Article Review: Tools for the Mind

For Dr. Ohler's class, I read "Tools for the Mind" by Mary Burns. The article is from educational leadership in December 2005, and this is my review.

Educators are currently evaluating technology usage in light of NCLB mandates and impending budget cuts to compare current technology integration with the intention of the use of technology in the classroom. There are four common behaviors that have resulted in a narrow focus of educational technology.

Teachers are given professional development in teaching them skills on the computer instead of how to enhance student learning using computers.

• Technology is handed out without long term planning and support systems in place to maximize the classroom technology


• There is no overarching body of professionals looking at data and statistics to see if students really are learning with this improved technology


• Not all software is created equal. Without realizing this, software is integrated that focuses on lower level skills instead of digging deep and using higher order thinking skills.

Students are using the Internet simply as an electronic textbook not learning how to question it, research its validity, or evaluate the source. This is then passive learning without students delving in and ultimately not challenging the students appropriately.

They are no more engaged with low level tasks electronically then they are with low level tasks in paper and pencil. To change these mindsets and current approaches to technology, professionals will have to return to critical thinking, student-centered instruction with students using computers as mind tools. To do this, Burns suggests two strategies:

• Teach critical thinking first and technology later


• Focus on curriculum, instruction and assessment

"If higher order thinking is a mail goal of instruction, then teachers themselves must keep sharpening their critical thinking skills. It's not enough to help students find and communicate information. Teachers need to show students how to evaluate the information's veracity, reason logically, come to evidence-based decisions, create relevant new knowledge, and apply this learning to new situations." This learning may or may not involve computers. Using computers is not the goal, rather creating the information and ideas is the goal and then technology can be integrated into that learning if, and only if, it adds to that learning.

To integrate computers in higher-order ways, ongoing professional development must take place. Teachers then need opportunities to work together to plan these rich, interdisciplinary activities where "technology serves to extend learning in way that would not be possible without it's use."

This is a wonderful article that exposes some areas of need if technology usage is to reach its potential to truly enhance student learning. I've sat in a few technology classes so far and the instructional goal is how to use the technology with no emphasis on how to implement it or how students can use such technology in reaching higher potential in their minds.

Certain teachers have been able to take the limited information given and run with it while others still need further instruction on its use before being able to effectively implement it into student learning. I believe it all comes back to refocusing planning to the core content and curriculum goals and then evaluating if technology usage will further student learning in ways that sometimes only technology can.

My Educational Philosophy Video

This is a project was done for class where I captured my educational philosophy in under 2 minutes. This video is an introduction to my philosophy.

This video project was my attempt to convey those things I feel strongly about in regards to education and specifically mathematics education. Reducing my philosophy into about 1 minute was a difficult assignment as I really was forced to weigh out what I felt was most important to begin with and what priority certain truths held over others. As I worked through this struggle, I feel that I have come to a pointed, concise introduction to my philosophy that accurately shows who I am and what is important to me. My only regret for this project is the inability to capture my students photographs to make this video more personal. I am currently still awaiting approval to photograph along with the list of names of students who cannot have their photograph published.

How will I use a project like this in the classroom?

In a similar fashion, students this spring will complete a video project. My host teacher has had students build poster boards in the past using systems of equations to solve certain problems. This year we hope to work together and utilize the students 1 to 1 laptops for them to take the project digital. In doing so, shy kids will have the ability to let their creativity manifest without the fear of public speaking. Instead, a video is started. A digital story/project like this will accentuate students learning as we continually tie their knowledge with technology.

Article Review: The Educators Guide to the Read/Write Web

The Educators Guide to the Read/Write Web
by Will Richardson

As the Internet has changed from a place where information is only gather to a place where information is also published and shared, author Richardson suggests that classroom teachers will feel the change and have to move with this change.

• He suggests that a blog be used as a vehicle to draw out critical thinking, reading and writing skills.
• Work becomes more collaborative if a wiki is intertwined into the curriculum.
• Using social bookmarking “enables teachers to leverage the collaborative efforts of like-minded professionals to mine information on the Internet.

All of this information changes that students are no longer writing for an audience of one, their teacher; rather, the “awareness of even a small audience can significantly change the way the students approaches writing or other school assignments.

This new technology means that education is changing to learn how to effectively use the technology and then teach students how to use it. This means students need to always be thinking critically about the source or other information that they currently have on a topic to determine if the information that they are reading is accurate or not. Students cannot not passively accept what is given. Richardson states, “..The teacher's role shifts from a content expert to a guide who shows students how to find and evaluate online resources, communicate with experts whom they encounter online, and publish their own creations that result from such encounters. Classroom teachers should become content creators in their own right so that they can model appropriate use of these tools.”

Article Review- The Overdominance of Computers

This is a review of the article "The Overdominance of Computers." It is written by Lowell W. Monke and was published in the Educational Leadership journal in December 2005. This review is being completed as an assignment for my Educational Technology class.

In this article, Monke points to a debate regarding the "effectiveness of computers as learning tools." He points out the computers are being introduced earlier and earlier to our children to help them become acquainted. Monke point is that early introduction is not necessarily warranted as there are certain age and moral and cognitive milestones that first must be reached in order to use technology responsibly. With the power of vast amounts of information students have to be able to handle the power and be taught how to use it wisely. Some interesting statistics were presented on computers as linked with student achievement.

• "the MORE access students had to computers in school and at home, the lower their overall test scores.


• "Students will experience an estimated 30 percent fewer face-to-face encounters than previous generations."

