Journal 10

"Disabled Bodies, Able Minds: Giving Voice, Movement, and Independence to the Physically Challenged" by Diane Curtis

While technology is a way of contributing to students learning, while making it easier, more convenient and funner all at the same time, for disabled bodies, technology is all this and more to them. For someone who is physically challenged, technology offers different resources that allow them to participate in school activities such as PE and a number of other school activities, by offering full mobility to those who have disabled bodies. Take, for example, Adrian, a young boy who is unable to walk, talk, or use any of his limbs. But after three years of trying to find a place on Adrian's body that would allow him to communicate with a computer and with the help of technology, he is now able to communicate with others through the movement that he is able to make with his eyebrows. And just like Adrian was given a second chance at communicating with the world around him through the use of technology, Niara who has cerebral palsy is also able to communicate with others through the use of speech generation technology, using her cheek to transmit signals for communicating. Assistive technology is sweeping our country as it is offering benefits to more students with disabilities, allowing disabled students to now do what their classmates have been doing for years. And numerous efforts are being made continually to ensure that there is inclusion of all disabled students in all school activities.

Questions:
1. Why is it important to continually make efforts to ensure that all disabled students are included in all activities?
Because every student is entitled to an education and all activities involved in their education, regardless of any setbacks they may have, whether it is mentally or physically. I think that everyone is capable of learning, because as long as they have the drive and determination to succeed in their education, they can learn anything and everything they want to. I do not think it matters if anyone has a physical or mental disability because everyone is entitled to have certain modifications in a classroom setting in order to meet their personal needs. Not everyone is going to learn the same way or at the same pace, for that matter, so we must try our best to attend to people's personal needs in order to ensure that they are getting only the best education that a school and or teacher has to offer.

2. Do you think it is important to know all the aspects of technology, such as the different ways in which people benefit from it?
Yes, because students should know that technology is more than just a way of making things easier for our own lives, but it is a tool that can assist in people's daily routines, for example, giving some the ability to be mobile. It's amazing to think how little most of us know about how dependent on technology some people can be, whether it is being dependent on a cell phone or being dependent on a wheelchair to be able to move around. Whatever the reason may be for the use of technology, we are all dependent on technology; however, I think we should know the extent to which we are all dependent on it, as it could allow us to see how some need it more than others, simply to do the things that most of us are able to do on our own, without the help of technology.

Journal 9

"Are Schools Inhibiting 21st Century Learning?" by Dave Nagel

Despite the idea that technology in education has contributed to the growth of learning in our schools, students seem to feel that teachers and technology departments are limiting our learning with the technology that is, in essence, supposed to actually facilitate learning. Unfortunately parents, staff, and teachers are completely oblivious to the barriers to learning. In fact, in a questionnaire that surveyed nearly 400,000 parents, students, administrators, and teachers, a majority of the students felt deprived of their learning because of all the limitations that are set on their use of technology in schools, such as web filtering. On the other hand, parents, administrators, and teachers strongly believed that schools were doing a good job getting students ready for jobs and their futures in general. Although these responses were quite different, students and teachers did come to an agreement that there is definitely value in the use of electronic learning, including gaming used for educational purposes. Many students believed that educational gaming simply made it easier to learn, funner and more interesting to learn, and overall it helped students learn more. And while teachers had even more good things to say about educational gaming, only 11 percent of teachers surveyed said they were currently using educational gaming in their classrooms.

Questions:
1. How do you feel about 21st century learning?
I think the use of technology in the classroom is wonderful because it encourages student participation and student learning both at the same time. And with certain technological tools such as educational gaming, students are apt to take in more information about certain subjects, merely because the learning is formatted in such a way that students could enjoy. I am currently working with 4th graders at Central Elementary School in Escondido, and I have noticed that their eagerness and motivation to learn is strikingly high and I am almost positive that a lot of it has to do with the fact that the teacher encourages the use of technology with her students.

2. Do you think educational gaming is, in fact, educational?
I think that it really depends on the student, because for some students, educational gaming through the use of technology could serve as quite a distraction, but for others, it could provide a useful and beneficial way of learning. But overall speaking, educational gaming can be beneficial for teachers and students alike, as it provides students with a fun way of making learning easier, while also providing teachers with a way to get students to want to learn different concepts in the classroom.

Journal 8

"Got Moodle?" by Susan Brooks-Young


What exactly is Moodle? Well it is a free, open-source system that is based on course management that actually stands for "modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment". It was not until recently that this system became more popular in the school system, because teachers simply handled such tasks like taking attendance, grading, giving out assignments and getting completed work back were done the "old-fashioned" way. And by this, we mean, through the use of paper and pencil, rather than through the use of computers and other such technology based programs. Moodle actually enables teachers to all these administrative tasks (ie: taking roll, grading, etc) using one integrated system, eliminating many of the negative aspects of using old fashioned way to manage particular aspects in a classroom, such as the inconvenience of it and the time it takes to do it by hand using paper and pencil. And while moodle can make certain classroom tasks easier for the teacher, it also provides advanced features that enable collaboration and peer assessment, while also offering forums that users can seek advice from.

