Mobile Learning

1. Why should teachers embrace mobile learning?
Teachers should embrace mobile learning because it is a new method of learning that children will most likely relate to and find interesting, in turn creating motivation where there might not have been before. The simple fact is that technology is becoming  more and more prevalent in younger and younger lives, so we might as well embrace it. When children see learning as fun and unique, they are more likely to learn and remember what they are learning. I know I learn more when I can relate to the material and find it fun.

2. What are some issues/challenges with mobile learning, and what are some possible solutions?
One obvious issue with using mobile phones for learning is the risk that kids will pretend to be working and play games or text instead. Another issue is that not all children are going to have cell phones, so it would be difficult to teach a lesson using them because some kids would be left out. A possible solution would be to have the children pair up so that every child who doesn't have a cell phone can share with someone who does. This is also a great way to encourage teamwork. Also, children who are caught texting or playing games when they're supposed to be using their phones for education purposes could no longer be allowed to participate in mobile learning...I know if I was going to be left out from doing something fun, I wouldn't risk the consequence.

3. What are some examples of best practices and practical uses for your desired age group?
I wrote a paper on the use of iPads in the classroom, and think that it would be the best way to introduce social media in the classroom for children in my desired age group (first grade). There are many applications that could benefit children of this age. There are applications for spelling, math, art, you name it...and a lot of them are games that kids don't realize are educational. Any kind of social media use like iPads can teach young children to be familiar with technology for when they get older and have to use it in later years.

4. What are three specific applications that you think might be useful in your future classroom? Why? How might you use them?
I would definitely use "Socrative" to make short quizzes so I could monitor a student's understanding of a topic or assignment. I think it is a great and easy tool to use, for the teacher or student. Another app I would use would be "Read Me Stories," it's an app that has a lot of free books (with lots of categories of interest to choose from) for young children. The app lets you choose if you want to have the app read it (out loud using the speaker) or if you want to read it yourself. Another app I would use is "Math Puppy," it includes math bingo, math challenge, and math calculator. It's also nice because you can choose between addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and the difficulty level. These apps are a few ways to make learning fun.

Digital Age and Critical Thinking of the 21st Century

Can we define what it means to be information literate?:
A University in New York defined information literacy as "the ability to recognize the extent and nature of an information need, then to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information." I think this is a good definition of information literacy because teachers and students need to be able to analyze the information they are presented with. Being information literate helps you use technology to communicate, solve problems, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, design, and create information to improve learning.

Can we teach our students to have the skills essential to information literacy?:
Sure. It's perhaps more difficult than in the past because there is so much more information available today, but there are ways to educate a student on how to be information literate. For example, a teacher could have his or her students search the internet and discuss how or why a website is credible or not (like we did in Ed 270). A teacher needs to be able to analyze information and also be able to teach his or her students how they can analyze information too.

Can we truly prepare students to be effective users of the most powerful medium?:
Anyone can make a website, even one that looks professional, so it's hard to distinguish what is reliable and what is not. There are clues to look for that can help you determine the validity of a website, though.
Here is an image to help you understand a URL and its structure:

You could also use www.google.com or www.altavista.com to "sleuth" your internet search, which basically means to investigate a websites validity. On these websites, you type in "link:" followed by the web address you are "investigating." This can give you clues to an author's credibility, or the purpose of the website (some sites are trying to sell products, etc.). 

Podcasts in the Classroom

I hope to teach grade 1, 2, or 3. Even for this age group, there are ways to use podcasting in the classroom. Podcasting could be used by the students or the teacher.

Teachers could use it as a tool to relay information to parents about their child's homework, or other important information. Teachers could also use them to prepare lessons, explain class procedures and homework instructions for a substitute or student teacher.

Students could make a podcast about what they're learning on a certain topic, or what they're learning that week. A fun way to use podcasting for this age group would be to tell stories (take turns reading a story, then discussing what it meant to them), practice spelling, or to make a skit. 