Monke states that "what we need from schools is not balance in using high technology, but an effort to balance children's machine-dominate lives." He further points to students lack "hope, respect, moral judgement" and other qualities that is leading to failing students- not their lack of access to technology. Rather he envisions that early childhood filled with traditional hands on activities, face to face conversations, and direct encounters with their world instead of experiencing them through a computer screen. After this foundation is built in young children, then high school students can place emphasis on technologies both learning about their capabilities and learning to use those capabilities. After all, technologies that children will learn about in early years will be obsolete before they are in a place to effectively use such technologies. This approach would restore a proper balance and be an effective approach to technology.

As a mom

Being the mother of three young children, I really reflected on the information that was presented in this article. While I see the authors point regarding technology, I still feel early exposure to some sore of technology helps students not to fear it but embrace it. Sometimes I watch my Mom still trying to learn how to attach an document to an e-mail and the phobia that sometimes seems to overwhelm her of this foreign tool called a computer. On the opposite spectrum, I see five and six year old children that have their world wrapped up in digital technologies like computer games, leapsters, webkinz, Wii, and v-smile. The seem more interested in digital pets than spending time with real animals and watching in fascination at the animal behavior. So I prefer a balanced approach of a sensible, restricted use of technology to let them experience the power and anticipate it's awesomeness without losing touch with the natural world. My kids have leapsters and a plant growing kit where we will feed a Venus fly trap real bugs.

As a teacher

As a high school teacher, I see that computer should be lightly integrated in the early elementary years, with more exposure in the middle school ages. Technology can be such a powerful tool that can bring some aspects of the natural world to life that some children may never get to have the real hands on experience. Teaching how to use technology in a morally responsible manner is a valuable lesson that also must be focused on rather than just the technical applications. This will help students be able to see the positive and negatives that are out there so they can make wise choices. I value integrating technology into teaching whenever it accentuates learning as well as letting students have access to technology to creatively use to further explore content material that is presented in class.

Energy Research Project

I conducted an energy research project on conserving energy in a natural disaster. I focused my conservation efforts to major appliances to compare use prior to and during the disaster to see if limiting the use of such appliances would effectively lower my bill. To conduct this, I researched the amount of energy that I used prior to the natural disaster and the the amount of energy used during conversation. I also researched the amount of kilowatt hours each of the appliances used and the average hours such appliances were used. Finally, using information from AEL&P I found the average percentages of appliances on electric bills, how many customers they served, and the average amount spent on electricity annually.


DATA: In 2007, my average kwh usage per day was 43. My goal was to get this below 30 kwh daily. When I looked at certain appliances, their kwh used, and my average usage, I found that I was about to see a monthly increase of $167 based on my current trends. I took action:

• I set my refrigerator to energy conservation settings,
• I did not use my clothes dryer at all, and
• Use of my oven and dishwasher was extremely limited.

These measures effectively lowered my average daily usage in the month of May to only 24 average kwh daily, a reduction of 44% from the previous year.

I then compared the disaster month, May 2008, directly to May 2007. I found that my usage in 2007 was 995 as compared to 878 in 2008 of the same month, a 12% decrease.

THE BIG PICTURE: Taking this information and looking at the city of Juneau, AEL&P customers consume 293 million Kwh annually. If their 14,500 customers conserved only 15%, that would be nearly 44 million Kwh saved annually. Based on 2008 current rates, that is a savings to AEL&P customers of $4,620,000.

Through this research project I learned that limiting or cutting out heavy weight appliance effectively lowered my bill and energy usage in an electrical crisis by 12-33%. I also found that some conservation efforts that I employed were not sustainable. Recently and energy efficiency audit was conducted on my home and I found I can effectively conserve the same amount of energy or more by replacing a few doors and windows.

WANT TO SEE MORE ON THIS PROJECT? Here is my powerpoint that I presented. Here is my excel spreadsheet with data and where I created visual graphs.

Watching the DVD that was recorded of my live presentation, I learned that I am a clear and organized speaker without any major quirks. I did observe that my hair seemed to be tossed frequently and that I tended to look toward the left side of the room more than the right. I've been focusing on these two items in my daily classroom and making conscious efforts to reduce hair distractions and be equitable in looking at all of my students.

My Philosophy of Educational Technology

Technology should be used when it is available and accents the big picture educational goals. Technology should be used wisely and responsibly. Students should be taught how to use technology to enhance their own personal learning. Technology should be seen as an enabling highway not as a bumpy, scenic off road.

Energy Awareness Project

I am currently conducting a energy awareness project.

WHY?
I will be looking at how to conserve electricity in an energy crisis and therefore lower the cost of my utility bill. This last spring Juneau's power supply was interrupted by an avalanche and Juneau was forced to move from hydro power to oil. The cost per kilowatt hour soared. A lot of information was passed along to residents and what conservation methods were best to help conserve electricity in this natural disaster. I am also conducting this research project because Mr. Ohler told us to.

THE GOAL:
The purpose of the project is to specifically look at certain "heavy weight" appliances to see their energy usage and what energy would be conserved if their usage was limited or completely cut out.

HOW'S THAT GOING TO WORK?
1) I will be looking at my average KWH usage prior to the natural disaster as compared to during my conservation efforts.
2) I will also be looking at the KWH usage of my water heater, clothes dryer, oven, and my refrigerator.
3) Finally, I will put this all together to see what steps were taken to effectively lower my electric bill and thus conserve energy.