” That being said, I also allow him to use it for predominately entertainment. After reading this article though, I am going to try to make a conscious effort to try and reinforce the educational value of his device. This is extremely important for young children, because as they get older they will look to these devices for knowledge, instead of just mindless games.

                The next thing the parents need to understand if that the teacher in the blended classroom has a new role. They are trying to improve the students skills in communication, collaboration and problem solving. Just because the teacher is not assigning nightly homework, or doing loads of multiple choice questions doesn’t mean they aren’t working. Again, I don’t know if this is a problem in my school, but I could see where it could be, and I feel like this is going to be the toughest change for parents of the digital age students. They were skilled and drilled and they believe that’s how a school should work. A change in that mentality can be tough, but in order to reach the maximum potential of learning, the parent and the teacher need to be on the same page.

                Along those same lines, the parents need to advocate for their child. Communicate with the teacher. If there is some aspect of the digital classroom that the student is struggling with, ask the teacher for ideas on how to improve those skills. Again, communication with the teacher is vital. This also ties in to the first change in that parents and students will learn and work on the skills together as well as learning the device with them.  

                The final suggestion for parents of a student in a blended classroom is to follow the school on social media. They can learn what is going on at the school, as well as have a good example of what a positive internet footprint looks like. EPG has a facebook page, and it is very informative for the community. I believe a large number of parents follow it.

                All of the skills listed in this article are good advice and tips for parents today. It has been, and will always be important for parents to support their students’ learning. The form of that support has and is changing. I believe following the advice of this author will help make that change easier. And hopefully I can explain this to my students and their parents. 

Computer Science: The Future of Education

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/computer-science-future-of-education-alison-derbenwick-miller

Just like the title suggests, this article talks about how students are surrounded by computer technology and also mentions the other ways technology helps society. (law enforcement, the medical field etc)

I thought this was an interesting statistic: According to the US Bureau of Labor, by 2020 there will be 1.4 million new computer science jobs.  Currently, we only have 400,000 computer scientists trained to fill those roles.  It states that "Teachers and schools must act now to address student readiness and to expand access to computer science curriculum to help foster interest in computer science."  The author of this article, suggests that it becomes a "core component" of every child's education.

There are 5 steps schools can do now to help incorporate computer science education in all schools.
1. Teachers can register for training courses
2. Educate students about career opportunities
3. Teachers can offer extra credit to develop computer based skills and create projects
4. Mentoring programs in this field for students
5. Using age appropriate coding apps like Scratch for younger students, makegameswithus for high schoolers

I chose this article, because it differed from many of the other articles I have read and/or responsed to.  So often, we focus on using and integrating technology in class to further our lessons and to make them more meaningful and interesting.  I never considered using technology as a way to guide them towards a career in computer science!?  Even at a young age.  Something to think about.  I know I would need lots of training in this area in order to train younger students.

using the technology of today, in the classroom of today

http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf

The author's argument for technology in this article is that there is a disconnect between the lives students live outside of school and the ones they live in side.  Students go home and use critical thinking and problem solving skills in the games they love and play non-stop.  How as teachers to we gap that disconnect?

This article provides many examples of how gaming can directly impact the classroom in engaging ways.  It argues that games like Civilization, Sim City, World of Warcraft, and even Facebook are ways to teach students.  Students are also collaborating through social networking sites on a daily basis.  Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook link millions of people together and allow them to share ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

The future is clear, we are heading this way into a technology dominated world.  Educators need to adjust or that disconnect becomes much larger than ever.  I know that while we do not want to use technology for technology's sake we need to be thinking about how to use it to enhance and transform our instruction.

At our school this means being on the cutting edge of technology.  Getting our feet wet and experimenting early on is the best recipe for being ready to handle a constantly changing world of technology.  Not being afraid to flop is another big hurdle I believe educators need to jump in order to embrace technology.  Boundaries do not get pushed and improvements are not made unless someone takes the risk and tries something new.

