In your inquiry e-folio write a brief description of the Jasper series highlighting your impressions of the series. Try to suspend judgment and consider instead what questions this TELE raises for you as an instructor and what questions the series raises for you as a potential TELE designer.
The Jasper series is ambitious integration of several different disciplines presented to students as an online and multimedia interactivity. It tries to move away from the traditional mathematical word problems that really did not have any relevance. Rather, each problem consists of many different aspects that mirror "real world" applications. Moreover, each activity is presented in a video and text format, which allows students to be engaged while tackling a variety of problems. This leads to constructivist learning as the student is afford the opportunity to build on what they already have learned or know.
Although the Jasper series is an excellent resource and form of activity, it may still pale in comparison to many of the other forms of digital media that students are exposed to each day. The video itself is not really all that impressive and the presentation of each activity is not "glitzy". Possibly a redesign of the user interface of the activities may be needed.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Pedagogical Design TELE
I feel that a design of a technology-enhanced learning experience should include opportunities for students to construct understanding and meaning. The students should be afforded the problem-solving skills and critical thinking that is imperative for learning. The environment should not be static, rather a dynamic space where students of differing abilities and strengths can flourish together.
Metaphor
Feenburg (1999, 2003) suggests that technology is the medium of daily life in modern societies. His impression is that technology is humanly controlled and value-laden just like a social institution.
I feel that Feenburg is right when he states that technology “is the medium of daily life”. What can we do in our everyday lives that technology is not a part of? Anything that we use that requires electricity is immediately a techno-device. Even those items that do not require power are related to some sort of technology. They were probably designed with complex technological devices. Since it is a given that technology is a medium of daily life, Feenburg can support his statement of how technology is “humanly controlled and value-laden just like a social institution”. We can define values in many ways, from our moral values to hierarchical values. Therefore, technology can be a defining presence in our personal lives and how society views us.
I feel that Feenburg is right when he states that technology “is the medium of daily life”. What can we do in our everyday lives that technology is not a part of? Anything that we use that requires electricity is immediately a techno-device. Even those items that do not require power are related to some sort of technology. They were probably designed with complex technological devices. Since it is a given that technology is a medium of daily life, Feenburg can support his statement of how technology is “humanly controlled and value-laden just like a social institution”. We can define values in many ways, from our moral values to hierarchical values. Therefore, technology can be a defining presence in our personal lives and how society views us.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Interview Reflection
When I look upon the many interviews I have conducted with my fellow teachers, I am struck by how much time and effort they put towards integrating technology in their classrooms. There is no rule that states they must use certain types of technology to teach specific concepts. However, they plug along, researching, testing and applying to varying degrees of success.
However, it is troubling to see that many of these same teachers are left to their own devices. There is just not enough support for these teachers. In fact, I am not sure how other teachers who are not familiar with technology can even use it in their classroms with so little support. The occasional professional development session does not provide enough background knowledge for teachers to adequately develop a curriculum that utilizes technology. Moreover, outdated equipment and the lack of relevant software hinders any attempt involve the entire classroom of students. Imagine students waiting for their turn at the 3 computers in the classroom. I can't see how that would work. In addition, the computer labs at schools are constantly booked.
This trend is indeed disturbing since it essentially puts a roadblock in the progression of integrating technology in schools. The lack of funding by the government does not allow school districts to heavily fund technology. That is very distressing since the world is moving at a blistering pace in terms of technology. Schools have not kept up with this progression, rather it falling dangerously behind. The question is how relevant can technology be in schools when it is generally 5 years behind?
However, it is troubling to see that many of these same teachers are left to their own devices. There is just not enough support for these teachers. In fact, I am not sure how other teachers who are not familiar with technology can even use it in their classroms with so little support. The occasional professional development session does not provide enough background knowledge for teachers to adequately develop a curriculum that utilizes technology. Moreover, outdated equipment and the lack of relevant software hinders any attempt involve the entire classroom of students. Imagine students waiting for their turn at the 3 computers in the classroom. I can't see how that would work. In addition, the computer labs at schools are constantly booked.
