An 'Excel'lent program :)

This week for our class, we were asked to work on Microsoft Excel working on a simulated grade book. We had a list of instructions that guided us on learning how to create, edit, and adjust the document. Although I have used Microsoft Excel before, I have not used it for "gradebook" material and was very excited to get to know how to work this wonderful program to make grading easier. The task included coloring columns, adding columns and naming them, creating formulas to make a column for averages on students grades, and using the chart to recognize students who are not passing so that we can keep tabs on them and get their grades up. I found this project easy in the beginning, yet became slightly challenged as the process went on, and got irritated trying to create the "averages" columns. I am glad this assignment was required, since it opened my eyes to not only how little I knew about the program, but how infinite the possibilities are that the program provides. 

I found that you can do anything you need to your document to make it "you proof". In this I mean that you can customize the document to your liking and you can set it up so that just by looking at it, you know at glance you can find exactly what you're looking for. I have learned not to be afraid and try to all the different options. 

I have supplied a link to the assignment we were given if you would like to try yourself. Take a look! :)

Sample Gradebook Excel Document

Detailed Tasks

Blocked Content!

Taking Sides:

Is it more unethical to allow threats to students/schools, or to deny students/teachers access to instructionally-relevant Web-based tools and content? 

   This question is being raised for educators throughout America, and many teachers are taking sides as to which they believe is more important and ethical. I've been asked to think about this question, and have done some research as well as used personal experience to take a position. 

   I believe that it is important to make sure teachers and students are not faced with internet threats while discovering the web, but in my opinion there is way too much blocking by the school districts. With anything on the internet these days, if there's a will there's a way and hackers, viruses, and objectionable content is going to happen in some sense. But keeping students and teachers from using valuable resources on the web by blocking such content is hindering the educational field. I find that if we are choosing to use the internet in the classroom, we should allow students to explore with a teacher's eye observing and guiding the students to the content of the topic. Many students do not have access at home to a computer still these days, and the ones that do mostly use it for computer games and social networking, and do not always use the computer for educational purpose to explore. Blogs and some websites have so much useful information for students to learn and take in that they may not get from anywhere else. I myself have run into this problem when working with students in the classroom. I have wanted to show videos that refer to the topic we were working on such as videos from youtube or speeches that important people have made, and I was unable to show them due to the school's blocked features. 

   In an article I found, author Chuck Kinzer states, "I would be remiss if I did not mention that the use of filtering software and restricted sites that prescreen content is under debate. Advocates of free speech point out the potential threats of censorship they pose. Others note that many appropriate and beneficial sites can be mistakenly filtered out. Teachers should be aware of the options available to address issues of Internet safety so they can make informed, professional, and educationally sound judgments for their own situations". I love what Kinzer had to say in his journal article because he discussed both sides of the topic and gave insight into each view of the argument. I believe what he says here is very true. 

   All in all, I have found this discussion to be a very interesting subject of debate and I am looking forward to reading more about this and how to make sure I can do my best to be an advocate for the allowance of students/teachers to access the "blocked" material in the classroom. 

Resources:

      Gunter, G. A., Gunter, R. E., & Shelly, G.B. (2010). Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom (6^th ed.). United States: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.

     Kinzer, C. (2000/2001, December/January). Addressing issues of Internet safety [an Electronic Classroom Web watch]. Reading Online, 4(6). 

Available:\http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/webwatch/safety/index.html

Education: A Network of it's Own!

The Networked Student:

  This week we were asked to view a video posted by a doctoral student, Wendy Drexler called "The Networked student". The video focuses on the reality of students learning through various forms of networking. It shows how much the web and other media has positive effects on the 21st century student network. There are so many stems for students to connect with new contacts, tools, and resources. It also explains how important it is to keep teachers involved and help guide and navigate students to not only education, but the future of education- that is technology. As teachers we are reliable to help show our students how to use this information. 
  I found it very interesting the way Drexler explained her ideas. She helped viewers look into the idea that although not everyone is completely and fully knowledgeable on the subject, technology has a way of opening new doors to the entire world, especially students. She named so many different options of incredible experiences to discover on the web such as connecting with people from other cities, states and even countries to explore their world through blogs and social networks, as well as using itunes U to watch top-notch professors give a lesson from any university of their choice. Even early childhood and elementary education students have an abundance of opportunities at their fingertips on the web. There are educational games and ways to help classmates interact and learn. And the coolest thing about the Internet is that it gives students the choice to go their own route and find what interests them and build upon it. Drexler states that networking “empowers the student to take control of their learning.” This gives our students inspiration and they become excited to look into what they are interested in. They get to chose where they find their information, how to go about it, and it can all be controlled by the teacher, which leads me into my next subject of interest. 
  Drexler explains how important it is for teachers to be informed and trained when it comes to technology so that they can safely guide their students to web hunt. Students love having freedom, but the web can be a scary place with very inappropriate material that is either not age appropriate, or not on the suggested topic. There is a way, though, for teachers to create a safe world wide web for their students, that will lead them in the right direction every time. 
  I love how Drexler makes it so easy to understand the significance of networking in every way, shape, and form for students of all ages. I think if more teachers were introduced to this information, more "non-technology" based teachers would jump on the bandwagon already and get this web show on the road!!