I just think there is so much out there to try and its getting better everyday, that we do a disservice to our students if we are not trying to improve.  We expect them to work hard on the material we give them, but then turn around and blatantly ignore the material that is all around us.

Oculus Rift Fueling New Vision for Virtual Reality in K-12

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/08/27/02oculus.h34.html

In March of 2014, FaceBook purchased Oculus VR for $2 billion. FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg sees the Oculus as a “new communications platform.” The article suggests educational uses for the virtual reality device. Some uses include virtual field trips, immersive learning games and simulations, therapeutic experiences for special needs students, and science experiments. The Oculus VR company has made technology breakthroughs to lower the device cost from $10,000 to $350. The dual-screen goggles have less  movement blur, better resolution, and lower latency (input delay). One special education teacher has already tried the device with his special needs students and reported success with meditation and relaxation through virtual-reality apps. One of these, called Titans of Space, gives a tour of planets and stars. Another company, YouVisit, is doing virtual campus tours to introduce high school students to potential colleges.

Some observers are not convinced. Virtual reality technology hit mainstream public awareness in the 1990s and the early 2000s, but did not sustain its momentum due to technology barriers. These naysayers see the Oculus cashing in through commercial gaming.

Some proponents see the virtual-reality offerings by Oculus (Oculus VR), Sony (Project Morpheus), and Google (Cardboard) quickly finding a place in education because, as Jeffrey Jacobson says, “there will be a few things they do better than everything else.”

I agree that we are headed to a future where VR is a part of education, but I think implementation is several years away. The technology will not be ubiquitous, even at $350 per unit, because of cost. It has been suggested that schools would receive the Oculus hardware for free, but having the computer to run that hardware remains a challenge.

In my district the infrastructure does not yet exist to implement VR technology. Also, I have not seen an application for my instructional area of math. If virtual field trips were to be created that allowed students to see the inside and outside of construction and engineering and biology and history then I see more than just our school jumping on board.

Using Technology in the English/Language Arts Classroom for "Sophisticated Responses"

http://theeducatorsroom.com/2013/06/using-technology-in-the-englishlanguage-arts-classroom-for-sophisticated-responses/

The main point of this article addresses the study of how technology transforms the learning environment in the language arts classroom.  According to the author, Colette Bennett, many studies have collected data on how technology is used in the math or science classroom and its value.  Bennett suggests that studies need to be broadened to include the language arts classroom.

                Bennett argues that technology has contributed to gains in skills and motivation in the language arts.  Blogs or wikis have opened up students to an authentic audience.  Students are able to edit and collaborate online.  Students are even able to create surveys and respond to the data collected.            

                Bennett provides an example of a teacher using Edmodo in the classroom to gain “sophisticated” response to a writing prompt about Romeo and Juliet.  An assignment was posted along with the results of a survey on arranged marriages that both students and their parents took, using Google forms.  Students were asked to read a scene from the play and synthesize the data in response to how the characters Romeo and Juliet reacted to Juliet’s arranged marriage.  Bennett then included three examples from the students that show “sophisticated” responses, and then ended the article with the plea that studies on effective technology use need to include the English classroom.

                I feel it is important to study the gains technology can make in the English classroom.  Currently at my school, we have technology available for all students to carry with them to each subject.  Because using various programs and apps is fairly new to my discipline, studies on using technology in the ELA classroom are in the beginning stages.  From my own experience, I am optimistic about using various digital platforms for reading and writing support, so I am definitely interested in what these studies have to say.  I agree with Bennett that using technology in the English classroom can definitely deviate from the traditional use of the drills that were part of using digital media in the past.  