This trend is indeed disturbing since it essentially puts a roadblock in the progression of integrating technology in schools. The lack of funding by the government does not allow school districts to heavily fund technology. That is very distressing since the world is moving at a blistering pace in terms of technology. Schools have not kept up with this progression, rather it falling dangerously behind. The question is how relevant can technology be in schools when it is generally 5 years behind?
Interview Questions
1] In regards to technology, what have you observed in the classroom that can be considered positive learning experiences for the students? Have there been any negative experiences? Please describe both the positive and negative experiences.
2] How do you implement and integrate technology into the mathematics classroom? Is it being used daily or intermittently?
3] There has been debate as to the level of support teachers are receiving for technology in the classroom. In terms of hardware, software and training, do you feel that you have been properly supported?
4] Please estimate the following percentages of your “technology time”. By “technology time”, I mean the total amount of time that you spend engaged with some aspect of technology related to your teaching environment (very broad definition, so there is room for your interpretation).
5] Do you feel that technogadgets (iPods, cell phones, etc.) have any place in a learning environment?
6] Are equality issues prevalent with the use of technology in your classroom? (Does it benefit some students more than the others, or leave some students behind?)
2] How do you implement and integrate technology into the mathematics classroom? Is it being used daily or intermittently?
3] There has been debate as to the level of support teachers are receiving for technology in the classroom. In terms of hardware, software and training, do you feel that you have been properly supported?
4] Please estimate the following percentages of your “technology time”. By “technology time”, I mean the total amount of time that you spend engaged with some aspect of technology related to your teaching environment (very broad definition, so there is room for your interpretation).
5] Do you feel that technogadgets (iPods, cell phones, etc.) have any place in a learning environment?
6] Are equality issues prevalent with the use of technology in your classroom? (Does it benefit some students more than the others, or leave some students behind?)
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Video Cases
I watched Case 4 (Elementary Space Science) and Case 5 (Middle School Life Science). Immediately, I noticed how noisy both classrooms where. It is my assumption that the students were engaged in their activities. Consequently, I found it difficult to listen to the interviews. I personally like a noisier classroom, as long as much of the noise related to “on-task” discussion. Therefore, I was not overly disturbed at the noise level. However, I do wonder how students, who prefer quieter classrooms, function in this environment. Another thing I noticed was the flexibility and amount of activities going on all at once in the classroom. Is this controlled chaos or is it just plain chaos? I teach in an alternate program and lack of structure is familiar to me, however; is there too much free roaming allowed in such a classroom? By comparing the interviews, I was struck by the obvious frustration of the new and retiring teacher in Case 4. I believe that there is not enough support and professional development opportunities for teachers to truly “catch-up” with technology. As mentioned in Case 5, the teacher states that much of his knowledge is self-taught. Moreover, it is an ongoing, dynamic process or learning. I have self-taught most of my technological knowledge as well, and I can see how frustrating it is for some teachers who neither have the background, resources, time, support and/or desire to learn cutting-edge technology.In both examples, I was pleasantly surprised the use of technology was not limited to merely surfing the web to find information. It was used as a medium to create original works. The hurricane example in Case 4 was pretty neat, since the students used the laptop to create sound effects, while still using the old paper and pencil crayon method for visuals. Nice combination of the old and new with that assignment. In Case 5, I liked how the teacher introduced more advanced assignments such as creating animated GIFs. One particular issue that stands out from the 2 cases is the loose structure or “nouveau” structure in the classrooms. I am not saying that there wasn’t structure, but it appeared relaxed. Coming from an alternate classroom, I actually like it that way, but it concerns me a little to see a bit of confusion and chaos. My concern is whether the abundance of technology has created a classroom culture of distraction or interaction?
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