Drexler, W. (2008). The networked student. Retrieved September 11, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA.

Research appropriate

 I was very excited to get to dive into this assignment being that in an earlier technology course I took for undergrad I was asked to do the same as a test to see if we could pick out appropriate educational material for educational use, and I was very distraught in what I found. There is a huge demand for more technology in the classroom, and not a ton of guidance on how to create the technology safely for your students eyes, whether it be inappropriate material or plain inaccurate and false information. The websites provided in the textbook were very exciting to me to finally have a base of actual websites that give me something incredible to work with as a teacher. These websites are very practical and easy to use, as well as convenient and workable for the students in my class.

Kid Friendly
 I loved how Ask for Kids was such a "kid-friendly" site for research. So many children know how to use a computer these days, but not many kids know how to research a topic and find the information they truly need. They can just easily ask a question just as they can in class and get the response they are looking for.
 I also found websites that gave learning tools, educational games, and literature that are easy to locate and maneuver through for children and teens. It is so important for kids to have access to age appropriate information!

Teacher Friendly
 I was extremely thrilled to see some of these websites provided printables and lessons as well as resources and guides to fun and interactive ideas for teachers to incorporate in the classroom. It is always great to come up with your own ideas for your class, but at the same time, it is great that we can communicate with other teachers and share ideas and experiences that worked and didn't work. I love that technology is leading us to a larger "classroom" of ideas!

 As I searched through the Department of Education, I found many links and helpful information for parents regarding schools and statistics as well as policies and rules. Of course these facts are important, but I was displeased finding that they did not offer many links for children and parents to further the education and technology at home. I do believe that many teachers now are creating their own class website providing links and such to these types of websites and such for parents and students to access.

 This assignment definitely opened my eyes to the importance in not only my own importance to careful research and keeping up with appropriate websites and information that is useful and correct, but also making sure my students know how and are capable of finding educational material on the web.

"If we teach today like we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." -John Dewey

Technology in the classroom seems to be a very important and complex topic these days. With the technology growing and the generation of students being more dependent on technology, questions are being raised upon how schools and educators can incorporate enough technology to keep their students attention as well as get the information needed across. The days of Sesame Street began our journey with implementing technology with education. An entertaining show full of fun characters and songs and colors that just so happens to be packed full of educational topics would excite a young child and their parents. But how can any teacher compete with Sesame Street.. let alone iPhones and google, and the national geographic channel. Well if there's a will, there's a way, and I believe teachers should be updated on technology in order to introduce these technologically young minds to the important information they need to learn in school. 

This slide show of quotes was interesting and completely relevant to the topic of this discussion.

http://www.slideshare.net/tonyvincent/education-technology-quotes

Today is the day of digital media, and tomorrow is the day of the new updated version. Every day a new company is coming out with the bigger and better product, which most likely is a new trendy piece of technology. The days of writing with pencil and paper are becoming more and more extinct. Children are learning to type quicker than they are learning to write, and more and more of their attention spans are getting lost into space when a teacher sits in front of the classroom and points to words on a white board. Although this is slightly unfortunate to those old fashioned teachers, the truth is, it is reality. 

"Technology and digital media are everywhere and integrated into every aspect of individuals lives" (Gunter, 11). This idea brings up another important concept. If digital media is EVERYWHERE, shouldn't we be teaching students how to use it everywhere so that they can be successful? "Using technology can be motivational, provide unique, effective, and powerful opportunities for teaching and learning - including skill-building practice, real world problem solving, interactive learning, and linking learners to a multitude of instructional resource" (Gunter, 11). Now a days, students can easily just pull out their iPhone or droid and simply ask into the microphone the question they need answered, and sure enough the answer pops up. So by using different media in the classroom, they can find a more exciting and resourceful way of using technology while learning as well. 

I personally enjoy the upgrading technology and find that the next generation will have more technology introduced, so it is of our best interest to keep up with it as well and incorporate it is as much as possible into our classroom. 

   Shelly, G. & Gunter, G & Gunter, R. (2010). Teacher Discovering Computers Integrating technology and Digital Media in the Classroom. (6th Ed.) Cengage Learning