Grading Teachers with Data from Class

main points, important because, I agree/disagree because, in my district this would look like/sound like?  other thoughts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/technology/students-grade-teachers-and-a-start-up-harnesses-the-data.html?src=me

     This article is about a new surveying tool created by Panorama Education.  The goal is to use scientifically valid questions to survey students on their education and how the teachers are delivering their lessons and relating to the students.  The company, Panorama Education has surveyed over 5000 schools, some of which are of the largest in the country.  One innovation was to design a technique where the students can use their own paper to answer the questions rather than using specific paper and machines to score the answers to compile results.  There is also a "dashboard" made for schools that show graphically how the students have answered.
     This product is important because teachers can easily assess how they are interacting with the students, how the students' performance is affected, and splits all the information into subgroups.  Lately, we have been focusing on test scores on the standardized tests.  The students' responses are not always indicative of the teachers' abilities or their efforts.  Many things that affect students' learning are not necessarily the actual subject matter instruction, but oftentimes the way teachers identify and interact with students is more important in motivating students to learn and do their best.       I think this way of surveying is important because of its cost, the delineation of data and the ease of use.  I believe most teachers want to improve in all aspects of their profession, and they will like to use this to find accurate information.  I would like to think that the students would be honest, but sometimes students will not take surveys and tests seriously.
     In our district I think this could be used appropriately.  I would like to see this be used for growth rather than evaluation for the first year or two simply because learning new techniques of teaching and restructuring the way one relates to students will take time and practice.  All in all, I think it is an excellent idea, and with it being free, and costs less to analyze the data, it won't cost the taxpayers as much as other surveying tools.

The iPad as a Tool for Education

http://www.naace.co.uk/publications/longfieldipadresearch

In 2011, there was a study done at Longfield Academy in Kent, England to find the benefits of using an iPad as an educational tool for students ages 11-18.  The majority of students were issued iPads, with a small percentage of students using other devices.  The results were overwhelming, demonstrating the great value of iPads in the classroom.  Most teachers regularly used the iPads in their teaching.  There was a high demand from students to use them more.  Teachers saw a decline in workload and cost.  Students were more motivated when using an iPad, and the quality of student work was rising.  

The study also identified how iPads were mostly being used.  English, Math, and Science were the subject areas that most utilized the iPads during lessons.  And teachers most used them for activities like online research, mind mapping, and creating presentations.  Both teachers and students responded to a survey very positively about the use of iPads being very useful to their teaching and learning.  Students responded that they wanted to more from their iPads and indicated that they thought it would be great to incorporate more activities like photography, making videos/movie, taking tests on their tablets, designing games, and more.  

This study does not surprise me one bit.  iPads CAN be a great tool in the classroom, and we know that kids LOVE them.  They can make your life easier, and the product that you get from iPads when finished with projects and activities are very rewarding.  I do wonder though (being that this study was done in 2011)  if any of that excitement has worn off.  New is exciting, and this was a new school at that.  We all know that new wears off, so I wonder if these results would still be the same today???

In my district, at least in the 2 schools where I teach, each classroom has 5 iPads and the same holds true that they are probably used mostly for Language/Reading, and Math. Unfortunately, I feel that a majority of the time, they are primarily used for just playing games and not for creating presentations, or much higher level thinking type activities. Part of this comes from (again) the fact that there has been no professional development or presentations on how to incorporate higher level lessons using the iPads. I am not sure that this will change much though, unless somebody finds another couple of hours to add to our days:). There is a lot expected out of teachers and not much time to accomplish those tasks already!

The Education-Technology Revolution Is Coming

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/03/01/the-education-technology-revolution-is-coming

This article, written in 2013, describes the ongoing need for more technology in education. The author mentions how in every other field of work, technology is utilized much more than it is in the classroom. We are behind in technology in the classroom and need to jump ahead to better support our new-age learners who rely on this technology for day-to-day activities. Behrens mentions how our average adolescent has endless information at their fingertips constantly, and how we need to start supporting that in schools more. While many schools have gone to a BYOD, the majority have not, and the author does not agree with that. Behrens also mentions how the new generation spends 4.6 hours a week using social media and less time reading or writing emails. Apps are taking over web browsing. Why have a “power-down” attitude when technology is becoming more ubiquitous every day? The author mentions how education is one of the top marketplaces for technology, so why haven’t more schools embraced integrating technology? Budget and the fact that technology is a revolving door don’t help.

