Thursday June 01, 2006
Blog #2 Laptops
Description of Tool/Resource/Strategy
Every student having either a laptop or a tablet pc allows equal access to technology, both the hardware and the needed software. Students, regardless of socio-economics, would be able to use the laptop/tablet to complete assignments that some students would otherwise not have the resources to complete.
Key Findings from Reading
In the ?Research: What It Says About 1 to 1 Learning? document (Apple), research on 1 to 1 initiatives are reviewed. The 1 to 1 computing initiative is to put a computer in every student?s hands, in school and/or at home. There were many aspects of this initiative discussed, including initiative goals, implementation, training, support, and research to date. Various implementations were discussed with mostly positive outcomes. However, the substance of this paper implies the necessity of more rigorous research to substantiate the positive effects of 1 to 1 computing initiatives.
In the Bonifaz/Zucker paper, ?Lessons Learned About Providing Laptops for All Studenst?, 1 to 1 computing (or ubiquitous computing) is again addressed. Five areas of concern are addressed to increase the success for these types of initiatives. Planning, the first category discussed, focuses on setting goals and aligning your policies and support to those goals. Strong leadership, the second area, stresses the need for a strong team at all levels. Funding is the third area and centers around the need for a long-term commitment to financing the initiative. Fourth, the development of partnerships, within and without the school, is presented. Fifth, and last, is the need for careful logistical planning whereby dealing with the day-to-day issues of the hardware/software is discussed. The article also discusses the need for training, as professional development for teachers and education for parents. The article also details concerns with regards to hardware and software as well as the required infrastructure for the campus and for the human characteristic of distaining change.
Reflection
As a teacher that is restricted by the students? resources at home, I am very much in favor of 1 to 1 computing. The schools that have implemented this change are freeing many students to access resources previously unattainable at home by most students. My computer programming students do not have access to the software from my classes, even if they have a computer at home. Therefore, my students cannot work on my assignments anywhere except my classroom (due to software licensing, it is not even available in the media center). Students needing to work a little slower, or wanting to go a little farther are then restricted or put a disadvantage. If my students had a laptop with the required software, they could program anywhere, when it was convenient for them to do so. Allowing students this resource would enable them. The student who needed it could take more time on an assignment. For example, I have an ESL student who, due to the language, works a little slower. He is entirely capable, yet hampered by the lack of the hardware/software at home, in the media center and in his ESL classroom (where the computer will not support my software).
Posted by lpkeller ( Jun 01 2006, 09:28:19 AM EDT ) Permalink Comments [8]
Wednesday May 31, 2006
Blog #1 Geocaching
Description of Tool/Resource/Strategy
Geocaching is GPS (Global Positioning System) technology where a person can input coordinates into a handheld GPS device in order to find a cache (treasure) left by another. It is a ?high-tech, worldwide treasure hunt? according to Lynn M Lary. Geocaching is becoming a world-wide sport and offers an interesting application in the classroom.
The students use the GPS device as they input coordinates or access coordinates already entered. Students then use the assigned GPS device to locate the ?treasure? cache. The cache can be anything in a container, for example, a logbook, trinkets, or information left in a plastic box. The ?treasure? can be collected by the ?treasure hunters?, and then used to solve a puzzle or answer a problem. The ?treasure? could also be more clues to the next cache.
Key Findings from Reading
In her article, Hide and Seek, GPS and Geocaching in the Classroom (Learning & Leading with Technology, Volume 31, Number 6), Lary describes the technique of geocaching and offers examples of how to use this technology in the classroom. In using this technique at one middle school camp, Lary received positive feedback from not only the students, but the parents as well. In this example, clues where left in the cache leading students to the next find. Clues ranged from riddles to math problems.
While the article provided no statistical evidence of increased learning/assimilation of knowledge, the stories provided indicated enthusiasm for the activity and the new technology.
Reflection
I really like the idea of getting my students moving around (kinetically). As a computer programming teacher, my students sit at their computers all period (90 min) working on their exercises/projects. Any way I can make learning code less dry and monotonous is a plus. One way I think I could incorporate this technology is to have the cache provide programming statements, which the students would then put in order once all sites had been visited by the team. In having students assemble the statements, then enter them into the program. If the statements are assembled correctly, the code will run and the students will successfully complete the challenge.
I could also put programming problems in the cache then have a contest where students would solve the different problems. With the problems integrated into a project, students could build on each find and collaborate together as a team. Posted by lpkeller ( May 31 2006, 07:41:30 AM EDT ) Permalink Comments [5]
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