1. Distributed or E-Learning Environments
I currently use the Moodle LMS for my Computer
Programming and Flipped Physics classes; our district has not kept Moodle
updated (since it is hosted on an in-house server) so there are some web
extensions that are not available to us right now. I have begun evaluating a hosted LMS called
Canvas to move my Physics class and my Engineering Design class over to. So far, I have been impressed with
Canvas. The configuration options are
much more user-friendly than that of Moodle and the student interface is much
more intuitive. My hope is that I can
convince my district to also objectively evaluate this LMS since it appears to
be a very viable alternative to Moodle.
Networks or Web 2.0 Technologies
I have been fortunate enough to be taking Web 2.0
Technologies at the same time that I am taking this course. I was very misinformed on the purpose and
scope of Web 2.0 but now that misinformation has been set straight! Edmodo and Twitter are two Web 2.0
technologies that I plan to integrate into my curriculum next year. Edmodo will be a way to integrate more
technology into my Forensics class (and it will provide a good basis for my Web
Technologies class.) Twitter is a great
way to share information and to send short messages to students. Since Twitter posts can also be shared in
Edmodo and on the Canvas LMS site, it makes for a convenient way to post
announcements.
Digital Games or Simulations
I have used simulations in my science classes for the
past four years. Simulations help in
situations where we cannot afford adequate lab equipment or when student safety
comes to play. After all, we probably
would not be wise to let students play with radioactive materials to study
decay! My goal for next year is to have
students begin to program some of their own simulations. My AP Computer Programming class is very
comfortable writing Java applets; these are platform-independent programs that
run in a web browser. Adding some
mathematical underpinnings to these applets and allowing students to interact
with them would be a challenge but is a definite possibility for this group of
outstanding students.
Nearly every one of the TEKS taught in my classes
(Physics, Forensics, Computer Programming, Web Technologies, and Engineering
Design/Problem Solving) can connect with an aspect of technology. Through the use of these various
technologies, students can explore in familiar territory. The grasp of the “big picture” concepts is
often increased because the technology engages students and fosters inquiry and
discovery. Is this necessarily more
effective than traditional delivery? Not
always but, for the most part, students take more ownership of learning
objectives when they are “doing” rather than sitting and listening/taking
notes.
2. The collaborative nature of each of the technologies
mentioned above gives students access to each others’ work. It is important for teachers to realize this
and to monitor the work done by every student (or at least to make sure they
are doing their part in cooperative work.)
Students will often take the easy way out, despite the ethical dilemma
that cheating/plagiarism creates) because they feel the need to use as little
of their brain power as they can. Some
of the LMS services have ways to check for plagiarism but, at the K-12 level,
options are pretty limited. Fortunately,
most of my work comes as the result of team activities and students are held
accountable by each other for doing their part.
For the most part, technology assists in the need for
adaptive and accessible instruction. The issue is not often an issue of
applications or software; it is typically limitations of hardware that makes
technology inaccessible. My district has
helped my students immensely in this area (adaptive keyboard, cameras for
visually impaired) and I am sure that other districts do the same. Technology has also advanced in
user-friendliness to the point that nearly every interface is simple
point-and-click. Much of the technology
used in the classroom requires little front-end training and is often intuitive
enough that users can grasp the technology with a minimal amount of “play”
time.