I agree with the article in the sense of needing to create a bottom-up processing setting in the classroom. With all these resources, teachers can get extremely creative in helping our students with problem solving and research--both skills they will need in life. In order to accomplish this in the classroom, a BYOD or having devices at each child’s seat is necessary. While this is a wonderful thought, it is not realistic for many schools due once again to budget.

This was interesting to me: “Education institutions are now grappling with the same challenge Borders faced: how to connect with savvier and more discerning consumers who have more options today than they did even a few years ago. These consumers—these active learners—have different expectations for their education experience. Administrators must be aware that active learners are willing to go elsewhere if they don't feel their expectations are being met.” With technology programs changing so quickly and new programs being introduced left and right, how are we going to keep our customer, our students, interested? Even in my 5 years since student teaching, I have noticed a huge change in students’ attention spans and lessons and technologies they find intriguing. They are always looking for the new and best thing. This is extremely challenging for marketers as well as for teachers! It is going to get harder and harder to keep up with technology that is current. Now, I am definitely not saying that because of this it will be impossible to engage students. Questioning techniques and creativity of the teacher is irreplaceable. I am just saying teachers will continue to have to work harder to keep the attention of students and excite kids.

Once again, technology in the classroom, just as the author was saying, is an extremely powerful thing. Administrators and teachers should continue to try their best to find ways to implement because it is the future. Our students are growing closer to technology every day in their lives outside of school, and we need to make sure we make it readily available in school.

Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/columnists/johnson/johnson033.shtml   

  In this article, Doug Johnson lists 7 positive ways he sees teachers using technology. It is in response to an article he wrote that listed 7 idiotic ways teachers use tech. I chose to try and stay positive. While I do not feel the need to touch on all seven points of the article, I do agree with almost all of the main points he makes. He writes that technology should not be a crutch, but a propellant. Use it in such a way that students who are good at something, get even better. I see this in my classroom when we do research, or when there is an issue with the technology. The students who seem to think they know a lot about a topic always love to be given time to explore it on their own, and are often the first to share with the class when they learn something new. The students who tend to be good problem solvers are the first to help the class troubleshoot a technology problem.  The tech is helping the students better themselves.

The next main point the author makes is that he says teachers need to be able to find and use technology in creative ways. He mentions a teacher making his own document camera. This is all well and fine, but some time people just do not have the know-how to be able to do something like that. In my school, I do not see that happening very often. On the other hand, I do work in a district that has provided its staff with a good amount of technology so this is not as necessary where I work.

Communication is key, according to Mr. Johnson and I completely agree with him. I use technology to communicate with students and parents in ways that I never would have imagined 10 years ago. Whether it is email, my website, the imessage app on the iPads, I am constantly communicating. The parents know what’s going on in the room, and it helps students get support from me when I am not there in person.

Johnson says it’s important to enjoy the discovery that the tech brings to the classroom. Whether it be that perfect web 2.0 tool that you've been looking for, or that piece of information the student brings to the class, technology can lead to enjoyable times in the classroom. Again, in my classroom, this occurs frequently. It’s fun to make things work and make them work the right way; It’s a sense of accomplishment if they do not work at first, and myself or a student figures out how to fix the issue. This is important because sometimes, as educators, we get stuck in our way of doing things and we refuse to change. By enjoying the discovery of new tools, you will never be in a rut, because it’s fun to find new ways to educating!

The last point I’d like to touch on, and in my opinion, the most important, is that it’s ok if the teacher does not know everything. Learn along with the students. So many teachers are afraid to fail, or to look foolish in front of the class when it comes to technology. This leads them to not even try! This is the worst mentality to have, because it will hinder all of the other main points Johnson made in this article. Try things. Mess up! Learn along with your students how to fix each issue so it goes smoothly next time. I love when this happens in my class (mostly) because it gives the students ownership of the technology. Most of the time, they enjoy figuring it out together.

            I believe that if more educators would listen to Mr. Johnson and his points on the brilliant technology use, especially the last one, then technology would be more widely accepted and used. I don’t know how to accomplish this task and I hope someday I can figure it out.

