Discussion

**http://www.einstruction.com/** = **Discussion - Research Based** =
 * @http://www.einstruction.com/support_downloads/interactive_teaching/pad/index.html**

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We have discussed how technology is changing not only the way we teach, but the way students learn. Now, it's your turn to research a topic in Technology education and report on that technology here in this Wiki. Once someone has chosen a topic, do not take the same topic. However, you may add to each others topics as you are searching and reading research. **Some ideas could include:** **Put your Discussion research on your page in this wiki**
 * Pedagogy techniques
 * Web-based curriculum implications
 * How administrators/technology coordinators train faculty
 * Blooms taxonomy (There is a new part to this)
 * Problem-Based learning Approach

(Example) Name - Topic
Buzzword - A collaborative list of websites Website: Video Tutorial: PDF: Review & Explaination:

**Daniel Ludvigson - Using Blogs in Education**
Example blogs: Classroom Blog, LANG 6150 Blog

Using Blogs to Integrate Technology in the Classroom Educational Blogging
 * Articles**

Using Blogs to Enhance Critical Reflection and Community of Practice
 * Report**

Blogs in Plain English Blogging in the Classroom Blogs in Education
 * Videos**


 * Flow Chart of Blogging (Organized from Educational Blogging)**

Blogs traditionally are a type of news webpage and are seen as part of the new generation of news reporting. This is a break from traditional models of news that were small groups of professionals filtered what was new and what was not. Blogs can either be about a particular topic with links and updates related to that topic, or a personal journal. Blogs are easy to use and anyone can create a blog about a topic of interest to them. Blogs are either run through an installed application or a hosting service. The grand majority are run through hosting services that provide the software, url, and often the layout. Blogs are often seen as a type of conversation, which requires purpose and a certain freedom to express your views. This often conflicts with the nature of a classroom because of the need to restrict communication and as such is often sited as a criticism of education. Blogs gained popularity in particular after September 11, 2001, when they were used to gained first hand reports from the attack on the twin towers.
 * Blog Overview**


 * Blogs in the Classroom**

Blogs adapted to the classroom started as teacher webpages or a resources for various outside links to materials related to classes. These uses eventually expanded into classroom discussions, additional learning spaces, and items created by the students for grading. Typically these take the form of either discussions or personal journals. One of the advantages of blogs is that they provide a wide audience for feedback and criticism on student writing. However studies show that students are often unwilling to provide completely honest criticism for fear of damaging their grade or relationships in class. This requires the development of a classroom environment conducive to such remarks where students feel safe in giving and receiving them. One way that has been demonstrated to increase student's willingness to do so is to provide them anonymity. Blogs have been demonstrated to be very effective for personal reflections as students are much more willing to criticize themselves then their classmates. This medium provide an easy way for instructors and students to interact as comfortable and convenient.

Another effective use of a blog is as an online resource and information source about the classroom. Such blogs provide due dates, assignments, links to resources, and various other types of news for the classroom to parents and students. This often occurs alongside a Facebook page about the classroom that can direct students to the resources on a blog and inform them about updates. This has been demonstrated as a useful utilization of a blog but is often criticized as not being in the "spirit" of a blog because communication is often one way, provided by the instructor. Similarly even uses of a blog that utilize students as publishers are criticized by the often necessary need to censor content and direct the conversations by the instructor.


 * Practices that Lend Themselves to Blogs**

Blogs are easy to adopt to certain pedagogical practices. The first and foremost is the creation of a learning community. The use of a blog for discussion, reflection, and other forms where students are allowed to provide feedback lend themselves to the creation of learning communities and can often be used in the context of staff development as well. The second is that blogs where students can provide and edit content lend themselves to student-centered practices. When students provide the content and feedback they often become teachers in this environment with the teacher simply directing or coaching student's along the way. The third of these is providing students with multiple perspectives. In many cases blogs are viewed by a much larger audience then just your own classroom and are an easy tool for allowing other classrooms to interact with each other. These first three pedagogical practices are seen as the most true to the medium of the blog and its original purposes. The final pedagogical practice that blogs can be applied to is scaffolding. Blogs can be easily utilized to build content from one stage to another, allowing students to build on previously and newly learned content. When used with reflections and feedback this is seen as true to the medium of the blog but can also be applied to other learning activities.