Questions:
1. Do you think it would be beneficial to use moodle in your own classroom?
I think that using such a program in a classroom would be very beneficial, because I think it would highly encourage students to learn, since there are various features, such as quizzes and assignments, provided by moodle. It is always great to have something that students could use to apply what they have learned in order to insure their understanding of different information, whether it is history, math, or language arts, which is why I think moodle's assignment module is such a great way to have students continue practicing what they have learned.

2. What kinds of problems do you think you would come across if you used moodle in your classroom?
Just like any technology based program, you are more than likely to be faced with students who are technologically challenged and working with the program might turn out to be more trouble than it's worth. However, if users and teachers alike are willing to take the time to set up trainings on the program, such an issue might not be a problem anymore. So as long as there is a way to make learning about moodle simple enough for all students whether they are experts when working with computers or not, moodle can and should be simple, convenient, and beneficial for both teachers and students in the classroom.

Journal 7

"Envisioning the Future of Education" by Mark Van't Hooft

As new technologies continue to arise in our world of education, we are seeing more and more changes in the way that students are being educated in today's society. Learning seems to have become more personal; however, collaborative, portable, and durable all at the same time through the use of mobile learning. What is Mobile Learning you ask? It is a way of learning through the use of a mobile device such as a phone or a laptop. And the difference between classroom learning and mobile learning is that it tends to focus more on the interactions between the learners and the technologies in which they are using. Two of the most important aspects of mobile learning are conversation, which promotes active learning, and contexts, which can be temporarily fixed but never stationary, since mobile learners are constantly moving from one location to another. Overall mobile learning gives learners more control, in the sense that they are in charge of what is accessed, created, and shared across the board. It is also beneficial in the way that it connects schools with the world.

Questions:
1. Would you use mobile learning in your own classroom?
Because it looks as though mobile learning is an up and coming thing, we can only hope to see it improve over time. This is why I would definitely consider using mobile learning in my own classroom, because I think that it would encourage students to be active learners, especially since mobile learning tends to put learners in control of whatever they may be accessing, creating, and sharing. I also think that it would be great in the classroom, because it allows schools to connect with other schools and share information in a variety of media formats at any given time.

2. In what ways would mobile learning create challenges in the classroom?
Because student learning is so different across the board, it might create problems as far as having different access levels to opportunities, experiences, and knowledge that can prepare students for a mobile learning environment. But regardless of how such challenges could and would be handled in a classroom, there will always be unequal access to various resources from school to school, and sometimes even from classroom to classroom.

Journal 6: "Smartboards"

A Smartboard is a public computer that is used in the classroom. It is basically an enlarged computer screen that is projected from another computer, which holds all of the information in which you are sharing, or in this case, projecting. It can be easily accessed from the enlarged computer screen, as it also serves as a touchscreen, allowing students to add their ideas on their own. I have learned from various posts that they are so beneficial in a classroom, as it pushes more students to participate and collaborate with their peers the ideas that they have. According to one particular lady's response in regards to the smartboard, she believes and has seen that students are quicker to spread their knowledge amongst others in a group format, rather than having to work individually and rely solely on one's own ideas to complete an assignment.
Through another thread that was added to the "smartboards" tool, it became apparent how much a classroom can benefit from this piece of technology, seeing that it is an easy way to organize ideas from a book, make concept maps, and even do math. And while it helps organize and put student ideas all together in an organized manner, they can also help in the case that the entire class has to use the internet and search for something educational.
I have actually been in a classroom that uses smartboards and I think that they are wonderful, because they really do force more students to be more engaged in their learning, while also bringing the students together to share and collaborate with each other about a number of different subjects.

Journal 5

"Making Field Trips Podtastic" by Aliece M. Weller, John C. Bickar, and Paul McGuinness

This article discusses the use of "hand held wireless technology" during class field trips and how students are more engaged in their learning through the use of these kinds of technologies. And while students are more likely to engage themselves in various parts of the museum, or wherever students may be visiting, through the use of such wireless technologies, it may take away from human interaction among students in a classroom. Although such isolation, using these hand held wireless technologies, may be intended under certain circumstances, it should not be the case for students. This is why educators should encourage students to collaborate and interact with their peers while also engaging themselves in their personal podcasts during field trips. Despite the problems that podcasting may create, as far as human interaction goes, it is still a great way to enhance student learning outside of the classroom and encourage student engagement on class field trips.