How Technology Trends Have Influenced the Classroom

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/03/how-real-world-technology-use-has-inflitrated-change-classrooms/

This article takes a look at several ways in which society has changed and ways to take advantage of them rather than see them as a hindrance.  As teachers need to be aware of the world outside of the classroom walls and find ways to incorporate it into our classrooms.  There are four such changes highlighted in the article.  The first is the amount of interactivity available today's technology.  Games in particular have become more interactive with some game systems today using the entire body.  Our students are used to motion.  The classroom outcome suggested for this is to allow students brain breaks every 15-20 minutes.

A second change highlighted is our ability to have a lot of things today on demand.  We no longer have to wait for shows or movies, etc.  We can access them on our own schedule.  The articles suggestion for on demand learning is a flipped classroom.  Students would have access to the material they are learning on their time schedule which allows for collaborative work during class time.

Thirdly, the way we publish is different.  There are no longer as many filters to published material as there once were.  With the availability of blogs, twitter, and other such sites we can now create our own material with our own views and perspectives.  This is the suggested classroom outcome is that students can now write and create on their own for a global audience rather than just the teacher.

Finally everything today is instant.  A large majority of our students have access to smart phones or tablets that allow us to be connected all the time.  Rather than seeing this as a distraction in the classroom, we should embrace it and use it as a method to dig deeper.  It also affords us the opportunity to teach ethical and appropriate use.

The way that our students think and connect with the world is changing.  As educators we can ignore this fact, fight it, or embrace it.  The author does mention though that while technology has an impact on the classroom, the greatest impact is still the teacher.

This is important because like it or not the world is changing and as teachers we need to adapt.  Today's students don't live in the world we did as students and don't learn the same way.  It doesn't make sense to have the availability and use of technology that occurs outside the classroom stop at the door.  It is an essential part of our students lives and as the article mentioned aside from the enhancement to the subject matter, we also need to teach proper use.

I would say I agree with most of this article.  I don't think some of the connections to the particular classroom activities were all that strong, but overall, I think the main point of preparing our students for the world they live in is crucial for effective education.

At Eureka, I think the amount of effective technology use is increasing.  I honestly don't use technology as well as I could, but am constantly trying to improve on that.  While there are hold outs, I think a large portion of teachers at the high school are willing to try new technology.  This is on a variety of levels, but gaining ground.  

The components of a digital-age learning ecosystem - Tyler Breitbarth

The components of a digital-age learner ecosystem

http://www.schoolcio.com/Default.aspx?tabid=136&entryid=8004

“An ecosystem is a system formed by the interaction of a community of living organisms with each other and their environment.” Tim Clark, an advisor to School CIO brings up a valid point about what all is involved in a successful digital learning environment. He came up with the categories listed in the picture below.

Tim’s comparison of a digital classroom with an ecosystem is spot on. The purpose of identifying the needs of a digital classroom ecosystem is to identify what facilitates a sustainable learning environment that endures over time and through adversity. In order to do so, teachers must encourage digital citizenship. Teachers usually model and encourage appropriate etiquette and responsible use of technology tools and resources.

Teachers should design lessons and units that encourage deeper levels of thinking using open ended questions and student based inquiry.  Students should have access to media such as primary source documents and videos as well as have the skills needed to search and sort through information. Teachers must use formative assessments, “Assessment for learning”. Teachers and students should be familiar with multiple tech learning tools and teachers should be using these tools to differentiate learning. The classroom environment must be supportive where students and teachers are collaborating together. Finally, teachers much use strategies that engage students and spark collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.

Identifying these needs in a digital classroom is important because without these components, technology may not be fully integrated into the classroom. Out of these categories, the most important has to be having a supportive classroom environment and a sense of community. Students must be willing to work with each other as well as the instructor and feel safe in their learning environment. This is something that is evident in any classroom regardless of technology. Without engaging content, establishing lifelong learning habits will be very difficult.