 * Purpose of Blogging in the Classroom.**

In general blogs can be broken down into three primary uses in the classroom. The first is a reflection on the writing process. Blogs lend themselves to thinking before, during, and after writing. They also lend themselves to reflecting on what others write and thinking about how others will perceive the information your write about. The second thing blogs do well is help students write about a given topic for a sustained period of time. Blogs often provide the motivation continually research, read, and write about a given topic. This has allot to do with the input and resources the internet can provide for this type of writing. This ties directly into the final purpose common to educational blogs, and that is sustained conversation about a given topic. If you remember earlier I mentioned one of the purposes of a blog is conversation, which provides purpose and requires a freedom to express oneself. A warning though, research shows students often do not have the abilities to express themselves effectively and thus often provide hollow or clipped answers. Developing the learning community where criticism is seen as positive and students as well as the teachers provide learning is critical for students to develop these abilities. This is also the primary reason educational blogs are criticized; often freedom is restricted in a classroom environment.

All of this boils down to one single goal that blogs facilitate and that is reading. Effective blogs encourage engagement in the reading process, which writing involves. Blogs are shown to be ineffective if they do not encourage engagement in a subject area and typically this requires reading. This engagement can be facilitated by providing additional resources, opportunities to reflect and write about a topic, or a place to discuss issues presented in class. This can be done in many ways and with various degrees of student input in the process.

**Amy Maruska - Problem-Based Learning Approach**
**Websites**: Project-Based Learning; BIE Project Based Learning for the 21st Century @http://www.bie.org/about/ This site has a wealth of information and forms to use with PBL. Template for PBL Lesson @http://www.bie.org/images/uploads/useful_stuff/Project_Overview.pdf **Videos**: Project Based Learning: Explained @http://youtu.be/LMCZvGesRz8 Project-based Learning : An Overview from edutopia @http://youtu.be/LXpfCfuDqnY **Report**: Understanding Projects in Project-based Learning: A Student's Perspective @http://www.bie.org/images/uploads/general/c4bb5291b8135c6ba582d053833a16e2.pdf

This article addresses five students’ views on project-based learning. Everything that I have read comments about the difficulties to implement PBL effectively. The student’s choices on technology use were influenced by the instructor. The authors suggest that teachers may need to evaluate the time line for the project. Students were frustrated by time, information, and resources available for the projects. Learning more about PBL I am interested in knowing how to implement it effectively in the classroom. It seems that it is a positive way for students to be more involved in learning.
 * Reflection**:

Tamara Keierleber - Mobile Digital Storytelling
Websites: Mobile Motivation: 17 Digital Storytelling & Literacy Apps/Resources for Kids

= = From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning = =

Report: Mobile Digital Storytelling, An Article for The TechEdge: The Journal of the Texas Computer Education Association

Summary/Reflection: Mobile digital storytelling allows students to record audio files outside of the classroom for others to listen to. Students are able to record audio by telephone. There are many free applications that educators can use available online. These applications allow students to record audio using a cell phone or a landline. Teachers can then publish or download their students’ recordings. Students can also record audio using digital audio recorders or iPods (if they have the add-on microphones). This technology can be used for almost any grade level and for any subject. Students can record summaries of what they learned. Mobile digital storytelling is a powerful tool to use when you want your students to analyze what they learned and then put it into their own words. When students have to do this they reflect on what they learned and bring more understanding and meaning to the concept. I think that mobile digital storytelling is a great way to use technology in the classroom. Some students would really like to record their thoughts in the privacy of their own home or somewhere else outside of the school. Plus I believe students wouldn’t feel as rushed to get it done. They could take a little longer to prepare what they want to say and record themselves over and over until they think that it is just right before submitting it.

