The time is ticking faster and the course is almost over. Now I have to put my teacher hat back on and start mentally preparing myself to teach middle school students. I have so many ideas that I have learned from this course that I want to implement them all into my class. But, I really need to stand back and reflect. The most I got from this class is all the information that everybody shared on diigo.com and in their discussions. I am very proud of everybody’s contribution to my education and their own. I loved how everybody had a share in the teaching presence and how Alex facilitated the learning. This was an an excellent example of an effective student-centered learning environment.
This weeks discussions were great, they varied from online classes to inclusions. One thing that I wanted share again was the ISTE standards in technology that 8th graders should be able to do before going to high school. Being an 8th grade teacher and 9th grade, I usually still have students that are having difficulties with technology. I am surprised with that observation, because of students are being raised around technology. In the publication, Technology in schools: suggestions, tools, and guidelines for assessing technology in elementary and secondary education, listed the following standards that 8th graders should be able to accomplish:
1. Apply strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems that occur during everyday use.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of current changes in information technologies and the effect those changes have on the workplace and society.
3. Exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology, and discuss consequences of misuses.
4. Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations to support learning and research.
5. Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum.
6. Design, develop, publish, and present products using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside of the classroom.
7. Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative tools to investigate curriculum-related problems, issues, and information, and to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside of the classroom.
8. Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of task and solve problems.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of concepts underlying hardware, software, and connectivity, and of practical applications to learning and problem solving.
10. Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources concerning real-world problems.
I do believe that these standards should assist the students in either online or face-to-face class to succeed with learning. I am actually going to observe and take notes of my 8th graders to see how many standards that they can achieve.
I had a great summer learning and being challenged to do my best at learning.
Gary
(4)
Cited:
Technology in schools: suggestions, tools, and guidelines for assessing technology in elementary and secondary education. (Retrieved from:http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/tech_schools/index.asp).