I agree with a lot of what this article says. It is imperative for people to understand in order to successfully integrate technology into the classroom, it must change the learning environment, not just teaching styles. The focus of making technology a collaborative tool changes the classroom as well. Technology allows unplanned collaborations, something that fortune 500 companies base their company structures on, to allow students to be creative in ways the students might not have imagined on their own.

In District #140, I see this practice being put into place every day. Teachers are using technology tools for formative assessment such as plickers, SMART clickers, NearPod, and Socrative to help students assess their progress and allow them to improve before summative assessments. Many teachers use social media tools such as Twitter and Edmodo to communicate to students and students use these tools to collaborate with the teacher and with other students. At early grade levels we use the THINK model for digital etiquette, helping to establish a sense of community that is supportive and safe for students.

If teachers had to choose which category the district needs to improve on, it would be accessibility,  teaching strategies, and creating captivating digital content. Many teachers would like to see students having their own devices with a 1:1 program so that it is truly ubiquitous. Also teachers have asked for professional development on using digital tools in the classroom and keeping students engaged rather than burnt out on technology.

Integrating Technology into the Classroom: It Takes More Than Just Having Computers
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml

This article is about integrating technology into learning experiences and even gives specific ways to help teachers integrate technology more into their everyday classrooms. The article talks about how technology should be integrated into classrooms, but not as a separate subject, but rather a tool to extend and help student learning. The article says a challenge of doing this and why teachers are hesitant is because they don’t have the time to integrate and are not sure how to help students use it without taking away from core subjects. The article also talks about personal experience being another challenge with teachers. So, teachers first need to find time to use the tools themselves and understand basic terminology before teaching to students. The article gives suggestions on ways to effortlessly integrate technology into daily and weekly classroom routines. A few suggestions were to have elementary student’s access online weather forecasts instead of just talking about the weather, maybe taking a few extra minutes for students to look it up and record their findings if they have a weather log or journal. Another suggestion was to include a URL in teacher’s monthly calendar or newsletter. Encourage students to use them and visit them. Education World has printable calendars that include links for specific holidays and so on. The article listed a whole bunch of great suggestions that were appropriate for different age levels.

I agree with this article completely. I think teachers definitely need to become familiar and understand the terminology before teaching it to students or expecting students to use it. You are not going to have complete participation from the students if you, yourself do not understand what you are teaching them or expecting them to do. Again, like discussed in previous classes it all goes back to allowing time for teachers to explore. I definitely think more teachers would integrate technology if they were allotted time to do so and time to practice themselves. I think it is great that this article is offering ways for teachers to gain experience and helping assist them in integrating more fully into their everyday learning.

I believe there are times when I, myself do not use technology to its fullest potential. I think sometimes I am hesitant because of the students’ age, but in reality some of my students could probably teach me a thing or two about technology. I think a lot of it is maybe letting go and allowing the children more freedom! That is sometime a hard thing to do especially in kindergarten!   I really like the suggestion of having students log onto a weather website, especially when we are discussing a big change in weather or aren't too sure of the weather for the day. It wouldn't even have to be something we do every day but maybe something fun they could do on Fridays. I do think I do a good job with technology but I could always do better and I think this article has allowed me to think of some things I could integrate that I never really thought about doing before. I really liked the last suggestion of the article which was about keeping the students guessing. I think it’s important to keep students on their toes and eager to learn and what better way to help do that than integrate a different spin on teaching by incorporating technology. Whether it’s having students work in small groups on an Ipad to solve a riddle or question, or even a reward for students who finish early or have worked extremely hard, I think it’s important to find new ways of integrating technology into your classroom.

I think it is important to remember there are so many different ways to integrate technology into your classroom and I think this article does a good job of giving teachers suggestions on a place to start when it comes to technology. 

The Importance of Teaching Technology to the Teachers

http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/3468-the-importance-of-teaching-technology-to-teachers

The Importance of Teaching Technology to the Teachers

Katt Blackwell discusses how the spotlight has been placed on technology as a need in schools. So much so that the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) have stated that being technology literate is a vital part of overall literacy. With much of our daily information coming from online sources, it’s easy to understand this emphasis. She reinforces this by stating  "21st century readers and writers need to.."

