Final ED483 Blog

 Before taking ED483, I had a general understanding of computer usage; I took CIS110 my freshman year of college, so I had the foundations, but I just never expanded on them. I had the ability to run a computer and get by with the basics, but I didn’t realize just how valuable technology could be in the area of education. Because of ED483, I now feel like I can be a leader for my students not only in my areas of study, but also in the world of technology.

I think my biggest current technological asset is my e-portfolio. Before ED483, I had no idea that online applications were the norm, or that e-portfolios even existed. Now that I have learned how to put together an e-portfolio, and have been shown the basics of how to put one together, I have the groundwork for having a really great e-portfolio - it may help me get a job someday, because it shows that I am technologically advanced and willing to go the distance in order to constantly grow professionally.

One of the artifacts that I think best displays my ability to integrate technology and education is the flipped lesson plan that I created. A flipped classroom is a form of blended learning which encompasses any use of Internet technology to leverage the learning in a classroom, so a teacher can spend more time interacting with students instead of lecturing. The flipped lesson meets NETS-T Standards 2 (Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments) and 3 (Model Digital Age Work and Learning) because it shows that I have the ability to create presentations and videos, while integrating that technology into the classroom, through the form of a flipped lesson. In an ever-increasingly technology reliant world, my knowledge of flipped classrooms will prove invaluable.

I also think my ability to use Google docs, forms, and other various online programs make me a technological asset. In several of my artifacts, I integrated Google docs and forms into my lesson plans. That, along with my basic knowledge of how to create a lesson plan in Moodle, could set me apart from the crowd.

Another important technological asset that I now have is the knowledge of grants and the ability to write up a grant proposal, along with creating a budget spreadsheet. A lot of schools are struggling financially, so to be able to pull in some money for educational opportunities on my own would be a huge positive feature to many schools.

Overall, with my e-portfolio and many artifacts, I think I have many of the technological skills which school districts are looking for. I have shown that I can meet NETS-T Standards as well as Michigan Standard 7.

21st Century Education

The 21st century is the new age of technology. The extent of our technological capabilities today far exceeds what anyone could have imagined, even twenty years ago. There is a rather infamous quote (whose validity is under discussion) from a patent officer in 1899:  "Everything that can be invented has been invented" - now the humor of the statement just compounds as time goes on. Whether it is a legitimate quote or not, the point remains: there is truly no limit to what technology may be able to do. We can only hope to grasp what is happening now and try to ride the waves of technology as they break. In the area of education, especially, classrooms, students, and teachers should all be kept up-to-date on the latest technology (as much as budget allows) because if kids don't get introduced to it at school, they will already be behind today's vast technological market.
The 21st century classroom should, as I mentioned, embrace technology as much as possible. Modern kids barely even remember what a blackboard is, nor do they need to. Every classroom should have an interactive smartboard - it is an amazing tool to get both teachers and students involved. A step even further than the smartboard is rapidly becoming reality: multi-touch surfaces. What if every student's desk was a multi-touch surface?? "Okay kids-please get out your history book" - students tap the appropriate icon on their "desktop" and voile - there's their textbook! Students can interact with the pictures, the pages, do homework literally on their desk, and then swipe it to the teacher's desk when they're done. How amazingly cool would that be? And yet, it is not that far out there. The 21st century classroom will need to incorporate these things in order to keep up with the times. How about another cool technology that 21st century classrooms could (and should) soon have-biometrics. In an article I found on Edutopia called, "Five Future Technologies that Will Shape our Classroom" they explain: "Biometrics is the technology used to recognize humans based on specific physical or behavioral traits. In the future, this technology will help intelligent software completely understand the physical and emotional state of children learning in the classroom. Course material presented to students can be altered on the fly and will be perfectly tailored to individual needs based on biometric signals from students." Wow. Talk about helping out the teacher. But students can only benefit from such measures.

So-what should the 21st century student have? Well a "notebook" of some kind, certainly. Whether it is an iPad is less important-what matters is that students should have the same technological capabilities in school as they have at home. In today's ever-changing society, kids need to have their attention captured more firmly than ever before. By putting the tool directly into each student's hands, they are helping to create their own environment, in all the best ways. Here's another cool future technology that 21st century students may well have; from the same article, a different technology - augmented reality eye-wear: "AR is essentially the layering of further data on top of the reality we already see...imagine having an AR Benjamin Franklin sitting at your desk explaining the Declaration of Independence. The immersive experience that students will enjoy both in and outside the classroom will be amazing." 21st century students will experience things that no other generation has, and they will flourish because of it.

 As  for the 21st century teacher - well they just need to keep up! Teachers should be equipped with everything, if not more, than the students have. Think about an iPad containing all their grades that they can take home. How about having all the students turn in their assignments by swiping them from their multi-touch desk to the teachers. How much more complicated, yet at the same time so much simpler. Teachers, too, must learn to embrace their technological surroundings, or risk losing credibility. 21st century teachers must learn to make their jobs easier, not harder, by incorporating all that modern technology has to offer.

What a wonderful world.