Questions:
1. Do you think podcasting on field trips is a good idea?
I think podcasting on field trips is a wonderful idea, because just as the article says, it is more likely for students to engage themselves in learning through the use of podcasts. I think that because podcasts can be fun and entertaining, students will show more interest and less boredom when learning in museums or other places that students might go to for field trips.

2. Do you agree with the article that podcasting is likely to lead to less human interaction?
Most definitely because the more engaged students are with their personal wireless devices, the less likely they are to collaborate and share their thoughts and ideas with their parents, which is very important for student learning. This is why I agree with the authors of this article when they say that it is important to encourage student interactions on field trips in addition to podcasts. Both the wireless devices and collaborating with peers will ensure that students will be learning that much more.

Journal 4

"Building a Better Podcast" by Matt Villano

This article discusses how many educators today are using iPods and a variety of other tools to increase student learning through the use of podcasting, an activity based on digital file sharing. But it is not the use of podcasts that is the issue here, it is the making of podcasts with official academic value that can be troublesome for educators. Fortunately, there are ways in which educators can prepare their students to create good podcasts. This can be done through creating a standard lesson for students to prevent content in a podcast that simply rambles on and is rather difficult for others to follow. Like a paper and a speech, podcasts also require a beginning, middle, and end. Preparation is key to a better podcast, because it enables students to take baby steps to the finished product, through research and working together with their peers. Not only does preparation allow for better podcast making, it also allows students to focus more on the content of their work and they are more likely to spend more time learning about a specific topic than tackling the technological aspects of podcasting. But there is more to podcasting than preparing for one, sound and editing must also be taken into consideration, because without either of these, creating a better podcast may be difficult to achieve.

Questions:
1. Would you use podcasting in your own classroom?
As of right now, I do not think that I would use podcasting in my own classroom, because I am not that familiar with this type of media/file sharing. However, because it seems to be an up and coming feature in the digital world, I imagine that it won't be too long before I learn more about it and experience more with podcasting. Despite the fact that I am not as familiar with podcasting as I would like to be, I think it is a great way to have students work together and create media-based files that they can share with other students.

2. Do you think podcasting is a good way to supplement lessons in a classroom?
I do think that podcasting is a great way to add to lesson plans, because it seems as though students would be more willing to learn with podcasts rather than strictly teacher-student lecturing. And just as the article mentions, teachers can record class lectures to create podcasts for students that may have missed classes due to illness. Such podcasts can prevent students who miss class from falling behind, which can be beneficial for everyone in a number of ways.

Journal 3

"Five Don'ts of Classroom Blogging" by Julie Sturgeon

Being in ED 422 and using classroom blogging, I am able to see how the "five don'ts of classroom blogging" that are mentioned in this article are important for academic blogging. If students who created blogs for a particular class were not given certain guidelines to follow, guaranteed things would not be as organized and problems would most likely arise. The article mentions how without given instruction on how to use classroom blogging appropriately, students would be more likely to use foul wordage and bully their peers, and while this may not be the case for students in a college course, grade school students would probably use classroom blogging inappropriately if there were no given guidelines. One thing that I am guilty of doing, that this article specifically says not to do, is confuse blogging with social networking, because I have always known blogs to be associated with things like MySpace and Facebook in one way or another. The last "don't" which states that blogging should not be left to the students was the one that I found to be the most important, because I honestly think that having the teacher/ professor post weekly blogs motivates students to post their own blog and be creative with it, just as Professor Heil has done for our class!!



Questions:
1. Would you use classroom blogging with your students?
Yes, because I feel that classroom blogging would allow students to be more motivated in their work and perhaps more creative since more than just the teacher would be seeing their work. I think it is important for students to put effort in their work, rather than finishing an assignment just to finish, and I think classroom blogging will push students to do so. I also feel that classroom blogging would be more fun, because students can get creative with it and go beyond the bare minimum of various assignments.

2. How would classroom blogging enhance student learning?
Classroom blogging could contribute to student learning in a variety of ways. Just like electronic discussion boards, students can share their ideas with their peers through their blogs. They can also help one another by providing comments on each other's blogs, giving students the opportunity to improve their work based on students' comments. And just as the article mentions, it can assist in student writing, as blogs can slowly but surely develop into paragraphs, which can then perhaps develop into an essay.

