Global Technology

South Korea is a country where they heavily implement technology into their schools and education system. “They topped PISA’s digital literacy test in 2009, proving that when it comes to computers, their kids are on the ball” said the site We are Teachers when discussing South Korea’s teaching habits (We Are Teachers). According to the site, South Korea’s schools also have high-speed internet as well as digital textbooks. They are also planning on going completely online with textbooks within the next year or so (We Are Teachers).South Korean teacher Ms. Bremner talks about all the technology they typically have in their classrooms. 

“Computers, internet, LCD screens and smart boards are a must in all classrooms. They really help with the teaching process and provide students with more knowledge as well!” said Bremner (We Are Teachers).

South Africa has also encouraged technology to be used in the classroom. The Vodacom Mobile Education Programme was launched around the end of 2011 with the aim to help get teachers the resources to teach subjects such as math and science (Mobile Teaching for Better Technology). Another objective to the program is to use mobile technology to help the Department of Basic Education meet its objective of ensuring that a significant number of learners have exposure to information and communications technology” (Mobile Teaching for Better Technology). While South Korea is ahead with their use of technology, others are following suit with the knowledge that technology is a tool that should be used in the classroom.

 Resources:  

"Mobile Teaching for Better Technology." SouthAfrica.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

"We Are Teachers." Special Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

Undergraduate Research Day

I attended the 3:15-4:15 session of undergraduate research day about math education and technology. The presenters seemed to have a little trouble before it started because there was technology difficulties with the computers and the differences between Macs and PCs. It seemed to be resolved within a few minutes and everything worked. There were four presenters and each had a different topic that was under the umbrella of education whether it was in elementary school or college.

The first student that presented talked about ability grouping in schools. Ability grouping is when children are grouped into leveled classrooms based on their abilities. She also mentioned the “Binet’s Intelligence Test” in her presentation. This presenter seemed very comfortable in front of an audience. She had an excess amount of writing on her slides that she read from but her voice did not waver and she knew what she was talking about.

The next presenter talked about discourse in the classroom. Discourse is the communication students offer through ideas in groups and responses given or open-ended questions. She observed how students used discourse in math classrooms. She was surprised to find a number of students using it and responding well to discourse. This presenter was visibly more nervous. She knew her material well and did not read directly from her slides but her voice shook a bit as she spoke.

Math in Focus is a program used to help teach math in classrooms. It originated in Singapore and is now being incorporated in American classrooms. The third presenter looked to see how the new program being integrated into classrooms affected students and the way the teachers teach. She also looked to see how it affected teachers who had been teaching for a long time as opposed to new teachers.

The last presenter talked about co-teaching and the affects it has on teaching practices of college faculty. She looked at three pairs of teachers at SNHU and what they thought it the process of working together. She stressed the point that the professors got to pick their partners so there was a lot of positive feedback about the program. 

Overall, the presenters did a great job. Their PowerPoints were organized and their thoughts were well articulated. I think the third presenter about the Math in Focus program did the best job on presentation alone. She was confident and knew what she was talking about. She also did not have too much information on her PowerPoint. She was not just reading from the slides but taking what was on the slides and using it to get her point across. I found the first presenter’s topic about ability grouping to be the most interesting. I have always found leveled classes to be an interesting topic to look into and see how they work and the benefits. 

Field Experience Reflection

I visited Bicentennial Elementary School in Nashua, NH. That was my elementary school when I was a child. The fifth grade teacher I had in fifth grade, Mrs. A, was the teacher I chose to interview. When I visited her classroom, she was teaching a math lesson but throughout the day she teaches all of the subjects.

I observed her classroom and found it enjoyable. I was only there for a short period of time but when I was there, I noticed how the students respected her. I remember having her as a student and loving her. She has a sense of humor and way of speaking that puts her on a level similar to the children’s. She doesn’t make herself seem superior or higher than they are.

When I observed, Mrs. A was teaching a math lesson. She uses a projector for the lessons usually, she said. I was a bit sad to see her room was disheveled because she was reorganizing, so the projector was not set up. That didn’t seem to bother any of the children, though. They used a white board and was able to learn just as well.

Mrs. A had the students answer questions and she would write or draw what was needed on the board. At times, she had the students come to the board themselves. For a lot of the questions, the students were using white boards and put it in the air when the answers were written down. I was looking on with the paraprofessional in the room when she was teaching. Mrs. A was using Common Core and had a paper that she was teaching from. I found it interesting because the sheet was very detailed and strict with that she was to teach. It had a lesson and what she was to say to teach the lesson. It then gave examples and a number of minutes she was to talk about each area. She gave her own examples and took extra time when needed but followed the sheet pretty well.