**Judy Patrick - VoiceThread**
On iTunes I found podcasts by Melody Buchner, the Instructional Design Specialist at The University of Arizona. She put together several podcasts about teaching online. One of the podcast was about VoiceThread. VoiceThread is an online collaboration tools. Collaborators can add pictures, embed links, write, and add audio files. It’s actually pretty cool. I haven’t figured out a good application in teaching accounting, but I found it to be a pretty powerful tool. Check out the What is VoiceThread video.

Here is the link to Melody’s podcasts if you are interested. She covered several other applications. Melody's Podcasts

Melanie Bergenhagen - Screencasting
**Screencast** - Video and audio of computer screen. Audio narration can also be added.

**Uses:** *Teaching/Showing technology on the computer (websites, software, web 2.0 tools) *Explaining assignments, computer/internet activities *Reviewing how to solve homework problems *Staff Development

**Examples:** Twitter in the Classroom Blabberize It Sheri's Assignment Tutorials

**Videos:** What is a Screencast and What Can I Do With It?

**Websites:** Screencasting for the Online Classroom Using Screencasting to Engage & Build Community with Online Learners Screencasting Tutorial


 * Files: **

**Screencasting Tools:** 18 Free Screencasting Tools Comparing 12 Free Screencasting Tools ScreenFlow - For Mac. You can use it for free, but you have to pay to export it without a watermark. Very Nice Application.

**Reflection:** I have had the privilege of working with Screencasts in my old school district (Blabberize Example above). I have found them very helpful in working with other staff members. After reading more on Screencasts I truly believe they are going to be seen more and more in the classroom and as a way of doing staff development. Screencasts allow teachers or other professionals to record what is on their screen and save it as a video. They can then upload those videos for others on the internet to view at any time. This is great for tutorials on how to access basic things on the internet, how to create standard based technology lesson plans, online lectures and explaining things to students. Students and staff can then access this material on their own time and they can view it as many times as they need or pause it if they are trying to follow along. If you haven't had the opportunity to make a screencast, I recommend playing around with it. They are a lot of fun.

**Cindy Gruwell – Training Faculty/Professional Development**

 * Review & Explanation**

There is no doubt that educational technology requires that faculty receive initial and ongoing training and development. The degree to which this happens varies by school, district, college, and university. While many educators like their students seek out opportunities for learning on the Web, there is something to be said for “formal” training and professional development. To this end administrative and technology coordinators play a vital role in the vision and training that teachers receive. In fact the International Society for Technology in Education [|(ISTE)] has developed "standards for learning in the digital" for students, teachers, and administrators.

The articles below are just a few of many that report on research and case reports regarding the professional development of faculty and implications for the future. As technology increases in use and importance there will be even more reportable research on pedagogies and implementation in a variety of settings. The other resources listed below are just a few of many that contain information and training opportunities for teachers and administrators alike. These particular sites were chosen for the robust quantity and quality of resources such as tutorials, videos, and professional literature.

Although there is an expectation that professional development and training should be provided for all educators, we as individuals need to be cognizant of the fact that we often have to take the bull by the horns and pursue our own growth opportunities. Like our students we can take advantage of resources available on the web to jump start and/or supplement our own professional development.


 * Articles**

Glynn, S., Koballa, T., Coleman, D., & Brickman, P. (2006). Professional Development Cases. Journal of College Science Teaching, 36(1), 10-12.

Keengwe, J., Kidd, T., & Kyei-Blankson, L. (2009). Faculty and Technology: Implications for Faculty Training and Technology Leadership. Journal of Science Education & Technology, 18(1), 23-28.

Ranker, R.A. & Clay, M.B. (2002). A Department - Focused Plan for Faculty Technology Professional Development. Educause Quarterly. 4, 52-55.


 * Websites**

EDUCAUSE – Faculty Development []

International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) – iste Learning []

Technology Information Education Services (TIES) – Professional Development Workshops and Webinars []


 * Tutorials**

Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) – E-Media & Web 2.0 Tutorials []

Teacher Challenge – Connecting Teachers through Free Professional Learning []

4Teachers.org – Teach with Technology: Tutorials and Tech Along []


 * Videos**

Common Craft – our product is explanation []

Stump the Teacher – Video Tutorials []

Teacher Tube (search on technology or professional development) []