Journal 2

"Speaking Math: Using Chat in the Multicultural Math Classroom" by Janet Graham and Ted Hodgson

This article discusses how online discussions can benefit a classroom in many ways. In fact studies have even shown that online discussions provide some of the greatest improvements for student learning. Graham and Hodgson also mention how online discussion boards can help a group of diverse students come together to "become more affluent with the language of mathematics" or any other subject, for that matter. I think that online discussions for classrooms are a great idea, because just as the article says, it is a good way to have students collaborate with their peers on their own time. It also gives students the opportunity to get together and share their answers and ideas on electronic forums with groups that contain less people, for groups that have more people tend to come to less agreements with each other. And because online chatting and electronic forums are so popular nowadays, teachers/professors may see that students are more likely to participate in online discussions, not to mention how convenient they can be for students who have regular access to computers.



Questions:
1. Would you use electronic discussion tools in your own classroom?
I would definitely use online discussion boards in my own classroom, because speaking from experience, I know that they are and can be very helpful, whether you need answers or perhaps have answers for someone else. I think that they are great because they allow students to use it whenever they need to, which is something that can be very beneficial, especially for those who have super busy schedules. I also think students are more likely to ask questions on online discussion boards, thus allowing students to have a better understanding of certain things, rather than holding back their questions in an actual classroom and moving on without fully understanding something.

2. Do you think everyone can truly benefit from electronic discussion tools?
Yes and no. I think that if someone has regular access to a computer with internet access then they most definitely can reap the benefits of online chatting for class discussions. On the other hand, someone without regular access to a computer might not reap those benefits and online communicating for class discussions may be more trouble than it is worth for them. This is where electronic discussion tools in the classroom becomes beneficial for all the students in the classroom, because everyone will have access and the inconvenience of having to access a computer with internet is no longer an inconvenience, for the necessary tools to access online communicating will and should be provided in a classroom that uses such discussion tools.

Journal 1

"Social Networking for the k-12 Set" by Jim Klein

Although many teachers, and perhaps even students, are afraid of social networking, according to this particular article, social networking is very beneficial to student learning. Through the use of various technologies, both students and teachers alike are able to collaborate with each other and enhance their education about a number of things. Besides being able to grow in the world of technology, Klein mentions how "student engagement through the use of online profiles, blogging, secure file storage and sharing, and podcasting is not only measurable, but striking!"

Questions:
1. Would you use "Social Networking" in your class?
I think that using social networking in classrooms is a wonderful idea! Seeing that most students and teachers can access a computer with internet quite easily, whether it is at school or at home, it would seem as though there would be more participation. The reason why I believe this is because it is much easier for students, and even teachers to collaborate on their own time through certain web based programs like "blogging" then trying to find a time to meet and collaborate for everyone in a particular group.

2. How might "Social Networking" not be beneficial for students and teachers?
In the cases that computers and or internet are not easily accessible for students and teachers, social networking might not be as beneficial as we would like it to be. Social networking might also be more trouble than it is worth for students who are computer illiterate. While it may seem as though students nowadays are familiar with the use of computers and the world wide web, some less developed school districts may not be as knowledgeable about technology based programs as other school districts.

Introduction Letter

My name is Loubern Santos (that's loo-burn, yes like "to burn wood"), but over the past couple of years I have learned that going by "Lou" is much easier. I was born in Oakland, Ca, and no, I am not a Raiders fan. However, I have lived in Escondido since I was 3 years old, and since I am 21 years old now, I can say that I have been living in the same house for 18 years! I attended Miller Elementary for 6 years, from kindergarten to 5th grade. From Miller I moved onto Del Dios Middle School where I completed grades 6th-8th grade. Upon completing junior high I finally began high school where I attended San Pasqual for four years until I received my high school diploma in 2004. Unlike some people who have moved from school to school growing up, I finished all of grade school in the same school district in Escondido. I am currently finishing up my last semester of undergraduate level courses at San Diego State University, and I am proud to say that upon graduating this May, it will have only taken me 4 years to get my BA in Psychology.

It's hard to say how I am with technology, because I wouldn't say that I know absolutely nothing about technology nor would I say that I know everything about technology. I think this is because nowadays technology is everywhere, whether I am at school or at home, I am constantly surrounded by technology, from computers to HD TV to I-Phones. That being said I think it is safe to say that I know quite a bit about technology just by being exposed to the many advances that technology has had to offer and will continue to offer. I have always used PCs at home, but at school I like to use Mac's since they are different and a lot more fun and exciting to me. And because some of my friends are Mac users, I have been able to learn a little bit about the way they work. And while the computers at State are equipped with Microsoft Office 07' I am still using the older version of the program.

I did not read the CSUSM/COE Mission Statement prior to applying to CSUSM but after reading it, I believe that all that is stated within the Mission Statement is crucial to developing a top of the line public educational system. Because without diversity, equality, continued learning, and committed educators it would be rather difficult for teachers and learners alike to succeed. And from friends and friends of friends who have received their teaching credential at CSUSM, I am sure that this school has and will only provide the best education for learners who hope to be professional educators themselves one day =)