1. Develop proficiency with the tools of technology

2. Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally

3. Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes

4. Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information

5. Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts

6. Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments

However, while we are pushing technology literacy on our students, we are missing our teachers. Many times, teachers are the ones being taught about technology from their students. Katt Blackwell mentions that technology varies depending on the teacher. There is no standard across the board for complex skills to scaffold within the classroom. One year a teacher may have many project-based lessons with the use of technology. The next year, the teacher may only use technology to practice basic facts or for word processing. 

If we expect technology to be as powerful a tool as it has the potential to be, we must train all of our teachers. Blackwell suggests teachers taking action themselves by hosting a monthly tech focus. Here teachers can introduce a technology they feel proficient with to the staff and allow them time to develop ideas with how to utilize it effectively. I like this idea, but I can see it creating a divide between those who are interested, and those who aren’t. This movement has to be across the board in order to be effective. For real progress to take place, the administration has to play a role in getting technology training in place. 

How to Integrate Tech When it Keeps Changing

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrate-tech-keeps-changing-todd-finley?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=blog-integrate-tech-keeps-changing-link

The blog's author, Todd Finley, discusses how to overcome the challenge of integrating technology when technology is constantly changing. The integration of technological knowledge, content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge is the basis of understanding why so many classrooms have not yet fully integrated technology. The combination of all three lies at the center of successful integration, which according to Finley is just plain complicated.


Source:  http://tpack.org
Reproduced by permission of the publisher, © 2012 by tpack.org

This image, referred to as the SAMR model, is easier to understand when explaining successful integration. Teachers should be working toward redefinition.Source:  http://edofict.wikispaces.com/SAMR+Examples

By 2015, 80% of devices accessing the internet will be mobile devices. Waiting for changes in technology to slow down is not an option. The author lists five guidelines to assist in surviving the rapidly changing technological world:

1. Take off your expert hat.  No one can be expected to be proficient in all technology. Finley recommends taking 30 minutes a couple of times a month to learn a new tech tool.

2.  Get to know the standards. Know the professional standards in your content area. Technology should be used to serve those standards and literacies. 

3.  Reach out to thought leaders. Follow blogs and tweets of the experts.

4.  Interact with students via tech.  This means in real time, during class. Flipping a lesson and then using real time tech tools to give feedback (such as commenting on a Google Doc while the student is writing) is one example.

5.  Read Henry Jenkins. Mr. Jenkins is the author of Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. In this report, he identifies core social skills and cultural competencies students need to be successful in our social media culture.

I agree that these ideas can help teachers get to Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge on the TPAK diagram, or to Redefinition on the SAMR model. It takes baby steps to move toward those goals, but not moving at all is not an option in the 21st century.

At Dee-Mack we are still not a fully 1:1 or BYOD district, and I think that is due in part to not knowing what to purchase since technology is so quickly changing. The district finally purchased six Chromebooks carts last spring, two for each building, but my concern with the carts is that most teachers who use the technology are still in the substitution or augmentation phases of the SAMR model, and that doesn't include the teachers who don't want to use tech at all. It is imperative to provide training for staff, and not just have the Chromebooks available for checkout. My principal and I have discussed having "Tech Tuesdays" to give teachers time to find tools they can utilize in their classrooms. The staff who are more proficient with technology integration could be team leaders to help those who are still struggling to utilize technology and those who are still at the substitution or augmentation stage of the SAMR model. 

I think it is important to make sure the teachers who are less interested in technology to understand that they don't have to jump in with both feet. They need to be encouraged to become proficient with one tool at a time and experience success with that tool to build confidence in integrating the technology into their classroom so that eventually they are doing things that can't be possible be done without the use of technology.

Five Reasons Readers Need Technology

This author of this article, argues that the latest technology could be "our best hope for struggling readers".  We all know that being a literate person allows one to climb out of poverty, be a productive citizen and to secure a job.  Helping struggling readers to catch up with the others in his/her class, is one of the biggest challenges educators face.  (This was brought up in class last week-how can Alex teach in his content area of social studies AND try to teach remedial reading at the same time??  Like he said, he wasn't trained to do that!)

