Assignment
#1
Cell
Phones in the Classroom: Are we Dialing up Disaster?
This
article discuses the use of cell phones in the classroom. The use of cell
phones has become so popular, and even became part of society. Most students
nowadays have cell phones. In this article researcher determine the effects of cell
phones in the classroom. Having cell phones in the classroom can lead to
distractions and inappropriate use. On the other hand there are benefits to
having cell phones in the classroom. In this study cell phones were used in
classrooms as an audience response system, as a research tool, and as a means
for collecting evidence of student work through photographs and video
recordings. The findings showed that with the addition of cell phones in to the
classroom students had increased level of participation, scores in assessment,
and strong reflection on what they learned. The article does warn that in order
to be a success there must be rules and guidelines as to how cell phones are
used.
I
would advise any teacher to read this article because cell phones is a big
issue in the classroom. This article really explains how to deal with the
issue. Not only do cell phones not have to be detrimental to the lessons they
can even be a great asset it is just how you channel it. And I believe that
this is the job of teachers, to take something that students enjoy using and
utilize it in the lesson.
Assignment #2-1
The
Article “Middle School Science Teachers’ confidence and Pedagogical Practice of
New Literacies” by Hui-Yin Hsu, Shiang-Kwei Wang and Lisa Runco discusses the
integration of technology and the new literacies in the classroom. New
literacies is divided into three categories: Technology skills, literacy skills
and cognitive skills. In order for teachers to be successful at teaching with
the new literacies they must be very familiar with the tools and feel confident
using them in the classroom. However the
study pointed out that the teachers were only familiar in the more basic
skills. The eachers overall did not feel confident using the more advanced ICT
tools. Lacking sufficient skills in these technologies make it very difficult
for teachers to use technology to support cognitive skills. Therefore schools
should provide their teachers with training in the ICT tools so that they can
use them successfully in the classroom. Another issue brought up in this
article is the lack of technology tools in the classroom. This automatically
creates a situation where it is very hard for teachers to implement technology
into the classroom, and students are given very little opportunity to use
technology for learning purposes. As with anything in order to be successful you
must have the appropriate tools.
The second
Article “Using social networking sites to facilitate teaching and learning in
the science classroom” discusses the use of social networking in the classroom.
Today’s students and “technology natives” and spend much time using social
networks such as Facebook. Bringing such ICTs into the classroom is highly
motivating for students. The article discusses that teachers must be cautious
when using social networking sites to ensure that there is no cyber bullying of
lack of privacy. However these potentials problems are preventable and should
not cause teachers to avoid using social networking. There are many benefits to
using social networking, one being that parents can get involved in their
students learning. another advantage is that a teacher can create a flipped
classroom where the lesson is places online for students to access at any point
and review as often as needed while class time can be used for using and
developing the information that was learned. By using social networking
teachers can really maximize the time in the classroom and use it to the
fullest.
Assignment
#2-2
I am new to Edmodo and have never used it before. After
browsing through it and trying out different features I believe that it is a
great tool and can really be used enhance an ELA classroom. Students today are
accustomed to interacting with others through social media and by utilizing Edmodo
the teacher is speaking the language of her students, making the learning
exciting and motivating. In addition it is teaching the students how to communicate
in the way of today’s society. Edmodo
includes some great features that add wonderful benefits to the classroom.
Planner: The planner allows the teacher to schedule events and
send it to individual students or to a group. This is a great tool that can
help students get organized and will get rid of the old time excuse: “I forgot
to do my homework!”
Library: The library allows teacher to post any files, or articles that the students may need for the
class. This is great and allows students to have everything they need at their
fingertips in addition it eliminates the problem of bringing home heavy text
books.
Assignment: The assignment feature allows teachers to post
assignments, and give a due date. In addition files can be attached. The assignment
can then be sent to an individual or a group. This is a great feature as a
teacher can add, or modify an assignment for a student.
Note: It’s always beneficial for a teacher to be able to
send out notes, be it about upcoming due dates, clarification of an assignment
or any other note. A teacher can also send comments to individual students
using the notes feature.
Badge: this allows
teachers to create a badge to award students. This serves as a great motivation
and students will have to complete certain a tasks to receive a badge.
All in all I think Edmodo is a great tool that helps a
classroom run smoothly and efficiently, while allowing students to do what they
do best.
cqs4koo
