I love this course! I teach it once a year and every year it's almost brand new. "Internet Tools and Practices" what a large, open canvas upon which to dab and dribble bits of color to enliven teaching and learning. As I hope you will come to appreciate, I find teaching one of the most creative of human endeavors. I enjoy the freedom and challenge of meeting individual needs, of using found objects to make new tools, of feeling the flash of intuition for myself and of seeing it in the eyes of others. I see teaching as a journey, one that began for me more than 40 years ago and one which I still find challenging especially in this, newish to me, medium of the internet. Teaching across time and distance deprives us of that instant feedback that in the classroom is comprised of body language, facial expression, voice inflection, and the inexpressible sense of being together in one place at the same time. But, the internet opens so many new doors for us as teachers it makes up for some of the lack of the "personal touch".
I love "new" and "change" and I find the possibilities of a "blended" course the best of two worlds: 1) access to the infinite set of tools and resources found online and 2) the brief but informative face-to-face meetings we have scheduled.
When you respond to this post say a few words about how you, at this moment in time, feel about online/blended teaching and learning. We'll look back near the end of the course and see if attitudes have shifted.
Currently I teach in an urban school district where computer and internet access is limited for many students when they get home. However I'm excited to see how I can combine online/blended teaching and learning in my classroom. Recently my school purchased SmartBoards for the 5-8 building. SmartBoards are interactive whiteboard, connected to an LCD panel and a computer. With a SmartBoard, I'm able to go websites like the National Library of Virtual Manipulative and illustrate abstract math concepts through the interactive whiteboard. This new technology has created a more cooperative-learning environment in my classroom this year. I curious to see what other tools are out there that I can use with my classroom's SmartBoard.
ReplyDeleteI currently teach at a private Christian school in Canal Winchester. Many of the students are from an urban setting where they do not have access to a computer or the internet at home. I am excited to see how I will be able to combine online/blended teaching and learning in the classroom. However, my school does not have a lot of technology available. My students have access to three laptops and a computer lab which much be shared by the entire school. Without the use of a smartboard and a projector, it has been difficult to integrate technology in the classroom. Students have been able to use the computer lab for research as well as preparing for the OAT through the use of an online tool. I look forward to learning how I can use the tools available to me now to help bring my classroom further into the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteI work in a school where technology is slowly making its way into the classroom. At this time I am both excited and nervous about the changes that will undoubtedly take place in education due to the rapid advances in technology. I am hoping to find a way in which I can incorporate more technology into teaching reading to students that struggle to learn to read or perform on grade level in reading. I also hope to learn ways to help my colleagues take the step towards incorporating technology into their literacy instruction.
ReplyDeleteI work at a school that is somewhat bringing technology aboard. Not really with computers but other aspects. We all have an elmo in our classrooms. Some teachers are somewhat afraid of it, but I use mine probably 5 times a day! I love it!!! As far as computers...we are not as resourceful. We have three computers in each classroom and a lab. We just don't use them for more than AR and YPP. I am excited about being able to apply more technology in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI teach at Northridge High School out in Johnstown. It is a rural school and we are definitely playing catch up as far as technology goes. I am interested in continuing to learn about the many things I can use in my classroom and really want a SMARTboard. I do currently direct my students to some websites they can use for extra help, but as seems common in mnay shcools not all students have this access at home and even fewer actually use it.
ReplyDeleteI teach Spanish 2 and 3 at Westerville Central...I can't think of a better subject area than foreign language to use technology to network with other students/educators both here at home and internationally! I will be the first to admit that I do not use technology as much as I should...think of the possibilities for my students using technology for up to date communication with Spanish-speaking students! My only technological endeavor thus far has been some very simplistic use of the Smartboard (ground-breaking, I know!) Needless to say, my hope for this course is to beef up my internet/techie skills and then impart them to my students!!!
ReplyDeleteI currently teach ESL at Columbus State Community College. My younger students who have had several years of public schooling in the U.S. are more comfortable with computers than my older students. However, I am not as adept with internet tools and applications as I would like to be. In my classroom I use mostly Powerpoints, emails, Blackboard, but not any Web 2.0 applications. Some of my students do not even own computers or have internet access at home, so it is difficult to give assignments which require such things. Our department does have hybrid and web courses available for students in the upper levels of ESL. I think what is most lacking in our ESL program is instructor adaptability. We have fulltime professors who still refuse to use any type of computer technology in the classroom. Some still do their grades by hand in a notebook...not that there is anything wrong with that! But it seems to me that the reluctance originates from fear of the unknown or fear of the time required to learn new material. I think we do our students a disservice when we are not willing to learn and adapt to our changing world. Through this Otterbein course, I hope to learn and bring new information to the ESL program at CSCC and create curricula to serve the students in the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteI currently teach third grade in Granville. I have five computers in my room and go to the computer lab at least once every six days. I also have a projector and document camera that I use often. I hope to learn some new ways to use technology in my room to jazz up my lesson plans. Especially in the social studies and science areas.
ReplyDeleteI teach at Licking Heights which is a combination of suburban/city students and rural students. Our school district has been struggling financially over the last few years due to the amount of growth we have been experiencing. Our district has grown 130% since 2000 and therefore funds have had to be used in other areas first. Technology is not much of a priority in our middle school, which is a shame. Since many of our students do not have computer access at home I feel it is important to give them these opportunities at school. We are making small strides each year and I try my best to include the technology that I do have access to into my lessons and classroom. I am looking forward to learning new things that I can apply in my classroom and that students will be more engaged in.
ReplyDeleteI teach at a Catholic school in Whitehall. We have have one classroom K-8. As of this past summer, all of these classrooms have a SMART board installed. We also have one in our computer lab. The computer lab has around 25 computers. We also have two laptop carts. Considering the size of our school (under 300 students) and our financial capabilities, I am generally impressed with how much we have available to us. Now what would be fabulous is if I were actually able to use it! While I am minimally comprehending of the SMART board in my room (as I was the last one to get it), I do not see how it would be feasible for me to use the lab. I have between 14-18 students at a time. This might not be so bad if they were not kindergarteners. I would love to have them spend time doing educational games and programs, but I do not see how I will manage getting that many students set up and running by myself. I wish our school had a separate technology teacher!
ReplyDeleteI am a substitute with Westerville. I've held two long-term positions and lots of day to day stuff. This reply is supposed to answer how I feel about online blended teaching. That's an interesting wording. Usually the question is about technology in general, which I love to utilize. Like other teachers, I use the Smartboard, I have Webquests, I try to teach information literacy through requiring proper websites for resources, etc. However, I'm apprehensive about online/blended teaching. I can see the benefits on the college level. The flexibility of this class is fantastic. However, I'm not sure how this would go in a traditional K-12 class. I've subbed for teachers who require blog maintenance. All I saw was kids sending each other obscene messages and goofing around. They didn't seem to understand that they were doing and submitting real classwork. Maybe by high school I could integrate some online teaching. Perhaps this class will help guide me!
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