Of course, it depends what the students need is-phonic instruction?  Comprehension? Fluency?  What about students who speak little English?  What can a teacher do?

This article mentions that students are unable to learn from textbooks assigned to them in the classroom.    The author lists five ways that technology can help struggling readers:

1. Tech is adaptive-using software that is constantly assessing students as they learn.  Adaptive tech. knows to give a version of an article to that student as his/her reading level

2. Tech. is good at repetitive practice-it can figure out what skill a student is struggling with and figure out the right kind of practice

3. Tech. is availabe anytime/anywhere

4. Tech is superb at gathering and processing data-assess a students skill set, organize data, and deliver customized data to teachers

5. Tech. is motiviating-by showing progress and demonstrate improvements, even in small increments

At Goodfield and Congerville elmentary schools, we started using a program called RAZ kids with the 1st and 2nd graders this school year.  It has them first listen to a story at their level-the text is also highlighted as it is read to them. Then, they have to read the story, and finally answer questions about the story.  If they do well, they earn "stars".  After earning so many stars, they can start to "buy" things-like robots, rocket ships etc.  They love that part!  Its tailored just to their needs and so far, they like it!  I do know, with anything, students can become bored of doing the same things over and over again.  I have seen this with students who use the other programs like Lexia (for younger students-the focus is on phonics/phonemic awareness skills) and Reading Plus (for fluency and comprehension).  Teachers have to keep it "fresh" and mix it up!  I use these tech. programs, but still model and give opportunities for students to "show" me these reading strategies as well using actual books!  (Esp. using books they enjoy-I see what they check out in the library and try to find books similar to those to use in our reading groups)  They enjoy that as well.

Technology in the Classroom: Helpful or Harmful?

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/effective-technology-teaching-child/

Technology can be viewed as helpful to some and harmful to others.  There is a divide when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom.  It seems like technology could deliver results, but student scores have not been increasing even with the insertion of much more technology.
According to the article, students are drawn to technology and it surrounds them everyday.  They have so much information at their fingertips it seems logical that they should be able to improve their learning.  One challenge that teachers have regarding technology is that they have to spend precious time learning these new tools and figuring out where they will support the learning objectives.  This is a time commitment many teachers cannot afford.
The article also describes the many benefits of the use of technology in the classroom.  The time saving aspect of technology is huge because teachers gain more face to face time with students and can cover material more in depth or possibly cover more material.  It is also useful and efficient for tracking student progress.  Digital reports offer teachers instant feedback without having to shuffle through hundreds of papers.
Technology is useful if it is viewed as a tool that supports learning objectives.  If teachers integrate technology wisely into their classrooms their will be benefits, it is all about the application of the tool.  Technology does not replace teachers, it only enhances what they are able to do with students.
I agree with most of the points made in this article.  The benefits are undeniable regardless of the lack of data.  Technology is a more efficient and resourceful way to access and create content.  Teachers can assess students more quickly, thus providing more feedback.  The tools have never been greater, however, the time to learn to implement these tools does not always exist.  Therefore you will see a lot of teachers just substituting old methods using technology (ex. online textbook).  Technology will see benefits when teachers change the way they teach because of technology.  The day so of memorizing facts are over for the most part, new skills need to be taught that focus on being able to identify and find the information needed and presenting it in a coherent and effective way.
In our district we have injected a lot of new technology throughout the school, but I do not think it has changed much.  Teachers are in the substitution phase of the SAMR model.  Does this mean we should not be using the technology?  Absolutely not.  There is a long learning curve and it will take years for teachers to change lessons to teach more effectively with the new tools that they have been given.  I think we need to be patient in making our judgments about the effectiveness of technology.  Standardized testing I do not believe can assess the way students are learning problem solving skills and 21st century skills.  So we need to wait until we can accurately and reliably assess the effectiveness of technology.