A class website or blog could even be made to share the above information/work with their families. Podcasting can be a fun way to look back on the work they've done over the year and see how things have changed and how much they've learned.

iMovie

Attached should be a 30-second commercial promoting Western Oregon University using iMovie, but (almost) our whole class had difficulty saving our work...we learned how to do so properly (and how to use the program), though, and that's what's important! iMovie can be used in a classroom to encourage group work and collaboration. Doing so could allow each student to give valuable input that another student may not have seen at first. Together, a masterpiece could be created. :) iMovie is very easy to use and edit. It allows you to take several clips and put (parts of) them together and add text and music. I think it would be a good idea for iMovie to be a one week project for students. The first day they could "play" with the program and get familiar with it. The second day they could create a layout of the content they wish to have in their movie. The third day they could shoot their footage. The fourth day they could put their work together into a finished product. And the last day they could share their work with the class and give feedback. It can even be saved and displayed on YouTube!

Flickr (images) in the Classroom

Flickr can be used in the classroom for several reasons. You could use it to demonstrate how something was in history in a certain time period, to take a virtual field trip, or  show who someone is that you may be talking about that week, for example. It can also be used to encourage teamwork by having students do a group project and comparing pictures/explaining why they thought they were relevant to the topic. Copyright doesn't have to be an issue because there is the option to search only within creative commons licensed content, whuich means it can be used anywhere legally. It also gives you the option to find content to modify, adapt, or build upon which allows you to edit the photos if needed. Teachers can even create a specific group on Flickr for a classroom, which allows students to share their pictures with their classmates and allows their teachers and classmates to comment on them. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Copyright and Presentations

It is important for teachers to use appropriate citations and to seek permission when using copyrighted work because we have to set an example for our students. If we don't use proper citations and give credit where credit is due, we can't expect the same of our students. Also, if teachers cite their work students can use those sources for further learning.

I learned that when designing a presentation, it should actually be a tool for persuasion and not just decoration. I also never thought of what wasn't on a slide, makes what IS on it stronger. Put simply, less is more. A big mistake I have seen many of my teachers make is to use a boring or incredibly bright background with a ton of bullets and only words. Using only words makes it difficult to concentrate because it doesn't catch your attention and make you want to know what information is being presented. Pictures are easier to remember than words. It helps to have a picture with just a few words that explain the main point. Using examples of differences (before and after, for example), repitition, alignment (so things don't look randomly placed), and proximity (to make things look more organized) are greatly helpful in creating presentations like PowerPoint or Prezi. I will strive to use these techniques, and show my students how to use these techniques, in my classroom so that my students get the most out of their education.

I made my first Prezi! Here it is...I hope you enjoy it! :)

Web 2.0

Instead of the regular, boring PowerPoint that most of us know from Microsoft, prezi is a website that allows you to create a PowerPoint presentation that is interactive. Your concepts and ideas can be put into a format that lets you tell stories in a fun and exciting way. Prezi is easy to use, even if you've never used it before. For new users, all you have to do is create a (free) account at prezi and watch the short video under the learn tab. This would be a great tool for teachers to use, or for teachers to have their students use. Teachers of any grade could use this tool, but I think it would be better suited for students from sixth grade and up because they would be more familiar with computers and how they work.

Weebly is an easy (and free) way for anyone to create their own website. The website even has a how-to video on the main page. I have never used weebly, but it uses a simple drag-and-drop format. You can add/edit pictures, videos, and essentially anything you want that would make your website look like a professional created it. Teachers could use weebly in the same way they would use a blog - to post assignments, videos, and other resources for their students. College students could also benefit from the use of weebly, but don't think it would be a good idea for students who aren't at least in high school. 

This is a fantastic (and free) website for teachers. It has thousands of worksheets, coloring pages, (customizable) mini books, and much more for any activity! Since teachers use worksheets daily, this website is helpful, especially because it is organized by categories. There are categories such as letters, numbers, colors, sports, holidays, etc. It is also easy-to-use; all you have to do is click on the worksheet(s) you want and click print! There's no way to make a mistake. :) I would say TwistyNoodle is a fantastic tool for teachers in elementary education to utilize in their classrooms. Twisty noodle can help children learn developments of everyday skills such as writing and math. If you ask me, that's pretty important! :)