 On page 245 in our textbook, it talks about visual learning. Mrs. A uses her projector a lot and is able to help students learn that way. I can see Mrs. A as a constructivist teacher. One element of constructivism is letting students participate in activities that help them to gain the knowledge they are supposed to be learning. I saw Mrs. A doing that when she was teaching a math lesson. She had the children use white boards to show their answers and how they came across those answers. The students were able to work on their own but still participate as a class. Some could have seen it as a game, an activity to help them understand what they were learning.

 I loved observing Mrs. A’s classroom. I enjoyed seeing a teacher of a grade (fifth) I was not used to. It was also one of the first classrooms with technology open and in the hands of all of the students. I liked seeing it. I wished I had seen it used more but cannot imagine the fun they are having and the learning experiences that are coming out of using them.

My Hero Project

I chose to do this project on my grandpa, Charles Boghigian. He died in December due to Alzheimer's Disease. He was 96 years old with the advanced stages of Alzheimer's. He is greatly missed and will always be remembered.

Website Evaluation

I chose to evaluate the website www.spellingcity.com. The website is a site designed to help students create an online spelling list to be able to study from. There is an author biography, although it seemed to be a little difficult to find at first. I found it by accident. The "Contact Us" page is well constructed but that is not where the Author Bio is located.

According to the site, it is a "game-based learning tool for vocabulary, spelling, writing and language arts." The site is a colorful and friendly-looking page. For students, there are a lot of words and things to click on everywhere but I still think it can be easy for them to use.

I think the site could be a helpful tool for teachers and parents to use. Students like using technology for the majority of the time and if they can add a technology tool to their learning, I think it could be beneficial. I also like that the spelling lists students or parents or teachers upload onto the site, are then saved for later use. Students can use the site again and again to study for their spelling tests.

The Big Question

        Can you imagine how we would live without technology? Live by writing letters and sending messages through people? That’s how people used to live. People used to need to know how to write, read and do simple math like multiplication, subtraction, addition, and division. Children nowadays, are learning the same way. But is it the best method for learning? Some, like Sugata Mitra, believe it is outdated. They don’t believe it is needed anymore.

       Children who are less fortunate, and with less opportunities than others often do not succeed as much as children who go to school and have support and education. But is it because they can’t learn or simply do not have the skills or support needed to flourish.

       What I found interesting was Dr. Mitra’s findings about the necessity of schools. I never thought of schools becoming unnecessary and eventually…just gone. Dr. Mitra gave children in less fortunate parts of the world, a computer. What he really gave them was an opportunity. They were able to learn when they were not in a classroom. They learned about neurons and science and things children well older than they were learning in schools. A question he then posed was what is the point of schools? Are we evolving into a generation that does not need teachers and schools when we can use a computer? We can learn everything students are in a span of two minutes with a computer.

       What really stuck with me was when Dr. Mitra talked about letting learning happen instead of forcing it. That is absolutely what educators and schools should be focusing on. Children do not learn when they are forced and/or threatened. Learning needs to change from children being forced to learn and punished, to a pleasurable experience.

      Laws, fads, and people change over the years but the school system rarely does. Children are different now than they were when the school system was created. They cannot be expected to learn the same way children in previous generations have. Technology is a thing of the future, and educators are facilitators of future learning.  

Technology is another tool that should be used in the classroom. Computers can teach children in ways educators cannot. Technology is a great asset to have in the classroom. It can be beneficial in ways teachers and books cannot compete. As long as it is utilized in appropriate ways and is not used instead of teachers and books but in conjunction with, it should be incorporated in all classrooms.

When in the classroom, children using technology can learn many things in many different ways. Computers create another opportunity for teachers to help their students. According to "Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (IETT)," technology "supplies self-paced learning for accelerated students" (Roblyer 25) as well as "turns disabilities into capabilities" (Roblyer 25).

In my math class I have this year, we work online so I can get ahead if I am ready to when the rest of the class is not. It works well because I am able to keep myself going instead of waiting for others. IETT also talks about the benefits for children with disabilities with technology. They "depend on technology to compensate for vision, hearing..." (Roblyer 25).

While technology can help students get ahead and help students with disabilities, another positive factor to education is everything that comes with computers and the different machines. The different software programs out there such as resume-builders and different templates and databases are useful for students throughout all grades. Computers give them something that they cannot always find otherwise.